Effect of organic mulches on soil bacterial communities one year after application

The application of organic mulches as a soil cover is effective in improving the quality of soil. However, very little information is available on the effect of mulches on the soil microbial community. In this study, we investigated the effect of various organic mulches on soil dehydrogenase activity (DHA) and microbial community structures in the top 1 cm and 5 cm below the soil surface 1 year after application of the mulches. DHA was stimulated at both depths in plots mulched with grass clippings (GC), but was not significantly different from the control for the other mulch treatments. Fatty acid methyl ester (FAME) analysis and denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis (DGGE) of polymerase chain reaction-amplified 16S rDNA fragments were used to assess changes in the soil microbial community structure. Cluster analysis and principle component analysis of FAME profiles showed that only soil mulched with pine chips distinctively clustered from the other treatments. At the soil surface, bacterial DGGE profiles revealed that distinct shifts in several bacterial populations occurred in soils mulched with GC and eucalyptus yardwaste (EY), while DGGE profiles from soil at the 5 cm depth revealed no distinct changes. Changes in bacterial diversity at the soil surface under different mulches were calculated based on the number of bands in the DGGE profile using the Shannon-Weaver index of diversity ( H). Compared to the control ( H =0.9), the GC- and EY-treated soils showed slightly increased bacterial diversity, with an H of 1.1 and 1.0, respectively. These results indicate that the long-term effect of organic mulches on the soil microbial activity and community structure is highly dependent upon the type of mulch and is mostly exerted in the top few centimeters of the soil profile.     

Gas chromatographic quantification of major volatile compounds and polyols in wine by direct injection

Methanol, propanol, isobutanol, isoamyl alcohol, 2-phenylethanol, acetaldehyde, 1,1-diethoxyethane, acetoin, ethyl acetate, ethyl lactate, and ethyl succinate and the polyols 2,3-butanediol (levo and meso forms) and glycerol were quantified by direct injection of wine samples. Linear responses over the usual concentration ranges for these compounds and r2 values from 0.9932 to 0.9998 were obtained. The confidence limits for the mean values ranged from 2.34% for diethyl succinate to 8.52% for 1,1-diethoxyethane, both at a probability level of 0.05. Relative errors ranged from 8 to 10% for the polyols and 1,1-diethoxyethane and were all less than 5% for alcohols and acetaldehyde. The proposed method is useful with a view to identifying relationships between alcoholic fermentation byproducts and controlling biological or chemical aging in wines.     

Florida panther dispersal and conservation

We studied dispersal in 27 radio-collared Florida panthers Puma concolor coryi in southern Florida from 1986 to 2000. Male dispersal was longer (mean=68.4 km) than that of females (mean=20.3 km), tended to be circular, frustrated, and of insufficient length to ameliorate inbreeding. Females were philopatric and established home ranges that were less than one home range width away from their natal ranges. All females were successful in establishing territories, whereas males were successful 63% of the time. Dispersing panthers avoided moving toward the southeast and into an area of limited forest cover. Independence and the initiation of dispersal occurred at about 14 months of age and lasted for an average of 7.0-9.6 months for females and males, respectively. On average, Florida panthers disperse shorter distances than are typical for western populations of Puma concolor. A recent increase in long distance male dispersal events may be related to an increase in reproduction and population density resulting from the introduction of female cougars P. c. stanleyana into south Florida. Although the population exhibits the behavioral ability to colonize nearby vacant range, females have yet to do so. Successful dispersal to these areas could be facilitated by habitat restoration and translocation of females.     

Physiological differentiation of flooded N2-fixing grass-diazotroph associations from non-flooded, non-N2-fixing ones

N fixation by grass-associated diazotrophs is more active under flooded than under nonflooded conditions. Roots cut from Spartina alterniflora Loisel, rice or oats that were flooded exhibited nitrogenase activity (NA, assessed by acetylene reduction) that was at least ten times as high as that of roots from plants growing in non-flooded soils. O₂ inhibition of NA or lack of appropriate NA-supporting nutrients did not account for the low activity associated with the roots of the non-flooded plants. The roots of the plants from the non-flooded soils contained a factor that inhibited NA. This factor was not detected in roots of plants from flooded soils. The factor was soluble, heat stable (100°C) and passed through 1000 m.w. cut-off dialysis membrane. Analogous NA-inhibiting factors may serve to differentiate other N₂-fixing systems from non-fixing ones.     

Decreases in Pollutant Loading from Residual Soda Ash Production Waste

The attenuation of residual industrial loads of chloride (Cl^-) and total ammonia (T-NH₃) from Solvay waste bedsto Ninemile Creek, New York, and downstream polluted Onondaga Lake, is characterized and quantified based on fourteen years ofmonitoring following closure of a soda ash manufacturing facility. Concentrations of these constituents were monitored atleast bi-weekly at two sites on Ninemile Creek that bound the waste bed inputs, and at the mouths of the two other major tributaries to the lake, to quantify inputs from the industrial deposits and to place these residual loads in the perspective of contributions to total lake loading. Variations in the concentrations of these constituents in Ninemile Creek downstreamof the industrial inputs within individual years are well represented by a dilution model; i.e., linearity of concentrationversus inverse stream flow. A relatively uniform ratio of T-NH₃ to Cl^- has been maintained in the residual loading, about 0.42 g T-NH₃ per kg Cl^-. Substantial decreases (～40%) in loading of these constituents fromthe waste beds to Ninemile Creek over the post-closure period are documented through shifts in the dilution model. As a result,the contribution of this source to the total lake loading has decreased from ～45% to <30%. The estimated total residual Cl^- load received from the waste beds since closure of the industry (～1 million metric tons) corresponds to ～1.6 yr of the full operating load of the industry before closure. The time required to reach a Cl^- concentration goal for Ninemile Creek is considered, based onprojections of the post-closure trend.     

Minirhizotron quantification of soybean root growth as affected by reduced A horizon in soil

Shallow soil A horizon (topsoil) caused by soil erosion and soil movement from cultivation is known to reduce soil and crop productivity. The reduction may be related to limitation of root growth. A field study was conducted to investigate the effects of topsoil thickness on distributions of root density and growth. Soybeans [Glycine max (L.) Merr.] were grown on plots of Mexico silt loam (fine, montmorillonitic, mesic Mollic Endoaqualfs) with topsoil thicknesses of 0, 12.5, 25.0, and 37.5 cm above the Bt horizons. Root density was measured 60 and 90 days after planting using a minirhizotron video‐camera system. Root density was significantly reduced as topsoil thickness decreased from 37.5 to 0 cm. Mean density and net change of the density across profile between 30 and 60 days of growth had a linear function of topsoil thickness. The reduction and lower activity induced by shallow topsoil were attributed to detrimental properties in the Bt horizons. Root distribution pattern and rooting depth were not significantly affected by topsoil thickness. The roots appeared to be accumulated on the upper layers of the Bt horizons. Roots growing in thicker topsoil were more active than roots growing without topsoil. High soil moisture content during the growing season may mitigate the detrimental effects of shallow topsoil, inhibit root penetration, and enhance root activity.     

Efficiency and Flow Regime of a Highway Stormwater Detention Pond in Washington, USA

Wet detention ponds are a preferable alternative in treating stormwater runoff. Literature suggests that a detention pond’s efficiency in removing principal pollutants of concern, TSS and metals, is highly variable and is affected by a complex array of factors including its geographic location. The objective of this paper was to investigate the TSS and metal removal efficiency of a highway stormwater detention pond in Spokane, Washington along with its flow regime. Pond influent and effluent data for TSS and metal were collected for approximately two years. TSS removal by the pond was found to be 68.1–99.4% with an average of 83.9%. Average metal removal efficiency was 54.7–64.6% which is 72.5–86.9% of the TSS removal. The pond’s flow regime was found to vary with its changing surface topography, a result of sedimentation of suspended solids.     

Nitrogen fixation by free-living heterotrophic bacteria in an oak forest: The effect of liming

Nitrogen-fixing heterotrophic bacteria, mainly Clostridium butyricum and, less frequently, Enterobacter agglomerons and Klebsiella pneumoniae, are found throughout the aerial and soil layers of an oak forest. However they are only active in nitrogen fixation in the soil. Soil slurry experiments show that the main factors limiting N₂ fixation in the forest are low temperature, low pH and shortage of C sources. Raising the pH of the soil with lime to pH 6, which is the optimum for N₂ fixation by C. butyricum in soil slurries, more than doubles the rate of N₂ fixation (as measured by in situ¹⁵N₂ methods) from 7.84 to 16.1 kg N ha^?1yr^?1. The N fixed by C. butyricum can rapidly be taken up by oak seedlings and translocated to the actively-growing leaves.     

Effect of inoculation with wild type Azospirillum brasilense and A. irakense strains on development and nitrogen uptake of spring wheat and grain maize

Under the controlled conditions of the greenhouse and by varying some biotic and abiotic factors, we tried to identify some of the factors critical to obtain successful Azospirillum inoculation. Spring wheat and grain maize were inoculated with different concentrations of the wild type strains A. brasilense Sp245 and A. irakense KBC1, and grown in a substrate with varying concentrations of organic matter (OM) and N fertiliser. The inoculum concentration was one of the factors that influenced most the outcome of an inoculation experiment on wheat, with lower inoculum concentrations (10⁵-10⁶ cfu plant^-1) stimulating root development and plant dry weight and higher inoculum concentrations (10⁷-10⁸ cfu plant^-1) having no effect or sometimes even inhibiting root development. The effect of inoculation was most pronounced at low to intermediate N fertilisation levels, while the OM content of the substrate had no effect. Inoculation was found to affect early plant and root development, plant and root dry weight, grain yield and the N-uptake efficiency of plants. However, inoculation did not change the N concentration in plants or grains. In addition, a difference in the ability of both strains to stimulate plant growth and N uptake of wheat and maize was observed, with A. brasilense Sp245 having most effect on spring wheat and A. irakense KBC1 being more effective on grain maize. The significance of the obtained results for agriculture is discussed.