Localisation of nickel and mineral nutrients Ca,K, Fe,Mg by Scanning Electron Microscopy microanalysis in tissues of the nickel-hyperaccumulator Alyssum bertolonii Desv. and the non-accumulator Alyssum montanum L.

Plants of the nickel-hyperaccumulator Alyssum bertolonii Desv. and of the non-accumulator A. montanum L. growing on a serpentine site in Tuscany, Italy, and plants of A. montanum from a nearby non-serpentine site were analysed for metal concentration and localisation. The leaves of A. bertolonii contained 160 times more nickel than those of A. montanum from the same site, thus demonstrating its hyperaccumulation capacity towards this metal. On the other hand, both species showed an inversion of the Ca/Mg ratio in their organs relative to the soil. Nickel localisation in plant tissues was examined by Scanning Electron Microanalysis (SEM/EDX). In A. bertolonii, a specific pattern of nickel distribution was detected, with the highest concentrations present in parenchyma and sclerenchyma cells for the roots; in the shoots, the highest amounts of nickel were found in the stem epidermis, the leaf epidermal surface, and the leaf trichome base. This particular nickel tissue distribution pattern was not found in the non-accumulator A. montanum growing on serpentine soil. Other mineral nutrients, namely Mg, Ca, K, Fe, instead, had a similar distribution in the two species. The A. montanum plants from the non-serpentine site had very low nickel levels in their tissues, and these were of the same magnitude as those found in A. bertolonii plants grown in a greenhouse on commercial horticultural soil with low nickel concentration. In A. bertolonii plants, the tissue-specific allocation patterns appeared to depend on the degree of nickel hyperaccumulation, which is, in turn, directly linked to the soil characteristics.     

Ecological resources for conservation and development in Wadi Allaqi,Egypt*

PULFORD, I. D., MURPHY, K. J., DICKINSON, G., BRIGGS, J. A. & SPRINGUEL, I., 1992. Ecological resources for conservation and development in Wadi Allaqi, Egypt. The creation of Lake Nasser behind the Aswan High Dam on the River Nile has brought about significant environmental changes in Upper Egypt. A multidisciplinary project was started in 1987 to assess the environmental changes associated with periodic inundation in desert ecosystems. The data presented here provide a baseline for studies aimed at assessing the potential for, and ecological impacts of, sustainable development in the target area, and may act as a blueprint for wider-scale development. Soil, water, vegetation, animal and human resources are being monitored. There has been a major increase in plant communities dominated by riverain species, at the expense of the original desert wadi vegetation. The water has attracted human settlement, with some 200–250 people now living in the wadi. The inherent high fertility of the soil has allowed them to grow a range of crops in small plots, using a system of shifting cultivation dictated by the lake water level. While this degree of development may be sustainable, larger-scale development of the fragile wadi ecosystem demands a full assessment of appropriate management techniques.     

The Effect of Traffic Density on Lead Contents in Roadside Soils: An Analysis of Published Data

Data from eight published studies were combined to show that the influence of traffic density on Pb contents in roadside soils increases with proximity to the road.     

137Cs示踪技术研究坡耕地黑土侵蚀和沉积特征

准确地测定研究区137Cs背景值,建立137Cs流失量与土壤再分布速率之间的定量模型是137Cs示踪技术的关键。通过野外选择参照样地和利用热核爆炸源137Cs背景值模型来确定研究区137Cs的背景值,在此基础上用体现耕作迁移的质量平衡模型估算黑土坡耕地不同地貌部位的土壤再分布速率,并对主要参数进行敏感性分析。结果表明(1)研究区实测的137Cs背景值为2376.81±108.46Bq/m2,模型预测值为2318.4Bq/m2,模型预测远离西北核试验基地的地区较为准确。(2)研究区中坡位(坡肩和坡背)137Cs含量最低,侵蚀最为强烈,平均侵蚀速率为33.56t/(hm2·a)和21.67t/(hm2·a);坡麓和坡足则明显表现沉积,平均沉积速率为-4.93t/(hm2·a)和-24.61t/(hm2·a)。(3)模型预测的侵蚀速率与耕层质量深度(d)、张驰深度(H)正相关,而与137Cs年沉降易被迁移的比例(γ)和颗粒校正因子(P)反相关。并且,模型对参数d、p的敏感性分别高于参数H和γ。     

Hydrologic Regime Controls Soil Phosphorus Fluxes in Restoration and Undisturbed Wetlands

Many wetland restoration projects occur on former agricultural soils that have a history of disturbance and fertilization, making them prone to phosphorus (P) release upon flooding. To study the relationship between P release and hydrologic regime, we collected soil cores from three restoration wetlands and three undisturbed wetlands around Upper Klamath Lake in southern Oregon, U.S.A. Soil cores were subjected to one of three hydrologic regimes—flooded, moist, and dry—for 7.5 weeks, and P fluxes were measured upon reflooding. Soils from restoration wetlands released P upon reflooding regardless of the hydrologic regime, with the greatest releases coming from soils that had been flooded or dried. Undisturbed wetland soils released P only after drying. Patterns in P release can be explained by a combination of physical and biological processes, including the release of iron‐bound P due to anoxia in the flooded treatment and the mineralization of organic P under aerobic conditions in the dry treatment. Higher rates of soil P release from restoration wetland soils, particularly under flooded conditions, were associated with higher total P concentrations compared with undisturbed wetland soils. We conclude that maintaining moist soil is the means to minimize P release from recently flooded wetland soils. Alternatively, prolonged flooding provides a means of liberating excess labile P from former agricultural soils while minimizing continued organic P mineralization and soil subsidence.     

Effects of European Earthworm Invasion on Soil Characteristics in Northern Hardwood Forests of Minnesota, USA

European earthworms are colonizing worm-free hardwood forests across North America. Leading edges of earthworm invasion in forests of northern Minnesota provide a rare opportunity to document changes in soil characteristics as earthworm invasions are occurring. Across leading edges of earthworm invasion in four northern hardwood stands, increasing total earthworm biomass was associated with rapid disappearance of the O horizon. Concurrently, the thickness, bulk density and total soil organic matter content of the A horizon increased, and it’s percent organic matter and fine root density decreased. Different earthworm species assemblages influenced the magnitude and type of change in these soil parameters. Soil N and P availability were lower in plots with high earthworm biomass compared to plots with low worm biomass. Decreases in soil nitrogen availability associated with high earthworm biomass were reflected in decreased foliar nitrogen content for Carex pensylvanica, Acer saccharum and Asarum canadense but increased foliar N for Athyrium felix-femina. Overall, high earthworm biomass resulted in increased foliar carbon to nitrogen ratios. The effects of earthworm species assemblages on forest soil properties are related to their feeding and burrowing habits in addition to effects related to total biomass. The potential for large ecosystem consequences following exotic earthworm invasion has only recently been recognized by forest ecologists. In the face of rapid change and multiple pressures on native forest ecosystems, the impacts of earthworm invasion on forest soil structure and function must be considered.     

Interaction of hydrology and nutrient limitation in the Ridge and Slough landscape of the southern Everglades

Extensive portions of the southern Everglades are characterized by series of elongated, raised peat ridges and tree islands oriented parallel to the predominant flow direction, separated by intervening sloughs. Tall herbs or woody species are associated with higher elevations and shorter emergent or floating species are associated with lower elevations. The organic soils in this “Ridge-and-Slough” landscape have been stable over millennia in many locations, but degrade over decades under altered hydrologic conditions. We examined soil, pore water, and leaf phosphorus (P) and nitrogen (N) distributions in six Ridge and Slough communities in Shark Slough, Everglades National Park. We found P enrichment to increase and N to decrease monotonically along a gradient from the most persistently flooded sloughs to rarely flooded ridge environments, with the most dramatic change associated with the transition from marsh to forest. Leaf N:P ratios indicated that the marsh communities were strongly P-limited, while data from several forest types suggested either N-limitation or co-limitation by N and P. Ground water stage in forests exhibited a daytime decrease and partial nighttime recovery during periods of surface exposure. The recovery phase suggested re-supply from adjacent flooded marshes or the underlying aquifer, and a strong hydrologic connection between ridge and slough. We therefore developed a simple steady-state model to explore a mechanism by which a phosphorus conveyor belt driven by both evapotranspiration and the regional flow gradient can contribute to the characteristic Ridge and Slough pattern. The model demonstrated that evapotranspiration sinks at higher elevations can draw in low concentration marsh waters, raising local soil and water P concentrations. Focusing of flow and nutrients at the evapotranspiration zone is not strong enough to overcome the regional gradient entirely, allowing the nutrient to spread downstream and creating an elongated concentration plume in the direction of flow. Our analyses suggest that autogenic processes involving the effects of initially small differences in topography, via their interactions with hydrology and nutrient availability, can produce persistent physiographic patterns in the organic sediments of the Everglades.     

衡阳紫色土丘陵坡地不同恢复阶段土壤基础呼吸及代谢熵的变化

采用空间序列代替时间序列的方法,对衡阳紫色土丘陵坡地不同过程中的不同土层、根际(Rhizosphere,R)与非根际(Non-rhizosphere,S)的土壤基础呼吸(Soil basal respiration,SBR)及代谢熵(Metabolic quotient,qCO2)的变化特征以及它们与土壤理化性质的关系进行研究。结果表明：(1)不同恢复阶段SBR与qCO2存在明显差异,从裸地(Ⅰ)、草本群落(Ⅱ)、灌木群落(Ⅲ)至乔木群落阶段(Ⅳ),SBR显著增强,qCO2显著减小,反映土地质量正在逐渐恢复;(2)不同恢复阶段SBR与qCO2存在垂直变化特征,从0～20cm、20～40cm至40～60cm土层, SBR显著减弱,qCO2显著增加;(3)从Ⅱ→Ⅳ,R与S变化明显,R与S的SBR均显著增强, R/S显著减小,表现出R＞S的特点,R与S的qCO2的逐渐减小, R/S逐渐上升,也表现出R＞S的特点,因此,创造更好的土壤条件有利于该区域植被恢复。