Characteristics of Soil Organic Carbon, Total Nitrogen, and C/N Ratio in Chinese Apple Orchards

Soil organic carbon and nitrogen are used as indexes of soil quality assessment and sustainable land use management. At the same time, soil C/N ratio is a sensitive indicator of soil quality and for assessing the carbon and nitrogen nutrition balance of soils. We studied the characteristics of soil organic carbon and total nitrogen by investigating a large number of apple orchards in major apple production areas in China. High apple orchard soil organic carbon content was observed in the provinces of Heilongjiang, Xinjiang, and Yunnan, whereas low content was found in the provinces of Shandong, Henan, Hebei, and Shaanxi, with the values ranging between 6.44 and 7.76 g·kg-1. Similar to soil organic carbon, soil total nitrogen content also exhibited obvious differences in the 12 major apple producing provinces. Shandong apple orchard soil had the highest total nitrogen content (1.26 g·kg-1), followed by Beijing (1.23 g·kg-1). No significant difference was noted between these two regions, but their total nitrogen content was significantly higher than the other nine provinces, excluding Yunnan. The soil total nitrogen content for Xinjiang, Heilongjiang, Hebei, Henan, and Gansu was between 0.87 and 1.03 g·kg-1, which was significantly lower than that in Shandong and Beijing, but significantly higher than that in Liaoning, Shanxi, and Shaanxi. Six provinces exhibited apple orchard soil C/N ratio higher than 10, including Heilongjiang (15.42), Xinjiang (13.38), Ningxia (14.45), Liaoning (12.24), Yunnan (11.03), and Gansu (10.63). The soil C/N ratio was below 10 in the remaining six provinces, in which the highest was found in Shaanxi (9.47), followed by Beijing (8.98), Henan (7.99), and Shanxi (7.62), and the lowest was found in Hebei (6.80) and Shandong (6.05). Therefore, the improvement of soil organic carbon should be given more attention to increase the steady growth of soil C/N ratio.

Maize straw application as an interlayer improves organic carbon and total nitrogen concentrations in the soil profile: A four-year experiment in a saline soil

Soil salinization is a critical environmental issue restricting agricultural production.Deep return of straw to the soil as an interlayer (at 40 cm depth) has been a popular practice to alleviate salt stress.However,the legacy effects of straw added as an interlayer at different rates on soil organic carbon (SOC) and total nitrogen (TN) in saline soils still remain inconclusive.Therefore,a four-year (2015–2018) field experiment was conducted with four levels (i.e.,0,6,12and 18 Mg ha~(–1)) of straw returned as an interlayer.Compared with no straw interlayer (CK),straw addition increased SOC concentration by 14–32 and 11–57%in the 20–40 and 40–60 cm soil layers,respectively.The increases in soil TN concentration (8–22 and 6–34%in the 20–40 and 40–60 cm soil layers,respectively) were lower than that for SOC concentration,which led to increased soil C:N ratio in the 20–60 cm soil depth.Increases in SOC and TN concentrations in the 20–60 cm soil layer with straw addition led to a decrease in stratification ratios (0–20 cm:20–60 cm),which promoted uniform distributions of SOC and TN in the soil profile.Increases in SOC and TN concentrations were associated with soil salinity and moisture regulation and improved sunflower yield.Generally,compared with other treatments,the application of 12 Mg ha~(–1) straw had higher SOC,TN and C:N ratio,and lower soil stratification ratio in the2015–2017 period.The results highlighted that legacy effects of straw application as an interlayer were maintained for at least four years,and demonstrated that deep soil straw application had a great potential for improving subsoil fertility in salt-affected soils.

Effect of Different Fertilization Patterns on Carbon and Nitrogen Components of Tobacco Topsoil

In order to explore the fertilizing ways and dynamic changes of soil carbon and nitrogen in the main producing areas of tobacco in Guizhou,research was conducted to study the variations of dissolved organic carbon and nitrogen,total organic carbon and nitrogen and their ratio of tobacco-topsoil in organic fertilization pattern and conventional cultivation pattern （No fertilizer as control） by pot experiment.The results were as follows：（1） The effects of different fertilization patterns on soil dissolved organic carbon and nitrogen and total organic carbon and nitrogen were significantly different.The content of DOC,DON,TOC and TON in tobaccotopsoil was decreased with the advancing of growth period in conventional fertilization pattern.In the conventional fertilization pattern,the accumulation of DOC and TOC was increased first and then decreased,and the accumulation of DON and TON was decreased first and then increased.（2） The TOC content at the different growing stage and DOC content at the middle and later stage of tobacco were significantly improved in organic fertilization patterns.The accumulation of DON and TON in the conventional fertilization pattern was significantly higher than those in the organic fertilizer pattern and control at the rosette stage and vigorous stage.In the harvest period,the content of DOC,DON,TOC and TON of tobacco-topsoil in the conventional fertilization and organic fertilization pattern was significantly higher than those in the control.（3）The DOC/DON ratio and the TOC/TiON ratio was increased gradually with the advancing of growth period in conventional fertilization pattern,but they were increased first and then decreased in the organic fertilization pattern and CK.The DOC/DON and TOC/TON ratio of tobacco-topsoil in different fertilization patterns was showed as Y J＞ CK＞ CG at the different growing stage.The experiment results revealed that：The organic fertilization pattern may improve significantly the accumulation of DOC,DON,TOC and TON of tobacco-topsoil at the middle and later stage and the DOC/DON and TOC/TON ratio at the different growth stage.It contributed to the continuous and balanced supply of nutrients at the middle and later stage of tobacco and the soil fertility.

Characteristics of soil organic carbon andtotal nitrogen storages for differentland-use types in Central Yunnan Plateau

Two-factor analysis of variance and redundancy analysis were used to analyze the characte-ristics of soil organic carbon total nitrogen storage in garden land,forestland,grassland,farmland,and bare land in the Dachunhe watershed of Jinning District,Kunming City,Yunnan Province,China.The effects of the soil organic carbon,total nitrogen stratification ratio,soil physical and chemical factors on the storage characteristics of organic carbon and total nitrogen of different land-use types were analyzed.The results show that the rates of carbon and nitrogen stratification in soil from 0-20 cm and 40-60 cm of the same land-use types differed are statistically significant(P<0.05).The organic carbon and total nitrogen stratification ratio SR1 of garden land soil are 38.5%and 25.3%,respectively,which are higher than SR^(2).The soil organic carbon and total nitrogen stratification ratio SR^(2) of different land-use types are greater than SR1.There are statistically significant differences in the SR^(2) soil organic carbon and total nitrogen stratification ratios(P<0.05).Soil organic carbon and total nitrogen storage of diffe-rent land-use types gradually decrease with increasing soil depth,with the maximum soil organic carbon and total nitrogen storage in the 0-20 cm soil layer.Soil organic carbon and total nitrogen sto-rage at the same soil depth are significantly different(P<0.05).Soil organic carbon and total nitrogen storage in the garden land are greater than those in the other land-use types.Soil organic carbon and total nitrogen storage in 0-20 cm garden land are 4.96 and 3.19 times than those in bare land,respectively;soil organic carbon and total nitrogen storage are explained by 93.66%and 1.53%in redundancy analysis RDA1 and RDA2,respectively.All physicochemical factors except Available Phosphorus and pH are statistically significance with carbon and nitrogen storage(P<0.05).Soil cationic exchange capacity,Available Phosphorus,C/N ratio,and Moisture Content are positively correlated with organic carbon and total nitrogen storage.In contrast,soil Bulk Density is negatively correlated with organic carbon storage and total nitrogen storage.Available Phosphorus,C/N ratio,and Moisture Content are the main factors promoting soil organic carbon and total nitrogen accumulation.

Effects of soil nitrate:ammonium ratio on plant carbon:nitrogen ratio and growth rate of Artemisia sphaerocephala seedlings

Can soil nitrate： ammonium ratios influence plant carbon： nitrogen ratios of the early succession plant？ Can plant carbon： nitrogen ratios limit the plant growth in early succession？ To address these two questions, we performed a two-factor （soil nitrate： ammonium ratio and plant density） randomized block design and a uniform-precision rotatable central composite design pot experiments to examine the relationships between soil nitrate： ammonium ratios, the carbon： nitrogen ratios and growth rate of Artemisia sphaerocephala seedlings. Under adequate nutrient status, both soil nitrate： ammonium ratios and plant density influenced the carbon： nitrogen ratios and growth rate of A. sphaerocephala seedlings. Under the lower soil nitrate： ammonium ratios, with the increase of soil nitrate： ammonium ratios, the growth rates of plant height and shoot biomass of A. sphaerocephala seedlings decreased significantly; with the increase of plant carbon： nitrogen ratios, the growth rates of shoot biomass of A. sphaerocephala seedlings decreased significantly. Soil nitrate： ammonium ratios affected the carbon： nitrogen ratios of A. sphaerocephala seedlings by plant nitrogen but not by plant carbon. Thus, soil nitrate： ammonium ratios influenced the carbon： nitrogen ratios of A. sphaerocephala seedlings, and hence influenced its growth rates. Our results suggest that under adequate nutrient environment, soil nitrate： ammonium ratios can be a limiting factor for the growth of the early succession plant.

Determination of Atomic Fractions of Isotopes Carbon-13 and Nitrogen-15 Directly in Glicine, L-Leucine, Isoleucine and Alanine

Using compounds modified by the isotopes carbon-13 and nitrogen-15 helps conduct research in various fields of science, such as medicine, pharmacology, pharmacokinetics, metabolism, agriculture, and others. In the case of the availability of reliable, express, and cheap methods, the area of their use will gradually expand. A determination of the atomic fraction of the isotopes carbon-13 and nitrogen-15 directly in glycine, leucine, isoleucine, and alanine is proposed;the modification concerns all centers or one or more identical carbon and nitrogen centers separately, as well as both isotopes at the same time. There are defined mass lines of the mass spectrum of each amino acid, through which the isotopic content of carbon and nitrogen is calculated. The processes that must be taken into account for the determination of the isotopic content are also established. Isotopic analysis of these compounds until now was carried out by transforming them into carbon oxide, dioxide, and molecular nitrogen, and determination of their content in individual centers was impossible.

Sp/sp^(2)carbon ratio-driven high-throughput screening of electrocatalytic nitrogen reduction performance on transition metal single-atom catalysts

Single-atom catalysts(SACs)have been widely utilized in electrochemical nitrogen reduction reactions(NRR)due to their high atomic utilization and selectivity.Owing to the unique sp/sp^(2)co-hybridization,graphyne materials can offer stable adsorption sites for single metal atoms.To investigate the influence of the sp/sp^(2)hybrid carbon ratio on the electrocatalytic NRR performance of graphyne,a high-throughput screening of 81 catalysts,with27 transition metals loaded on graphyne(GY1),graphdiyne(GY2),and graphtriyne(GY3),was conducted using firstprinciples calculations.The results of the screening revealed that Ti@GY3 exhibits the lowest energy barrier for the rate-determining step(0.32 eV)in NRR.Further,to explore the impact of different sp/sp^(2)-hybridized carbon ratios on the catalytic activity of SACs,the mechanism of nitrogen(N_(2))adsorption,activation,and the comprehensive pathway of NRR on Ti@GY1,Ti@GY2,and Ti@GY3 was systematically investigated.It was found that the ratio of sp/sp^(2)-hybridized carbon can significantly modulate the d-band center of the metal,thus affecting the energy barrier of the rate-determining step in NRR,decreasing from Ti@GY1(0.59 eV)to Ti@GY2(0.49 eV);and further to Ti@GY3(0.32 eV).Additionally,the Hall conductance was found to increase with the bias voltage in the range of 0.4-1 V,as calculated by Nanodcal software,demonstrating an improvement in the conductivity of the SAC.In summary,this work provides theoretical guidance for modulating the electrocatalytic nitrogen reduction activity of SACs by varying the ratio of sp/sp^(2)hybrid carbon,with Ti@GY3 showing potential as an excellent NRR catalyst.

The Burial of Biogenic Silica, Organic Carbon and Organic Nitrogen in the Sediments of the East China Sea

We sampled the sediments of the East China Sea during 2005 and 2006, and analysed the contents of the biogenic matters: biogenic silica, organic carbon, and organic nitrogen. From the surface distribution we found the contents of these substances to be in the ranges of 0.72%-1.64%, 0.043%-0.82%, and 0.006%-0.11%, respectively. Their distributions were similar to each other, being high inside the Hangzhou Bay and low outside the bay. The vertical variations of the contents were also similar. In order to discuss the relation between them we analysed the variations of content with depth. They increased in the first 7 cm and then decreased with depth. The peaks were found at depths between 20 to 25 cm. The distribution of carbonate showed an opposite trend to that of biogenic matters. The content of total carbon was relatively stable with respect to depth, and the ratio of high organic carbon to carbonate showed a low burial efficiency of carbonate, which means that the main burial of carbon is organic carbon. In order to discuss the source of organic matters, the ratio of organic carbon to organic nitrogen was calculated, which was 8.01 to 9.65, indicating that the organic matter in the sediments was derived mainly from phytoplankton in the seawater.

Altitudinal trends in δ^13C value,stomatal density and nitrogen content of Pinus tabuliformis needles on the southern slope of the middle Qinling Mountains,China

In this study,a coniferous tree species(Pinus tabuliformis Carr.) was investigated at a moderate-altitude mountainous terrain on the southern slope of the middle Qinling Mountains(QLM) to detect the trends in carbon isotope ratio( δ^(13)C),leaf nitrogen content(LNC) and stomatal density(SD) with altitude variation in northsubtropical humid mountain climate zone of China.The results showed that LNC and SD both significantly increased linearly along the altitudinal gradient ranging from 1000 to 2200 m,whereas leafδ^(13)C exhibited a significantly negative correlation with the altitude.Such a correlation pattern differs obviously from that obtained in offshore low-altitude humid environment or inland high-altitude semi-arid environment,suggesting that the pattern of increasing δ^(13)C with the altitude cannot be generalized.The negative correlation between δ ^(13)C and altitude might be attributed mainly to the strengthening of carbon isotope fractionation in plants caused by increasing precipitation with altitude.Furthermore,there was a remarkable negative correlation between leaf δ ^(13)C and LNC.One possible reason was that increasing precipitation that operates to increase isotopic discrimination with altitude overtook the LNC in determining the sign of leaf δ ^(13)C.The significant negative correlation between leaf δ ^(13)C and SD over altitudes was also found in the present study,indicating that increases in SD with altitude would reduce,rather than enhance plant δ^(13)C values.

Growing Cover Crops to Improve Biomass Accumulation and Carbon Sequestration: A Phytotron Study

Cover crop system has shown a potential approach to improving carbon sequestration and environmental quality. Six of each winter and summer cover crops were subsequently grown in two soils, Krome gravelly loam soil (KGL), and Quincy fine sandy soil (QFS), in phytotrons at 3 temperatures (10/20, 15/25, 25/30oC for winter/summer cover crops) to investigate their contributions for carbon (C) sequestration. Among winter cover crops, the highest and the lowest amounts of C accumulated were by bellbean (Vicia faba L.), 597 g/m2 and white clover (Trifolium repens), 149 g/m2, respectively, in the QFS soil. Among summer cover crops, sunn hemp (Crotalaria juncea L.) accumulated the largest quantity of C (481 g/m2), while that by castorbean (Ricinus communis) was 102 g/m2 at 30oC in the KGL soil. The mean net C remained in the residues following the 127 d decomposition were 187 g/m2 of C (73% of the total) and 91 g/m2 (52% of the total) for the winter and summer cover crops, respectively. Following a whole cycle of winter and summer cover crops grown, the mean soil organic C (SOC) increased by 13.8 and 39.1% in the KGL and QFS soil, respectively, compared to the respective soils before. The results suggest that triticale, ryegrass, and bellbean are the promising winter cover crops in the QFS soil, while sunn hemp, velvetbean (Mucuna pruriens), and sorghum sudangrass (Sorghum bicolor &#215;S. bicolor) are recommended summer cover crops for both soils under favorable temperatures.

Kinetic Modeling the Formation of Low-mature Gases and Analysis of the Possibility to Be Accumulated

At present, shallow gases have received much attention due to low cost in exploration and production. Low-mature gases, as one significant origin to shallow gas, turns to be an important research topic. The present understanding of low-mature gases is confined within some geological cases, and few laboratory studies have been reported. Therefore, the potential and characters of low- mature gases are not clear up to now. Here, two premature samples （one coal and the other shale） were pyrolyzed in a gold confined system. The gaseous components including hydrocarbon gases and non-hydrocarbon gases were analyzed. Based on kinetic modeling, the formation of low-mature gases was modeled. The results showed that during low mature stage, about 178 mL/gTOC gas was generated from the shale and 100 mL/gTOC from the coal. Two third to three fourth of the generated gases are non-hydrocarbon gases such as H2S and CO2. The total yields of C1-5 for the two samples are almost the same, 30-40 mL/gTOC, but individual gaseous hydrocarbon is different. The shale has much lower C1 but higher C2-5, whereas the coal has higher C1 but lower C2-5. Hydrocarbon gases formed during low-mature stage are very wet. The stable carbon isotope ratios of methane range from -40‰ to -50‰ （PDB）, in good consistence with empiric criterion for low-mature gases summed up by the previous researchers. The generation characters suggest that the low-mature gases could be accumulated to form an economic gas reservoir, but most of them occur only as associated gases.

Nitrogen removal for low-carbon wastewater in reversed A^2/O process by regulation technology

Full scale experimental study on nitrogen removal for low-carbon wastewater was conducted in reversed A2/O process in Jiguanshi waste water treatment plant in Chongqing,in order to aid the operation and maintenance of similar WWTP. When the proposed measures,such as using 0.1% (volume fraction of wastewater) landfill leachate,shortening HRT by 2/3 in the primary sedimentation tank and controlling DO at 0.5 mg/L in the 3rd section of aerobic zone,are applied,15% of the carbon source can be complemented,the favorable property of activated sludge is achieved,and the nitrogen removal effect is significantly improved. The effluent NH3-N is 2 mg/L and the removal rate is 90%. The effluent TN is 17 mg/L and the removal rate is 54%. The up-to-standard discharge of the effluent is achieved. And after the optimization,the unit electricity consumption also reaches 0.21 kW/h and saves 20%.

Development of Low Carbon Aquaculture System by Using Zeolite

Ammonia volatilization is a major process of N （nitrogen） loss that affects the environment. The best way of capturing volatilized ammonia-N could be using zeolite as a good ion exchange medium before it gets either volatilized or nitrified. Thus, captured ammonia-N could be used as a source of inorganic nitrogen in ponds to promote algal production without adding additional organic carbon and BOD （biochemical oxygen demand）. The zeolite used for the study was a commercially available zeolite, （CLINZEX） which was a fine powder （CEC （cation exchange capacity） 3.9-4 meq/g）. The experiment was conducted to assess the difference between manure loaded system and zeolite loaded system in terms of water quality, TAN （total ammoniacal nitrogen） release and algal productivity. The difference between the BOD values recorded in both the controls and treatments utilizing chicken manure as source of manure-N remained mostly above 10 ppm. Similarly, the difference between mean COD （chemical oxygen demand） values of control and treatment tanks always remained above 7 ppm. All the experimental tanks loaded with zeolite samples from chicken manure showed range of variation in TAN values （0.018-0.08 mg/1）. The range of values of chlorophyll a （1,029-5,150 mg/m~） recorded in the treatment tanks was higher than the values （54.6-1347 mg/m3） of chlorophyll a in the control tanks. F-test analysis done using highest mean values of BOD, COD, TAN and chlorophyll a showed a highly significant （P 〈 0.01） variation between the treatment and control tanks and at the same time no significant variation was found between time intervals.

Study on Multi-effect Time Parameters of Ergonomic Validity Index in Low-carbon Residential Kitchen

In the study on functional low-carbon ergonomic validity in buildings,ergonomic validity is different from resource validity which is easy for quantitative analysis. To eliminate the complexity and uncertainty impacts of human factors on quantitative study,it proposes a method of building a parameter of ergonomic validity—multi-effect time by using cardiotachometer to record heart rate change,being used to evaluate the functional low-carbon ergonomic validity targeting at the ontological characteristics of kitchen. This method is used to determine the physical consumption intensity( multi-effect) through heart rate incremental relation based on the principles of physiology and ergonomics,and to confirm the ergonomic validity of environmental factors by the time to complete standard work as well as multi-effect quantitative analysis. The test results show that,under the kitchen operating conditions,the multi-effect( ME) can properly reflect the real-time status of the operator and is easily operated; the parameters obtained are not significantly related to the physiological status of the operator,and multi-effect time( MT) is sensitive to the physical consumption brought about to the operator due to kitchen environmental factors; thus,it can be taken as an objective index,which is simple and easy to operate in residential kitchen functional low-carbon evaluation.

Dynamic Flexural Modulus and Low-Velocity Impact Response of Supercomposite^TMLaminates with Vertical Z-Axis Milled Carbon Fiber Reinforcement

In work reported here, the dynamic properties and low-velocity impact response of woven carbon/epoxy laminates incorporating a novel 3D interlaminar reinforcement concept with dense layers of Z-axis oriented milled carbon fiber SupercompositeTM prepregs, are presented. Impulse-frequency response vibration technique is used for non-destructive evaluation of the dynamic flexural modulus (stiffness) and loss factor (intrinsic damping) of woven carbon/epoxy control and SupercompositeTM laminates. Low-velocity punch-shear tests were performed on control and SupercompositeTM laminates according to ASTM D3763 Standard using a drop-weight impact test system. Control panels had all layers of 3K plain woven carbon/epoxy prepregs, with a dense interlaminar reinforcement of milled carbon fibers in Z- direction used in designing the SupercompositeTM laminate—both having same areal density. Impulse-frequency response vibration experiments show that with a 50% replacement of woven carbon fabric in control panel with milled carbon fibers in Z direction dynamic flexural modulus reduced 25% - 30% (loss in stiffness) and damping increased by about the same 25% - 30%. Low-velocity punch-shear tests demonstrated about 25% reduction in energy absorption for SupercompositeTM laminates with the replacement of 50% woven carbon fabric in control panel.

Controllable synthesis of grain boundary-enriched Pt nanoworms decorated on graphitic carbon nanosheets for ultrahigh methanol oxidation catalytic activity

Although one-dimensional Pt nanocrystals have long been regarded as ideal electrode catalysts for fuel cells,the synthetic techniques commonly involve the use of various complicated templates or surfactants,which have largely hampered their large-scale industrial application.Herein,we present a convenient and cost-effective approach to the stereoassembly of quasi-one-dimensional grain boundary-enriched Pt nanoworms on nitrogen-doped low-defect graphitic carbon nanosheets(Pt NWs/NL-CNS).Benefiting from its numerous catalytically active grain boundaries as well as optimized electronic structure,the as-derived Pt NWs/NL-CNS catalyst possesses exceptionally good electrocatalytic properties for methanol oxidation,including an ultrahigh mass activity of 1949.5 mA mg^(-1), reliable long-term durability,and strong poison tolerance,affording one of the most active Pt-based electrocatalysts for methanol oxidation reaction.Density functional theory calculation further reveals that the formation of worm-shape Pt morphology is attributed to the modified electronic structure as well as controllable defect density of the carbon matrix,which could also weaken the adsorption ability of Pt towards CO molecule and meanwhile synergistically promotes the catalytic reaction kinetics.

Biological Nutrient Removal in a Full Scale Anoxic/Anaerobic/Aerobic/ Pre-anoxic-MBR Plant for Low C/N Ratio Municipal Wastewater Treatment

A novel full scale modified A2O （anoxic/anaerobic/aerobic/pre-anoxic）-membrane bioreactor （MBR） plant combined with the step feed strategy was operated to improve the biological nutrient removal （BNR） from low C/N ratio municipal wastewater in Southern China. Transformation of organic carbon, nitrogen and phosphorus, and membrane fouling were investigated. Experimental results for over four months demonstrated good efficiencies for chemical oxygen demand （COD） and NH4^＋-N removal, with average values higher than 84.5%and 98.1%, re-spectively. A relatively higher total nitrogen （TN） removal efficiency （52.1%） was also obtained at low C/N ratio of 3.82, contributed by the configuration modification （anoxic zone before anaerobic zone） and the step feed with a distribution ratio of 1：1. Addition of sodium acetate into the anoxic zone as the external carbon source, with a theoretical amount of 31.3 mg COD per liter in influent, enhanced denitrification and the TN removal efficiency in-creased to 74.9%. Moreover, the total phosphate （TP） removal efficiency increased by 18.0%. It is suggested that the external carbon source is needed to improve the BNR performance in treating low C/N ratio municipal waste-water in the modified A^2O-MBR process.

Base cation concentrations in forest litter and topsoil have different responses to climate and tree species along elevational gradients

The forest litter is an essential reservoir of nutrients in forests, supplying a large part of absorbable base cations(BC) to topsoil, and facilitating plant growth within litter-soil system. To characterize elevational patterns of base cation concentrations in the forest litter and topsoil, and explore the effects of climate and tree species, we measured microclimate and collected the forest litter and topsoil(0-10 cm) samples across an elevational range of more than 2000 m(1243 ～ 3316 m a.s.l.),and analyzed the concentrations of BC in laboratory. Results showed that: 1) litter Ca concentration displayed a hump-shaped pattern along the elevational gradients, but litter K and Mg showed saddle-shaped patterns. Soil Ca concentration increased with elevation, while soil K and Mg had no significant changes. 2) Ca concentration in the forest litter under aspen(Populus davidiana) was significantly higher than that in all other species, but in topsoil, Ca concentration was higher under coniferous larch and fir(Larix chinensis and Abies fargesii). Litter K and Mg concentrations was higher under coniferous larch and fir, whereas there were nosignificant differences among tree species in the concentrations of K and Mg in topsoil. 3) Climatic factors including mean annual temperature(MAT), growing season precipitation(GSP) and non-growing season precipitation(NGSP) determined BC concentrations in the forest litter and topsoil. Soil C/N and C/P also influenced BC cycling between litter and soil. Observation along elevations within different tree species implies that above-ground tree species can redistribute below-ground cations, and this process is profoundly impacted by climate. Litter and soil Ca, K and Mg with different responses to environmental variables depend on their soluble capacity and mobile ability.

Production of polyhydroxybutyrate by the marine photosynthetic bacterium Rhodovulum sulfidophilum P5

The effects of different NaCl concentrations, nitrogen sources, carbon sources, and carbon to nitrogen molar ratios on biomass accumulation and polyhydroxybutyrate （PHB） production were studied in batch cultures of the marine photosynthetic bacterium Rhodovulum sulfidophilum P5 under aerobic-dark conditions. The results show that the accumulation of PHB in strain P5 is a growth-associated process. Strain P5 had maximum biomass and PHB accumulation at 2%-3% NaCl, suggesting that the bacterium can maintain growth and potentially produce PHB at natural seawater salinity. In the nitrogen source test, the maximum biomass accumulation （8.10±0.09 g/L） and PHB production （1.11±0.13 g/L and 14.62%±2.25% of the cell dry weight） were observed when peptone and ammonium chloride were used as the sole nitrogen source. NH^-N was better for PHB production than other nitrogen sources. In the carbon source test, the maximum biomass concentration （7.65±0.05 g/L） was obtained with malic acid as the sole carbon source, whereas the maximum yield of PHB （5.03±0.18 g/L and 66.93%± 1.69% of the cell dry weight） was obtained with sodium pyruvate as the sole carbon source. In the carbon to nitrogen ratios test, sodium pyruvate and ammonium chloride were selected as the carbon and nitrogen sources, respectively. The best carbon to nitrogen molar ratio for biomass accumulation （8.77±0.58 g/L） and PHB production （6.07±0.25 g/L and 69.25%±2.05% of the cell dry weight） was 25. The results provide valuable data on the production of PHB by R. sulfidophilum P5 and further studies are on-going for best cell growth and PHB yield.

Determination of the geographical origin of Chinese teas based on stable carbon and nitrogen isotope ratios

The objective of this study was to investigate the geographical origin of Chinese teas using carbon and nitrogen stable isotope ratio technology.The results showed that inter-provincial dispersion of teas in Guangdong(GD),Guangxi(GX),Hainan(HA),Fujian(FJ),Shandong(SD),Sichuan(SC),Chongqing(CQ),and Henan(HN) provinces was high,while in Zhejiang(ZJ),Hubei(HB),Yunnan(YN),and Anhui(AH) provinces,it was low.Tea samples from GD,GX,HA,and FJ provinces were clustered in one group and separated from those from AH and HB provinces.Thus,carbon and nitrogen stable isotope ratio technology could discriminate teas from among some provinces of China,but not from among others.Better separation might be obtained with a combination of isotopic ratios and other indexes,such as elemental data and organic components.