Succession of microphytobenthos in a restored coastal wetland

Sediment microphytobenthos, such as diatoms and photosynthetic bacteria, are functionally important components of food webs and are key mediators of nutrient dynamics in marine wetlands. The medium to long-term recovery of benthic microproducers in restored habitats designed to improve degraded coastal wetland sites is largely unknown. Using taxon-specific photopigments, we describe the composition of microphytobenthic communities in a large restoration site in southern California and differences in the temporal recovery of biomass (chlorophylla), composition, and taxonomic diversity between vegetatedSpartina foliosa salt marsh and unvegetated mudflat. Visually distinct, spatially discreet, microphytobenthic patches appeared after no more than 7 mo within the restoration site and were distinguished by significant differences in biomass, taxonomic diversity, and the relative abundance of cyanobacteria versus diatoms. Sediment chlorophylla concentrations within the restored site were similar to concentrations in nearby natural habitat 0.2–2.2 yr following marsh creation, suggesting rapid colonization by microproducers. RestoredSpartina marsh very rapidly (between 0.2 and 1.2 yr) acquired microphytobenthic communities of similar composition and diversity to those in naturalSpartina habitat, but restored mudflats took at least 1.6 to 2.2 yr to resemble natural mudflats. These results suggest relatively rapid recovery of microphytobenthic communities at the level of major taxonomic groups. Sediment features, such as pore water salinity andSpartina density, explained little variation in microphytobenthic taxonomic composition. The data imply that provision of structural heterogeneity in wetland construction (such as pools and vascular plants) might speed development of microproducer communities, but no direct seeding of sediment microfloras may be necessary.     

Influence of the sample history and the moisture status on the thermal behavior of soil organic matter

Recent studies indicate that glassiness represents a characteristic feature of soil organic matter (SOM). It is however unknown, to which extent the transitions detected in humic substances and whole soil samples correspond to common models of synthetic polymers providing the theoretical basis for explaining their glass transition characteristics. Physical aging associated with structural relaxation of amorphous substances below their glass temperature is one fundamental basis for the glass transition behavior of synthetic polymers. According to the results of this study, aging processes also occur in SOM. In whole soil samples, this process can be observed by the shift of glass transition-like step transitions to higher temperatures within the time scale of years. Not only the structural relaxation of the macromolecular organic substances, but also interactions with water molecules, which may exhibit both plasticizing and antiplasticizing properties, influence the aging process of SOM. Especially under moistening or drying conditions, a differentiation between the effects of water and of alterations of the SOM structure in the course of time on the rigidity of the macromolecular network is difficult.     

Stable carbon and oxygen isotopic evidence for late Pleistocene to middle Holocene climatic fluctuations in the interior of southern Africa

Stable carbon and oxygen isotope analyses of ungulate grazers from four archaeological sites located in different environs within the Caledon River Valley have provided a relatively well‐dated proxy palaeoenvironmental and palaeoclimatic sequence for the period between 16 000 and 6000 calendar (cal.) yr BP. Within the overall trend towards hot mid‐Holocene temperatures and a summer rainfall pattern, stable carbon isotope results show that there were three periods when growth season temperatures were cool enough for C₃ grasses to be present: 16 000–14 000; 10 200–9600, and 8400–8000 cal. yr BP. Similar trends were recorded in stable oxygen isotope values, reflecting shifts in either temperature or available moisture. Although having a similar pattern to that of the lower altitude site, sites situated in foothills and montane portions of the valley consistently maintained lower temperatures until the mid‐Holocene altithermal. At this time growth season temperatures warmed sufficiently for a 100% C₄ grassland to expand in altitude from the warmer low lying localities. In relation to present understanding of synoptic and global climatic patterning, these findings suggest that the early to middle Holocene transition was not a gradual warming trend, but rather it was marked by a series of climatic fluctuations. Of particular note is the possible global, rather than regional, occurrence of the 8200 cal. yr BP ‘event’. Copyright © 2002 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

A one-dimensional model of the atmospheric electric field near the Venusian surface

A numerical model is used to simulate the buildup of an electric field from below the Venusian cloud layer to the surface. The steady-state profiles of the ion concentration, net space charge, diffusion and conduction current, and electric field are calculated. Two electric field sources are considered. The first is that produced by the higher diffusivity of positive ions relative to negative ions, which results in charging the surface with a net positive charge. The results show that the magnitude of the electric field and the net space charge developed near the surface are mainly dependent on the mixing conditions in the boundary layer. However, even in the case of relatively strong mixing, the maximum electric field is found to be 1.5 V m^?1 and it decays rapidly above 100 m. The second source of an electric field is assumed to be charge separation inside Venusian clouds. A steady-state conduction current in the region below the layer of clouds which represents the intensity of charge separation inside the clouds is used as a parameter. When this parameter is assumed to be 10^?12 A m^?2, which is about the fair-weather conduction current in the atmosphere of Earth, an electric field of 5 kV m^?1 is developed near the surface. This electric field exists up to a few kilometers, decreases by an order of magnitude at about 20 km, and then decays rapidly.