Main Ecosystem Research Articles

Interannual Variations of Evapotranspiration and Water Use Efficiency over an Oasis Cropland in Arid Regions of North-Western China

The efficient use of limited water resources and improving the water use efficiency (WUE) of arid agricultural systems is becoming one of the greatest challenges in agriculture production and global food security because of the shortage of water resources and increasing demand for food in the world. In this study, we attempted to investigate the interannual trends of evapotranspiration and WUE and the responses of biophysical factors and water utilization strategies over a main cropland ecosystem (i.e., seeded maize, Zea mays L.) in arid regions of North-Western China based on continuous eddy-covariance measurements. This paper showed that ecosystem WUE and canopy WUE of the maize ecosystem were 1.90 ± 0.17 g C kg−1 H2O and 2.44 ± 0.21 g C kg−1 H2O over the observation period, respectively, with a clear variation due to a change of irrigation practice. Traditional flood irrigation generally results in over-irrigation, providing more water than actual crop requirements. Unlike flood irrigation, which can infiltrate into deep soil layers, drip irrigation can only influence the shallow soil moisture, which can lead to decreases of soil moisture of approximately 27–32% and 36–42% compared with flood irrigation for shallow and deep layers, respectively. Additionally, drip irrigation decreases evapotranspiration by 13% and transpiration by 11–14%, leading to increases in ecosystem and canopy WUE of 9–14% and 11%, respectively, compared to the traditional irrigation practice. Therefore, the drip irrigation strategy is an effective method to reduce irrigation water use and increase crop WUE in arid regions. Our study provides guidance to water-saving cultivation systems and has implications for sustainable water resources management and agriculture development in water-limited regions.

Source apportionment of potential ecological risk posed by trace metals in the sediment of the Le’an River, China

From perspective of risk management and control, the ecological risk contributed from various sources can give direct risk information in selecting priority pollutants to control in river ecosystem restoration. However, studies combined receptor model with risk assessment to obtain ecological risk in every source category that is still limited. It is essential to quantitatively and spatially analyse the contributions of various sources to both the content and ecological risk in river system. Ten trace metals in 47 sediment samples were collected in Le’an River, which is the main tributary of the largest freshwater lake in China, Poyang Lake and analysed by laboratory analysis. The potential ecological risk index (PERI) model was used to evaluate the ecological risk posed by sediment trace metals. The positive matrix factorization (PMF) was utilized to identify the source of sediment trace metal and apportion their contribution. The ecosystem risks of the sources were quantitatively analysed by combining PERI and PMF, termed PMF-PERI. In addition, we conducted a spatial dissimilarity analysis of the source contribution distributions. The ecological risk assessment results showed that the metals Cd, Cu, and Hg may cause the main ecological hazards. Source apportionment of the trace metal concentrations indicated that the dominant source of trace metals in the sediment was human activities (55.83%), such as Pb-Zn mining and agricultural activities (30.33%), gold smelting (13.62%) and copper mining (11.89%). Source apportionment of the ecological risks posed by the trace metals indicated that natural sources were the main ecosystem risk sources (64.75%), followed by Pb-Zn mining and agricultural activities (14.65%), copper mining (10.67%) and gold smelting (9.93%). The results of spatial dissimilarity analysis indicated that the significant spatial variation in the contribution compositions was related to the locations of the sources and the river. The results of this study indicated that the emission reduction of agricultural activities should be given priority attention for protecting the watershed environment of the Le’an River. In addition, this study extends the use of risk assessment in receptor model source apportionment.

Climate change in northern Patagonia: critical decrease in water resources

The current study presents an assessment of the impact of climate change on water yield, one of the main hydrological ecosystem services, in northern Patagonia. The outputs of regional climate models from the CORDEX Project for South America were used to drive the InVEST water yield model. CORDEX regional climate models project for the far future (2071–2100) an increase in temperature higher than 1.5 °C and a precipitation decrease ranging from − 10 to − 30% for the study area. The projected warmer and dryer climate emerges as a robust signal based on model agreement and on consistent physical drivers of these changes. Moreover, both the projected increase in evapotranspiration and the decrease in precipitation contribute to a strong decrease in water yield of around − 20 to − 40% in the headwaters of northern Patagonian watersheds. Comparison of the results in the two basins reveals that the land cover may be considered a buffer of water yield changes and highlights the key role of protected areas in reducing the vulnerability of water resources to climate change.

Multi-level governance for sustainable innovation in smart communities: an ecosystems approach

This paper analyses the TrentoSmartCity project to redefine Trento (an Italian municipality) as a smart community according to an ecosystems view that explores the different resources, value propositions and co-creation practices arising from actors’ engagement. Smart technology is considered a key lever for community well-being that should be associated with human and management skills to foster the emergence of sustainable growth. A literature review on the key areas of smart communities was performed to identify a gap in extant research related to the scarcity of studies examining the strategic role of governance in communities. Then, the main ecosystems elements were introduced to show the suitability of this theory for the introduction of an integrated view based on multi-level governance and service ecosystems. Findings from the case study on the TrentoSmartCity allowed the development of a theoretical framework that identified the main drivers for sustainable growth in smart communities by showing the need to introduce a meta-level to address the harmonizing role of governance. Thus, the study detected, firstly, the main ecosystem’s elements involved in Trento communities and, secondly, how multi-level governance could strategically manage these elements for the harmonization of multi-stakeholder’s objectives to attain social growth. The identification of the strategic drivers for sustainable development in smart communities as well as the main decision-making and policy-making steps could help scholars and practitioners shed light on the key role of entrepreneurship and governance in the development of sustainable innovation.

Analysis degradation of mangrove vegetation in Tangerang District, Banten Province

AbstrakOne of the main coastal ecosystems of Tangerang Regency is the mangrove ecosystem is the mangrove ecosystem has numerous functions. However, this does not guarantee that it would not experience degradation and damage. Therefore, this study aims to analyse the level of mangrove ecosystem degradation in Tangerang Regency. The method used in this study is purposive sampling, whilst the measurement was performed through transect and non-transect methods with a reference to Indonesian National Standard Number 7717 year 2011. Data analysis in this study refers to calculations based on the Decree of the State Minister of Environment Number 201 year 2004 and Fauzi and Anna’s study in 2005. Results of this study indicated that the level of mangrove density of all village sites/stations in the category of rarely-damaged due to the fact that density values in all villages are below the range of 1,000 trees/ha. Meanwhile, the percentage value of mangrove cover is under the category of rarely-damaged to tightly-good. Even so, observation areas in Tangerang Regency are dominated by mangrove conditions in a rarely-damaged category. According to the analysis of the calculation of degradation level indicated mangrove ecosystem in Tangerang give trend in degradation categories.

Preceding (Rice-Okra) Crops Herbicide Residual Effects on Weed, Growth, Yield and Economics of Succeeding Blackgram Under Different Ecosystem

Field experiments were carried out during summer seasons of 2017 and 2018 to study the effect of preceding (Rice-Okra) crops herbicide residue on weed, growth, yield and economics of succeeding blackgram. Residual effect of butachlor at 1.25 kg/ha on 3 days after transplanting (DAT) fb hand weeding (HW) on 40 DAT imposed in the first season rice crop and followed by hand weeding (HW) twice at 20 and 40 days after sowing (DAS) (T6) in okra and blackgram significantly influenced the reduction of weed dry weight accumulation by 8.75 and 7.44 times in mainland and island ecosystem, respectively at 20 DAS. The same treatment recorded the highest weed control efficiency (WCE) of 88.6, 86.5 and 86.2, 80.7 % observed at 20 and 40 DAS under mainland and island ecosystem, respectively. Among, the weed control treatments, residual effect of butachlor at 1.25 kg/ha on 3 DAT fb HW on 40 DAT to rice and HW twice at 20 and 40 DAS (T6) to okra and blackgram has recorded 64.8 and 65.0% higher seed yield of blackgram under main and island ecosystem, respectively.

Evapotranspiration Estimation in the Sahel Using a New Ensemble-Contextual Method

In many tropical areas, evapotranspiration is the most important but least known component of the water cycle. An innovative method, named E3S (for EVASPA S-SEBI Sahel), was developed to provide spatially-distributed estimates of daily actual evapotranspiration (ETd) from remote sensing data in the Sahel. This new method combines the strengths of a contextual approach that is used to estimate the evaporative fraction (EF) from surface temperature vs. albedo scatterograms and of an ensemble approach that derives ETd estimates from a weighted average of evapotranspiration estimated from several EF methods. In this work, the two combined approaches were derived from the simplified surface energy balance index (S-SEBI) model and the EVapotranspiration Assessment from SPAce (EVASPA) tool. Main innovative aspects concern (i) ensemble predictions of ETd through the implementation of a dynamic weighting scheme of several evapotranspiration estimations, (ii) epistemic uncertainty of the estimation of ETd from the analysis of the variability of evapotranspiration estimates, and (iii) a new cloud filtering method that significantly improves the detection of cloud edges that negatively affect EF determination. E3S was applied to MODIS/TERRA and AQUA datasets acquired during the 2005–2008 period over the mesoscale AMMA-CATCH (Analyse Multidisciplinaire de la Mousson Africaine—Couplage de l’Atmosphère Tropicale et du Cycle Hydrologique) observatory in South-West Niger. E3S estimates of instantaneous and daily available energy, evaporative fraction, and evapotranspiration were evaluated at a local scale based on two field-monitored plots representing the two main ecosystem types in the area—a millet crop and a fallow savannah bush. In addition to these ground-based observations, the local scale evaluation was performed against continuous simulations by a locally-calibrated soil-vegetation-atmosphere transfer model for the two plots. The RMSE (root mean square error) from this comparison for E3S’s ETd estimates from combined AQUA/TERRA sources was 0.5 mm·day−1, and the determination coefficient was 0.90. E3S significantly improved representation of the evapotranspiration seasonality, compared with a classical implementation of S-SEBI or with the original EVASPA’s non-weighted ensemble scheme. At the mesoscale, ETd estimates were obtained with an average epistemic uncertainty of 0.4 mm·day−1. Comparisons with the reference 0.25°-resolution GLEAM (global land evaporation Amsterdam model) product showed good agreement. These results suggested that E3S could be used to produce reliable continuous regional estimations at a kilometric resolution, consistent with land and water management requirements in the Sahel. Moreover, all these innovations could be easily transposed to other contextual approaches.

Quantitative Assessment for the Dynamics of the Main Ecosystem Services and their Interactions in the Northwestern Arid Area, China

Evaluating changes in the spatial–temporal patterns of ecosystem services (ESs) and their interrelationships provide an opportunity to understand the links among them, as well as to inform ecosystem-service-based decision making and governance. To research the development trajectory of ecosystem services over time and space in the northwestern arid area of China, three main ecosystem services (carbon sequestration, soil retention, and sand fixation) and their relationships were analyzed using Pearson’s coefficient and a time-lagged cross-correlation analysis based on the mountain–oasis–desert zonal scale. The results of this study were as follows: (1) The carbon sequestration of most subregions improved, and that of the oasis continuously increased from 1990 to 2015. Sand fixation decreased in the whole region except for in the Alxa Plateau–Hexi Corridor area, which experienced an “increase–decrease” trend before 2000 and after 2000; (2) the synergies and trade-off relationships of the ES pairs varied with time and space, but carbon sequestration and soil retention in the most arid area had a synergistic relationship, and most oases retained their synergies between carbon sequestration and sand fixation over time. Most regional relationships of sand fixation and soil retention with a weak trade-off during the before-2000 stage turned into weak synergies at the after-2000 stage; (3) the ES pairs of carbon sequestration and sand fixation had significant time-lagged trade-off relationships in most arid areas, and these time trade-offs were generally maintained for 2–6 years, where a higher absolute value of the maximum time-lagged correlation coefficient corresponded to a longer time-lag. This study could assist us in understanding the trade-off and synergy of ESs and will provide quantitative zonal information for the ecosystem-services-based ecomanagement of arid areas.

The Acute Toxicity of SiO2 and Fe3O4 Nano-particles on Daphnia magna

SiO2 nano-particles are applied in different industries such as ceramic producing, glass making, cosmetic products, medicines, magnetic mixtures, heat and electric insulators and glazing currently. Also, nano particles of SiO2 can be utilized to increase the strength and stability of industrial coverings. Fe3O4 nano-particles enjoy pretty special and unique features compared to bulk Fe3O4 in terms of ultra-magnetic features, size and quantum feature. These nano-particles that are considered as one of the most important elements of iron-based mixtures, soft magnetic materials, record-player sets, colorful materials, magnetic suspended materials, magnetic vibrant recording in tissues recuperation and molecules diagnosis are highly used in pharmacy and biotechnology. With the development and progress of nano technology and increasing use of engineered nano-particles and besides all the benefits of nano particles; potential pollution of nano-particles should be considered that may occur after their transportation and entery into water environments. The aim of this research is to investigate the toxicity effect of SiO2 and Fe3O4 nano-particles on Daphnia magna that is regarded as a kind of hard zooplankton in fresh water and is as main aquatic ecosystem food chain after phytoplankton groups. In this test, OECD (Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development) method (202) was used and the toxicity effect of Fe3O4 and SiO2 nano-particles on Daphnia magna during 96 h was investigated. The daphnia had exposure to 6-treatments of nano silica solution, 5 treatments of nano iron oxide with three replications for each in comparison with control group. LC50 of silica and iron oxide nano particles were analyzed by probit data analysis method for the determination of Daphnia magna proportion in each solution following 96 h and respectively the following amounts of 1.73 and 654.65 mg/l were observed. The results of the study showed the lower rate of toxic effect in iron oxide nanoparticles compared to nano silica in Daphnia magna.

Assessing the role of soil microbial communities of natural forest ecosystem

Abstract In forests, edaphic microbial communities are involved in litter decomposition and soil forming processes, with major contribution to humification, especially bacteria and fungi being responsible for the main ecosystem services fulfilled by the soil. Research has been carried out aiming to characterize the structure and diversity of microbial communities in the Rendzic Leptosols (WRB) under natural deciduous forest from Visterna, Babadag Plateau and to assess their contribution to ecosystem services provided by soil. The paper presents the results of quantitative estimations and taxonomic composition of soil and litter communities of heterotrophic bacteria and fungi, identification of cellulolytic species, as well as the microbial biomass and global physiological activities expressed as soil respiration potential. More than a half of bacterial species were common in litter and soil (SI=57.14%) and were represented by dominant species of fluorescent or non-fluorescent pseudomonads and Bacillus subtilis but no similarity was found between the two fungal communities. Fungal populations included cosmopolitan species, such as antagonists and strong cellulolytic representatives of genera Penicillium, Trichoderma, Mortierella, Chaetomium, Epicoccum, Aspergillus. Microbial density and microbial biomass presented the highest values in the litter (684 mg C x kg-1 d.s.) and in surface horizon Am1 of soil profile than in the bottom layers. The highest diversity was found in Am1 horizon (0-5 cm) H’=1.983 bits and ε=0.869 for cellulolytic community. Soil respiration reflected the intense physiological activity of microbiome, with high values associated to numerous effectives of bacteria and fungi especially in surface horizon. Microorganisms identified contribute to formation of soil by recycling of nutrients, cellulose decomposition, the synthesis of stable organic matter (humic acids), aggregation of soil particles, biological control of pathogens by antagonistic activity. They improve plant uptake of water and nutrients by forming symbioses (ectomycorrhizae), thus modelling the structure of vegetation.

粤港澳大湾区生态系统格局变化与模拟

PDF HTML阅读 XML下载 导出引用 引用提醒 粤港澳大湾区生态系统格局变化与模拟 DOI: 10.5846/stxb201906101228 作者: 作者单位: 作者简介: 通讯作者: 中图分类号: 基金项目: 国家自然科学青年科学基金项目（71804180） Evolution and simulation of ecosystem patterns in Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macau Bay Area Author: Affiliation: Fund Project: 摘要 | 图/表 | 访问统计 | 参考文献 | 相似文献 | 引证文献 | 资源附件 | 文章评论 摘要:快速城市化是导致粤港澳大湾区生态系统时空格局变化的主要驱动力之一，模拟生态系统变化趋势对于优化区域土地利用格局、防控城市化的生态风险具有重要意义。以2000、2005、2010、2015、2018年5期土地利用数据，分析该区域生态系统格局演变，并运用CA-Markov模型模拟2025年的生态系统格局。研究结果表明：（1）2018年大湾区的森林、农田和城镇为主要生态系统类型，分别占区域总面积的53.99%、22.67%和14.51%。（2）2000-2018年农田、森林、湿地面积分别下降了1983、740、278 km2，城镇和草地面积分别上升了2896、103 km2，城镇面积增长的主要途径是对周围农田、林地和湿地的侵占，草地面积增长是因为管理经营不善导致部分林地退化为草地。（3）大湾区的景观多样性和均匀度下降，景观正在向小斑块趋势发展，空间连通性下降，破碎度增加。（4）模拟2025年的生态系统格局发现，与2018年相比，城镇面积增长了609 km2，农田和森林分别减少了309 km2和316 km2。基于大湾区生态系统格局变化与模拟发现，快速城市化区域中，落实耕地保护红线和生态保护红线制度、保护重要生态空间完整性，对于降低城市化的生态风险具有重要作用。 Abstract:Rapid urbanization has been one of the primary drivers of ecosystems change in the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macau Bay Area (the Great Bay Area). To understand these spatio-temporal dynamics, it is important to simulate ecosystem trend and patterns during regional land use optimization, preventing and controlling the ecological risks of urbanization. Based on land use-land cover (LULC) data for the years 2000, 2005, 2010, 2015 and 2018, this paper analyzed the evolution of ecosystem types and landscape patterns in this region. A CA-Markov model was used to simulate ecosystem pattern in 2025. The results showed that: (1) the forests, farmland and urban land were the main ecosystem types in the Greater Bay Area in 2018, accounting for 53.99%, 22.67% and 14.51% of the total area, respectively. (2) From 2000 to 2018, the area of farmland, forest, and wetland decreased by 1983 km2, 740 km2 and 278 km2 respectively, and the area of urban and grassland increased by 2896 km2 and 103 km2, respectively. The growth in urban areas came from the conversion of surrounding farmland, woodland and wetland. Due to poor management, portions of woodland degraded to grassland, leading to the growth of the latter. The change rate of ecosystem types in the Greater Bay Area had obvious periodical characteristics. The fastest period of urban expansion was from 2000 to 2005, leading to a rapid decline in farmland. The rate of urban expansion and farmland reduction slowed after 2005.The speed of forest reduction accelerated in 2000-2015 and slowed down in 2015-2018. The grassland area increased from 2000 to 2015, with a slow growth rate from 2000 to 2010 and a rapid growth rate from 2010 to 2015, then decreased from 2015 to 2018. From 2000 to 2018, the wetland area continued declining with the same speed. (3) Under the effects of demographic urbanization and LULC urbanization, the landscape pattern changed significantly. Fragmentation and separation increased, and the diversity and evenness of the landscape decreased. The Contagion index (CONTAG) increased and the Division index (DIVISION) increased, indicating that the fragmentation and heterogeneity of the landscape increased. The largest patches of farmland and forestland were destroyed, and the Number of Patches index (NP) increased. Urban patches showed a spreading growth, while the urban landscape's degree of fragmentation and separation fell. (4) The ecosystem pattern in 2025 was simulated based on a CA-Markov model, and the accuracy test was carried out by comparison with the actual data in 2015; the Kappa coefficient was 0.94. Compared with 2018, the urban area is projected to increase by 609 km2, extending outward along the larger urban patches, mainly in Guangzhou, Dongguan and Foshan prefectures. The area of farmland and forest ecosystem is projected to decrease by 309 km2 and 316 km2, respectively. The areas of grassland ecosystem and wetland ecosystem are projected to remain unchanged. Based on the change and simulation of ecosystem patterns in the Greater Bay Area, it was found that the farmland protection red line, ecological protection red line and the protection of important ecological space integrity (all national policies) played important roles in reducing the ecological risk of urbanization in a rapidly urbanizing region. 参考文献 相似文献 引证文献

Drivers of biodiversity associated with rhodolith beds from euphotic and mesophotic zones: Insights for management and conservation

Ecologically important marine ecosystems should be identified and protected, as is the case of the poorly known SW Atlantic rhodolith beds. Understanding the main variables predicting biodiversity patterns is essential for determining priority areas for conservation. Here, we analyzed the macroinvertebrate associated with rhodoliths from euphotic and mesophotic zones from the Fernando de Noronha Archipelago investigating the drivers of diversity distribution in this habitat. Rhodoliths were sampled and vagile macroinvertebrates (>500μm) were classified and quantified. We verified that estimated density of organisms associated with rhodoliths in the euphotic zone was 17 % greater than the mesophotic zone. The communities along depth zones show dissimilarities, suggesting that both environments are ecologically distinct. Comparisons with other ecosystems revealed that rhodolith beds have similar diversity of macroinvertebrates. We also found that four of the six tested variables predicted 85 % of the variability observed in the vagile macroinvertebrate community (i.e. average diameter, depth, biomass of macroalgae and density of rhodoliths in the bed). These variables should be taken into account in future research in modeling the biodiversity associated with the rhodolith beds. This is especially relevant in the SW Atlantic where the rhodolith beds seem to harbor an associated biodiversity greater than previous works had indicated, moreover, they represent one of the main ecosystems that are often superimposed with mining activities.

Manejo, problemática y oportunidades de los caballos salvajes de Galicia como herramienta de conservación de hábitats prioritarios en la Red Natura 2000

Galician wild ponies represent a key element in the open landscapes of the Galician mountain ranges. Among other effects, they aid in the maintenance and preservation of different habitats such as bogs and wet heaths. As part of the LIFE project “Life in Common Land” (LIFE16 NAT/ES/000707), aimed at the conservation of priority habitats in Natura 2000 Site “Serra do Xistral”, we performed semistructured interviews to ponies’ managers and owners to improve our knowledge of the social dimension, management practices, main threats and their potentiality as a tool for habitat conservation. Results show a decline in the number of ponies and pony owners during the last decades. The ponies’ capacity to shape the vegetation structure, and their effect to reduce wolf attacks to cattle were identified as the main ecosystem services. The main threats perceived by owners are the high frequencies of wolf attacks and a detrimental application of CAP subsidies. Ponies are free roaming all-year round in the traditional system, but new management forms are arising. Our results show their potential as a tool for conservation, their positive effect on pastures for cattle grazing, and the strong cultural engagement of the local community with their ponies.

THE MARIANA/MG TRAGEDY AND THE VALUATION OF ECOSYSTEM SERVICES IN THE AREA ACHIEVED

The present study presents the environmental valuation of the area affected by the mining company Samarco/Vale/BHP Billiton, due to the rupture of the Fundão and Santarém dams. The method chosen was Costanza, et al (1997), whose objective was to describe and estimate the main ecosystem functions and their natural capital on a planetary scale. The area affected was estimated by EMBRAPA (2016) in 1,430 hectares, where the value perceived by this methodology corresponds to R$ 578,058,795.18/year, which should be understood as the value of the ecosystem loss and natural capital of this territory

Dynamic evaluation and driving forces of ecosystem services in Quanzhou bay estuary wetland, China

Ecosystem service value (ESV) in 1997, 2005, 2013 and 2015 of Quanzhou Bay estuary wetland was evaluated dynamicly by market value, alternative value and opportunity cost methods, combined with classification of service indicators and deduplicate computing. The main driving forces for the changes of ESV and the pathway and intensity of their actions were identified using stepwise regression and path analysis methods. The results showed that the main ecosystem services of Quanzhou Bay estuary wetland were flood regulation, climate regulation, and food supply, which were directly driven by water supply, mariculture carrying capacity, and gross value of the regional production. Other drivers exerted indirect effect on the changes of main ESVs.

Validating the map of current semi-natural ecosystem types in Germany and their upscaling using the Kellerwald-Edersee National Park as an example

BackgroundImplementation Action 5 of the EU Biodiversity Strategy to 2020 includes that Member States map and assess the state of ecosystems and their services in their national territory. A fundamental component of the respective methodology developed in Germany is the classification of semi-natural ecosystems. In this context, this study aims to examine the quality and re-usability of the map of current semi-natural ecosystem types (cEsT) in Germany (1: 500,000; Jenssen et al. in Forschungsvorhaben 3710 83 214, UBA-FB 001834. UBA-Texte 87/2013. Dessau, Textband + 9 Anhänge, 381 S, 2013; Schröder et al. in Sci Total Environ 521–522:108–122, 2015, in Abschlussbericht Forschungsvorhaben UFOPLAN 3713 83 254 im Umweltforschungsplan des Bundesministeriums für Umwelt, Naturschutz, Bau und Reaktorsicherheit, Bd. 1:1–493 + 7 Anhänge, Bd. 2:1–343, Bd. 3:1–303. Dessau, 2018]) as well as the cEsT map of the Kellerwald National Park (1: 25,000).ResultsBased on DIN EN ISO 19113 and (DDGI in Qualitätsmodell für die Beschreibung von Geodaten (PAS 1071:2007-10), Beuth Verlag, Berlin, 14 S. + Anh, 2007), the positional accuracy (absolute positional accuracy) and thematic accuracy (classification correctness) were quantitatively determined. For this purpose, a comparison was made with geometrical data of well-known positional accuracy such as ATKIS-DLM (Hesse), mapping of biotopes and habitat types (Hesse, Germany), current vegetation surveys from the Kellerwald National Park (Hesse; permanent random sample inspection, own survey) as well as vegetation surveys available Germany-wide after 1990 from the database of the Institute of Forestry Eberswalde (Waldkunde-Institut Eberswalde; W.I.E.). The map of cEsT Germany has an absolute positional accuracy of ± 42.29 m (≈ ± 42 m) and has been classified correctly by about 30%. Another approximately 35% are ecologically similar to the existing forest ecosystem types (together 65%). In a further approximately 15%, the ecosystem types were correctly classified, but only occur as accompanying ecosystem types. About 15% occurred as an ecologically related accompanying ecosystem type (together 30%). 5% of the spatial objects were mapped incorrectly. In the Kellerwald National Park (1: 25,000), about 22% of the cEsT were classified correctly. Misclassifications on both scale levels concerned the assignments to the elevation levels (e.g., Eb-5n-C2 instead of D1-5n-C2) and, respectively, to the humus species (e.g., Eb-5n-D1 instead of Eb-5n-D1a). The main reason for misclassifications can be seen in high thematic differentiation of the ecosystem classification according to Jenssen et al. (2013). The biotope and habitat mappings are, due to their generally lower thematic differentiation, more appropriate for a falsification than for a verification of the cEsT approach. However, the spatial information content is valuable for comparisons with regard to the occurrence of cEsT as the main or concomitant ecosystem type.ConclusionsThe correctness of the classification can best be verified by vegetation samplings, but only at the site level. Any deviations found could then be used to improve the quality of the cEsT mapping, particularly at the regional level (1:5000 to 1:25,000). In principle, the use of the identification key for forest and forest ecosystem types (Schröder et al. 2018, vol. 3) is recommended for mapping on a regional scale.

Cooperation and spatial self-organization determine rate and efficiency of particulate organic matter degradation in marine bacteria

The recycling of particulate organic matter (POM) by microbes is a key part of the global carbon cycle. This process is mediated by the extracellular hydrolysis of polysaccharides, which can trigger social behaviors in bacteria resulting from the production of public goods. Despite the potential importance of public good-mediated interactions, their relevance in the environment remains unclear. In this study, we developed a computational and experimental model system to address this challenge and studied how the POM depolymerization rate and its uptake efficiency (2 main ecosystem function parameters) depended on social interactions and spatial self-organization on particle surfaces. We found an emergent trade-off between rate and efficiency resulting from the competition between oligosaccharide diffusion and cellular uptake, with low rate and high efficiency being achieved through cell-to-cell cooperation between degraders. Bacteria cooperated by aggregating in cell clusters of ∼10 to 20 µm, in which cells were able to share public goods. This phenomenon, which was independent of any explicit group-level regulation, led to the emergence of critical cell concentrations below which degradation did not occur, despite all resources being available in excess. In contrast, when particles were labile and turnover rates were high, aggregation promoted competition and decreased the efficiency of carbon use. Our study shows how social interactions and cell aggregation determine the rate and efficiency of particulate carbon turnover in environmentally relevant scenarios.

A promising cosmopolitan biomonitor of potentially toxic elements in freshwater ecosystems: concentration gradients in sensitive areas

Abstract Environmental monitoring in sensitive areas is crucial to develop and adapt governance policies. In this context, biomonitoring provides information not only on environmental contamination gradients, but also on the actual pollutant bioavailabilities and, using bioaccumulators, on their possible transfer through the food webs. The spatial distribution of suitable bioaccumulators, however, may limit the effectiveness of biomonitoring. To relieve this constraint, we investigated the usefulness of Mentha aquatica as a novel cosmopolitan biomonitor of potentially toxic elements (PTEs) in freshwater ecosystems, using Helosciadium nodiflorum, a widely recognized biomonitor, as a reference for environmental concentration gradients. The biomonitors were then employed in deriving spatial gradients of macronutrient (Ca, K, Mg, P, S), micronutrient (Co, Cr, Cu, Fe, Mn, Na, Ni, Si, V, Zn) and non-essential element (Al, As, Cd, Pb) concentrations in the area of one of the largest Italian national parks. Over two years and a large number of sites, M. aquatica roots provided PTE concentration gradients comparable to those obtained using H. nodiflorum roots, demonstrating their usefulness in PTE biomonitoring and widening the range of suitable biomonitors for freshwater ecosystems. At the same time, the joint use of M. aquatica and H. nodiflorum enhanced the accuracy of concentration gradients measured in two of the main freshwater ecosystems within the “Cilento, Vallo di Diano e Alburni” National Park (southern Italy). The study, performed for two consecutive years over 43 sites along the Bussento and Calore Salernitano rivers, pointed out several criticalities, attributable either to natural or anthropogenic sources. High natural concentrations of Al, As, Na, Si and V were mainly related to local characteristics (proximity to sea, sediment texture) or generalized lithological background (pyroclastic deposits on carbonates), whereas local high concentrations of Co, Fe and Mn were mainly related to direct or indirect anthropogenic sources (proximity to urban centers, wastewater treatment plants). Moreover, unusual high concentrations of Cd, Cr, Ni and Zn were observed at three spring mouths, suggesting changes in their bioavailability due to spring water physico-chemistry.

Application of the Soil Security Concept to Two Contrasting Soil Landscape Systems—Implications for Soil Capability and Sustainable Land Management

Soil security identifies global challenges and a series of dimensions that are necessary requirements to meet those global challenges using sustainable land management. The soil security concept is applied to two contrasting soil landscape systems with varying climate, landform and soil types. Previous methodologies for assessing land and soil capability are combined within the soil security conceptual approach. The land and soil capability methodologies are used to assess how the soil condition changes in response to the stresses and forcing associated with land management and land and soil degradation processes. It is the soil capability that defines how the soil condition changes between the reference state of the soil condition, or the genoform, and the soil condition under land use, or the phenoform. The conclusion is that soil capability, which is one of the dimensions used to apply the soil security concept, is a complex dimension and has several aspects or further facets to be considered to achieve sustainable land management. It is apparent that in assessing soil capability, the following facets are relevant. I: The capacity of the soil to provide ecosystem services to meet the global challenges outlined for Soil Security. II: The stability of the soil condition to land degradation processes resulting from the effects of land management practices and the environmental stresses on the soil. III: The capacity to recover following degradation. Facets II and III can be considered the resilience. An important conclusion is that the soil capability cannot be assessed without taking into account features of the landscape including climate and landform. Two examples from south eastern Australia of the application of these facets of soil capability to on-ground situations are presented. The Cowra Trough Red Soils in the Australian wheat belt are a set of soils, primarily contributing to meeting the global challenge of food security. The major degradation processes threatening the stability of these soils are water erosion and soil acidification. The Kosciusko National Park in the Snowy Mountains region is primarily contributing to meeting the challenges of water security for the irrigation industry in the Murray Darling Basins and energy security through the production of hydroelectricity. The set of soil landscapes also contributes to biodiversity protection and human health and well-being. The major degradation processes threatening the stability of these soils and their capacity to meet the global challenges are water and wind erosion. A major limitation is the poor capacity of these soils to recover once degraded. Identifying the main ecosystem services provided by the two examples, together with the major risks of land degradation can clarify extension, economic and policy aspects of sustainable land management for the two sets of soil landscapes. For the Cowra Trough Red Soils, management of water erosion and soil acidification are essential for maintaining the contribution of the area to food security. For the Kosciusko National Park, the control of water and wind erosion are essential to maintain the contribution of the area to water and energy security.

Modelling the Mediterranean pelagic ecosystem using the POSEIDON ecological model. Part I: Nutrients and chlorophyll-a dynamics

Ecosystem models are recognized as valuable tools to understand marine ecosystem dynamics and address management questions, requiring an integrated approach of physical and biotic processes. In the present study, a three-dimensional basin scale Mediterranean hydrodynamic/biogeochemical model, currently operational as part of the POSEIDON forecasting system, was extensively validated against available in-situ and satellite data. The generic POSEIDON ecosystem model skill was objectively assessed, in capturing the observed seasonal variability of the main chemical ecosystem components within the planktonic food web. A cluster K-means analysis was applied to obtain an objective ‘biogeography’ of the Mediterranean Sea, allowing a more efficient validation of model outputs against observational data. The model presented a reasonable skill in reproducing the seasonal cycle and observed patterns of the Mediterranean inorganic nutrients and chlorophyll-a, characterized by a prominent west-to-east gradient and their increase in areas receiving lateral nutrient inputs. Despite some model deviations, validation results have demonstrated the capability of the model to represent the Mediterranean ecosystem, ranging from oligotrophic open ocean to mesotrophic conditions in productive coastal areas.