Cation export from Alaskan arctic watersheds

The concentrations and stream fluxes of Na, K, Ca and Mg were determined in 1978, 1980 and 1981 in the Toolik Lake watershed and in 1978 in the upper Kuparuk River watershed. The annual export of K was strongly influenced by high K concentrations at the initiation of spring melt. Potassium concentrations were positively correlated with concentrations of particulate and dissolved organic carbon, particulate and dissolved phosphorus, and particulate, dissolved organic and ammonium nitrogen, suggesting a common origin in the decomposition of tundra plants. Calcium and Mg stream concentrations were generally highest in July and August when the depth of the soil active layer reached a maximum of ∼ 0.5 m. Precipitation-derived Na and K accounted for up to half of the Na and K stream export while chemical weathering supplied > 85 % of exported Ca and Mg. Cation export rates in these arctic foothill watersheds are among the lowest recorded.     

Gene flow between populations of two invertebrates in springs

1. Using allozymes, we analysed genetic structure of the freshwater gastropod Bythinella dunkeri and the freshwater flatworm Crenobia alpina. The two species are habitat specialists, living almost exclusively in springs. The sampled area in Hesse (Germany) covers a spatial scale of 20 km and includes two river drainages. From the biology of the two species we expected little dispersal along rivers. However, the possibility exists that groundwater provide suitable pathways for dispersal. 2. In B. dunkeri heterozygosity decreased from west to east. For some alleles we found clines in this geographic direction. These clines generated a positive correlation between geographic distance and genetic differentiation. Furthermore patterns of genetic variation within populations suggested that populations may have been faced with bottlenecks and founder effects. If populations are not in population genetic equilibrium, such founder effects would also explain the rather high amount of genetic differentiation between populations (10%). 3. For C. alpina the mean number of alleles decreased with increasing isolation of populations. Genetic differentiation between populations contributed 19% to the total genetic variation. Genetic differentiation was not correlated to geographic distance, but compared with B. dunkeri variability of pairwise differentiation between pairs of populations was higher in C. alpina. 4. Overall B. dunkeri appears to be a fairly good disperser, which may use groundwater as dispersal pathway. Furthermore populations seem to be not in equilibrium. In contrast C. alpina forms rather isolated populations with little dispersal between springs and groundwater seems to play no important role for dispersal.     

Effects of urbanization on streams of the Melbourne region, Victoria, Australia. I. Benthic macroinvertebrate communities

1. Macroinvertebrate community composition was assessed in small streams of the Melbourne region to test the effects of (a) urban density (catchment imperviousness 0–51%) and (b) stormwater drainage intensity (comparing the intensively drained metropolitan area with urban areas of the hinterland, which had open drains and some localized stormwater drainage).
2. Hinterland communities separated into two groups of sites correlating strongly with patterns of electrical conductivity (EC), basalt geology and annual rainfall. Community composition varied little in the high-EC, western group (imperviousness 0.2–1.2%), but in the eastern group it was strongly correlated with catchment imperviousness (0–12%), with lower taxon richness in more impervious catchments.
3. Metropolitan communities (imperviousness 1–51%) were all severely degraded, with high abundances of a few tolerant taxa. Community composition was poorly correlated with patterns of geology, rainfall or imperviousness. Differences between metropolitan and hinterland communities were well explained by patterns of biochemical oxygen demand and electrical conductivity, which were postulated to indicate the more efficient transport of pollutants to receiving streams by the metropolitan stormwater drainage system.
4. Degradation of macroinvertebrate community composition was well explained by urban density but intensive urban drainage increased degradation severely at even low urban densities. Quantification of relationships between imperviousness, drainage intensity and stream degradation can better inform the assessment, conservation and restoration of urban streams.     

Taxonomic and functional homogenization of an endemic desert fish fauna

Aim The highly endemic fishes of the arid Southwest USA have been heavily impacted by human activities resulting in one of the most threatened fish faunas in the world. The aim of this study was to examine the patterns and drivers of taxonomic and functional beta diversity of freshwater fish in the Lower Colorado River Basin across the 20th century. Location Lower Colorado River Basin (LCRB). Methods The taxonomic and functional similarities of watersheds were quantified to identify patterns of biotic homogenization or differentiation over the period 1900–1999. Path analysis was used to identify the relative influence of dam density, urban land use, precipitation regimes and non‐native species richness on observed changes in fish faunal composition. Results The fish fauna of the LCRB has become increasingly homogenized, both taxonomically (1.1% based on β_sim index) and functionally (6.2% based on Bray–Curtis index), over the 20th century. The rate of homogenization varied substantially; range declines of native species initially caused taxonomic differentiation (?7.9% in the 1960s), followed by marginal homogenization (observed in the 1990s) in response to an influx of non‐native species introductions. By contrast, functional homogenization of the basin was evident considerably earlier (in the 1950s) because of the widespread introduction of non‐native species sharing similar suites of biological traits. Path analysis revealed that both taxonomic and functional homogenization were positively related to the direct and indirect (facilitation by dams and urbanization) effects of non‐native species richness. Main conclusions Our study simultaneously examines rates of change in multiple dimensions of the homogenization process. For the endemic fish fauna of the LCRB, we found that the processes of taxonomic and functional homogenization are highly dynamic over time, varying both in terms of the magnitude and rate of change over the 20th century.     

晋陕蒙交界地区生态退化与恢复的研究现状和展望

晋陕蒙交界地区是我国生态环境破坏最严重的地区之一,当地所存在的植被退化、水土流失和土地沙化等一系列生态问题,不但威胁该地区居民的生存与发展,而且也影响我国东部地区的生态环境质量与经济发展。因此,开展针对该地区的生态恢复理论和恢复技术研究就显得非常重要。本文对该地区数十年来在生态恢复方面的理论研究和治理实践工作的历史和现状进行了分析,提出了今后应该加强对植被退化机理、植被恢复目标群落的确定和如何在大尺度地域上开展生态恢复等问题进行研究的建议,以便为更好地开展该地区的生态恢复工作提供帮助。     

皇甫川流域中小型土壤动物对不同水土治理措施的响应

2007年9月至2008年9月,选择皇甫川流域人工松树林、人工杨树林、人工锦鸡儿灌木林、人工沙打旺草地和撂荒地等不同水土治理措施植被为采样地,以耕作农田为对照,研究了中小型土壤动物对不同水土治理措施的响应。结果表明,共捕获中小型土壤动物14 747只,隶属于5门7纲10类。优势类群为线虫,占群落总个体数的比例为95.53%,常见类群为螨类和弹尾类。不同水土治理措施样地中,中小型土壤动物群落个体数较农田有提高趋势,但无显著差异（P >0.05）;螨类和弹尾类个体数显著提高（P<0.05）;线虫个体数在人工沙打旺草地中显著高于农田（P<0.05）;中小型土壤动物垂直分布的表聚性较农田增强,并以地表凋落物覆盖显著的人工林最为明显。RDA分析表明,中小型土壤动物群落、螨类和弹尾类个体数与凋落物厚度、树（草）高和土壤有机质的变化之间呈显著正相关。以上结果说明,研究地区采取的几种水土治理植被均有利于中小型土壤动物群落的恢复;相比较,地表凋落物层显著的人工松树林、人工杨树林更加有益于螨类和弹尾类的恢复。     

Species Diversity,Phylogeny and Large Scale Biogeographic Patterns of the Genus Padina (Phaeophyceae,Dictyotales)

The brown algal genus Padina (Dictyotales, Phaeophyceae) is distributed worldwide in tropical and temperate seas. Global species diversity and distribution ranges, however, remain largely unknown. Species‐level diversity was reassessed using DNA‐based, algorithmic species delineation techniques based on cox3 and rbcL sequence data from 221 specimens collected worldwide. This resulted in estimates ranging from 39 to 61 putative species (ESUs), depending on the technique as well as the locus. We discuss the merits, potential pitfalls, and evolutionary and biogeographic significance of algorithmic species delineation. We unveil patterns whereby ESUs are in all but one case restricted to either the Atlantic or Indo‐Pacific Ocean. Within ocean basins we find evidence for the vast majority of ESUs to be confined to a single marine realm. Exceptions, whereby ESUs span up to three realms, are located in the Indo‐Pacific Ocean. Patterns of range‐restricted species likely arise by repeated founder events and subsequent peripatric speciation, hypothesized to dominate speciation mechanisms for coastal marine organisms in the Indo‐Pacific. Using a three‐gene (cox3, psaA and rbcL), relaxed molecular clock phylogenetic analysis we estimated divergence times, providing a historical framework to interpret biogeographic patterns.     

山美水库流域水量水质模拟的SWAT与CE-QUAL-W2联合模型

为更好地模拟分析流域非点源污染对山美水库水质的影响,联合运用流域日尺度分布式水文模型SWAT和二维垂向水动力水质模型CE-QUAL-W2,将SWAT模型的时序输出作为CE-QUAL-W2模型的输入条件,构建了山美水库流域水量水质模拟联合模型,并对流域径流、输沙和污染物以及水库的水位、水温和无机氮等变量进行了率定.结果表明: 尽管受流域部分计算结果的影响,误差会累积到对下游水库水体的计算,但模型的模拟结果与实测数据的吻合程度仍较高,说明联合模型可以较好地反映山美水库流域及库区水体的水动力和污染过程.模型的使用可以为定位流域关键污染源区及控制水库富营养化提供科学依据.     

太湖流域生态风险评价

随着城镇的急剧扩张和经济的快速增长,流域生态环境遭到极大冲击和破坏,致使生态系统出现资源退化、环境恶化与灾害风险加剧的趋势,生态环境面临前所未有的挑战.从复合生态系统入手,深入分析流域内各生态系统要素之间的相互作用与影响机制,综合考虑多风险源、多风险受体和生态终点共存情况下的风险大小,从风险源危险度、生境脆弱度及受体损失度三方面构建了流域生态风险评价技术体系,并选取太湖流域为实证区域,对太湖流域2000年、2008年两个时期生态风险的时空演化特征进行评价与分析.结果表明:太湖流域生态风险指数介于0.015-0.253之间,以中等和较低生态风险为主.至2008年,高、较高生态风险所占面积逐渐扩大,已由2000年的5.66％、13.42％增加至6.05％、18.42％,主要集中在流域北部的常州市区、江阴市大部分地区以及无锡市区.