Spatial distribution of Dactylogyrus wunderi Bychowsky on gills of Abramis brama orientalis Berg (Leuciscinae) in Irtysh River, China

The spatial distribution of the monogenean Dactylogyrus wunderi Bychowsky,1931 on the gill filaments of the bream Abramis brama orientalis Berg(Leuciscinae) inhabiting the Irtysh River of Xinjiang,China was investigated from June to July 2012.D.wunderi was identified by sequencing a fragment of its ITS rDNA region.Sixty-five fish were examined,with 55% testing positive for monogenean infection.The prevalence of the parasite in the left and right gill arches was 46% and 48%,respectively.In fish with a large body length,the prevalence of the parasite and the infection intensity did not significantly differ between the right and left gill arches but both were slightly higher in the former.Among the three size groups of fish(small,medium and large) the prevalence and the intensity of infection were lowest in fish with small body lengths.The distribution of the monogenean population in the host gills showed an aggregate distribution,with little change in the degree of aggregation,suggesting that most hosts were either not or only slightly infected by D.wunderi and that the parasite infected only a few hosts.In addition,differences in D.wunderi infections between gill arches of A.brama orientalis were not significant(P>0.05).     

Reproductive biology of Schizopygopsis younghusbandi Regan 1905 (Cyprinidae: Schizothoracinae) in the middle reaches of Yarlung Tsangpo River,China

Journal of Oceanology and Limnology - The reproductive biology of Schizopygopsis younghusbandi (Cyprinidae: Schizothoracinae) was studied by 719 individuals that collected from August 2008 to...     

Water quality model establishment for middle and lower reaches of Hanshui River,China

With the development of industry and agriculture,nitrogen,phosphorus and other nutrients in the Hanshui River greatly increase and eutrophication has become an important threat to the water quality of the Hanshui River,especially in the middle and lower reaches.The primary objective of this study was to establish the water quality model for the middle and lower reaches of the Hanshui River based on the model of MIKE 11.The main pollutants migration and transformation process could be simulated using the water quality model.The rainfall-runoff model,hy-drodynamic model and water quality model were established using MIKE 11.The pollutants,such as chemical oxygen demand(COD),biochemical oxygen demand(BOD),ammonia nitrogen,nitrate nitrogen,phosphorus,dissolved oxy-gen(DO),were simulated and predicted using the above three models.A set of methods computing non-point source pollution load of the Hanshui River Basin was proposed in this study.The simulated and observed values of COD,BOD5,ammonia,nitrate,DO,and total phosphorus were compared after the parameter calibration of the water quality model.The simulated and observed results match better,thus the model can be used to predict water quality in the fu-ture for the Hanshui River.The pollution trend could be predicted using the water quality model according pollution load generation.It is helpful for government to take effective measures to prevent the water bloom and protect water quality in the river.     

Cumulative impact of dam constructions on streamflow and sediment regime in lower reaches of the Jinsha River,China

The cumulative effect of cascade hydropower stations on river ecological environment has been widely concerned because of the significant streamflow hydrology change induced by dam constructions. The characteristics of the change in the lower reaches of the Jinsha River, China are analyzed based on long-term(1952–2015) hydrological and sedimentological data. The averaging coefficient, reservoir regulation coefficient(RRC), incoming sediment coefficient(ISC), and sediment transport modulus(STM), which reflect the variation of streamflow and sediment regimes, are defined and calculated. The results show that the construction and regulation of reservoirs reduces flow in flood season, increases flow in dry season, significantly altering the monthly discharge regimes. These alterations also led directly to changes in the timing of extreme flows at Pingshan Station. The monthly flow records at the basin outlet are reconstructed using stepwise regression, to reduce reservoir impacts. Comparisons of observed and reconstructed monthly flows demonstrate that the previous studies overestimated the cumulative effects of cascade reservoirs on flow processes. Furthermore, this study clearly illustrates that the reduction in sediment trapping and sediment transportation capacity together lead to the sharp reduction in annual sediment yield at the Pingshan Station. The earlier constructed reservoirs have more obvious effects on the ISC and STM than the more recent reservoirs and the effect of sediment trapping is related to reservoir location, on the main stream versus tributaries.     

LAND COVER CHANGES AND LANDSCAPE DYNAMICS ASSESSMENT IN LOWER REACHES OF TARIM RIVER IN CHINA

The Tarim River Basin, located in the typical arid region, is one of the key regions of LUCC research in China and plays an important role in maintaining the sustainable development of the westem China. In recent years, the ecological environment of the Tarim River Basin has degraded greatly. In the lower reaches, in particular,the riverbed has been dried up for more than 20 years, which accelerated the desertification and has been a great threat to people‘s lives. Taking the section of the Tarim River between Qiala Lake and Taitema Lake as a typical region, an investigation on land cover changes was carried out with the support of remote sensing information of 1988 and 2000 respectively. The changes of land cover in this region were obtained: 1) Cropland tended to increase. 2)Urban or Built-up Area in 2000 was 324.4ha more than that in 1988.3) Waters expanded by 3476.51ha. 4) Woodland and Grassland decreased, while Barren Land increased by 3824.9ha. The total amount of land use/land cover change between 1988 and 2000 is small, which is only 0.355% of the total area. It shows that the developmental pace of the lower reaches of the Tarim River is relative slow. Based on these results, the authors assessed the landscape dynamics of this region and pointed out that the degree of desertification was strengthened and the landscape dominated by sand land was further characterized by salt desert.     

Seasonal and spatial variations in rare earth elements and yttrium of dissolved load in the middle,lower reaches and estuary of the Minjiang River,southeastern China

A bstract With the aim of elucidating the spatial and seasonal behaviors of rare earth elements(REEs), we investigated the dissolved REE concentrations of surface water collected during four seasons from middle, lower reaches and estuary of the Minjiang River, southeastern China. The results display that the REE abundances in Minjiang River, ranging from 3.3–785.9 ng/L, were higher than those of many of the major global rivers. The total REE concentrations(∑REE) were seasonally variable, averaging in 5 937.30, 863.79, 825.65 and 1 065.75 ng/L during second highest flow(SHF), normal flow(NF), low flow(LF) and high flow(HF) season, respectively. The R_(( L/M)) and R_((H/M)) ratios reveal the spatial and temporal variations of REE patterns, and particularly vary apparently in the maximum turbidity zone and estuary. REE patterns of dissolved loads are characterized by progressing weaker LREEs-enrichment and stronger HREEsenrichment downstream from middle reaches to estuary during all four seasons. Comparing with NF and LF seasons, in which REE patterns are relatively flat, samples of SHF season have more LREE-enriched and HREE-depleted patterns that close to parent rocks, while samples of HF season are more LREEs-depleted and HREE-enriched. REE fractionations from the middle to lower reaches are stronger in the SHF and HF seasons than those in NF and LF seasons. Generally, spatial and seasonal variations in REE abundance and pattern are presumably due to several factors, such as chemical weathering, mixture with rainfall and groundwater, estuarine mixing, runoff, biological production and mountain river characters, such as strong hydrodynamic forces and steep slopes. The highest Gd/Gd* always occurs at north ports during all four seasons, where most of the large hospitals are located. This suggests Gd anomalies are depended on the density of modern medical facilities. Y/Ho ratios fl uctuate and positively correlate to salinity in estuary, probably because of the geochemical behavior differences between Y and Ho.     

Reproductive characteristics of Psilorhynchus homaloptera Hora and Mukerji,1935(Cyprinidae:Psilorhynchidae) in the lower Yarlung Zangbo River,Tibet

Psilorhynchus homaloptera mainly inhabits turbulent waters in the lower reach of the Yarlung Zangbo River,Tibet,China,and it is the only species of Psilorhynchus in China.However,many important aspects of its biology remain poorly documented,which hinders the conservation efforts.Therefore,we studied its reproduction using 801 specimens from the Motuo sector of the lower Yarlung Zangbo River from December 2015 to November 2016.The sex ratio was 0.68:1(male:female) for the overall population.Females reached a larger total length and weight(134 mm and 18.6 g) than males did(113 mm and 12.2 g).Lengths at maturity were estimated 80.0 mm for males and 93.1 mm for females.Our analyses of gonad development and the size distribution of oocytes suggest that P.homaloptera is a single spawner with the peak spawning period between September and October.Furthermore,the estimated mean absolute fecundity was 557±204 eggs per fish and mean relative fecundity was 50.9±10.9 eggs per g of female weight.The fecundity of P.homaloptera increased linearly with increasing total length,total weight,ovary weight,and age.This study on the reproductive biology of P.homaloptera demonstrate s that the fish was in a vulnerable state due to the increasing anthropogenic activities in the lower Yarlung Zangbo River.     

Vertical distribution of soil nematode communities under different tillage systems in lower reaches of Liaohe River

Vertical distribution of soil nematode communities under conventional tillage (CT),no-tillage (NT) and fallow field (FF) treatments in the Lower Reaches of the Liaohe River was investigated at six soil depths (0-5 cm,5-15 cm,15-30 cm,30-50 cm,50-75 cm and 75-100 cm). The results show that total nematode abundance gradually decreases with depth,and the highest number of total nematodes is observed at 0-5 cm depth under NT and FF treatments. The number of fungivores and plant parasites is significantly higher...     

Water quality evaluation in Tidal River reaches of Liaohe River Estuary, China using a revised QUAL2K model

Rivers in the Liaohe River Estuary area have been seriously polluted by discharges of wastewater containing petroleum pollutants and nutrients. In this paper, The Enhanced Stream Water Quality Model (QUAL2K) and its revised model as well as One-dimensional Tide Mean Model (1D model) were applied to predict and assess the water quality of the tidal river reach of the Liaohe River Estuary. Dissolved oxygen (DO), biochemical oxygen demand (BOD₅), ammonia nitrogen (NH₃-N) and total phosphorus (TP) were chosen as water quality indices in the two model simulations. The modelled results show that the major reasons for degraded rivers remain petroleum and non-point source pollution. Tidal water also has a critical effect on the variation of water quality. The sensitivity analysis identifies that flow rate, point load and diffuse load are the most sensitive parameters for the four water quality indices in the revised QUAL2K simulation. Uncertainty analysis based on a Monte Carlo simulation gives the probability distribution of the four water quality indices at two locations (6.50 km and 44.84 km from the river mouth). The statistical outcomes indicate that the observed data fall within the 90% confidence intervals at all sites measured, and show that the revised QUAL2K gives better results in simulating the water quality of a tidal river.     

Geochronology,geochemistry and geological significance of Early Cretaceous volcanic rocks from Niangniangshan Formation,Ningwu Basin,middle and lower reaches of the Yangtze River

Ningwu Basin is one of the Mesozoic continental volcanic basins in the middle and lower reaches of the Yangtze River.The volcanic rocks of the Longwangshan,dawangshan,Gushan and Niangniangshan formations,as well as the homologous subvolcanic rocks or small intrusions,are developed from old to new in the Ningwu Basin.Zircon U-Pb dating results show the latialite phonolite of Niangniangshan Formation was erupted at 128±1 Ma(i.e.,Early Cretaceous).The latialite phonolite contains moderate SiO2 contents(57.28%-60.96%)with high Na 2O+K 2O contents,belonging to shoshonite series.The samples have high REE contents,and display right-inclined REE distribution pattern.They are characterized by enrichment in some large ion lithophile elements(e.g.,LILEs,Rb,K),and depletion in some high field strength elements(e.g.,HFSEs,Nb,Ta,Ti).All volcanic samples have relatively depleted Nd isotopic compositions(ISr=0.707197--0.707878;εNd(t)=-0.5--0.9),indicating no genetic relationship with the lower crust of Yangtze plate,but a drift trend towards the EMII.The geochemical data suggest that the Early Cretaceous latialite phonolite was derived from the partial melting of an enriched lithospheric mantle metasomatized by subduction-related fluids in an arc-related setting.Based on the temporal and spatial distribution and geochemical variation characteristics of the regional volcanic rocks,it is suggested that the tectonic system within the study area changed from a subduction-related compression to an extensional environment in the early Early Cretaceous,which was caused by the ridge subduction of the Paleo-Pacific Ocean.     

The influence of the sea-air heat exchange over the Kuroshio in the East China Sea in winter on the precipitation in the middle and lower reaches of Changjiang River in flood season

In this paper, the sea-air heat exchange over the Kuroshio in the East China Sea during the winters of 1954–1972 is computed and analysed. The results indicate that the year to year anomalies of sea-air heat exchange are obvious and the values are mainly controlled by the intensity of the cold air at the same time. The authors have found a close relationship between sea-air heat exchange and precipitation in the region of the Changjiang River during the early summer. Finally, the predicting indication for forecasting this precipitation around the middle and lower reaches of Changjiang River in June is given. Contribution No. 839 from the Institute of Oceanology, Academia Sinica. This paper was published in Chinese inOceanologia et Limnologia Sinica 14 (3): 256–262, 1983.     

Deep thoughts of land utilization about the rarely severe flooding disaster along the middle and lower reaches of the Changjiang River in 1998

Duringthefloodperiodof1998,someregionsofChinasufferedseriousfloodingandwaterlogging.EspeciallyintheChangjiangRiver,thewholebasinfloodonceemergedin1954occurredagain,andthemostseverefloodinthehistoryalsoemergedintheSonghuaRiverandtheNenjiangRiver,whicharousedmuchattentionacrossthewholecountry.Accordingtoincompletestatistics,till22ndofAugust,29provinces,autonomousregionsandmunicipalitieshadbeenaffectedbythefloodsinvaryingdegrees.ZI.2millionhaoflandwereinundated,223millionPeOPlewereaffeCted,3…     

Geochemical studies of U,Th, Ra,40K in seciments of the China Sea and adjacent sea area,and lower reaches of several Chinese Rivers

Geochemical studies of the U, Th, Ra, and⁴⁰K in surface sediments of the China Sea and adjacent sea areas, the lower reaches of the Huanghe and Changjiang Rivers and the estuaries of the Zhujiang and Rongjiang Rivers were carried out with a model 8180-4K multichannel Ge(Li)γ spectrometer in 1981–1985. The mean values of U, Ra, Th,⁴⁰K are about 2.11 ppm, 7.67×10⁻¹³g/g, 11.00 ppm, and 2.33 ppm respectively, in the China Sea, the Okinawa Trough, and the Changjiang and Huanghe River estuaries. The distribution of the four isotopes is uniform in the above zone. The contents of U and Th in the sediments of the Zhujiang and Rongjiang Rivers and the Fujian coast are 1–4 times higher than those of the above zone and are related to the granite and radioactive ore present in the upper reaches of these rivers or the adjacent mountains. The distributions of U, Th, Ra, and⁴⁰K are related to the physico-chemical property, redox state, geological type and grain size of the sediment, and biotic activity. Contribution No. 1408, Institute of Oceanology, Academia Sinica, Qingdao.     

Chronology and nutrients change in recent sediment of Taihu Lake,lower Changjiang River Basin,east China

Two short sediment cores named ZS and THS dated by the 210Pb or 137Cs method were collected from the northwest and southwest of Taihu Lake respectivly,and total organic carbon(TOC) and nutrients including total nitrogen(TN) and total phosphorus(TP) were determined to analyze the chronology and nutrients change in recent sediment.The results show that 137Cs activities are low(less than 15 Bq/kg) in the two cores,attributed to the 137Cs migration.Based on 210Pb constant rate of supply(CRS) model,the sedimentation accumulation rates range from 0.13 g/(cm2·yr) to 0.76 g/(cm2·yr) in the ZS core,and from 0.10 g/(cm2·yr) to 0.56 g/(cm2·yr) in the THS core.A remarkable increase in organic matter and nutrients has occurred in the two dated cores since the mid-1980s.The historical changes of organic matter and nutrients in the two cores are consisitent with the monitoring data for surface sediment after the 1960s.The TP accumulation rates after the early 1980s are 0.97 and 0.92 times higher than those from the 1950s to the 1980s in ZS and THS cores,respectively.Higher TP concentrations in the past two-decade deposits of Taihu Lake are due to both diagenetic factors and human activities.     

The genetic diversity,individual relatedness and possible mating system of an isolated population of the Cyprinid species Megalobrama pellgrini in upper reaches of the Changjiang (Yangtze) River,China

Megalobrama pellegrini is a cyprinid fish endemic to upper reaches of the Changjiang(Yangtze) River, China, which is also an important economic species in the local area. In recent years,resources of this species have decreased sharply and its conservation has drawn great attention. In the present study, we collected 120 individuals from the Longxi River, a tributary isolated from the main channel of the Changjiang River, where M. pellegrini is still relatively abundant. Using two different molecular markers, mitochondrial cytochrome b(cyt b) gene, and nuclear microsatellite(simple sequence repeat,SSR), we analyzed the genetic diversity of this isolated population. The results show that sequence genetic diversity was low(H_d:0.290 and P_i: 0.000 77 for cyt b gene),while the SSR genetic diversity was high(H_o:0.824 4±0.147 2,H_e: 0.823 510.145 1). Analysis indicated that this population had experienced a bottleneck,with inbreeding and small effective population size(around 50). Based on SSR data, relatedness analyzing revealed that the 120 samples were grouped into 10 completely independent clusters. It was inferred that the mating system of M. pellegrini was polygamy. We suggested that the low genetic diversity could be induced by the overfishing and inbreeding depression. Therefore, we suggested that the urgent conservation measures should be taken to control the overfishing and give better conditions for the fish to grow and spawn, then to restore population size.     

Spatial pattern of rural settlements in the upper reaches of the Minjiang River

A quantitative analysis of the spatial pattern of rural settlements in the upper reaches of the Minjiang River was made with the major data sources being the relevant ETM image and the national geographical database of China (including contour line, river and road) at the scale of 1:250 000, and using image interpretation and field investigation to obtain spatial information on rural settlements. The results of the spatial analysis technique of GIS and correlation analysis showed that most settlements (78.2 %) were located in the mountain area at 1500 ∼ 2700 m altitude, and almost half in the arid valley area. More than 80.0 % of settlements had their slopes above 15°. Most settlements had good access to water resources, roads and communications, and tended to cluster close to the road network rather than the river. About half of the rural settlements in the study area were relatively concentrated, while the others were decentralized. Those with higher altitude usually had land with steep slope, inconvenient water and road accesses, and were located far apart from each other. In view of such a situation, further research should be done to make reasonable countermeasures on these settlements for better living conditions and ecosystem stability.     

Reproductive biology of yellowfin tuna T. albacares in the west-central Indian Ocean

Survey of yellowfin tuna in the west-central Indian Ocean was conducted on board of Chinese longliners during 2003, 2004 and 2005, which is a part of Chinese Tuna Fishery Scientific Observer Program (CTFSOP). The reproductive biology has been investigated. A total of 1 023 samples are collected including 417 ovaries and 606 testes. Spawning activities of yellowfin tuna have been studied for both male and female from January to June. The data showed that the average monthly sex ratio is 0.59, and the minimum length at sexual maturity is 101 cm for female and 110 cm for male respectively. Length at 50% sexual maturity is estimated at 113.77 cm for female and 120.20 cm for male, whereas maturation rate is 0.066 cm⁻¹ for female and 0.091 cm⁻¹ for male. Sex ratio by length class indicates that the proportion of male is higher than female’s along with size increasing; for instance, in the group of the body length longer than 145 cm, some females have their body length from 145 to 160 cm and males have their body length at 160 cm and even longer. Statistically, yellowfin tuna has a significant seasonal reproduction.     

Energy Balance of Irrigated Intercropping Field in the Middle Reaches of Heihe River Basin

1 Introduction Most of the solar radiation that ecosystem seizes is con- sumed on latent, sensible and soil heat flux. Among them, latent heat flux shares the biggest part (Gutierrez and Meizer, 1994; Ham et al., 1991; Rachidi et al., 1993). The radiation budget and the energy balance are crucial to water conversion and effective water utilization. Also, they are important parts of research of water-saving ag- riculture (Mo et al., 1997). At present, the researches on radiation budget and e…     

Response of snow hydrological processes to a changing climate during 1961 to 2016 in the headwater of Irtysh River Basin,Chinese Altai Mountains

With changing climatic conditions and snow cover regime, regional hydrological cycle for a snowy basin will change and further available surface water resources will be redistributed. Assessing snow meltwater effect on runoff is the key to water safety, under climate warming and fast social-economic developing status. In this study, stable isotopic technology was utilized to analyze the snow meltwater effect on regional hydrological processes, and to declare the response of snow hydrology to climate change and snow cover regime, together with longterm meteorological and hydrological observations, in the headwater of Irtysh River, Chinese Altai Mountains during 1961-2015. The average δ~(18) O values of rainfall, snowfall, meltwater, groundwater and river water for 2014–2015 hydrological year were-10.9‰,-22.3‰,-21.7‰,-15.7‰ and-16.0‰, respectively.The results from stable isotopes, snow melting observation and remote sensing indicated that the meltwater effect on hydrological processes in Kayiertesi River Basin mainly occurred during snowmelt supplying period from April to June. The contribution of meltwater to runoff reached 58.1% during this period, but rainfall, meltwater and groundwater supplied 49.1%, 36.9% and 14.0% of water resource to annual runoff, respectively. With rising air temperature and increasing snowfall in cold season, the snow water equivalent(SWE) had an increasing trend but the snow cover duration declined by about one month including 13-day delay of the first day and 17-day advancement of the end day during 1961–2016. Increase in SWE provided more available water resource. However, variations in snow cover timing had resulted in redistribution of surface water resource, represented by an increase of discharge percentage in April and May, and a decline in Juneand July. This trend of snow hydrology will render a deficit of water resource in June and July when the water resource demand is high for agricultural irrigation and industrial manufacture.     

THE PROTECTION OF THE ECOLOGIC ENVIRONMENT OF THE GREEN CORRIDOR IN THE LOWER REACHES OF THE TARIM RIVER

The Green Corridor in the lower reaches of the Tarim River is not only a unique natural landscape in desert but also an important passageway. Nowadays, the ecologic environment of the corridor is getting worse and worse due to man's economic activities and the lack of knowledge of the importance of the environment, which is one of is the three environment problems in Xinjiang. The corridor is in great need of planning and managing.