Impact of marsh changes on breeding cranes in Sanjiang Plain,northeastern China

In order to measure the impact of changes in the marsh on breeding Red-crowned Cranes (Grus japonensis) and White-naped Cranes (G.vipio) in the Sanjiang Plain,we conducted a complete crane súrvey in each of the summers of 2007 and 2008,and obtained information on the changes in its marsh through interpretation of satellite images in 1986,1995,2000 and 2005.A comparison between the 1984 and 2008 census shows that:1) the number of Red-crowned Cranes remained stable at about 300 birds,while the number of White-naped Cranes increased markedly; 2) the estimates of nests of Red-crowned cranes are close to the numbers of 1984,while approximately 90％ of the nests of these two crane species were distributed over five national nature reserves (NNRs); 3) the two crane species became more concentrated in three regions,i.e.,the Fuyuan Delta,the middle reaches of the Naoli and Qixing rivers,and the Xingkai Lake wetlands,rather as formerly in six regions.The area of the marsh decreased by 45％ within the 20-year period from 1986 to 2005.The major loss of the marsh area was in the form of a conversion to paddy fields and dry land,which can be primarily attributed to direct human activity under various economic and policy drivers.The disappearance of cranes in the Dulu and Abuqin rivers was induced by large-scale agricultural development.The fragmentation into and isolation of small areas of the marsh became increasingly more serious,which resulted in unsuitable condtions for crane breeding in small patches of the marsh.The number of cranes declined from 1984-1995 but had recovered remarkably by 2008,which may be due to theestablishment of a system of nature reserves,in place since 2000.The land ownership of the reserve plays a key role in maintaining the integrity of the wetland ecosystem,especially in Sanjiang,Honghe,Naolihe and Qixinghe NNRs,which together accommodated approximately 80％ of the population of cranes.However,we did not discover any nests at all in the provincial and municipal reserves,which may be attributed to high human disturbances in these areas.In the end,we propose some recommendations on reserve management.

Landscape Pattern Evolution Processes of Alpine Wetlands and Their Driving Factors in the Zoige Plateau of China

Zoige Plateau wetlands are located in the northeastern corner of the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau.The landscape pattern evolution processes in the Zoige Plateau and their driving factors were identified by analyzing the dynamic changes in landscape modification and conversion and their dynamic rates of alpine wetlands over the past four decades.The results showed that the landscape conversion between wetlands and non-wetlands mainly occurred during the period from 1966 to 1986.The marsh wetland area converted from lake and river wetlands was larger because of swamping compared to other wetland landscapes.Meanwhile,the larger area of marsh wetlands was also converted to lake wetlands more than other types of wetlands.The modification processes mainly occurred among natural wetland landscapes in the first three periods.Obvious conversions were observed between wetland and nonwetland landscapes(i.e.,forestland,grassland,and other landscapes) in the Zoige Plateau.These natural wetland landscapes such as river,lake and marsh wetlands showed a net loss over the past four decades,whereas artificial wetland landscapes(i.e.,paddy field and reservoir and pond wetlands) showed a net decrease.The annual dynamic rate of the whole wetland landscape was 0.72%,in which the annual dynamic rate of river wetlands was the highest,followed by lake wetlands,while marsh wetlands had the lowest dynamic rate.The integrated landscape dynamic rate showed a decreasing trend in the first three periods.The changes in wetland landscape patterns were comprehensively controlled by natural factors and human activities,especially human activities play an important role in changing wetland landscape patterns.

Valuation of Lake and Marsh Wetlands Ecosystem Services in China

Wetlands are highly productive natural ecosystems, providing valuable goods and services. There is growing interest in transferring ecosystem service value from the existing wetlands studied to other wetlands ecosystems at a large geographic scale. The benefit transfer method uses the known values from wetlands to predict the value of other wetland sites. This methodology requires only limited time and resources. The present study calculated the value of the ecological services provided by lake and marsh wetlands in China in terms of biodiversity indices, water quality indices and economic indices. Basic data on wetlands were obtained through remote sensing images. The results show that: 1) The total ecosystem service value of the lake and marsh wetlands in 2008 was calculated to be 8.1841 × 1010 United States Dollars(USD), with the marsh and lake wetlands contributing 5.6329 × 1010 and 2.5512 × 1010 USD, respectively. Values of marsh ecosystem service were concentrated in Heilongjiang Province(2.5516 × 1010 USD), Qinghai Province(1.2014 × 1010 USD), and Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region(1.1884 × 1010 USD). The value of the lakes were concentrated in Tibet Autonomous Region(6.223 × 109 USD), Heilongjiang(5.810 × 109 USD), and Qinghai(5.500 × 109 USD). 2) Waste treatment and climate regulation services contributed to 26.29% and 24.74% respectively, of the total ecosystem service value of the marsh wetlands. Hydrological regulation and waste treatment contributed to 41.39% and 32.75%, respectively, of the total ecosystem service value of the lake wetlands. 3) The total ecological service value of the lake and marsh wetlands was 54.64% of the total service value of natural grassland ecosystems and 30.34% of the total service value of forests ecosystems in China.

An Investigation of Elements （Mercury） Status in Marshes in South of Iraq

The study was conducted to investigate the mercury status in three major marshes in southeast Iraq. Sediments, plants （three species） and fish （five species） samples were collected at five locations along the major marshes （AL-Hammar, Cross of AI Fuhod AI Tar, Downstream of AL-Mashab ＆ AL-Salal, Hawizeh and AL-Chebayesh） in southeast Iraq and analysed for mercury concentrations. The sediments were collected at predetermined input and output sources. The mercury concentrations were extremely high in both the sediment and plant samples but variable in fish species. There was a strong relationship between mercury concentrations in the sediments and fishes. Some of the fish species have mercury levels that are considered safe by the international marketing standard/WHO recommendation while others contain mercury levels that may be considered unsafe for human consumption.

Effects of Vegetation Type on Surface Elevation Change in Liaohe River Delta Wetlands Facing Accelerated Sea Level Rise

Rising sea levels threaten the sustainability of coastal wetlands around the globe. The ability of coastal marshes to maintain their position in the intertidal zone depends on the accumulation of both organic and inorganic materials, and vegetation is important in these processes. To study the effects of vegetation type on surface elevation change, we measured surface accretion and elevation change from 2011 to 2016 using rod surface elevation table and feldspar marker horizon method （RSET-MH） in two Phragmites and two Suaeda marshes in the Liaohe River Delta. The Phragmites marshes exhibited higher rates of surface accretion and elevation change than the Suaeda marshes. The two Phragmites marsh sites had average surface elevation change rates at 8.78 mm/yr and 9.26 mm/yr and surface accretion rates at 17.56 mm/yr and 17.88 mm/yr, respectively. At the same time, the two Suaeda marsh sites had average surface elevation change rates at 5.77 mmJyr and 5.91 mm/yr and surface accretion rates at 13.42 mm/yr and 14.38 mm/yr, respectively. The elevation change rates in both the Phragmites marshes and the Suaeda marshes in the Liaohe River Delta could keep pace and even continue to gain elevation relative to averaged sea level rise in the Bohai Sea reported by the 2016 State Oceanic Administration, Peo- ple＇s Republic of China projection （2.4-5.5 mm/yr） in current situations. Our data suggest that vegetation is important in the accretionary processes and vegetation type could regulate the wetland surface elevation. However, the vulnerability of coastal wetlands in the Liaohe River Delta need further assessment considering the accelerated sea level rise, the high rate of subsidence, and the declining sediment delivery, especially for the Suaeda marshes.

Denitrification Potential of Marsh Soils in Two Natural Saline-alkaline Wetlands

Little information is available on denitrification potential of marsh soils in natural saline-alkaline wetlands. The denitrification potentials of an open wetland in the floodplain(Erbaifangzi wetland) and a closed wetland(Fulaowenpao wetland) in backwater areas in Jilin Province of Northeast China were monitored by an anaerobic incubation at 30℃ for 25 days. Our results showed that the relative denitrification index(RDI) increased gradually with incubation time, and showed a rapid increase in the first 5 days of incubation. The RDI values declined quickly from surface soils to subsurface soils and then kept a small change in deeper soils along soil profiles over the incubation time. Denitrification proceeded much faster in the top 20 cm soils of open wetland than in the closed wetland, whereas no significant differences in RDI values were observed in deeper soils between both wetlands. The RDIs were significantly negatively correlated with bulk density and sand content, while a significantly positive correlation with clay content, soil organic matter, total nitrogen and phosphorous. The maximum net NO–3-N loss through denitrification in 1 m depth were higher in the open wetland than the closed wetland with higher soil pH values. Future research should be focused on understanding the influencing mechanisms of soil alkalinity.

Effects of Nitrogen Additions on Soil Seed Banks of a Freshwater Marsh in Sanjiang Plain, Northeast China

Over the past five decades, the natural wetlands in Sanjiang Plain, Northeast China, have been extensively reclaimed for agriculture with a total loss of nearly 80% of the surface area and the undrained marshes have received a large amount of exogenous nitrogen （N） input from the adjacent agricultural land because of fertilization. In the present study, the effects of nitrogen additions on seed germination and seedling biomass of Calamagrostis angustifolia in freshwater marsh were tested in a greenhouse study. Seed bank soil was exposed to different N additions （0, 5, 10, 20 and 40 g/m^2） under non-flooded water regime. Results revealed that, low level of N additions （less than 10 g/m^2） did not significantly affect the species richness and seedling density, while the seedling biomass at 5 g/m^2 of N addition was higher than other nutrient conditions. But species richness, seedling emergence and biomass decreased significantly at high level of N additions （20-40 g/m^2）. The responses were species-specific. High level of N additions had negative impacts on seed germination, seedling growth and biomass of dominant species Eleocharis ovata, Calamagrostis angustifolia, duncus effusus in the seed bank. To protect and restore the wetland vegetation community in the Sanjiang plain, fertilization, irrigation and land management strategies will need to be implemented to reduce the nutrient input from the agricultural land to the wetlands.

Using ArcGIS to Measure the Rate Of Radiation Exposure in Marshes Environment in Southern Iraq

Both Arc GIS 9.2 and ERDAS 9.1 software were used to analyze the concentrations in radiation exposure of marshlands in southern Iraq during June 2009 and January 2010. It was measured radiation exposure rates above the soil and water surface, and also measured radioactivity in the environmental models （soil, plants, sediment and water） for all the selected sites of the study area. Furthermore, it has＂ been measuring the level of radioactive contamination concentration of the isotope Bi-214 and Ac-228 and K-40 as well as peer-Cs-137-resulting from the operations of nuclear fission and measured the background radiation compared with other regions. Environmental samples （soil-water-plant-deposits） were taken and measuring the concentration ratio of radioisotopes in using the system account gentle rays Kama multi-channel and using the counter--Nal-tinged element--thallium--Type-WIZARD-1470 as well as a LB 1200. The results showed the regions of the marshes of radioactive contamination now.

Remote Sensing Classification of Marsh Wetland with Different Resolution Images

Successful biological monitoring depends on judicious classification. An attempt has been made to provide an overview of important characteristics of marsh wetland. Classification was used to describe ecosystems and land cover patterns. Different spatial resolution images show different landscape characteristics. Several classification images were used to map and monitor wetland ecosystems of Honghe National Nature Reserve （HNNR） at a plant community scale. HNNR is a typical inland wetland and fresh water ecosystem in the North Temperate Zone. SPOT-5 10 m ×10 m, 20 m × 20 m, and 30 m×30 m images and Landsat -5 Thematic Mapper （TM） images were used to classify based on maximum likelihood classification （MLC） algorithms. In order to validate the precision of the classifications, this study used aerial photography classification maps as training samples because of their high accuracy. The accuracy of the derived classes was assessed with the discrete multivariate technique called KAPPA accuracy. The results indicate： （1） training samples are important to classification results. （2） Image classification accuracy is always affected by areal fraction and aggregation degree as well as by diversities and patch shape. （3） The core zone area is protected better than buffer zone and experimental zone wetland. The experimental zone degrades fast because of irrational development by humans.

Effects of land use and changes in cover on the transformation and transportation of iron:A case study of the Sanjiang Plain,Northeast China

Wetland reclamation has been ongoing in the Sanjiang Plain since the mid-1950s,which has resulted in major changes in wetlands and the agriculture ecosystem in the region that have influenced the iron output to the Sea of Okhotsk and limited the primary productivity in the North Pacific Ocean.This study was conducted to investigate the chemical forms of iron in different aquatic environments(agricultural water including groundwater,paddy water,and canal water;wetland water including marsh water,marsh streams,and main streams) with the cross-flow filtration method to reveal the transportation and transformation characteristics of iron in response to major land use changes.In addition,the factors affecting iron behavior in different water bodies were reviewed.In marsh water and streams,the concentrations of dissolved iron were higher due to the high organic matter contents and marsh water becoming the main iron source for river water.The conversion of dissolved iron into acid-labile iron occurred during the discharge of wetland water into marsh rivers.Iron primarily existed in both the >0.7 and <0.01 μm size fractions,accounting for about 58.3% and 26.4% of the total dissolved iron,respectively.In agricultural irrigation systems,ferrous ion entered the paddy fields from groundwater,and a fraction of this ferrous iron was subsequently converted into high molecular weight and medium molecular weight iron(colloid iron) in paddy and canal water.However,the concentrations of total dissolved iron decreased by 62.5% from underground to the surface due to the formation of precipitates.Despite this,water discharge in agriculture is still an important iron source for rivers and has the potential to supplement iron due to its higher acid-labile iron concentrations.Land use and cover change and agricultural irrigation increased the iron content of surface soil,but reduced the output of iron in water systems.Overall,the concentration of total dissolved iron in water systems has been reduced to 42.6% by wetland reclamation.

The effect of temperature changes and K supply on the reproduction and growth of Bolboschoenus planiculmis

Aims Climate warming and agricultural non-point source pollution both resulting from anthropogenic activities have been projected to affect plant reproduction and growth in wetlands worldwide.In order to predict and mitigate impacts of these anthropogenic activities,it is important to investigate how marsh plants respond to such environmental changes.Methods In this study,Bolboschoenus planiculmis,a tuberous sedge with a wide distribution range in Eurasia,was selected to examine the effect of air temperature changes(15,20 and 25°C over 24 h;20/10 and 30/15°C,day/night)and K supply(0,1,3,9 and 18 mmol/L)on its reproductive and growth traits in climate chambers.Important Findings We found that high constant temperatures(20 and 25°C)were more beneficial for tuberization of B.planiculmis than high alternating temperatures(30/15°C),whereas aboveground biomass and shoot height were generally largest at high temperatures(30/15 and 25°C).Both reproductive and growth traits of B.planiculmis showed hump-shaped relationships with K supply,with an optimum K concentration of around 1–3 mmol/L.The combination of high constant temperatures and optimal K concentrations promoted reproductive traits the most,whereas the combination of higher temperatures(30/15 and 25°C)and K concentrations up to 9 mmol/L increased growth traits only.We therefore conclude that population abundance of B.planiculmis might benefit from global warming and the additional K supply.

Partitioning of vertical water loss in reed swamp wetlands:Theory,research and application

This paper proposes an on-site monitoring system for evaporation （Ew） and evapotranspiration （ET） in wetlands called the Compensation Evapotranspiration Observation System. Considering the characteristics of wetlands environment and emergent plants, the vertical flux of water loss in wetlands can be separated using the system based on compensation principle. A comparison research on water loss through ET in reed （Phragmites australis） stands between Zhalong wetland and Baiyangdian wetland was carded out in 2004-2009. In Baiyangdian wetland, the ET rates from three reed stands with different leaf area indexes were measured. The results show that annual ET in Zhalong wetland was 739-886 mm during study period. Comparatively, annual ET of the three reed stands in Baiyangdian wetland was 970-1117 mm, 1261-1452 mm and 1759-2035 ram, respectively. The ET rates in Baiyangdian were stronger than in Zhalong because of the effects of geography and climate characteristics. Moreover, seasonal dynamic changes and influence factors of transpiration-acting factor from the two wetlands were also analyzed. It is indicated that the transpirafion-actng factor can be affected by geographic location, aboveground biomass, plant growth and climate conditions.