Responses of <Emphasis Type="Italic">Uniola paniculata</Emphasis> L. (Poaceae), an Essential Dune-Building Grass,to Complex Changing Environmental Gradients on the Coastal Dunes

Coastal dunes are well known for plant species zonation but less is known about species-specific responses to underlying environmental gradients. We investigated variation in morphological traits and tissue nutrient concentration in Uniola paniculata, along a shoreline-to-landward gradient (transects spanning from the dunes directly behind the high tide mark to 40–100 m inland) in the southeast USA. Several environmental factors decreased with distance from the shoreline (soil B, K, Mg, Na; salinity, pH, and sand accretion), and differences were most pronounced between the 10 m closest to the shoreline and the remainder of the transect. In the 10 m closest to the shoreline, 94% more sand accumulated, which was 31% more saline. Additionally, plants here were taller, contained higher aboveground tissue N and K, and a higher percentage tended to flower. This contrasts with patterns found in salt marshes and saline desert dunes, where plant size is often negatively correlated with salinity. During the 2 years following the planned study, storms washed out ≤25 m of the transects. Resampling of the remaining sites demonstrated that even after erosion of the dune profile, a higher percentage of the plants in the 10 m closest to the shoreline plants tended to flower, relative to populations located further from the shore. Our findings suggested that the environment and plant response in the shoreward 10 m can re-establish relatively quickly.     

Spatial and seasonal variation of salt ions under the influence of halophytes,in a coastal flat in eastern China

The high salinity of coastal saline field is a key factor limiting the reclamation. Halophytes have been utilized in the reclamation of saline land. The study area is in Yancheng, China. An analysis of the concentrations of Rb, Cs, Sr, and Ba, the ratio of Rb/Cs, and Sr/Ba in soils in autumn shows that the soil of this study area has great homogeneity. Artemisia halodendron, Gossypium hirsutum, and Sesbania cannabina were selected as the reclamation plants in the present study. In order to know the spatial-temporal distribution of soil salinity, the influence of plant-specific vegetation, and the difference of desalination among these halophytes in coastal flat, the authors analyze the soil-layers and seasonal variation in salt ions. Sodium chloride was accumulated in 0–5 cm topsoil with no vegetation during the winter and spring. The effect of desalinization of halophytes is significant. Of the three plant species, Sesbania cannabina has the greatest desalinization. The difference of ions composition of soils covered with various plant species is significant. It can be concluded that halophytes have better amelioration of coastal soil salinity. Special attention should be paid to the selection of plant species and measures to plant and cultivate crops in the reclamation of saline land.     

Plasticity,Not Adaptation to Salt Level,Explains Variation Along a Salinity Gradient in a Salt Marsh Perennial

Evolutionary ecologists have long been intrigued by the fact that many plant species can inhabit a broad range of environmental conditions and that plants often exhibit dramatic differences in phenotype across environmental gradients. We investigated responses to salinity treatments in the salt marsh plant Borrichia frutescens to determine if the species is responding to variation in edaphic salt content through phenotypic plasticity or specialized trait response. We grew seedlings from fruits collected in high- and low-salt microhabitats, assigned seedlings to high- and low-salt treatments in a greenhouse, and measured traits related to salt tolerance. All traits were highly plastic in response to salinity. Plants from the two microhabitats did not differ in trait means or respond differently to the treatments. These results suggest that environmental differences between the two microhabitats are not creating genotypes adapted to high and low salt levels. In addition, despite evidence for variation in allozyme markers in this population, there was no significant genotypic variation (family effect) in any of the trait means measured across microhabitats. There was variation in plasticity for only leaf Na and leaf B concentration. The high degree of plasticity for all traits and the lack of differences among microhabitats across the salinity gradient suggest plasticity in many traits may be fixed for this species.     

Helophyte zonation in two regulated estuarine areas in the Netherlands: Vegetation analysis and relationships with hydrological factors

The relationship between hydrological conditions and riparian helophyte vegetation was studied in two freshwater estuaries that differed in tidal regulation in order to assess the effects of large-scale hydrological regulation on the fringe vegetation. Vegetation and environmental variables were sampled for 206 sites in the Rhine-Meuse estuary (146 sites) and the IJsselmeer region (60 sites) in the Netherlands. These samples were classified into 10 vegetation types, all of which were dominated by tall helophytes. The most common vegetation types were dominated byPhragmites australis andTypha angustifolia, which formed both monospecific stands and mixtures. Tall Cyperaceae dominated three vegetation types (dominated individually bySchoenoplectus lacustris, Bolboschoenus maritimus, andSchoenoplectus tabernaemontani).Acorus calamus. Principal components analysis of the species composition of vegetation fringing open-water areas and associated environmental data revealed complex gradients incorporating differences in water depth, water-level fluctuation, were exposure, and sedimentation and/or erosion. The composition of the helophyte belts varied among the areas as the result of the differing times at which regulation occurred. Based on historical data, hydrological regulation of the estuaries has resulted in deterioration of intertidalSchoenoplectus andBolboschoenus stands, due to erosion and predation.P. australis stands have been invaded by terrestrial plant species or have been replaced byT. angustifolia. A scheme is presented of helophyte vegetation development under the influence of changes in the hydrological regime.     

Soil characteristics and nutrient status in a Northern Australian mangrove forest

The results of a study of soil factors in relation to plant growth for a tropical mangrove forest in northern Australia are presented and discussed. Basic soil properties are described briefly in terms of particle size distribution, bulk density and total carbon, nitrogen and phosphorus. Soil redox potential, pH, salinity and extractable nitrogen and phosphorus were monitored monthly over a 14 month period commencing April 1979. Sampling was carried out at 9 sites along a 370 m transect which exhibits strong gradients in topography, above ground biomass, canopy height and species distribution. Statistical analysis of the data shows that above ground biomass correlates significantly with the following soil factors, averaged over depth within the rooting zone and over time: Extractable P (r=0.85, p<0.01), redox potential (r=0.89, p<0.01) and salinity (r=?0.79, p<0.05). The strong biomass-E_H correlation may be partly due to oxygen translocation by the plants to the root zone. Soil ammonium levels were within the range of 1–14 μg N per g (dry wt) and, unlike the above parameters, showed only minor variation with position along the transect. Variation of ammonium levels with time was apparent, but no significant correlation with rate of new shoot growth could be demonstrated, although depth profiles indicated depletion of ammonium by plant uptake during rapid growth periods. In addition neither soil ammonium, extractable phosphorus nor rate of plant growth showed any definite seasonal periodicity in this tropical system.     

A field comparison of indicators of sublethal stress in the salt-marsh grassSpartina patens

There is a need for research into bioindicators of stress in threatened plant communities such as coastal wetlands. Land subsidence, diversion of sediment, and salt-water intrusion produce stresses associated with waterlogging, elevated salinity, and nutrient depletion. Temporal and spatial environmental variation (soil redox potential, interstitial water salinity, pH, ammonium and phosphorus, and cation and trace metal concentrations) was analyzed near Lake de Cade, Louisiana, in a brackish marsh which is a mosaic of healthy plant communities interspersed with areas where wetland loss is occurring. Environmental variation was related to indicators of stress inSpartina patens, which included variables derived from the adenine nucleotide levels in plants, leaf spectral reflectance, leaf proline concentrations, and shoot elongation. In a comparison of burned and unburned sites, streamside and inland marsh, and along a salinity gradient, among-site differences were found in spectral reflectance and adenine-nucleotide-related indicators. Although it was difficult to relate a single causal environmental variable to the response of a specific indicator, spectral reflectance in the visible light range responded to salinity or to elements borne in seawater, and adenine-nucleotide indices were sensitive to nutrient availability. The ability of indicators to detect plant responses changed during the growing season, suggesting that they were responding to the changing importance of different environmental factors. In addition, some reflectance indicator responses occurred along salinity gradients when salinity differences were less than those that were found to have ecologically meaningful effects in greenhouse experiments. A multivariate numerical approach was used to relate environmental variation with indicator responses. We concluded that factors which in combination cause the degradation and loss of Louisiana wetlands produce environmental conditions that are only subtly different from those in vigorously growing marsh communities.     

Pedo and biogeochemical study of Zinc-Lead deposits of the Besham area,northern Pakistan: its implication in mineral exploration and environmental degradation

The distribution of Zn, Pb, Cu, Cr, Ni and Co in the plant species and soil of the Zn-Pb sulfide deposits of the Besham area in Pakistan has been studied for geochemical prospecting and environmental pollution. Representative samples of several plant species and associated soil were collected and analyzed by the atomic absorption technique. The data suggest that the plants, especially Plectranthus rugosus, Artemisia indica and Verbascum thapsus, in the mineralized area are enriched in Zn, Pb and Cu (Zn>Pb>Cu) and depleted in Cr, Ni and Co. This is correlated with the concentration of these metals in the associated soil. There is no significant correlation of elements among each other in plants and soil; however, strong correlation of Cu, Cr and Ni has been observed between plants and associate soil. Plectranthus rugosus has the greatest capability for accumulating Zn and Pb in its tissues through soil and can be used as a bioindicator for base metal mineral exploration. This plant along with other plant species such as Artemisia indica and Verbascum thapsus having high scavenging ability for Zn and Pb from the soil and could cause serious environmental and health problems in the living organisms of the area.     

Plant growth and productivity along complex gradients in a Pacific northwest brackish intertidal marsh

Environmental characteristics were measured and recorded in the Skagit Marsh, a brackish intertidal marsh on Puget Sound, Washington. Four transects were placed perpendicular to a known gradient of increasing salinity which began with fresh water at the bank of one of the outlets of the Skagit River and reached a surface water salinity of 22‰ at a point alongshore 5 km north of the outlet. The environmental characteristics which were measured varied along gradients (soil texture, organic carbon in fines, soil column temperature, free soil water salinity) or had a patchy distribution (soil redox potential, soil macro-organic matter). Growth and production vary across the marsh. The maximum aboveground standing crop (1,742 g m^?2 dry weight) was measured at a site with 0–4‰ free soil water salinity, dominated by the sedgeCarex lyngbyei. In more saline areas (8–12‰), the bulrushScirpus americanus was dominant and standing crop values dropped to a third of the maximum. Species performance varied in a complex manner as did the environment.C. lyngbyei had diminished growth and decreased standing crop in areas where salinity was higher.S. americanus was equally productive in low elevation, high salinity sites and in high elevation, low salinity sites. An increase in shoot density for dominant species occurred in saline areas as individual shoot weights and leaf areas decreased. Because species responded differently, environmental variation was magnified in the population and community responses of the marsh vegetation.     

Phenotypic Variation Among Invasive <Emphasis Type="Italic">Phragmites australis</Emphasis> Populations Does Not Influence Salinity Tolerance

Phenotypic variation within species can have community- and ecosystem-level effects. Such variation may be particularly important in ecosystem engineers, including many invasive species, because of the strong influence of these species on their surrounding communities and environment. We combined field surveys and glasshouse experiments to investigate phenotypic variation within the invasive common reed, Phragmites australis, among four estuarine source sites along the east coast of North America. Field surveys revealed variation in P. australis height and stem density among source sites. In a glasshouse environment, percent germination of P. australis seeds also varied across source sites. To test the degree to which phenotypic variation in P. australis reflected genetic or environmental differences, we conducted a glasshouse common garden experiment assessing the performance of P. australis seedlings from the four source sites across a salinity gradient. Populations maintained differences in morphology and growth in a common glasshouse environment, indicating a genetic component to the observed phenotypic variation. Despite this variation, experimentally increased porewater salinity consistently reduced P. australis stem density, height, and biomass. Differences in these morphological metrics are important because they are correlated with the impacts of invasive P. australis on the ecological communities it invades. Our results indicate that both colonization and spread of invasive P. australis will be dependent on the environmental and genetic context. Additional research on intraspecific variation in invasive species, particularly ecosystem engineers, will improve assessments of invasion impacts and guide management decisions in estuarine ecosystems.     

Identification of Cu and Ni indicator plants from mineralised locations in Botswana

Plant species that accumulate high levels of metals in proportion to the metal content in the soil are of considerable interest in biogeochemical and biogeobotanical prospecting. This study was aimed at investigating copper and nickel accumulation in the plants Helichrysum candolleanum and Blepharis diversispina, to assess their potential use as mineral indicators in biogeochemical prospecting. Soils and plants were collected from copper–nickel mineralised areas in Botswana. Analyses of the soils and the respective plant parts (roots, stem, leaves and flowers) were carried out using ultrasonic slurry sampling electrothermal atomic absorption spectrometry (ETAAS), which allowed rapid determination of copper and nickel in small amounts of the samples.The metal concentration in the soil was in the range ≈ 40 μg/g–4% (w/w) for Cu and ≈ 60 μg/g–0.3% (w/w) for Ni. The concentration ranges of the elements in the plant parts were ≈ 6 μg/g–0.2% Cu and ≈ 3–210 μg/g Ni. At high soil metal content (greater than 2.5% (w/w) Cu and 0.1% (w/w) Ni), high levels of both nickel and copper were found in the shoots (leaves and flowers) of H. candolleanum. Concentrations as high as 0.2% (w/w) Cu were found in the leaves and flowers of H. candolleanum, indicating hyperaccumulation for this plant. For B. diversispina, the metal concentrations did not exceed 100 μg/g for any plant part, for both metals. Both plant species tolerate high concentrations of metals and should therefore be categorized as metallophytes. In order to evaluate metal translocation from the soil to the shoots, metal leaf transfer coefficients (ratio of metal concentration in the leaf to metal concentration in the soil) were calculated. Our data suggest that the two plant species have different metal uptake and transport mechanisms, which needs to be investigated further. The present work also suggests that H. candolleanum may be used as a copper/nickel indicator plant in biogeochemical or biogeobotanical prospecting.     

Fish assemblage structure in relation to environmental variation in a Texas Gulf coastal wetland

We described seasonal fish-assemblages in an estuarine marsh fringing Matagorda Bay, Gulf of Mexico. Habitat zones were identified by patterns of fish species abundance and indicator species optima along gradients in salinity, dissolved oxygen (DO), and depth in our samples. Indicators of the lower brackish zone (lower lake and tidal bayou closest to the bay) were gulf menhaden (Brevoortia patronus), bay anchovy (Anchoa mitchilli), silver perch (Bairdiella chrysoura), and spotted seatrout (Cynoscion nebulosus) at salinity >15‰, DO 7–10 mg l⁻¹, and depth <0.5 m. Indicators of the upper brackish zone (lake and fringing salt marsh) were pinfish (Lagodon rhomboides) and spot (Leiostomus xanthurus) at salinity 10–20‰, DO >10 mg l⁻¹, and depth <0.5 m. In the freshwater wetland zone (diked wetland, ephemeral pool, and perennial scour pool), indicators were sheepshed minnow (Cyprinod on variegatus), rainwater killifish (Lucania parva), mosquitofish (Gambusia affinis), and sailfin molly (Poecilia latipinna) at salinity <5‰, DO <5 mg l⁻¹, and depth ≥1 m. In the freshwater channelized zone (slough and irrigation canal), indicators were three sunfish species (Lepomis), white crappie (Pomoxis annularis), and gizzard shad (Dorosoma cepedianum) at salinity <5‰, DO <5 mg l⁻¹, and depth >1.5 m. In brackish zones, seasonal variation in species diversity among sites was positively correlated with temperature, but assemblage structure also was influenced by depth and DO. In the freshwater zones, seasonal variation in species diversity among sites was positively correlated with depth, DO, and salinity, but assemblage structure was weakly associated with temperature. Species diversity and assemblage structure were strongly affected by the connectivity between freshwater wetland and brackish zones. Uncommon species in diked wetlands, such as tarpon (Megalops atlanticus) and fat sleeper (Dormitator maculatus), indicated movement of fishes from the brackish zone as the water level rose during natural flooding and scheduled (July) releases from the diked wetland. From September to July, diversity in the freshwater wetland zone decreased as receding waters left small isolated pools, and fish movement became blocked by a water-control structure. Subsequently, diversity was reduced to a few species with opportunistic life histories and tolerance to anoxic conditions that developed as flooded vegetation decayed.     

Abiotic Limitation of Non-native Plants in the High Salt Marsh Transition Zone

Native plants in the upland to high-marsh transition zone of southern California salt marshes are mostly perennials and therefore experience the abiotic stress of low soil moisture and high soil salinity throughout much of the year. However, many annual non-native plants reproduce during the brief period of reduced salinity and increased moisture during winter rainfall. We investigated the seasonal and spatial variation in vegetation and soil properties of the transition zone using an observational study. Next, we explored the potential for managing non-native plants using a field experiment with varying timing, quantity, and frequency of salt addition treatments. The observational study showed that the distribution of non-native plants is related to changes in soil salinity and soil moisture that accompany changes in elevation, although there are variations among species. In the field experiment, salt was effective at reducing non-native plant cover, but the timing of treatment was important. Although additional work is needed to refine the salt treatments, this work supports the idea that altering abiotic conditions can effectively reduce the presence of non-native species in the upland to high-marsh transition zone.     

Shifting nutrient limitation and eutrophication effects in marsh vegetation across estuarine salinity gradients

In light of widespread coastal eutrophication, identifying which nutrients limit vegetation and the community consequences when limitation is relaxed is critical to maintaining the health of estuarine marshes. Studies in temperate salt marshes have generally identified nitrogen (N) as the primary limiting nutrient for marsh vegetation, but the limiting nutrient in low salinity tidal marshes is unknown. I use a 3-yr nutrient addition experiment in mid elevation,Spartina patens dominated marshes that vary in salinity along two estuaries in southern Maine to examine variation in nutrient effects. Nutrient limitation shifted across estuarine salinity gradients; salt and brackish marsh vegetation was N limited, while oligohaline marsh vegetation was co-limited by N and phosphorus (P). Plant tissue analysis ofS. patens showed plants in the highest salinity marshes had the greatest percent N, despite N limitation, suggesting that N limitation in salt marshes is partially driven by a high demand for N to aid in salinity tolerance. Fertilization had little effect on species composition in monospecificS. patents stands of salt and brackish marshes, but N+P treatments in species-rich oligohaline marshes significantly altered community composition, favoring dominance by high aboveground producing plants. Eutrophication by both N and P has the potential to greatly reduce the characteristic high diversity of oligohaline marshes. Inputs of both nutrients in coastal watersheds must be managed to protect the diversity and functioning of the full range of estuarine marshes.     

Effects of an Omnivorous Katydid,Salinity, and Nutrients on a Planthopper-<Emphasis Type="Italic">Spartina</Emphasis> Food Web

Top–down and bottom–up effects interact to structure communities, especially in salt marshes, which contain strong gradients in bottom–up drivers such as salinity and nutrients. How omnivorous consumers respond to variation in prey availability and plant quality is poorly understood. We used a mesocosm experiment to examine how salinity, nutrients, an omnivore (the katydid Orchelimum fidicinium) and an herbivore (the planthopper Prokelisia spp.) interacted to structure a simplified salt marsh food web based on the marsh grass Spartina alterniflora. Bottom–up effects were strong, with both salinity and nutrients decreasing leaf C/N and increasing Prokelisia abundance. Top–down effects on plants were also strong, with both the herbivore and the omnivore affecting S. alterniflora traits and growth, especially when nutrients or salt were added. In contrast, top–down control by Orchelimum of Prokelisia was independent of bottom–up conditions. Orchelimum grew best on a diet containing both Spartina and Prokelisia, and in contrast to a sympatric omnivorous crab, did not shift to an animal-based diet when prey were present, suggesting that it is constrained to consume a mixed diet. These results suggest that the trophic effects of omnivores depend on omnivore behavior, dietary constraints, and ability to suppress lower trophic levels, and that omnivorous katydids may play a previously unrecognized role in salt marsh food webs.     

Comprehensive Analysis of Fish Assemblages in Relation to Seasonal Environmental Variables in an Estuarine River of Indian Sundarbans

Fish distribution in relation to environmental variables was investigated in the Matla River of Sundarban estuarine system. A total of 64 brackish water species belonging to 38 families showing tropical and subtropical affinities were obtained upon monthly sampling of 1 year. The most abundant species were Harpadon nehereus, Gudusia chapra, Coilia neglecta, Coilia ramcarati and Liza parsia. Fish assemblages showed significant seasonal variation as was revealed from MANOVA. MDS ordination plot based on similarity in the fish assemblages revealed that premonsoonal season was distinguishable from the monsoonal and postmonsoonal seasons. Notable differences were also evident between monsoon and postmonsoon. Canonical correspondence analysis indicated that salinity, acidity, inorganic phosphate concentration and dissolved oxygen were the most important environmental variables in determining the observed variation in fish assemblages. Seasonal succession of fish populations may be related to differences in life cycle and adaptation to prevalent ecological conditions. The study therefore suggests that environmental variations in terms of changing salinity and dissolved oxygen have significant influence in structuring estuarine piscine community in this region.     

Environmental Correlates of Growth and Stable Isotopes in Intertidal Species Along an Estuarine Fjord

Production and resource use by intertidal taxa were studied in the estuarine fjord of Puget Sound, Washington, USA. Along nearly 100 km, salinity is similar, and intertidal habitat and immersion time were kept consistent, thus allowing a focus on other environmental variables such as temperature and resource availability that could influence growth. Primary producers (ulvoid and fucoid macroalgae) and suspension feeders (oysters and barnacles) were transplanted on three beaches in each of three regions and assessed for individual-level growth, carbon and nitrogen ratios, and stable isotopes. In most transplants, δ¹³C and C/N showed no regional variation but δ¹⁵N was enriched up-estuary. Among environmental variables, chlorophyll a, total suspended solids, and particulate organic matter had small and/or inconsistent regional variation, but temperature was higher up-estuary. For the most intensively studied species (Pacific oyster, Crassostrea gigas) transplanted four times over 2 years, seasonal and regional variation in growth were best predicted by temperature rather than resource availability. Growth rates continued to increase into Totten Inlet, a shallow finger inlet at the head of Puget Sound. As indicators of environmental conditions, the growth and tissue chemistry of intertidal study taxa affirm that sources and amounts of resources show no strong gradients along this estuarine fjord, and they also support temperature as a key factor for performance, with species-specific responses. Higher temperatures may also have community-level impacts, given prior evidence linking beach temperatures to reduced intertidal diversity and biomass into Puget Sound.     

Spatial variation in delaware bay (U.S.A.) marsh creek fish assemblages

Delaware Bay is one of the largest estuaries on the U.S. eastern seaboard and is flanked by some of the most extensive salt marshes found in the northeastern U.S. While physicochemical and biotic gradients are known to occur along the long axis of the bay, no studies to date have investigated how the fish assemblage found in salt marsh creeks vary along this axis. The marshes of the lower portion of the bay, with higher salinity, are dominated bySpartina spp., while the marshes of the upper portion, with lower salinity, are currently composed primarily of common reed,Phragmites australis, S. alterniflora, or combinations of both. Extensive daytime sampling (n=815 tows) during May–November 1996 was conducted with otter trawls (4.9 m, 6 mm mesh) in six intertidal and subtidal marsh creek systems (upper and lower portions of each creek) where creek channel depths ranged from 1.4–2.8 m at high tide. The fish taxa of the marsh creeks was composed of 40 species that were dominated by demersal and pelagic forms including sciaenids (5 species), percichthyids (2), and clupeids (7), many of which are transients that spawn outside the bay but the early life history stages are abundant within the bay. The most abundant species wereMorone americana (24.3% of the total catch),Cynoscion regalis (15.4%),Micropogonias undulatus (15.3%),Anchoa mitchilli (12.0%), andTrinectes maculatus (10.8%). Non-metric Multi-Dimensional Scaling ordination of catch per unit effort (CPUE) data indicated two fish assemblages that were largely independent of the two major vegetation types, but generally corresponded with spatial variation in salinity. This relationship was more complex because some of the species for which we could discriminate different age classes by size had different patterns of distribution along the salinity gradient.     

Major and trace elements in plants and soils in Horton Plains National Park,Sri Lanka: an approach to explain forest die back

Forest die back has been observed from 1980s in the montane moist forest of Horton Plains in the Central Sri Lanka for which the aetiology appears to be uncertain. The concentration levels of Na, K, Ca, Mg, Fe, Mn, Cu, Ni, Zn and Pb in canopy leaves, bark and roots, which were collected from dying and healthy plants of three different endemic species, Calophyllum walkeri, Syzygium rotundifolium and Cinnamomum ovalifolium, from three different die back sites were studied. Soils underlying the plants were also analyzed for their extractable trace metals and total contents of major oxides. Analysis of dead and healthy plants does not show any remarkable differences in the concentrations of studied trace elements. The results show that there is a low status of pollution based on the concentrations of chemical elements of environmental concern. Extractable and total trace element analysis indicates a low content of Ca in soils due to high soil acidity that probably leads to Mg and Al toxicity to certain plants. Relatively high Al levels in the soil would affect the root system and hamper the uptake and transport of essential cations to the plant. It therefore seems that the forest declining appears to be a natural phenomenon, which occurs due to the imbalance of macro and micronutrients in the natural forest due to excessive weathering and the continuous leaching of essential elements.     

Mangrove zonation in the dry life zone of the Gulf of Fonseca, Honduras

The structural attributes and zonation patterns of mangrove forests in a dry environmental setting were evaluated in relation to gradients of soil resources, soil regulators, and hydroperiod between October 2000 and August 2001 in the Gulf of Fonseca, Honduras. Transects perpendicular to the edge of tidal channels were established at four mangrove sites, each sectioned into three mangrove zones (fringe, transition, and scrub) based upon distinct tree-height gradients. Porewater sulfide concentrations among zones were normally below levels of detection (<0.03 mM) and mean redox values ranged from 163.4±9.9 to −42.4±15.8 mv, indicating slightly reducing conditions in all zones. Mean porewater NO_x ⁻ and PO₄ ³⁻ concentrations were not significantly different among zones and ranged from 3.3±0.5 to 4.5±0.4 μM and from 0.05 ±0.02 to 0.18±0.04 μM, respectively. Soil nitrogen concentrations were 1–3 mg g⁻¹ in all zones, and mean nitrogen:phosphorus atomic ratios were <20 (range: 12.9–14.9), indicative of fertile wetland soils. Mean basal areas were significantly different among mangrove zones (fringe > transition) and were coupled with differences in height within species and zones.Avicennia germinans occupied areas with higher elevations associated with higher salinities ranging from 80 to 140 g kg⁻¹ in the dry season.Rhizophora mangle dominated lower elevations where salinities ranged from 38 to 57 g kg⁻¹ in both the dry and wet seasons. Spatial analysis on mangrove seedlings along transects confirmed that seedling distribution along the intertidal profile was statistically correlated with conspecific adults, indicating that survival and growth of seedlings in different intertidal locations are closely matched to canopy membership. The sharp transition (<100 m) in forest structure and distribution of mangrove species along the intertidal zone of subhumid coastal environments demonstrate common zonation patterns where species distribution and species-specific habitat suitability are mediated closely with tolerance to soil regulators (high soil salinity) rather than resource availability.     

内蒙古包头某铁矿尾矿库生态修复的植物优选研究

【研究目的】植物修复技术因其具有绿色、经济、环保的特点,在矿山生态修复中应用广泛,而调查和筛选矿山周边适应本地生境的植物物种是进行植物生态修复的关键环节。【研究方法】通过野外调查取样和室内分析测试相结合的方法,对内蒙古包头某废弃铁矿尾矿库及周边11种优势植物的重金属含量、重金属迁移富集能力及其上覆土壤重金属特征进行分析研究,以期筛选优良修复植物,为矿区生态修复提供科学依据。【研究结果】该废弃铁矿尾矿库及周边土壤Fe、Mn、Cu、Pb、Zn、Cr、Cd、F含量均远超过河套平原土壤背景值,地累积指数显示污染等级为2～7级,污染程度从轻—中度污染到极强度污染。植物地下部分各元素含量总体上高于地上部分,除Cu外各植物重金属含量大多超出了正常值范围。【结论】沙蒿和独行菜具有富集型植物特征,玉米、狗尾草、虎尾草和拂子茅属于根部囤积型,碱蓬、灰条菜、苍耳、新疆杨和红柳符合规避型植物特征。可根据植物对重金属的吸收和富集特点,科学合理地选择适宜的植物进行矿区受污染土壤植物修复。创新点：研究了废弃铁尾矿库及周边11种优势植物的重金属特征;揭示了优势植物对重金属的吸收机制。