Plant secondary metabolites, biphenyl, and hydroxypropyl-β-cyclodextrin effects on aerobic polychlorinated biphenyl removal and microbial community structure in soils

Biphenyl and several plant secondary metabolites (PSM) (carvone, isoprene, limonene, naringin, and coumarin) and surfactant (hydroxypropyl-β-cyclodextrin, (HP-β-CD)) have been shown to improve aerobic polychlorinated biphenyl (PCB) removal by several bacterial species. The objective of this study was to determine whether these treatments also affect PCB removal and microbial community structure in a high organic matter soil (Pahokee soil series with 67% organic matter) and low organic matter soil (Woolper soil series with 6% organic matter), as determined by monitoring changes in PCB levels and phospholipid fatty acids (PLFA) profiles in laboratory microcosms amended with these compounds. Biphenyl enhanced di-chlorinated and tri-chlorinated biphenyl removal in both soils, but PSM did not improve removal of these congeners. On the contrary, HP-β-CD decreased PCB removal when used in combination with biphenyl. Two-way analysis of variance indicated that HP-β-CD significantly increased tetra- and penta-chlorinated biphenyl removal from the high organic matter soil, but not from the low organic matter soil. Principal components analysis of PLFA data indicated that HP-β-CD increased proportions of 18:1ω7c associated with Gram-negative bacteria, but decreased 10me16 and 10me17 lipid associated with Gram-positive bacteria, while biphenyl and PSMs had no detectable effects on soil microbial communities. PCB removal was not correlated to any PLFA. In conclusion, PSM previously shown to enhance PCB removal in soil-free systems were not effective in two divergent soils evaluated in this study, and HP-β-CB had increase, decrease, or no effect on PCB removal depending on types of PCB congeners, soils, and co-amendments.     

Influence of alpine plants growing on steep slopes on sediment trapping and transport by runoff

Understanding the interactions between soil and the organisms that are conducive to decreasing sediment runoff is a great concern on high-elevation ski trails. Intense rainfalls on steep slopes combined with soil formed on gypsum result in recurrent erosion. This study was conducted in the northern French Alps to determine the abilities of species: (1) to make mounds and (2) to trap sediment and thereby to control erosion at the slope scale. We also investigated relevant above-ground plant characteristics related to those abilities. Sediment runoff or deposition was investigated at small and large spatial scales. We assessed whether hoof prints in soil reflect sediment runoff at the slope scale by trapping sediment. Populations of plants growing on two slope angles (25° and 35°) and three vegetation cover densities (15%, 35%, 60%) were surveyed. An experiment was also conducted to measure the sediment deposit upslope of target species and over three months during the autumn. Small mounds were found upslope of the plant and sediment deposit measurements showed that they resulted from a sedimentation process. Nevertheless the species differed in their capacity to make mounds. Sesleria caerulea and Festuca alpina had the highest amount of sediment deposition over the experimental period. Among the plant characteristics, plant length was positively correlated with mound area, while the roundness index of the canopy was negatively correlated with mound height. Mound formation was also positively related to the number of tillers or shoots. Sediment accumulation in cow hoof prints was linked to runoff that occurred at the slope scale. Low deposition in hoof prints means low sediment runoff or a large deposition on mounds, due to the increase in vegetation cover. All the findings stressed that understanding the processes in action at larger scales requires studying processes at smaller scales.     

我国陆生生态化学计量学应用研究进展与展望

生态化学计量学是一门集生态学、化学计量学、物理学的交叉学科,是当前生态学研究的热点和前沿领域,为研究植物限制性元素及生态系统物质循环提供了一种新的方法和思路。本文重点从气候变化与氮沉降、生态系统演化、添加实验及人类活动等对生态化学计量特征的影响方面对我国陆生生态化学计量学的应用研究进行了总结与评述,并结合现已开展的工作,对有待进一步拓展的相关生态化学计量研究领域进行了展望,以期在生态系统稳定性、常量元素调控等方面的研究取得新突破。     

旋转式农机土槽试验台运行平稳性控制方法及试验验证

为了解决旋转式土槽试验台的槽体和槽内土壤质量较大带来速度不容易控制和调节的问题,建立轮胎摩擦驱动的旋转式土槽试验台的数学模型。根据旋转式土槽交流伺服驱动器的特点设计了模糊控制器,对模糊控制进行优化并进行MATLAB仿真、对比。当交流伺服驱动器初始输入转速为300 r/min时,优化前后土槽在模糊控制策略下输出转速最终都稳定在3 r/min;优化后模糊控制下的土槽输出转速超调量小,最大转速为3.4 r/min,比优化前的3.7减小0.3 r/min,土槽输出转速稳定在3 r/min的时间由优化前的9.0减少到8.0 s,后期无振荡。试验结果表明:当旋转式土槽交流伺服驱动器输入转速320 r/min时,土槽运行稳定性误差由模糊控制的0.034降低到优化模糊控制的0.029,土槽从启动到进入稳定运行的时间由10.1缩短到7.9 s。该研究可提升后续利用该种试验台进行移栽和播种等农业机械试验的精度。     

Chemical composition controls residue decomposition in soils differing in initial pH

Laboratory incubation studies were conducted to determine the dynamics of low-molecular-weight aliphatic carboxylic acids and their anions (LACAs) and respiration in three soils incorporated with five types of plant residues differing in chemical composition. Concentrations of total and individual LACAs in soils decreased sharply with initial 3 days after addition of plant residues, and varied with types of plant residue and soil. Irrespective of soil types, the amount of total extractable LACAs was highest in the soils treated with chickpea, followed by lucerne and high-N wheat straw, and lowest with low-N wheat straw. Lancelin soil [initial pH(CaCl₂) 5.06] contained higher concentration of extractable LACAs compared with Bodallin (pH 4.54) and Wodjil soil (pH 3.87). Soil respiration rate was rapidly increased by the addition of plant residues, and reached the peak by Day 3. Respiration rate was the greatest in Lancelin soil and the smallest in Wodjil soil. The amounts of CO₂ respired over 7 days were equivalent to 6-25% of the added C for Wodjil soil, 6-39% for Bodallin soil and 6-47% for Lancelin soil, depending on type of plant residue. Those amounts over 105 days increased further. Irrespective of plant residue and soil type, the cumulative respiration correlated positively with concentrations of N, excess cations and soluble C in plant residues and initial soil pH, and negatively with C:N of plant residues. The results suggest that chemical composition of plant residues plays an important role at the initial stage of residue decomposition.     

三峡库区坡耕地运用生物埂治理水土流失技术的研究

阐述了三峡库区耕地构成及其水土流失成因,研究了该区坡耕地运用生物埂治理水土流失技术,并提出该区减少水土流失、防止农业面源污染的对策与措施     

Commercialized European bumblebee can cause pollination disturbance: An experiment on seven native plant species in Japan

Non-native pollinator species are now widely utilized to facilitate pollination of agricultural crops. Evaluation of the ecological risk of alien pollinators is necessary because they could have a large impact on native ecosystems through disturbing native plant-pollinator interactions. We conducted a greenhouse experiment to examine the impact of the non-native commercialized European bumblebees, Bombus terrestris, on the pollination success of seven Japanese bumblebee-pollinated plant species. Plants were exposed to three groups of bumblebees: native bumblebee(s) only (NATIVE treatment); the alien bee only (ALIEN) and a mix of the two (MIX). ALIEN treatment had negative effects on fruitset and/or fruit quality of five plants, including self-incompatible and compatible, herb and woody, and queen- and worker-pollinated species. The negative effects were caused by a decrease in legitimate flower visitation due to (1) physical inaccessibility to nectary in deep-corolla flowers by the alien bee with insufficient tongue length and, (2) biased flower preference between short-corolla flowers. Fruitset tended to decrease drastically for the self-incompatible species while fruit quality decreased moderately for the self-compatible species. Effects of MIX were not intermediate between NATIVE and ALIEN in most plant species, and caused pollination success to vary in an unpredictable manner amongst plant species, probably due to interaction between native and alien bees. This non-linear relationship between plants’ pollination success and the relative density of the alien suggests that the alien bee can disturb pollination of a plant species even when only representing a small fraction of the total pollinator community.     

黄土高原不同土壤类型对桃树水分运转影响的模拟

根据不同土壤的水分特征曲线、气孔导度模型、冠层蒸腾模型和RC模型模拟出黄土高原不同土壤类型下桃树(Prunus persicavar.nectarina Maxim)的水分运转动态。在逐步干旱过程中各类土壤维持桃树蒸腾的时间和桃树散失的水分总量均依次为中壤土>轻壤土>紧砂土>重壤土,中壤土的保水能力最好,重壤土的可利用水最少,中壤土维持蒸腾的时间最长,但中壤土、轻壤土和紧砂土之间的保水能力与维持蒸腾的时间无显著差异。在整个干旱周期过程中气孔导度、叶片水势和组织贮存水均呈波动式减小,其总体趋势与土壤水势相一致。     

Arylsulphatase activity of different latosol soils of Ghana cropped to cocoa (Theobroma cacao) and coffee (Coffea canephora var. robusta)

Summary A study was undertaken to investigate arylsulphatase activity in 15 soils cropped to cocoa (Theobroma cacao) and coffee (Coffea canephora var. robusta) in Ghana. The arylsulphatase activity was correlated positively and significantly with organic C, total N, and cation exchange capacity, and correlated negatively with acetate soluble sulphate. The enzyme was deactivated at an incubation temperature of over 60°C. Preheating and oven-drying of soils decreased arylsulphatase activity. Addition of 1.0 ml toluene during the assay resulted in a sharp decline in arylsuphatase activity. The addition of trace elements at a concentration of 1 ppm caused a reduction in soil arylsulphatase activity compared with that of the untreated samples.