Plant distribution at the mobile dune scale and its relevance to soil properties and topographic features

A survey was conducted in an 11-year recovery mobile dune (RMD11) and a 20-year recovery mobile dune (RMD20), in Horqin Sandy Land, Northern China, to determine plant distribution at the mobile dune scale and its relevance to soil properties and topographic features. The results showed that (1) vegetation cover and species number increased from dune top to bottom in the restoration process of mobile dune; (2) the average value of soil organic C, total N, pH, relative height of sampling site, very fine sand content and soil water contents (40−60 and 60−80 cm) of RMD11 were less than that of RMD20, respectively, and there were significant differences (P < 0.05) between the two dunes; (3) soil resources were redistributed by shrub restoration and relative height of sampling site on dune. The distribution of sand pioneer plant, Agriophyllum squarrosum, was positively related to the relative height of sampling site and soil water content, while that of other herbaceous plants was positively related to soil nutrients in the restoration process of mobile dune. These results suggest that at mobile dune scale, plant distributions are determined by a combination of soil properties and topographic feature. Much effort should be made to preserve the interdune lowland and to improve the level of soil nutrients on mobile dune.     

Environmental risk evaluation of the use of mine spoils and treated sewage sludge in the ecological restoration of limestone quarries

The ecologic restoration criteria in areas degraded from extraction activities require making use of their mine spoils. These materials do not meet fertility conditions to guarantee restoration success and therefore, need the incorporation of organic amendments to obtain efficient substratum. Reducing the deficiencies in the organic material and restoration material nutrients with the contribution of treated sewage sludge is proposed in this work. This experiment was based on a controlled study using columns. The work was conducted with two mine spoils, both very rich in calcium carbonate. The first mineral, of poor quality, came from the formation of aggregates of crushed limestone (Z). The other residual material examined originated in limestone extraction, formed by the levels of interspersed non-limestone materials and the remains of stripped soils (D). Two treatments were undertaken (30,000 and 90,000 kg/ha of sewage sludge), in addition to a control treatment. The water contribution was carried out with a device that simulated either short-duration rain or a flooding irrigation system in order to cover the surface and then percolate through the soil. The collection of leached water took place 24 h after the applications. Different parameters of the leached water were determined, including pH, electrical conductivity, nitrate anions, ammonium, phosphates, sulphates and chlorides. The values obtained for each irrigation application are discussed, and the nitrate values obtained were very elevated.     

优选沙子口污水处理厂排海口位置的研究

对青岛沙子口污水处理厂排海口位置进行了水动力条件、混合区域海水交换率及更新周期、污染物扩散系数及浓度分布、水质点迁移轨迹的比较，确定了其最佳排海口位置方案。     

Evaluation of toxicity in tributaries of the Mersey estuary using the isopod Asellus aquaticus (L.)

Increasing numbers of industrial, agricultural and natural chemicals are present in sewage effluent and are known to elicit toxic effects in laboratory exposures, but little is known of their combined sub-lethal effect in the field. In this study, a combination of esterase activity and ventilation rate assays was performed to determine the neurological and physiological function of the freshwater crustacean Asellus aquaticus (L.) at sites above and below a sewage treatment works (STW). Cholinesterase and carboxylesterase activities were significantly inhibited (n=8, P<0.05) and ventilation rates increased (n=8, P=0.0001) in A. aquaticus at STW sites compared to those from reference sites, indicating a decrease in neurological and physiological function. The ecological relevance of these findings for the population dynamics of the organisms in the field is discussed.     

中国红树林生态系统的植物种类、多样性、功能及其保护

本文从4个方面对中国红树林生态系统的植物进行论述：（1）中国红树林生态系统的红树植物、半红树植物、伴生植物、红树林区的大型藻类和浮游植物种类；（2）中国红树林生态系统植物的物种多样性、红树植物生理和形态适应的多样性、产物的多样性；（3）红树林的生态功能；（4）中国红树林生态系统的主要保护问题及其保护措施。     

Lake-Level Fluctuations and Small-Scale Vegetation Patterns During the Late Glacial in The Netherlands

Late glacial changes in the vegetation were studied in and around a former lake on the southeastern side of a coversand ridge near Milheeze (southern Netherlands). Analyses of microfossils and macroremains and AMS ¹⁴C dating were performed on four sediment cores along a transect from sand ridge to the lake centre. Small-scale vegetation patterns and lake-level fluctuations were reconstructed in detail based on the information provided by the transect. For the first time in The Netherlands, cores along a transect within one lake were used to reconstruct the amplitude of late glacial lake-level fluctuations. Near Milheeze, a small and shallow lake was formed during the Bølling. The large increase in the water level during the Bølling and early Allerød, and the transition to more eutrophic conditions at the start of the Allerød, were probably related to the disappearance of permafrost. During the Allerød, open birch and pine woodlands developed in the area. In the lake, organic deposits accumulated, and the lake size and depth fluctuated. At the start of the Younger Dryas, higher lake water levels were recorded and woodlands became more open as a result of both a drop in the temperature and an increase in the effective precipitation. During the late Younger Dryas the lake water level dropped as the climate became drier and temperatures slightly increased. Accumulation of organic deposits in the lake ceased at the end of the Younger Dryas, which was caused by a drop in the water level in combination with the hydroseral succession process within the lake itself. The climatic signal reflected in the late glacial flora and lake-level fluctuations agree well with other published data from The Netherlands.     

Ecological characteristics of Vrishabhavathy River in Bangalore (India)

River Vrishabhavathy, a tributary of Cauvery River was studied for 12 physico-chemical parameters at four sites over a distance of 50 km for a period of 2 years (1999–2001) at monthly intervals. Water was faintly alkaline, with pH showing negative correlation with temperature. The dissolved oxygen content increased downstream with negative correlation to biological oxygen demand (BOD), chemical oxygen demand (COD) and turbidity. Bicarbonate alkalinity was very low compared with carbonate alkalinity. Carbonate alkalinity, total hardness, total dissolved solids, total suspended solids, electrical conductivity, BOD and COD decreased downstream, with an upward trend in the middle reaches due to the introduction of raw sewage. The seasonal and yearly trends are also discussed. The river is a sewer collector undergoing self-purification.     

地震作用下的灰坝液化特征及其动力稳定性分析--以安阳电厂为例

根据安阳电厂灰坝岩土工程性质及其动力学特性,建立了适合灰坝工程的动力分析模型并采用有限元法进行了动力分析.在此基础上,在不同工况条件下对灰坝进行了抗液化安全评价及抗震稳定性分析.研究表明,在不设碎石桩、无排渗体条件下,粉煤灰子坝的抗液化安全系数Ks＜1.25,将发生液化;在设碎石桩、有排渗体条件下,粉煤灰子坝的抗液化安全系数明显提高,Ks≥1.25,不会发生液化.抗震稳定性分析表明,在上述两种工况条件下灰坝是稳定的.     

Tracking recent recovery from eutrophication in a high arctic lake (Meretta Lake, Cornwallis Island, Nunavut, Canada) using fossil diatom assemblages

Meretta Lake (Resolute Bay, Cornwallis Island, Nunavut, Canada) is a high arctic lake that received raw sewage for almost 50 years from the Canadian Department of Transport Base. The lake was sampled from 1968–72 during the International Biological Programme, as part of the Char Lake Project. As the number of users at the Transport Base declined throughout the 1990s, so too did the lake's nutrient levels, and Meretta Lake is now classified as oligotrophic. A previous diatom-based paleolimnological study revealed marked species assemblage shifts coincident with sewage inputs beginning in the late 1940s; however, because the core was taken at a time when nutrient levels were still relatively high (i.e., 1993), the diatom record did not yet track any signs of recovery. In this present study, we examined fossil diatom assemblages from a sediment core taken in 2001. Our results indicate a shift to the pre-impact diatom assemblages in the most recent sediments, indicating that the paleolimnological record is tracking the decreased nutrient inputs to this high arctic lake, and confirms that no significant lags exist in these largely ice-covered lakes.     

Characterisation of riparian woodlands and their potential water loss in the distal Okavango Delta, Botswana

An analysis is undertaken to develop techniques to remotely sense relative evapotranspiration outputs in the distal Okavango Delta using enhanced thematic mapper and ground based techniques to help quantify water loss. Much of this work focuses on riparian woodlands which, especially in the distal portion of the Delta, are regarded as being significant in terms of groundwater removal by transpiration. This was confirmed as vegetation cover mapping led to the identification of two riparian classes which, by association with high resistivity aeromagnetic data, were found to be rooted in near surface fresh groundwater. This paper indicates that riparian trees which remain green year long, partly sustain their growth as a result of groundwater uptake. A comparison of frequently flooded and dry floodplains with distinct riparian zones was undertaken using spectral techniques (pixel radiance values and leaf water content indices) to determine whether flooding and lateral groundwater flow stimulated growth (and therefore transpiration rate) following dormancy. Results indicate a basic similarity between the two systems with mixed evidence of assumed leaf growth. Related phenological observations in the riparian zone of the dry floodplain show that renewal of leaf growth is primarily related to rainfall, not flood events in the distal Delta. The results of this work should help effect both surface and groundwater management in the vicinity of population centres in the distal Delta.