洞庭湖洲滩土壤种子库对土壤水分变化的响应

由于三峡大坝及上游水库群的运行,长江中下游水域水文节律随之发生了改变,导致洞庭湖枯水期提前,进而影响洞庭湖洲滩植被及其土壤种子库的分布格局.本研究在洞庭湖4个自然保护区内选取共11个典型洲滩湿地,沿由水到陆方向根据植被类型将洲滩分为泥沙洲滩、泥沙—湖草洲滩过渡带、湖草洲滩、湖草—南荻洲滩过渡带、南荻洲滩5种洲滩类型.通过样带—样方法调查和采样,并结合湿润和水淹两种条件下的土壤种子库萌发实验,分析了土壤水分变化对洲滩种子库萌发特征的影响及土壤种子库与地表植被的关系.结果显示:①土壤含水量沿水到陆方向由泥沙洲滩向南荻洲滩递减;②不同类型洲滩土壤种子库密度没有显著差异;③温室萌发实验中,水淹条件下土壤种子库物种丰富度和种子库密度显著降低,东洞庭湖自然保护区土壤种子库物种丰富度和种子库密度较高;④地表植被物种丰富度高于土壤种子库,泥沙洲滩土壤种子库与地表植被物种组成的Jaccard相似性指数最低.此外,虉草(Phalaris arundinacea)、芦苇(Phragmites communis)、南荻(Miscanthus sacchariflorus)等只在地表植被中存在,而陌上菜(Lindernia procumbens)、通泉草(Mazus japonicus)等只在种子库中存在.结果表明,在进行湿地植被恢复时,不能仅依靠种子库移植技术,还要考虑湖区季节性的水位变化以及个别物种的特异性,配合有针对性的水文调控机制及相关的人工措施恢复其原有植被.     

鄱阳湖湿地土壤微生物活性对年际水文变化的响应

湿地自然水文节律的改变影响着湿地生态系统的稳定与安全.为探究湿地水文变化对土壤微生物活性的影响,以鄱阳湖洲滩湿地3种典型植被狗牙根（Cynodon dactylon）、南荻（Triarrhena lutarioriparia）和苔草（Carex cinerascens）下表层土壤（0~20 cm）为研究对象,对湿地土壤微生物呼吸、微生物生物量和水解酶等土壤活性特征进行连续3年的实验监测,分析年际水位变化对不同植被湿地土壤微生物活性的影响.结果表明：丰水年显著提高土壤中养分的可利用性（有机质、总磷、速效磷）,提高土壤微生物生物量、微生物熵、水解酶活性,表明丰水年有利于湿地生态系统的物质循环转化.水文条件也能通过影响湿地植被生长改变土壤养分状况,进而对植被下土壤微生物活性产生显著影响.诸多土壤理化因子中,可溶性有机碳是驱动微生物活性变化最关键的因子.进一步分析表明,由植被类型所代表的长期水文累积效应对湿地土壤理化及微生物活性的调节作用大于单纯的年际水文变化.     

鄱阳湖典型洲滩湿地植物水碳稳定同位素与内在水分利用效率变化特征

在极端水文事件频发和人类活动影响加剧的背景下,鄱阳湖水文情势的异常变动给洲滩湿地植物带来了一系列影响。为进一步了解鄱阳湖湿地植物水分利用来源和内在水分利用效率(iWUE)的季节变化规律,揭示优势植物在生长过程中对不同水分变化的适应策略,于2020年12月-2021年5月在鄱阳湖国家级自然保护区蚌湖和修河之间的典型洲滩湿地上设置监测断面,对灰化苔草(Carex cinerascens)、南荻(Triarrhena lutarioriparia)植物样品及其潜在水源样品进行系统采集,测定并分析了水、碳稳定同位素的动态变化特征和指示意义。结果表明,典型洲滩湿地苔草和南荻植物茎水的氢、氧稳定同位素组成没有表现出明显差异,从冬季至春季,植物茎水的δ¹⁸O值总体上均呈现波动富集的变化趋势。苔草在春季生长期iWUE没有表现出明显变化,而南荻在萌发时期iWUE最低,之后的生长期iWUE具有显著的增长趋势。在各潜在水源当中,植物茎水的同位素组成与土层中的重力水最为相近,其次为与根系分布联系密切的土壤水。在春季降水频繁时,来源于降水且埋深较浅的重力水可能是植物利用的主要水源,而在枯水期重力水埋深较深时,植物采取降水和土壤水的混合利用模式应对水分胁迫。植物叶片有机质的δ¹⁸O值分析发现,苔草在萌发生长期iWUE的变化与光合作用能力相关的因素有关,南荻iWUE的变化主要受气孔导度变化的影响。     

鄱阳湖湿地苔草（Carex）景观变化及其水文响应

淡水湿地水文过程控制着湿地植被景观的形成与演变.基于Landsat TM/ETM+遥感影像数据,利用决策树分类法提取鄱阳湖湿地1992、1999、2006、2012年4期景观信息,通过景观格局指数、转移矩阵和质心迁移法对苔草景观的空间变化及其与水文过程关系进行分析.结果表明:研究期间,鄱阳湖湿地秋、冬季苔草景观分布面积受到水位和退水过程的影响,低水位年的中滩位缓慢退水与低滩位快速出露更有利于苔草景观的扩张;苔草景观的空间格局与水位关系密切,在低水位年份,低位洲滩提前出露,苔草景观分布高程较低,部分低位光滩被苔草所侵占,原苔草分布的部分洲滩转变为芦荻景观,景观的破碎化程度较重,在高水位年份,低位洲滩长期被水体淹没,苔草景观分布高程相对较高,部分芦荻分布区被苔草所侵占,而原苔草景观的部分区域转变为水体和光滩,由于该期间苔草主要集中分布在湖周和入湖河口地带的高位洲滩上,其景观破碎化程度较轻;水位年际间的升降变化会影响苔草景观质心位置,年均水位上升引起景观质心发生向湖岸方向推进,而年均水位下降则会导致苔草景观质心向湖心方向转移.     

土壤动物对鄱阳湖湿地冬季凋落物分解过程的影响

为了研究湿地土壤动物对凋落物分解速率以及对土壤养分归还的影响,于2017年11月份在鄱阳湖湿地收集苔草(Carex cinerascens)、南荻(Triarrhena lutarioriparia)和芦苇(Phragmites australis) 3种植物的凋落物,利用凋落物袋法开展原位的模拟实验研究中使用了网孔大小分别为4.5 mm(大)和0.1 mm(小)的分解袋来对比分析土壤动物的影响结果表明:不同物种之间凋落物分解速率有差异,苔草的分解速率显著大于南荻和芦苇,南荻与芦苇的分解速率差异不明显;凋落物的分解速率与凋落物总有机碳和总氮的积累量(NAI_(TOC)/NAI_(TN))呈负相关,与残余凋落物质量呈负相关,与凋落物总磷含量呈正相关;凋落物总氮含量在不同物种凋落物中差异明显,表现为苔草芦苇南荻,并且与分解速率的大小关系相对应,因此高氮植物凋落物的分解速率较快;土壤动物能够提高分解速率,促进凋落物营养元素的释放,进而调节凋落物中C、N、P元素向土壤养分库的归还过程本研究将为湿地生态系统的营养元素循环研究提供科学数据.     

鄱阳湖典型洲滩湿地土壤含水量和地下水位年内变化特征

湿地植被空间分布受多个水分因子共同影响,为了探求鄱阳湖典型洲滩湿地不同植被类型下地下水、土壤水的变化特征,本文选择鄱阳湖吴城湿地保护区内一个长约1.2 km的典型洲滩湿地为实验区,建立了气象-土壤-水文联合观测系统.对观测的气象、水文要素进行分析发现:(1)洲滩湿地地下水位年内呈单峰变化,季节性差异显著,最大埋深可达10 m,出现在1月份,丰水期8月份地下水位最高时可出露地表,且地下水位与湖泊水位变化具有高度一致性;(2)由远湖区高地至近湖区低地,不同植被带中地下水平均埋深变化为藜蒿带(4.76 m)芦苇带(2.87 m)灰化薹草带(1.61 m).地下水埋深小于50 cm的持续时间分别为:藜蒿带27 d、芦苇带112 d、灰化薹草带170 d;(3)土壤平均含水量沿不同植被带梯度变化为:藜蒿带最小(15.9%),芦苇样带(40.7%)和灰化薹草样带(43.7%)较大.土壤含水量年内变幅为:藜蒿带最大(2.5%~55.2%),芦苇带和灰化薹草带相对较小,分别为22.1%~48.1%和28.4%~54.1%;(4)不同植被带土壤含水量季节变化规律不同,藜蒿带土壤含水量年内呈单峰型,仅夏季土壤含水量较高,其余季节均在10%左右,而芦苇带和灰化薹草样带春、夏、秋季均维持较高含水量(42%以上),仅冬季水分含量较低.     

1993-2010年洞庭湖湿地动态变化

利用不同时相遥感影像,结合实地调查,采用决策树分类方法提取洞庭湖湿地信息,完成洞庭湖四期湿地类型分布图;同时分析洞庭湖湿地植被群落动态变化特征、驱动因素以及湿地变化的影响.结果表明,17 a来洞庭湖滩地植被分布和面积发生了明显变化,林滩地面积净增367.88 km2,变化比例为1127.51%,分布范围向洲滩主体扩展,成为主要滩地类型;芦苇滩地面积减少44.09 km2,草滩地面积增加2.99 km2,变化比例分别为-5.80%和0.40%.洞庭湖湿地的变化一方面受洞庭湖泥沙淤积和滩地植被演替的影响,另一方面也受到人类活动干扰的影响.天然湿地植被的破坏,特别是人工种植芦苇和滩地造林在一定程度上改变了洞庭湖湿地生态系统原有的结构和功能.为有效保护洞庭湖湿地,要合理开发洲滩资源,保护天然湿地植被,合理规划和控制滩地造林.     

鄱阳湖苔草洲滩湿地土壤胞外酶活性和化学计量比的高程变化特征

土壤胞外酶参与土壤的生物化学过程,其活性和化学计量比能够反映土壤微生物的功能动态.然而,目前湿地生态系统中催化不同生物地球化学关键过程的土壤胞外酶的活性和化学计量比随高程的变化特征还不清楚.以鄱阳湖苔草洲滩湿地6个不同高程样带的表层土壤(0～10 cm)为研究对象,通过测定与土壤碳、氮、磷循环相关的7种水解酶的活性,分...     

西洞庭湖季节性淹水和植被类型对温室气体排放通量的影响

植被类型及淹水带来的干湿交替过程是影响温室气体排放的重要因素.本文通过原状土柱模拟实验,模拟西洞庭湖水文节律变化对不同土壤—植被系统温室气体排放的影响.利用静态箱—气相色谱法研究不同植被—土壤类型(芦苇湿地、灰化苔草湿地和刚砍伐的杨树林湿地)在季节性淹水条件下的CO_2、CH_4和N_2O的排放通量变化,并探讨了在水位变化的情况下,不同植被—土壤类型对全球增温潜势的贡献.结果表明:在不同的水文条件下,芦苇湿地的CO_2排放通量均显著高于苔草和杨树林湿地;淹水过程导致3种植被类型覆盖湿地CO_2排放通量显著降低,甲烷排放通量升高,其中芦苇湿地CH_4排放通量升高显著,苔草和杨树林湿地CH_4排放通量升高不明显;水文变化及植被类型对N_2O排放通量的影响不显著;不同植被类型湿地对全球增温潜势的贡献为:芦苇杨树林苔草,分别为16191.3、3405.6和1883.1 kg/hm~2.本研究结果表明在西洞庭湖湿地恢复过程中,不再人为增大芦苇湿地面积,将杨树林湿地恢复为苔草湿地,更有利于降低湿地恢复过程中温室气体的排放.     

洞庭湖湿地植被长期格局变化(1987-2016年)及其对水文过程的响应

基于长序列遥感影像数据、水位日观测数据以及高精度湖盆地形数据,通过提取洞庭湖1987—2016年湿地植被信息,并构建表征水位波动的多周期水情变量,采用逐步回归分析法识别影响洞庭湖湿地植被分布格局的关键水情变量并建立其与植被面积的响应关系.结果表明：1）1987—2016年,洞庭湖湿地典型植被面积在全湖尺度上呈增加趋势,尤其是林地面积,占比由1.77%上升为7.24%.湿地植被格局演变上,东洞庭湖呈现芦苇群落挤占苔草群落空间,并推动湿地植被整体向湖心扩张的趋势.2）影响东洞庭湖苔草和芦苇分布最关键的水情变量是丰水期水位.苔草对丰水期水情存在非线性阈值响应,丰水期平均水位维持在29 m左右,最适宜苔草生长;对于芦苇,丰水期偏枯的水情条件对其生长发育起到促进作用.涨水期和退水期水文过程是影响东洞庭湖湿地植被分布的次为重要的水情因子.涨水期、退水期水位偏低的水情条件对芦苇分布面积的扩张起促进作用.     

Microbial carbonates in Holocene beachrocks,Shuiweiling, Luhuitou Peninsula,Hainan Island

Two research methods, geomicrobiology and carbonate sedimentology, were adopted to study the microbial carbonates in the beachrocks, Shuiweiling, Luhuitou, Sanya City, Hainan Island. The results indicate that microbial carbonates occur in Shuiweiling beachrocks and cements related to microbial activitives are common. Microbial carbonates were mainly developed on the surfaces of coral skeletons and within the coral (fragments and shivers) skeletal cavities,and rarely grew in interspaces formed by coral and other biological detritus. The growth morphologies of microbial carbonates are various, including stromatolitic lamination, thin crusts, dome-like, and microbialites. Microbial carbonates commonly trap fine-sized bioclasts, contain tubular filaments, and show laminated growth striation. Microbial carbonates within the coral skeletal cavities are generally stromatolitic cone-shaped, with a random growth direction along the bearing of trend of cavities, showing distinct growth laminae and recognizable growth phases. It is a special growth pattern of crypt microbial carbonates. Microbial cements occur mainly in shape of needle cement, calcified filaments, microborings, and calcified framboidal spheres. The needle cement is the most common type. These microbial cements indicate that microbial activities and microbial carbonates played an important role in beachrock formation in which carbonates were dominant components and the climate of tropical ocean monsoon was influential. Such microbial carbonates and microbial cementation have not been reported here from beachrocks along the northern shorelines of the South China Sea. The results support a clear microbial origin for certain carbonate cements in beachrocks, confirm that microbial carbonates are a significant contributor to carbonate sedimentation, and widen the knowledge of beachrocks from a new field.     

湖泊底泥疏浚环境效应:Ⅳ.对沉积物微生物活性与群落功能多样性的影响及其意义

通过为期一年的疏浚模拟试验,在试验室培养疏浚与对照柱样研究了底泥疏浚对沉积物微生物活性和群落功能多样性的影响。研究结果表明,太湖梅梁湾研究区模拟疏浚表层30cm对沉积物物理、化学和微生物性质影响较大。疏浚沉积物微生物活性显著低于未疏浚沉积物的微生物活性,疏浚对沉积物微生物活性影响较大且在一年的试验周期内难以恢复。底泥疏浚对沉积物微生物功能多样性产生影响,疏浚后初期新生表层沉积物的微生物群落多样性指数显著低于未疏浚沉积物,底泥疏浚改变了沉积物中微生物群落组成,并会导致微生物群落功能多样性降低。底泥疏浚对微生物活性与微生物群落功能多样性产生影响,从而对沉积物中生源要素的循环产生影响。     

城市缓流水体生物膜群落与环境因子响应关系

以南京市秦淮河、石头城护城河、乌龙潭、玄武湖4个水体为研究对象,采用磷脂脂肪酸(PLFA)法对城市缓流水体生物膜群落特征进行分组研究.通过SPSS、CANOCO软件分析水体生物膜群落与环境因子的响应关系,结果表明:(1)温度及水体营养盐含量的降低会导致水体微生物新陈代谢缓慢,微生物大量死亡.静态水体生物膜中微生物量的变化范围是9.16×106~2.74×108cells/g,流动水体生物膜中为1.69×107~7.77×107cells/g,静态水体中生物量的下降趋势比流动水体中显著,可能是由于水体的流动加强了营养盐在固液相之间的质量传递,削弱了水体温度及营养盐含量变化对流动水体生物膜中微生物生长的影响程度.(2)功能菌群G-、G+、真菌是微生物菌群的主要成分,3者比重为:G-真菌G+.随温度的降低(T≥8.4℃),静态水体中主要功能菌群总含量变化波动较大,其波动范围为27.41%~66.20%,流动水体中主要功能菌群总含量的变化范围较小,为43.09%~68.25%,差异的主要贡献者是G-和真菌.(3)静态水体中环境因子温度、硝态氮、COD是功能菌群的主要影响因子,氮元素是流动水体中功能菌群的显著影响因子.     

Effects of Nitrogen Fertilization on Soil Microbial Biomass and Community Functional Diversity in Temperate Grassland in Inner Mongolia,China

Nitrogen (N) fertilization may profoundly affect soil microbial communities. In this study, a field fertilization experiment was conducted in temperate grassland in Inner Mongolia, China to examine the effect of N fertilization on soil microbial properties and the main factors related to the characteristics of soil microbial community. Soil microbial biomass carbon (MBC) and microbial functional diversity along an N gradient were measured over three months (June to August). The result showed that N fertilization significantly decreased MBC under high N treatment (N200, 200 kg N ha^?1 y^?1) compared with the control (N0, 0 kg N ha^?1 y^?1) in the three months. Microbial functional diversity in July and August were significantly increased by low N treatment (N50, 50 kg N ha^?1 y^?1). Among the three fertilization treatments, microbial functional diversity under N200 in the three months was significantly lower than that of N50. The decrease of MBC and functional diversity under N200 were mainly due to the significant decline of plant belowground biomass under high N treatment. The increase of functional diversity under N50 treatment was due to the higher plant aboveground biomass as a result of the higher soil moisture availability. This finding highlighted that the higher N fertilization (N200) was not suitable for the growth and improvement of functional diversity of the soil microbial community, and that site and plant community play an important role in regulating the characteristics of soil microbial community.     

Influence of artificial groundwater lakes on the abundance and activity of bacteria in adjacent subsurface systems

Bacterial abundances and activity, estimated by 4′,6-diamidino-2-phenylindole staining (DAPI) and the reduction of 2-(p-iodophenyl)-3-(p-nitrophenyl)-5-phenyl tetrazolium chloride (INT), were investigated in two oligotrophic artificial groundwater lakes and the surrounding aquifers. To evaluate the effect of lake water on groundwater downstream, samples were taken from wells at different distances from the lakes, and the total number of bacteria and the number of active bacteria in these samples were compared with samples collected upstream. In addition, sterilized sandy sediments were exposed in groundwater wells to measure the number and activity of bacteria attached to particles. At one of the study sites, where the lake sediments were disturbed by dredging, total bacterial abundance and the number of respiring bacteria in the groundwater aquifer was clearly influenced by the lake water. The average bacterial abundances decreased from 2.6 ± 1.9 × 10⁵ cells ml⁻¹ in the well closest to the lake (S2) to 2.9 ± 3.8 × 10⁴ cells ml⁻¹ in the most distant one (S4), which was equivalent to cell numbers in the upstream well. The number of respiring bacteria showed a similar tendency with 1.3 ± 2.7 × 10⁴ active cells ml⁻¹ in S2 and 1.9 ± 1.5 × 10³ active cells ml⁻¹ in S4. At the second study site, which was not influenced by dredging, bacteria in the downstream wells seemed not to be affected by the lake water. The number and activity of bacteria, which colonized exposed sediments, were not significantly different in the upstream and downstream wells, indicating a minor influence of lake water on this habitat. Our results suggest that gravel-pit lakes may influence the free living bacterial assemblages in nearshore groundwater systems, but do not visibly affect numbers and activity of bacteria attached to the surface of aquifer sediments.     

Culture-dependent and independent analyses of subsurface microbial communities in oil-bearing strata of the Sagara oil reservoir

Abstract   Culture-dependent and independent methods were used to evaluate the microbial communities in cores collected at depths up to 200 m in oil-bearing and oil-free strata near the Sagara oil reservoir near Shizuoka, Japan. Direct microbial counts revealed much higher numbers (2.2 × 10⁴−7.9 × 10⁶/g) of microbes in the oil-bearing strata than in the oil-free zones, where counts were uniform at approximately 1.0 × 10⁴/g. Molecular taxonomic analyses via 16S rRNA gene sequence comparisons showed that the oil-free strata were dominated by members of the γ-Proteobacteria including Pseudomonas , Stenotrophomonas and Sphingomonas , whereas the oil-bearing strata were dominated by a single species closely related to Pseudomonas stutzeri . All archaeal clones were phylogenetically affiliated with the uncultured soil group in Crenarchaeota with the exception of a single phylotype that belonged to the genus Thermococcus . Culture-dependent analysis was carried out by most-probable-number culturing as well as direct plating to determine viable cell counts, using both complex organic substrates or native oil and autotrophic media. Both culture-dependent and independent methods revealed the abundant cultivable member was the aerobic oil-degrading bacterium Pseudomonas stutzeri and neither autotrophs nor anaerobic heterotrophs could be detected in the oil-bearing strata.     

鄱阳湖河湖交错带重金属污染对微生物群落与多样性的影响

鄱阳湖河湖交错带是鄱阳湖流域内河流生态系统与湖泊生态系统之间的界面区域,该区域物种多样性丰富,承接了五大河流的来水,是重要的污染缓冲区和净化区.本文研究了鄱阳湖河湖交错带重金属污染对微生物群落结构和微生物多样性的影响,结果表明,已测的重金属(汞、铜、锌、铅和镉)均有不同程度的污染,其中,铅、汞污染最严重,水质标准为Ⅳ类以上,其他重金属均为Ⅱ类;高通量测序结果表明,鄱阳湖河湖交错带微生物群落主要有变形菌门、放线菌门、拟杆菌门和疣微菌门4类,平均含量分别为58.31%、13.63%、9.69%和1.33%.多样性指数分析结果表明,昌江与乐安河交汇处(R9点位)与鄱阳湖出长江口(H11点位)的微生物多样性指数(Chao 1、Shannon和Simpson指数)最高,万家桥(N2点位)与赣江入湖口(W6点位)微生物多样性指数最低.研究表明,受重金属污染严重的区域通常会使微生物群落丰度降低,然而R9和H11点位重金属污染严重,但微生物多样性却较丰富,说明微生物多样性不仅仅受单一因子影响,而是多重因子共同影响.     

Progress and perspective on frontiers of geobiology

Geobiology is a new discipline on the crossing interface between earth science and life science,and aims to understand the interaction and co-evolution between organisms and environments.On the basis of the latest international achievements,the new data presented in the Beijing geobiology forum sponsored by Chinese Academy of Sciences in 2013,and the papers in this special issue,here we present an overview of the progress and perspectives on three important frontiers,including geobiology of the critical periods in Earth history,geomicrobes and their responses and feedbacks to global environmental changes,and geobiology in extreme environments.Knowledge is greatly improved about the close relationship of some significant biotic events such as origin,radiation,extinction,and recovery of organisms with the deep Earth processes and the resultant environmental processes among oceans,land,and atmosphere in the critical periods,although the specific dynamics of the co-evolution between ancient life and paleoenvironments is still largely unknown.A variety of geomicrobial functional groups were found to respond sensitively to paleoenvironmental changes,which enable the establishment of proxies for paleoenvironmental reconstruction,and to play active roles on the Earth environmental changes via elemental biogeochemical cycles and mineral bio-transformations,but to be deciphered are the mechanisms of these functional groups that change paleoenvironmental conditions.Microbes of potential geobiology significance were found and isolated from some extreme environments with their biological properties partly understood,but little is known about their geobiological functions to change Earth environments.The biotic processes to alter or modify the environments are thus proposed to be the very issue geobiology aims to decipher in the future.Geobiology will greatly extend the temporal and spatial scope of biotic research on Earth and beyond.It has great potential of application in the domains of resource exploration and global change.To achieve these aims needs coordinative multidisciplinary studies concerning geomicrobiology and related themes,database and modeling of biogeochemical cycles,typical geological environments,and coupling of biological,physical,and chemical processes.     

Monitoring of Microbiological Attributes of Soil and Groundwater Exposed to Metal Industrial Effluents

The present paper evaluates the temporal and spatial impact of heavy metal containing (Cr, Zn, Cu, Ni, Cd and Fe) effluents of brass, electroplating and tannery industries on chemical and microbiological characteristics of affected soil and groundwater. Therefore, samples were drawn from three sites, S₁, S₂ and S₃, with a longitudinally distant from effluent drain of 20, 200 and 700 m, respectively. In general, the metals concentration exceeded the standard limits not only in the discharged effluents but also in the soil and groundwater. The significant reduction of microbial biomass C and N, soil respiration and microbial coefficient with increasing metal content from S₃ to S₁ was recorded, the effect being more pronounced in summer. However, the C_mic/N_mic ratio decreased whilst the metabolic quotient ($q_{{\rm CO}_{{\rm 2}} } $ ) increased with increasing metal concentration in soil. The content of Zn (11.5 mg/L) and Bacillus sp. was at maximum in groundwater of brass and electroplating industry site, whereas that of tannery site contained maximum Cr (2.34 mg/L) and Enterobacter sp. The toxic metals adversely polluted the groundwater which made it to harbours Escherichia coli beyond the prescribed limit. To check the soil and groundwater pollution, eco‐friendly measures involving improved effluent treatment technology and site‐specific application of treated effluent are recommended.     

Use of coprostanol as a specific allochthonous fecal indicator in surface sediment of the Lake of Neuchâtel

Coprostanol has been proven to be a good specific allochthonous fecal indicator in sedimentary surface samples of the lake of Neuchâtel (Switzerland). Its concentration is slightly affected in surface sediment by the microbial reduction of cholesterol to cholestanol and coprostanol.