Integrated assessment of river health based on water quality, aquatic life and physical habitat

The health conditions of Liao River were assessed using 25 sampling sites in April 2005, with water quality index, biotic index and physical habitat quality index. Based on the method of cluster analysis （CA） for water quality indices, it revealed that heavily polluted sites of Liao River are located at estuary and mainstream. The aquatic species surveyed were attached algae and benthic invertebrates. The result showed that the diversity and biomass of attached algae and benthic index of biotic integrity （B-IBI） were degrading as the chemical and physical quality of water bodies deteriorating. Physiochemical parameters, BODs, CODcr, TN, TP, NH3-N, DO, petroleum hydrocarbon and conductivity, were statistically analyzed with principal component analysis and correlation analysis. The statistical results were incorporated into the integrated assessing water quality index, combining fecal coliform count, attached algae diversity, B-IBI and physical habitat quality score. A comprehensive integrated assessing system of fiver ecological health was established. Based on the systimetic assessment, the assessed sites are categorized into 9 ＂healthy＂ and ＂sub-healthy＂ sites and 8 ＂sub-sick＂ and ＂sick＂ sites.

Two-dimensional physical habitat modeling of effects of habitat structures on urban stream restoration

River corridors, even if highly modified or degraded, still provide important habitats for numerous biological species, and carry high aesthetic and economic values. One of the keys to urban stream restoration is recovery and maintenance of ecological flows sufficient to sustain aquatic ecosystems. In this study, the Hongje Stream in the Seoul metropolitan area of Korea was selected for evaluating a physically-based habitat with and without habitat structures. The potential value of the aquatic habitat was evaluated by a weighted usable area （WUA） using River2D, a two-dimensional hydraulic model. The habitat suitability for Zacco platypus in the Hongje Stream was simulated with and without habitat structures. The computed WUA values for the boulder, spur dike, and riffle increased by about 2%, 7%, and 131%, respectively, after their construction. Also, the three habitat structures, especially the riffle, can contribute to increasing hydraulic heterogeneity and enhancing habitat diversity.

A general multi-objective programming model for minimum ecological flow or water level of inland water bodies

Assessment of ecological flow or water level for water bodies is important for the protection of de- graded or degrading ecosystems caused by water shortage in arid regions, and it has become a key issue in water resources planning. In the past several decades, many methods have been proposed to assess ecological flow for rivers and ecological water level for lakes or wetlands. To balance water uses by human and ecosystems, we proposed a general multi-objective programming model to determine minimum ecological flow or water level for inland water bodies, where two objectives are water index for human and habitat index for ecosystems, respectively Using the weighted sum method for multi-objective optimization, minimum ecological flow or water level can be determined from the breakpoint in the water index-habitat index curve, which is similar to the slope method to de- termine minimum ecological flow from wetted perimeter-discharge curve. However, the general multi-objective programming model is superior to the slope method in its physical meaning and calculation method. This model provides a general analysis method for ecological water uses of different inland water bodies, and can be used to define minimum ecological flow or water level by choosing appropriate water and habitat indices. Several com- monly used flow or water level assessment methods were found to be special cases of the general model, including the wetted perimeter method and the multi-objective physical habitat simulation method for ecological river flow, the inundated forest width method for regeneration flow of floodplain forest and the lake surface area method for eco- logical lake level. These methods were applied to determine minimum ecological flow or water level for two repre- sentative rivers and a lake in northern Xinjiang of China, including minimum ecological flow for the Ertix River, minimum regeneration flow for floodplain forest along the midstream of Kaxgar River, and minimum ecological lake level for the Ebinur Lake. The results illustrated the versatility of the general model, and can provide references for water resources planning and ecosystem protection for these rivers and lake.

Impact of the Yalong-Yellow River water transfer project on the eco-environment in Yalong River basin

The planning Yalong-River water transfer project will transfer 5.65 billion cubic meters water from the Yalong River into the Yellow River per year.The Yalong River will be dramatically impacted hydrologically and ecologically because more than 60% of the runoff will be diverted.An ecohydrological model was used to evaluate the impacts of the project on river corridor and wetland in this study.Schizothorax is a typical plateau river species and was used as the indicator species for assessment of the impact of water transfer project.The model simulated the habitat area of Schizothorax in the reach between the Reba Dam and the Ganzi Hydrology Station on the Yalong River.The Reba Dam,A'an Dam and Renda Dam will be constructed in the Yalong River for enhancing the water level for water diversion into the Yellow River.The velocity,channel width,runoff,and water depth will be reduced due to the water transfer,especially during flood season.The reduction in the velocity,channel width,runoff and water depth will occur mainly in the reach near the three dams and the reduction will be reduced to a minimum level in a distance about 100 km downstream of the dams.The maximum net water loss of Kasha Lake is only 1197200 m3,only 0.3% of runoff flowing into the lake.The project cannot bring adverse effect on the lake.The habitat area of Schizothorax in the Yalong River might be reduced if the water was transferred from the Reba Dam.The habitat area of this species will be reduced more than 40%.

Fungal diversity and its mechanism of community shaping in the milieu of sanitary landfill

Land filling is the main method to dispose municipal solid waste in China.During the decomposition of organic waste in landfills,fungi play an important role in organic carbon degradation and nitrogen cycling.However,fungal composition and potential functions in landfill have not yet been characterized.In this study,refuse and leachate samples with different areas and depths were taken from a large sanitary landfill in Beijing to identify fungal communities in landfills.In high-throughput sequencing of ITS region,474 operational taxonomic units(OTUs)were obtained from landfill samples with a cutoff level of 3%and a sequencing depth of 19962.The results indicates that Ascomycota,with the average relative abundance of 84.9%,was the predominant phylum in landfill fungal communities.At the genus level,Family Hypocreaceae unclassified(15.7%),Fusarium(9.9%)and Aspergillus(8.3%)were the most abundant fungi found in the landfill and most of them are of saprotrophic lifestyle,which plays a big role in nutrient cycling in ecosystem.Fungi existed both in landfilled refuse and leachate while both the richness and evenness of fungal communities were higher in the former.In addition,fungal communities in landfilled refuse presented geographic variances,which could be partly attributed to physical habitat properties(pH,dissolved organic carbon,volatile solid,NH_(4)^(+),NO_(2)^(−)and NO_(3)^(−)),while NO_(3)^(−)was considered the most significant factor(p<0.05)in shaping fungal community.