Uptake and concentration of heavy metals in dominant mangrove species from Hainan Island,South China

Environmental Geochemistry and Health - By investigating three dominant mangrove species, namely Aegiceras corniculatum, Kandelia candel, Ceriops tagal and their rhizosediment in Mangrove wetlands...     

三峡库区水土流失特点及其环境危害防治措施探讨

水土流失是三峡库区主要环境问题之一,也是库区产生大量泥沙的根本因素,更是造成库区人民生活贫困的根源。本文就三峡库区水土流失的特点及其环境危害作了分析,提出了相应的防治措施,为水土流失防治工程提供科学依据。     

Processes involved in uptake and release of nitrogen dioxide from soil and building stones into the atmosphere

Atmospheric NO₂ was taken up by samples of various soils and building stones. The NO₂ uptake rate constants were highest in soil samples taken during the summer months. However, the NO₂ uptake rate constants of the soils and building stones were not significantly correlated with any of the following variables: moisture, pH, ammonium, nitrite, or nitrate. NO₂ uptake by soil and stone was not abolished by autoclaving indicating a chemical uptake process. NO₂ uptake by acidic and air-dry soils and stones resulted in nearly stoichiometric reduction of NO₂ to NO. This reduction was enhanced by the addition of ferrous iron and was further enhanced by incubation under 1 ppmv SO₂. The results suggest that NO₂ reduction may be coupled to oxidation of ferrous to ferric iron which may be reduced again by atmospheric SO₂ thus regenerating the ferrous iron content of the soil or stone. Conversion of NO₂ to NO was not observed in neutral or/and moist soils and stones. NO₂ was also taken up by purified and sterilized quartz sand moistend with water. This uptake was enhanced by addition of humic material but not by addition of bacteria which both had been extracted from genuine soil. Under most conditions, only uptake but no release of NO₂ was observed. However, NO₂ was released in air-dry soils that were heated to 45–65°C, or in ammonium-fertilized soil or stone that was drying up at room temperature. Under the latter conditions mimicking field practice, the NO₂ release reached rates that were similar to the NO release rates.     

Ammonia production and kinetic properties of glutamate dehydrogenase in the sipinculid Phascolosoma arcuatum exposed to anoxia

The amounts of total NH ₄ ⁺ detected in the external media in which Phascolosoma arcuatum had been exposed to various periods of anoxia were significantly greater than those in which the worms were exposed to normoxia for a similar period. The increased NH ₄ ⁺ production by P. arcuatum during anoxic exposure was unlikely to be due to an increased catabolism of adenine nucleotides or urea. In contrast, there were significant decreases in the concentrations of several free amino acids in the coelomic plasma and body tissues of individuals during the 48 h of anoxic exposure. The amount of NH ₄ ⁺ produced by the anoxic P. arcuatum could be accounted for by the decreases in the concentrations of aspartate or glycine. Increases in the catabolism of free amino acids (FAA), leading to the increased production of NH ₄ ⁺ , in P. arcuatum during anoxia were supported by the detection of significant changes in the kinetic properties of glutamate dehydrogenase (GDH), in the deaminating direction, from worms exposed to anoxia for 48 h. The apparent increase in the affinity of GDH from the anoxic worm to glutamate would bring about a greater deaminating activity at physiological concentrations of ths substrate. P. arcuatum used in these experiments were collected from the mangrove swamp at Mandai, Singapore between 1990 and 1993.     

Organochlorine residues in the avifauna of Tamil Nadu (Southeast coast of India)

Pollution due to persistent pesticides is not a regional but a global problem. Organochlorine pesticides are persistent chemicals, stored and accumulated in the tissues of a wide variety of invertebrates and vertebrates including marine species. In the present study the organochlorine residues HCHs, DDTs and PCBs were measured in different trophic groups of birds (scavengers, inland piscivores, coastal piscivores, insectivores, granivores and omnivores) collected from Tamil Nadu Coast, India. The residue accumulation as a function of sex did not depict distinct variation. However, females had lower residue levels than males in terms of their mean weight and feeding habits. A continuous monitoring programme is recommended to establish the studied organisms as indicator species.     

Measuring water resource use efficiency of the Dong Nai River Basin (Vietnam): an application of the two-stage data envelopment analysis (DEA)

Environment, Development and Sustainability - The recent growth of agriculture, industry and urban areas in Vietnam requires a large amount of water consumption as a production factor. This paper...     

亚热带稻田土壤碳氮磷生态化学计量学特征

为了解稻田土壤中是否存在稳定的土壤有机碳(C)、氮(N)和磷(P)比值,基于亚热带区110个水稻土剖面和587个发生层的土壤调查数据库,在区域尺度上分析了典型水稻土C∶N∶P比值的生态化学计量学特征,并应用相关分析和冗余分析,研究水稻土C∶N∶P比值与土壤-环境因子(地形和母质、土壤发生层、土壤类型和土壤理化性质)的关系.结果显示,亚热带区稻田土壤C∶N、C∶P和N∶P的剖面加权平均值分别为12. 6、49和3. 9,C∶N∶P为38∶3. 2∶1.不同母质起源、不同土壤亚类和不同发生层的水稻土C∶N变异相对较小;但C∶P和N∶P的变异很大,两者均值也远低于全球(186和13. 1)和中国土壤(136和9. 3)的C∶P和N∶P的平均水平.尽管稻田土壤剖面的C∶N∶P相对不稳定,但由于稻田表土生物与环境相互作用强烈,表土C∶N相对稳定(14. 2).这反映长期水耕熟化作用下,稻田表土中C和N仍存在紧密的耦合作用.然而,在稻田土壤剖面上,C∶P和N∶P并不稳定,SOC与全P含量、全N与全P含量也无显著相关性,表明环境变化可能导致土壤C∶N∶P解耦.地形、土壤质地、氧化铁和容重是调控稻田土壤剖面C∶N∶P的关键土壤环境因子.