Dynamics of total suspended matter and phytoplankton loads in the river Elbe

Purpose

Identifying sources and fluxes of suspended matter within the catchment is vitally important for the water quality of rivers and for establishing sediment management plans. Constituents of suspended particles are of abiotic and biotic origin. In the Elbe, the biotic fraction of suspended particles is mainly composed of phytoplankton biomass. In this study, total seston and phytoplankton are analyzed for their seasonality, their interdependence and temporal trends over three or five decades, respectively.

Materials and methods

The biotic load was separated from the total suspended matter load, and time series of total suspended substances (seston) (1964 to 2015) and chlorophyll a values (1985 to 2015) were analyzed. Our analyses focused on the seasonal dynamics, long-term trends, and the correlation to hydrological events.

Results and discussion

The mean share of phytoplankton in total seston accounted for 24% in summer months (April–September), with a negative correlation between discharge and total seston, and 11% in winter months (October–March), with a weak positive correlation between discharge and total seston. The long-term trend of seston load was decreasing, while phytoplankton load did not show a significant trend.

Conclusions

Autochthonous biogenic portions should not be neglected in the budget of total suspended matter loads in the Elbe catchment. Our results indicate that land-use and industrial changes subsequent to the German reunification mainly caused the observed trend. Phytoplankton growth superimposes the seasonal dynamics of seston in summer, whereas in the long term, decreasing mineral fraction dominates the significantly decreasing trend.

     

Cover Image,Volume 74, Issue 6

The cover image, by Kimberly L Kanapeckas et al., is based on the Research Article Contrasting patterns of variation in weedy traits and unique crop features in divergent populations of US weedy rice (Oryza sativa sp.) in Arkansas and California, DOI: 10.1002/ps.4820 . Photo Credit: Amy Lawton‐Rauh.

     

The role of soil chemical properties,land use and plant diversity for microbial phosphorus in forest and grassland soils

Management intensity modifies soil properties, e.g., organic carbon (C_org) concentrations and soil pH with potential feedbacks on plant diversity. These changes might influence microbial P concentrations (P_mic) in soil representing an important component of the P cycle. Our objectives were to elucidate whether abiotic and biotic variables controlling P_mic concentrations in soil are the same for forests and grasslands, and to assess the effect of region and management on P_mic concentrations in forest and grassland soils as mediated by the controlling variables. In three regions of Germany, Schwäbische Alb, Hanich‐Dün, and Schorfheide‐Chorin, we studied forest and grassland plots (each n = 150) differing in plant diversity and land‐use intensity. In contrast to controls of microbial biomass carbon (C_mic), P_mic was strongly influenced by soil pH, which in turn affected phosphorus (P) availability and thus microbial P uptake in forest and grassland soils. Furthermore, P_mic concentrations in forest and grassland soils increased with increasing plant diversity. Using structural equation models, we could show that soil C_org is the profound driver of plant diversity effects on P_mic in grasslands. For both forest and grassland, we found regional differences in P_mic attributable to differing environmental conditions (pH, soil moisture). Forest management and tree species showed no effect on P_mic due to a lack of effects on controlling variables (e.g., C_org). We also did not find management effects in grassland soils which might be caused by either compensation of differently directed effects across sites or by legacy effects of former fertilization constraining the relevance of actual practices. We conclude that variables controlling P_mic or C_mic in soil differ in part and that regional differences in controlling variables are more important for P_mic in soil than those induced by management.     

Methane yield from anaerobic digestion of festulolium and tall fescue cultivated on a fen peatland under different harvest managements

This study evaluated the effects of harvesting managements with two-cuts (2C) and three-cuts (3C) per year for subsequent specific methane yield (SMY) and methane yield per hectare (MYPH) of festulolium and tall fescue cultivated on a riparian fen peatland in a block-designed field experiment (n?=?3). For the 2C managements, three timings of the first cut were implemented corresponding to growth stages of pre-heading (2C-early), inflorescence emergence (2C-mid), and flowering (2C-late). Anaerobic digestion batch assays with biomass samples were run for 68 days, showing that 90% of total methane (CH₄) was produced within 38 days. Specific methane yield ranged from 315 to 464?NL?CH_4?kg^?1 volatile solids (mean, 393?NL). On average, SMY of the final cut biomass was 13% lower than the first cut biomass. Methane yield per hectare ranged from 5277 to 6963?Nm^3?CH_4?ha^?1 (mean, 6265?Nm³) and was predominantly influenced by biomass yield since SMY only deviated modestly in relation to harvest management (crop maturity). Methane yield per hectare of festulolium under 3C and 2C-late management were significantly higher than 2C-early and 2C-mid managements, whereas the harvesting managements did not influence MYPH of tall fescue. The levels of SMY and MYPH in the present study represented high-end of reported values due to a combination of high activity of the biogas inoculum and a high productivity of festulolium and tall fescue at the riparian fen peatland.     

Methods to assess free radicals and oxidative stress in biological systems.

Oxidative stress results from a disruption of the prooxidant/antioxidant cellular balance and monitoring free radical status becomes an interesting challenge in animal and human nutrition. In the present work, merits and limitations of different analytical techniques (HPLC, GC-MS, fluorometric and colourometric assays, ELISA, gel electrophoresis) for the measurement of radical mediated alterations in the cellular integrity of lipids (malondialdehyde, hydrocarbon gases, F2-isoprostanes) proteins (protein carbonyls, 3-nitrotyrosine) and DNA (8-hydroxy-2'-deoxyguanosine) are discussed. Besides these indirect methods, owing to the fact that free radicals are paramagnetic, electron paramagnetic resonance spectroscopy combined with spin trapping has become a valuable tool to directly assess and to better understand the mechanisms of free radical reactions. With this approach a radical that is too short-lived to be detected, adds to a spin-trapping agent to form a relatively long-lived radical adduct. Information obtained from the hyperfine splitting of the spin-trapped adduct can provide identification and quantification of the originally generated free radicals.     

Mass-independent oxygen isotope fractionation in atmospheric CO as a result of the reaction CO + OH

Atmospheric carbon monoxide (CO) exhibits mass-independent fractionation in the oxygen isotopes. An 17O excess up to 7.5 per mil was observed in summer at high northern latitudes. The major source of this puzzling fractionation in this important trace gas is its dominant atmospheric removal reaction, CO + OH --> CO2 + H, in which the surviving CO gains excess 17O. The occurrence of mass-independent fractionation in the reaction of CO with OH raises fundamental questions about kinetic processes. At the same time the effect is a useful marker for the degree to which CO in the atmosphere has been reacting with OH.     

Modeling a farm population to estimate on-farm compliance costs and environmental effects of a grassland extensification scheme at the regional scale

We used a farm-level modeling approach to estimate on-farm compliance costs and environmental effects of a grassland extensification scheme in the district of Ostprignitz-Ruppin, Germany. The behavior of the regional farm population (n = 585) consisting of different farm types with different production orientations and grassland types was modeled under the presence and absence of the grassland extensification scheme using the bio-economic model MODAM. Farms were based on available accountancy data and surveyed production data, while information on farm location within the district was derived from a spatial allocation procedure. The reduction in total gross margin per unit area was used to measure on-farm compliance costs. A dimensionless environmental index was used to assess the suitability of the scheme to reduce the risk of nitrate-leaching.Calculated on-farm compliance costs and environmental effects were heterogeneous in space and farm types as a result of different agricultural production and site characteristics. On-farm costs ranged from zero up to almost 1500 Euro/ha. Such high costs occurred only in a very small part of the regional area, whereas the majority of the grassland had low on-farm costs below 50 Euro/ha. Environmental effects were moderate and greater on high-yield than on low-yield grassland. The low effectiveness combined with low on-farm costs in large parts of the region indicates that the scheme is not well targeted. The soft scheme design results from an attempt to achieve environmental and rural development objectives with only one scheme. Improving the efficiency of the scheme would require designing separate instruments for the two distinct objectives. This is in line with the Tinbergen rule, which states that consistent economic policy requires that the number of instruments equals the number of targets.     

New cell lines for efficient propagation of koi herpesvirus and infectious salmon anaemia virus

The production of piscine viruses, in particular of koi herpesvirus (KHV, CyHV‐3) and infectious salmon anaemia virus (ISAV), is still challenging due to the limited susceptibility of available cell lines to these viruses. A number of cell lines from different fish species were compared to standard diagnostic cell lines for KHV and ISAV regarding their capability to exhibit a cytopathic effect (CPE) and to accumulate virus. Two cell lines, so far undescribed, appeared to be useful for diagnostic purposes. Fr994, a cell line derived from ovaries of rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss), produced constantly high ISA virus (ISAV) titres and developed a pronounced CPE even at high cell passage numbers, while standard cell lines are reported to gradually loose these properties upon propagation. Another cell line isolated from the head kidney of common carp (Cyprinus carpio), KoK, showed a KHV induced CPE earlier than the standard cell line used for diagnostics. A third cell line, named Fin‐4, established from the fin epithelium of rainbow trout did not promote efficient replication of tested viruses, but showed antigen sampling properties and might be useful as an in vitro model for virus uptake or phagocytosis.     

Modelling relative abundance of Oligoryzomys flavescens,an Orthohantavirus reservoir,in an endemic hantavirus pulmonary syndrome zone

Hantavirus pulmonary syndrome (HPS) is a zoonotic emerging infectious disease caused by New World orthohantaviruses (family Hantaviridae) hosted by rodents of the family Cricetidae. In Argentina, one of its main hosts is the sigmodontine rodent Oligoryzomys flavescens, a widely distributed mouse of the Pampas, Delta and Espinal ecoregions of central-east Argentina. Because the abundance of the reservoir and its proportion in the rodent community affects both virus prevalence and human exposure risk, its estimation throughout its known geographical distribution is of key importance for the design of public health strategies to prevent HPS. The aim of this study was therefore to model the relative abundance of O. flavescens in most of the Pampas ecoregion within Buenos Aires Province, Argentina, where hantavirus pulmonary syndrome is endemic. To do this we used owl-pellet samples collected between 2006 and 2008 from 51 sites distributed throughout most of Buenos Aires province. Mammalian prey in each pellet was identified to the lowest possible taxonomic level by examination of the skulls, dentaries and molars. We modelled the frequency of O. flavescens found in each sample as a function of climatic, environmental, and topographic data of each site. The two best models were applied to a Geo referential Information System to build maps of estimated frequency (as a proxy of relative abundance) within Buenos Aires province. Estimated relative abundance of O. flavescens in Buenos Aires province was significantly associated with annual mean temperature, annual precipitation and presence of freshwater bodies, and varied among sub-regions, with the Inland and Rolling Pampas being the regions with highest frequencies. Knowing in which areas O. flavescens abundance is expected to be higher can be used to concentrate limited sanitary efforts in those areas that are most needed in order to reduce transmission and increase detection.     

Extraction and Activation of Wheat Polyphenol Oxidase by Detergents: Biochemistry and Applications

Polyphenol oxidases (PPOs) from several plant species, including wheat, have been implicated in undesirable brown discolorations of food products. It has been demonstrated that these enzymes are often present in a latent form or are membrane‐associated, necessitating detergent or other treatments to obtain fully active preparations. Here, the influence of different detergents on wheat meal and flour PPOs was investigated. Extraction in presence of 50 mM SDS led to a 5‐ to 15‐fold increase in PPO activity, making quantitative assays in flour from low‐PPO lines more robust. Among a series of additional nonionic, anionic, and cationic detergents tested, only n ‐lauroylsarcosine increased extractable PPO activity to a degree comparable to that of SDS. Additional experiments suggested that a large fraction of wheat meal PPOs may be membrane‐associated and that SDS is able to activate PPOs extracted from high‐activity but not from low‐activity wheat lines. PPO activities assayed after SDS extraction of meal and flour were highly correlated with each other and with activity determined in whole (intact) kernels in absence of SDS. Correlation coefficients between PPO activities measured with all these methods and noodle brightness were about equal, indicating that activities assayed after SDS extraction are useful for germplasm screening and quality prediction.