Subsurface earthworm casts can be important soil microsites specifically influencing the growth of grassland plants

Earthworms (Annelida: Oligochaeta) deposit several tons per hectare of casts enriched in nutrients and/or arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) and create a spatial and temporal soil heterogeneity that can play a role in structuring plant communities. However, while we begin to understand the role of surface casts, it is still unclear to what extent plants utilize subsurface casts. We conducted a greenhouse experiment using large mesocosms (volume 45 l) to test whether (1) soil microsites consisting of earthworm casts with or without AMF (four Glomus taxa) affect the biomass production of 11 grassland plant species comprising the three functional groups grasses, forbs, and legumes, (2) different ecological groups of earthworms (soil dwellers—Aporrectodea caliginosa vs. vertical burrowers—Lumbricus terrestris) alter potential influences of soil microsites (i.e., four earthworms × two subsurface microsites × two AMF treatments). Soil microsites were artificially inserted in a 25-cm depth, and afterwards, plant species were sown in a regular pattern; the experiment ran for 6 months. Our results show that minute amounts of subsurface casts (0.89 g kg^?1 soil) decreased the shoot and root production of forbs and legumes, but not that of grasses. The presence of earthworms reduced root biomass of grasses only. Our data also suggest that subsurface casts provide microsites from which root AMF colonization can start. Ecological groups of earthworms did not differ in their effects on plant production or AMF distribution. Taken together, these findings suggest that subsurface earthworm casts might play a role in structuring plant communities by specifically affecting the growth of certain functional groups of plants.     

Early season nitrogen accumulation in winter wheat

Cereal rye (Secale cereale L.) is widely used as a winter cover crop to conserve soil residual nitrogen (N) in the mid‐Atlantic region of the United States. Cereal rye, however, has agronomic drawbacks that may make other winter small grain crops more desirable alternatives. Winter wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) is a small grain that could substitute for cereal rye as a cover crop because it would give growers the flexibility of using it as a cover crop or growing it to maturity. There is currently little information on early season N accumulation of winter wheat cultivars, which is critical for the success of a small grain cover crop. To determine the degree of variation in early season N accumulation and early season biomass yield in soft red winter wheat in the mid‐Atlantic region, twenty‐five commercially available cultivars were evaluated at Beltsville, MD in the 1996/1997 and 1997/1998 growing seasons. Acereal rye cultivar ("Wheeler") was included as a cover crop control. Samples of plant tissue were taken at Feekes growth stage 5 and at physiological maturity each year. There were significant differences among cultivars for early season N accumulation and biomass yield. A large group of wheat cultivars had similar early season N accumulation and biomass yield as the cereal rye cover crop control. This suggests that some cultivars of winter wheat may be as effective as cereal rye as a winter cover crop. Early season N accumulation was highly correlated (r=0.90***) with early season biomass yield rather than with plant N content. These results indicate that soft red winter wheat has potential as a dual grain and cover crop and could be considered an alternative to cereal rye as a winter cover crop for conserving residual soil nitrogen in the mid‐Atlantic region of the United States.     

Stoffkonzentrationen in bodenlösungen bei verschiedenen fruchtfolgen auf einem sandigen standort 2. mitteilung: Nitratverlagerung

In einem komplexen Feldversuch auf einem sandigen Standort wurde über einen Zeitraum von 5 Jahren in verschiedenen Fruchtfolgen die Wirkung unterschiedlicher Bodenbearbeitung und Mineral‐N‐Düngung auf die Nitratkonzentration in Bodenlösungen mit Hilfe einer Saugkerzenanlage untersucht. Die Nitratkonzentrationen in Bodenlösungen (60 cm Tiefe) wurden untersucht und die potentielle N‐Fracht auf der Grundlage der Nitratkonzentration im Bodenwasser und der klimatischen Wasserbilanz kalkuliert.

Die Nitratkonzentrationen in Bodenlösungen folgten einer ausgeprägten jahreszeitlichen Dynamik, mit Maxima in der Hauptsickerperiode und Minima in der Vegetationszeit, wobei die Wirkung der Prüffaktoren in folgender Reihenfolge abnahm: Mineral‐N‐Düngung > Fruchtfolge > Bodenbearbeitung.

In der Hauptsickerperiode wurde > 50% der jährlichen Sickerwassermenge und 36 . . . 94% der N‐Fracht ermittelt. Auf dem Untersuchungsstandort betrugen die maximalen N‐Frachten ca. 100 kg ha^?1a^?1.

Die N‐Frachten wurden durch die N‐Entzüge der verschiedenen Fruchtarten beeinflusst. Durch mineralische N‐Düngung stiegen die N‐Entzüge von Wintergetreide um 42 . . . 85% und von Silomais um 32 . . . 53%.     

Long-term Development of Organic Matter of Sandy Soils Under Influence of Fertilization and Climate

The Static Nutient Deficiency Experiment at the location of Thyrow/Germany exists since 1937 and remained unchanged in its management during the whole period of experimentation. From the beginning of the 60th soil samples were collected every year in the autumn and the organic carbon content was determined constantly using the same method. For the period 1965-2000 a decrease of carbon content could be found in an order of 15% (average of all variants in the experiment). The air and soil temperatures showed rising tendencies. Since 1965 the average air temperature annually increased by 0.03°C and the soil temperature in the depth 0.1-0.2m by 0.02°C, respectively. According to the rising temperatures in this period the number of days with a soil temperature higher than 6°C increased by 3.8 days per decade of years. The evaluation of data by regression analysis revealed that in average the organic carbon content is reduced by 1.5mg per 100g soil each day which shows a higher soil temperature than 6°C.     

Faba bean (Vicia faba L.) varieties reveal substantial and contrasting organic phosphorus use efficiencies (PoUE) under symbiotic conditions

Background

The excessive use of inorganic P (Pi) in soils is alarming as it is causing numerous environmental problems and may lead to the depletion of rock phosphate reserves earlier than expected. Hence, to limit the over-dependence on Pi, there is the need to investigate organic phosphorus (Po), which is the dominant P form of soil P pool, as an alternate P source for plant growth.

Aim

The present study seeks to investigate organic P use efficiency of eight varieties of faba bean grown symbiotically.

Methods

The plants were grown in pots (6 kg soil) under greenhouse condition with three P source, namely, phytic acid (organic P, Po), KH₂PO₄ (inorganic P, Pi), and no-P. The P was applied at the rate of 1.79 g kg⁻¹ soil.

Results

The plants grown with Po and Pi produced similar amounts of root, shoot, and total dry matters. Despite producing statistically similar dry matters, P uptake by Pi-fertilized plants was twofold higher than by Po-fertilized plants. Meanwhile, Pi differed significantly from Po in terms of nodulation characteristics such as nodule dry biomass and individual nodule dry biomass. However, Po varied significantly from Pi in P utilization and acquisition efficiencies. Principal component analysis of Pi and Po revealed no significant variation and close association, confirming the nonsignificant differences between the two P treatments. Among the varieties tested, Tiffany tended to accumulate more dry matter, coupled with highest organic P utilization efficiency (0.48 g mg⁻¹) as well as the highest organic P beneficiary factor (80%).

Conclusion

These results provide a solid basis for further comparisons at physiological, biochemical, and molecular levels between Tiffany (Po-efficient) and Fuego (Po-inefficient) varieties, offering deep insights into and making it easier to understand the mechanisms that allow soil Po to be utilized under symbiotic conditions.     

Interrelationships between red cell nucleoside triphosphate content,and blood pH,O2-tension and haemoglobin concentration in the carp,Cyprinus carpio

As a starting point for investigations of possible control factors for the nucleoside triphosphate content in carp red cells, we utilized the natural variability in blood physico-chemical parameters to test for interrelationships. By application of two-variable regression analysis, the red cell NTP content was found to be significantly correlated with arterial P_{O 2} and pH as well as with the blood haemoglobin (Hb) concentration. These correlations show a rise in red cell NTP content with falling pH as well as with falling Hb concentration, whereas a decrease in P_{O 2} was associated with a decrease in the content of NTP, particularly at low P_{O 2} values. Evaluation based on multiple regression analysis suggested that only P_{O 2} and pH significantly affected the red cell NTP content, and that the influence of changes in Hb concentration could be accounted for by naturally occurring simultaneous changes in P_{O 2} and pH. The multifactorial control of red cell nucleoside triphosphates is discussed in relation to the role of still unknown factors.     

Effects of river regulation and diversion on marine fish and invertebrates

The effects of freshwater regulation and diversion on the adult and larval stages of fish and invertebrates in coastal marine waters are reviewed. Potential impacts of river modification are highlighted based on our present understanding of the role of fresh water on the physical, chemical and biological processes on the marine environment. These include effects on migration patterns, spawning habitat, species diversity, water quality and distribution and production of lower trophic levels. The effect of dams on anadromous and catadromous fish are also presented. We discuss in detail the marine response to specific river regulation projects on the Nile, Indus and rivers flowing into the Black Sea, San Francisco Bay and James Bay in Canada. A decline in some coastal fisheries with an overall negative impact on the biota is generally associated with reductions in freshwater flow. Extensive ecological considerations are needed during the planning stage of large-scale freshwater modification projects to minimize potential impacts.     

Effect of yellow loess on clearance rate in seven species of benthic, filter-feeding invertebrates

Attempts have been made, especially in Asia, to displace harmful algal blooms (HABs) by spraying ‘china clay’ and ‘loess’ over affected coastal waters. The impact of this technique on benthic communities and processes is not known. We examined the effects of yellow loess on clearance rates of the benthic, filter‐feeding invertebrates, Crassostrea virginica (Gmelin 1791), C. gigas (Thunberg 1793), Mytilus edulis (Linnaeus 1758), M. trossulus (Gould 1850), Argopecten irradians (Lamarck 1819), and Crepidula fornicata (Linnaeus 1758). An Obelia species of hydroid was also studied and the percent time open was analysed. Depletion rates were measured using a range of loess concentrations suspended in culture with unicellular algae (Rhodomonas lens) in 0.45 μm filtered seawater. The effects of loess on clearance rates and behaviour were species‐specific. C. virginica was not impacted until clay concentrations reached 1.0 g L^?1, while A. irradians showed a significant decrease at 0.01 g L^?1. M. edulis showed a significant decrease in clearance rates at the 1 and 10 g L^?1 concentrations. For hydroids, the percent time open was significantly lower than the control at 0.01, 0.1, and 10 g L^?1. We clearly demonstrate that loess has a significant negative impact on filter‐feeding invertebrates. The use of clay as a strategy for mitigation of HABs should be approached with extreme caution. While the control of active blooms may eventually be possible, it may not necessarily be an environmentally advisable or responsible approach to dealing with HABs.     

Using bioacoustic tools to clarify species delimitation within the Blakiston's Fish Owl(Bubo blakistoni)complex

Although Blakiston's Fish Owl(Bubo blakistoni)is widely treated as a single species,marked differences in the structure of pair duets between continental and in...     

Southern Ocean iron enrichment experiment: carbon cycling in high- and low-Si waters

The availability of iron is known to exert a controlling influence on biological productivity in surface waters over large areas of the ocean and may have been an important factor in the variation of the concentration of atmospheric carbon dioxide over glacial cycles. The effect of iron in the Southern Ocean is particularly important because of its large area and abundant nitrate, yet iron-enhanced growth of phytoplankton may be differentially expressed between waters with high silicic acid in the south and low silicic acid in the north, where diatom growth may be limited by both silicic acid and iron. Two mesoscale experiments, designed to investigate the effects of iron enrichment in regions with high and low concentrations of silicic acid, were performed in the Southern Ocean. These experiments demonstrate iron's pivotal role in controlling carbon uptake and regulating atmospheric partial pressure of carbon dioxide.