Measuring the responses of macroinvertebrate communities to water pollution: a comparison of multivariate approaches, biotic and diversity indices

The responses of macroinvertebrate communities to pollution by sewage effluent in the River Trent system (UK) were investigated using a variety of multivariate approaches, biotic indices and diversity indices. It was found that multivariate analyses clearly illuminated the change of community structure along the pollution gradient. CY Dissimilarity Measure (CYD)-based Non-Metric Multidimensional Scaling (NMDS) appeared to perform better than DCA and clustering. Species richness, the BMWP, BMWP-ASPT, the Chandler Score, Chandler-ASPT could detect the effects of major pollution. However, these indices showed varying sensitivity to different ranges of pollution, for example, Chandler-ASPT and BMWP-ASPT are more sensitive to the change in clean/slightly polluted range than in the moderate/very polluted range. The diversity indices were the least informative. The advantages and disadvantages of the various approaches were discussed.     

喜马拉雅东部雅鲁藏布江大峡湾地区热带森林植被的次生演替规律初探

对雅鲁藏布江大峡弯河谷地区热带森林植被情况进行了调查分析。论述了造成该地区热带植被概况及其被破坏的自然因素和人为因素。并对该地区植被在次生演替的各个时期植被种类成分的变化,群落结构,建群种生长速度等进行比较研究,结果如下：Ａ．自然因素导致的次生演替主要经历了下列６个价段：（１）尼泊尔桤木（Ａｌｎｕｓｎｅｐｏｌｅｎｓｉｓ）阶段;（２）尼泊尔桤术单优群落阶段;（３）原生植被主要树种侵入阶段;（４）尼泊尔桤木林衰退阶段;（５）原生植被恢复阶段;（６）原生植被建立阶段。Ｂ．人为因素导致的次生演替主要经历有下列５个阶段：（１）高大禾草或热带高草阶段;（２）野芭蕉侵入生长阶段;（３）喜阳树种侵入或恢复生长阶段;（４）杂木林阶段;（５）原生植被恢复及建立阶段。最后讨论了植被次生演替规律对自然植物区系的影响和对治理山地,保护该地区生物多样性,合理利用资源及发展生产的重要性及意义。     

Transport of mercury by the Katun river,West Siberia

Some results of a 2-year study of mercury pollution of the Katun river (Siberia) are summarised. Measurements of water flow, sediment transport and mercury concentrations were made and used to calculate the amount of mercury transported by the river. The distribution of transport between water phase and suspended material is calculated. It is concluded that suspended sediments play the main role in this process. The significance of different fractions of suspended sediment is also discussed.     

15N natural abundance in plants of the Amazon River floodplain and potential atmospheric N2 fixation

Summary The¹⁵N natural abundance values of various Amazon floodplain (várzea) plants was investigated. Samples of young leaf tissues were collected during three different periods of the river hydrography (low water, mid rising water and high water) and during one period in the Madeira River (high water). A large variation of¹⁵N abundance was observed, both among the different plant types and between the different flood stages. This variation probably, reflected, in part, the highly variable nature of the floodplain, sometimes dry and oxygenated and at other times inundated and anaerobic and, in part, changes in plant nitrogen metabolism. Comparison of the nitrogen isotopic composition of leguminous plants with that of non-leguminous plants showed that, on average, the¹⁵N abundance was lower in the legumes than non-legumes, suggesting active N-fixation. Also, the¹⁵N natural abundance in aquatic grasses of the generaPaspalum, was in general, lower than the¹⁵N abundance of aquatic grasses of the generaEchinochloa. As both of these grasses grow in the same general habitat, it appears thatPaspalum grasses may also be nitrogen fixers.     

Variation in nutrient limitation of lotic and lentic algal communities in a Texas (USA) river

Nutrient limitation of periphyton and phytoplankton was assessed in the Upper Guadalupe River, Texas USA. Nutrient-diffusing substrates with added nitrogen (N) and phosphorus (P) were used to identify the limiting nutrient for lotic algae at three river sites in summer, fall, and winter. Pots enriched with P had significantly higher chlorophyll a concentrations for 7 of 9 trials. Added N alone did not significantly increase algal standing crops, although it was found to be secondarily limiting on one (and possibly two) occasions. Flow-through enrichment experiments were conducted in order to quantify the concentration of P needed to significantly increase algal standing crops. Response to enrichment was rapid when ambient P concentration was low (< 0.010 mg L^–1), but more moderate when ambient P levels were higher (0.015–0.025 mg L^–1). Nutrient limitation of phytoplankton in small surface-release reservoirs varied throughout the study, but N was either primarily or secondarily limiting in 6 of 8 trials; shifts in the limiting nutrient were correlated with fluctuations in flow into the reservoirs. Our enrichment studies show that algal response to nutrient addition was unpredictable as phytoplankton tended to be N-limited while periphyton was mainly P-limited. Further, while discharge apparently dictated the nutrient-biomass relationship for phytoplankton in reservoirs, ambient nutrient level is an important determinant of lotic periphyton response to enrichment.     

Dynamics of seston constituants in the Ariège and Garonne rivers (France)

Water contents of suspended matter, algal pigments, particulate organic carbon and particulate phosphorus were measured in the rivers Garonne (2 sites) and Ariège (1 site) throughout an annual cycle. The general trend of the parameters was similar at the three sites. Depending on the sites, the period of algal growth (chlorophyll a + phaeopigments > 25 µg l^–1), lasted from two to six weeks in August–September. The algal peaks reached 50 to 90 µg 1^–1 of total pigments. High contents of particulate organic carbon (> 2 mg 1^–1) occurred at the end of summer (coinciding with algal growth), and during the November and May floods. In summer 50–75 % of the suspended matter was organic, in spring this was 10 times less. The high linear correlation between particulate organic carbon and pigment contents (r = 0.87; P = 0.0001) suggested an algal origin of at least part of the particulate carbon. Algal carbon was minor in the annual fluxes of particulate carbon (25 to 39% depending on the sites), but relatively high in comparison with other rivers. The mean particulate phosphorus content calculated over the year was 24 µg l^–1 ; it varied from 15 µg l^–1 during the high water period to 28 µg 1^–1 during the low water period. Likewise the percentage of particulate phosphorus in the suspended matter varied from 0.17 to 0.40. A negative linear correlation existed between particulate phosphorus content and specific discharge (r = – 0.46; P = 0.0001).The very marked seasonal trend of the parameters and the interactions led us to differentiate two modes of the rivers' functioning: a hydrologic phase and a biological phase. The hydrologic phase (high water) was dominated by the processes of erosion and transfer over the whole catchment area and the flood plain, while the biological phase was characterized by a high primary production in the river bed.     

Diel drift of Chironomidae in a large lowland river (Central Poland)

The diel drift patterns of Chironomidae larvae were investigated in a seventh order section of the Warta River (Central Poland) over two diel cycles during May 1989. Three nets (mesh size 400 m) were installed in a cross section of the Warta River.The estimated drift density was low, but was comparable to that calculated for other large rivers. Spatio-temporal fluctuations in abundance and composition of macroinvertebrate drift, including Chironomidae, were observed with the highest density of drifting macrobenthos recorded near the depositional bank of this river. The ratio benthosdrift indicated differing propensities for of the older instars of a given chironomid taxon to drift. Orthocladiinae larvae were the most abundant subfamily of Chironomidae in drift but not in benthos, reaching up to 73% of the total drifting chironomid larvae. More taxa but fewer individuals (about 20% of the chironomid larvae collected) belonged to the tribe Chironomini, the dominant group in benthos.A major part of chironomid drift collection may represent behavioural drift because the net mesh size used in the Warta River was insufficient to catch the earliest instars (distributional drift). Both at the family and subfamily level chironomid larvae exhibited a distinct nocturnal drift periodicity. Nocturnal periodicity was documented for the dominant species, but due to the low density of many chironomid species, it was impossible to determine their diel drift pattern. Some Chironomidae appeared to be aperiodic.     

伊犁河谷苦豆子C、N、P含量变化及化学计量特征

研究苦豆子不同器官中碳、氮、磷元素的化学计量特征的季节变化有助于深入了解该植物蔓延的生态学机制。系统分析了伊犁河谷苦豆子根、茎、叶的碳(C)、氮(N)、磷(P)化学计量特征及其季节动态变化。结果表明∶苦豆子C、N、P含量均值分别为391.40、13.17、1.51mg/g,C∶N、N∶P、C∶P均值分别为45.61、8.52、326.38。苦豆子根、茎、叶在整个生长季内C、N、P均值含量变化一致,为叶茎根。在生态化学计量特征的分析中规律则不同,C含量随着生长时期的增加而增加,N和P的含量则随着生长时期的增加而减少;苦豆子根系中的C、N、P含量有随着深度变化而递减的趋势;器官间的差异性说明植物在不同生长时期,各器官对C、N、P的吸收利用具有特异性。植物叶片中C、N、P含量和N∶P普遍较低,苦豆子生长受N、P的共同限制,更容易受到N元素的限制。     

Suitability for developing riverside groundwater sources along Songhua River,Northeast China

Riverbank filtration is a natural water treatment technology that consists of extracting water from rivers by pumping wells located in the adjacent alluvial aquifer. It is vital to choose the most appropriate from multiple potential candidate sites, which is a complex procedure and seldom paid attention to. In this study, a method system including multicriteria evaluation indexes was developed with which the suitability of bank filtration along the Songhua River of China for developing riverside groundwater sources was assessed. The system was comprised of main suitability indexes for water quantity, water quality, interaction intensity between surface water and groundwater, and the exploitation condition of aquifer condition, weights of which were determined by specialist marking methods. Based on this assessment system, the suitability of the study area was divided into five grades. Results show that riversides along Lalin River, Hulan River, and the middle part of Songhua River are suitable for developing riverside groundwater sources.     

A rare contemporary record of the Critically Endangered Ganges shark Glyphis gangeticus

The first record of the Ganges shark Glyphis gangeticus from anywhere in its range in over a decade is reported from the Arabian Sea. One female specimen was recorded at Sassoon Docks in Mumbai, India in February 2016, measuring 266 cm total length. In light of the Critically Endangered status of this species and its rarity, urgent management actions are needed to determine population size and trends in abundance in combination with fisher education and awareness campaigns.