Effects of urban and non-urban land cover on nitrogen and phosphorus runoff to Chesapeake Bay

The aim of this study was to determine the effects of catchment and riparian stream buffer-wide urban and non-urban land cover/land use (LC/LU) on total nitrogen (TN) and total phosphorus (TP) runoff to the Chesapeake Bay. The effects of the composition and configuration of LC/LU patches were explored in particular. A hybrid-statistical-process model, the SPAtially Referenced Regression On Watershed attributes (SPARROW), was calibrated with year 1997 watershed-wide, average annual TN and TP discharges to Chesapeake Bay. Two variables were predicted: (1) yield per unit watershed area and (2) mass delivered to the upper estuary. The 166,534 km² watershed was divided into 2339 catchments averaging 71 km². LC/LU was described using 16 classes applied to both the catchments and also to riparian stream buffers alone. Seven distinct landscape metrics were evaluated. In all, 167 (TN) and 168 (TP) LC/LU class metric combinations were tested in each model calibration run. Runs were made with LC/LU in six fixed riparian buffer widths (31, 62, 125, 250, 500, and 1000 meters (m)) and entire catchments. The significance of the non-point source type (land cover, manure and fertilizer application, and atmospheric deposition) and factors affecting land-to-water delivery (physiographic province and natural or artificial land surfaces) was assessed. The model with a 31 m riparian stream buffer width accounted for the highest variance of mean annual TN (r² = 0.9366) and TP (r² = 0.7503) yield (mass for a specified time normalized by drainage area). TN and TP loadings (mass for a specified time) entering the Chesapeake Bay were estimated to be 1.449 × 10⁸ and 5.367 × 10⁶ kg/yr, respectively. Five of the 167 TN and three of the 168 TP landscape metrics were shown to be significant (p-value ≤ 0.05) either for non-point sources or land-to-water delivery variables. This is the first demonstration of the significance of riparian LC/LU and landscape metrics on water quality simulation in a watershed as large as the Chesapeake Bay. Land cover metrics can therefore be expected to improve the precision of estimated TN and TP annual loadings to the Chesapeake Bay and may also suggest changes in land management that may be beneficial in control of nutrient runoff to the Chesapeake Bay and similar watersheds elsewhere.     

Hydrological Response to Land Cover Changes and Human Activities in Arid Regions Using a Geographic Information System and Remote Sensing

The hydrological response to land cover changes induced by human activities in arid regions has attracted increased research interest in recent decades. The study reported herein assessed the spatial and quantitative changes in surface runoff resulting from land cover change in the Al-Baha region of Saudi Arabia between 1990 and 2000 using an ArcGIS-surface runoff model and predicted land cover and surface runoff depth in 2030 using Markov chain analysis. Land cover maps for 1990 and 2000 were derived from satellite images using ArcGIS 10.1. The findings reveal a 26% decrease in forest and shrubland area, 28% increase in irrigated cropland, 1.5% increase in sparsely vegetated land and 0.5% increase in bare soil between 1990 and 2000. Overall, land cover changes resulted in a significant decrease in runoff depth values in most of the region. The decrease in surface runoff depth ranged from 25-106 mm/year in a 7020-km² area, whereas the increase in such depth reached only 10 mm/year in a 243-km² area. A maximum increase of 73 mm/year was seen in a limited area. The surface runoff depth decreased to the greatest extent in the central region of the study area due to the huge transition in land cover classes associated with the construction of 25 rainwater harvesting dams. The land cover prediction revealed a greater than twofold increase in irrigated cropland during the 2000-2030 period, whereas forest and shrubland are anticipated to occupy just 225 km² of land area by 2030, a significant decrease from the 747 km² they occupied in 2000. Overall, changes in land cover are predicted to result in an annual increase in irrigated cropland and dramatic decline in forest area in the study area over the next few decades. The increase in surface runoff depth is likely to have significant implications for irrigation activities.     

Predictability of Vibrio cholerae in Chesapeake Bay

Vibrio cholerae is autochthonous to natural waters and can pose a health risk when it is consumed via untreated water or contaminated shellfish. The correlation between the occurrence of V. cholerae in Chesapeake Bay and environmental factors was investigated over a 3-year period. Water and plankton samples were collected monthly from five shore sampling sites in northern Chesapeake Bay (January 1998 to February 2000) and from research cruise stations on a north-south transect (summers of 1999 and 2000). Enrichment was used to detect culturable V. cholerae, and 21.1% (n = 427) of the samples were positive. As determined by serology tests, the isolates, did not belong to serogroup O1 or O139 associated with cholera epidemics. A direct fluorescent-antibody assay was used to detect V. cholerae O1, and 23.8% (n = 412) of the samples were positive. V. cholerae was more frequently detected during the warmer months and in northern Chesapeake Bay, where the salinity is lower. Statistical models successfully predicted the presence of V. cholerae as a function of water temperature and salinity. Temperatures above 19°C and salinities between 2 and 14 ppt yielded at least a fourfold increase in the number of detectable V. cholerae. The results suggest that salinity variation in Chesapeake Bay or other parameters associated with Susquehanna River inflow contribute to the variability in the occurrence of V. cholerae and that salinity is a useful indicator. Under scenarios of global climate change, increased climate variability, accompanied by higher stream flow rates and warmer temperatures, could favor conditions that increase the occurrence of V. cholerae in Chesapeake Bay.     

Investigating Changes in Land Use Cover and Associated Environmental Parameters in Taihu Lake in Recent Decades Using Remote Sensing and Geochemistry

Humans have had a significant impact on the terrestrial pedosphere through activities such as agriculture and urbanization. The effects of human activities on land use and the related environmental changes were investigated through point and areal studies surrounding Meiliang Bay, which is an open area of extreme eutrophication in Taihu Lake, China. This study used remote sensing and environmental-tracer profiles [total nitrogen (TN), total phosphorus (TP), total organic carbon (TOC), grain size, and geochemical parameters] to determine the causes of changes in land use and the associated environmental parameters. The results of LUCCs (Land use/cover changes) indicate that over the past three decades, total farmland decreased by 862.49 km², with an annual decrement rate of 28.75 km²/year, and total urbanized land increased by 859.71 km², with an annual growth rate of 28.66 km²/year. The geochemical results indicate that the trophic state of Taihu Lake was persistently intensifying and that the TN, TP, and TOC concentrations increased twofold, threefold, and twofold, respectively, from 1949 to 2010. The sources of TN, TP, and TOC were highly similar after 1975. However, before 1974, TN and TP originated from different sources than TOC. The grassland and woodland around the lake retain nutrients and sand from the land of study area. The increase in urbanized land and tertiary industries significantly increased the sediment concentrations of TN, TP, and TOC after 1980.     

三峡水库香溪河库湾底泥中总氮、总磷含量的时空分布

2004年10月-2006年7月,对三峡水库香溪河库湾底泥中总氮(TN)、总磷(TP)含量的时空分布特征及其影响因素进行了分析.结果表明：香溪河库湾底泥中TN、TP含量均表现为“中间高,两头低”的空间分布规律,其中,TN含量最高值为1.08 mg·g^-1,出现在库湾中部区域,最低值为0.89 mg·g^-1,出现在河口附近区域;TP含量最高值为1.07 mg·g^-1,最低值为0.80 mg·g^-1,分别出现在库湾中部和库尾.TN含量按秋季、冬季、春季的顺序依次降低,从春季到夏季则大幅上升,夏季达最高值;TP含量的季节波动较小,以春季最高.研究区底泥中TN、TP含量的年际差异均达显著水平.香溪河库湾底泥中总氮、总磷含量的空间分布主要受水体中悬浮物质沉积率的影响,沉积率较高区域的TN、TP含量较高;TN含量的季节波动主要受上游来水量季节变化的影响,而TP含量 的季节变化主要源于点源污染.     

Changes of soil organic carbon,nitrogen and phosphorus concentrations under different land uses in marshes of Sanjiang Plain

Wetlands provide a large pool of organic matter and nutrients, and are important for maintaining material cycle balances in terrestrial ecosystems, and also help retard climate change. Land use changes in wetlands have greatly disturbed the natural evolution of wetland ecosystems. Wetland drainage and reclamation alters the physical, chemical and biological conditions of the wetland, thus significantly disturbing the material cycles, leading to significant changes in the biogeochemical processes of carbon, nitrogen and phosphorus in the wetland. The wetlands in the Sanjiang Plain are the largest area of fresh wetlands in China. However, the area has experienced major land uses changes since the 1950s; areas of the wetland have been drained and converted to arable land. Some studies have been conducted into the effects of land use change on material cycles in the Sanjiang Plain wetlands but few reports have discussed the C/N and C/P ratios and pH values as indicators of wetland degradation due to land use changes. We selected eight land uses: humus marsh (HM), marshy meadow (MM), drained humus marsh (DHM), drained marshy meadow (DMM), tillage land (TL), abandoned land (AL), natural secondary forest (NSF) and artificial forest (AF), in the Honghe area of the Sanjiang Plain. We studied changes in the total organic carbon (TOC), total nitrogen (TN), total phosphorus (TP), C/N and C/P ratios and pH values in topsoil (0–20 cm) of these eight different land uses. The possible mechanisms underlying the changes, and the significance of the C/N and C/P ratios as indicators of soil quality were also discussed. In the natural wetland, the TOC, TN and TP concentrations in the soil were high, with values of 203.5 g/kg, 20.2 g/kg and 1.44 g/kg, respectively, in HM; and 59.2 g/kg, 5.28 g/kg and 0.83 g/kg, respectively, in MM. Drainage of the HM has led to decreases in the TOC, TN and TP concentrations of about 50%. Significant decreases were also observed in TOC, TN and TP for NSF and AF compared to HM. Drained MM led to decreases in the TOC and TN of about 45%, but had little effect on TP. Marshy meadow that had been drained for more than 10 years experienced an exponential decline in TOC, TN and TP, with decreases of more than 60% for TOC and TN, and 20% for TP. However, after being abandoned for a short time (5 years), the TOC, TN and TP concentrations in soil experienced little change because poor water conditions combined with low productivity led to a large loss of soil organic matter. Land use change in the marsh areas has led to a decrease in C/N and C/P ratios of the soil, which are positively related to TOC and TN with different land uses (P < 0.05). Marsh reclamation has led to decreasing C/N and C/P ratios in soil and increasing pH values, which are negatively related to TOC, TN and TP (P < 0.05). Changes in carbon, nitrogen and phosphorus in soil with different land uses were mainly regulated by water-heat conditions and microbial activity, while the C/N and C/P ratios were mainly regulated by substrate availability. Our results suggest that C/N and C/P ratios and the pH value could be used as indicators to evaluate the quality and nutrient status of wetland soil under different land uses.     

On the importance of quantifying bioavailable nitrogen instead of total nitrogen

Monitored and modeled data provided the basis for the establishment of two nitrogen (N) budgets covering the Kattegat-Belt Sea area in the period 2000–2009: one for total nitrogen (TN) and one for bioavailable nitrogen (N_bio). Our results show a significant difference between the two budgets, and we argue that N_bio is more important than TN for our understanding of the sources causing marine eutrophication. Consequently, an optimal strategy for abatement of eutrophication aims at minimizing N_bio rather than TN. The TN budget shows that advection from the adjacent seas is the dominant source of N to the Kattegat-Belt Sea area. The loadings from land and atmosphere only account for 14 and 9 % of the TN loadings, respectively. However, when the bioavailability of the different N sources is taken into account, the supply from land and atmosphere becomes relatively more important, now accounting for 21 and 16 %, respectively (37 % in total). The ecological relevance of land and atmosphere loadings is most likely even larger since a fraction of the input from the Skagerrak is exported again before it can support primary production. Water action plans have reduced the direct loadings of TN from land and atmosphere by about 35 % since the 1980s. The contributions from land and atmosphere accounted for 47 % of the N_bio loadings in the 1980s. Hence, loadings from land and atmosphere have only decreased by 10 % points since the 1980s: from 47 to 37 %. The largest sink of TN in the study areas is advection to the adjacent seas (71 %) whereas denitrification and burial only accounts for 17 and 11 %, respectively.     

气候与土地利用变化下宁夏清水河流域径流模拟

气候和土地利用变化是影响水资源变化最直接的因素。应用SWAT模型对干旱半干旱区小流域宁夏清水河流域径流进行多情景模拟预测,以历史气候要素变化趋势和CA-Markov模型分别设置未来气候和土地利用变化情景,以决定系数R2和Nash-Sutcliffe模型效率系数Ens(Nash-Sutcliffe efficiency coefficient)来衡量模拟值与实测值之间的拟合度,并评价模型在清水河流域的适用性。结果表明,韩府湾站在校准期和验证期的R~2分别为0.80和0.71,Ens分别为0.77和0.69,泉眼山站在校准期和验证期的R2分别为0.66和0.63,Ens分别为0.62和0.56,表明构建的SWAT模型可以用于清水河流域的径流模拟。对未来气候和土地利用变化情景下径流的模拟结果显示,径流变化主要由降水变化主导,降水减少和气温升高的综合作用对流域径流变化影响最为显著;由于耕地和建设用地的增加,未来3种土地利用情景下流域径流量将均会呈现明显增加变化。与2010年相比,到2020年,自然增长情景流域径流将增加17.04%,林地保护情景径流将增加14.44%,规划情景径流将增加13.98%;综合降水、气温和土地利用的结合变化情景显示,未来流域径流将会有不同程度的下降,规划情景和气候变化的结合情景的径流下降最为明显,而有意增大林地和加强生态保护的林地保护情景对减缓流域径流下降具有一定作用。在气候变化的大背景下,根据水资源利用管理目标,可通过调整流域管理措施,特别是土地利用变化和改善区域小气候来减缓气候变化对流域水资源的负面效果,以此来改善流域径流和生态环境状况。     

Uncertainty in Model Predictions of Vibrio vulnificus Response to Climate Variability and Change: A Chesapeake Bay Case Study

The effect that climate change and variability will have on waterborne bacteria is a topic of increasing concern for coastal ecosystems, including the Chesapeake Bay. Surface water temperature trends in the Bay indicate a warming pattern of roughly 0.3–0.4°C per decade over the past 30 years. It is unclear what impact future warming will have on pathogens currently found in the Bay, including Vibrio spp. Using historical environmental data, combined with three different statistical models of Vibrio vulnificus probability, we explore the relationship between environmental change and predicted Vibrio vulnificus presence in the upper Chesapeake Bay. We find that the predicted response of V. vulnificus probability to high temperatures in the Bay differs systematically between models of differing structure. As existing publicly available datasets are inadequate to determine which model structure is most appropriate, the impact of climatic change on the probability of V. vulnificus presence in the Chesapeake Bay remains uncertain. This result points to the challenge of characterizing climate sensitivity of ecological systems in which data are sparse and only statistical models of ecological sensitivity exist.     

三峡库区古夫河水质时空分异特征

以湖北省神农架林区和兴山县境内长江三峡库区香溪河支流古夫河为研究对象,于2010年8月-2011年7月在整条河流中选取20个采样点,进行样本采集,并测定溶解氧、碱度、硬度、电导率、总磷、总氮、化学需氧量、二氧化硅、总有机碳共9项水质指标,运用多元统计方法,分析水质的时空分异特征.依据研究区土地利用类型差异,将20个采样点分成4组,即森林(A组)、耕地(B组)、水库(C组)和村镇(D组);根据该区域的水文节律,将5-10月归为湿季,其余月份为干季.判别分析和方差分析结果表明,古夫河水质具有时空显著性差异:总磷、二氧化硅、电导率、化学需氧量、总硬度和总碱度等指标具有空间显著性差异;总氮、化学需氧量、溶解氧、二氧化硅和总有机碳与季节存在显著相关性,所测9项水质指标在不同空间类别上呈现出显著的季节变化.主成分分析表明,不同空间类别上的干湿季节引起水质变化的主导因子是不同的:A组中,湿季主要体现为二氧化硅和总有机碳,干季主要体现为总磷、二氧化硅、总有机碳和化学需氧量,该组水质主要受地表径流、地质成因和风化作用等自然因素的影响;B组中,湿季主要体现为硬度和总有机碳,干季主要体现为总磷、化学需氧量、总碱度和总硬度,该组除了受自然因素的影响,还受如农业径流、未处理的生活污水排放等人为因素影响;C组中,湿季主要体现为二氧化硅、总氮和总磷,干季主要体现为总氮、总有机碳和二氧化硅,该组主要受农业径流、地表径流以及未经处理的生活污水等的影响;D组中湿季主要体现为二氧化硅、总氮和总磷,干季主要体现为碱度、硬度、总氮和总有机碳,该组主要受村镇生活污水和农业径流等的影响.结果表明,古夫河水质受自然和人为因素影响而发生变化,其中受人为因素影响更大.因此,加强水资源的管理和保护,改善水质,做好水源地的长期水质监测显得尤为重要.     

基于流域水环境响应的城市建设用地面积阈值模拟

城市扩张影响流域水环境质量.从水环境响应出发,模拟预测流域范围内城市建设用地的扩张阈值,可为城市建设用地规划提供客观依据.本文选取完全城市化的筼筜湖流域、半城市化的马銮湾流域和城市化起步阶段的杏林湾流域作为对比研究对象,结合2009—2012年实测数据,运用区域污染物管理模型(ReNuMa),计算3个流域水体污染物总氮(TN)和总磷(TP)环境容量上限,确定流域内城市建设用地面积阈值,并预测城市景观格局演变产生的水环境效应.结果表明: 筼筜湖、马銮湾和杏林湾的TN年负荷上限值分别为12900、42800和43120 kg,TP年负荷上限值分别为340、420和450 kg;现实情境下,筼筜湖水体污染物环境容量尚未饱和,马銮湾与杏林湾的污染物年负荷均接近上限值,杏林湾的TN和TP年负荷存在明显的上升趋势;3个流域污染物年负荷均在模拟情境1下未超标、情境3下超标,情境2下,筼筜湖污染物年负荷均未超标,而马銮湾TN与TP年负荷均处于超标;筼筜湖、马銮湾和杏林湾流域的城市建设用地面积阈值分别为1320、5600和4750 hm²,并据此提出景观格局调整对策建议.     

Land cover change effects on soil chemical and biological properties after planting Mongolian pine (Pinus sylvestris var. mongolica) in sandy lands in Keerqin, northeastern China

We compared soil moisture content, pH, total organic carbon (C _org), total nitrogen (TN), total phosphorus (TP) and inorganic N (NH₄ ⁺–N, NO₃ ^?–N) concentrations, soil potential C and N mineralization rates, soil microbial biomass C (C _mic), soil metabolic quotient (qCO₂), soil microbial quotient (C _mic/C _org) and soil enzyme (urease and invertase) activities in semiarid sandy soils under three types of land cover: grassland, Mongolian pine (Pinus sylvestris var. mongolica) plantation, and elm (Ulmus punila)–grass savanna in southeastern Keerqin, in northeast China. Soil C _org, TN and TP concentrations (0–10, 10–20, 20–40 and 40–60 cm) were lower while soil C/N and C/P ratios were higher in the plantation than in grassland and savanna. The effects of land cover change on NH₄ ⁺–N and NO₃ ^?–N concentrations, soil potential nitrification and C mineralization rates in the surface soil (0–10 cm) were dependent on sampling season; but soil potential N mineralization rates were not affected by land cover type and sampling season. The effects of land cover change on C _mic and qCO₂ of surface soil were not significant; but C _mic/C _org were significantly affected by land cover change and sampling season. We also found that land cover change, sampling season and land cover type?×?sampling season interaction significantly influenced soil enzyme (urease and invertase) activities. Usually soil enzyme activities were lower in the pine plantations than in grassland and savanna. Our results suggest that land cover change markedly influenced soil chemical and biological properties in sandy soils in the semiarid region, and these effects vary with sampling season.     

Long-term nutrient trends and harmful cyanobacterial bloom potential in hypertrophic Lake Taihu,China

Rapid economic development in China’s Lake Taihu basin during the past four decades has accelerated nitrogen (N) and phosphorus (P) loadings to the lake. This has caused a shift from mesotrophic to hypertrophic conditions, symptomized by harmful cyanobacterial blooms (CyanoHABs). The relationships between phytoplankton biomass as chlorophyll a (Chla) and nutrients as total nitrogen (TN) and total phosphorus (TP) were analyzed using historical data from 1992 to 2012 to link the response of CyanoHAB potential to long-term nutrient changes. Over the twenty year study period, annual mean Chla showed significantly positive correlations with both annual mean TN and TP (P < 0.001), reflecting a strong phytoplankton biomass response to changes in nutrient inputs to the lake. However, phytoplankton biomass responded slowly to annual changes in TN after 2002. There was not a well-defined or significant relationship between spring TN and summertime Chla. The loss of a significant fraction of spring N loading due to denitrification likely weakened this relationship. Bioavailability of both N and P during the summer plays a key role in sustaining cyanobacterial blooms. The frequency of occurrence of bloom level Chla (>20 μg L^?1) was compared to TN and TP to determine nutrient-bloom thresholds. A decline in bloom risk is expected if TN remains below 1.0 mg L^?1 and TP below 0.08 mg L^?1.     

Metagenomic Characterization of Chesapeake Bay Virioplankton

Viruses are ubiquitous and abundant throughout the biosphere. In marine systems, virus-mediated processes can have significant impacts on microbial diversity and on global biogeocehmical cycling. However, viral genetic diversity remains poorly characterized. To address this shortcoming, a metagenomic library was constructed from Chesapeake Bay virioplankton. The resulting sequences constitute the largest collection of long-read double-stranded DNA (dsDNA) viral metagenome data reported to date. BLAST homology comparisons showed that Chesapeake Bay virioplankton contained a high proportion of unknown (homologous only to environmental sequences) and novel (no significant homolog) sequences. This analysis suggests that dsDNA viruses are likely one of the largest reservoirs of unknown genetic diversity in the biosphere. The taxonomic origin of BLAST homologs to viral library sequences agreed well with reported abundances of cooccurring bacterial subphyla within the estuary and indicated that cyanophages were abundant. However, the low proportion of Siphophage homologs contradicts a previous assertion that this family comprises most bacteriophage diversity. Identification and analyses of cyanobacterial homologs of the psbA gene illustrated the value of metagenomic studies of virioplankton. The phylogeny of inferred PsbA protein sequences suggested that Chesapeake Bay cyanophage strains are endemic in that environment. The ratio of psbA homologous sequences to total cyanophage sequences in the metagenome indicated that the psbA gene may be nearly universal in Chesapeake Bay cyanophage genomes. Furthermore, the low frequency of psbD homologs in the library supports the prediction that Chesapeake Bay cyanophage populations are dominated by Podoviridae.     

Seasonal Occurrence and Distribution of Microbial Indicators and Pathogens in the Rhode River of Chesapeake Bay

The seasonal incidence and occurrence of indicator organisms and pathogens were studied at four sites in the Rhode River, a subestuary of Chesapeake Bay. The highest frequency of occurrence of total and fecal coliforms and fecal streptococci was in Muddy Creek, a marsh area receiving pasture land runoff. Second highest frequency of occurrence of these bacteria was in Cadle Creek, a populated area. Lowest measurements of these parameters were obtained at stations in the central portion of the Rhode River. No Salmonella spp. were detected by the methods employed in this study. However, it is concluded that if these organisms are present, the concentrations are ≤1 organism per liter. The presence of Clostridium botulinum was detected in 12% of the samples tested.     

Critical source area controls on water quality in an agricultural watershed located in the Chesapeake Basin

The importance of agricultural land use activities for supplying nutrients (N, P) to the Chesapeake Bay is examined and nutrient sources for a typical agricultural hill-land watershed within the Chesapeake Basin are identified and assessed. Based on up to 30 years of experimental and monitoring data, the outflow, N, and P exported from this Pennsylvania watershed is examined in terms of critical source areas. Most of the surface runoff and P export occurs from areas near the stream. About 90% of the algal-available P exported in outflow was generated during the largest 7 storms/year. In contrast, nearly all the nitrate (NO₃) exported originated as subsurface flow entering the soil or ground water some distance from the stream, and mostly occurred during nonstorm flow periods. The NO₃ export observed over the long term corresponds to the N excess computed by N balance obtained by farmer survey for agricultural land. By combining land use, hydrologic processes, watershed position, soil P status, and N balance information for agricultural land, the major source areas for P and N are predictable and identifiable. We apply these ideas and techniques to our research watershed and present the results as an example of this approach.     

Endospores of halophilic bacteria of the family Bacillaceae isolated from non-saline Japanese soil may be transported by Kosa event (Asian dust storm)

Background

Natural microbial communities are extremely complex and dynamic systems in terms of their population structure and functions. However, little is known about the in situ functions of the microbial communities.

Results

This study describes the application of proteomic approaches (metaproteomics) to observe expressed protein profiles of natural microbial communities (metaproteomes). The technique was validated using a constructed community and subsequently used to analyze Chesapeake Bay microbial community (0.2 to 3.0 μm) metaproteomes. Chesapeake Bay metaproteomes contained proteins from pI 4–8 with apparent molecular masses between 10–80 kDa. Replicated middle Bay metaproteomes shared ~92% of all detected spots, but only shared 30% and 70% of common protein spots with upper and lower Bay metaproteomes. MALDI-TOF analysis of highly expressed proteins produced no significant matches to known proteins. Three Chesapeake Bay proteins were tentatively identified by LC-MS/MS sequencing coupled with MS-BLAST searching. The proteins identified were of marine microbial origin and correlated with abundant Chesapeake Bay microbial lineages, Bacteroides and α-proteobacteria.

Conclusion

Our results represent the first metaproteomic study of aquatic microbial assemblages and demonstrate the potential of metaproteomic approaches to link metagenomic data, taxonomic diversity, functional diversity and biological processes in natural environments.     

大沙河水库主要入库河流氮磷营养输入分析

为了解大沙河水库流域内营养盐输入对水库水质的影响,以 2011年3月~2012年2月大沙河水库5条主要入库河流(大沙河、白沙河、双石河、富食河和沃江河)的水文水质监测数据为依据,分析了这些入库河流的流量和氮磷营养盐浓度,并估算了外源负荷总量,旨在为水库进行高效和合理的流域规划以及水质保护方案的制定提供科学依据。结果表明:位于西南方向的白沙河年平均流量最大(1.01 m³·s^-1),西北部富食河流量最小(0.23 m³·s^-1)。各入库河流总氮平均浓度变化范围为1.62~4.37 mg·L^-1,总磷平均浓度范围为0.08~0.36 mg·L^-1,其中富食河氮和磷营养盐的浓度最高,大沙河总氮浓度最低,白沙河总磷浓度最低,总体上西北部河流的氮磷浓度高于西南部河流。全年大沙河水库总氮输入量为176.7 t,总磷输入量为13.7 t。在所有入库河流中,位于水库北部的沃江河对水库营养盐输入量贡献最大,氮、磷负荷分别占总输入量的33%和32%,位于西部的双石河氮负荷最小(12%),西南方向大沙河磷负荷最小(9%)。     

Disentangling the potential effects of land‐use and climate change on stream conditions

Land‐use and climate change are significantly affecting stream ecosystems, yet understanding of their long‐term impacts is hindered by the few studies that have simultaneously investigated their interaction and high variability among future projections. We modeled possible effects of a suite of 2030, 2060, and 2090 land‐use and climate scenarios on the condition of 70,772 small streams in the Chesapeake Bay watershed, United States. The Chesapeake Basin‐wide Index of Biotic Integrity, a benthic macroinvertebrate multimetric index, was used to represent stream condition. Land‐use scenarios included four Special Report on Emissions Scenarios (A1B, A2, B1, and B2) representing a range of potential landscape futures. Future climate scenarios included quartiles of future climate changes from downscaled Coupled Model Intercomparison Project ‐ Phase 5 (CMIP5) and a watershed‐wide uniform scenario (Lynch2016). We employed random forests analysis to model individual and combined effects of land‐use and climate change on stream conditions. Individual scenarios suggest that by 2090, watershed‐wide conditions may exhibit anywhere from large degradations (e.g., scenarios A1B, A2, and the CMIP5 25th percentile) to small degradations (e.g., scenarios B1, B2, and Lynch2016). Combined land‐use and climate change scenarios highlighted their interaction and predicted, by 2090, watershed‐wide degradation in 16.2% (A2 CMIP5 25th percentile) to 1.0% (B2 Lynch2016) of stream kilometers. A goal for the Chesapeake Bay watershed is to restore 10% of stream kilometers over a 2008 baseline; our results suggest meeting and sustaining this goal until 2090 may require improvement in 11.0%–26.2% of stream kilometers, dependent on land‐use and climate scenario. These results highlight inherent variability among scenarios and the resultant uncertainty of predicted conditions, which reinforces the need to incorporate multiple scenarios of both land‐use (e.g., development, agriculture, etc.) and climate change in future studies to encapsulate the range of potential future conditions.     

Nutrient concentrations in tidal creeks as indicators of the water quality role of mangrove wetlands in Southwest Florida

Coastal mangroves have the potential to improve the water quality of urban and rural runoff before it is discharged into adjacent coastal bays and oceans; but they also can be impaired by excessive pollutants from upstream. Nutrients (phosphorus and nitrogen), salinity, and other water quality parameters were measured in five mangrove tidal creeks in different hydrogeomorphic and urbanization settings during high and low tides over a calendar year of wet (June and August 2015) and dry (February and April 2016) seasons in the Greater Naples Bay area in Southwest Florida, USA. Nutrient concentrations (ave. ± std error) in the tidal creeks were 0.055 ± 0.008 mg-P/L for total phosphorus (TP) and 0.610 ± 0.020 mg-N/L for total nitrogen (TN), with an average N:P ratio of 11.4:1. Average wet season TP (0.075 ± 0.010 mg-P/L) was significantly higher than the dry season TP (0.033 ± 0.003 mg-P/L; p < 0.01, f = 15.17, f_crit = 3.89) and the average wet season TN (0.75 ± 0.03 mg-N/L) was significantly higher than dry season TN (0.52 ± 0.02 mg/L; p < 0.01, f = 64.14, f_crit = 3.89), suggesting that urban stormwater runoff is directly or indirectly affecting the nutrient conditions in these mangroves. Significant differences in nutrient concentrations between low tide and high tide were not found for either TP (p = 0.43, f = .63, f_crit = 3.88) or TN (p = 0.20, f = 1.66, f_crit = 3.89). These differences were confirmed by a PCA and cluster analyses, which found differences to be seasonal. We could not conclude from these results whether these five mangrove wetlands were sources nor sinks of nutrients based simply on the measurement of nutrient concentrations. But we illustrated that nutrient concentrations were indicators of the mangroves’ hydrogeomorphic settings, their tidal fluxes from Naples Bay, and the Bay's upstream watersheds, and less by direct urban runoff.