Mercury distribution and accumulation in typical wetland ecosystems of Sanjiang Plain, Northeast China

Total mercury in soil,water,plant,insects,fishes and bird feathers were determined to study mercury distribution and accumulation in typical wetland ecosystems in the Sanjiang Plain,Northeast China.Results show that total mercury concentrations in soils of Deyeuxia angustifolia wetland and Carex lascarpa wetland are 0.046 mg/kg and 0.063 mg/kg,respectively.Total mercury concentration in water bodies is 0.053 μg/L on average.Of four plants studied,total mercury in moss is the highest with the mean of 0.132 mg/kg.Of 10 terrestrial insect species studied,total mercury in centipede(Scolopendra spp.) is the highest with the mean of 0.515 mg/kg while total mercury in grasshopper(Oxya spp.) bodies is the lowest.Total mercury concentrations in the herbivorous,omnivorous and predatory insects are 10.18 ng/g,16.47 ng/g and 213.35 ng/g on average,respectively.Total mercury concentrations of the adult feather(549.88 ± 63.04 ng/g),nestling feather(55.15 ± 23.53 ng/g),and eggshell(22.05 ± 5.96 ng/g) of the Grey heron(Ardea cinerea) are higher than those of the Great egret(Egretta alba)(adult feather:446.57 ± 90.89 ng/g;nestling feather:32.99 ± 17.15 ng/g;eggshell:21.02 ± 3.17 ng/g) in the wetlands of the Sanjiang Plain.The bioconcentration factors decrease in the order of piscivorous fish muscle > omnivorous fish muscle > herbivorous fish > insect.     

Co-occurrence patterns of above-ground and below-ground mite communities in farmland of Sanjiang Plain,Northeast China

One of the fundamental questions in community ecology is whether communities are random or formed by deterministic mechanisms. Although many efforts have been made to verify non-randomness in community structure, little is known with regard to co-occurrence patterns in above-ground and below-ground communities. In this paper, we used a null model to test non-randomness in the structure of the above-ground and below-ground mite communities in farmland of the Sanjiang Plain, Northeast China. Then, we used four tests for non-randomness to recognize species pairs that would be demonstrated as significantly aggregated or segregated co-occurrences of the above-ground and below-ground mite communities. The pattern of the above-ground mite commu- nity was significantly non-random in October, suggesting species segregation and hence interspecific competition. Additionally, species co-occurrence patterns did not differ from randomness in the above-ground mite community in August or in below-ground mite com- munities in August and October. Only one significant species pair was detected in the above-ground mite community in August, while no significant species pairs were recognized in the above-ground mite community in October or in the below-ground mite communities in August and October. The results indicate that non-randomness and significant species pairs may not be the general rule in the above-ground and below-ground mite communities in farmland of the Sanjiang Plain at the fine scale.     

Impacts of soil fauna on litter decomposition at different succession stages of wetland in Sanjiang Plain, China

Litter decomposition is the key process in nutrient recycling and energy flow. The present study examined the impacts of soil fauna on decomposition rates and nutrient fluxes at three succession stages of wetland in the Sanjiang Plain, China using different mesh litterbags. The results show that in each succession stage of wetland, soil fauna can obviously increase litter decomposition rates. The average contribution of whole soil fauna to litter mass loss was 35.35%. The more complex the soil fauna group, the more significant the role of soil fauna. The average loss of three types of litter in the 4mm mesh litterbags was 0.3–4.1 times that in 0.058mm ones. The decomposition function of soil fauna to litter mass changed with the wetland succession. The average contribution of soil fauna to litter loss firstly decreased from 34.96% (Carex lasiocapa) to 32.94% (Carex meyeriana), then increased to 38.16% (Calamagrostics angustifolia). The contributions of soil fauna to litter decomposition rates vary according to the litter substrata, soil fauna communities and seasons. Significant effects were respectively found in August and July on C. angustifolia and C. lasiocapa, while in June and August on C. meyeriana. Total carbon (TC), total nitrogen (TN) and total phosphorus (TP) contents and the C/N and C/P ratios of decaying litter can be influenced by soil fauna. At different wetland succession stages, the effects of soil fauna on nutrient elements also differ greatly, which shows the significant difference of influencing element types and degrees. Soil fauna communities strongly influenced the TC and TP concentrations of C. meyeriana litter, and TP content of C. lasiocapa. Our results indicate that soil fauna have important effects on litter decomposition and this influence will vary with the wetland succession and seasonal variation. Foundation item: Under the auspices of State Key Development Program for Basic Research of China (No. 2009CB421103), Key Program of National Natural Science Foundation of China (No. 40830535/D0101), Knowledge Innovation Programs of Chinese Academy of Sciences (No. KZCX2-YW-BR-16, KSCX2-YW-N-46-06)     

EFFECTS OF AGRICULTURE RECLAMATION ON THE HYDROLOGIC CHARACTERISTICS IN THE SANJIANG PLAIN, CHINA

1 THE NATURAL ENVIRONMENTAL CHARACTERISTICS The Sanjiang Plain is located in the northeast of Heilongjiang Province, China. Russia borders this region in the north and east. Its total area is 1.088×107ha. The area of plain occupies 61.21％of the total land area and that of hill and mountain amounts to 38.79％of the total land area. It is not only one of the most important regions with large area of fresh water wetlands and with varieties of rare migratory waterfowls, but a…     

Transfer and transformation of soil iron and implications for hydrogeomorpholocial changes in Naoli River Catchment,Sanjiang Plain,Northeast China

Wetland soils are characterized by alternating redox process due to the fluctuation of waterlogged conditions. Iron is an important redox substance, and its transfer and transformation in the wetland ecosystem could be an effective indicator for the environment changes. In this paper, we selected the Naoli River catchment in the Sanjiang Plain, Northeast China as the study area to analyze the dynamics of transfer and transformation of soil iron, and the relationship between iron content change and environmental factors. The results show that the total and crystalline iron contents reach the peak in the depth of 60 cm in soil profile, while the amorphous iron content is higher in the topsoil. In the upper reaches, from the low to high landscape positions, the total and crystalline iron contents decrease from 62.98 g/kg to 41.61 g/kg, 22.82 g/kg to 10.53 g/kg respectively, while the amorphous iron content increases from 2.42 g/kg to 8.88 g/kg. Amorphous iron content has positive correlation with organic matter and soil water contents, while negative correlation with pH. Moreover, both the crystalline and amorphous iron contents present no correlation with total iron content, indicating that environmental factors play a more important role in the transfer and transformation of iron other than the content of the total iron. Different redoximorphic features were found along the soil profile due to the transfer and transformation of iron. E and B horizons of wetland soil in the study area have a matrix Chroma 2 or less, and all the soil types can meet the criteria of American hydric soil indicators except albic soil.     

CUMULATIVE EFFECTS OF DIFFERENT CULTIVATING PATTERNS ON PROPERTIES OF ALBIC SOIL IN SANJIANG PLAIN

1INTRODUCTION Albic soil is one of the main soils with low yield in the Sanjiang Plain, with an area of 200×103ha, accounting for 19% of the total area, among which 88.4×103ha is farmland, being 25.4% of the total area of farmland in this region. The albic soil occupies 44% of total area of farmland in the state-owned farms of Heilongjiang Province.Therearetworeasonsforthe lowyield ofalbic soil. Firstly, the upper layer of the soil is thin, only 10- 20cm for low yield field and 20- 25c…     

Value estimation of greenhouse gases exchange in wetland ecosystem of Sanjiang Plain, China

The objective of this study is to quantify the values of greenhouse gases (GHGs) exchange in carbon equivalents of marshes and paddy fields in the Sanjiang Plain, Heilongjiang Province, China. We obtained the GHGs exchange values based on comparable price by calculating the carbon sequestration values and the GHGs emission values of marshes and paddy fields respectively in four periods of 1982, 1995, 2000 and 2005. It is noted that the GHGs emission values are always negative. In this study, the marshes areas decreased from 1438977.0 to 775,132.2ha and the paddy fields areas increased from 417195.8 to 934205.0ha. The values of GHGs exchange of marshes varied from 135877.156×106 to 136882.534×106 yuan (RMB) and those of paddy fields varied from 1006.256×106 to 2767.645×106 yuan. The GHGs exchange values of marshes decreased from 1982 to 2005 on the whole, reversely, those of paddy fields increased, but those in 2005 were lower than those in 2000. In different periods, the GHGs exchange values were always higher in marshes than in paddy fields. The contribution rate of GHGs exchange values per unit area of marshes was also very high in different periods, and the maximum was up to 98.35% in 2005. As far as the whole wetland ecosystem (including marshes and paddy fields), assuming a linear change in GHGs exchange values, it represented a cumulative increase of 20926.757×106 yuan from 1982 to 2005. By adding GHGs exchange values increased during those four periods, we obtained a cumulative net increase values of GHGs exchange of wetland ecosystem of 18200.860×106 yuan. The results will be useful for understanding the indirect services provided by marshes and paddy fields.     

Changes of soil labile organic carbon in different land uses in Sanjiang Plain,Heilongjiang Province

In the Sanjiang Plain,Northeast China,the natural wetland is undergoing a rapid conversion into agricultural land,which has resulted in drastic ecological changes in the region. To investigate the effects of different land uses on soil labile organic carbon,soils of Calamagrostis angustifolia wetland,Carex lasiocarpa wetland,dry farmland,paddy field,forest land and abandoned cultivated land were collected for measuring the contents of soil microbial biomass carbon (MBC),dissolved organic carbon (DOC),readil...     

Effects of seasonal variations on soil microbial community composition of two typical zonal vegetation types in the Wuyi Mountains

Seasonal shifts play an important role in soil microbial community composition. This study examined the hypothesis that soil microbial community structure would vary with seasonal shifts in the Wuyi Mountains in Southeast China, and that two representative tree species (Castanopisi carlesii and Cunninghamia lanceolata) may have different soil microbial community composition. Phospholipids fatty acid analysis (PLFA) was used to assess the effect of seasonal shifts and vegetation types on soil microbial community structure. A total of 22 different PLFAs were identified from all the soil samples. The bacterial PLFAs accounted for 62.37% of the total PLFAs, followed by fungi (28.94%), and the minimum was actinomycetes (6.41%). Overall, the level of PLFAs in C. carlesii soil was greater than those in C. lanceolata soil, and significant differences were observed in some seasons. The amounts of total, bacteria, actinomycic and fungal PLFAs significantly changed with the seasons and followed a sequence order (summer > autumn > spring > winter). The bacteria/fungi PLFAs and G (+) /G (-) PLFAs of two vegetation types also changed with the seasons and the ratios in summer and autumn were higher than those in spring and winter. The correlation analysis of microbial PLFAs and soil physicochemical properties showed that the total, bacteria, fungal, actinomycic, G (+) and G (-) PLFAs were significantly positive correlation with TOC, TN, TP, TK and moisture content. We concluded that the seasonal shifts and vegetation types affect soil microbial community composition by changing the soil physicochemical properties.     

Simulation study on purification efficiency for nitrogen in different types of wetlands in Sanjiang Plain,China

The purification law of nitrogen in Deyeuxia angustifolia,Carex lasiocarpa and Deyeuxia angustifo-lia-Carex lasiocarpa combined wetland systems in the Sanjiang Plain,China was studied by field simulation experi-ment.The results indicate that the removal rates of TN,NH4+-N and NO3--N in above three types of wetlands present an obvious logarithm growth trend along with the time.There are evident removal effects for NH4+-N and NO3--N in water bodies of wetlands after the 30th day of experiment,with the removal rates over 80.0%,but the removal rate of TN is slightly low,being 63.1%-74.3%.NO3--N is most quickly removed by the combined wetland,and NH4+-N by Deyeuxia angustifolia wetland.The removal speeds of TN by the three wetland systems are comparatively slow,of which the Deyeuxia angustifolia wetland is the fastest.In consideration of plant growth season,Deyeuxia angustifolia wetland has much more practical application value in purifying nitrogen.These results can provide references for the study on the purification function of wetlands and the control of non-point source pollution in Northeast China.     

Effects of Nitrogen Addition on Plant Functional Traits in Freshwater Wetland of Sanjiang Plain,Northeast China

To clarify the responses of plant functional traits to nitrogen（N） enrichment, we investigated the whole-plant traits（plant height and aboveground biomass）, leaf morphological（specific leaf area（SLA） and leaf dry mass content（LDMC）） and chemical traits（leaf N concentration（LNC） and leaf phosphorus（P） concentration（LPC）） of Deyeuxia angustifolia and Glyceria spiculosa following seven consecutive years of N addition at four rates（0 g N/（m^2·yr）, 6 g N/（m^2·yr）, 12 g N/（m^2·yr） and 24 g N/（m^2·yr）） in a freshwater marsh in the Sanjiang Plain, Northeast China. The results showed that, for both D. angustifolia and G. spiculosa, N addition generally increased plant height, leaf, stem and total aboveground biomass, but did not cause changes in SLA and LDMC. Moreover, increased N availability caused an increase in LNC, and did not affect LPC. Thus, N addition decreased leaf C∶N ratio, but caused an increase in leaf N∶P ratio, and did not affect leaf C∶P ratio. Our results suggest that, in the mid-term, elevated N loading does not alter leaf morphological traits, but causes substantial changes in whole-plant traits and leaf chemical traits in temperate freshwater wetlands. These may help to better understand the effects of N enrichment on plant functional traits and thus ecosystem structure and functioning in freshwater wetlands.     

Effects of experimental warming on soil microbial communities in two contrasting subalpine forest ecosystems,eastern Tibetan Plateau,China

Soil microbial communities are primarily regulated by environmental temperature. Our study investigated the effects of global warming on soil microbial community composition as measured via phospholipid fatty acid (PLFA) analysis and soil chemical characteristics in relation to soil depth in a dragon spruce plantation and a spruce-fir-dominated natural forestin the Eastern Tibetan Plateau. Open-top chambers were utilized to increase the soil and air temperature. Soil samples were collected from the 0-10 cm, 10-20 cm, and 20-30 cm layers after a 4-year warming. Our results showed that the soil microbial community and the contents of TC (Total carbon), TN (Total nitrogen), NO ₃ ^- , and NH ₄ ⁺ responded differently to warming in the two contrasting forests, especially at the 0-10 cm soil depth. Warming increased soil microbial biomass at the 0-20 cm depth of soil in natural forest but reduced it at the 0-10 cm depth ofsoil in the plantation. In contrast, the TC and TN contents were reduced in most soil layers of a natural forest but increased in all of the soil layers of the plantation under warming conditions. This result suggested that the effects of warming on soil microbial community and soil C and N pools would differ according to soil depth and forest types; thus, the two contrasting forests would under go differing changes following the future climate warming in this region.     

Response of Regeneration Diversity of Carex Lasiocarpa Community to Different Water Levels in Sanjiang Plain,China

The species diversity at the regeneration stage, inflenced by different water levels, is important for community composition in the later growing season.Regeneration diversity of Carex lasiocarpa community under different water levels was studied at two stages, recruitment and adult, in the Sanjiang Plain, Heilongjiang Province, China.The results showed that, at the two growing stages, important value of C.lasiocarpa population and species richness of the community decreased with the increasing water level, while the Simpson and Shannon-Wiener diversity indexes and Pielou evenness index increased.Under different water levels, community diversities were higher at the recruitment stage, while population important values of C.lasiocarpa were higher at the adult stage.Indexes in vegetation evaluation must be chosen prudentially for successful restoration and effective management of wetlands, and especially for wetland restoration, the optimal time should be selected according to the restoration objectives and costs.     

Application of stable isotope tracing technologies in identification of transformation among waters in Sanjiang Plain, Northeast China

In order to investigate the transformation among the precipitation,groundwater,and surface water in the Sanjiang Plain,Northeast China,precipitation and groundwater samples which were collected at the meteorological station of the Sanjiang Mire Wetland Experimental Station,Chinese Academy of Sciences and the surface water which collected from the Wolulan River were used to identify the transformation of three types of water.The isotope composition of different kinds of water sources were analyzed via stable isotope(deuterium and oxygen-18) investigation of natural water.The results show a clear seasonal difference in the stable isotopes in precipitation.During the cold half-year,the mean stable isotope in precipitation in the Sanjiang Plain reaches its minimum with the minimum temperature.The δ18O and δD values are high in the rainy season.In the Wolulan River,the evaporation is the highest in August and September.The volume of evaporation and the replenishment to the river is mostly same.The groundwater is recharged more by the direct infiltration of precipitation than by the river flow.The results of this study indicate that the water bodies in the Sanjiang Plain have close hydrologic relationships,and that the transformation among each water system frequently occurs.     

Effect of Nitrogen and Phosphorus on Tissue Nutrition and Biomass of Freshwater Wetland Plant in Sanjiang Plain, Northeast China

1 Introduction It has been reported that habitat nutrient availability frequently limited plant growth and determined species dominance and abundance in natural communities (Miao et al., 2000). Nutrient availability is also a main regulator of aquatic primary production. Human-induced nutrient enrichment results in die-back of native vegetation and alteration of species dominance in various aquatic eco- systems (Miao et al., 2000; Green and Galatowitsch, 2002). Particularly, nutrient enrichm…     

SUSTAINABLE AGRICULTURE DEVELOPMENT IN SALINE—ALKALI SOIL AREA OF SONGNEN PLAIN, NORTHEAST CHINA NORTHEAST CHINA

There is great potential for agriculture in saline-alkali soil area in Songnen Plain, Northeast China. Butthe sustainable crop production in this area has been restricted by a few of main factors, such as less precipitation, higherevaporation and frequent drought, high salinity and alkalinity, high exchangeable sodium content and poor infiltration ofthe soil, and insufficiency and low availability in nutrition. It is also considered that there are a few of favorable condi-tions for agricultural development in this region, such as sufficient light and heat resources, rich ground water resources,plenty of manure produced by livestock, and so on. At the same time, scientific management and measurements havebeen employed; rational irrigation and drainage system has been established; reclamation, amendment and fertilization ofsoil, and suitable strategies of cropping practices have been made for the sustainable development of agriculture. Great progress has been made during 1996- 2000.     

Responses of soil moisture to vegetation restoration type and slope length on the loess hillslope

Soil moisture, a critical variable in the hydrologic cycle, is highly influenced by vegetation restoration type. However, the relationship between spatial variation of soil moisture, vegetation restoration type and slope length is controversial. Therefore, soil moisture across soil layers (0-400 cm depth) was measured before and after the rainy season in severe drought (2015) and normal hydrological year (2016) in three vegetation restoration areas (artificial forestland, natural forestland and grassland), on the hillslopes of the Caijiachuan Catchment in the Loess area, China. The results showed that artificial forestland had the lowest soil moisture and most severe water deficit in 100-200 cm soil layers. Water depletion was higher in artificial and natural forestlands than in natural grassland. Moreover, soil moisture in the shallow soil layers (0-100 cm) under the three vegetation restoration types did not significantly vary with slope length, but a significant increase with slope length was observed in deep soil layers (below 100 cm). In 2015, a severe drought hydrological year, higher water depletion was observed at lower slope positions under three vegetation restoration types due to higher transpiration and evapotranspiration and unlikely recharge from upslope runoff. However, in 2016, a normal hydrological year, there was lower water depletion, even infiltration recharge at lower slope positions, indicating receiving a large amount of water from upslope. Vegetation restoration type, precipitation, slope length and soil depth during a rainy season, in descending order of influence, had significant effects on soil moisture. Generally, natural grassland is more beneficial for vegetation restoration than natural and artificial forestlands, and the results can provide useful information for understanding hydrological processes and improving vegetation restoration practices on the Loess Plateau     

Relationship between stand characteristics and soil properties of two typical forest plantations in the mountainous area of Western Sichuan,China

There is uncertainty and limited knowledge regarding stand characteristics and soil properties of middle-aged pure forest plantations in the mountainous area of Western Sichuan. Plantation forests are almost exclusively planted as monocultures in the Pengzhou forest farm in the western mountainous area of Sichuan Province. This study aimed to assess the spatial and ecological characteristics of middle-aged Cunninghamia lanceolata(Lamb.) Hook. and Cryptomeria fortunei Hooibr. in the Pengzhou forest farm. The relationships and differences between stand growth characteristics and forest soil composition were assessed on the two forests planted simultaneously within the same area and exposed to the same environmental conditions. Cr. fortunei grew sparse, and slower than Cun. lanceolata. Principal component analysis indicated that the soil properties in the Cr. fortunei plantation were better than those in the Cun. lanceolata plantation. Redundancy analysis revealed that the differences in stand structure were affected significantly by the total nitrogen content and pH value. Thus, we propose that Cr. fortunei is planted for priority consideration in the subtropical high mountain area. Further, tending operations and application of fertilizers need to be conducted in Cun. lanceolata forests. Based on theoretical and experimental data, the present study explains why local farmers are more willing to plant Cr. fortunei, and thus provides a useful theoretical reference for the development of sustainable plantations in the future.     

Advances in Research on Soil Moisture by Microwave Remote Sensing in China

Soil moisture is an important factor in global hydrologic circulation and plays a significant role in the research of hydrology, climatology, and agriculture. Microwave remote sensing is less limited by climate and time, and can measure in large scale. With these characteristics, this technique becomes an effective tool to measure soil moisture. Since the 1980s, Chinese researchers have investigated the soil moisture using microwave instruments. The active re- mote sensors are characteristic of high spatial resolution, thus with launch of a series of satellites, active microwave remote sensing of soil moisture will be emphasized. The passive microwave remote sensing of soil moisture has a long research history, and its retrieval algorithms were developed well, so it is an important tool to retrieve large scale moisture information from satellite data in the future.     

A Macroinvertebrate Multimetric Index for the Bioassessment of Wetlands Adjacent to Agriculture Fields in the Sanjiang Plain,China

Adjacent intensive agriculture disturbs the natural condition of wetlands.However, to assess the effect of this agriculture on wetlands, few studies have used indices based on aquatic invertebrates.Multi-metric indices(MMIs) have been successfully used to assess freshwater ecosystems worldwide and are an important management tool, but little is known about their applicability in the Sanjiang Plain, Northeast China.In this study, we developed a MMIs for aquatic invertebrates to assess freshwater wetlands in this region.The aquatic invertebrate assemblages were sampled in 27 wetlands in the Sanjiang Plain that included those in natural reserves and those affected by adjacent, intensive agriculture.Twenty-four candidate metrics were initially reviewed and screened before four core metrics were selected: total number of taxa, number of Hemiptera taxa, proportion of Gastropoda, and proportion of predators.Mann-Whitney U tests, Box and Whisker plots, correlation analyses, and redundant metric tests were used to assess the ability of metrics to distinguish among reference and impaired wetlands.Four ordinal rating categories for wetland were defined: poor, fair, good, and excellent.Of the impaired freshwater wetlands, 76.2% were in poor or fair categories.The MMIs was robust in discriminating reference wetlands from impaired wetlands and therefore have potential as a biomonitoring tool to assess the condition and to guide the restoration efforts of freshwater wetlands in Northeast China.