Nutrient status and retention in pristine and disturbed wetlands in Uganda: management implications

Wetlands in Uganda experience different forms of human pressure ranging from drainage for agriculture and industrial development to over harvesting of wetland products. In order to develop sustainable management tools for wetland ecosystems in Uganda and the Lake Victoria Region, water quality analyses were carried out in a rural undisturbed (pristine) wetland (Nabugabo wetland in Masaka) and two urban wetlands that are experiencing human and urban development pressure (the Nakivubo wetland in Kampala and Kirinya wetland in Jinja). The former wetland forms the main inflow into Lake Nabugabo while the other two border the northern shore of Lake Victoria, Uganda. Nabugabo wetland buffers Lake Nabugabo against surface runoff from the catchment, while Nakivubo and Kirinya wetlands provides a water treatment function for wastewater from Kampala City and Jinja town respectively, in addition to buffering Lake Victoria against surface runoff. Water quality was assessed in all the wetland sites, and in addition nutrient content and storage was investigated in the main plant species (papyrus, Phragmites, Miscanthidium and cocoyam) in Nakivubo and Kirinya wetlands. A pilot experiment was also carried out to assess the wastewater treatment potential of both the papyrus vegetation and an important agricultural crop Colocasia esculenta (cocoyam). Low electrical conductivity, ammonium–nitrogen and ortho-phosphate concentrations were recorded at the inflow into Nabugabo wetland (41.5 μS/cm; 0.91 mg/l and 0.42 mg/l respectively) compared to the Nakivubo and Kirinya wetlands (335 μS/cm; 31.68 mg/l and 2.83 mg/l and 502 μS/cm; 10 mg/l and 1.87 mg/l respectively). The papyrus vegetation had higher biomass in Nakivubo and Kirinya wetlands (6.7 kg DW m⁻²; 7.2 kg DW m⁻² respectively), followed by Phragmites (6.5, 6.7), cocoyams (6.4, 6.6) and Miscanthidium (4.0, 4.2). The papyrus vegetation also exhibited a higher wastewater treatment potential than the agricultural crop (cocoyam) during the pilot experiment (maximum removal degree of ammonium–nitrogen being 95% and 67% for papyrus and yams). It was concluded that urbanisation pressure reduces natural wetland functioning either through the discharge of wastewater effluent or the degradation of natural wetland vegetation. It is recommended that wetland vegetation be restored to enhance wetland ecosystem functioning and for wetlands that are not yet under agricultural pressure, efforts should be made to halt any future encroachment.     

Sorption of Co, Cu, Ni and Zn from industrial effluents by the submerged aquatic macrophyte Myriophyllum spicatum L.

The submerged aquatic plant Myriophyllum spicatum L. (Eurasian water milfoil) has been suggested as an efficient plant species for the treatment of metal-contaminated industrial wastewater. The process of metal removal by plants involves a combination of rapid sorption on the surface and slow accumulation and translocation in the biomass. This study focussed on the sorption/desorption characteristics of the surface of M. spicatum for Co, Cu, Ni and Zn. Batch sorption tests with mixed metal solutions covering a range of 0, 1, 5, 10, 50 and 100 mg l⁻¹ of each metal, were performed. For Co, Ni and Zn, the sorption process was well described by the Langmuir model, whereas sorption of Cu was better described by the Freundlich model. The biomass showed the highest affinity for Cu and Zn. Langmuir sorption maxima of Co, Ni and Zn were 2.3, 3.0 and 6.8 mg g⁻¹ DM, respectively. At the highest initial concentration of 100 mg l⁻¹, a maximum of 29 mg g⁻¹ DM of Cu was sorbed onto the surface of the biomass. Desorption by 0.1 M HCl did not fully recover the metals sorbed onto the surface and there was evidence of leaching from within the biomass. Recovery of heavy metals and regeneration of the biomass by washing with 0.1 M HCl was therefore not suggested as a viable strategy.     

夏眠对刺参(Apostichopus japonicus (Selenka))能量收支的影响

夏眠是刺参最重要的生理特征;水温升高是其夏眠的主要诱发因子,而夏眠的临界温度与刺参体重密切相关。为揭示刺参夏眠对其能量利用对策的影响,测定了2种体重规格(134.0±13.5)g和(73.6±2.2)g刺参在10、15、20、25℃和30℃5个温度梯度下的能量收支。结果表明,温度和体重及其交互作用对刺参能量的摄入均有显著影响;而温度是影响其摄食能分配的主要因素。研究发现,刺参在非夏眠期、夏眠临界期和完全夏眠期的能量利用对策有所不同:在非夏眠期,刺参摄食能支出的最大组分是粪便能,占摄食能的比例超过50%,其次为呼吸耗能,占19.8%～39.4%,而生长能和排泄能占的比例较小,分别为5.7%～10.7%和2.9%～3.7%;在夏眠临界温度下,呼吸和排泄耗能占摄食能的比例均显著增大(分别为88.3%和13.6%),而生长能所占比例降为负值(-55.3%),刺参表现为负生长;而在夏眠期,刺参的摄食能和排粪能为零,为维持其基本生理活动,不得不动用以往贮存于体内的能量,消耗于呼吸和排泄等生理过程,供维持生命之用。总之,从能量生物学的角度看,夏眠的主要生态学意义在于刺参长时间处于相对高温环境,进而导致摄食受阻条件下的一种能量节约方式。     

Spatial Analysis of Production by Macrophytes,Phytoplankton and Epiphyton in a Large River System under Different Water-Level Conditions

Relative contributions by macrophytes, epiphyton and phytoplankton to total primary production was estimated in a large (∼300 km²) widening of the St. Lawrence River (Canada), over a 2-year period with contrasting flows and water levels. Spatially-explicit estimates of whole-system production were obtained by combining field measurements with remotely sensed data and empirical models using GIS. Primary production and relative contributions of each producer type differed markedly between open-water and wetland habitats. Spatial differences within each habitat arose from interactions between physical factors including light, water depth, water transit times and wind stress. At the whole-system level, annual primary production represented 105 gC m⁻² y⁻¹, divided roughly equally among phytoplankton (34%), submerged macrophytes (27%), emergent macrophytes (23%) and epiphyton (16%). A 10% decrease in annual flows and 1-m decline in water levels between 2000 and 2001 resulted in a 50% loss of marsh habitat, a 60% increase in phytoplankton production in the open-water zone, and in the appearance of conspicuous filamentous algal mats. Low water levels induced substantial shifts in the spatial configuration and relative importance of primary producers although total river primary production remained stable between years.     

Sensitivity of CO<Subscript>2</Subscript> Exchange of Fen Ecosystem Components to Water Level Variation

Abstract Climate change is predicted to bring about a water level (WL) draw-down in boreal peatlands. This study aimed to assess the effect of WL on the carbon dioxide (CO₂) dynamics of a boreal oligotrophic fen ecosystem and its components; Sphagnum mosses, sedges, dwarf shrubs and the underlying peat. We measured CO₂ exchange with closed chambers during four growing seasons in a study site that comprised different vegetation treatments. WL gradient in the site was broadened by surrounding half of the site with a shallow ditch that lowered the WL by 10–25 cm. We modeled gross photosynthesis (P _G) and ecosystem respiration (R _ECO) and simulated the CO₂ exchange in three WL conditions: prevailing and WL draw-down scenarios of 14 and 22 cm. WL draw-down both reduced the P _G and increased the R _ECO, thus leading to a smaller net CO₂ uptake in the ecosystem. Of the different components, Sphagnum mosses were most sensitive to WL draw-down and their physiological activities almost ceased. Vascular plant CO₂ exchange, en bloc, hardly changed but whereas sedges contributed twice as much to the CO₂ exchange as shrubs in the prevailing conditions, the situation was reversed in the WL draw-down scenarios. Peat respiration was the biggest component in R _ECO in all WL conditions and the increase in R _ECO following the WL draw-down was due to the increase in peat respiration. The results imply that functional diversity buffers the ecosystem against environmental variability and that in the long term, WL draw-down changes the vegetation composition of boreal fens.     

Bioluminescent assay of total bacterial contamination of drinking water.

A bioluminescent assay of total bacterial contamination (TBC) of drinking water (DW) with a detection limit of approximately 1 CFU/mL and duration of less than 7 h has been developed. The protocol of the TBC assay comprises: incubation of water sample in nutrition broth supplemented with salts mixture, up to 6 h; filtration of bacterial suspension obtained through membrane filter (pore size 0.45 microm); release of bacterial ATP by dimethyl sulphoxide; determination of bacterial ATP concentration using highly sensitive ATP reagent based on recombinant Luciola mingrelica luciferase. To simplify the assay, special luminometer microcuvette Filtravette (New Horizons Diagnostics Corp., USA) are used. A good correlation (R=0.98) between ATP concentration measured after 6 h incubation and initial bacterial titre in DW was observed. Semi-quantitative TBC assay of DW is also available. The TBC value in DW is assessed by the fixation of incubation time required to detect a measurable bioluminescent signal: 3, 4 and 6 h corresponds to 100-1000, 10-100 and 1-10 CFU/mL, respectively.     

Capillary Effects on Natural Remobilization of Pools of Dense Non-Aqueous Phase Liquid Mixtures in Porous Media

The natural remobilization of an initially static mixed dense non-aqueous phase liquid (DNAPL) pool due to dissolution was demonstrated by (Roy et al. 2002 Roy, J. W., Smith, J. E. and Gillham, R. W. 2002. Natural remobilization of multicomponent DNAPL pools due to dissolution. J. Contam. Hydrol., 59: 163–186. [Crossref], [PubMed], [Web of Science ®] [Google Scholar], 2004 Roy, J. W., Smith, J. E. and Gillham, R. W. 2004. Laboratory evidence of natural remobilization of multicomponent DNAPL pools due to dissolution. J. Contam. Hydrol., 74: 145–161. [Crossref], [PubMed], [Web of Science ®] [Google Scholar]) using a compositional mathematical model and laboratory experiments with open pools over a porous medium. The purposes of this study were to: a) demonstrate natural remobilization for a pool within porous media (as opposed to an open pool); and b) analyze the capillary effects associated with residual formation, a changing saturation profile, hysteresis, and aging, as these processes may reduce the potential for natural remobilization of pools in porous media. DNAPL pools comprised of tetrachloroethene and benzene were created within a zone of larger glass beads overlying smaller glass beads, in a water-saturated 2-D flow cell. In one case, remobilization occurred in the form of a DNAPL finger, after 56 days of flushing. In another case, no remobilization had occurred after 64 days of flushing, though the density increased by 430 kg m ^?3 and remobilization was predicted by the compositional model. Comparison of observations with model predictions suggest that contact angle hysteresis, related to an observed change in wettability, was the most significant contributing factor causing overprediction of the potential for natural remobilization.     

Sources of Nitrogen in Combination with Systems of Irrigation Influence the Productivity of Modern Rice (<i>Oryza sativa</i> L.) Cultivars during Dry Season in Sub-Tropical Environment

In irrigated agricultural systems, nitrogen (N) and water are the vital resources for sustainability of the crop production in the modern era of climate change. The current study aimed to assess the impact of water and N management on the productivity of irrigated rice cultivars. In the context, a field observation was done at the research farm of Bangladesh Agricultural University, Mymensingh, during dry seasons in consecutive two years (2018–2019 and 2019–2020). The experiments were set up following split-plot design assigning water management in the main plots, nitrogen management in the sub-plots, and the cultivars were approved in the split-split plot with three replications. After two years observation, it was revealed that rice cultivar Binadhan-8 gave the maximum value of leaf area index, number effective tillers hill^-1 and grains panicle^-1 which lead to the higher grain yield (GY). Substantial relationships were observed among the concentration of N, growth, total dry matter (TDM) and N content, N uptake, N utilization effectiveness, and GY. However, with little exception, the Combined effect of water and N, cultivars and water management were varied significantly for all parameters. Finally, the results of the current study concluded that application of irrigation at 8 days after the disappearance of ponded water and source of 105 kg N ha^-1 from PU + Poultry manure are the best management approach for the excellent performance of rice cultivar Binadhan-8.     

New biochemical insights into the dynamics of water molecules at the GMP or IMP binding site of human GMPR enzyme: A molecular dynamics study

Human GMP reductase (hGMPR) enzyme is involved in a cellular metabolic pathway, converting GMP into IMP, and also it is an important target for anti-leukemic agents. Present computational investigations explain dynamical behavior of water molecules during the conformational transition process from GMP to IMP using molecular dynamics simulations. Residues at substrate-binding site of cancerous protein (PDB Id. 2C6Q) are mostly more dynamic in nature than the normal protein (PDB Id. 2BLE). Nineteen conserved water molecules are identified at the GMP/IMP binding site and are classified as (i) conserved stable dynamic and (ii) infrequent dynamic. Water molecules W11, W14, and W16 are classified as conserved stable dynamic due to their immobile character, whereas remaining water molecules (W1, W2, W3, W4, W5, W7, W8, W9, W10, W12, W13, W15, W17, W18, and W19) are infrequent with dynamic nature. Entrance or displacement of these infrequent water molecules at GMP/IMP sites may occur due to forward and backward movement of reference residues involving ligands. Four water molecules of hGMPR-I and nine water molecules of hGMPR-II are observed in repetitive transitions from GMP to IMP pathway, which indicates discrimination between two isoforms of hGMPRs. Water molecules in cancerous protein are more dynamic and unstable compared to normal protein. These water molecules execute rare dynamical events at GMP binding site and could assist in detailed understanding of conformational transitions that influence the hGMPR's biological functionality. The present study should be of interest to the experimental community engaged in leukemia research and drug discovery for CML cancer.