Soil and onsite nutrient conservation potential of aromatic grasses at field scale under a shifting cultivated,degraded catchment in Eastern Ghats,India

Land degradation due to soil erosion is a global problem, especially on cultivated hill slopes. Economically important aromatic grasses can protect degraded hill slopes more effectively than field crops, but little information is available on their performance. This study quantifies runoff, sediment yield,enrichment ratios of soil and nutrients, and sediment-associated organic carbon and nutrients losses under three aromatic grass species: citronella(Cymbopogon nardus), lemon(Cymbopogon flexuosus), and palmarosa(Cymbopogon martini), compared with a traditional field crop, finger millet(Eleusine coracana)grown at three land slopes(4%, 8%, and 12%). It was observed that the degree of slope and type of grass both significantly influenced runoff generation. Runoff and sediment yield(SY) were significantly higher at 12% slope than at 8% and 4% slopes. Relation between rainfall and runoff were significant for all the grass species(p 0.05). Palmarosa, lemon, and citronella grass reduced the SY by 10, 54, and 60%,respectively, over finger millet. SY was also significantly related to rainfall for all the treatments(p 0.05). The threshold runoff values to produce SY were higher for aromatic grasses compared to finger millet. Enrichment of clay, silt, sand, soil organic carbon(SOC), available nitrogen(N), phosphorus(P) and potassium(K) in the sediment were not significantly different between slopes but differed significantly between aromatic grasses and finger millet. Sediment associated nutrient load varied inversely with SY mainly because of the nutrient dissolution effect of high runoff volume. Annual loss of SOC and nutrients varied from 84.7-156.8 kg ha~(-1) y~(-1) for SOC, 4.38-9.18 kg ha~(-1) y~(-1) for available N, 0.35-0.75 kg ha~(-1) y~(-1) for available P, and 2.22-5.22 kg ha~(-1) y~(-1) for available K, with the lowest values for citronella and highest for finger millet. The study found that the aromatic grasses have greater environmental conservation values than finger millet on steep degraded land.     

Use of the Spectrometric Sum Parameter for Aromatic Amines in the Monitoring of a Former Ammunition Plant

Aromatic amines are important metabolites of nitroaromatic explosives, hence monitoring of aromatic amines’ content at former ammunition plants is necessary. Twenty years ago, a threshold limit value of 0.1 μg/L for the sum of diazotizable aromatic amines in water distributed from the waterworks at the former ammunition plant in Stadtallendorf/Hesse was established. This value is still measured with a spectrometric sum parameter, in which diazotization and a subsequent azo coupling of the analytes are utilized. The sum parameter is well suited for the long‐term monitoring of filter installations, and it allows very quick measurements and a non‐target screening of aniline contents, both of which are important in research. Nevertheless, as several problems are associated with this parameter, we developed analytical methods suitable for the determination of the most important single compounds contributing to the overall sum. Initial results of these methods show that amphoteric anilines are of considerable importance in ammunition waste but have been neglected up to now in official monitoring schemes. The summation of single compound contents in ammunition wastewater generally gives 3 to 6 times higher values than the spectrometrically determined sum, which is mainly due to the choice of the reference substance 4‐nitroaniline in the sum parameter.     

美国蒙大拿州冰川国家公园冰缘条带形地表植物功能属性和土壤微生物随坡位变化（英文）

The retreating snowfields and glaciers of Glacier National Park, Montana, USA, present alpine plants with changes in habitat and hydrology. The adjacent and relic periglacial patterned ground consists of solifluction terraces of green, vegetation-rich stripes alternating with sparsely vegetated brown stripes. We established georeferenced transects on striped periglacial patterned ground for long-term monitoring and data collection on species distribution and plant functional traits at Siyeh Pass and at Piegan Pass at Glacier National Park. We documented species distribution and calculated the relative percent cover(RPC) of qualitative functional traits and used 16 S rRNA from soil samples to characterize microbial distribution on green and brown stripes. Plant species distribution varied significantly and there were key differences in microbial distribution between the green and brown stripes. The rare arctic-alpine plants Draba macounii, Papaver pygmaeum, and Sagina nivalis were restricted to brown stripes, where the RPC of xeromorphic taprooted species was significantly higher at the leading edge of the Siyeh Pass snowfield. Brown stripes had a higher percentage of the thermophilic bacteria Thermacetogenium and Thermoflavimicrobium. Green stripes were co-dominated by the adventitiously-rooted dwarf shrubs Salix arctica and the possibly N-fixing Dryas octopetala. Green stripes were inhabited by Krummholz and seedlings of Abies lasiocarpa and Pinus albicaulus. Prosthecobacter, a hydrophilic bacterial genus, was more abundant on the green stripes, which had 6,524 bacterial sequences in comparison to the 1,183 sequences from the brown stripes. While further research can determine which functional traits are critical for these plants, knowledge of the current distribution of plant species and their functional traits can be used in predictive models of the responses of alpine plants to disappearing snowfields and glaciers. This research is important in conservation of rare arctic-alpine species on periglacial patterned ground.     

Spatiotemporal changes in the bud-burst date of herbaceous plants in Inner Mongolia grassland

Journal of Geographical Sciences - Phenological modeling is not only important for the projection of future changes of certain phenophases but also crucial for systematically studying the...     

三峡水库消落带优势草本植物对土壤氮磷的吸收富集特征

三峡水库消落带春夏出露,植物生长茂盛,可能拦蓄提取大量库区营养盐,研究消落带植物对氮磷养分的富集特征及其种间差异将为三峡消落带高效截污植被的筛选与重建提供重要基础数据。本文通过三峡水库消落带实地调研,采集典型草本植物,测定生物量和养分含量,计算富集系数和养分累积吸收量,从生态计量角度分析种间差异。结果表明,(1)三峡水库消落带优势植物主要为草本植物,优势草本植物有苍耳、青蒿、籽粒苋、铁线蕨、鬼针草、水蓼、稗草、空心莲子草、狗牙根、牛鞭草等。地上生物量的种间差异显著,苍耳和青蒿的地上生物量最高,铁线蕨地上生物量最低。(2)不同种类草本植物的氮磷吸收富集能力差异显著,苍耳和水蓼的氮富集系数最高;狗牙根和青蒿对磷的富集系数最高,苍耳和青蒿氮磷累积吸收量最高。另据植物对氮磷的富集系数、累积吸收量和其地上生物量,可将消落带草本植物分为5类:强氮磷富集型(苍耳和青蒿)、氮富集型(籽粒苋)、磷富集型(狗牙根)、弱磷富集型(水蓼和空心莲子草)、弱氮磷富集型(稗草、鬼针草、铁线蕨和牛鞭草)。(3)若仅考虑植物对消落带土壤(底泥)的养分吸收,强富集型和富集型植被具有更强的光合吸收提取效率,生态截污能力强,因此,消落带截污植被恢复草本可选苍耳、青蒿、籽粒苋、狗牙根等。     

Consequences of changed water management for Aboriginal Australians in the Murrumbidgee catchment,NSW

In the Murrumbidgee catchment of the Murray-Darling Basin, wetlands, rivers and other waterscapes are important features of Country for Aboriginal peoples. The Murrumbidgee River is the most heavily regulated river system in the Murray-Darling Basin. Discussion around the use of Murrumbidgee water is framed as a conflict between sustaining rural communities and using water to support ecological values, yet the voices of Aboriginal custodians are relatively unheard in this discussion. Using culturally important wetland plants as a starting point, this paper explores the understanding and perception of some Aboriginal people in relation to their Country and water. The grief of participants as they experience the degradation of their Country was palpable. The strong message that Country should be considered in its entirety—including ecological, social and cultural aspects—contrasts with current ownership and other institutional arrangements. Improving opportunities for communities and water managers to share knowledge and information, an openness to use Aboriginal wisdom, and careful ongoing management of environmental and cultural water have the potential to achieve positive cultural and ecological outcomes in the Murrumbidgee.     

Aromaticity and degree of aromatic condensation of char

The aromatic carbon structure is a defining property of chars and is often expressed with the help of two concepts: (i) aromaticity and (ii) degree of aromatic condensation. The varying extent of these two features is assumed to largely determine the relatively high persistence of charred material in the environment and is thus of interest for, e.g., biochar characterization or carbon cycle studies. Consequently, a variety of methods has been used to assess the aromatic structure of chars, which has led to interesting insights but has complicated the comparison of data acquired with different methods. We therefore used a suite of seven methods (elemental analysis, MIR spectroscopy, NEXAFS spectroscopy, ¹³C NMR spectroscopy, BPCA analysis, lipid analysis and helium pycnometry) and compared 13 measurements from them using a diverse sample set of 38 laboratory chars. Our results demonstrate that most of the measurements could be categorized either into those which assess aromaticity or those which assess the degree of aromatic condensation. A variety of measurements, including relatively inexpensive and simple ones, reproducibly captured the two aromatic features in question, and data from different methods could therefore be compared. Moreover, general patterns between the two aromatic features and the pyrolysis conditions were revealed, supporting reconstruction of the highest heat treatment temperature (HTT) of char.     

黄土高原现代C4和C3植物生物量及其对环境的响应

文章从表土总有机碳同位素和现代植被间的关系入手,研究C4/C3植物与气候要素的关系,以期能更好的理解影响C4、C3植物生物量的主要因素.研究区域位于黄土高原塬面,我们计算了共67个采样点的C4植物的生物量,估算出草本植物中C4植物的比例.结果表明,黄土高原塬面上最主要的C4植物是白羊草(Bothriochloaischaemum),C3植物主要由草类植物和灌木组成,如长芒草(Stipa bungeana)、胡枝子(Lespedeza davurica)和禾叶嵩草(Kobresia graminifolia)等,它们主要分布在研究区域的阴坡和山谷.表土的总有机碳同位素组成是反映C3和C4相对生物量贡献的可靠指标.在黄土高原地区,夏季降水量的增加会引起C4植物比例上升,同时C4植物生物量的变化也反映了降水的变化.本文的研究有助于理解亚洲季风气候下黄土高原地区C4/C3植物的变化机制.     

末次盛冰期以来泸沽湖沉积记录的正构烷烃分布特征和单体碳同位素组成及其古植被意义

泸沽湖是云贵高原上典型西南季风区的一半封闭湖泊,本文通过研究水深69.3m处长度为18.3m岩芯中15个样品的陆源高等植物正构烷烃分布特征及碳同位素组成,揭示了湖区木本/草本植被和C3/C4植被的变化历史,并试图探讨C3/C4植被变化的可能影响机制.在末次盛冰期至全新世早期,正构烷烃含量及(C27+C29)/2C31比值逐渐增加,正构烷烃(碳数＞C25)的平均碳链长度(ACL)值逐渐减少,指示木本植物比例相比草本植物较多且呈逐渐增加态势,表明气候逐渐向暖湿方向发展;而同一时期,陆源高等植物正构烷烃(C27、C29和C31)δ13C值均逐渐偏正,无法用气候变化来解释,应该反映了C3/C4植被变化,由此,通过二元模式计算得出的C4植物比例从19.6％逐渐增加至31.9％,上述结果表明该时期温度升高对C4植物增多起了主要作用.到全新世中期,正构烷烃分布特征表明木本植物比例依然较高,表明此时气候温暖湿润,而δ13C值则呈偏负的趋势,我们认为这是降雨增加和C4植物减少协同导致的.在全新世晚期,正构烷烃分布特征指出草本植物比例相对增加,而该时期的δ13C值则稍微偏正,这可能是因为气候变干所导致的.陆源高等植物正构烷烃分布特征所揭示的植被变化可以与研究区域孢粉记录进行较好对比.研究进一步明确了温度是C4植物出现的主控因素,而在温度满足要求时降雨的增多会降低C4对C3植物的竞争优势.