Root growth dynamics during recovery of tropical mountain forest in North-east India

Ever increasing pressures on tropical forests worldwide due to anthropogenic disturbances have greatly affected both above-and belowground functioning of these forests.While fine roots play major ecological roles in forests through assisting in nutrient and water uptake and returning elements to the soil environment,coarse roots play an important role in C sequestration.We studied changes in fine and coarse root biomass,production,turnover and carbon and nitrogen return to the soil in two regenerating forest stands(RFs)following stonemining that were 5 years(RF-5)and 15 years(RF-15)post-disturbance compared with a natural forest stand(NF)in Mizoram,North-east India.Fine(2mm)and coarse root(2-10 mm)biomass differed significantly among the forest stands and ranged from239(RF-5)to 415(NF)and 230(RF-5)to 436(NF)g m 2,respectively.Total root(fine+coarse)biomass increased during stand development but the proportion of very fine root(0.5 mm)to total root production decreased.Fine root biomass decreased with increasing soil depth.Fine and total root biomass showed strong seasonal correlations with soil moisture,more so than for rainfall and temperature,whereas these relationships were less clear for the coarse root biomass.The amount of N(25-55 kg ha~(-1))and C(1.9-3.6t ha~(-1))stored in root biomass increased with stand age with a corresponding increase in production and turnover of C and N to the soil.Disturbance to these tropical forests negatively affected root dynamics,influenced their spatiotemporal patterns,and reduced the production,amount and availability of nutrients returned to the soil along with a strong reduction in the root biomass carbon pool and sequestration in carbon residence time.We observed that root growth,especially fine roots,is dependent on abiotic variables,and plays a significant role in early stages of secondary succession by adding organic matter and nutrients through high turnover rates in these forests.     

The fate of terrestrial organic matter in two Scottish sea lochs

Sea lochs are zones of rapid organic matter (OM) turnover. Most of this OM is of allochthonous origin, being introduced into the lochs via freshwater input. In this study the behaviour of terrestrially derived OM was elucidated using a combination of parameters which indicate OM diagenesis in the near surface sediments from two Scottish sea lochs, Loch Creran and Loch Etive. Alkaline CuO oxidation was used to determine lignin phenols which serve as biomarkers for terrestrial OM in sediments. Stable carbon isotope, total carbon and nitrogen and total OM (including the labile and refractory fractions) compositions were also determined.     

Trace element and molecular markers of organic carbon dynamics along a shelf–basin continuum in sediments of the western Arctic Ocean

Molecular organic biomarkers together with trace element composition were investigated in sediments east of Barrow Canyon in the western Arctic Ocean to determine sources and recycling of organic carbon in a continuum from the shelf to the basin. Algal biomarkers (polyunsaturated and short-chain saturated fatty acids, 24-methylcholesta-5,24(28)-dien-3β-ol, dinosterol) highlight the substantial contribution of organic matter from water column and sea-ice primary productivity in shelf environments, while redox markers such as acid volatile sulfide (AVS), Mn, and Re indicate intense metabolism of this material leading to sediment anoxia. Shelf sediments also receive considerable inputs from terrestrial organic carbon, with biomarker composition suggesting the presence of multiple pools of terrestrial organic matter segregated by age/lability or hydrodynamic sorting. Sedimentary metabolism was not as intense in slope sediments as on the shelf; however, sufficient labile organic matter is present to create suboxic and anoxic conditions, at least intermittently, as organic matter is focused towards the slope. Basin sediments also showed evidence for episodic delivery of labile organic carbon inputs despite the strong physical controls of water depth and sea-ice cover. Principal components analysis of the lipid biomarker data was used to estimate fractions of preserved recalcitrant (of terrestrial origin) and labile (of marine origin) organic matter in the sediments, with ranges of 12–79%, 14–45%, and 37–66% found for the shelf, slope, and basin cores, respectively. On average, the relative preserved terrestrial organic matter in basin sediments was 56%, suggesting exchange of organic carbon between nearshore and basin environments in the western Arctic.     

Interactions between sediment chemistry and frenulate pogonophores (Annelida) in the north-east Atlantic

The small frenulate pogonophores (Annelida: Pogonophora a.k.a. Siboglinidae) typically inhabit muddy sediments on the continental slope, although a few species occur near hydrothermal vents and cold seeps. We present data on the distribution and habitat characteristics of several species on the European continental shelf and slope from 48°N to 75°N and show how the animals interact with the chemistry of the sediments. The environments inhabited include: shallow (30 m), organic-rich, fjord sediments; slope sediments (1000–2200 m) and methane seeps at 330 m depth. All the species studied obtain nutrition from endosymbiotic bacteria. They take up reduced sulphur species, or in one case, methane, through the posterior parts of their tubes buried in the anoxic sediment. We conclude that most species undertake sulphide ‘mining’, a mechanism previously demonstrated in the bivalves Lucinoma borealis and Thyasira sarsi. These pogonophores participate in the sulphur cycle and effectively lower the sulphide content of the sediments. Our results show that the abundance of frenulate pogonophores increases with increasing sedimentation and with decreasing abundance of other benthos, particularly bioturbating organisms. The maximum sustainable carrying capacity of non-seep sediments for frenulate pogonophores is limited by the rate of sulphate reduction.     

A study of the chemistry of iodine and bromine in marine sediments

Several recent marine sediments were treated with eleven chemical reagents in order to ascertain the iodine and bromine species present. The sediments were analyzed before and after each treatment to determine which reagents released the bound halogens. By a process of elimination it is concluded that the iodine is present primarily in its electro-positive state as N-iodoamides while bromine exists in many different chemical forms.     

Examination of climate risk using a modified uncertainty matrix framework—Applications in the water sector

Previous climate risk assessments provide important methodological insights into how to derive tractable research questions and the appropriate use of data under uncertainty, as well as identifying steps that benefit from stakeholder involvement. Here we propose the use of a framework for the systematic and objective exploration of climate risk assessments. The matrix facilitates a breakdown of information about aim and context, main results, methodological choices, stakeholder involvement, sources and characteristics of uncertainties and overall weaknesses. We then apply the matrix to three risk assessments in the water sector to explore some methodological strengths and weaknesses of approaches strongly linked to climate model outputs (top-down) versus those that originate from local knowledge of climate exposures (bottom-up), and demonstrate that closer integration with social and physical sciences is more likely to yield robust climate risk assessments.     

Short-term environmental variability in cold-water coral habitat at Viosca Knoll,Gulf of Mexico

The Lophelia pertusa community at Viosca Knoll (VK826) is the most extensive found to date in the Gulf of Mexico. As part of a multi-disciplinary study, the physical setting of this area was described using benthic landers, CTD transects and remotely operated vehicle observations. The site was broadly characterised into three main habitats: (1) dense coral cover that resembles biogenic reef complexes, (2) areas of sediment, and (3) authigenic carbonate blocks with sparse coral and chemosynthetic communities. The coral communities were dominated by L. pertusa but also contained numerous solitary coral species. Over areas that contained L. pertusa, the environmental conditions recorded were similar to those associated with communities in the north-eastern Atlantic, with temperature (8.5–10.6 °C) and salinity (～35) falling within the known species niche for L. pertusa. However, dissolved oxygen concentrations (2.7–2.8 ml l^?1) and density (σ_Θ, 27.1–27.2 kg m^?3) were lower and mass fluxes from sediment trap data appeared much higher (4002–4192 mg m^?2 d^?1). Yet, this species still appears to thrive in this region, suggesting that L. pertusa may not be as limited by lower dissolved oxygen concentrations as previously thought. The VK826 site experienced sustained eastward water flow of 10–30 cm s^?1 over the 5-day measurement period but was also subjected to significant short-term variability in current velocity and direction. In addition, two processes were observed that caused variability in salinity and temperature; the first was consistent with internal waves that caused temperature variations of 0.8 °C over 5–11 h periods. The second was high-frequency variability (20–30 min periods) in temperature recorded only at the ALBEX site. A further pattern observed over the coral habitat was the presence of a 24 h diel vertical migration of zooplankton that may form part of a food chain that eventually reaches the corals. The majority of detailed studies concerning local environmental conditions in L. pertusa habitats have been conducted within the north-eastern Atlantic, limiting most knowledge of the niche of this species to a single part of an ocean basin. Data presented here show that the corals at VK826 are subjected to similar conditions in temperature, salinity, and flow velocity as their counterparts in the north-east Atlantic, although values for dissolved oxygen and density (sigma-theta: σ_Θ) are different. Our data also highlight novel observations of short-term environmental variability in cold-water coral habitat.     

Endolithic biodegradation of cool-water skeletal carbonates on Scott shelf, northwestern Vancouver Island, Canada

Biodegradation of shell material is widespread in the cool-water skeletal carbonate deposits on Scott shelf, northwestern Vancouver Island, and is especially evident in the large aragonitic bivalves, Glycymeris and Humilaria, major primary sediment contributors. Ten types of endolithic microborings have been identified in the shells, including representatives of green algae (e.g., Ostreobium quekettii), blue-green algae (e.g., Plectonema terebrans, ?Scytonema sp.), fungi, bacteria and clionid sponges, as well as macroborings of phoronids, polychaetes and naticid gatropods. Microcrystalline carbonate is not precipitated in vacated bores. Boring physically weakens the shells, rendering them more prone to mechanical abrasion during sediment transport and bioturbation, and to biological abrasion by grazing benthos. Tumbling experiments demonstrate that the rate of carbonate mud production is much greater for bored as compared to fresh bivalve shells, and that mud production rates decrease with tumbling time because most endolithic microborings are confined to the periphery of grains. Boring also increases significantly the porosity and surface area of skeletal grains, and destroys their organic matrix, making them susceptible to maceration and dissolution on cool-water shelves. Fostered by the generally low rates of carbonate production and accumulation, many aragonitic bivalve shells on Scott shelf have become thoroughly degraded through a combination of endolithic microboring, maceration and dissolution within about 1000 years in ambient sea water. In geologic terms, such selective taphonomic loss of skeletal material may be considerable in ancient temperate-shelf limestones and should be evaluated when interpreting their paleoecology and paleoenvironments.     

Food habits and distribution of wintering canvasbacks,Aythya valisineria,on Chesapeake Bay

Baltic clams (Macoma balthica) were the predominant food items of 323 canvasbacks (Aythya valisineria) collected throughout Chesapeake Bay during 1970–1979. Natural vegetation constituted 4% of the food volume. Widgeongrass (Ruppia maritima) and redhead grass (Potamogeton perfoliatus) constituted the greatest percent volume and frequency of occurrence among the plant species, whereas wild celery (Vallisneria americana) constituted only a trace of the food volume. These results contrast with historical records of food habits of canvasbacks in Chesapeake Bay. Canvasback population estimates during the 1970’s were examined to detect annual and seasonal changes in distribution. Linear regression analyses of winter canvasback populations in the bay showed a significant decline in the upper-bay and middle-bay populations, but no significant changes in the lower-bay and Potomac River populations. The changes in winter distribution and abundance of the canvasback appear related to changes in natural food availability, which is the result of altered environmental conditions.