Influences of quaternary climatic changes on processes of soil development on desert loess deposits of the Cima volcanic field, California

Soils formed in loess are evidence of both relict and buried landscapes developed on Pliocene-to-latest Pleistocene basalt flows of the Cima volcanic field in the eastern Mojave Desert, California. The characteristics of these soils change systematically and as functions of the age and surface morphology of the lava flow. Four distinct phases of soil development are recognized: phase 1 - weakly developed soils on flows less than 0.18 M.y. old; phase 2 - strongly developed soils with thick argillic horizons on 0.18 – 0.7 M.y. old flows; phase 3 - strongly developed soils with truncated argillic horizons massively impregnated by carbonate on 0.7 to 1.1 M.y. old flows; and phase 4 - degraded soils with petrocalcic rubble on Pliocene flows. A critical aspect of the development of stage 1 soils is the evolution of a vesicular A horizon which profoundly affects the infiltration characteristics of the loess parent materials. Laboratory studies show that secondary gypsum and possibly other salt accumulation probably occurred during the period of phase 1 soil development. Slight reddening of the interiors of peds from vesicular-A horizons of phase 1 soils and presence of weakly developed B horizons indicates a slight degree of in situ chemical alteration. However, clay and Fe oxide contents of these soils show that these constituents, as well as carbonates and soluble salts, are incorporated as eolian dust. In contrast to phase 1 soils, chemical and mineralogical analysis of argillic horizons of phase 2 soils indicate proportionally greater degrees of in-situ chemical alteration. These data, the abundant clay films, and the strong reddening in the thick argillic horizons suggest that phase 2 and phase 3 soils formed during long periods of time and periodically were subjected to leaching regimes more intense than those that now exist. Flow-age data and soil-stratigraphic evidence also indicate that several major loess-deposition events occurred during the past 1.0 M.y. Loess events are attributed to past changes in climate, such as the Pleistocene-to-Holocene climatic change, that periodically caused regional desiccation of pluvial lakes, reduction of vegetational density, and exposure of loose, unconsolidated fine materials. During times of warmer interglacial climates, precipitation infiltrates to shallower depths than during glacial periods. Extensive, saline playas which developed in the Mojave Desert during the Holocene are a likely source of much of the carbonates and soluble salts that are accumulating at shallow depths both in phase 1 soils and in the formerly noncalcareous, nongypsiferous argillic horizons of phase 2 and 3 soils.     

The impact of harvester ants on decomposition, N mineralization, litter quality, and the availability of N to plants in the Mojave Desert

In arid areas of North America, nests of the seed-harvesting ant Pogonomyrmex rugosus tend to be elevated in mineral nitrogen and other soil nutrients relative to other microhabitats. We investigated the roles of decomposition, N mineralization, and plant nutrient uptake in maintaining high standing stocks of nutrients in P. rugosus ant nests. Decomposition rates of standard cellulose substrates placed on the surface of ant nests and other desert microhabitats suggest that conditions found in ant nests and bare areas are conducive to higher rates of decomposition than conditions under shrubs. In laboratory incubations of moist soil, net N mineralization rates were significantly higher in soil from ant nests than from bare areas and under two of three plant species. Net N mineralization rates measured in situ were much lower than those measured in laboratory incubations, but ant nest soil still exhibited higher rates at one of two sites. Litter collected from ant mounds, composed chiefly of seed chaff, was similar in N content to litter collected from underneath the dominant plant species, but had a significantly higher mean δ¹⁵N. Using this distinctive isotope signature as a tracer, we found no evidence that large perennial shrubs tap ant nests as a source of N. An invasive, annual grass species was significantly enriched in ¹⁵N, had higher leaf %N, and produced more seeds when growing on the mound than when growing several meters away; however P. rugosus nest surfaces are typically free of such annuals. We conclude that both high rates of nutrient cycling relative to other Mojave Desert microhabitats and low N utilization by the surrounding vegetation contribute to high standing stocks of mineral N in P. rugosus nests.     

A Comparative Analysis of the Microfabrics of Surface Horizons and Desert Varnish in Extremely Arid Soils of the Mojave (USA) and Trans-Altai Gobi (Mongolia) Deserts

The mineralogical composition of coarse fraction and characteristic features of the micro- and submicrofabrics and chemical composition of desert varnish on gravels of desert pavements and the underlying vesicular crust soil horizons were studied in the extremely arid soils of the Mojave (USA) and Trans-Altai Gobi (Mongolia) deserts. A set of common diagnostic features of elementary pedogenetic processes was identified in the automorphic desert soils developed on ancient (70–90 ka) piedmont plains composed of alluvial deposits with the high content of red-earth clay. The results of this study attest to the long and complicated history of the extremely arid soils with alternation of the humid and arid phases of pedogenesis reflected in a specific combination of textural (clay-illuvial) and carbonate pedofeatures and in the distribution patterns of iron, manganese, titanium, and barium in different layers of the desert varnish. The chemical composition of the latter did not depend on the mineralogical composition of the underlying substrates and was formed with active participation of soil microorganisms. This allowed us to conclude about the polygenetic (accretionary–microbiological) nature of desert varnish.     

Distribution and activity of hypolithic soil crusts in a hyperarid desert (Baja California, Mexico)

Widespread and ecologically important, biological soil crusts include those microbial communities living on the surface of the soil and those that live beneath semitranslucent rocks (a.k.a. hypolithic crusts). We examined the distribution, abundance, physiology, and potential soil N contributions of hypolithic, biological crusts in hyperarid ecosystems of the Baja California peninsula and islands in the midriff region of the Gulf of California, Mexico (Sonoran desert). Crusts were limited in distribution to areas with translucent quartz rocks less than 3 cm thick, were not found on areas of islands with seabird guano deposition, but covered as much as 1% (12,750 m²) of the surface area of one island. The percent of available rocks colonized by crusts was similar between the mainland (38%) and islands without seabird guano (26%). Carbon fixation rates in the field, which have not been previously reported, ranged between 0 and 1.23 μmol m⁻² s⁻¹, and in the lab ranged between 0.66 and 0.94 μmol m⁻² s⁻¹. Evidence of low rates of N fixation was inferred from δ ¹⁵N values of crust and soil. Hypolithic crusts were found to have minimal, if any, influence on soil salinity, pH, and , but may represent up to 14% of the biomass of primary producers on these islands and provide C and N to the belowground and possibly aboveground heterotrophic communities where crusts exist. The results of this study suggest a limited but potentially important contribution of hypolithic soil crusts to hyperarid ecosystems.     

Facies identification within the playa-lakes of the Monegros desert,Spain, from field and satellite data

The Monegros desert and its saline wetlands, called saladas (literally translated as “the salties”), are a unique European landscape of great scientific and ecological value. The saladas (i.e., playa-lakes and other small saline depressions) are dynamic environments; changing their surface morphology on a seasonal–diurnal basis in response to both climate and groundwater fluxes. To depict changes in these natural systems, we have identified five surface facies classes which are detectable both in the field and from remote sensing data. These facies are crucial for describing and promoting the protection of these habitats. Remote sensing has provided worthwhile historical data and additional information that compensate for scarce field records. Combined field and satellite criteria are used to catalog these facies with a new conceptual integration that manages the asynchronism between the field and satellite data. The catalog of facies is intended to be helpful for monitoring these wetlands, and for understanding the current hydrological patterns and trends in the playa-lakes. This work will serve as a baseline for studying the future evolution of the saladas which may soon fall under manmade environmental forces such as increased water input from adjacent newly irrigated lands. It is hoped that identification of these facies will be useful, with minor adaptations, in using more advanced sensors or in studying similar habitats.     

Response of alluvial fan systems to the late Pleistocene to Holocene climatic transition: contrasts between the margins of pluvial Lakes Lahontan and Mojave, Nevada and California, USA

Dated shorelines of late Pleistocene pluvial Lakes Lahontan (Great Basin Desert, northwest Nevada) and Mojave (Mojave Desert, eastern California) provide timelines for the assessment of alluvial fan sedimentation at the lake margins during the late Pleistocene to early Holocene. Two sets of alluvial fan systems have been mapped: the Stillwater fans, feeding Lake Lahontan; and the Zzyzx fans, feeding Lake Mojave. Their contrasting morphologies suggest different responses of the two fan systems to late Pleistocene to early Holocene climatic change. At the time the Stillwater fan systems underwent minimal sedimentation, with the catchment hillslopes apparently stable. The Zzyzx fans experienced major changes in water and sediment supply from the catchment hillslopes. There was a major phase of hillslope debris-flow activity, followed by fanhead trenching and distal fan progradation. Both areas were wetter and colder in the late Pleistocene than they are today, but during the transition to the Holocene the Zzyzx area was more likely to experience intense rains associated with the monsoonal penetration of warm moist tropical air into the Southwest. Vegetation reconstructions for the late Pleistocene to the early Holocene suggest that catchment hillslopes in the Mojave supported a desert shrub vegetation, but those in the Stillwaters supported juniper woodland and grasses at low elevations and pine at higher elevations. Contrasts in hillslope vegetation cover together with storm activity may account for the different responses of the alluvial fans to climatic change during the Pleistocene to Holocene climatic transition. After the falls in lake levels of Lakes Lahontan and Mojave in the early Holocene, both areas underwent aridification, resulting in reductions in hillslope vegetation cover. Increased storm runoff led to fanhead trenching and distal progradation of the alluvial fans. Variations in fan style at that time may relate primarily to base-level conditions resulting from different gradients on the exposed lake shores.     

农牧交错带变迁的格局与过程及其景观生态意义

从景观生态角度出发研究了农牧交错带历史变迁的格局、过程、动力机制及其对区域农业发展的影响。阐述了我国农业发展与历史农牧界限的波动;农牧交错带气候变化与农笔业交替及农牧交错带的景观生态意义。秦汉以后农牧界限有限度波动和长城沿线农牧业交错变迁与区域内气候环境的干湿交替及农耕经济和游牧经济的此消彼长相对应,农牧交错带具有环境胞弱特征,农农业景观异质性的形成和流动输出及其对相邻区域农业技术发展的影响上表现明显作用。     

The influence of field shape, area and surrounding landscape on plant species richness in grazed ex-fields

Over the past 100 years species-rich semi-natural grasslands have decreased dramatically in Western Europe, where former arable fields (ex-fields) are used instead as pasture. The disappearance of semi-natural grasslands has caused a threat to the biodiversity in agricultural landscapes. Many typical grassland plants are dispersal limited, thus grazed ex-fields can be used to investigate if species spontaneously colonise these new grassland habitats. We examined the relationship between surrounding landscape, field area, shape, distance between edge and centre, and plant species diversity in ex-fields that had been grazed for 15-18 years. The results showed that there were 35% more plant species in fields surrounded by commercial forestry production compared to those surrounded by open agricultural landscape. Area and shape did not influence species richness, although there was increasing number of species in the centre with decreasing distance from the edge. Twenty-five percent of the species where typical grassland species, and ex-fields surrounded by forest had 91% more grassland species compared to those in the open landscape. It is possible to increase grassland plant occurrences by grazing ex-fields surrounded by forest or other grassland remnant habitats, particularly in landscapes where grazed semi-natural grasslands are scarce.     

玉米与赤霉素对向日葵列当种子萌发、防除以及对后茬作物向日葵生长的影响

向日葵列当(Orobanche cumana Wallr.)是一种根寄生草本植物,对向日葵等经济作物造成严重危害。为了减少向日葵列当对向日葵的寄生,降低土壤中向日葵列当种子库,本试验以新疆地区广泛种植的玉米品种‘京糯一号’和‘新玉57号’为研究材料,通过穴盘试验研究在不同时期(出苗后10 d和15 d)施加两种不同浓度赤霉素(10~(-4 )mol·L~(-1)和10~(-5 )mol·L~(-1))对上述两个品种玉米生长发育和分泌列当萌发刺激物质的影响;24 d后收集并提取玉米根系分泌物,用其进行刺激向日葵列当种子的萌发试验,从而筛选出刺激向日葵列当种子萌发能力较强的玉米品种进行盆栽试验。通过盆栽试验,在玉米种植后的不同时期(20 d和40 d)喷施10~(-4 )mol·L~(-1)赤霉素以探究玉米与赤霉素共同防除向日葵列当种子的效果,收获时(105 d后)采集玉米地上部、根和根际土样品,用其甲醇浸提液刺激向日葵列当种子萌发;次年在种植过玉米的盆中种植后茬作物向日葵,收获时测定向日葵的农艺指标并统计向日葵列当的出土数。结果表明:穴盘试验中施加赤霉素对玉米的株高有显著增高作用,对玉米根系分泌萌发刺激物质没有抑制作用,即在玉米生长时期可以施加10~(-4 )mol·L~(-1)和10~(-5 )mol·L~(-1)赤霉素。此外,‘新玉57号’根系分泌物的100倍稀释液刺激向日葵列当种子的萌发率显著高于‘京糯一号’,因此选取‘新玉57号’作为盆栽试验的玉米品种。盆栽试验中不同时期施加10~(-4 )mol·L~(-1)赤霉素,玉米株高同样显著高于对照,增长率分别为22.5%、19.1%。次年种植后茬作物向日葵,在第20 d向玉米施加赤霉素处理的盆中种植的向日葵的花盘直径比对照(种植玉米时不施加赤霉素)显著增加57.1%。与对照相比,在种植玉米后的20 d和40 d施加赤霉素的处理种植向日葵,向日葵列当的出土数分别是1.3个·盆~(-1)、1.8个·盆~(-1),分别降低76.4%和67.3%。因此,可以在玉米种植的后20 d和40 d施加10~(-4 )mol·L~(-1)赤霉素,与玉米共同诱导向日葵列当种子"自杀发芽",以减少向日葵列当对向日葵植株的危害。     

生态景观型灌排系统面源污染防治试验及生态响应

设计由灌排合一生态环沟、生态景观型斗渠和斗沟组成的新型土地整治灌排系统,以上海市临港土地整治项目区为试验场地进行不同灌排系统面源污染防治效果对比试验,最后引入生态服务价值模型分析其产生的生态响应。结果表明:1)生态景观型灌排系统涵盖稻田-萍-鱼-蔬菜种植版互利共生系统和生态环沟-迂回式生化塘-斗沟湿地面源污染防治系统,实现了稻田养鱼和农业现代化经营共赢;同时在土地整治灌排系统稻田排水口处设置迂回式生化塘,为农业面源污染防治提供了一种新思路;2)生态景观型灌排系统通过植物吸收和截留、基质和底泥吸附及细菌和微生物降解等作用,在水稻生长周期6-10月面源污染防治效果均明显高于其他灌排系统,COD、NH4+-N、TN、TP的平均去除率分别为77.57%、78.99%、69.77%、73.74%;3)生态景观型灌排系统带来的(正,负)生态响应中,正响应为4.95万元,是负响应的45倍,气候调节、水源涵养、废物处理、生物多样性保护、土壤保持和提供美学景观等功能均显著增强。     

Surface and subsurface microbial biomass, community structure and metabolic activity as a function of soil depth and season

Microbial biomass, size and community structure along with an estimate of microbial activity and soil chemical parameters were determined at three depths in two soils (e.g. sandy loam Ultic Hapludalf and silt loam Mollic Hapludalf) replicated three times under one winter and summer season. Microbial biomass and community structure were estimated from phospholipid-PO₄ content and fatty acid methyl ester (FAME) measurements. Microbial activity and assimilative capacity were estimated using a ³H-acetate incorporation into phospholipids and by incubating the soil samples at the average winter and summer temperatures, 3 and 20 °C, respectively. We found that the size of the microbial biomass in both the surface and the subsurface soils was not significantly affected by the seasonal variation but activity increased by as much as 83% at the summer temperatures in the surface soil. We demonstrated using FAME analysis that for both soils seasonal changes in the subsurface microbial community occurred. These findings suggest that winter conditions will shift the population activity level in both the surface and subsurface systems and the biochemical structure of the community in the subsurface. In all cases, the inorganic chemical properties of the soil, as a function of season, remained constant. The greatly increased activity of microbial population at the higher temperature will favor the capacity of the system to utilize nutrients or organic materials that may enter soil. During low temperature seasons the capacity of either surface or subsurface soils to assimilate materials is generally diminished but the reduction reflects changes in metabolism and not a reduced biomass size.     

基于智能检测的发酵过程测控系统集成及应用

发酵测控系统是发酵过程参数智能检测与优化调控的基础,直接影响着发酵过程的控制性能。该文针对L-乳酸发酵过程的智能检测,提出了一种基于智能检测的发酵过程测控系统集成方法,给出了系统的体系结构及实现方法,集成了基于虚拟仪器技术的PXI总线发酵过程智能测控系统,给出了系统的软、硬件设计。该系统通过建立软测量模型,有效地实现了发酵过程不易测量参量的在线估计与控制,为发酵过程提供了一种新的测控系统。试验研究表明,将该系统应用到L-乳酸发酵过程中,通过在线估计葡萄糖液消耗量,实现了L-乳酸发酵过程补料优化控制,乳酸产量提高23%,提高了发酵产物得率。     

Vegetation patchiness and implications for landscape function: The case of Pteronia incana invader species in Ngqushwa Rural Municipality, Eastern Cape, South Africa

Patchy vegetation patterns are an expression of soil surface conditions, water redistribution on the soil surface and landscape function. Their origin is attributed by many a scholar to the degradation of the original plant cover due to human disturbances and climatic fluctuations. In this study, aerial photographs were analysed to benchmark the onset of the invasion by Pteronia incana. The soil moisture dependencies of the invader shrub and grasses were also investigated. The invasion assumed varying trajectories on abandoned and grazing lands. The different soil moisture dependencies between P. incana and grass species were noted to underpin the competitive advantage and eventual replacement of the latter by the former. Soil surface crusting inherent to P. incana, the loss of patchiness and associated expansion of bare zones promote runoff generation and connectivity, and erosion intensification, leading to conversion of hillslopes to dysfunctional systems. Despite its runoff enhancing role, to some extent, P. incana tussocks act as sink areas for some of the runoff generated on the bare zones. Recognition of this resource capture capability should provide the starting point for the rehabilitation of degraded hillslopes.     

Rain Use Efficiency,Primary Production and Rainfall Relationships in Desert Rangelands of Tunisia

Desert rangelands are characterised by low and highly variable rainfall regime, low forage production and high heterogeneity in the distribution of natural resources. This study was carried out in the desert rangelands of Tunisia to evaluate the response of different rangelands to annual rainfall in terms of aboveground net primary production (ANPP) and rain use efficiency over a 10‐year period (2003–2012). In general, ANPP values were relatively low (123 kg DM ha⁻¹ y⁻¹) but would tend to increase with increasing annual rainfall for all rangeland types. The highest value of ANPP was observed from Stipagrostis pungens and Hammada shmittiana communities (sandy‐soil) during the wet year 2011. In contrast, rain use efficiency tends to decline with the highest annual rainfall and varies among rangeland types and with an average of 1·9 kg DM ha⁻¹ mm⁻¹ y⁻¹. Rain use efficiency tended to be higher during dry years and lower during wet years and tended to be higher on S. pungens and H. shmittiana (sandy‐soils) and lower on Helianthemum kahiricum (loamy soils). Therefore, understanding how rainfall affects productivity in rangelands is critical for predicting the impact of land degradation on the functioning of these ecosystems. It can be used to explain production decline associated with desertification as well as to assess rangeland conditions. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Surface mulching and a sandy soil interlayer suppress upward enrichment of salt ions in salt-contaminated field

Purpose

The suppression effect of a sandy soil interlayer on topsoil enrichment of salt ions was investigated. However, whether this suppression effect was enhanced by surface mulching was little documented. The objectives of this study were to compare the suppression effects under different materials mulching, and to investigate an innovative method to suppress the soil salt ions down-to-top enrichment.

Materials and methods

In this study, the sandy soil layer was pre-positioned at 60–100 cm depth in a salt-contaminated site in advance, achieving the suppression effect on surface enrichment of salt components as expected. Three treatments were herein designed as bare field (CK), plastic film mulching (PM), and maize straw mulching (SM) to examine the dynamics of water and salt movement across soil profiles during the summer with strong evaporation.

Results and discussions

Results showed that total salt content was increased by 21.3 and 8.0% in CK and SM respectively, while decreased by 24.9% in PM at the end of strong evaporation period, comparing with the beginning. Thus, surface mulching further strengthened this suppression effect, but PM displayed better performance than SM did. The data also demonstrated that vertical transport of soil water was much restrained in PM and SM, accordingly inhibiting upward transfer of salt ions. Particularly, sodium adsorption ratio (SAR) ranged from 14.3–265.7, 17.9–147.1, 38.4–147.2 mmol^1/2 kg^?1/2 at a shallow soil layer (0–60 cm) in CK, PM, and SM, respectively.

Conclusions

The results suggested that sandy soil interlayer settings with plastic mulching are a critical technical strategy for salt-contaminated land reutilization and management.

     

Laboratory and field evaluation of mineral oil spray for the control of citrus red mite,Panonychus citri (McGregor)

Abstract

The aim of this study was to investigate the protection role of potato proteinase inhibitor-II gene against insect and fungal pathogens of cotton. The positive integration of pinII was confirmed by polymerase chain reaction and Southern analysis in transgenic tobacco plants. In insect bioassay, the transgenic lines were more resistant to cotton bollworm (Helicoverpa armigera) and caused insect mortality and severe growth inhibition. Expression against Rhizoctonia implicated a pivotal role of this gene in defence towards pathogens. Potato proteinase inhibitor-II had shown significant expression against insect as well as fungal pathogens and suggests the role of pinII in engineering insect/pathogen-resistant plants.     

Variation of soil organic carbon,nitrogen, and phosphorus stoichiometry and biogeographic factors across the desert ecosystem of Hexi Corridor,northwestern China

Purpose

The purposes of present study were to display the vertical distribution of soil organic carbon (SOC), nitrogen (N), and phosphorus (P) stoichiometry; identify the biogeographic characteristics of SOC, N, and P stoichiometry along an aridity gradient across the desert ecosystem of Hexi Corridor; and determine how biogeographic distribution patterns of SOC, N, and P stoichiometry are related to vegetation, soil texture, geography, and climate.

Materials and methods

We investigated the distribution and characteristics of SOC, N, and P stoichiometry based on samples collected from Hexi Corridor during 2011–2012 with total 400 plots of 80 sites. This region presents a precipitation gradient from about 250 mm in the east to less than 50 mm in the west. The measured variables included belowground and aboveground biomass, pH, bulk density, sand, clay, silt, SOC, N, and P contents. ANOVA analysis, reduced major axis, redundancy analysis, Person’s correlation, and regression analysis were used to analysis the variation of SOC, N, and P stoichiometry and related biogeographic factors.

Results and discussion

In present study, SOC, N, and P contents decreased significantly with increasing soil depth. C/N did not change significantly, while C/P and N/P decreased significantly. SOC and N, SOC and P, and N and P were well constrained within 0–100 cm. SOC, N, and P contents in 0–20 cm were higher than them in other studies. Vegetation, soil texture, climate, and geography could explain 91.6% of the total variance of soil stoichiometry. The impact of latitude and longitude on SOC, N, and P stoichiometry was mainly caused by the redistribution of precipitation, while the impact of altitude mainly resulted from the variation of temperature. With increasing aridity, SOC, N, and P contents and C/N/P ratios reduced consistently with inconsistent decrease rates.

Conclusions

Our results suggested that the interaction of vegetation structure, soil condition, and shortage of precipitation should be the main driver for the lower contents and much shallower distributions of SOC, N, and P of Hexi Corridor. The increasing aridity should be the critical factor that is responsible for the decrease of SOC, N, and P contents and C/N/P ratios. This study contributes to the understanding of soil stoichiometry in the desert ecosystem.

     

Nitrogen and Sulfate Export from High Elevation Catchments of the Sierra Nevada,California

Based on studies of high-elevation, Sierra Nevada catchments during the period from 1983 through 1996, we describe temporal variations in the concentrations of NO₃ ^- and SO₄ ^2- in surface waters. During snowmelt, some catchments had a pattern of NO₃ ^- increase to a plateau between the start of snowmelt and some weeks before runoff peaked, and a decline as runoff increased to its maximum. In other catchments, NO₃ ^- concentrations peaked during the autumn and winter. Long-term trends in surface water chemistry were evident in only two catchments: an increase in SO₄ ^2- concentrations in surface waters of the Ruby Lake basin, and a lowering of annual maxima and minima of NO₃ ^- concentrations at Emerald Lake. From October 1987 through April 1994, SO₄ ^2- concentrations increased from about 6 µeq L^-1 to about 12 µeq L^-1 in Ruby Lake, and in Emerald Lake, NO₃ ^- maxima declined by 25-50 %.     

Factors influencing atmospheric deposition,stream export,and landscape accumulation of trace metals in forested watersheds

Wet and dry deposition inputs and streamflow output of Cd, Mn, Pb, Zn, and Al were measured intermittently at four deciduous forested watersheds in the southeastern United States between 1976 and 1982. Atmospheric inputs to each site were similar, varying by factors of 1.1 to 2.2 for the different metals. Metal levels in precipitation indicate that these sites are representative of rural, continental areas. Metals in rain exhibit significant temporal and spatial trends, with concentrations generally higher during summer than winter at all sites and generally lowest at the more remote site. The concentrations of Cd and Pb in both wet and dry deposition decreased between the period 1976 to 1977 and 1981 to 1982. Ion ratios and enrichment factors suggest that Mn is largely soil derived in atmospheric samples while Cd, Pb, and Zn are enriched over typical soil levels. Factor analysis indicates that soil components influence both Al and Mn while fine aerosol components influence Cd in wet and dry deposition. Both components influence the behavior of Pb. Dry deposition dominated the input of Mn and Al to each site, while wet deposition was the major input process for the other metals (54 to 85% of total). On an annual basis, deposited Cd, Pb, and Zn are strongly retained in each watershed: 2% of the Pb, 8 to 29% of the Cd, and 8 to 34% of the Zn inputs were transported in stream flow. Deposited Mn and Al are retained to a lesser degree and show a net loss from two sites. Metal export is controlled by stream pH, organic carbon, bedrock geology, and hydrologic characteristics of each site.