Effects of iron-based amendments on soil structure: a lab experiment using soil micromorphology and image analysis of pores

Purpose

Recent trends in soil green and sustainable remediation require an increased attention on environmental effects. The physical consequences of remediation practices on soil structure are very rarely investigated.

Material and methods

A laboratory experiment was carried out by adding iron grit to a sand (S), a silt loam (L), and a clay (C) soil subjected to several wetting-drying cycles. The physical effects of the treatment on soil pore system were identified and quantified combining physical measurements on repacked samples with image analysis of pores on resin-impregnated soil blocks and micromorphological analysis on thin sections.

Results and discussion

A negligible reduction of total porosity (P) resulted in S, and a slight increase was observed in the L and C soils. However, an important impact on soil structure was identified in pore size range >10 μm for the L and C soils, with the formation of new pores related to the differential shrink-swell behavior between soil matrix and added iron grains. Different plasticity of these soils also played a role in planar pore formation.

Conclusions

Effects of the addition of iron grit on soil pore system are strongly dependent on soil physical properties. The performed experiment showed that iron-based amendments can improve soil structure in low-plastic shrink-swell soil increasing porosity in the range of transmission pores (50–500 μm). This study showed the high potential of soil micromorphology and pore image analysis in order to evaluate the environmental impact of soil remediation practices.     

Geographical characterization of polyfloral and acacia honeys by nuclear magnetic resonance and chemometrics

The importance of geographical origin determination is an increasing and pressing requirement for all foods. Honey is one of the largest studied foods due to its nutritional and medicinal properties in a correct diet. In this paper, a total of 41 honey samples (polyfloral and acacia) from different countries have been analyzed in terms of (1)H NMR spectroscopy coupled with multivariate statistical methods. Unsupervised principal component analysis resulted as an efficient tool in distinguishing (1)H NMR spectra of polyfloral and acacia honey samples and for geographical characterization of the latter ones. Hierarchical projection to latent structures discriminant analysis was successfully applied for the discrimination among polyfloral honey samples of different geographical origins. (13)C NMR spectroscopy was applied to honey samples with the aim to investigate possible sugar isoforms differentiation. Our preliminary data indicated a different isoforms ratio between betaFP and betaFF only for polyfloral Argentinean samples, while Hungarian samples showed resonance shifts for some carbons of alphaFF, betaFP, betaFF, and alphaGP isoforms for both varieties. These data confirmed the potentiality of (13)C spectroscopy in food characterization, especially in sugar-based foods.     

Separating the effects of habitat amount and fragmentation on invertebrate abundance using a multi-scale framework

Context

Herbicide treatments in viticulture can generate highly contrasting mosaics of vegetated and bare vineyards, of which vegetated fields often provide better conditions for biodiversity. In southern Switzerland, where herbicides are applied at large scales, vegetated vineyards are limited in extent and isolated from one another, potentially limiting the distribution and dispersal ability of organisms.

Objectives

We tested the separate and interactive effects of habitat amount and fragmentation on invertebrate abundance using a multi-scale framework, along with additional environmental factors. We identified which variables at which scales were most important in predicting patterns of invertebrate abundance.

Methods

We used a factorial design to sample across a gradient of habitat amount (area of vegetated vineyards, measured as percentage of landscape PLAND) and fragmentation (number of vegetated patches, measured as patch density PD). Using 10 different spatial scales, we identified the factors and scales that most strongly predicted invertebrate abundance and tested potential interactions between habitat amount and fragmentation.

Results

Habitat amount (PLAND index) was most important in predicting invertebrate numbers at a field scale (50 m radius). In contrast, we found a negative effect of fragmentation (PD) at a broad scale of 450 m radius, but no interactive effect between the two.

Conclusions

The spatial scales at which habitat amount and fragmentation affect invertebrates differ, underpinning the importance of spatially explicit study designs in disentangling the effects between habitat amount and configuration. We showed that the amount of vegetated vineyards has more influence on invertebrate abundance, but that fragmentation also contributed substantially. This suggests that efforts for augmenting the area of vegetated vineyards is more beneficial for invertebrate numbers than attempts to connect them.

     

Step-wise drops in modularity and the fragmentation of exploited marine metapopulations

Context

Many nearshore species are distributed in habitat patches connected only through larval dispersal. Genetic research has shown some spatial structure of such metapopulations and modeling studies have shed light onto possible patterns of connectivity and barriers. However, little is known about human impact on their spatial structure and patterns of connectivity.

Objectives

We examine the effects of fishing on the spatial and temporal dynamics of metapopulations of sedentary marine species (red sea urchin and red abalone) interconnected by larval dispersal.

Methods

We constructed a metapopulation model to simulate abalone and sea urchin metapopulations experiencing increasing levels of fishing mortality. We performed the modularity analysis on the yearly larval connectivity matrices produced by these simulations, and analyzed the changes of modularity and the formation of modules over time as indicators of spatial structure.

Results

The analysis revealed a strong modular spatial structure for abalone and a weak spatial signature for sea urchin. In abalone, under exploitation, modularity takes step-wise drops on the path to extinction, and modules breakdown into smaller fragments followed by module and later metapopulation collapse. In contrast, sea urchin showed high modularity variation, indicating high- and low-mixing years, but an abrupt collapse of the metapopulation under strong exploitation.

Conclusions

The results identify a disruption in larval connectivity and a pattern of collapse in highly modular nearshore metapopulations. These results highlight the ability of modularity to detect spatial structure in marine metapopulations, which varies among species, and to show early changes in the spatial structure of exploited metapopulations.

     

Larval traits of the Caribbean amphidromous goby Sicydium punctatum (Gobioidei: Sicydiinae) in Guadeloupe

Amphidromous fish are the biggest contributor to the diversity of fish communities in river systems of Caribbean islands. Among them, Sicydium punctatum Perugia, 1896, which is endemic to the West Indies, represents the vast majority of fish in these rivers. The otolith microstructure and the biometry of S. punctatum postlarvae from Guadeloupe were investigated to explore the dispersal modalities of this species through an appreciation of the growth pattern, the pelagic larval duration (PLD) and the size‐at‐recruitment. The study was made on one cohort of 83 recruited postlarvae, fished at the Capesterre River's mouth on 2 November 2011. The mean (±SD) size‐at‐recruitment of the postlarvae was 24.6 ± 1.3 mm (range of 20.5–28.1 mm, n = 83). We found a mean (±SD) PLD of 72.2 ± 10.5 days (range of 54–101.5 days, n = 67). The growth rate estimated from the otolith increments showed a globally decreasing pattern during the marine larval phase. Growth rates at the beginning of the larval stage were significantly different between hatching periods, suggesting a relation between the hatching period and the growth rate in S. punctatum. This study adds on to the general understanding of the life cycle of S. punctatum in Guadeloupe that will help implement strategies to manage amphidromous fish populations in the Caribbean region.     

Evaluation of an air-filtration system for preventing aerosol transmission of Porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome virus

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the ability of a commercial air-filtration system to reduce aerosol transmission of Porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome virus (PRRSV). The system consisted of a pre-filter and 2 filters with EU8 and EU13 ratings. In each of 4 trials, 5 PRRSV-infected donor pigs and 1 naive recipient pig (each 25 kg) were housed in opposing chambers connected by a 1.3-m-long duct. The system filtered air entering 1 recipient-pig chamber (filtered facility) from the donor-pig chamber but not a 2nd recipient-pig chamber (nonfiltered facility). The donor pigs had been experimentally infected with PRRSV MN-184, an isolate previously documented to be shed at a high frequency in contagious aerosols. On days 3 to 7 after infection of the donors, the 2 groups were housed in their respective chambers for 6 h and then in separate facilities, where samples were collected for testing by polymerase chain reaction and enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay over 14 d. Aerosol transmission was observed in 6 of the 20 replicates in the nonfiltered facility, whereas all pigs remained PRRSV-negative in the filtered facility; the difference was significant at P < 0.01. Thus, under the conditions of this study, the air-filtration system evaluated appeared to be highly effective at reducing aerosol transmission of PRRSV.     

Total intravenous feeding of calves.

Total intravenous feeding was accomplished for 5 clinically normal calves and for 1 calf with atresia coli. During the trials, which lasted 8 to 14 days (mean of 12 days), calves were not permitted to ingest any food or water. Body weight and state of hydration remained essentially constant. Plasma protein content decreased, but there were only minor changes in other physiologic measures. Calves were clinically normal at the conclusion of the trials.