Canonical correlation analysis to land-use structure and its driving forces——Taking Yulin Prefecture as an example

In this paper, one of the most classical statistical methods, Canonical Correlation Analysis (CCA) is applied to identify quantitatively the driving forces of landuse structure in Yulin Prefecture. The main analysis is carried out through the software SPSS with the data on the level of towns and townships in 1992. The results indicate that landuse structure is determined by comprehensive action of different factors. Landuse structure with rural characteristics is mainly determined by geographical factors such as the elevation, temperature and precipitation, while the landuse structure with urban characteristics is mainly determined by demographic and socioeconomic conditions. At the same time, tests were carried out through the canonical correlation coefficient and redundancy analysis.

拉林河浮游植物三种功能群分布特征及其与环境因子的关系

浮游植物是河流生态系统能量流动与信息传递的关键环节。浮游植物及其功能性状对于水体水文条件、理化特征及气候变化敏感,因此被广泛应用于水体环境监测。拉林河流域是我国北方重要稻米基地和商品粮基地,受农业面源污染严重。然而,拉林河流域浮游植物群落演替规律尚不明确,基于不同生态属性的功能群对拉林河环境的指示意义仍不清晰。于2021年春季和夏季在拉林河流域设置23个采样点对浮游植物群落进行定性定量分析。基于浮游植物功能群(functional group,FG)、生态功能群(morpho-functional group,MFG)和形态功能群(morphology-based functional group,MBFG)分析浮游植物群落演替特征。通过冗余分析(redundancy analysis,RDA)揭示驱动浮游植物群落演替的关键环境因子。结果显示,研究期间拉林河流域浮游植物群落演替明显,划分FG功能群25个,MFG功能群24个,MBFG功能群7个。FG、MFG和MBFG功能群的演替受多种环境因素共同影响,其中水温(water temperature,WT)和总氮(total nitrogen,TN)与功能群演替关系密切。经研究表明FG功能群能更好的响应拉林河流域水环境的时空异质性。相较于传统的林奈分类法,FG功能群提供了高效、简便且能反映生态信息的划分方式。在未来对于拉林河流域水生生物多样性保护及环境监测研究中,FG功能群是可靠的研究手段。

Modern pollen assemblages and their relationships with vegetation and climate on the northern slopes of the Tianshan Mountains, Xinjiang, China

The reconstruction of paleovegetation and paleoclimate requires an understanding of the relationships between surface pollen assemblages and modern vegetation and climate.Here,we analyzed the characteristics of surface pollen assemblages across different vegetation zones in the Tianshan Mountains.Using surface pollen analysis and vegetation sample surveys at 75 sites on the northern slopes of the Tianshan Mountains,we determined the correlation between the percentage of dominant pollen types and the corresponding vegetation cover.Redundancy analysis was used to investigate the relationships between surface pollen assemblages and environmental factors.Our results show that the Tianshan Mountains contain several distinct ecological regions,which can be divided into five main vegetation zones from low to high altitudes:mountain desert zone(Hutubi County(HTB):500-1300 m;Qitai County(QT):1000-1600 m),mountain steppe zone(HTB:1400-1600 m;QT:1650-1800 m),mountain forest zone(HTB:1650-2525 m;QT:1850-2450 m),subalpine meadow zone(HTB:2550-2600 m;QT:2500-2600 m),and alpine mat vegetation zone(HTB:2625-2700 m;QT:2625-2750 m).The surface pollen assemblages of different vegetation zones can accurately reflect the characteristics of the mountainous vegetation patterns on the northern slopes of the Tianshan Mountains when excluding the widespread occurrence of Chenopodiaceae,Artemisia,and Picea pollen.Both average annual precipitation(P_(ann))and annual average temperature(T_(ann))affect the distribution of surface pollen assemblages.Moreover,P_(ann) is the primary environmental factor affecting surface pollen assemblages in this region.A significant correlation exists between the pollen percentage and vegetation cover of Picea,Chenopodiaceae,Artemisia,and Asteraceae.Moreover,Picea,Chenopodiaceae,and Artemisia pollen are over-represented compared with their corresponding vegetation cover.The Asteraceae pollen percentage roughly reflects the distribution of a species within the local vegetation.These results have important implications for enhancing our understanding of the relationship between surface pollen assemblages and modern vegetation and climate.

Effects of sediment dredging on water quality and zooplankton community structure in a shallow of eutrophic lake

Effects of suction dredging on water quality and zooplankton community structure in a shallow of eutrophic lake, were evaluated. The results showed that a decreasing trend for levels of phosphorus, organic matter, total suspended solids, Chlorophyll a and Secchi transparency in the water column was found, while levels of water depth, electrical conductivity, total dissolved solids and NO3^--N concentration increased markedly post-dredging. The effects of dredging on dissolved oxygen, pH value and temperature were almost negligible. The zooplankton community structure responded rapidly to the environmental changes caused mainly by dredging. As a result, the abundance of rotifers decreased, while the density of zooplanktonic crustaceans increased markedly. The representative taxa were Brachionus angularis, B. budapestinensis, B. diversicornis, Synchaeta spp. and Neodiaptomus schmackeri. A distinct relationship between zooplankton taxa composition and their environment, unraveled by a redundancy analysis, indicating that the measured environment contributed to the variations in the zooplankton community structure to some extent. The first four synthetic environmental variables explained 51.7% of the taxonomic structure. Therefore, with the reduction of internal nutrient load and a shift in dominance by less eutrophic species, it inferred that dredging might be one of effective measures for environmental improvements of such lakes.

Spatial heterogeneity in a deep artificial lake plankton community revealed by PCR-DGGE fingerprinting

To explore the spatial heterogeneity of plankton communities in a deep artificial lake （Songhua Lake, China）, samples were collected at seven sites. Samples were investigated by denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis （DGGE） analysis of the PCR-amplified 16S and 18S rRNA genes and specific bands were sequenced. Cluster analysis of the DGGE profiles revealed that all of the samples grouped into two distinct clusters, in accordance with sampling site; while in each cluster, the divergence of sub-clusters correlated with sampling depth. Sequence analysis of selected dominant DGGE bands revealed that most sequenced phylotypes （84%） exhibited 〉97% similarity to the closest sequences in GenBank, and were affiliated with ten common freshwater plankton phyla （Proteobacteria, Actinobacteria, Bacteroidetes, Cyanobacteria, Bacillariophyta, Pyrrophyta, Cryptophyta, Ciliophora, Stramenopiles, and Rotifera）. Several of these groups are also found worldwide, indicating the cosmopolitan distribution of the phylotypes. The relationships between DGGE patterns and environmental factors were analyzed by redundancy analysis （RDA）. The results suggested that, total nitrogen, nitrate, nitrite, temperature were strongly correlated with the variation ammonia, and CODMn concentrations, and water in plankton composition.

Microbial community dynamics during composting of animal manures contaminated with arsenic,copper,and oxytetracycline

Effects of the heavy metal copper(Cu), the metalloid arsenic(As), and the antibiotic oxytetracycline(OTC) on bacterial community structure and diversity during cow and pig manure composting were investigated. Eight treatments were applied, four to each manure type, namely cow manure with:(1) no additives(control),(2) addition of heavy metal and metalloid,(3) addition of OTC and(4) addition of OTC with heavy metal and metalloid;and pig manure with:(5) no additives(control),(6) addition of heavy metal and metalloid,(7) addition of OTC and(8) addition of OTC with heavy metal and metalloid. After 35 days of composting, according to the alpha diversity indices, the combination treatment(OTC with heavy metal and metalloid) in pig manure was less harmful to microbial diversity than the control or heavy metal and metalloid treatments. In cow manure, the treatment with heavy metal and metalloid was the most harmful to the microbial community, followed by the combination and OTC treatments. The OTC and combination treatments had negative effects on the relative abundance of microbes in cow manure composts. The dominant phyla in both manure composts included Actinobacteria, Bacteroidetes, Firmicutes, and Proteobacteria. The microbial diversity relative abundance transformation was dependent on the composting time. Redundancy analysis(RDA) revealed that environmental parameters had the most influence on the bacterial communities. In conclusion, the composting process is the most sustainable technology for reducing heavy metal and metalloid impacts and antibiotic contamination in cow and pig manure. The physicochemical property variations in the manures had a significant effect on the microbial community during the composting process. This study provides an improved understanding of bacterial community composition and its changes during the composting process.

Nitrogen application and intercropping change microbial community diversity and physicochemical characteristics in mulberry and alfalfa rhizosphere soil

Intercropping of mulberry(Morus alba L.)and alfalfa(Medicago sativa L.)is a new forestry-grass compound model in China,which can provide high forage yields with high protein.Nitrogen application is one of the important factors determining the production and quality of this system.To elucidate the advantages of intercropping and nitrogen application,we analyzed the changes of physicochemical properties,enzyme activities,and microbial communities in the rhizosphere soil.We used principal components analysis(PCA)and redundancy discriminators analysis to clarify the relationships among treatments and between treatments and environmental factors,respectively.The results showed that nitrogen application significantly increased pH value,available nitrogen content,soil water content(SWC),and urea(URE)activity in rhizosphere soil of monoculture mulberry.In contrast,intercropping and intercropping+N significantly decreased pH and SWC in mulberry treatments.Nitrogen,intercropping and intercropping+N sharply reduced soil organic matter content and SWC in alfalfa treatments.Nitrogen,intercropping,and intercropping+N increased the values of McIntosh diversity(U),Simpson diversity(D),and Shannon-Weaver diversity(H’)in mulberry treatments.However,PC A scatter plots showed clustering of monoculture mulberry with nitrogen(MNE)and intercropping mulberry without nitrogen(M0).Intercropping reduced both H’and D but nitrogen application showed no effect on diversity of microbial communities in alfalfa.There were obvious differences in using the six types of carbon sources between mulberry and alfalfa treatments.Nitrogen and intercropping increased the numbers of sole carbon substrate in mulberry treatments where the relative use rate exceeded 4%.While the numbers declined in alfalfa with nitrogen and intercropping.RDA indicated that URE was positive when intercropping mulberry was treated with nitrogen,but was negative in monoculture alfalfa treated with nitrogen.Soil pH and SWC were positive with mulberry treatments but were negative with alfalfa treatments.Intercropping with alfalfa benefited mulberry in the absence of nitrogen application.Intercropping with alfalfa and nitrogen application could improve the microbial community function and diversity in rhizosphere soil of mulberry.The microbial community in rhizosphere soil of mulberry and alfalfa is strategically complementary in terms of using carbon sources.

Seasonal variation of plankton communities influenced by environmental factors in an artificial lake

We evaluated the seasonal variation in plankton community composition in an artificial lake. We conducted microscopic analysis and denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis (DGGE) of PCR-amplified partial 16S rRNAand 18S rRNAgenes to characterize the plankton community. The clustering of unweighted pair group method with arithmetic mean (UPGMA) was then used to investigate the similarity of these plankton communities. DGGE fingerprinting revealed that samples collected at the different sites within a season shared high similarity and were generally grouped together. In contrast, we did not observe any seasonal variation based on microscopic analysis. Redundancy analysis (RDA) of the plankton operational taxonomic units (OTUs) in relation to environmental factors revealed that transparency was negatively correlated with the first axis (R=-0.931), and temperature and total phosphorus (TP) were positively correlated with the first axis (R=0.736 and R=0.660, respectively). In conclusion, plankton communities in the artificial lake exhibited significant seasonal variation. Transparency, phosphorus and temperature appear to be the major factors driving the differences in plankton composition.

The key environmental factors driving the succession of phytoplankton functional groups in Hongfeng Reservoir, southwest China

Reservoirs are an important water source in many densely populated areas in southwest China.Phytoplankton play an essential role in maintaining the structure and function of reservoir ecosystems.Understanding the succession in phytoplankton communities and the factors driving it are essential for eff ective water quality management in drinking water reservoirs.In this study,water samples were collected monthly at the surface layers from March 2016 to December 2019 in Hongfeng Reservoir,southwest China.The relationship between functional group succession was analyzed based on nonmetric multidimensional scaling analysis(NMDS),redundancy analysis(RDA),succession rate,and other analysis methods.The results showed distinct shifts in the community structure of phytoplankton functional groups within study period.The Cyclotella sp.was dominant in 2016 and 2017,and Pseudanabaena limnetica was the dominant group in 2018 and 2019.It appears that the phytoplankton composition and biomass are closely related to the water temperature and nutrient status in this reservoir.The results clearly showed that the permanganate index(COD_(Mn))was the key factor of dramatic phytoplankton functional group succession,and the change in succession rates was closely caused by total nitrogen concentration(TN).Therefore,the succession pattern and key factors of Hongfeng Reservoir revealed in this study were important guidance for the management of drinking water reservoirs in southwest China.A reasonable limit on exogenous nutrient input should be a priority,especially in high water temperature period.

A novel model to assess soil productivity in the dry-hot valleys of China

Accurate evaluation of soil productivity has been a long-standing challenge. Although numerous models for productivity assessment exist, most are cumbersome to use and require substantial parameter inputs. We developed a new empirical soil productivity model based on field investigations of soil erosion, soil physieoehemieal properties, and crop yields in the dry-hot valleys （DHVs） in China. We found that soil pH, and organic matter and available potassium contents significantly affected crop yields under eroded conditions of the DHVs. Moreover, available potassium content was the key factor affecting soil productivity. We then modified an existing soil productivity model by adding the following parameters： contents of effective water, potassium, organic matter, and clay, soil pH, and root weighting factor. The modified soil productivity model explained 63.5% of the crop yield. We concluded that the new model was simple, realistic, and exhibited strong predictability. In addition to providing an accurate assessment of soil productivity,our model could potentially be applied as a soil module in comprehensive crop models.

Soil Microbial Community Composition During Natural Recovery in the Loess Plateau, China

This study aimed to determine the characteristics of soil microbial community composition and its relationship with soil chemical properties during natural recovery in the Loess Plateau.The soil microbial community composition was analyzed by comparing the soil microbial phospholipid fatty acids（PLFAs） of eight croplands abandoned for 1,3,5,10,13,15,20,and 30 yr in the Dunshan watershed,northern Loess Plateau,China.The results showed that soil organic carbon,total nitrogen,soil microbial biomass carbon,and soil microbial biomass nitrogen significantly increased with the abandonment duration,whereas the metabolic quotient significantly decreased.The Shannon richness and Shannon evenness of PLFAs significantly increased after 10 yr of abandonment.Gram-negative,Gram-positive,bacterial,fungal,and total PLFAs linearly increased with increased abandonment duration.Redundancy analysis showed that the abandonment duration was the most important environmental factor in determining the PLFA microbial community composition.The soil microbial PLFAs changed from anteiso-to iso-,unsaturated to saturated,and short-to long-chain during natural recovery.Therefore,in the Loess Plateau,cropland abandonment for natural recovery resulted in the increase of the soil microbial PLFA biomass and microbial PLFA species and changed the microbial from chemolithotrophic to a more heterotrophic community.

Zooplankton community structure in relation to environmental factors in the coastal water near Luan River Estuary, China

The seasonal and spatial variations of zooplankton community and theircorrelation with environmental factors were studied at nineteen sites in the coastalwater near Luan River Estuary. A total of 25 taxa of zooplankton were identified, amongwhich copepods being the most abundant groups (93.6% and 74.9% of totalabundance in spring and summer, respectively). Copepoda species assemblage wasthe same in spring and summer: Paracalanus parvus and Acartia bifilosa being thepredominant species, occupied more than 15% of total copepoda abundance.Zooplankton abundance was higher in spring than in summer, with an average of11 657 ind/m3 and 1549 ind/m3, respectively. One-way analysis of variance (ANOVA)showed that there was a significant difference of total zooplankton abundance betweenspring and summer (p<0.001). Redundancy analysis (RDA) revealed that salinity andnutrient were the main environmental factors influencing zooplankton group’sdistribution in spring and summer, respectively.

Biodissolution of pyrite and bornite by moderate thermophiles

Acid mine drainage(AMD)has become a widespread environmental issue and its toxicity can cause permanent damage to the ecosystem.However,there are few studies focusing on the formation of AMD under moderately thermophilic conditions,hence we employed X-ray diffraction(XRD),scanning electron microscopy(SEM),X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy(XPS)and 16S rRNA sequencing to study the dissolution of pyrite and bornite by a moderate thermophilic consortium,and explored the role of free and attached microorganisms in the formation of AMD.The consortium mainly comprised Acidithiobacillus caldus,Leptospirillum ferriphilum and Sulfobacillus thermosulfidooxidans.The results indicated that total iron in pyrite solution system reached 33.45 g/L on the 12th day,and the copper dissolution rate of bornite dissolution reached 91.8%on the 24th day.SEM results indicated that the surfaces of pyrite and bornite were significantly corroded by microorganisms.XRD and XPS results showed that ore residues contained jarosite,and the dissolving residue of bornite contained elemental sulfur.The dominant bacterial genus in pyrite dissolution was A.caldus,and L.ferriphilum in bornite dissolution.To sum up,microbes significantly accelerated the mineral dissolution process and promoted the formation of AMD.

Effects of Wetland Vegetation on Soil Microbial Composition:A Case Study in Tumen River Basin,Northeast China

Hydrology plays a dominant role in wetland plant distribution and microbial composition, but few studies explicitly attempted to relate the linkage between wetland vegetation and microbial community. The present study consisted of five wetland plant communities along three adjacent flood gradients zones(zone 1 dominated by Carex appendiculat, zone 2 dominated by Eleocharis ovate, and zone 3 dominated by Phragmites australis/Bidens pilosa/Calamagrostis angustifolia, which formed separate, monoculture patches). Gram negative and arbuscular mycorrhizal fungal phospholipid fatty acid(PLFA) are more abundant in the site with short flooding period(zone 3) than in the site with long flooding period(zone 1), and they are also different in the P. australis, B. spilosa and C. angustifolia of zone 3. Principle Component Analysis(PCA) showed that the flooding period could explain 92.4% of variance in microbial composition. Redundancy Analysis(RDA) showed that available nitrogen(AN), total nitrogen(TN) and soil organic matter(SOM) could explain the 79.5% of variance in microbial composition among E. ovata, P. australis, B. pilosa and C. angustifolia. Results demonstrated that flooding period was the main factor in driving the microbial composition and plant-derived resources could influence soil microbial composition in the seasonally flooded zones.

Precipitation and soil particle size co-determine spatial distribution of biological soil crusts in the Gurbantunggut Desert, China

Biological soil crusts （BSCs） are bio-sedimentary associations that play crucial ecological roles in arid and semi-arid regions. In the Gurbantunggut Desert of China, more than 27% of the land surface is characterized by a predominant cover of lichen-dominated BSCs that contribute to the stability of the desert. However, little is known about the major factors that limit the spatial distribution of BSCs at a macro scale. In this study, the cover of BSCs was investigated along a precipitation gradient from the margins to the center of the Gurbantunggut Desert. Environmental variables including precipitation, soil particle size, soil pH, electrical conductivity, soil organic carbon, total salt, total nitrogen, total phosphorus and total potassium were analyzed at a macro scale to determine their association with differing assemblages of BSCs （cyanobacteria crusts, lichen crusts and moss crusts） using constrained linear ordination redundancy analysis （RDA）. A model of BSCs distribution correlated with environmental variables that dominated the first two axes of the RDA was constructed to clearly demonstrate the succession stages of BSCs. The study determined that soil particle size （represented by coarse sand content） and precipitation are the most significant drivers influencing the spatial distribution of BSCs at a macro scale in the Gurbantunggut Desert. The cover of lichen and moss crusts increased with increasing precipitation, while the cover of cyanobacteria crusts decreased with increasing precipitation. The cover of lichen and moss crusts was negatively associated with coarse sand content, whereas the cover of cyanobacteria crusts was positively correlated with coarse sand content. These findings highlight the need for both the availability of soil moisture and a relatively stable of soil matrix, not only for the growth of BSCs but more importantly, for the regeneration and rehabilitation of disturbed BSC communities in arid and semi-arid lands. Thereby, this study will provide a theory basis to effectively increase soil stability in desert regions.

Fish-mediated changes in bacterioplankton community composition: an in situ mesocosm experiment

We characterized variations in bacterioplankton community composition(BCC) in mesocosms subject to three different treatments. Two groups contained fish(group one: Cyprinus carpio; group two: Hypophthalmichthys molitrix); and group three, the untreated mesocosm, was the control. Samples were taken seven times over a 49-d period, and BCC was analyzed by PCR-denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis(DGGE) and real-time quantitative PCR(q PCR). Results revealed that introduction of C. carpio and H. molitrix had a remarkable impact on the composition of bacterioplankton communities, and the BCC was significantly diff erent between each treatment. Sequencing of DGGE bands revealed that the bacterioplankton community in the different treatment groups was consistent at a taxonomic level, but differed in its abundance. H. molitrix promoted the richness of Alphaproteobacteria and Actinobacteria, while more bands affiliated to Cyanobacteria were detected in C. carpio mesocosms. The redundancy analysis(RDA) result demonstrated that the BCC was closely related to the bottom-up(total phosphorus, chlorophyll a, phytoplankton biomass) and top-down forces(biomass of copepods and cladocera) in C. carpio and control mesocosms, respectively. We found no evidence for top-down regulation of BCC by zooplankton in H. molitrix mesocosms, while grazing by protozoa(heterotrophic nanoflagellates, ciliates) became the major way to regulate BCC. Total bacterioplankton abundances were significantly higher in C. carpio mesocosms because of high nutrient concentration and suspended solids. Our study provided insights into the relationship between fish and bacterioplankton at species level, leading to a deep understanding of the function of the microbial loop and the aquatic ecosystem.

Identifying Key Environmental Factors Influencing Spatial Variation of Water Quality in Upper Shitoukoumen Reservoir Basin in Jilin Province,China

Based on the observed data in monitored drainage areas and GIS spatial analysis tools,watershed basic database of Shitoukoumen Reservoir Basin was built.The multivariate analysis and redundancy analysis(RDA) were used to analyze the spatial and temporal variations of water quality,identify the key environmental factors and their patterns influencing the spatial variation of water quality,and determine the main types and forms of the non-point source(NPS) pollutant export controlled by the key environmental factors.The results show that different patterns of environmental factors lead to great changes in water quality at spatial and seasonal scales.All selected environmental factors explain 64.5% and 68.2% of the spatial variation of water quality over dry season and rainy season,respectively,which shows clear seasonal difference.Over dry season,residential land is the most important environmental factor,which possesses 35.4% of the spatial variation,and drainage area is the second key environmental factor,which possesses 17.0% of spatial variation in the total variance.Over rainy season,slope length and drainage area are the key environmental factors,which possess 29.3% of the spatial variation together.Residential land influences nitrogen export by changing NH4+-N and particulate organic nitrogen(PON) discharge over dry season,and drainage area controls phosphorus export by regulating dissolved phosphorus(DP) drainage over dry season and phosphorus associated particulate(PAP) loss over rainy season,respectively.Although slope length is an important environmental factor,it does not influence NPS pollutant export.It is interesting that soil organic matter,as a minor environmental factor,highly determines phosphorus and nitrogen export by enhancing the DP,PAP and PON loss.

Effects of Tillage Practices and Straw Management on Physical Properties of Mollisols,Root Architecture and Maize Yield in Northeast China

Tillage practices and organic amendment are strategies used worldwide to preserve the properties and fertility of soils.This study aimed to elucidate effects of 3-year field treatments of tillage practice and straw management on physical properties of Mollisols,root architecture and maize yield in northeast China.The experiment was conducted from 2015 to 2018 following a splitplot design of a randomized complete block with tillage practices[rotary tillage(R)and deep tillage(D)]as main plots and straw managements[straw returning(S),straw returning and organic fertilizer(M),straw removal(T)]as subplots.Soil samples at 0-15,15-30,30-50 cm depths and root samples at the seedling stage were collected.The results showed that DM treatment significantly improved soil moisture content at 10-50 cm soil depth and decreased soil compaction(P<0.05),which led to a better root architecture.Rotary tillage had a slower thermal conductivity but better thermal insulation performance,while deep tillage showed a higher daily temperature difference.Bulk density of topsoil was significantly lower in DS(1.16 g·cm^(-3))than in other treatments,but the soil permeability in DS(1.40 mm·min^(-1)in 0-15 soil depth and 1.45 mm·min-1in 15-30 cm soil depth)was the highest.At the maize seedling stage,DM had the highest root dry weight,root-shoot ratio and root length,while RM had the highest root volume,root furcation number and root tip number.The maize yield of three years in DM was 6.19%,5.21%and 15.72%higher than that in DS,DT and RM(P<0.01),respectively.Relative to RT and DT,a slight decrease(2.72%and 0.93%,respectively)in maize yield under RS and DS was observed,which could be alleviated by the addition of organic fertilizer.The correlation matrix indicated that kernel per ear number and 100-kernel weight were the dominant factors that affected maize yield.Redundancy analysis suggested that straw managements and tillage practices were significantly positively correlated with root-shoot ratio,root dry weight,maximum root length,the total root length and maize yield,but significantly negatively correlated with soil compaction,bulk density,soil moisture content and soil temperature.Among all the treatments,deep tillage with straw returning and the addition of organic fertilizer was recommended as a promising strategy in restoring soil productivity,promoting maize growth and increasing maize yield in Mollisols of northeast China and similar regions around the world.

Effect of gastrointestinal heat retention syndrome on gut microbiota in children with upper respiratory tract infection and lung-heat syndrome

Objective:Gastrointestinal heat retention syndrome(GHRS)is associated with lung-heat syndrome and is related to recurrent respiratory infection.Upper respiratory tract infection(URTI)lung heat syndrome is common in children.The study will explore the effect of GHRS on the structure and function of gut microbiota in children with URTI lung-heat syndrome.Methods:Participants were divided into both groups using the self-developed URTI scale and the“GHRS Diagnostic Scale$Pediatric Part”:GHRS-positive children(LS group)and GHRS-negative children(L group).General information,clinical symptoms,and stool were collected.We used 16S rRNA amplicon sequencing technology to determine the gene sequence of the V3eV4 region in feces and measure the gut microbiota of the both groups at the genus level.Results:A total of 23 children were included in the both groups.There were 12 cases in the LS group and 11 cases in the L group.There was no statistical difference between the both groups in age,gender,height,weight,and body mass index.The effective sequences shared by the both groups accounted for 85.66%of the total.In the gut microbiota,there was no difference in the a diversity and the b diversity between the both groups.Compared with the L group,the LS group had a significant increase in the relative abundance of the Ruminococcus gnavus group,Prevotella-9,Staphylococcus,and Actinomyces(P<.05).The functions of the both groups of microbiota primarily concentrate on metabolism,genetic information processing,and environmental information processing.The relative abundance of signaling molecules and interactions in the LS group were higher than that in the L group(P<.05).The redundancy analysis(RDA)showed that the URTI score had the greatest impact on the distribution of microbiota.Conclusion:GHRS may affect the development of URTI lung-heat syndrome by changing the relative abundances of gut microbiota.

Spatial Distribution of Water Quality Indexes and Their Response to Land Use Patterns in the Gaotan River Basin

The relationship between water quality and land use is of significance for the protection of the water environment. Here we take the Gaotan River Basin in Liangping District as the research object, and comprehensively use the spatial analysis with geographical information system(GIS), Pearson correlation analysis, and redundancy analysis(RDA) to study the ecological response of four water quality indexes of chemical oxygen demand(COD), biochemical oxygen demand in the 5 th day(BOD5), ammonia nitrogen(NH3-N), and total phosphorus(TP) on land use patterns on a sub-basin scale. The results show that land use patterns of the Gaotan River Basin have an important impact on water quality: wooded land can improve the water environment of the river; dry land, land for urban and rural housing and public facilities, and land for mining and industrial use are the main sources of COD, BOD5, and NH3-N; garden plot, land for building communications, and water areas have a weak impact on pollutants, indicating that agricultural non-point source pollution and domestics pollution in rural areas are the major cause of the deterioration of the water quality of the Gaotan River. The research results are of guiding significance to the treatment of water environment of the Gaotan River Basin.