Effects of Environmental Conditions and Aboveground Biomass on CO_2 Budget in Phragmites australis Wetland of Jiaozhou Bay,China

Estuarial saline wetlands have been recognized as a vital role in CO_2 cycling.However,insufficient attention has been paid to estimating CO_2 fluxes from estuarial saline wetlands.In this study,the static chamber-gas chromatography(GC) method was used to quantify CO_2 budget of an estuarial saline reed(Phragmites australis) wetland in Jiaozhou Bay in Qingdao City of Shandong Province,China during the reed growing season(May to October) in 2014.The CO_2 budget study involved net ecosystem CO_2 exchange(NEE),ecosystem respiration(Reco) and gross primary production(GPP).Temporal variation in CO_2 budget and the impact of air/soil temperature,illumination intensity and aboveground biomass exerted on CO_2 budget were analyzed.Results indicated that the wetland was acting as a net sink of 1129.16 g/m~2 during the entire growing season.Moreover,the values of Reco and GPP were 1744.89 g/m~2 and 2874.05 g/m~2,respectively;the ratio of Reco and GPP was 0.61.Diurnal and monthly patterns of CO_2 budget varied significantly during the study period.Reco showed exponential relationships with air temperature and soil temperature at 5 cm,10 cm,20 cm depths,and soil temperature at 5 cm depth was the most crucial influence factor among them.Meanwhile,temperature sensitivity(Q10) of Reco was negatively correlated with soil temperature.Light and temperature exerted strong controls over NEE and GPP.Aboveground biomass over the whole growing season showed non-linear relationships with CO_2 budget,while those during the early and peak growing season showed significant linear relationships with CO_2 budget.This research provides valuable reference for CO_2 exchange in estuarial saline wetland ecosystem.     

Diurnal variation of soil CO<Subscript>2</Subscript> efflux and its optimal measuring time-window of temperate meadow steppes in western Songnen Plain,China

In order to study the diurnal variation of soil CO_2 efflux from temperate meadow steppes in Northeast China, and determine the best time for observation, a field experiment was conducted with a LI-6400 soil CO_2 flux system under five typical plant communities(Suaeda glauca(Sg), Chloris virgata(Cv), Puccinellia distans(Pd), Leymus chinensis(Lc) and Phragmites australis(Pa)) and an alkali-spot land(As) at the meadow steppe of western Songnen Plain. The results showed that the diurnal variation of soil CO_2 efflux exhibited a single peak curve in the growing season. Diurnal maximum soil respiration(Rs) often appeared between 11:00 and 13:00, while the minimum occurred at 21:00–23:00 or before dawn. Air temperature near the soil surface(Ta) and soil temperature at 10 cm depth(T10) exerted dominant control on the diurnal variations of soil respiration. The time-windows 7:00–9:00 could be used as the optimal measuring time to represent the daily mean soil CO_2 efflux at the Cv, Pd, Lc and Pa sites. The daily mean soil CO_2 efflux was close to the soil CO_2 efflux from 15:00 to 17:00 and the mean of 2 individual soil CO_2 efflux from 15:00 to 19:00 at the As and Sg sites, respectively. During nocturnal hours, negative soil CO_2 fluxes(CO_2 downwards into the soil) were frequently observed at the As and Sg sites, the magnitude of the negative CO_2 fluxes were 0.10–1.55 μmol/(m~2·s) and 0.10–0.69 μmol/(m~2·s)at the two sites. The results implied that alkaline soils could absorb CO_2 under natural condition, which might have significant implications to the global carbon budget accounting.     

EFFECTS OF WATER TABLE AND NITROGEN ADDITION ON CO2 EMISSION FROM WETLAND SOIL

Soil respiration is a main dynamic process of carbon cycle in wetland. It is important to contribute to global climate changes. Water table and nutritious availability are significant impact factors to influence responses of CO₂ emission from wetland soil to climate changes. Twenty-four wetland soil monoliths at 4 water-table positions and in 3 nitrogen status have been incubated to measure rates of CO₂ emission from wetland soils in this study. Three static water-table controls and a fluctuant water-table control, with 3 nitrogen additions in every water-table control, were carried out. In no nitrogen addition treatment, high CO₂ emissions were found at a static low water table (I) and a fluctuant water table (IV), averaging 306.7mg/(m²·h) and 307.89mg/(m²·h), respectively, which were 51%–57% higher than that at static high water table (II and III). After nitrogen addition, however, highest CO₂ emission was found at II and lowest emission at III. The results suggested that nutritious availability of wetland soil might be important to influence the effect of water table on the CO₂ emission from the wetland soil. Nitrogen addition led to enhancing CO₂ emissions from wetland soil, while the highest emission was found in 1N treatments other than in 2N treatments. In 3 nutritious treatments, low CO₂ emissions at high water tables and high CO₂ emissions at low water tables were also observed when water table fluctuated. Our results suggested that both water table changes and nutritious imports would effect the CO₂ emission from wetland. Foundation item: Under the auspices of the National Natural Science Foundation of China (No. 90211003) and the Knowledge Innovation Program of Chinese Academy of Sciences (No. KACX3-SW-332) Biography: YANG Ji-song (1978-), male, a native of Chengwu of Shandong Province, Ph.D. candidate, specialized in environmental ecology and wetland biogeochemistry. E-mail: yangjisong@neigae.ac.cn     

Effect of climate change on seasonal water use efficiency in subalpine <Emphasis Type="Italic">Abies fabri</Emphasis>

Abies fabri is a typical subalpine dark coniferous forest in southwestern China. Air temperature increases more at high elevation areas than that at low elevation areas in mountainous regions, and climate change ratio is also uneven in different seasons. Carbon gain and the response of water use efficiency (WUE) to annual and seasonal increases in temperature with or without CO₂ fertilization were simulated in Abies fabri using the atmospheric-vegetation interaction model (AVIM2). Four future climate scenarios (RCP2.6, RCP4.5, RCP6.0 and RCP8.5) from the Coupled Model Intercomparison Project Phase 5 (CMIP5) were selectively investigated. The results showed that warmer temperatures have negative effects on gross primary production (GPP) and net primary production (NPP) in growing seasons and positive effects in dormant seasons due to the variation in the leaf area index. Warmer temperatures tend to generate lower canopy WUE and higher ecosystem WUE in Abies fabri. However, warmer temperature together with rising CO₂ concentrations significantly increase the GPP and NPP in both growing and dormant seasons and enhance WUE in annual and dormant seasons because of the higher leaf area index (LAI) and soil temperature. The comparison of the simulated results with and without CO₂ fertilization shows that CO₂ has the potential to partially alleviate the adverse effects of climate warming on carbon gain and WUE in subalpine coniferous forests.     

Simulating carbon sequestration and GHGs emissions in <Emphasis Type="Italic">Abies fabric</Emphasis> forest on the Gongga Mountains using a biogeochemical process model Forest-DNDC

The process-oriented model Forest-DNDC describing biogeochemical cycling of C and N and GHGs （greenhouse gases） fluxes （CO2, NO and N2O） in forest ecosystems was applied to simulate carbon sequestration and GHGs emissions in Abies fabric forest of the Gongga Mountains at southeastern edge of the Tibetan Plateau. The results indicated that the simulated gross primary production （GPP） of Abies fabric forest was strongly affected by temperature. The annual total GPP was 24,245.3 kg C ha^-1 yr^-1 for 2005 and 26,318.8 kg C ha^-1 yr^-1 for 2006, respectively. The annual total net primary production （NPP） was 5,935.5 and 4,882.2 kg C ha^-1 yr^-1 for 2005 and 2006, and the annual total net ecosystem production （NEP） was 4,815.4 and 3,512.8 kg C ha^-1 yr^-1 for 2005 and 2006, respectively. The simulated seasonal variation in CO2 emissions generally followed the seasonal variations in temperature and precipitation. The annual total CO2 emissions were 3,109.0 and 4,821.0 kg C ha^-1 yr^-1 for 2005 and 2006, the simulated annual total N2O emissions from forest soil were 1.47 and 1.36 kg N ha^-1 yr^-1 for 2005 and 2006, and the annual total NO emissions were 0.09 and o.12 kg N ha^-1 yr^-1 for 2005 and 2006, respectively.     

Distributions and Relationships of CO<Subscript>2</Subscript>, O<Subscript>2</Subscript>, and Dimethylsulfide in the Changjiang (Yangtze) Estuary and Its Adjacent Waters in Summer

The distributions and relationships of O₂, CO₂, and dimethylsulfide (DMS) in the Changjiang (Yangtze) Estuary and its adjacent waters were investigated in June 2014. In surface water, mean O₂ saturation level, partial pressure of CO₂ (pCO₂), and DMS concentrations (and ranges) were 110% (89%–167%), 374 μatm (91–640 μatm), and 8.53 nmol L^?1 (1.10–27.50 nmol L^?1), respectively. The sea-to-air fluxes (and ranges) of DMS and CO₂ were 8.24 μmol m^?2 d^?1 (0.26–62.77 μmol m^?2 d^?1), and ?4.7 mmol m^?2 d^?1 (?110.8-31.7 mmol m^?2 d^?1), respectively. Dissolved O₂ was oversaturated, DMS concentrations were relatively high, and this region served as a sink of atmospheric CO₂. The pCO₂ was significantly and negatively correlated with the O₂ saturation level, while the DMS concentration showed different positive relationships with the O₂ saturation level in different water masses. In vertical profiles, a hypoxic zone existed below 20 m at a longitude of 123°E. The stratification of temperature and salinity caused by the Taiwan Warm Current suppressed seawater exchange between upper and lower layers, resulting in the formation of a hypoxic zone. Oxidative decomposition of organic detritus carried by the Changjiang River Diluted Water (CRDW) consumed abundant O₂ and produced additional CO₂. The DMS concentrations decreased because of low phytoplankton biomass in the hypoxic zone. Strong correlations appeared between the O₂ saturation level, pCO₂ and DMS concentrations in vertical profiles. Our results strongly suggested that CRDW played an important role in the distributions and relationships of O₂, CO₂, and DMS.     

Response of ecosystem respiration to experimental warming and clipping at daily time scale in an alpine meadow of tibet

The alpine meadow,as one of the typical vegetation types on the Tibetan Plateau,is one of the most sensitive terrestrial ecosystems to climate warming.However,how climate warming affects the carbon cycling of the alpine meadow on the Tibetan Plateau is not very clear.A field experiment under controlled experimental warming and clipping conditions was conducted in an alpine meadow on the Northern Tibetan Plateau since July 2008.Open top chambers(OTCs) were used to simulate climate warming.The main objective of this study was to examine the responses of ecosystem respiration(R eco) and its temperature sensitivity to experimental warming and clipping at daily time scale.Therefore,we measured R eco once or twice a month from July to September in 2010,from June to September in 2011 and from August to September in 2012.Air temperature dominated daily variation of Reco whether or not experimental warming and clipping were present.Air temperature was exponentially correlated with R eco and it could significantly explain 58～96% variation of R eco at daily time scale.Experimental warming and clipping decreased daily mean R eco by 5.8～37.7% and-11.9～23.0%,respectively,although not all these changes were significant.Experimental warming tended to decrease the temperature sensitivity of R eco,whereas clipping tended to increase the temperature sensitivity of R eco at daily time scale.Our findings suggest that R eco was mainly controlled by air temperature and may acclimate to climate warming due to its lower temperature sensitivity under experimental warming at daily time scale.     

Impacts of CO<Subscript>2</Subscript> enrichment on growth and photosynthesis in freshwater and marine diatoms

The physiological responses of Nitzschia palea Kvtzing, a freshwater diatom, to elevated CO2 were investigated and compared with those of a marine diatom, Chaetoceros muelleri Lemmermann previously reported. Elevated CO2 concentration to 700 μl/L increased the dissolved inorganic carbon （D!C） and lowered the pH in the cultures of N. palea, thus enhancing the growth by 4%-20% during the whole growth period. High CO2-grown N. palea cells showed lower levels of dark respiration rates and higher Ik values. Light-saturated photosynthetic rates and photosynthetic efficiencies decreased in N. palea with the doubling CO2 concentration in airflow to the bottom of cultures, although the doubling CO2 concentration in airflow to the surface cultures had few effects on these two photosynthetic parameters. N. palea cells were found to be capable of using HCO5 in addition to gaseous CO2, and the CO2 enrichment decreased their affinity for HCO5 and CO2. Although doubled CO2 level would enhance the biomass of N. patea and C. muelleri to different extents, compared with the marine diatom, it had a significant effect on the specific growth rates of N. palea. In addition, the responses of photosynthetic parameters of IV. palea to doubled CO2 concentration were almost opposite to those of C. muelleri.     

<Emphasis Type="Italic">p</Emphasis>CO<Subscript>2</Subscript> and carbon fluxes across sea-air interface in the Changjiang Estuary and Hangzhou Bay

Partial pressure of CO2 （pCO2） was investigated in the Changjiang （Yangtze River） Estuary, Hangzhou Bay and their adjacent areas during a cruise in August 2004, China. The data show that pCO2 in surface waters of the studied area was higher than that in the atmosphere with only exception of a patch east of Zhoushan Archipelago. The pCO2 varied from 168 to 2 264 μatm, which fell in the low range compared with those of other estuaries in the world. The calculated sea-air CO2 fluxes decreased offshore and varied from -10.0 to 88.1 mmol m^-2 d^-1 in average of 24.4 ± 16.5 mmol m^-2 d^-1. Although the area studied was estimated only 2 × 10^4 km^2, it emitted （5.9 ± 4.0） × 10^3 tons of carbon to the atmosphere every day. The estuaries and their plumes must be further studied for better understanding the role of coastal seas playing in the global oceanic carbon cycle.     

Emissions of biogenic sulfur gases (H<Subscript>2</Subscript>S,COS) from <Emphasis Type="Italic">Phragmites australis</Emphasis> coastal marsh in the Yellow River estuary of China

Emissions of biogenic sulfur gases (hydrogen sulfide (H₂S) and carbonyl sulfide (COS)) from Phragmites australis coastal marsh in the Yellow River estuary of China were determined during April to December in 2014 using static chamber-gas chromatography technique with monthly sampling. The results showed that the fluxes of H₂S and COS both had distinct seasonal and diurnal variations. The H₂S fluxes ranged from 0.09 μg/(m²·h) to 7.65 μg/(m²·h), and the COS fluxes ranged from–1.10 μg/(m²·h) to 3.32 μg/(m²·h). The mean fluxes of H₂S and COS from the P. australis coastal marsh were 2.28 μg/(m²·h), and 1.05 μg/(m²·h), respectively. The P. australis coastal marsh was the emission source of both H₂S and COS over the whole year. Fluxes of H₂S and COS were both higher in plant growing season than in the non-growing season. Temperature had a dramatic effect on the H₂S emission flux, while the correlations between COS flux and the environmental factors were not found during sampling periods. More in-depth and comprehensive research on other related factors, such as vegetation, sediment substrates, and tidal action is needed to discover and further understand the key factors and the release mechanism of sulfur gases.     

CHEMICAL WEATHERING PROCESSES AND ATMOSPHERIC CO2 CONSUMPTION OF HUANGHE RIVER AND CHANGJIANG RIVER BASINS

Rock weathering plays an important role in studying the long-term carbon cycles and global climatic change. According to the statistics analysis, the Huanghe (Yellow) River water chemistry was mainly controlled by evaporite and carbonate weathering, which were responsible for over 90% of total dissolved ions. As compared with the Huanghe River basin, dissolved load of the Changjiang (Yangtze) River was mainly originated from the carbonate dissolution. The chemical weathering rates were estimated to be 39.29t/(km²·a) and 61.58t/(km²·a) by deducting the HCO ₃ ⁻ derived from atmosphere in the Huanghe River and Changjiang River watersheds, respectively. The CO₂ consumption rates by rock weathering were calculated to be 120.84×10³mol/km² and 452.46×10³mol/km²annually in the two basins, respectively. The total CO₂ consumption of the two basins amounted to 918.51×10⁹mol/a, accounting for 3.83% of the world gross. In contrast to other world watersheds, the stronger evaporite reaction and infirm silicate weathering can explain such feature that CO₂ consumption rates were lower than a global average, suggesting that the sequential weathering may be go on in the two Chinese drainage basins. Foundation item: Under the auspices of Ministry of Science and Technology Project of China (No. G1999043075) Biography: LI Jing-ying (1974-), female, a native of Xinye of Henan Province, Ph.D., associate professor, specialized in environmental geochemistry. E-mail: wxxljy2001@public.qd.sd.cn     

Diurnal and seasonal dynamics of soil respiration at temperate Leymus chinensis meadow steppes in western Songnen Plain,China

To evaluate the diurnal and seasonal variations in soil respiration(Rs) and understand the controlling factors, we measured carbon dioxide(CO2) fluxes and their environmental variables using a LI-6400 soil CO2 flux system at a temperate Leymus chinensis meadow steppe in the western Songnen Plain of China in the growing season(May–October) in 2011 and 2012. The diurnal patterns of soil respiration could be expressed as single peak curves, reaching to the maximum at 11:00–15:00 and falling to the minimum at 21:00–23:00(or before dawn). The time-window between 7:00 and 9:00 could be used as the optimal measuring time to represent the daily mean soil CO2 efflux. In the growing season, the daily value of soil CO2 efflux was moderate in late spring(1.06–2.51 μmol/(m2·s) in May), increased sharply and presented a peak in summer(2.95–3.94 μmol/(m2·s) in July), and then decreased in autumn(0.74–0.97 μmol/(m2·s) in October). Soil temperature(Ts) exerted dominant control on the diurnal and seasonal variations of soil respiration. The temperature sensitivity of soil respiration(Q10) exhibited a large seasonal variation, ranging from 1.35 to 3.32, and decreased with an increasing soil temperature. Rs gradually increased with increasing soil water content(Ws) and tended to decrease when Ws exceeded the optimum water content(27%) of Rs. The Ts and Ws had a confounding effect on Rs, and the two-variable equations could account for 72% of the variation in soil respiration(p 0.01).     

Effects of ocean acidification driven by elevated CO<Subscript>2</Subscript> on larval shell growth and abnormal rates of the venerid clam, <Emphasis Type="Italic">Mactra veneriformis</Emphasis>

The venerid clam (Mactra veneriformis Reeve 1854) is one of the main cultured bivalve species in intertidal and shallow subtidal ecosystems along the west coast of Korea. To understand the effects of ocean acidification on the early life stages of Korean clams, we investigated shell growth and abnormality rates and types in the D-shaped, umbonate veliger, and pediveliger stages of the venerid clam M. veneriformis during exposure to elevated seawater pCO₂. In particular, we examined abnormal types of larval shell morphology categorized as shell deformations, shell distortions, and shell fissures. Specimens were incubated in seawater equilibrated with bubbled CO₂-enriched air at (400±25)×10^-6 (ambient control), (800±25)×10^-6 (high pCO₂), or (1 200±28)×10^-6 (extremely high pCO₂), the atmospheric CO₂ concentrations predicted for the years 2014, 2084, and 2154 (70-year intervals; two human generations), respectively, in the Representative Concentration Pathway (RCP) 8.5 scenario. The mean shell lengths of larvae were significantly decreased in the high and extremely high pCO₂ groups compared with the ambient control groups. Furthermore, under high and extremely high pCO₂ conditions, the cultures exhibited significantly increased abundances of abnormal larvae and increased severity of abnormalities compared with the ambient control. In the umbonate veliger stage of the experimental larvae, the most common abnormalities were shell deformations, distortions, and fissures; on the other hand, convex hinges and mantle protuberances were absent. These results suggest that elevated CO₂ exerts an additional burden on the health of M. veneriformis larvae by impairing early development.     

Estimate of global sea-air CO<Subscript>2</Subscript> flux with sea-state-dependent parameterization

Although the annual global sea-air CO₂ flux has been estimated extensively with various wind-dependent-k parameterizations, uncertainty still exists in the estimates. The sea-state-dependent-k parameterization is expected to improve the uncertainty existing in these estimates. In the present study, the annual global sea-air CO₂ flux is estimated with the sea-state-dependent-k parameterization proposed by Woolf (2005), using NOAA/NCEP reanalysis wind speed and hindcast wave data from 1998 to 2006, and a new estimate, −2.18 Gt C year⁻¹, is obtained, which is comparable with previous estimates with biochemical methods. It is interesting to note that the averaged value of previous estimates with various wind-dependent-k parameterizations is almost identical to that of previous estimates with biochemical methods by various authors, and that the new estimate is quite consistent with these averaged estimates.     

Quantitative simulation on soil moisture contents of two typical vegetation communities in Sanjiang Plain,China

Different types of vegetation occupy different geomorphology and water gradient environments in the San-jiang Plain,indicating that the soil moisture dynamics and water balance patterns of the different vegetation communi-ties might differ from each other.In this paper,a lowland system,perpendicular to the Nongjiang River in the Honghe National Nature Reserve(HNNR),was selected as the study area.The area was occupied by the non-wetland plant forest and the typical wetland plant meadow.The Microsoft Windows-based finite element analysis software package for simulating water,heat,and solute transport in variably saturated porous media(HYDRUS),which can quantita-tively simulate water,heat,and/or solute movement in variably-saturated porous media,was used to simulate soil moisture dynamics in the root zone(20-40 cm) of those two plant communities during the growing season in 2005.The simulation results for soil moisture were in a good agreement with measured data,with the coefficient of determi-nation(R2) of 0.44-0.69 and root mean square error(RMSE) ranging between 0.0291 cm3/cm3 and 0.0457 cm3/cm3,and index of agreement(d) being from 0.612 to 0.968.During the study period,the volumetric soil moisture content of meadow increased with the depth and its coefficient of variation decreased with the depth(from 20 cm to 40 cm),while under the forest the soil moisture content at different depths varied irregularly.The calculated result of water budget showed that the water budget deficit of the meadow was higher than that of the forest,suggesting that the meadow is more likely to suffer from water stress than the forest.The quantitative simulation by HYDRUS in this study did not take surface runoff and plant growth processes into account.Improved root water uptake and surface runoff models will be needed for higher accuracy in further researches.     

Spatial and seasonal variation in soil respiration along a slope in a rubber plantation and a natural forest in Xishuangbanna,Southwest China

Soil respiration is a key component of the global carbon cycle, and even small changes in soil respiration rates could result in significant changes in atmospheric CO₂ levels. The conversion of tropical forests to rubber plantations in SE Asia is increasingly common, and there is a need to understand the impacts of this land-use change on soil respiration in order to revise CO₂ budget calculations. This study focused on the spatial variability of soil respiration along a slope in a natural tropical rainforest and a terraced rubber plantation in Xishuangbanna, Southwest (SW) China. In each land-use type, we inserted 105 collars for soil respiration measurements. Research was conducted over one year in Xishuangbanna during May, June, July and October 2015 (wet season) and January and March 2016 (dry season). The mean annual soil respiration rate was 30% higher in natural forest than in rubber plantation and mean fluxes in the wet and dry season were 15.1 and 9.5 Mg C ha^-1 yr^-1 in natural forest and 11.7 and 5.7 Mg C ha^-1 yr^-1 in rubber plantation. Using a linear mixed effects model to assess the effect of changes in soil temperature and moisture on soil respiration, we found that soil temperature was the main driver of variation in soil respiration, explaining 48% of its seasonal variation in rubber plantation and 30% in natural forest. After including soil moisture, the model explained 70% of the variation in soil respiration in natural forest and 76% in rubber plantation. In the natural forest slope position had a significant effect on soil respiration, and soil temperature and soil moisture gradients only partly explained this correlation. In contrast, soil respiration in rubber plantation was not affected by slope position, which may be due to the terrace structure that resulted in more homogeneous environmental conditions along the slope. Further research is needed to determine whether or not these findings hold true at a landscape level.     

Effects of Reclamation on Soil Carbon and Nitrogen in Coastal Wetlands of Liaohe River Delta,China

To evaluate the influence of wetland reclamation on vertical distribution of carbon and nitrogen in coastal wetland soils, we measured the soil organic carbon(SOC), soil total nitrogen(STN) and selected soil properties at five sampling plots(reed marsh, paddy field, corn field, forest land and oil-polluted wetland) in the Liaohe River estuary in September 2013. The results showed that reclamation significantly changed the contents of SOC and STN in the Liaohe River estuary(P 0.001). The SOC concentrations were in the order: oil-polluted wetland corn field paddy field forest land reed marsh, with mean values of 52.17, 13.14, 11.46, 6.44 and 6.16 g/kg, respectively. STN followed a similar order as SOC, with mean values of 1351.14, 741.04, 632.32, 496.17 and 390.90 mg/kg, respectively. Interaction of reclamation types and soil depth had significant effects on SOC and STN, while soil depth had significant effects on SOC, but not on STN. The contents of SOC and STN were negatively correlated with pH and redox potential(Eh) in reed marsh and corn field, while the SOC and STN in paddy field had positive correlations with electrical conductivity(EC). Dissolved organic carbon(DOC), ammonium nitrogen(NH_4~+-N) and nitrate nitrogen(NO_3~–-N) were also significantly changed by human activities. NH_4~+-N and NO_3~–-N increased to different degrees, and forest land had the highest NO_3~–-N concentration and lowest DOC concentration, which could have been caused by differences in soil aeration and fertilization. Overall, the results indicate that reed harvest increased soil carbon and nitrogen release in the Liaohe River Estuary, while oil pollution significantly increased the SOC and STN; however, these cannot be used as indicators of soil fertility and quality because of the serious oil pollution.     

Effects of Anthropogenic Disturbance on Sediment Organic Carbon Mineralization Under Different Water Conditions in Coastal Wetland of a Subtropical Estuary

The changes in soil organic carbon(C) mineralization as affected by anthropogenic disturbance directly determine the role of soils as C source or sink in the global C budget. The objectives of this study were to investigate the effects of anthropogenic disturbance(aquaculture pond, pollutant discharge and agricultural activity) on soil organic C mineralization under different water conditions in the Minjiang River estuary wetland, Southeast China. The results showed that the organic C mineralization in the wetland soils was significantly affected by human disturbance and water conditions(P 0.001), and the interaction between human disturbance activities and water conditions was also significant(P 0.01). The C mineralization rate and the cumulative mineralized carbon dioxide-carbon(CO_2-C)(at the 49th day) ranked from highest to lowest as follows: Phragmites australis wetland soil aquaculture pond sediment soil near the discharge outlet rice paddy soil. This indicated that human disturbance inhibited the mineralization of C in soils of the Minjiang River estuary wetland, and the inhibition increased with the intensity of human disturbance. The data for cumulative mineralized CO_2-C showed a good fit(R~2 0.91) to the first-order kinetic model C_t = C_0(1 – exp(–kt)). The kinetic parameters C_0, k and C_0 k were significantly affected by human disturbance and water conditions. In addition, the total amount of mineralized C(in 49 d) was positively related to C_0, C_0 k and electrical conductivity of soils. These findings indicated that anthropogenic disturbance suppressed the organic C mineralization potential in subtropical coastal wetland soils, and changes of water pattern as affected by human activities in the future would have a strong influence on C cycling in the subtropical estuarine wetlands.     

CARBON DYNAMICS OF WETLAND IN THE SANJIANG PLAIN

1INTRODUCTIONWetlandsplayanimportant roleintheprocessofcar-bonstorage.Thetotalcarbonstoredindifferentkindsofwetlandsisabout15%-35%ofthetotalcarboninthegloballandsoils(POSTetal.,1982;GORHAM,1991).Inaddition,wetlandsaresignificantnaturalsources fortheatmospheric CH4 (MOORE,1994).It isestimatedthatabout110×1012gCH4 originates fromanaerobicdecompositioninthenaturalwetlands,CH4 emission fromthenaturalwetlandsis15%-30%oftheglobalCH4 emission andtheCH4 emission from thepeat land at hi…     

Effects of wetland utilization change on spatial distribution of soil nematodes in Heihe River Basin,Northwest China

The first account of the effects of wetland reclamation on soil nematode assemblages were provided, three sites in Heihe River Basin of Northwest China, that is grass wetland(GW), Tamarix chinensis wetland(TW) and crop wetland(CW) treatments, were compared. Results showed that the majority of soil nematodes were presented in the 0–20 cm soil layers in CW treatments, followed by in the 20–40 cm and 40–60 cm layers in GW treatments. Plant-feeding nametodes were the most abundant trophic groups in each treatment, where GW(91.0%) TW(88.1%) CW(53.5%). Generic richness(GR) was lower in the TW(16) than that in GW(23) and CW(25). The combination of enrichment index(EI) and structure index(SI) showed that the soil food web in GW was more structured, and those in TW was stressed, while the enrichment soil food web was presented in the CW treatment. Several ecological indices which reflected soil community structure, diversity, Shannon-Weaver diversity(H′), Evenness(J′), Richness(GR) and modified maturity index(MMI) were found to be effective for assessing the response of soil namatode communities to soil of saline wetland reclamation. Furthermore, saline wetland reclamation also exerted great influence on the soil physical and chemical properties(p H, Electric conductivity(EC), Total organic carbon(TOC), Total nitrogen(Total-N) and Nitrate Nitrogen(N-NO3–)). These results indicated that the wetland reclamation had significantly effects on soil nematode community structure and soil properties in this study.