Nitrogen budget and gaseous nitrogen loss in a tropical agricultural watershed

Although agricultural systems in tropical monsoon Asia play a central role in the global nitrogen (N) cycle, details of the N cycle in this region on a watershed scale remain unclear. This study quantified the N budget in a tropical watershed of 221 km² on Java Island, where paddy fields cover 28% of the land, by conducting field surveys. The amount of net biochemical gaseous N loss to the atmosphere (X _GB ), which is generally difficult to determine, was calculated as the residual of the N balance. Assuming that NH₃ volatilization balances deposition, and hence subtracting NH₄–N from the N import with atmospheric deposition, the average total import and export of N per year was found to be 46.5 kg ha⁻¹ year⁻¹ over the watershed. Of this, 71% was imported as fertilizer (M _F ) and 29% with atmospheric deposition (M _AD ). On the export side, 42% was lost as X _GB , 37% with incineration of rice residues and wood fuel (X _GI ), 13% with river discharge (X _D ) and 9% with rice surplus export (X _R ). A large portion of X _GB , and consequently, a small portion of X _D could be explained by the high rate of denitrification resulting from the high temperature and humid climate, and are thought to be common features of tropical watersheds where paddy fields are found.     

Legacy phosphorus in subtropical wetland soils: Influence of dairy, improved and unimproved pasture land use

Wetlands provide various ecosystem services. One of these services includes nutrient storage in soils. Soils retain and release nutrients such as phosphorus (P). This dynamic can be controlled by soil characteristics, overlying water quality, environmental conditions and historical nutrient loading. Historical nutrient loading contributes to a legacy of P stored in soils and this may influence present day P dynamics between soil and water. We quantified P characteristics of wetland soils and determined the availability and capacity of soils to retain additional P loadings. We sampled surface (0-10) and subsurface (10-30) wetland soils within dairy, improved and unimproved pastures. Surface soils had much greater concentrations of organic and inorganic P. Wetland soils in dairy had greatest concentrations of Ca and Mg, probably due to inputs of inorganic fertilizer. They also had much greater total P, inorganic P, and P sorption capacity; however, these soils were P saturated and had little capacity to retain additional P loading. Improved and unimproved pasture wetland soils had greatest amounts of organic P (>84%) and a capacity to store additional P loadings. Using multivariate statistics, we determined that rather than being different based on land use, wetland soils in improved and unimproved pasture were dissimilar based upon organic matter, organic P fractions, residual P, and soil metal (Fe and Al) content. The legacy of stored P in soils, particularly wetland soils from dairies, combined with best management practices (BMPs) to reduce nutrient loading to these systems, could contribute to a short-term release of soil-stored P to overlying wetland water.     

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.     

红壤小流域不同利用方式氮磷流失特征研究

从红壤小流域坡地资源合理利用和保护的角度研究了不同利用方式土壤氮、磷流失的特征,结果表明：恢复保护性植被的试验区3,由于其水土流失量最低,氮、磷流失量最小。侵蚀严重的试验区5,由于水土失量最大,磷的流失量最大,但其有效磷、水溶性磷及氮素流失量低于不注重水土资源保持经营利用的试验区1、注重水土保持措施的试验区2和试验区4。由于采用了水土保持综合农林措施,有效地减轻了水土流失,试验区2和试验区4的土壤氮、磷流失量明显小于试验区1土壤氮、磷流失量,红壤小流域不同利用方式中水土保持综合措施能有效地控制土壤养分流失。2000年不同试验区土壤氮、磷的流失主要集中于5、6及8月份,其流失量占全年氮、磷流失量的90％以上,这与当地的降雨季节性分配特征有关。土壤氮、磷的坡面流失方式为推移质流失和径流流失,磷的流失形态主要为泥砂结合态,约占总磷流失量的70％以上。除试验区3以外,其它试验区泥沙结合态氮素的流失量大于水溶态氮素流失量。     

The influence of watershed land use cover on stream fish diversity and size-at-age of a generalist fish

Changes in land use have manifold effects on stream ecosystems. Consequently, the degradation of watersheds can cause extreme responses if the resilience of the stream is exceeded, triggering changes in fish communities and a reorganization of the ecosystem. Fish community surveys are frequently used to evaluate the impact of anthropogenic pressures on freshwater streams. Dynamic indices such as individual growth are also interesting because they integrate the effects of environmental conditions through time, providing an assessment in the long term. In this study we have investigated the ecological implications of watershed land use cover on fish diversity and growth of the generalist species Umbra limi (central mudminnow) in six streams in Southern Ontario (Canada). In detail, the growth of U. limi has been explored using a Dynamic Energy Budget (DEB) model, which pursues a mechanistic explanation of the bioenergetics of an individual under different environmental conditions. Given the mechanistic approach, the outcomes of the DEB model can provide a solid foundation for extrapolating the conclusions of this study to a broader spatial scale. The results of this study reveal that the proportion of modified land use of the watershed (agricultural and urban land) can reach a tipping point beyond which the functioning of the stream abruptly changes. Consequently, land use cover may be used as a precautionary indicator for watershed management. The results also demonstrate that U. limi could be used as a sentinel species to identify potential impacts on fish diversity and size-at-age as a cost-effective indicator for stream monitoring programs.     

Contrasting nutrient exports from a forested and an agricultural catchment in south-eastern Australia

Dissolved organic carbon (DOC) and total and inorganic nitrogen and phosphorus concentrations were determined over 3 years in headwater streams draining two adjacent catchments. The catchments are currently under different land use; pasture/grazing vs plantation forestry. The objectives of the work were to quantify C and nutrient export from these landuses and elucidate the factors regulating export. In both catchments, stream water dissolved inorganic nutrient concentrations exhibited strong seasonal variations. Concentrations were highest during runoff events in late summer and autumn and rapidly declined as discharge increased during winter and spring. The annual variation of stream water N and P concentrations indicated that these nutrients accumulated in the catchments during dry summer periods and were flushed to the streams during autumn storm events. By contrast, stream water DOC concentrations did not exhibit seasonal variation. Higher DOC and NO₃ ⁻ concentrations were observed in the stream of the forest catchment, reflecting greater input and subsequent breakdown of leaf-litter in the forest catchment. Annual export of DOC was lower from the forested catchment due to the reduced discharge from this catchment. In contrast however, annual export of nitrate was higher from the forest catchment suggesting that there was an additional NO₃ ⁻ source or reduction of a NO₃ ⁻ sink. We hypothesize that the denitrification capacity of the forested catchment has been significantly reduced as a consequence of increased evapotranspiration and subsequent decrease in streamflow and associated reduction in the near stream saturated area.     

红壤小流域坡地不同利用方式对土壤磷素流失的影响

以浙江德清县排溪冲小流域生态系统为实例,采用定位土芯Ｅｕ示踪和无界径流小区法研究了流域内坡地不同利用方式对土壤磷素流失的影响,结果表明：（１）坡地不同利用方式磷素流失差异明显,流失最严重提是竹园,其次是旱地作物和新建果园,再次是幼龄茶园,林地和未开发利用的荒草地磷素的流失较轻;（２）泥沙结合态磷（Ｐａｒｔｉｃｕｌａｔｅ ｐｈｏｓｐｈｏｒｕｓ,ＰＰ）随泥沙迁移流失是红壤坡地磷素流的的主要形式,６种利     

Efficiency of nitrogen,phosphorus, and potassium use by corn,sunflower, and sugarbeet for the synthesis of organic matter

Summary A three-year experiment was conducted in natural conditions on chernozem soil to examine the efficiency of nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium use by corn (C₄ type), sunflower and sugarbeet (C₃ type) grown in optimum conditions of mineral nutrition (N₁₀₀P₁₀₀K₁₀₀ kg/ha). Plant materials were analysed for the concentration of nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium and dry matter mass per individual plant parts and the whole plant.Leaves of different age, of all three plant species, were analysed to find eventual differences in the efficiency of use of nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium in the synthesis of organic matter depending on leaf age.It was found that corn had the lowest concentration of the elements studied but the highest dry matter mass. In other words, corn was more efficient than sunflower or sugarbeet in the use of these elements for the synthesis of an organic matter unit. Such results were arrived at in both sets of analyses, i.e., the analyses of leaves performed in the course of ontogenetic plant development as well as the analyses of leaves of different age.     

Carbon emission and sequestration by agricultural land use: a model study for Europe

A model was developed to calculate carbon fluxes from agricultural soils. The model includes the effects of crop (species, yield and rotation), climate (temperature, rainfall and evapotranspiration) and soil (carbon content and water retention capacity) on the carbon budget of agricultural land. The changes in quality of crop residues and organic material as a result of changes in CO₂ concentration and changed management were not considered in this model. The model was parameterized for several arable crops and grassland. Data from agricultural, meteorological, soil, and land use databases were input to the model, and the model was used to evaluate the effects of different carbon dioxide mitigation measures on soil organic carbon in agricultural areas in Europe. Average carbon fluxes under the business as usual scenario in the 2008–2012 commitment period were estimated at 0.52 tC ha^?1 y^?1 in grassland and ?0.84 tC ha^?1 y^?1 in arable land. Conversion of arable land to grassland yielded a flux of 1.44 tC ha^?1 y^?1. Farm management related activities aiming at carbon sequestration ranged from 0.15 tC ha^?1 y^?1 for the incorporating of straw to 1.50 tC ha^?1 y^?1 for the application of farmyard manure. Reduced tillage yields a positive flux of 0.25 tC ha^?1 y^?1. The indirect effect associated with climate was an order of magnitude lower. A temperature rise of 1 °C resulted in a ?0.05 tC ha^?1 y^?1 change whereas the rising CO₂ concentrations gave a 0.01 tC ha^?1 y^?1 change. Estimates are rendered on a 0.5 × 0.5° grid for the commitment period 2008–2012. The study reveals considerable regional differences in the effectiveness of carbon dioxide abatement measures, resulting from the interaction between crop, soil and climate. Besides, there are substantial differences between the spatial patterns of carbon fluxes that result from different measures.     

Structure regulation of land use and landscape pattern changes based on matter element analysis in a small watershed in Sichuan,China

The agricultural land suitability assessment based on the natural characteristics of land blocks is tra-ditionally the basis for agricultural and/or land use plan-ning.The assessment,however,is static and cannot be incorporated with potential land use changes.Recently,a dynamic approach,i.e.,matter element analysis,has been effectively applied for land use planning.In the pre-sent study,based on matter element analysis,we estab-lished a matter element analysis model for land use suitability assessment using the suitability grade of land use,evaluation indicators and their characteristic values as matter elements,and also using sutra field,controlled field,weight value and correlation degree from field sur-vey,as well as an expert system.This model was applied to the structure regulation of the land use in the small Yuejiagou watershed of the Langzhong Municipality in Sichuan Province,China.Results show that the propor-tion among agriculture,forestry and animal husbandry tended to rationalize land use.The economic and eco-logical indices of the lands were increased from 1529.8 to 1719.99 and from 1460.94 to 1758.21 after the regu-lation,respectively.The regulation also caused changes in landscape patterns as follows:The indices of diversity and evenness were increased from 1.3028 to 2.0920 and from 0.6108 to 0.8463,or by 60.58% and 38.56%,respect-ively.However,the indices of dominance and contagion were decreased from 0.6431 to 0.2106 and from 0.7467 to 0.7125,respectively.This indicated that the land use in the small watershed was rational.The spatial distribution of patches tended to be uniform.The patch congregation was gradually dispersed.This study verified that the mat-ter element analysis approach can not only overcome the factitious influences and improve the precision of land assessment,but also can be used for the structure regu-lation of specific patches.     

Structure regulation of land use and landscape pattern changes based on matter element analysis in a small watershed in Sichuan, China

The agricultural land suitability assessment based on the natural characteristics of land blocks is traditionally the basis for agricultural and/or land use planning. The assessment, however, is static and cannot be incorporated with potential land use changes. Recently, a dynamic approach, i.e., matter element analysis, has been effectively applied for land use planning. In the present study, based on matter element analysis, we established a matter element analysis model for land use suitability assessment using the suitability grade of land use, evaluation indicators and their characteristic values as matter elements, and also using sutra field, controlled field, weight value and correlation degree from field survey, as well as an expert system. This model was applied to the structure regulation of the land use in the small Yuejiagou watershed of the Langzhong Municipality in Sichuan Province, China. Results show that the proportion among agriculture, forestry and animal husbandry tended to rationalize land use. The economic and ecological indices of the lands were increased from 1529.8 to 1719.99 and from 1460.94 to 1758.21 after the regulation, respectively. The regulation also caused changes in landscape patterns as follows: The indices of diversity and evenness were increased from 1.3028 to 2.0920 and from 0.6108 to 0.8463, or by 60.58% and 38.56%, respectively. However, the indices of dominance and contagion were decreased from 0.6431 to 0.2106 and from 0.7467 to 0.7125, respectively. This indicated that the land use in the small watershed was rational. The spatial distribution of patches tended to be uniform. The patch congregation was gradually dispersed. This study verified that the matter element analysis approach can not only overcome the factitious influences and improve the precision of land assessment, but also can be used for the structure regulation of specific patches. __________ Translated from Acta Ecologica Sinica, 2006, 26(7): 2093–2100 [译自: 生态学报]     

Nutrient concentrations and fibre contents of plant community biomass reflect species richness patterns along a broad range of land-use intensities among agricultural grasslands

Understanding changes in biodiversity in agricultural landscapes in relation to land-use type and intensity is a major issue in current ecological research. In this context nutrient enrichment has been identified as a key mechanism inducing species loss in Central European grassland ecosystems. At the same time, insights into the linkage between agricultural land use and plant nutrient status are largely missing. So far, studies on the relationship between chemical composition of plant community biomass and biodiversity have mainly been restricted to wetlands and all these studies neglected the effects of land use. Therefore, we analyzed aboveground biomass of 145 grassland plots covering a gradient of land-use intensities in three regions across Germany. In particular, we explored relationships between vascular plant species richness and nutrient concentrations as well as fibre contents (neutral and acid detergent fibre and lignin) in the aboveground community biomass.We found the concentrations of several nutrients in the biomass to be closely linked to plant species richness and land use. Whereas phosphorus concentrations increased with land-use intensity and decreased with plant species richness, nitrogen and potassium concentrations showed less clear patterns. Fibre fractions were negatively related to nutrient concentrations in biomass, but hardly to land-use measures and species richness. Only high lignin contents were positively associated with species richness of grasslands. The N:P ratio was strongly positively related to species richness and even more so to the number of endangered plant species, indicating a higher persistence of endangered species under P (co-)limited conditions. Therefore, we stress the importance of low P supply for species-rich grasslands and suggest the N:P ratio in community biomass to be a useful proxy of the conservation value of agriculturally used grasslands.     

Feeding dynamics,nitrogen budgets,and ecosystem role of a desert stream omnivore,Agosia chrysogaster (Pisces: Cyprinidae)

Synopsis Feeding habits, diel periodicity and total daily ingestion, and nitrogen budgets of longfin dace (Agosia chrysogaster) were examined on two occasions when food quality, but not quantity, differed. Agosia chrysogaster was found to be an opportunistic omnivore, consuming primarily insects when the preferred taxon (baetid mayflies) was abundant in the environment, but consuming primarily algae when mayfly abundance was low. Ingestion provided a better measure of diel feeding periodicity than gut fullness; feeding was diurnal on both sample dates, but more markedly so when the primary food was algae. Mean nitrogen content of algal foods was low, and A. chrysogaster apparently compensated for this by increasing its daily ingestion rate when algae were the major food. A reduction in nitrogen content of food during digestion from 4–6% (of dry mass) to less than 1% (in feces) suggested a high assimilation efficiency for nitrogen (nitrogen assimilated/nitrogen consumed = 72–78%). Populations of this abundant and successful cyprinid in Sonoran Desert streams may play an important role in ecosystem nitrogen dynamics. Nitrogen stored in fish biomass comprised 3–6% of the total nitrogen stored in Sycamore Creek, and excretion of ammonia by the fish represented 5–10% of total nitrogen uptake by algae. Such rapid recycling of usable nitrogen to primary producers is significant in this nitrogen limited stream ecosystem.     

High compatibility between arbuscular mycorrhizal fungal communities and seedlings of different land use types in a tropical dry ecosystem

We conducted this study to explore limitations for the establishment of mycorrhizal associations in disturbed areas of the tropical dry ecosystem in the Chamela region of Jalisco, Mexico. Specifically, we: (1) assessed the diversity and composition of arbuscular mycorrhizal fungal (AMF) communities through spore morphospecies identification in three common land uses (primary forest, secondary forest, and pasture), (2) tested the inoculum potential of the AMF communities and the effect of water stress on the establishment of mycorrhizal associations in seedlings of various plant species, and (3) explored the importance of AMF community composition on early seedling development. Soil and root samples were taken from 15 random points in each of three plots established in two primary forests, two 26-year-old secondary forests, and two 26-year-old pastures. We expected that because of soil degradation and management, pastures would have the lowest and primary forests the highest AMF species richness. We found evidence for changes in AMF species composition due to land use and for higher morphospecies richness in primary forests than in secondary forests and pastures. We expected also that water stress limited plant and mycorrhizal development and that plants and AMF communities from secondary forests and pastures would be less affected by (better adapted to) water stress than those from the primary forest. We found that although all plant species showed biomass reductions under water stress, only some of the plant species had lower mycorrhizal development under water stress, and this was regardless of the AMF community inoculated. The third hypothesis was that plant species common to all land use types would respond similarly to all AMF communities, whereas plant species found mainly in one land use type would grow better when inoculated with the AMF community of that specific land use type. All plant species were however equally responsive to the three AMF communities inoculated, indicating that all plants established functionally compatible AMF in each community, with no preferences. The results suggest that early seedling growth and mycorrhizal development in secondary forests and pastures is not likely limited by diversity, quantity, or quality of mycorrhizal propagules but by the high temperature and water stress conditions prevailing at those sites.     

Optimal conservation planning of multiple hydrological ecosystem services under land use and climate changes in Teshio river watershed,northernmost of Japan

Most anthropogenic activities impacted on water quality and quantity, and further impacted on ecosystem services (ESs) in watershed are related to land use and climate changes those may cause losses of ecosystem functions. Effective information regarding ESs and their optimal priority conservation planning responded to land use and climate changes provide useful support for diverse stakeholders in ESs planning, management and policies. This study integrated the approach of spatially explicit ESs (water yield, inorganic nutrient, organic nutrient and sediment retentions) by using hydrology and material flow model (Soil and Water Assessment Tools, SWAT model) into systematic conservation of hydrological ESs according to land use and climate changes in Teshio watershed located in the north of Hokkaido, Japan. We investigated the spatial patterns and the hotspots of ESs changes to determine the spatial pattern of changes in systematic conservation optimal area of ES protection in terms of ESs protection targets. Under the land use and climate change scenarios, the forest land use significantly affected on the water yield, sediment, organic-Nitrogen (N) and organic-Phosphorous (P) retentions. The agricultural land (paddy and farmland fields) impacted on the inorganic-N and inorganic-P retentions. We applied the systematic conservation model (MARXAN model) to optimize the area for management of hydrological ESs satisfied the protection targets (30% and 50% of potential maximum ESs values among all scenarios) in all and individual ecosystem services, respectively. The simulated results indicated that the areas of spatial optimal ESs protection for all hydrological ESs were totally different from those for individual ESs. For bundles of ESs, the optimal priority conservation areas concentrated in southwest, north, and southeast of this watershed, which are related to land use, topography and climate driving factors. These places could guarantee ESs sustainability from both environmental protection and agricultural development standpoints. The priority conservation area turned more compact under climate change because the increased precipitation and temperature increased ESs amount. For individual ESs, the optimal priority conservation areas of water yield, sediment retention and organic nutrient retention were traded off against those of inorganic nutrient retention (lower Jaccard's indexes and negative correlations of selection times). Especially, the negative correlation of selection times increased as the conservation target increased from 30% to 50%. The proposed approach provided useful information for assessing the responses of ESs and systematic conservation optimal planning to the land use and climate changes. The systematic conservation optimal areas of hydrological ESs provided an effective trade-off tool between environmental protection (sediment and organic nutrient retentions) and economic development (water yield and inorganic nutrient retention).     

Soil organic carbon changes as influenced by agricultural land use and management: a case study in Yanhuai Basin, Beijing, China

The effects of agricultural land use and management practices on soil organic carbon (SOC) are of great concern. In this study, SOC changes were investigated in sandy loam soils (Ustochrepts, USDA Soil Taxonomy) under orchard, vegetable, corn (Zea maize L.), and soybean (Glycine max L.) cultivation in northern China. The corn fields were further classified into three categories based on their inputs, i.e. high-input, mid-input, and low-input corn fields. In April 2005, a total of 197 soil samples were collected from 42 soil sites within 100 cm soil depth in Yanhuai Basin, Beijing, China. SOC contents were determined using rapid dichromate oxidation, and ANOVA statistical analysis was used to test the significances between land use and management practices at p<0.05. The results showed that: (1) the effects of land use and management practices on SOC primarily occurred within the topsoil (0–25 cm), and the SOC contents sharply decreased with the increase in soil depth. (2) SOC content and density values of orchard, vegetable, and high-input corn fields were higher than those of soybean, mid- and low-input corn fields.     

Soil organic carbon changes as influenced by agricultural land use and management: a case study in Yanhuai Basin, Beijing, China

The effects of agricultural land use and management practices on soil organic carbon (SOC) are of great concern. In this study, SOC changes were investigated in sandy loam soils (Ustochrepts, USDA Soil Taxonomy) under orchard, vegetable, corn (Zea maize L.), and soybean (Glycine max L.) cultivation in northern China. The corn fields were further classified into three categories based on their inputs, i.e. high-input, mid-input, and low-input corn fields. In April 2005, a total of 197 soil samples were collected from 42 soil sites within 100 cm soil depth in Yanhuai Basin, Beijing, China. SOC contents were determined using rapid dichromate oxidation, and ANOVA statistical analysis was used to test the significances between land use and management practices at p<0.05. The results showed that: (1) the effects of land use and management practices on SOC primarily occurred within the topsoil (0–25 cm), and the SOC contents sharply decreased with the increase in soil depth. (2) SOC content and density values of orchard, vegetable, and high-input corn fields were higher than those of soybean, mid- and low-input corn fields.     

基于小流域尺度的土壤重金属分布与土地利用相关性研究——以厦门市坂头水库流域为例

人类活动改变流域集水区土地利用方式同时提高了土壤重金属水平,并影响地表水重金属负荷。以具有明确地理边界的流域作为研究单元可能实现计量区别不同人类活动或因其引起的土地利用方式对土壤重金属空间分布及其环境风险的贡献。但不同人类活动及其改变的土地利用方式对土壤和地表水重金属负荷的相对贡献研究缺乏可操作性方法论。以我国典型的山塘水库小流域—福建省厦门市坂头水库流域为例,结合遥感影像解译、野外土壤重金属水平调查和GIS地统计方法,针对小流域尺度土壤重金属空间分布及其环境风险与土地利用方式相关性研究进行方法论的探索。坂头水库流域覆盖205km2,土地利用类型有林地、农业用地、城镇用地、绿地和水面等5大类。按照不同土地利用类型覆盖面积为权重,以统计最小样本数为准则,在该流域内共采集150个表层土壤样品,针对6种具有人为源特征重金属(Cu、Zn、Pb、Cr、Ni、Cd)土壤总量及富集水平进行分析,以潜在生态风险指数评价流域土壤重金属风险,并结合土地利用类型分析了其空间特征。结果表明:与林地和绿地相比,城镇用地和农业用地表层土壤重重金属水平显著较高;土壤重金属富集水平及其潜在生态风险依次为:城镇用地农业用地绿地林地;城镇化加重了流域土壤重金属Cu、Zn和Cd的污染风险;土壤Pb富集水平与土地利用方式无关,可能为大气沉降来源;所有土地利用方式土壤Cr和Ni总量低于区域土壤背景值,但城镇用地的富集指数显著高于林地。基于土地利用方式的反距离加权空间插值(LU-IDW)也清晰地揭示了土壤重金属富集及其潜在生态风险与人类活动密切相关,尤其是城镇化。以野外调查结合遥感卫星图像解译和基于土地利用方式的空间插值的研究方法有效地揭示了研究流域土壤重金属的空间分布特征及其潜在风险评价空间模式,为小流域尺度的环境质量演变研究提供了方法论和案例。     

Tools for bioindicator assessment in rivers: The importance of spatial scale,land use patterns and biotic integration

This study outlines an alternative, versatile and flexible procedure to the Assessment System for the Ecological Quality of Streams and Rivers throughout Europe using Benthic Macroinvertebrates (AQEM) protocol for selecting and assessing candidate bioindicators for Water Framework Directive (WFD) compliant monitoring programmes. Based on different forms of benthic macroinvertebrate data using relative abundance of family level taxonomic groups, metrics and traits collected during spring 2010 at 96 lotic sites across northern Portugal, the procedure employs components of top down and bottom up analytical processes and introduces the concept of niche breadth to assess biological quality element response to environmental and stressor parameters across different spatial levels. Random Forest classification revealed that fractal and non-fractal land use metrics at basin and local level were extremely important determinants of Water Framework Directive determination of “Good” ecological quality, particularly at the local scale. The amount of urbanization at the lower spatial level was a particularly important determinant of ecological quality, while the extent and type of forest (especially coniferous) was more important at higher, river basin scale. Distance-based linear models (DISTLM) and distance-based redundancy analysis (dbRDA) were used to determine associations between invertebrate data and non-redundant environmental predictors selected using the Akaike Information Criterion (AIC). Results revealed a stronger association between invertebrate traits and selected environmental predictors compared to the other types of invertebrate data, although some association between invertebrate relative abundance and eutrophication was detected. Principal Components Analyses (PCA) were run for the non-redundant sets of predictors for each macroinvertebrate data set to extract an environmental quality gradient along the first axis. Niche breadth, calculated for candidate indicators to avoid bias resulting from expert judgement, was distributed by rank along its respective PCA gradient. Five candidate indicators for each data type were selected for their preference for the most pristine sites and five were selected due to their close link with the most degraded streams. Candidate bioindicators for impacted sites tended to be stenobiotic in character, due to the impoverished structural and functional diversity associated with such conditions. Finally Partial Least Squares Regression was used to refine and validate selected candidate metrics, to produce a comprehensive final list of macroinvertebrate measures of ecological quality.     

Biodiversity and carbon storage are correlated along a land use intensity gradient in a tropical montane forest watershed,Mexico

Tropical montane cloud forest landscapes are changing, and forest conversion to other land uses is a major driver of biodiversity loss. Land use intensification can lead to significant losses in biodiversity and carbon storage (C); however, the impacts may vary greatly depending on land use type, management practices, and environmental context. We investigated how biodiversity and C are related along a gradient of land use intensification characterized by four dominant land uses in the upper part of Antigua River watershed, Mexico. The land uses were montane cloud forest, secondary forest, and traditional and intensive shade coffee plantations. We determined tree species composition, diversity, ecosystem structure, wood density and C content in dominant tree species to assess aboveground biomass (AGB) and C storage within eight study sites across the land use intensity gradient. A total of 83 tree species was recorded. A canonical correspondence analysis indicated that land uses are separated by particular tree species assemblages. Forests had higher basal area, density, and biomass than coffee plantations, however, the traditional shade coffee plantation had values similar to secondary forest. Calculating C using the standard estimate of 50% of AGB resulted in an overestimation of stored C by 5.8 to 4.1% compared to calculations based on actual measurements. Carbon storage in AGB and biodiversity were strongly and positively related across the land use intensity gradient, although the distinction between the two different intensities of coffee plantation management was not consistently as clear as we had expected. Carbon was highest in forest, but secondary forests and traditional shade coffee plantation had similar C, while intensive coffee had the lowest C content. These results highlight the importance of considering the potential of low intensity land uses such as traditional coffee plantations to mitigate biodiversity loss and preserve ecosystem functions as part of conservation efforts.