Biodegradation of estrogens in stream water

Estrogens of human and animal origin that reach the aquatic environment may enter human or animal organism and act as endocrine disruptors.To investigate the persistency of estrogens in laboratory experiments, estrone respectively 17beta-estradiol were added to stream water sampled from river Spree in Berlin. The concentration of estrone and 17beta-estradiol was quantified using enzyme-immuno-assay. The estrone concentration decreased to less than 5 % of the starting concentration at storage temperature of 5 degrees C within 56 days and at storage temperature of 20 degrees C within 14 days. If the estrone were added to autoclaved stream water, no biodegradation was observed. Biodegradation was enhanced when activated sludge was added. Escherichia coli, Pseudomonas fluorenscens and Aeromonas hydrophila in monoculture did not degrade estrone in autoclaved stream water.The concentrations of 17beta-estradiol and estrone decreased similarly.The logistic function proved to be suitable to describe the course of time for the decrease of concentration.     

多球果型马尾松的形态和生殖生物学特征研究

本文对多球果型马尾松和常见型马尾松在生长状态、形态结构、生殖发育等方面的差异进行研究和分析.在多球果型马尾松雌性生殖枝上,能够着生40～80个球果(大孢子叶球),有的甚至可以达到193个以上.而在常见型马尾松的雌性生殖枝上, 通常只着生有1～8个球果,最常见的是着生2～4个球果.多球果型马尾松和常见型马尾松在雌球花的芽组织结构和雌球花的分化过程中有着明显的差异.通过显微分析我们发现:多球果型马尾松雌球花原基的发育在当年生过冬顶芽的下部,在它的上部,还发育有一系列的营养芽原基(10列以上).而常见型马尾松雌球花原基的发育在当年生过冬顶芽的顶端.雌球花发育机理的不同,决定了多球果型马尾松球果的着生部位发生了变异.多球果型马尾松球果着生在春梢的下(基)部,常见型马尾松球果着生在春梢的顶部.多球果型马尾松与常见型马尾松球果(大孢子叶球)的发育过程和发育起始时间不相同.通过对8～12月标本进行显微切片分析,多球果型马尾松球果的发育起始时间在当年的8月(过冬顶芽开始形成的同时),与小孢子叶球的发育起始时间同步.常见型马尾松球果的发育起始时间是当年的11月,两种类型马尾松的大孢子叶球都是在次年4月受粉,到第三年的11月种子成熟.多球果型马尾松球果比常见型马尾松球果多3个月的发育时间.多球果型马尾松个体大量的长串状多球果性状在历年都能重复出现,这说明该性状具有个体水平的稳定性.无性繁殖研究证明,多球果型马尾松的长串状多球果性状,可以通过嫩枝嫁接的方式,进行性状的传递.对多球果型马尾松进行有性繁殖研究时我们发现,多球果型马尾松的球果可以发育出种子,且成熟种子的发芽率为60%～76%.这说明多球果型马尾松与常见型马尾松一样,可以用种子进行后代繁殖.多球果型马尾松与常见型马尾松在形态和生长速率方面没有明显差异.     

Trade-off between wheat yield and drainage under current and climate change conditions in northeast Germany

In the temperate climate of northeast Germany, a trade-off exists between water use in agricultural crop production and groundwater recharge which is important for urban water supply, irrigation, forestry and peat protection. The APSIM-Nwheat model was used to analyze the impact of climate change scenarios on deep drainage (DD), the water loss below the maximum root zone as the main source of groundwater recharge, and wheat production for two main soil types. A linear and a nonlinear climate scenario were used in this study: The linear scenario for 2001–2050 was based on a simple linearly modified historical climate record from 1951 to 2000. The nonlinear scenario used the same 1951–2000 historical climate record but combined it nonlinearly with a Global Circulation Model climate scenario for 2001–2050. Simulation results showed different distributions of deep drainage and grain yield with the linear and nonlinear scenarios, but no difference in the 50-year averages. Hence, a linear manipulation of climate records can be as effective for climate change impact studies on deep drainage and grain yield as nonlinearly manipulated climate data, if long-term average changes are of main interest. The simulation results indicated that a trade-off between deep drainage and grain yields can be potentially controlled through N management. However, such control mechanism was more effective under current climate conditions than under future climate and on a better water-holding silt soil compared to a poorer water-holding loamy sand. It is suggested that areas with poor water-holding soils should be managed extensively for groundwater recharge harvesting while better water-holding soils should be used for high input grain production.     

Distribution of total mercury in coastal sediments from Jade Bay and its catchment, Lower Saxony, Germany

Purpose

Sediment cores provide a reliable record of mercury (Hg) contamination and can be used to study long-term Hg pollution and relevant environmental change. In the last hundred years, there were several events which may have contributed to the accumulation of Hg in Jade Bay and its catchment. This work was undertaken to assess the record in total Hg (THg) content in sediments of cores from Jade Bay and its catchment.

Materials and methods

A 5-m sediment core from Jade Bay, Lower Saxonian Wadden Sea, southern North Sea and a 12-m core from its catchment area (Wangerland, coastal zone of the Jade Bay) were used to study Hg contents in sediments. Total Hg, grain size distribution, aluminium (Al) and total organic carbon (TOC) were analysed on subsamples of both sediment cores. Total Hg was determined by oxygen combustion-gold amalgamation using DMA-80.

Results and discussion

As THg contents of the Jade Bay core were positively correlated to the sum of TOC and Al contents (r ²?=?0.86, p?<?0.001), the Hg data were interpreted using a regional normalisation function with the sum of Al and TOC as the normalisation parameters. Total Hg contents of the Wangerland core were correlated better to Al contents (r ²?=?0.70, p?<?0.001) than to the sum of TOC and Al contents (r ²?=?0.63, p?<?0.05). Therefore, Hg contents in sediments of the Wangerland core were normalised to Al contents. Comparison between enrichment factors and the background range of the sediment cores suggested that Jade Bay was contaminated about 50 years ago, and that Wangerland, or the catchment area of Jade Bay, was contaminated about 300 years ago, if no diagenetic remobilization occurred.

Conclusions

Total Hg contents of both cores were low and of no concern to the aquatic environment of Jade Bay. The Hg record was in good agreement with the history of industrial development in the region; thus, Hg deposition could have occurred through atmospheric input, ammunition residues of the Second World War and volcanic emanations, as well as through diagenetic remobilization.     

Quantification of 4-methylimidazole in class III and IV caramel colors: validation of a new method based on heart-cutting two-dimensional liquid chromatography (LC-LC)

4-Methylimidazole (4MeI) is a nitrogen compound formed during the manufacture of class III and IV caramel colors. The European Commission has limited its content to 250 ppm. Two methods were compared to perform 4MeI quantification in caramels. The first one, currently used and considered to be the reference method, consists of a hot extraction of caramel color with dichloromethane and an analysis of the acetyl derivative of the extract by gas chromatography coupled to mass spectrometry (GC-MS). The second method is based on the heart-cutting two-dimensional liquid chromatography technique (LC-LC) to directly separate 4MeI from the other components present in caramel color sample (diluted in water) in <30 min. The accuracy profile validation method and the comparison between the results obtained with the two methods show that the new and completely automated LC-LC method is usable to quantify 4MeI in caramels.     

Overstory-specific effects of litter fall on the microbial carbon turnover in a mature deciduous forest

Mature deciduous forests can serve as important carbon (C) sinks, but the C storage differs significantly in dependency on the tree species. To specify the significance of overstory-specific effects of litter fall on the soil microbial C turnover, we have investigated the ¹³C isotopic signature of microbial biomarker phospholipid fatty acids (PLFAs). Samples were taken under pure Fagus sylvatica and mixed overstory (F. sylvatica and Fraxinus excelsior or F. excelsior, Acer spp. and F. sylvatica) in a mature temperate deciduous forest in Central Germany 4 weeks prior to and 3 weeks after litter fall. Accordingly, the CO₂ emission from soil was measured before, during and after the litter fall to investigate the response of decomposition. At all sites and at both sampling dates the fungal biomarker PLFA 18:2ω6,9 had predominantly lower δ¹³C values (from −32 to −43‰) than the bacterial biomarker PLFAs (δ¹³C values from −23 to −39‰). This difference indicated that fungi generally used preferentially plant derived C, whereas the bacterial populations include groups which used SOM derived C, independent on the overstory trees. Under pure F. sylvatica overstory the δ¹³C values of microbial biomarker PLFAs were slightly decreased (up to 2‰ for 17:0br) or unchanged after litter fall. By contrast, under both variants of mixed overstory the δ¹³C values of biomarker PLFAs of fungi (18:2ω6,9) were increased after litter fall (+3.5 and +3.8‰). This might be explained partly by a faster initial decomposition of foliar litter from mixed overstory already during litter fall as confirmed by higher CO₂ emission under mixed F. excelsior, Acer spp. and F. sylvatica than under pure F. sylvatica in this period. However, the involved microbial populations differed overstory-specific. Bacterial biomarker PLFAs with strongest overstory-specific differences in the response on litter fall were 17:0br (Gram-positive bacteria), 18:1 and 19:0cy (Gram-negative bacteria). The present results indicate that a tree species conversion even exclusively between deciduous tree species might alter the soil microbial C turnover during litter decomposition and suggest that it would in the long-term change the SOM stability and C storage.     

Metal accumulation and hydraulic performance of bioretention systems after long-term operation

Purpose

Stormwater bioretention systems are widely used to treat diffuse infiltration of runoff from paved surfaces and roofs. Substantial questions remain about the hydraulic performance and the accumulation of pollutants in systems over the long term. Data of metal accumulation of systems with operational times >10 years currently is limited. This study deals with the accumulation of metals in a variety of long-term operational bioretention systems (11–22 years) to derive further operation recommendations for the water authorities.

Materials and methods

The hydraulic conductivity of the bioretention systems in field was measured using a double ring infiltrometer. Media soil samples from 22 diverse designed systems were collected across the surface and at intervals up to a depth of 65 cm to determine the spatial accumulation of Zn, Cu, Pb and Cd. Leaching experiments of selected bioretention media soils were derived to assess the metal leachability by water.

Results and discussion

The hydraulic performance of most bioretention systems still met the technical guidelines of Germany even after long-term operation. Considerable metal accumulation occurred in the topsoil (0–20 cm). Median concentrations of all metals are highest at the soil surface (0–10 cm), decreasing with increasing depth. High concentrations were determined at the inflow points of the runoff waters, whereas concentrations at more than 1.5 m distance from the inflow were only slightly increased compared to the initial soil concentrations. Leachability tests have shown that most of the metals deposited in bioretention soils are only slightly water soluble. No concentrations exceeding the threshold values of the German Soil Contamination Ordinance for the pathway soil to groundwater could be determined.

Conclusions

The hydraulic conductivity of the bioretention systems is given even well after long-term operation. Most of the metal accumulation is concentrated in the top 20 cm; concentrations decrease rapidly and mostly reach background/initial concentrations after depths of 30 cm. The water-soluble metals are all below the trigger values of the German Soil Act. This underlines the strong retention capacity of long-term bioretention systems after long-term operational times.