Simulating the dynamics of sulfur species and zinc in wetland sediments

In situ measurements comparing vertical SO₄²⁻ profiles in vegetated and non-vegetated sediments showed that SO₄²⁻ concentrations in vegetated sediments increased significantly at the beginning of the growing season and then gradually decreased during the rest of the growing season. Throughout the growing season, SO₄²⁻ concentrations remained higher in the vegetated sediments than in the sediments without plants. The higher SO₄²⁻ concentrations in the vegetated sediments indicate that oxygen release from roots and evapotranspiration-induced advection by plants play an important role in the dynamics of sulfur species in sediments. Since the total pool of solid-phase sulfide is relatively large compared to the mass of SO₄²⁻ in the sediments, the gradual decrease of SO₄²⁻ concentrations may result from limitation of the solid-phase sulfide that is in direct contact with or very close to the roots and rhizomes. This would mean that the main pool of solid-phase sulfide and associated trace metals are not affected by the oxygen release from roots, and the associated trace metals will not become bioavailable during the growing season.     

The effects of climate change on plant phenology

The available data on climate change over the past century indicate that the Earth is warming. Important biological events, including changes in plant phenology, have been reported in many parts of the world. We have explored some of these phenological changes in more than 650 temperate species, which have indicated the average advancement of 1.9 days per decade in spring events and average delay of 1.4 days per decade in autumnal events. Thus the average length of the growing season has extended by 3.3 days per decade.     

海口市蔬菜土壤重金属含量特征研究

采用野外调查法结合实验室分析法对海口市郊区蔬菜土壤重金属含量特征进行研究,测定了Cr、As、Cd、Cu、Zn、Pb、Ni、和Hg 8种重金属全量、有效态含量及蔬菜土壤pH值和有机质含量,重金属全量与有效态含量间的相关性及土壤pH值,有机质含量与蔬菜土壤中重金属全量间的相关性。结果表明,海口市蔬菜土壤中各种重金属均表现出一定的累积趋势;8种重金属元素有效态含量与全量呈正相关,重金属有效态占全量比例在1.86%~13.47%之间,其中Cd、Pb和Hg较高,分别为13.47%、10.23%和8.42%,三者表现出较大的潜在污染风险;土壤p H值和有机质含量与重金属全量表现出一定的相关性,相关性大小与重金属种类有关;重金属全量并不能全面正确评价土壤的环境效应,对蔬菜土壤重金属污染程度进行评价时,应把重金属全量、有效态含量与土壤基本理化性质结合起来进行研究。     

Effects on Wood Quality Characteristics of Hormone Breeding of Beech Seedlings Treated by Polystimulin-A6

Abstract

The aim of this study is to determine the effectiveness of polystimulin-A6 (PS-A6) on the wood quality characteristics of beech (Fagus orientalis L.) seedlings. In order to examine the seedling development, the total of 1200 seedlings treated with PS-A6 at four different concentrations and a total of 300 control seedlings were measured related to seedling height, root collar diameter, stem dry weight, root dry weight, leaf width, and length. It was also counted the leaf numbers. Finally, it was found that there was a very significant difference between PS-A6 treatments and control treatments. The seedlings treated with PS-A6 seem to perform well in comparison to control seedlings.     

A practical approach to predict the duration of the growing season for European lakes

This work presents the first practically useful models to estimate the duration of the growing season (GS in days) for European lakes. GS is a fundamental parameter in limnology, where it is used, e.g., to calculate lake characteristic annual primary production (in g ww/m²·yr) from measurement data in g C/l·day. We have presented two simple empirical regression equations where GS is estimated from latitude. We have also introduced a more comprehensive model. It is derived from a previously presented well calibrated and validated model predicting lake epilimnetic temperatures from readily available data on latitude, altitude, continentality (distance from the Sea) and lake volume. Operationally, the duration of the growing season (GS in days) is defined from the predicted number of days when epilimentic water temperatures are higher than 9°C. The two modelling approaches are based on different presuppositions and they have been derived and tested from different data-sets. A model comparison has shown that the overall correspondence in predicted GS-values between the methods is very good. Evidently, the more comprehensive model can provide more relevant GS-predictions for many lakes since it also accounts for differences among lakes in altitude, continentality and volume.     

Adaptive Management of Flows in the Lower Roanoke River, North Carolina, USA

The lower Roanoke River in North Carolina, USA, has been regulated by a series of dams since the 1950s. This river and its floodplain have been identified by The Nature Conservancy, the US Fish and Wildlife Service, and the State of North Carolina as critical resources for the conservation of bottomland hardwoods and other riparian and in-stream biota and communities. Upstream dams are causing extended floods in the growing season for bottomland hardwood forests, threatening their survival. A coalition of stakeholders including public agencies and private organizations is cooperating with the dam managers to establish an active adaptive management program to reduce the negative impacts of flow regulation, especially extended growing season inundation, on these conservation targets. We introduce the lower Roanoke River, describe the regulatory context for negotiating towards an active adaptive management program, present our conservation objective for bottomland hardwoods, and describe investigations in which we successfully employed a series of models to develop testable management hypotheses. We propose adaptive management strategies that we believe will enable the bottomland hardwoods to regenerate and support their associated biota and that are reasonable, flexible, and economically sustainable.     

Seasonal and interannual variation of soil respiration in four vegetation types in the loess hilly region北大核心CSCD

Soit carbon (C) stock is the largest C pool in terrestrial ecosystems, and the emission of CO2 through soil respiration contributes to the majority of soil C expenditure and atmospheric C. Soil respiration is also one of the major processes controlling the C budget of terrestrial ecosystems. A slight change in soil CO2 emission might cause drastic variations in global C balance. Therefore, it is of great significance to investigate the characteristics of soil respiration of soils growing different types of vegetation over a long period, and determine its relationship with variables such as soil temperature and moisture. The rate of soil respiration was measured each month in the growing seasons (from April to October) of 2011, 2013, and 2014 using the Li-8100 CO2 flux measurement system in the central Loess Plateau. Four types of vegetation (Quercus liaotungensis, Platycladus orientalis, Robinia pseudoacacia, and a natural shrub) were chosen for the periodical measurements. A permanent sample plot was established for each type of vegetation, and five polyvinyl chloride (PVC) collars were placed in each plot for the measurements. The temperature and water content of the soil in the upper 12 cm near the collar were measured using a digital soil temperature probe and a TDR 200 soil moisture meter at the same time when the soil respiration was measured. The soil respiration rates were fitted to the soil temperature and moisture with an exponential function, power function, linear function, and an equation combining the two variables. The results showed that: (1) the seasonal variation in the rates of soil respiration in the soils growing the four types of vegetation were almost the same, and were lower in the earlier period and then increased to high levels in the middle and later periods; (2) the rates of soil respiration in the same month varied with the type of vegetation grown, and were in the descending order: Q. liaotungensis > P. orientalis > shrub > R. pseudoacacia; (3) the average values of the rates of soil respiration in 2011, 2013, and 2014 were 2.77, 3.48, and 5.08 μmol m-2 s-1, respectively. The variation in soil respiration was higher across the three years than the variation for the types of vegetation grown; and (4) the rate of soil respiration was positively correlated to soil temperature and moisture for all the types of vegetation. A better fit was obtained by using the equation that included both the variables, soil temperature and moisture, than by an equation that included a single factor. Our results suggested that both seasonal and inter-annual variations of soil respiration occurred in the soils growing the four types of vegetation in the region. The temperature and water content of soils are the major regulating factors, and soil respiration in the Loess Plateau is more greatly affected by environment factors than by the type of vegetation. © 2018 Science Press. All rights reserved.     

Early responses of soil ammonium and nitrate nitrogen to forest gap harvesting of a Pinus massoniana plantation in the upper reaches of Yangtze River北大核心CSCD

To understand the short-term effects of forest gap by human harvesting on soil available nutrient in Pinus massoniana plantations, the variations of soil ammonium nitrogen (NH4+-N) and nitrate nitrogen (NO3-N) concentrations in the gap center and gap edge during growing season were observed in seven gaps of different size (Gl: 100 m2; G2:225 m2; G3:400 m2; G4:625 m2; G5:900 m2; G6:1225 m2; G7:1600 m2) and pure understory of a 39-year-old masson pine plantation in a hilly area of the upper reaches of Yangtze River. The results showed that in the early stage of gap formation, the gap size had significant effect on NH4+-N, the season changes on NP3--N, and the interaction effect of gap size and seasonal variation on NH4+-N and NO3--N. The difference of NH4+-N and NO3--N between the gap center and gap edge was not significant. (I) The NH4+-N content was 4.30-11.99 mg kg-1, and NO3--N content was 2.57-10.81 mg kg-1. There was no obvious difference in NH4+-N and N03--N among gaps of different size in early or late growing seasons, when both increased first and decreased afterwards in the middle of growing season. The gaps of 100∼400 m2 area had a higher content of available nitrogen. (2) The seasonal dynamic differed between NH4+-N and NO3--N, with the former lower in middle growing season whereas the latter higher in the middle growing season but lower in the end of growing season. The soil NH4+-N was higher than NO3- -N in the early and late periods, but lower in the middle period. (3) The soil NH4+-N and NO3--N in parts of gaps were lower than understory in the early and late growing season. (4) Correlation analyses showed that NH4+-N had significant positive correlation with microbial biomass nitrogen (MBN), and NO3--N with soil temperature, MBN and organic matter. But the impact of soil water content on available nitrogen was not significant. These results suggested that soil temperature and microbial activity variation caused by gap harvesting are the main factors affecting soil available nitrogen content of Pinus massoniana plantations.     

A probabilistic model for the carry-over of PCDD/Fs from feed to growing pigs

When food producing animals are contaminated with PCDD/F congeners, information on the contaminant’s concentration in the bodies of the animals at time of slaughter is needed for risk management purposes. We have developed a mathematical model for the kinetics of PCDD/Fs in growing pigs in case of contaminated feed fed for a limited duration of time. This model allows the prediction of concentrations in body fat. It considers absorption fractions of PCDD/Fs, clearance by metabolism, dilution by growth and excretion through fecal fat. The model parameters were calibrated by fitting the model to experimental data. On the basis of this toxicokinetic model a probabilistic model has been constructed. The probabilistic model handles the parameters with appropriate probability distributions and Monte-Carlo simulation technique, providing for realistic situations with many animals and a range of contaminations and feeding intervals. We applied the new model to describe the German dioxin incident of winter 2010/2011 and discuss its viability as decision tool. The approach demonstrated here is a showcase how a risk assessment in the case of contaminated feeding can be performed.