Development of bacterial community during spontaneous succession on spoil heaps after brown coal mining

Changes in the abundance of bacteria and fungi and in the composition of bacterial communities during primary succession were investigated in a brown coal mine deposit area near Sokolov, the Czech Republic, using phospholipid fatty acids analysis, microarray and 16S rRNA gene sequencing. The study considered a chronosequence of sites undergoing spontaneous succession: 6-, 12-, 21- and 45-year-old and a 21-year-old site revegetated with Alnus glutinosa. During succession, organic carbon and the total nitrogen content increased while the pH and the C/N ratio decreased. Microbial biomass and bacterial diversity increased until 21 years and decreased later; bacteria dominated over fungi in the initial and late phases of succession. Bacterial community composition of the 6-year-old site with no vegetation cover largely differed from the older sites, especially by a higher content of Gammaproteobacteria, Cyanobacteria and some Alphaproteobacteria. Bacteria belonging to the genera Acidithiobacillus, Thiobacillus and related taxa, the CO(2) and N(2) fixers, dominated the community at this site. In the later phases, bacterial community development seemed to reflect more the changes in soil nutrient content and pH than vegetation with a decrease of Actinobacteria and an increase of Acidobacteria. The site revegetated with A. glutinosa resembled the 45-year-old primary succession site and exhibited an even lower pH and C/N ratio, indicating that recultivation is able to accelerate soil development.     

An application of the plant functional group concept to restoration practice on coal mine spoil heaps

The history of coal mining in South Poland has left a legacy of many spoil heaps across the landscape. These have presented the opportunity to study their colonisation and spontaneous successional sequences over a long time period. We use the plant functional group (PFG) approach to characterize and compare species diversity on spoil heaps of different ages by utilising the ecological characteristics (PFG categories) of the species recorded during the course of spontaneous vegetation development. By changing species frequency into functional group frequency it was possible to find the significant differences in the functional composition of the studied vegetation and to analyze the dataset using non-parametric statistics. There was a small increase in the number of species over time, while the frequency of geophytes, nanophanerophytes and megaphanerophytes increased significantly. A significant increase was also recorded for the frequency of competitors, stress-tolerators and stress-tolerant competitors and for native species. We found that the significant differences in species composition measured as PFG diversity occurred between the youngest and the oldest age classes. The PFG approach provided valuable insights into the nature of the species composition of the developing vegetation on hard-coal mine spoil heaps. We suggest that it could be usefully applied in restoration practice in the future by facilitating the natural colonization of native species adapted to local conditions and thus retaining the local gene pool in these areas.     

Associations of dominant plant species with arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi during vegetation development on coal mine spoil banks

Among plants colonizing mine spoil banks in Northern Bohemia the first colonizers, mainly ruderal annuals fromChenopodiaceae andBrassicaceae were found not to be associated with arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF). These species cultivated in pots with soil from four sites in different succession stages of the spoil bank did not respond to the presence of native or non-native AMF. All grass species studied (Elytrigia repens, Calamagrostis epigejos andArrhenatherum elatius) were found moderately colonized in the field and they seemed to be facultative mycotrophs, because their response to mycorrhiza in the experiment was negligible.Carduus acanthoides was found to be highly colonized in the field, however, it did not show growth response to AMF in the pot experiment. The AMF native in four sites on the spoil banks showed high infectivity but low effectiveness in association with colonizing plants compared to the non-native isolateG. fistulosum BEG23. In general, dependence on AMF in the cultivation experiment was rather low, regardless of the fact that plants were found to be associated with AMF either in the field or in pots. Occurrence and effectiveness of mycorrhizal associations might relate primarily to the mycotrophic status of each plant species rather than to the age of the spoil bank sites studied.     

Ground beetle communities on reclaimed mine spoil: Effects of organic matter application and revegetation

On a study site in the Lusatian lignite mining region (Germany), sandy mine spoil was ameliorated with either sewage sludge, compost or mineral fertilizer. Plots were sown with the grass Secale multicaule and planted with pine seedlings except for a control that was not meliorated and not revegetated. Pitfall catches of ground beetles in 1996/97 yielded high numbers of species and individuals directly after revegetation. The dominant beetles were xerophilic species, known to prefer open sandy sites. Catches in different plots were positively correlated with the amount of vegetation cover and declined as follows: amelioration with sewage sludge > compost > mineral fertilizer > untreated control. Even beetles characteristic of open sandy sites showed a distinct preference for plots with high vegetation cover treated with organic waste. For the dominant species, an attraction to shelter and a more balanced, humid microclimate is assumed. A year-to-year comparison showed an increase in beetles typical of dry grasslands and ruderal sites in the second year, while characteristic species of open sandy sites decreased. Application of organic waste combined with revegetation led to an immediate increase in beetle numbers. In the long term, revegetation would be expected to reduce suitable habitats for endangered ground beetles which prefer open sites with poor sandy soils. This revised version was published online in June 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date. This revised version was published online in June 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date. This revised version was published online in June 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

Vegetation establishment on chalk marl spoil: the role of nurse grass species and fertiliser application

Abstract. The Channel Tunnel workings on the UK side have yielded nearly 4 million m³ of chalk-marl spoil which now forms a 36 ha landscaped reclamation platform. To establish vegetation of amenity and conservation interest on the spoil, seed mixtures of native wild flowers and grasses were sown with Lolium perenne (perennial rye grass) as a nurse species. Potentially, L. perenne is a suitable nurse species for grassland creation on infertile substrates as it provides rapid initial cover and stability, but it is non-persistent and declines in vigour with time, allowing wild flower species sown alongside to expand their cover and spread in the longer term. On very low fertility substrates like chalk marl, an initial application of fertilizer is needed to encourage plant growth. Results are reported of a fertilizer experiment on Channel Tunnel spoil to determine appropriate levels of fertilizer for establishment of species-rich grassland vegetation. An area hydroseeded with L. perenne and wild flowers in autumn 1992 was subjected to factorial treatment of four levels each of N and P in spring 1993. The results the following summer showed significant positive effects of nitrogen and phosphorus on L. perenne biomass and a negative impact of nitrogen on densities of wild flower species, especially legumes, establishing in the L. perenne sward. In general, low fertilizer applications encouraged low productivity and maximal species richness in the vegetation. Conversely high applications encouraged high productivity and competitive exclusion of sown wild flower species. Fertilizer applications must therefore balance encouragement of the stabilising nurse grass sward, while preventing competitive exclusion of wild flowers by the nurse grass.     

Validity of the indicator organism paradigm for pathogen reduction in reclaimed water and public health protection

The validity of using indicator organisms (total and fecal coliforms, enterococci, Clostridium perfringens, and F-specific coliphages) to predict the presence or absence of pathogens (infectious enteric viruses, Cryptosporidium, and Giardia) was tested at six wastewater reclamation facilities. Multiple samplings conducted at each facility over a 1-year period. Larger sample volumes for indicators (0.2 to 0.4 liters) and pathogens (30 to 100 liters) resulted in more sensitive detection limits than are typical of routine monitoring. Microorganisms were detected in disinfected effluent samples at the following frequencies: total coliforms, 63%; fecal coliforms, 27%; enterococci, 27%; C. perfringens, 61%; F-specific coliphages, approximately 40%; and enteric viruses, 31%. Cryptosporidium oocysts and Giardia cysts were detected in 70% and 80%, respectively, of reclaimed water samples. Viable Cryptosporidium, based on cell culture infectivity assays, was detected in 20% of the reclaimed water samples. No strong correlation was found for any indicator-pathogen combination. When data for all indicators were tested using discriminant analysis, the presence/absence patterns for Giardia cysts, Cryptosporidium oocysts, infectious Cryptosporidium, and infectious enteric viruses were predicted for over 71% of disinfected effluents. The failure of measurements of single indicator organism to correlate with pathogens suggests that public health is not adequately protected by simple monitoring schemes based on detection of a single indicator, particularly at the detection limits routinely employed. Monitoring a suite of indicator organisms in reclaimed effluent is more likely to be predictive of the presence of certain pathogens, and a need for additional pathogen monitoring in reclaimed water in order to protect public health is suggested by this study.     

Evidence that the acute unmasking of GDP-binding sites in brown adipose tissue mitochondria is not dependent on mitochondrial swelling

The role of mitochondrial swelling in the unmasking of GDP-binding sites on brown adipose tissue mitochondria has been examined in mice. Acute cold exposure (6 degrees C for 1 h) led to increases in GDP binding without changes in the concentration of uncoupling protein, indicating that an unmasking of binding sites had occurred. Measurements of mitochondrial matrix volume suggested that an acute unmasking of GDP-binding sites took place without swelling of the mitochondria. In addition, the induction of a rapid preswelling of the mitochondria by incubation in KCl in the presence of valinomycin did not affect the cold-induced unmasking of GDP-binding sites. It is concluded that the acute unmasking of GDP-binding sites on uncoupling protein in brown adipose tissue is not due simply to mitochondrial swelling.     

Responses of alfalfa and Barley to foliar application of N and P on a coal mine spoil

Summary To ensure adequate growth of plants on the highly impoverished and erodable surface mined lands, the application of N and P fertilizers by suitable methods is essential. In the present study, five growth chamber experiments were conducted to evaluate the relative efficacy of foliar and spoil application of N and P using alfalfa (Medicago sativa L. var. Erand) and barley (Hordeum vulgare L. var. Manker) as test crops on a freshly exposed coal mine spoil collected from western North Dakota. In general, barley responded to both N and P, but alfalfa mainly to P. Growth responses of barley to foliar or spoil-applied N+P were substantial and similar in magnitude. However, the yields were much higher when the plants received 3–4 sprays of 1.5–2.2% urea, with P supplied through the spoil. Increasing the number of 2.2% urea sprays from 1 to 3 increased the growth response from 40 to 243%. In another study, increasing the concentration of foliar-applied urea from 0 through 1% resulted in further increases in the dry weights of barley at all the levels of spoil-applied (0, 25, 75, 225 g/g) N.Foliar sprays of 0.5–1.0% NaH₂PO₄ increased the dry weights of alfalfa and barley by an average of 366% and 86%, respectively. However, the yield response of alfalfa to spoil-applied P (100 g/g) was as high as 782% compared to only 117% for barley. Alfalfa responded significantly to increasing concentrations of H₃PO₄ (0–0.3%) in foliar sprays only in the absence of spoil-applied P. With increasing rates of spoil-applied P, alfalfa yields increased steadily, but additional supply of P sprays caused leaf burning which intensified as the P concentration in sprays increased.The results of chemical analyses indicated that foliar applications were more effective than soil applications in increasing the concentration of N or P in the plants. Moreover, urea sprays increased the uptake of K, Zn, and Fe in barley, whereas spraying alfalfa with P compounds caused increases in its K and Fe content and decreases in those of Zn and Na. The results of these experiments indicated that the nutritional requirements of plants grown on coal mine spoils can be met through foliar fertilization as effectively as, or better than, through conventional soil fertilization methods.Presented at the Annual Meeting, American Society of Agronomy, Chicago, Illinois, Dec. 3–8, 1978.     

Vegetation succession on reclaimed coal wastes in Spain: the influence of soil and environmental factors

Question: How is vegetation succession on coal mine wastes under a Mediterranean climate affected by the restoration method used (topsoil addition or not)? How are plant successional processes influenced by local landscape and soil factors? Location: Reclaimed coal mines in the north of Palencia province, northern Spain (42°47′‐42°50′ N, 4°32′‐4°53′ W). Methods: In Jun–Jul 2008, vascular plant species cover was monitored in 31 coal mines. The mines, which had been restored using two restoration methods (topsoil addition or not), comprised a chronosequence of different ages from 1 to 40 yr since restoration started. Soil and environmental factors at each mine were monitored and related to species cover using a combination of ordination methods and Huisman–Olff–Fresco modeling. Results: Plant succession was affected by restoration method . Where topsoil was added, succession was influenced by age since restoration and soil pH. Where no topsoil was added, soil factors seem to arrest succession. Vegetation composition on topsoiled sites showed a gradient with age, from the youngest, with early colonizing species, to oldest, with an increase in woody species. Vegetation on non‐topsoiled sites comprised mainly early‐successional species. Response to age and pH of 37 species found on topsoiled mines is described. Conclusions: Restoration of coal mines under this Mediterranean climate can be relatively fast if topsoil is added, with a native shrub community developing after 15 yr. However, if topsoil is not used, it takes more than 40 yr. For topsoiled mines, the species found in the different successional stages were identified, and their tolerance to soil pH was derived. This information will assist future restoration projects in the area.     

Quantitative method for identifying networks of minimum priority sites for protection of rare and endangered plant species in Guangdong,China

The approaches to enlarge the protected areas are deeply embedded in the conservation planning.In practice,however,even in some sites of top conservation priority,there exist problems of inefficient conservation for lack of funding,to say nothing of assisting all species under threat from the viewpoint of conservationists.Identifying priority sites for conservation and establishing networks of minimum priority sites (NOMPS) are helpful for promoting the transition from number and size oriented,to quality and effectiveness oriented practices of biological conservation,and for realizing the target of biodiversity conservation with the most benefits for the least costs.Based on heuristic algorithm and integer linear programming (ILP),we propose a refined method of heuristic integer linear programming (HILP) for quantitative identification of the NOMPS to protect rare and endangered plant species (REPS) in Guangdong Province,China.The results indicate that there are 19 priority sites which are essential for protecting all of the 107 REPS distributed in 83 sites in Guangdong.These should be the paramount targets of financing and management.Compared with the ILP,which uses minimum number of sites as the only constraint,HILP takes into consideration of the effect of species richness,and is thus more suitable for conservation practices though with a little more number of priority sites selected.It is suggested that ILP and HILP are both effective quantitative methods for identifying NOMPS and can yield important information for decision making,especially when economic factors are constraints for biological conservation.     

Quantitative method for identifying networks of minimum priority sites for protection of rare and endangered plant species in Guangdong, China

The approaches to enlarge the protected areas are deeply embedded in the conservation planning. In practice, however, even in some sites of top conservation priority, there exist problems of inefficient conservation for lack of funding, to say nothing of assisting all species under threat from the viewpoint of conservationists. Identifying priority sites for conservation and establishing networks of minimum priority sites (NOMPS) are helpful for promoting the transition from number and size oriented, to quality and effectiveness oriented practices of biological conservation, and for realizing the target of biodiversity conservation with the most benefits for the least costs. Based on heuristic algorithm and integer linear programming (ILP), we propose a refined method of heuristic integer linear programming (HILP) for quantitative identification of the NOMPS to protect rare and endangered plant species (REPS) in Guangdong Province, China. The results indicate that there are 19 priority sites which are essential for protecting all of the 107 REPS distributed in 83 sites in Guangdong. These should be the paramount targets of financing and management. Compared with the ILP, which uses minimum number of sites as the only constraint, HILP takes into consideration of the effect of species richness, and is thus more suitable for conservation practices though with a little more number of priority sites selected. It is suggested that ILP and HILP are both effective quantitative methods for identifying NOMPS and can yield important information for decision making, especially when economic factors are constraints for biological conservation.     

Rare plant species of Tunkinskii National Park: New sites, state of the art and prospects of protection

The list of rare plants conserved in the Tunkinskii National Park includes 44 species. Exact locations and brief characteristisc of habitats are presented for these species. The sites of rare species have been compared with the existing functional zones of the park. The protection of rare plants is quite effective.     

A disaccharide repeat unit is the major structure in fucoidans from two species of brown algae

The predominant repeating structure of a fraction of the fucoidan from Ascophyllum nodosum prepared by acid hydrolysis and centrifugal partition chromatography (LMWF) was established as: [-->3)-alpha-L-Fuc(2SO3-)-(1-->4)-alpha-L-Fuc(2,3diSO3-)-(1]n by NMR spectroscopy and methylation analysis. The proton and carbon NMR spectra of this unit have been assigned and found to correspond with features in the spectra of the whole purified fucan from A. nodosum which account for most of the integrated intensity. The same structure has also been recognised in the fucoidan of Fucus vesiculosus. The fraction LMWF has in vitro anticoagulant activity, indicating that the above structure may be partly responsible for biological activity in the native fucoidan.     

Indicator species for avian biodiversity hotspots: Combination of specialists and generalists is necessary in less natural environments

In this work, I tested the premise that the distribution of a group of few common bird species can be used to predict bird species hotspots in Central Italy. The data on bird observations were collected on 530 sampled sites (150 in cultivated, 150 in forest, 150 in grassland and 80 in urban and peri-urban environments). In each environment, sampled sites with values of bird species richness in the upper than third quartile were classified as high species richness spots (HSRS), while sites with lower bird species richness were classified as non-HSRS (binary classification system).Generalized Linear Models (GLM) were applied using HSRS or non-HSRS as binomial response variable and bird species occurrence was used as the predictor variable. All selected models showed “fair” or “good” capacities to predict the avian hotspots, using only few common birds (4–6) species. However, bird species selected as predictors were different on each environment. In more natural environments (grassland, forest), specialist species were selected, while in most disturbed environments (cultivated and urban) both generalist and specialist species were selected. The results are in agreement with other studies which show how homogenization of bird communities is strongly correlated to landscape disturbance. The findings supports the hypothesis that indicators have to incorporate both specialists and generalist’s species simultaneously. Furthermore, the groups of birds selected as surrogates are easy to detect and this makes it possible to involve citizen-science programmes in obtain data. This approach can be a cheap and efficient and can help to significantly speed up the process of assessing ecosystems that might be under threat.     

Understudied regions and messy taxonomy: Geography,not taxonomy,is the best predictor for genetic divergence of the Poecilimon bosphoricus species group

The complex and dynamic history of the Anatolian Peninsula during the Pleistocene set the stage for species diversification. However, the evolutionary history of biodiversity in the region is shrouded by the challenges of studying species divergence in the recent, dynamic past. Here, we study the Poecilimon bosphoricus (PB) species group to understand how the bush crickets' diversification and the regions' complex history are coupled. Specifically, using sequences of two mitochondrial and two nuclear gene segments from over 500 individuals for a comprehensive set of taxa with extensive geographic sampling, we infer the phylogenetic and geographic setting of species divergence. In addition, we use the molecular data to examine hypothesized species boundaries that were defined morphologically. Our analyses of the timing of divergence confirm the recent origin of the PB complex, indicating its diversification coincided with the dynamic geology and climate of the Pleistocene. Moreover, the geography of divergence suggests a history of fragmentation followed by admixture of populations, suggestive of a ring species. However, the evolutionary history based on genetic divergence conflicts with morphologically defined species boundaries raising the prospects that incipient species divergences may be relatively ephemeral. As such, the morphological differences observed in the PB complex may not to be sufficient to have prevented homogenizing gene flow in the past. Alternatively, with the recent origin of the complex, the lack of time for lineage sorting may underlie the discord between morphological species boundaries and genetic differentiation. Under either hypothesis, geography—not taxonomy—is the best predictor of genetic divergence.     

基于资源与环境保护的煤炭开发功能区划

以往的煤炭开发规划,均未充分考虑发展循环经济和加强生态保护等因素,不利于统筹安排区域层次上的环境保护工作.本文在综合分析区域生态状况、区位条件和经济发展水平等因素的基础上,以资源和环境保护为出发点,将全国的煤炭资源富集区划分为重点开发区、适度开发区和限制开发区3种功能区.结合自然地理条件和生态特征,进一步划分为黄土高原丘陵沟壑区、平原矿粮复合区、云贵山地丘陵区、西北荒漠草原区和蒙东森林草原、草甸草原区等5种典型类型区,针对不同的分区,分别提出了相应的环境保护对策.     

Unmasking of GDP binding sites on hamster brown adipose tissue mitochondria and uncoupling protein.

1. A rapid unmasking of GDP binding sites on brown adipose tissue (BAT) mitochondria was observed when hamsters acclimatized to 28 degrees C were exposed to a temperature of 4 degrees C for 2 hr. 2. No rapid unmasking of GDP binding sites was observed when hamsters housed at 22 degrees C were briefly exposed to 4 degrees C. 3. The amount of GDP bound to BAT mitochondria from hamsters increased during 2 weeks of exposure to 4 degrees C, but did not change between 2 weeks and 30 days of cold exposure. 4. Incubation of mitochondria with 10 mM Mg2+ prior to the GDP binding assay increased the subsequent GDP binding to BAT mitochondria from hamsters housed at 28, 22 or 4 degrees C, albeit to different degrees. 5. The amount of GDP bound to uncoupling proteins isolated from untreated and Mg(2+)-treated mitochondria of hamsters and rats was measured. Scatchard analyses of the binding of GDP to purified uncoupling protein indicate that increases in the number of binding sites due to Mg2+ treatment of mitochondria do not change the affinity of the protein for GDP.     

Comparison between two species of Eretmocerus (Hymenoptera: Aphelinidae): Reproductive performance is one explanation for more effective control in the field

After the invasion of Australia by the Bemisia tabaci species Middle East-Asia Minor 1 (MEAM1, commonly known as the B biotype), the native parasitoid Eretmocerus mundus (Australian parthenogenetic form) was found to be an ineffective control agent. Eretmocerus hayati was therefore introduced and has substantially improved the level of control. A laboratory study was under taken to determine whether superior life history traits were one explanation for the better performance of E. hayati. We compared adult longevity, daily fecundity and proportion of female progeny of both mated and unmated females. We also compared the traits across females that were either treated with or without the antibiotic rifampicin, an antibiotic that had already been shown to deplete Wolbachia and enable E. mundus to produce males. We found that E. hayati adults survived longer and produced more progeny than E. mundus. Unmated E. hayati females produced only males. Rifampcin had no effect on any of the traits for E. hayati. In contrast, without rifampicin E. mundus females produced mostly female progeny whereas treated females produced mostly males. Recent studies suggest that E. hayati co-evolved with MEAM1, whereas the E. mundus in Australia co-evolved with the entirely distinct Asia members of the complex. This suggests that the underlying evolutionary relationships within the B. tabaci complex may be an important consideration when selecting agents for biological control.