Index of Atmospheric Purity reflects the ecological conditions better than the environmental pollution in the Carpathian forests

The Index of Atmospheric Purity(IAP)is a popular tool used for the assessment of air quality in polluted urban areas,on the basis of phytosociological data of epiphytic lichen communities.We hypothesized that this indicator could also be used in less polluted forest areas to determine the quality of ecological conditions for lichens.The aim of the present study was to verify the use of IAP method in the assessment of environmental pollution,and alternatively for the assessment of general ecological conditions in protected mountain forests of Gorce National Park(Polish Western Carpathians)based on the epiphytic lichen biota associated with Picea abies.The spatial distribution of IAP values on monitored sites in GNP was compared with:1)spatial distribution of accumulated sulfur,nitrogen,selected heavy metals,and total heavy metals in Hypogymnia physodes thalli in 1993 and 2018(30 sites),2)mean ecological indicator values characterizing species requirements for light(L),substrate reaction(R)and nutrients(N),in 1993,2013 and 2018(33 sites).Generalized linear model and redundancy analysis were performed for disclosing most influencing factors affecting lichen communities.The study revealed a few negligible relationships between IAP values and accumulation of such elements as Ni,Mn,Cd,and Cr in both monitoring periods.Simultaneously,IAP can be useful for the identification of forest areas with a high degree of naturalness.

Taxonomic Distinctness of Macrofauna as an Ecological Indicator in Laizhou Bay and Adjacent Waters

In this paper, we assessed the ecological and biodiversity status in the Bohai Sea through a quantitative survey on mac-rofaunal community at 25 stations in Laizhou Bay and adjacent waters in the autumn of 2006.We tested the robustness and effectiveness of taxonomic distinctness as an ecological indictor by analyzing its correlation with species richness and natural environmental variables and by analyzing other ecological indicators (Shannon-Wiener H' and W statistics from Abundance Biomass Comparison curve).Results so obtained indicated that the benthic environment of the study waters in general is not under major impact of anthropogenic disturbance, but some stations in Laizhou Bay and along the coast of the Shandong Peninsula and even in the central Bohai Sea might be moderately disturbed and showed signs of ecological degradation.The taxonomic distinctness measures △+ and Λ+ were independent of sampling effort and natural environment factors and were compliant to other ecological indicators.Further application of the taxonomic distinctness indicator to assess marine biodiversity and ecosystem health on a larger regional scale with historical data seems promising.

Ecological indicators showing the succession of macrofauna communities in Sonneratia apetala artificial mangrove wetlands on Qi'ao Island at Zhuhai, South China

The Sonneratia apetala artificial mangroves in the intertidal zone of Da Wei Bay at Qi’ao Island of Zhu-hai, South China were chosen as the macrofauna succession plots while bare tidal flats of the same size were established as control plots in surrounding interference-free areas. Conventional change indicators of community structure, such as biomass and biodiversity, and indicators, such as exergy and specific exergy, which reflect the information change of overall communities, were used to analyze the succession of macro-fauna communities inS. apetala artificial mangroves. The similarities and differences in variation tendency of the different ecological indicators and their reflected ecological principles were compared. The results showed that from D-1 to D-1275 after plantingS. apetala, the biomass of the macrofauna communities first increased, which was then followed by an increase in the network relationship between the macrofauna communities （analysis of the Pielou evenness index and Shannon-Wiener diversity index）. The system in-formation （specific exergy） increased the slowest. Between D-1460 and D-2370 after plantingS. apetala, there was a decrease in biomass, network structure, and system information in the succession plots. After the decrease in the system information （the specific exergy）, there was a decline in the network relationships （Pielou evenness index and Shannon-Wiener diversity index）. Biomass was the last indicator to decrease. The similarities and differences among the different ecological indicators varied during the succession pro-cess, which reflected the relativity and differences among the indicators. This study suggested that, although the species diversity index can be an effective indicator of two types of changes （network structure and system information）, it was quite clear that species diversity measurement was not suitable for expressing the changes in biomass during the succession process. While exergy and specific exergy can provide useful information about the structural development of communities, they cannot identify the information state of the system. Therefore, when evaluating macrofaunal succession inS. apetala artificial mangrove wetlands, it would be better to apply a number of different ecological indicators, rather than just one single indicator.

Exergy and ecological modelling of lake environment

The thermodynamic theories and ecological theories can be integrated effectively by exergy(biogeochemical energy of the system) to study the environmental problems of the lakes and reservoirs. In this paper, the applications of exergy in the ecological modelling of lake environment were reviewed. Results showed that exergy can be used as a goal function to estimate the parameters of the ecological model for lakes and reservoirs and to develop the structural dynamic models accounting for the changes in lake ecosystems, and as an ecological indicators for the development and evolution of lake ecosystems.

Analysis on Landscape Ecological Risk of the Qinghai-Tibet Plateaus:A Case Study on Niyang River Basin

Taking Niyang River Basin as an example, applying with the indices of landscape pattern, the indices of ecological risk of ecosystems are calculated in this paper, which takes the value of ecological loss of main ecosystem as the evaluation standard and takes into account the impacts of probability or the velocity of main hazards and event of the ecosystem. And the grades of ecological risk are assessed. According to the results of assessment, the ecological risk grades of the basin are divided into five classes. From the first grade risk to the fifth grade risk, the values of regional risk indices gradually reduce. The first grade risk areas mainly distribute in Niyang river and its branches downstream and the surrounding areas of main towns. And the basin area of non-valley region and the headstream regions of the branches are the fifth grades risk areas. This evaluation results provide the basis to the regional sustainable development.

Urban ecological sustainability assessment of the human-made system and natural system based on emergy and GIS approach

Due to the complexity of sustainable urban research,the environmental sustainability was assessed.Taking the sponge city as an example,the case study was conducted based on the integrated geographic information system(GIS)and emergy methods.The results demonstrate that the emergy of agricultural crops,major industrial products,comprehensive energy products,imports and exports,waste products and increased natural system emergy are the decisive factors for the sustainability assessment.Agricultural crops are the primary contributor,which accounts for 48.9%of the total emergy amount.Urban solid waste has a self-evident superiority in the waste products emergy proportion.Surface water and vegetal biomass emergy possess the pivotal consequences,far higher than soil organic matter.The sewage treatment stations(0.11%)play a small role in the sustainability assessment of the sponge city.The emergy sustainability index is 0.02181,which indicates poor environmental sustainability.According to the study results,increasing renewable energy input proportion and adopting the vegetal biomass of high unit emergy values(UEVs)can improve the sustainability level.

Vascular Flora from Ecoton Zones of the Slatioara Secular Forest

The purpose of this study is to generate essential scientific information regarding the floristic composition and the structures of the ecotone vegetation in the natural forest Codrul Secular Slătioara, because so far no such studies have been carried out in this reserve. Also, the results of this study provide important data, which can be the basis for the development of strategies for the conservation and sustainable use of some herbaceous species, valuable due to genetic and socio-economic, respectively of a regular forest monitoring program. The floristic studies were carried out in the 2020 to 2021 vegetation season. Based on the specialized literature, plant species were identified and then processed from the point of view of bioforms, floristic elements and ecological indices. The economic categories in which the identified species fall were also analyzed. Thus, a total of 292 species belonging to 46 botanical families were identified and their distribution by ecosystems is as follows: in the forest, 90 species were identified, in the lands adjacent to the forest, in the meadows, 202 species were found and in the area of border, 120 species of vascular plants were identified. Most of the species identified in the study area are hemicryptophytes, heliophiles, and eurytherms, which grow on dry to moderately moist, eurytrophic soils. More than 50% of the identified species belong to several categories of useful plants (fodder, medicinal, melliferous, edible).

Effect of heavy metals on soil nematode communities in the vicinity of a metallurgical factory

The influence of Cu and Zn on soil nematode communities was examined along a pollution gradient with increasing distance from a metallurgical factory. Total and available heavy metal contents were used to study the effects of heavy metals on nematode abundance, trophic groups and ecological indices. The results demonstrated significant correlations between the number of total nematodes, bacterivores, plant-parasites and the total and available heavy metals. Bacterivores and plant-parasites were the dominant trophic groups. Significant differences in different sampling sites were found only in the number of bacterivores（P〈0.01）. The Shannon-Weaver diversity index（W）, trophic diversity index（TD）, evenness index（J＇） and dominance index（λ） were found to be sensitive to soil pH and C/N ratios. Significant correlations were found between the total nematodes （TNEM）, some genera （A crobeloides, Aphelenchoides, Cephalobus, Ditylenchus, Mesorhabditis, Tetylenchus and Tylenchus） and distance from the factory.

LAND COVER CHANGES AND LANDSCAPE DYNAMICS ASSESSMENT IN LOWER REACHES OF TARIM RIVER IN CHINA

The Tarim River Basin, located in the typical arid region, is one of the key regions of LUCC research in China and plays an important role in maintaining the sustainable development of the western China. In recent years,the ecological environment of the Tarim River Basin has degraded greatly. In the lower reaches, in particular, the riverbed has been dried up for more than 20 years, which accelerated the desertification and has been a great threat to people′s lives. Taking the section of the Tarim River between Qiala Lake and Taitema Lake as a typical region, an investigation on land cover changes was carried out with the support of remote sensing information of 1988 and 2000 respectively. The changes of land cover in this region were obtained: 1) Cropland tended to increase. 2) Urban or Built-up Area in 2000 was 324.4ha more than that in 1988. 3) Waters expanded by 3476.51ha. 4) Woodland and Grassland decreased, while Barren Land increased by 3824.9ha. The total amount of land use/land cover change between 1988 and 2000 is small,which is only 0.355% of the total area. It shows that the developmental pace of the lower reaches of the Tarim River is relative slow. Based on these results, the authors assessed the landscape dynamics of this region and pointed out that the degree of desertification was strengthened and the landscape dominated by sand land was further characterized by salt desert.

Effects of Arbuscular Mycorrhizal Fungi and Earthworm on Nematode Communities and Arsenic Uptake by Maize in Arsenic-Contaminated Soils

The influences of arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF,Acaulospora spp.and Glomus spp.) and rice straw and earthworms (RE,Eisenia foetida) on nematode communities and arsenic (As) uptake by maize (Zea mays L.) in Ascontaminated soils were examined in a field experiment conducted in Wujiang,Jiangsu Province,China.The experiment was designed as a 2 × 2 factorial with the factors of AMF (inoculated or uninoculated) and RE (added or not added).The results demonstrated that AMF inoculation led to significantly higher root colonization of AMF and root dry weight.Plants inoculated with both AMF and RE had the highest As concentrations in root.The number of total nematodes increased with AMF inoculation when RE was absent,and decreased with RE addition when AMF was inoculated.The improved abundance of nematodes with the AMF treatment implied that the tested AMF acted as food sources for fungivores.The abundances of omnivores-predators and plant parasites were reduced by earthworm activity.Twentyseven genera of nematodes were identified,with Filenchus dominant in all treatments.Trophic diversity,Shannon-Weaver diversity,Simpson dominance index,and species richness indicated higher species diversity,more proportionate species composition,evenly distributed species,and more food sources in the AMF,RE,and their interaction treatments.Maturity index showed a moderately disturbed environment due to As pollution.Besides enhancing plant uptake of contaminants,AMF and RE amendments could also improve soil health by restoring the structure of soil communities,as reflected by more stable nematode community structure.

Determination of the Fish Community Structure of an Intertidal Rocky Zone of the Pacific Coast of Baja California Sur

The intertidal zone (also known as seashore) are transition areas between land and sea, that are greatly influenced by the tide cycle, therefore, environmental parameters, such as temperature and salinity, oscillate according to the periods in which these areas are exposed to air. Intertidal zones are highly diverse, which makes them key ecosystems for the development of sea life (both flora and fauna) exposed to drastic environmental change. The 59 visual censuses campaigns were carried out during the full moon of each month from 2015 to 2019. Temperature, salinity and dissolved oxygen were recorded during each visual census and showed variations between years. Temperature showed two distinct seasons, warm and cold. A total of 14,995 organisms were recorded, belonging to 30 species, 28 genera, 15 families, five orders and one class. Ecological indices like species richness (SR), Shannon-Wiener’s diversity (H') and Fisher’s alpha (α-Fisher) showed significant differences between years, 2015 and 2016 recorded as the most diverse years, while the lowest values were recorded in 2019. Therefore, fish communities of tide pools showed to be highly diverse, with 30 species recording similar relative abundances, and according to the BVI, only 11 species were dominant. Spatio-temporal variations of temperature, salinity and dissolved oxygen were highly correlated to changes in fish community structure, and the dominance of certain species, which are of great importance for the structure and dynamic of the tide pool communities. Therefore, the aim of the present study was to determine the fish community structure of tide pools during the low tide in the intertidal zone of a locality known as El Faro, on the west coast of La Paz, B. C. S., Mexico.

Evaluating the success of engineering disturbed slope eco-restoration in the alpine region, southeast Qinghai-Tibet Plateau, China

Slope eco-restoration has always received extensive attention as a positive way to reverse ecosystem deterioration derived from human interventions.A simplified frameworkis proposed to undertake a quantitative evaluation of the engineering disturbed slope eco-restoration success in the alpine region,southeast Qinghai-Tibet Plateau.The Daguhydropower project that disturbsthe local ecosystem to some certainwas selected as the study area.Since August 2018,six types of slope(soil,rock,soil-rock,spoil,construction site,hardened)were served as the demonstration test for the slope eco-restoration with two years monitoring in the study area.Meanwhile,the topography,erosion,soil quality,and vegetation were selected as assessment indicators of the methodology.Finally,combined with the weighting method and the expert panel,the slope eco-restoration quality index(SERQI)was established and applied in the six slopes.The results suggested that the frost-resistant ecological substrate performed well in alpine region,and the SERQI value is in accordance with the actual monitoring level with spoil slope>soil slope>construction site slope>soil-rock slope>rock slope>hardened slope.The proposed framework could support slope eco-restoration practitioners for making a more objective and quantitative evaluation easily for the post-implementation restoration.

Plant Diversity as a Good Indicator of Vegetation Stability in a Typical Plateau Wetland

Biotic indicators have been widely used to monitor wetland health. However, few studies have explicitly evaluated if plant diversity could serve as a useful community-level indicator of wetland stability,especially when wetlands are confronted with anthropogenic perturbations. Based on three-year record of wetland plant species abundance in Napahai plateau wetland, Shangri-la under the influence of varying anthropogenic perturbation types, our study tests the impact of such perturbations on plant richness and the relationship between ecosystem temporal stability and plant richness, and further assesses the effectiveness of using plant diversity indicator to probe ecosystem temporal stability of Napahai plateau wetland and the potential mechanisms. The results showed that anthropogenic perturbations could have contributed significantly to realistic variation in plant diversity, and further demonstrated that ecosystem temporal stability was positively related to realistic variation in plant diversity. In particular, communities with high levels of diversity might have better capacity to dampen perturbation impacts than communities with low levels of diversity, and statistical averaging could have played an important role in causing greater stability in more diverse communities. Also, asynchrony might have a stabilizing effect on community stability, and diversity could have stabilized communities through both species asynchrony and population stability propagation. Therefore, our results suggest that plant diversity could be used as a useful indicator of the stability conditions of plateau wetland ecosystems confronted with anthropogenic perturbations, and the preservation of plant communities at sufficient abundance and diversity is necessary for maintaining healthy plateau wetlands and for sustaining their essential ecosystem functions and services.

On the study of ecosystem health:state of the art

Ecosystem health is a newly proposed concept that sets new goals for environmental management. Its definition, assessment indicators, and assessment methods are reviewed in this paper. Literature shows that the definitions and the assessment indicators cover a wide range of ecosystem health, and they differ in terms of researchers different scientific background. It is concluded that the concept of ecosystem health cannot be defined or understood simply in biological or ethical or aesthetic or historical terms and the assessment should be based on applying several indicators simultaneously to get overall picture of the health or integrity state of an ecosystem.

Attributes of stand-age-dependent forest determine technosol fertility of Atlantic forest re-growing on mining tailings in Mariana,Brazil

Understanding how soil fertility changes due to environmental conditions and stand-age-dependent forest attributes is important for local-scale forest restoration.We evaluated the effects of stand-age-dependent forest attributes(plant community composition and litter stock)on soil and technosol fertility across two second-growth Atlantic forests(SGF)after the deposition of mining tailings in Mariana,southeastern Brazil.We hypothesized that technosol fertility in the SGF tailings is positively affected by plant community composition variability,stand age,and litter stock.We used total exchangeable bases and organic matter as fertility indicators for technosol and soil,and species composition and litter stock as stand-age-dependent forest attributes.Our results showed significant differences in the stand-age-dependent forest attributes and soil chemical properties between the two forest patches(SGF tailing and SGF non-tailing)evaluated.Thus,there was a marked gradient of litter storage and fertility between soil and technosol that can be important forest recovery indicators for the affected plant communities.Furthermore,according to the tested models,we corroborated the hypothesis that technosol fertility is positively affected by stand age,plant community composition variability,and litter stock,which may contribute considerably to forest recovery on tailings.Our results demonstrate that the fertility predictors analyzed to explain the forest recovery on tailings can also be considered as ecological indicators for assessing forest restoration in areas impacted by mining tailings in Mariana.

Pollinator diversity benefits natural and agricultural ecosystems,environmental health,and human welfare

Biodiversity loss during the Anthropocene is a serious ecological challenge.Pollinators are important vectors that provide multiple essential ecosystem services but are declining rapidly in this changing world.However,several studies have argued that a high abundance of managed bee pollinators,such as honeybees(Apis mellifera),may be sufficient to provide pollination services for crop productivity,and sociological studies indicate that the majority of farmers worldwide do not recognize the contribution of wild pollinator diversity to agricultural yield.Here,we review the importance of pollinator diversity in natural and agricultural ecosystems that may be thwarted by the increase in abundance of managed pollinators such as honeybees.We also emphasize the additional roles diverse pollinator communities play in environmental safety,culture,and aesthetics.Research indicates that in natural ecosystems,pollinator diversity enhances pollination during environmental and climatic perturbations,thus alleviating pollen limitation.In agricultural ecosystems,pollinator diversity increases the quality and quantity of crop yield.Furthermore,studies indicate that many pollinator groups are useful in monitoring environmental pollution,aid in pest and disease control,and provide cultural and aesthetic value.During the uncertainties that may accompany rapid environmental changes in the Anthropocene,the conservation of pollinator diversity must expand beyond bee conservation.Similarly,the value of pollinator diversity maintenance extends beyond the provision of pollination services.Accordingly,conservation of pollinator diversity requires an interdisciplinary approach with contributions from environmentalists,taxonomists,and social scientists,including artists,who can shape opinions and behavior.

A grey dynamic model for the evaluation of regional sustainable development and its empirical study

Currently, traditional development issues, such as economic stagnation, as well as new challenges like environmental degradation and globalization, need attention. Sustainable development, including economic, environmental, and social elements, is a main goal of decision-makers. The key to sustainable decision-making is to evaluate and forecast the status quo of sustainable development. Policy makers need a tool based on scientific information to forecast the effects of future actions on sustainability and make policies for sustainable development. This paper analyzes the relation of the economy, environment and social welfare by the grey dynamic model. The proposed method uses time series and basic indicators of ecological system, including economic, environmental and social sub-systems. It is applied to Heilongjiang Province and Jiangsu Province. The results have proved different status quo of sustainable development in these two regions, and suggestions are proposed, such as optimization of industrial structure and eco-industrial development. The conclusion is that there is no unique sustainable path, and accordingly, policy makers should choose different criteria and strategies to make efficient sustainable decisions for each region.

Diversity of Saxicolous Lichens along an Aridity Gradient in Central México

Lichens are symbiotic organisms that comprise a fungus and a photosynthetic partner wich are recognized as a good indicator of climate change.However,our understanding of how aridity affects the diversity of saxicolous lichens in drylands is still limited.To evaluate the relationship between saxicolous lichen diversity and aridity in a central México dryland,a geographical transect was established of 100 km to build an aridity gradient in the semiarid zone of the State of Querétaro,Mexico,comprising ten sampling sites with a 10 km separation.Species richness,abundance and diversity of soil lichen species were recorded using two sampling methods:the quadrat-intercept and the line-intercept method,to compare their performance in assessing soil lichen diversity in drylands.The number of species and Shannon diversity of saxicolous lichens were higher at intermediate values of the aridity index(AI=0.10-0.34).Quadrat intercept and point intercept methods gave quite similar results,which means that the selected method does not influence the results in a significant way.This study confirms the role of saxicolous lichens as climate change indicators and reveals the importance of the sampling method selection in the evaluation of different parameters of soil lichen diversity in drylands.

Land Suitability of the Different Cultivars in the South Tyrol Wine Region (Italy)

The geology and geomorphology of the territory as well as microclimate are local geographical features that serve as natural ecological resources. These factors influence the biosynthetic activities of plants and their phenology, promoting biodiversity and the qualitative predispositions of grapes and wine. South Tyrol is one of the smallest wine-growing regions in Italy, but owing to its position amid the Alps, it is also one of the most multifaceted, a region of wide geographical diversity and remarkable ecological range, hosting a concentration of many different vine varieties and high quality wines. This applied territorial research investigates the particular environmental circumstances that favour this case. A data set describing approximately 26,000 vineyards and 5450 hectares has been employed to evaluate 18 subzones of wines and vines selected from 86 new geographical units defined within the DOC wine region. A new environmental mapping scheme called VHTG is proposed, based on the ecological indicators of grape variety, altitude, topoclimate and the geopedology of the vineyards. Using the VHTG method analyses, the comparisons between the territories of origin and their vine varieties can be rendered simpler and more direct, and it can distinguish the most suitable ecological conditions of wine production zones. It is now possible to examine more in detail the land suitability of the different cultivars, defined by the use of the ecological indicators summarized in the VHTG method. White grape varieties such as Sylvaner and Veltliner prefer high altitudes between 600 m and 900 m, a very high solar radiation SRI index from 80 to 95, and acidic sandy soils of silicate minerals. The most complete and intense tannic structure of regional Pinot Noir correlates to quite clayey soils with dolomite mineral, slightly alkaline, on vineyards at altitudes between 350 m and 410 m, with rather low SRI index from 60 to 75. Similar geopedological conditions favour Gewürztraminer, which, however, requests SRI from 75 to 85. Merlot and Cabernet vines are best expressed in the hottest regional sub-zones, on moderately clayey subalkaline soils at 250 - 350 m of altitudes and SRI around 80. The indigenous red grape variety Lagrein is mostly localized on alluvial cone at altitudes under 350 m, on soft and ventilated acid sands with volcanic silicate minerals.

Soil Nematode Response to Biochar Addition in a Chinese Wheat Field

While studies have focused on the use of biochar as soil amendment, little attention has been paid to its effect on soil fauna. The biochar was produced from slow pyrolysis of wheat straw in the present study. Four treatments, no addition (CK) and three rates of biochar addition at 2 400 (B1), 12 000 (B5) and 48 000 kg ha-1 (B20), were investigated to assess the effect of biochar addition to soil on nematode abundance and diversity in a microcosm trial in China. The B5 and B20 application significantly increased the total organic carbon and the C/N ratio. No significant difference in total nematode abundance was found among the treatments. The biochar addition to the soil significantly increased the abundance of fungivores, and decreased that of plant parasites. The diversity of soil nematodes was significantly increased by B1 compared to CK. Nematode trophic groups were more effectively indicative to biochar addition than total abundance.