Environmental change and its impacts on human settlement in the Yangtze Delta, P.R. China

Archaeological excavations and environment–archaeology studies over many years in the Yangtze Delta region have provided exceptional information about climatic variations, growth and demise of human civilization and human–environment interactions. The archaeological excavations show that the cultural layers of the Neolithic sites are interrupted by barren layers without any cultural relics (so-called cultural interruptions), which may be the result of harsh environmental conditions (arid, flooding, extreme cold or warmth). Temporal and spatial analyses of ¹⁴C-dates for buried trees, peat, shell ridges, and Neolithic sites show that environmental changes are responsible for the rise and fall of human civilization. The progress of human civilization was interrupted at least 5 times in the Yangtze Delta, matching 5 periods of high sea level, peat accumulation, and burial of trees. The collapse of the Liangzhu culture about 4000 BP was followed by the less-developed Maqiao culture and resulted from extreme environmental and hydrological conditions such as floods.     

Effects of Sewage on the Chemical Composition of Piracicaba River,Brazil

Water samples were collected from 7 locations along major rivers of Piracicaba River basin for 22 months. The 4 upstream points represent non-polluted sites and the 3 downriver points represent polluted sites. Due to sewage input, concentrations of dissolved organic carbon (DOC), dissolved inorganic carbon (DIC), major conservative cations and anions increased significantly in the polluted sites. The major increases were observed for sodium, chloride and sulfate. Nitrate was an exception for this pattern, with similar concentrations between polluted and non-polluted sites. The probable cause was reduction of nitrate to ammonium in the polluted sites, where anoxic conditions prevail. Most of the variables had an inverse correlation with water discharge, especially in the polluted points. The sewage load was diluted by precipitation and surface waters.     

浅谈水土保持产业化经营的理论依据

水土保持产业化需要有坚实的理论来作指导。市场经济要求一切生产经营活动都要遵循市场经济理论 ,实行适应市场要求的产业化经营。水土保持产业化经营要用生态经济学理论作指导 ,使产业化建设和运行达到经济、生态和社会效益的持久统一。扩大经营主体的规模、实行产业群体内部各经济主体的联合 ,是实现水土保持产业化经营的两条重要途径     

Land Disposal of Centrate from Biosolids Production

Arid land and riparian plants were irrigated with a liquid wastewater stream (centrate) from biosolids production at a municipal sewage treatment facility. Centrate containing approximately 1000 mg/l ammonia nitrogen was diluted with Tucson city tap water to provide treatments of 2.5, 5, 10, 25, 50, and 100% centrate, along with a dilution water control. Plants grown in 19-l containers in a greenhouse were irrigated daily with 6.7 l of solution over a 7-week period. All species exhibited a fertilizing effect at concentrations up to 5 and 10% centrate, equivalent to approximately 50 and 100 mg/l NH₃–N, but then inhibitory above 100 mg/l. No plants survived on the 50 or 100% treatments. If centrate were to be diverted from the wastewater facility to be disposed of on the land, it was estimated that the total nitrogen content of the biosolids produced by the plant would be reduced by 11%. This reduction would have only a small impact on the value of the biosolids for soil amendment applications.     

Changes in organic carbon and nitrogen in soil with metal pollution by Cd,Cu, Pb and Zn: a meta‐analysis

Organic carbon (OC) and nitrogen (N) storage in soil plays an important role in global climate change and in maintaining food security. Pollution of soil with heavy metals has occurred in many parts of the world, but their effects on soil OC and N have not been well addressed. Relevant data were extracted from peer‐reviewed journal papers and analysed by a meta‐analysis to determine how long‐term heavy metal pollution affected soil OC and N status. Plant biomass decreased significantly because heavy metals in soil decreased soil OC and N concentrations by 5.0 and 17.9%, respectively, but increased the C/N ratio by 5.1%. The largest reductions in soil OC and N concentrations were in soil more strongly polluted by metals. The changes in soil OC and N with metal pollution varied with climatic conditions. More substantial decreases in OC and N concentrations were likely to occur in polluted soil with large background contents of OC and low pH. Overall, heavy metals were linked to greater reductions in soil OC and N concentrations in natural ecosystems than in agro‐ecosystems. These results provided a quantitative evaluation of the effects of heavy metal pollution on the decrease in soil C and N concentrations and, therefore, on global climate change. Further consideration should be given to changes in the cycling of C and N in soil polluted with metals in natural and agro‐ecosystems.     

Copper Dynamics in a Typic Hapludalf Under Rice-Wheat Cropping System After Twelve Years of Annual Lantana Camara L. Residue Incorporation

Long term effects of lantana (Lantana camera L.) residue and fertilizer application were studied on copper (Cu) fractions in a Typic Hapludalf under rice-wheat cropping at Palampur, India (32°6′N, 76°3′E). A partitioning of soil Cu revealed residual Cu and organically bound Cu as the most dominant fractions followed by Cu occluded by free oxides, specifically exchangeable Cu and soil solution and exchangeable Cu. Continuous incorporation of lantana after 12 years resulted in redistribution of Cu from non-available forms to readily and potentially available forms in soil. All the Cu fractions were positively interrelated amongst themselves and with grain yield and Cu uptake in rice and wheat crops. Specifically exchangeable Cu followed by organically bound Cu were the most important Cu fraction contributing towards grain yield and Cu uptake in rice and wheat crops.     

Resistant Starch Escaped from Ethanol Production: Evidence from Confocal Laser Scanning Microscopy of Distiller's Dried Grains with Solubles (DDGS)

The origin of resistant starch (RS) in distiller's dried grains with solubles (DDGS) of triticale, wheat, barley, and corn from dry‐grind ethanol production was studied. A considerable portion of starch (up to 18% in DDGS) escaped from either granular starch hydrolysis or conventional jet‐cooking and fermentation processes. Confocal laser scanning microscopy revealed that some starch granules were still encapsulated in cells of grain kernel or embedded in protein matrix after milling and were thus physically inaccessible to amylases (type RS1). The crystalline structures of native starch granules were not completely degraded by amylases, retaining the skeletal structures in residual starch during granular starch hydrolysis or leaving residue granules and fragments with layered structures after jet‐cooking followed by the liquefaction and saccharification process, indicating the presence of RS2. Moreover, retrograded starch molecules (mainly amylose) as RS3, complexes of starch with other nonfermentable components as RS4, and starch–lipid complexes as RS5 were also present in DDGS. In general, the RS that escaped from the granular starch hydrolysis process was mainly RS1 and RS2, whereas that from the jet‐cooking process contained all types of RS (RS1 to RS5). Thus, the starch conversion efficiency and ethanol yield could be potentially affected by the presence of various RS in DDGS.     

Rainfall impact effects on ageing casts of a tropical anecic earthworm

We investigated the erodibility of surface casts produced by an anecic earthworm of the Colombian savannahs by means of indoor rain simulations. The kinetic energy applied to samples, 21.62 J minute⁻¹ m⁻², was estimated to be equivalent to 41% of the energy of the more intense period of a local storm. The erodibility of casts was assessed at different stages of their ageing along with the effects of repeated wetting‐drying cycles. Bare soil cores and soil cores of the same size with a cast on their surface (soil + cast) were used as controls. Saturated hydraulic conductivity (HC) was measured to test whether casts enhance soil water permeability. Fresh, almost liquid, individual casts were completely dispersed by a 2‐hour rainfall simulation at a dispersion rate of 0.9 ± 0.5% of sample minute⁻¹. After 5 hours drying at 32°C and 79% relative humidity, casts were as moist as fresh casts (non‐significant Mann–Whitney U‐test) but had a solid appearance and were no longer dispersed by raindrop impact. Under simulated rainfall, dry casts were very slowly fragmented into large aggregates (> 5 mm). The HC of casts was increased by repeated cycles of wetting and drying but unaffected by length of air‐drying and natural ageing, and averaged 7 (3, n = 6), 20 (3, n = 7) and 32 (1, n = 45) cm hour⁻¹ for bare soil, soil + cast and all casts, respectively (standard error, sample size). Except for bare soil, these values were greater than the greatest rainfall intensities recorded locally. The consequences for soil erosion, nutrient losses and water infiltration are discussed.