On the applicability of the‘humic acids’nomenclature from natural ecosystems to engineering sciences

‘Humic acids(HA)’are the major constituents of natural organic matter(NOM)derived from the plant or biological residues by decomposition and synthesis in natural ecosystems.They have been defined as relatively high molecular weight aggregates of macromolecules associations with series of highly reactive functional compounds,and considered to be as irreplaceable roles(such as the impact on global carbon and nitrogen dynamics,atmosphere,living plants,chemically reactive and NOM structure stabilization)in natural ecosystems[1].

A Proposed Method for Evaluating Management Feasibility When Determining Weed Control Priorities after Major Fires and Floods

Major fires and floods have enormous impacts on natural ecosystems and are predicted to increase in frequency with global warming.Land managers need to make decisions on the prioritisation of weeds for control in post-disturbance landscapes,but little is available in the way of guidance to support timely decision making.Semi-quantitative models(e.g.,scoring systems)have been employed routinely in weed risk assessment,which considers the potential impacts posed by weeds,as well as the likelihood of these impacts being realised.Some progress has been made in the development of similar models addressing the topic of weed risk management.Under conditions prevailing after major disturbances,changes(both positive and negative)can be expected in the multiple factors that determine weed management feasibility,relative to pre-disturbance conditions.A semi-quantitative model is proposed that is based on the key factors that contribute to weed management feasibility in post-disturbance environments,along with annotated modules that could be used by land managers in both post-fire and post-flood situations.The fundamental challenge for weed management in these scenarios lies in the identification of differences between weeds and native species in relation to(1)patterns of seedling emergence;and(2)detectability relative to the growth stage.These two factors will determine the timing of control actions that are designed to address the trade-off between weed control and off-target damage during the period when both types of plants are recovering from a major disturbance event.The model is intuitively sound,but field testing is required to determine both its practical value and any necessary improvement.

Health risk assessment of heavy metals in soils and crops in a mining area(Au-Ag-Cutrona-oil et al.) of the Nanyang Basin, Henan Province, China

Heavy metal distribution in mining areas has always been a hot research topic due to the special environment of these areas. This study aims to explore the impact of heavy metal pollution on soils and crops in the study area, ensure the safety of local crops and the health of local residents, and provide a basis for the subsequent environmental restoration and the prevention and control of environmental pollution. Based on the analysis of the heavy metal concentrations in local soils and crops, the study investigated the spatial distribution, pollution degrees, and potential ecological risks of heavy metals in the farmland of a mining area in the southeastern Nanyang Basin, Henan province, China explored the sources of heavy metals and assessed the health risks caused by crop intake. The results of this study are as follows. The root soils of crops in the study area suffered heavy metal pollution to varying degrees. The degree of heavy metal pollution in maize fields is higher than that in wheat fields, and both types of fields suffer the most severe Cd pollution. Moreover, the root soils of different crops suffer compound pollution.The root soils in the maize fields suffer severe compound pollution at some sampling positions, whose distribution is similar to that of the mining area. Cd poses the highest potential ecological risks among all heavy metals, and the study area mainly suffers low and moderate comprehensive potential ecological risks. The principal component analysis(PCA) shows that the distribution of Zn, Cd, Pb, and As in soils of the study area is mainly affected by anthropogenic factors such as local mining activities;the distribution of Cr and Ni is primarily controlled by the local geological background;the distribution of Hg is mainly affected by local vehicle exhaust emissions, and the distribution of Cu is influenced by both human activities and the geological background. Different cereal crops in the study area are polluted with heavy metals dominated by Cd and Ni to varying degrees, especially wheat. As indicated by the health risk assessment results, the intake of maize in the study area does not pose significant human health risks;however, Cu has high risks to human health, and the compound heavy metal pollution caused by the intake of wheat in the study area poses risks to the health of both adults and children. Overall, the soils and crops in the study area suffer a high degree of heavy metal pollution, for which mining activities may be the main reason.

Using ^(137)Cs technique to quantify soil conservation capacities of different ecosystems in Wolong Natural Reserve, southwestern China

Reliable information about soil conservation capacities of different natural ecosystems is an important reference for the design of targeted erosion and sediment control strategies. The objective of this paper is to quantify the soil conservation capacities of different natural ecosystems that can represent dif-ferent climatic zones. The 137Cs technique has been used to estimate soil redistribution rates in differ-ent natural ecosystems over the past 40 years in Wolong Nature Reserve. The reserve, transiting from the Chengdu plain to the Qinghai-Tibet plateau, maintains rich ecosystems from subtropical to frigid. The net soil erosion rates of 5 selected ecosystems that represent a warm coniferous-broadleaf-mixed forest, a cold-resistant deciduous taiga forest, a cold-resistant shrub, an evergreen cold-resistant taiga forest, and an alpine meadow are 0.17, 0.16, 0.13, 0.11 and 0.06 kg·m-2·a-1, respectively. Their soil con-servation capacities are reversed in order. The reference inventories for ^(137)Cs in different ecosystems range from 1658 to 3707 Bq·m-2 with the altitude. Results of this study indicate that any attempt to de-velop effective erosion and sediment strategies in areas with similar climates should consider natural ecosystem types.

Optimizing Hotspot Areas for Ecological Planning and Management Based on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services

The significance of biodiversity and ecosystem services are gradually recognized by human as an approach towards sustainability, so it is important to understand relationships and congruence between them to support conservation planning, especially in the hotspot areas with a prominent role in conservation. However, the management of most conservation hotspots mainly focused on biodiversity, and rarely concerned with ecosystem services. With the aim of proposing criteria for conservation strategies that contribute to the optimization of biodiversity and ecosystem services, in this study, a Geographic Information System(GIS)-based approach was designed to estimate and map the biodiversity and ecosystem services in Chongqing Municipality of China. Furthermore, the distributions of hotspot areas for biodiversity and ecosystem services were mapped based on the relationship between cumulative ecosystem services and areas. Finally the statistical analysis was processed focused on specific conservation objectives. The results showed that hotspot areas can conserve the most biodiversity but with the least ecosystem services under the conservation plans target to biodiversity conservation. In contrast, depending on the ecosystem services of interest, hotspot areas can conserve the largest ecosystem services but with the least biodiversity. By integrating biodiversity and ecosystem services into conservation plan, we found that the conservation and regeneration of these small areas, would contribute to a conservation of 44% of the biodiversity hotspot and 14%–42% of the ecosystem services hotspot. Moreover, the current nature reserve selection was not maximize the biodiversity and ecosystem services compared to integration strategy, indicating that hotspot areas conservation and selection is vital for optimization protection of biodiversity and ecosystem services, and has practical significance for natural resources and ecosystem management.

Vulnerability of natural ecosystem in China under regional climate scenarios： An analysis based on eco-geographical regions

Assessment of vulnerability for natural ecosystem to climate change is a hot topic in climate change and ecology, and will support adapting and mitigating climate change. In this study, LPJ model modified according to features of China＇s natural ecosystems was em- ployed to simulate ecosystem dynamics under A2, B2 and A1B scenarios. Vulnerability of natural ecosystem to climate change was assessed according to the vulnerability assessment model. Based on eco-geographical regions, vulnerability of natural ecosystem to climate change was analyzed. Results suggest that vulnerability for China＇s natural ecosystems would strengthen in the east and weaken in the west, but the pattern of ecosystem vulner- ability would not be altered by climate change, which rises from southeast to northeast gradually. Increase in ecosystem vulnerable degree would mainly concentrate in temperate humid/sub-humid region and warm temperate humid/sub-humid region. Decrease in eco- system vulnerable degree may emerge in northwestern arid region and Qinghai-Tibet Plateau region. In the near-term scale, natural ecosystem in China would be slightly affected by cli- mate change. However, in mid-term and long-term scales, there would be severely adverse effect, particularly in the east with better water and thermal condition.