Effects of different soil management practices on total P and Olsen-P sediment loss: A field rainfall simulation study

Field rainfall simulations were conducted in 2002 and 2005 to study the effects of different soil management practices on the total phosphorous (TP) and Olsen-P losses by soil erosion and redistribution along a 15 m long slope in Luoyang, Henan province, China. Field plots were set up in 2001 and included the following soil management practices: subsoiling with mulch (SSM), no-till with mulch (NTM), reduced tillage (RT), and a conventional tillage control (CT). The results showed that there were no significant differences in TP and Olsen-P content in the sediment load between different plots after 6 years uniform tillage practices. The enrichment of TP and Olsen-P at the lower slope showed a clear redistribution along the slope. Effects of tillage practices on the temporal pattern of the enrichment ratio (ER) of TP and Olsen-P was not uniform. ER_TP values were initially high and diminished after a short period of time and leveled to the end of the rainfall test in CT and RT plots, but remained ≥ 1. The ER of Olsen-P at the end of rainfall simulation showed a significant difference when compared to the initial stage, 0.78 to 1.60, respectively. However, the temporal loss rate of TP and Olsen-P showed a similar pattern because it was more depending on the sediment loss rate than on the concentration in the sediment. SSM resulted in 96% less TP and Olsen-P erosion loss compared to CT in 2002. Also, SSM showed the highest reduction in TP and Olsen-P loss after 4 years consistent practice. RT reduced TP and Olsen-P loss by 30%, although the runoff reduction was not significant. NTM was the best alternative with respect to TP and Olsen-P conservation, when considering its lower operational costs.     

Effect of vegetation restoration on ant nest‐building activities following mobile dune stabilization in the Horqin Sandy land,Northern China

Measurements of the density and characteristics (size and height) of ant mounds were carried out on mobile, semi‐mobile, semi‐fixed and fixed dunes in the Horqin Sandy Land, Northern China. The relationships between the distribution of ant mounds and the plant community (abundance and cover) were investigated, for areas within and across the dune stages. Changes in spatial pattern of ant mounds were also analysed following mobile dune stabilization. The results showed no ant mounds on mobile dunes; the mound density was significantly higher on fixed dunes than on semi‐fixed or semi‐mobile dunes. The mound density depended on plant density and cover across all dune stages, but not within any dune stage. The mound diameter increased but the mound height decreased from semi‐mobile dunes to fixed dunes. However, the mound diameter and height were not related to plant cover and density within any stabilization stage or across all dune stages. The spatial pattern of ant mounds tended to change from more clumped (semi‐mobile and semi‐fixed dunes) to less clumped and approached a random pattern (fixed dunes) along the dune stabilization gradient, which was related to the changing vegetation pattern during succession. Although the quantification of the number of ant species present was not attempted on each dune, the observed differences in ant colour and size suggest at least eight species were present. Fixed dunes were more attractive for different kinds of ant species, but the mound distribution exhibited a more random pattern with more continuous vegetation. Thus, different environmental conditions, especially in terms of the plant communities present at different dune stages, affected the activities and behaviour of the ants (including the distribution of mounds), but did not affect mound size and height. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Identification of cis- and trans-1,1,2,3,4-pentachloro-4-[1-methylethoxy]-1,3-butadiene residues in Mississippi River fish

The cis- and trans-isomers of 1,1,2,3,4-pentachloro-4-[1-methylethoxy]-1,3-butadiene have been identified as contaminants in fish caught from the Mississippi River at St. Louis, MO, and as far as 150 miles south of that location. Up to 0.1 ppm of the cis-isomer and 0.8 ppm of the trans-isomer were determined by using a method based on the AOAC multiresidue method for detecting organochlorine and organophosphorus pesticides. In tests of the modified AOAC method on spiked fish, both isomers were quantitatively recovered (95-106%). A mixture of the cis- and trans-isomers was synthesized by reacting hexachlorobutadiene with sodium isopropoxide. Separation of the reaction products by Florisil column chromatography provided reference standards of the individual isomers for identification and quantitation of the residues. The stereospecificity of the synthesis reaction and the infrared and mass spectral data used to verify the structures of the products are discussed.     

Coupled ferric oxides and sulfates on the Martian surface

The Mars Exploration Rover (MER), Opportunity, showed that layered sulfate deposits in Meridiani Planum formed during a period of rising acidic ground water. Crystalline hematite spherules formed in the deposits as a consequence of aqueous alteration and were concentrated on the surface as a lag deposit as wind eroded the softer sulfate rocks. On the basis of Mars Express Observatoire pour la Minéralogie, l'Eau, les Glaces et l'Activité (OMEGA) orbital data, we demonstrate that crystalline hematite deposits are associated with layered sulfates in other areas on Mars, implying that Meridiani-like ground water systems were indeed widespread and representative of an extensive acid sulfate aqueous system.     

Sexual dimorphism,survival and dispersal in red deer

A detailed and extensive mark-recapture-recovery study of red deer on the island of Rum forms the basis of the modeling of this article. We analyze male and female deer separately, and report results for both in this article, but use the female data to demonstrate our modeling approach. We provide a model-selection procedure that allows us to describe the survival by a combination of age-classes, with common survival within each class, and senility, which is modeled continuously as a parametric function of age. Dispersal out of the study area is modeled separately. Survival and dispersal probabilities are examined for the possible influence of both environmental and individual covariates, including a range of alternative measures of population density. The resulting model is succinct and biologically realistic. We compare and contrast survival rates of male and female deer of different ages and compare the factors that affect their survival. We demonstrate large differences in the rate of senescence between males and females even though their senescence begins at the same age. The differences between the sexes suggest that, in population modeling of sexually size-dimorphic species, it is important to identify sex-specific survival functions.     

NUTRIENT UPTAKE AND USE EFFICIENCY BY TROPICAL LEGUME COVER CROPS AT VARYING PH OF AN OXISOL

Oxisols comprise large soil group in tropical America. These soils are acidic and have low fertility. Use of tropical legume cover crops in cropping systems is an important strategy to improve fertility of these soils for sustainable crop production. Data are limited on nutrient uptake and use efficiency of tropical cover crops under different acidity levels. The objective of our study was to evaluate growth and nutrient uptake parameters of sixteen tropical legume cover crops under three soil pH (5.1, 6.5, and 7.0) of an Oxisol. Shoot dry weight was influenced significantly by pH and cover crop treatments and their interactions, indicating that cover crops used had differential responses to changing soil pH levels. Overall, shoot dry weight decreased when soil pH was raised from 5.1 to 7.0, indicating acidity tolerance of cover crops. Nutrient concentration (content per unit of dry weight), uptake (concentration X dry weight), and nutrient use efficiency (dry weight of shoot per unit of nutrient uptake) varied significantly among cover crops. The variation in nutrient uptake and use efficiency among cover crop species was associated with variation in shoot dry matter production. Significant variation among crop species in dry matter production and low C/N ratios (average value of 14.25) suggest that cover crops which produced higher dry matter yield like white jack bean, gray mucuna bean, black mucuna bean, mucuna bean ana, and lablab are important choices for planting in tropical soils to recover large amount of macro and micronutrients, and to prevent such nutrient leaching in soil plant systems.     

Inhibition of acidification of kaolinite and an Alfisol by aluminum oxides through electrical double‐layer interaction and coating

Soil chemical properties are affected significantly by surface charge characteristics of the soil. Interaction between oppositely charged particles in variable‐charge soils plays an important role in variation of soil electrochemical properties. In this study, the effects of Al oxides on surface charge and acidity properties of kaolinite and an Alfisol during electrodialysis were investigated. The results indicated that Al oxides, when mixed into kaolinite or the Alfisol, decreased the effective cation exchange capacity (ECEC) and exchangeable acidity and inhibited the decrease in pH. Gibbsite had less effect than γ‐Al₂O₃ and amorphous Al(OH)₃ in reducing the ECEC and acidity of kaolinite and the Alfisol; γ‐Al₂O₃ and amorphous Al(OH)₃ displayed comparable effects. However, this effect is inconsistent with the order of the surface positive charge per unit mass that the Al oxides carried. Their effect on the ECEC of kaolinite and Alfisol varied irreversibly with ionic strength of the bathing solutions. X‐ray diffraction spectra indicated that amorphous Al(OH)₃ and γ‐Al₂O₃ were more effective than gibbsite in decreasing peak intensity of electro‐dialyzed kaolinite when mixed with these Al oxides at the same rate. The results demonstrated that Al oxides could decrease the effective negative charge and inhibit acidification of kaolinite and an Alfisol through diffuse‐double‐layer overlapping between oppositely charged particles and coating of Al oxides on these materials. Both mechanisms intensified with increasing rate of added Al oxides, which can therefore act as anti‐acidification agents in variable‐charge soils.