Cyanobacteria species dominance and diversity in three Australian drinking water reservoirs

Hydrobiologia - The objective of this study was to identify correlations between environmental variables and cyanobacterial diversity, succession and dominance in three Australian water supply...     

In situ corrosion control in industrial water systems

The main objective of this study was to evaluate the efficacy of a biocide and a corrosion inhibitor against the corrosion of a circulating pipe in a cooling tower. Isothiazolone was tested as the industrial biocide. The results showed that the biocide by itself or combined with a dispersant was not efficient to control corrosion in the industrial system. Corrosion rates of 0.324 mm/year were recorded in both the presence and absence of the biocide. Corrosion control was successfully accomplished by using a corrosion inhibitor. In the latter case the maximum corrosion rate of 0.024 mm/year were obtained.     

基于热比率法的青海云杉林蒸腾量估算

流域上游森林蒸腾量的准确估算对于干旱区水资源管理至关重要。该文采用热比率法的树干液流技术对青海云杉(Picea crassifolia)单木和林分蒸腾量进行了估算和转换, 目的在于通过该研究为不同尺度森林蒸腾量估算提供一个系统的解决方案。研究结果如下: 第一, 青海云杉胸径与边材面积间存在显著指数函数关系, R² = 0.94, p < 0.000β1; 第二, 热比率法的青海云杉蒸腾量测量中, 理论值与观测值间的比例系数为1.09, 观测值偏小; 第三, 基于单木平均液流速率和林分总边材面积的林分蒸腾量计算中, 不同胸径样树液流速率的异质会导致液流速率被高估或低估近1/3; 第四, 基于单木胸径与液流量间关系的林分液流估算技术能够更合理地对青海云杉蒸腾量进行估算。根据该文研究结果, 基于探针式液流测量技术可以更为科学地对单一树种研究区不同尺度的蒸腾量进行估算。     

Estimating whole-tree water use of Picea crassifolia based on heat ratio method

Aims Accurate estimation of forest transpiration in the upper reach of the watershed is vital to the management of water resources in arid region. The objective of this study was to provide a systematic method for calculating the forest evapotranspiration at different scales.     

Narcotic antagonists attenuate drinking induced by water deprivation in a primate

Pure narcotic antagonists such as naloxone and naltrexone have consistently been shown to attenuate drinking in the rat after periods of water deprivation. One objective of this study was to extend observations to a primate species, the squirrel monkey. Whereas naloxone and naltrexone have a greater relative affinity for opiate receptors preferentially binding morphine and other opiate alkaloids than for those with high affinity for the endogenous opioid peptides, diprenorphine, another pure opiate antagonist, binds with equally high affinity to both receptor subtypes. Therefore, a second objective was to determine the actions of diprenorphine on drinking in water-deprived rats and squirrel monkeys and to compare the effects of this drug to those of naloxone and naltrexone. All three narcotic antagonists suppressed water consumption of monkeys and rats deprived of water for 18 and 24 hr, respectively. Diprenorphine was the most potent compound tested in both species, producing significant reductions in water consumption of monkeys and rats at systemic doses as low as 0.01 and 0.1 mg/kg respectively. Moreover, diprenorphine was the longest acting of the three drugs in the monkey. These results demonstrate that the narcotic antagonists attenuate drinking in primates as well as in rodents and support the hypothesis that these drugs reduce water intake by interrupting the activity of endogenous opioid pathways mediating drinking behavior.     

水位与光强变化对尖叶泥炭藓孢蒴生产动态的影响

选取尖叶泥炭藓(Sphagnum capillifolium)为试验材料, 在模拟水位与光强条件下, 对人工构建的苔藓植物群落进行室内培养, 每隔1-3天观察并记录植株高度、孢蒴变化过程及变化时间, 分析了不同水位与光强条件对孢蒴生产的植物功能属性动态的影响。水位上升促进了蒴柄伸长及植株高增长, 增加了孢蒴开裂率及遮蔽率。光强增加有助于孢蒴生长, 并提高了孢蒴开裂率。在孢蒴直径以及植株高增长性状上, 水位与光强存在交互作用。水位与光强对孢蒴增长率均没有影响。此外, 水位升高与光强增加使孢蒴成熟及蒴柄伸长时间提前, 总体上使孢子释放时间分别提前了4.0 d和4.8 d, 由此可能减小了孢子体因受夏季干旱影响而败育的风险。孢子释放后, 繁殖株高增长加速, 可为未来的再次繁殖奠定基础。     

A simple framework for selection of water quality models

Water quality modeling is no longer just the preserve of specialists who seek to describe water quality processes but also for use by non specialists in everyday water quality management issues. With so many models already developed, it becomes prudent to adapt them to a situation than to develop a completely new model that would probably do the same simulations. The question is: which is the most appropriate model to apply to a situation? The specialist can always draw on past experiences to make a decision. However, this is not the case for the non specialist. A lot of different criteria can be used to decide which model to use for a particular situation based on some important factors. The objectives of modeling exercises differ and each water body is unique so there cannot be hard and fast rules on which is the best criteria for selecting the appropriate model. Furthermore, there is usually hardly any time on the project work plan allocated for model selection. Therefore there is need for a simple procedure to select the appropriate model. The objective of this paper was to develop a simple framework for selecting water quality models to aid the non specialist. The framework was then applied to a case study in order to evaluate its usefulness. The results from the case study show that after a thorough literature review, models can be evaluated against chosen criteria and the most appropriate model singled out. It was concluded that the framework is only effective if the research objective is adequately defined and the models are reviewed thoroughly, but it saves time for the actual modeling exercise.     

Contrasting leaf intercellular space development in sorghum and maize modulates different tolerance capacity to water limitation

Journal of Plant Research - The objective of this study was to evaluate the relationship between intercellular spaces and leaf gas exchange and the effect of total intercellular space on the growth...     

Resistance, resilience and recovery: aquatic bacterial dynamics after water column disturbance

For lake microbes, water column mixing acts as a disturbance because it homogenizes thermal and chemical gradients known to define the distributions of microbial taxa. Our first objective was to isolate hypothesized drivers of lake bacterial response to water column mixing. To accomplish this, we designed an enclosure experiment with three treatments to independently test key biogeochemical changes induced by mixing: oxygen addition to the hypolimnion, nutrient addition to the epilimnion, and full water column mixing. We used molecular fingerprinting to observe bacterial community dynamics in the treatment and control enclosures, and in ambient lake water. We found that oxygen and nutrient amendments simulated the physical-chemical water column environment following mixing and resulted in similar bacterial communities to the mixing treatment, affirming that these were important drivers of community change. These results demonstrate that specific environmental changes can replicate broad disturbance effects on microbial communities. Our second objective was to characterize bacterial community stability by quantifying community resistance, recovery and resilience to an episodic disturbance. The communities in the nutrient and oxygen amendments changed quickly (had low resistance), but generally matched the control composition by the 10th day after treatment, exhibiting resilience. These results imply that aquatic bacterial assemblages are generally stable in the face of disturbance.     

Standard and digestive metabolism in the banded water snake, Nerodia fasciata fasciata

Estimating energy costs by respirometry is fundamental to many studies of the ecology, behavior and evolution of reptiles. However, traditional respirometry procedures seldom incorporate objective techniques for removal of outliers from estimates of metabolic parameters. We demonstrate how computer-automated respirometry equipment, which records many respiratory measurements over short intervals, can be coupled with mathematical procedures to produce robust estimates of pre- and post-prandial metabolism in banded water snakes (Nerodia fasciata fasciata). Standard metabolic rate of N. f. fasciata was estimated to be 1.21 ml O2/h (mass = 30.21 +/- 0.74 g) at 25 degrees C. After ingestion of a fish equaling 20% of their body mass, snakes exhibited a fivefold increase in metabolic rate with peak O2 consumption rate (VO2) reaching 6.5 ml O2/h. Total cost of digestion was 5.44 kJ, equivalent to approximately 21% of the energy in the meal. Repeated measurements of metabolism in the same individuals revealed that our methods yielded similar results, even when individuals exhibited different patterns of VO2 variation between respiratory trials. Our results underscore the importance of obtaining many VO2 measurements, coupled with objective removal of outlier values from estimates of metabolic rate, especially when metabolic values are to be interpreted in a comparative context.     

Nutrient loads to surface water from row crop production

Goals, Scope and Background  

Eutrophication and hypoxia, which are already serious environmental issues in the Midwestern region of the United States and the Gulf of Mexico, could worsen with an increase emphasis on the use of corn and soybeans for biofuels. Eutrophication impacts from agriculture are difficult to integrate into an LCA due to annual variability in the nutrient loads as a factor of climatic conditions. This variability has not been included in many relevant energy or row crop LCAs. The objective of this research was to develop a relatively simple method to accurately quantify nutrient loadings from row crop production to surface water that reflects annual variations due to weather. A set of watersheds that comprise most of eastern Iowa was studied. Ample data describing corn-soybean agriculture in this region and nutrient loadings to the Mississippi River enabled the development, calibration and validation of the model for this particular region.     

Leaf ureide degradation and N(2) fixation tolerance to water deficit in soybean

Accumulation of ureides in leaves is associated with the sensitivity of N(2) fixation in soybean to soil water deficit. Consequently, ureide degradation in leaves may be a key to increasing soybean tolerance to dry soils. Previous research indicated that allantoic acid degradation is catalysed by different enzymes in cultivars Maple Arrow and Williams. The enzyme found in Williams requires manganese as a cofactor. The first objective of this study was to determine if the two degradation pathways were associated with differences in N(2) sensitivity to soil water deficits. N(2) fixation of Williams grown on low-Mn soil was sensitive to stress, but it was relatively tolerant when grown on soil amended with Mn. N(2) fixation in Maple Arrow was relatively tolerant of soil drying regardless of the Mn treatment. The second objective of this study was to expand the study of the degradation pathway to nine additional genotypes. Based on ureide degradation in the presence and absence of Mn, these genotypes also segregated for the two degradation pathways. Those genotypes with the Mn-dependent pathway tended to have drought-sensitive N(2) fixation, but there was one exception. The genotypes not requiring Mn for ureide degradation were drought-tolerant except for one genotype. These results demonstrated the possibility for increasing N(2) fixation tolerance to soil water deficits in soybean by selection of lines with high ureide degradation rates, which were commonly associated with the Mn-independent pathway.     

An efficient three-dimensional rhizosphere modeling capability to study the effect of root system architecture on soil water and reactive transport

Plant and Soil - The objective of this research was to develop a three-dimensional (3D) rhizosphere modeling capability for plant-soil interactions by integrating plant biophysics, water and ion...     

Photosynthesis, chlorophyll fluorescence and spectral reflectance in Sphagnum moss at varying water contents

Moss samples from the Fluxnet-Canada western peatland flux station in the Boreal Region of Alberta were measured in the laboratory to obtain the net photosynthesis rate and chlorophyll fluorescence of the moss under controlled environmental conditions, including the regulation of moss water content, simultaneously with measurements of moss spectral reflectance. One objective was to test whether the photochemical reflectance index (PRI) detected changes in moss photosynthetic light-use efficiency that were consistent with short-term (minutes to hours) changes in xanthophyll cycle pigments and associated changes in non-photochemical quenching (NPQ), as recorded by chlorophyll fluorescence. The rate of net photosynthesis was strongly inhibited by water content at values exceeding approximately 9 (fresh weight/dry weight) and declined as the water content fell below values of approximately 8. Chlorophyll fluorescence measurements of maximum photosystem II efficiency generally remained high until the water content was reduced from the maximum of about 20 to values of approximately 10–11, and then declined with further reductions in moss water content. A significant linear decline in NPQ was observed as moss water content was reduced from maximum to low water content values. There was a strong negative correlation between changes in NPQ and PRI. These data suggest that PRI measurements are a good proxy for short-term shifts in photosynthetic activity in Sphagnum moss. A second objective was to test how accurately the water band index (WBI, ratio of reflectance at 900 and 970 nm) recorded changes in moss water content during controlled laboratory studies. Strong linear relationships occurred between changes in moss water content and the WBI, although the slopes of the linear relationships were significantly different among sample replicates. Therefore, WBI appeared to be a useful tool to determine sample-specific water content without destructive measurements.     

A predictive model for water clarity following dreissenid invasion

Optical transparency, or water clarity, is a fundamental property of lake ecosystems which influences a wide range of physical, chemical and biological variables and processes. The establishment of non-native dreissenid mussels in lake and river ecosystems across North America and Europe has been associated with often dramatic, but highly variable, increases in water clarity. The objective of this study was to develop a predictive model for water clarity (Secchi depth, m) in lakes following the establishment of dreissenids. We compiled water clarity data before and after dreissenid invasion from North American lakes that varied in size and nutrient status. An AIC model averaging approach was used to generate post-invasion water clarity predictions based on pre-invasion water clarity and lake morphometric characteristics from a 53 lake dataset. The accuracy of the model was verified using cross-validation. We then extended this model to existing empirical models of lake mixing depth and Walleye (Sander vitreus) yield, to demonstrate that increased water clarity associated with dreissenid invasion may have far-reaching physical and ecological consequences in lakes, including deeper thermoclines and context-dependent changes in fish yields.     

Response of sorghum to a water gradient and potassium variable

Summary A field study utilizing a modified line-source sprinkler system was used to investigate the hydrologic balance of a sorghum crop subjected to water deficit stress. An additional objective was to evaluate the evapotranspiration-yield relationship and to determine if the water use efficiency could be improved through the addition of increased amounts of potassium. Sixteen lysimeters packed with a Greenfield sandy loam and planted to sorghum (Sorghum bicolor) were placed under a moisture gradient irrigation system. Four levels of potassium were used in the experiment (0, 100, 200 or 300 Kg/ha). The results indicated that when the leaching fraction was set at 0.15 near the source, the predicted leaching fraction would go to zero at 10 meters from the source. Although yield was related to evapotranspiration, a better fit to the yield data was obtained when a parameter that included an availability and deficit term was used. The relationship was not linear but instead was described by an exponential fit. This parameter was also highly sensitive to leaf water potential and diffusion resistance. Finally, water use efficiency increased with yield but showed no correlation with potassium application.     

Motility and fertility of the subtropical freshwater fish streaked prochilod (Prochilodus lineatus) sperm cryopreserved in powdered coconut water

Streaked prochilod (Prochilodus lineatus) is a freshwater fish inhabiting many South American rivers. The objective was to determine the effectiveness of coconut water (ACP™), combined with methylglycol, as a freezing medium for streaked prochilod sperm. A secondary objective was to compare a computer-assisted sperm analyzer (CASA) system versus subjective microscropic examination as a means of assessing sperm motility. As a control, glucose and methylglycol was used, according to our previous study. Sperm diluted in each medium was loaded into 0.5 mL straws, frozen in liquid nitrogen vapor (in a dry shipper), and stored in liquid nitrogen (-196 °C). Half of the samples were evaluated for sperm motility, both subjectively and with CASA; the remainder were evaluated for fertility. There was no difference (P > 0.05) between subjective or CASA assessment of post-thaw sperm motility. Although sperm motility was higher in sperm cryopreserved in ACP™ (85%) than in glucose (75%), cryopreservation in either extender yielded similar fertilization rates (46-48%) and sperm velocities. There were positive correlations (r = 0.56-0.8) between all sperm velocities and fertilization rate. In conclusion, streaked prochilod sperm cryopreserved in glucose or ACP™ and methylglycol was fertile, and thus could be used for research or commercial settings. Furthermore, although the CASA system provided objective data regarding sperm motility, in the present study, subjective evaluation of sperm motility was practical and a good indication of sperm quality; it could readily be done by well-trained personnel under field or laboratory conditions.     

土壤水、氮供应对麻疯树幼苗光合特性的影响

在盆栽半控制试验中, 采用两因素的随机区组设计, 在3个土壤水分梯度(分别为80%、50%和30%的田间持水量(FC))下研究了施氮肥和不施氮肥处理麻疯树(Jatropha curcas)幼苗的光合特性。比较了不同水分和氮素供应条件下麻疯树幼苗的光合-光响应和CO₂响应曲线、PSII的最大光化学效率(F_v/F_m)、氮含量和光合色素含量之间的差异。结果表明: 1)施氮肥处理中, 随着土壤水分含量的增加, 叶片表观量子效率(AQY)、光补偿点、最大净光合速率、羧化效率、光呼吸速率、暗呼吸速率和叶片氮含量均呈现增加的趋势, 而且均在80% FC下最高。2)不施氮肥处理中, 随着土壤水分含量的增加, 麻疯树各光合参数均与施氮肥处理呈现相反的变化趋势。3)在30% FC下, 施氮肥处理和不施氮肥处理相比, 氮含量显著增加, AQY、F_v/F_m、光合色素含量无显著的变化, 其他各项指标均显著降低。这些结果表明, 水氮耦合效应对麻疯树光合特性有显著影响, 尤其是在80% FC下增施氮肥的效果最为明显。因此, 在土壤氮素含量不高的情况下, 麻疯树更适宜在较低的土壤水分下生长, 土壤水分较高反而不利于麻疯树的光合作用; 而如果增施氮肥, 麻疯树在土壤水分含量较高时生长更好。     

Interactive effects of water stress and xylem-limited bacterial infection on the water relations of a host vine

Xylella fastidiosa, a xylem-limited bacterial pathogen that causes bacterial leaf scorch in its hosts, has a diverse and extensive host range among plant species worldwide. Previous work has shown that water stress enhances leaf scorch symptom severity and progression along the stem in Parthenocissus quinquefolia infected by X. fastidiosa. The objective here was to investigate the mechanisms underlying the interaction of water stress and infection by X. fastidiosa. Using the eastern deciduous forest vine, P. quinquefolia, infection and water availability were manipulated while measuring leaf water potentials (psi(L)), stomatal conductance (g(s)), whole shoot hydraulic conductance (K(h)), per cent xylem embolism, and xylem vessel dimensions. No significant differences in any of the physiological measurements were found between control and infected plants prior to drought. Drought treatment significantly reduced psi(L) and g(s) at all leaf positions throughout the day in late summer in both years of the study. In addition, infection significantly reduced psi(L) and g(s) in the most basal leaf positions in late summer in both years. Whole shoot hydraulic conductance was reduced by both low water and infection treatments. However, per cent embolized vessels and mean vessel diameter were affected by drought treatment only. These results imply that the major effect of infection by X. fastidiosa occurs due to reduced hydraulic conductance caused by clogging of the vessels, and not increased cavitation and embolism of xylem elements. The reduced K(h) caused by X. fastidiosa infection acts additively with the water limitation imposed by Drought stress.     

Engineering of lipase-catalyzed transesterification reaction media using water and diethylamine

The objective of presented study was to maximize yields of 2-methylbutyl esters, derived by transesterification reactions mediated by sn-1,3-specific lipases, through engineering of reaction medium. Effects of water and diethylamine (DEA) concentrations on the efficiency of plant oils 2-methylbutanolysis, catalyzed by either mycelium-bound Mucor circinelloides lipase (powder) or commercial immobilized lipase Lipozyme TL IM, were determined. Water content monitoring in reaction mixtures enabled to optimize the initial water content in terms of preventing the dehydration of enzyme’s microenvironment and increasing 2-methylbutyl esters yields. These yields were found to be increased by addition of either suitable amounts of water (0.5–1.5%) or diethylamine (10–30?mM) to the mixture of substrates. The presented results suggest that at low concentrations, diethylamine molecules contribute to retaining water in the microenvironment of enzyme that gives rise to increased transesterification yields and significantly reduced amounts of residual mono- and 1,2-diacyl-glycerols.