Diet of Great Knots (Calidris tenuirostris) during spring stopover at Chongming Dongtan,China

Variable and unpredictable food resources at stopover sites bring severe challenges to migrating shorebirds. Opportunistic foraging strategies, referring to shorebirds consuming prey in proportion to their availability, allow shorebirds to replenish fuel and nutrient reserves efficiently for continuing their migration. Chongming Dongtan, located in the Yangtze River estuary of eastern China, is the first major stopover site of shorebirds on the Chinese mainland during their northward migration. We investigated the diet of Great Knots (Calidris tenuirostris) at Chongming Dongtan during the spring stopovers of 2009 and 2010 through benthos sampling and dropping analysis. The benthos samples were categorized into gastropods, bivalves, polychaetes, crustaceans and insect larvae. Dropping analysis indicated that gastropods and bivalves constituted more than 70% of the diet of the Great Knot, with Assiminea violacea and Corbicula fluminea being the most frequently consumed. Chi-square tests indicated that for each prey category, there was no significant difference between the frequency of its occurrence in the benthos samples and dropping samples during the early stopover periods of 2009 and 2010 and during the late stopover periods of 2010. Although there was a statistically significant difference between the frequency of occurrence of prey in the total macrobenthos and in the droppings of the Great Knots during the late stopover period in 2009, the more abundant prey were more frequently consumed by the Great Knots. This suggests that Great Knots adopted an opportunistic foraging strategy during their stopover at Chongming Dongtan.

Assessment on environmental quality of heavy metals in agricultural soils of Chongming Island, Shanghai City

The environmental quality of heavy metals （Pb, Cd, Cr, As, Hg） in agricultural surface soil of Chongming Island was assessed by national, local and professional standards based on a large scale investigation, in which 28 samples from vegetable plots, 65 samples from paddy fields and 9 samples from watermelon fields were collected from whole island area. Results showed that the average concentration of Pb, Cd, Cr, As and Hg was 21.6 mg.kg^-l,0.176 mg.kg^-1, 69.4 mg.kg^-1, 9.209 mg.kg^-1 and 0.128 mg.kg^-1, respectively. Compared with the background value of Shanghai City soil, except for Pb and Cr, all the other heavy metals average concentrations in Chongming Island agricultural surface soil exceeded their corresponding natural-background values. The concentrations of Cd, As and Hg were 33.0%, 1.2% and 26.3% higher than the background value of Shanghai City, respectively. In addition, inverse distance interpolation （IDW） tool of GIS was also applied to study the spatial variation of heavy metals. The results indicated that most of agricultural soil quality was good, and the ratio of ecological, good soil, certified soil and disqualified soil were 1.26%, 97.1%, 1.47% and 0.12%, respectively. About 10.1%, 85.7%, 27.0%, 55.4% and 55.2% soil samples exceeded the Pb, Cd, Cr, As and Hg background value of Shanghai City, respectively. Among these three land use type soils, vegetable soil was most seriously polluted by heavy metals, which is probably related to the over-application of pesticides. The annual deposition fluxes of Pb, Cd, As and Hg were 7736μg·m^-2·a^-1, 208μg·m^-2·a^-1, 2238μg·m^-2·a^-1 and 52.8 μg·m^-2·a^-1 respectively. Crop straw burning was the important source of heavy metals of atmospheric deposition, and atmospheric deposition contributed a lot to heavy metals in agricultural soil in Chongming Island.

WISE EXPLOITATION OF NEWLY GROWING LAND RESOURCES——An Assessment on Land-use Change of Chongming Island Using GIS

Chongming Island, the third largest island in China and the largest alluvialisland in the world, is situated in the north of Shanghai Municipality at the mouth of theChangjiang (Yangtze) River. Along the fertile and prosperous sea coast there are a total area ofover 120 x 10~3ha, with a population of 735 000, accruing some 500ha of new tidal land resourcescome from silt, sand and mud carried by the Changjiang River every year, extending about 140m peryear. This dynamic process of alluvial growth has run for some 1500 years. Mudflat on ChongmingIsland at the mouth of the Changjiang River is a resting ground for migratory birds and host morethan a hundred species, including rare cranes and geese. But the local people keep reclaiming thetidal land for economic development. Obviously, it is crucial to have a well-concerted plan forfuture exploitation. In this study, we attempted to investigate the status changes of land use andwild life habitats on Chongming Island in recent 10 years, and then analyzed different humanactivities and their effects on wild life habitats using satellite image data (1990, 1997 and 2000)as well as field survey. Based on the analysis, this study explored the relationships between islandgrowth and land use/cover change (LUCC), predicted what the habitat would be like in the future andtried to find more effective use of this new growing resource. At last, this study provided somepreliminary management plans for Chongming Island that will coordinate the development of localeconomies and the conservation of wild life and their habitats.

The variation of sediments organic carbon content in Chongming east tidal flat during Scirpus mariqueter growing stage

The investigations on the organic carbon （OC） of core sediments were carried out in Chongming east tidal fiat （CM） during Scirpus mariqueter growing stage （from April to December 2004） in Yangtze Estuary. The Yangtze River annually transports a runoff discharge of 30,000 m^3/s, carrying about 480 million tons of sediments to the estuarine and coastal area, which formed a great OC pool. In the sampling spots, seven quadrats of 50 cm × 50 cm and five sediments cores of 20 cm deep （40 cm deep in December） were randomly established in order to collect vegetations and core sediments samples during the low tide each month except November. After pretreatment, the core sediments were sieved and their OC contents were measured according to the potassium dichromate method. The results show that the higher surface sediment OC content in summer comes from allochthonous terrigenous particle settlements on the Chongming east middle tidal fiat S. mariqueter zone. In autumn and winter, the decomposing of the defoliated S. mariqueter increases the surface sediments OC content. Settling velocity, sediment temperature and S. mariqueter growth are the main factors that can control the sediment carbon content. Summer is the “carbon losing” period of the tidal fiat sediments, while from September, it changes into the “carbon accumulating” period of sediment OC pool because of the decomposing of dead S. mariqueter community in the sediments. From this alternation of “carbon losing” period and “carbon accumulating” period, we conclude that carbon in the OC pool of the middle tidal fiat S. mariqueter zone sediments mainly comes from the atmospheric carbon rooted by S. mariqueter photosynthesis.

Characterization of dissolved organic matter in submarine groundwater from a salt marsh in Chongming Island,China

Salt marshes are research hotspots of the carbon cycle in coastal zones because large amounts of atmospheric carbon dioxide is fi xed by salt marshes vegetation and stored in its biomass and soil.Dissolved organic carbon(DOC)in submarine groundwater(well water and pore water)in salt marshes plays an important role in advective exchange between the salt marshes and coastal waters.However,the molecular characteristics of DOC in salt marsh groundwater are poorly understood because of the complex DOC structures and hydrodynamic process.In this study,fl uorescent components and refractory DOC(RDOC)in submarine groundwater from a salt marsh(Chongming Island,China)and adjacent coastal water were characterized by fl uorescence spectroscopy and nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy.The fl uorescent components identifi ed by parallel factor analysis indicated that humic-like substances dominated the chromophoric dissolved organic matter in the submarine groundwater.The chromophoric dissolved organic matter and dissolved organic matter in the submarine groundwater had non-conservative behaviors because of additions from terrestrial humic substances.The nuclear magnetic resonance spectra indicated that bioactive substances(carbohydrates)contributed only 13.2%-14.8%of the dissolved organic matter in the submarine groundwater but carboxyl-rich alicyclic molecules(CRAMs),the main components of RDOC,contributed 64.5%of the dissolved organic matter.Carbohydrates and CRAMs contributed 16.4%and 61.7%of the dissolved organic matter in the coastal water,similar to the contributions for submarine groundwater.The DOC concentration in submarine groundwater was 386±294μmol/L,which was signifi cantly higher than that in coastal water(91±19μmol/L).The high DOC concentrations and>60%relative RDOC content suggested that submarine groundwater may be an important source of RDOC to coastal seawater.This information will be helpful for estimating the climate eff ects of salt marsh blue carbon.

The spatial relationship between salt marsh vegetation patterns,soil elevation and tidal channels using remote sensing at Chongming Dongtan Nature Reserve, China

The analysis of vegetation-environment relationships has always been a study hotspot in ecology. A number of biotic, hydrologic and edaphic factors have great influence on the distribution of macrophytes within salt marsh.Since the exotic species Spartina alterniflora（S. alterniflora） was introduced in 1995, a rapid expansion has occurred at Chongming Dongtan Nature Reserve（CDNR） in the Changjiang（Yangtze） River Estuary, China.Several important vegetation-environment factors including soil elevation, tidal channels density（TCD）,vegetation classification and fractional vegetation cover（FVC） were extracted by remote sensing method combined with field measurement. To ignore the details in interaction between biological and physical process,the relationship between them was discussed at a large scale of the whole saltmarsh. The results showed that Scirpus mariqueter（S. mariqueter） can endure the greatest elevation variance with 0.33 m throughout the marsh in CDNR. But it is dominant in the area less than 2.5 m with the occurrence frequency reaching 98%. S. alterniflora has usually been found on the most elevated soils higher than 3.5 m but has a narrow spatial distribution. The rapid decrease of S. mariqueter can be explained by stronger competitive capacity of S. alterniflora on the high tidal flat. FVC increases with elevation which shows significant correlation with elevation（r=0.30, p〈0.001）. But the frequency distribution of FVC indicates that vegetation is not well developed on both elevated banks near tidal channels from the whole scale mainly due to tidal channel lateral swing and human activities. The significant negative correlation（r=–0.20, p〈0.001） was found between FVC and TCD, which shows vegetation is restricted to grow in higher TCD area corresponding to lower elevation mainly occupied by S. mariqueter communities. The maximum occurrence frequency of this species reaches to 97% at the salt marsh with TCD more than 8 m/m2.

Coastal protection using building with nature concept:A case study from Chongming Dongtan Shoal,China

With climate change and rising sea levels,the coastal zone’s flood risk is deteriorating.Previous researches have shown a gradually degrading capacity of traditional hard engineering structures(e.g.,seawall,dikes)on flood mitigation due to problems such as land subsidence and insufficient maintenance.To remedy the defects,the"building with nature concept"for coastal protection with saltmarshes was examined by combining field measurements and numerical simulations.The advantages of saltmarsh over traditional seawall on flood protection was demonstrated from the perspective of both flood area mitigation and economic gain,based on scenario simulations.Results show that tidal wetlands are essential in mitigating significant wave heights(Hs)and current velocities even during storm conditions.The storm wave and current velocity reduction ratio(RRw and RRc)by saltmarshes on Chongming Dongtan Shoal(CMDS)during Typhoon 9711 is approximately 11%and 51%,respectively.The wave and current mitigation by Scirpus mariqueter are more efficient than Spartina alterniflora and Phragmites australis during measurements in 2010,which were approximately 0.3 m and 0.2 m/s,0.125 m and 0.155 m/s,0.086 m and 0.128 m/s per kilometer width,respectively.The summer saltmarsh area 54.2 km2 on CMDS protects approximately 32 km^(2)land area behind the seawall from being flooded,equivalent to the seawall heightening of approximately 0.42 m on equivalent flood mitigation.The performance of cost-and-benefit analysis shows a relatively higher(by 3%–7%)net present value(NPV)and a higher(by 1.5 times)benefit-cost ratio(BC)of nature-based solution(i.e.,saltmarsh restoration)compared with traditional hard engineering solution(i.e.,seawall construction).Thus,building seawall with nature,such as a hybrid flood protection measure,should be implemented in the future coastal redesign and maintenance.

Organic carbon accumulation capability of two typical tidal wetland soils in Chongming Dongtan,China

We measured organic carbon input and content of soil in two wetland areas of Chongming Dongtan （Yangtze River Estuary） to evaluate variability in organic carbon accumulation capability in different wetland soils. Observed differences were investigated based on the microbial activity and environmental factors of the soil at the two sites. Results showed that the organic carbon content of wetland soil vegetated with Phragmites australis （site A） was markedly lower than that with P. australis and Spartina alterniflora （site B）. Sites differences were due to higher microbial activity at site A, which led to higher soil respiration intensity and greater carbon outputs. This indicated that the capability of organic carbon accumulation of the site B soils was greater than at site A. In addition, petroleum pollution and soil salinity were different in the two wetland soils. After bio-remediation, the soil petroleum pollution at site B was reduced to a similar level of site A. However, the culturable microbial biomass and enzyme activity in the remediated soils were also lower than at site A. These results indicated that greater petroleum pollution at site B did not markedly inhibit soil microbial activity. Therefore, differences in vegetation type and soil salinity were the primary factors responsible for the variation in microbial activity, organic carbon output and organic carbon accumulation capability between site A and site B.

SIMULATION OF NON-POINT POLLUTANTS EVOLUTION IN COASTAL PLAIN ISLAND-A CASE STUDY OF CHONGMING ISLAND

The coastal plain region usually shows the agricultural dominated industry mode, so more and more attention is paid to non-point pollutants discharge. In this study, the method for assessing the influence of non-point pollutants discharge on river water quality is probed which is concluded as follows： （1） Considering the costal plain island is characterized as nearly even elevation, the conventional gravitational runoff confluence method based on eight-point gravitational flowing directions （DS） is unable to compute the runoff confluence received by the surrounding rivers, so a new method of triangular confluence based on three-points of grid center and the river segments is presented. Further the equations of non-point pollutants loads estimation and non-point pollutants confluence on rivers are presented. （2） The integration mode of non-point pollutants model and river water quality model is presented so as to further assess the non-point pollutants contribution to river water quality. （3） With the Chongming Island, the third largest island in China, as an example, the above-mentioned equations are specified. For this island, the non-point pollutants loads are estimated and linked to the developed water quality model of the river network in the island, and further the non-point pollution evolution in river network is simulated. In this scenario, the non-point pollution contribution to river water quality over the whole island is clearly displayed, and the area where the river water quality is seriously influenced by non-point pollutants discharge is distinctly depicted. This scenario also shows the water quality contribution ratio of non-point pollution to point pollution can be in the range of 55.5% to 44.5% which proves the importance of non-point pollution control in costal plain islands.

Spectral characteristics of plant communities from salt marshes:A case study from Chongming Dongtan,Yangtze estuary,China

The spectral reflectance of recently formed salt marshes at the mouth of the Yangtze River,which are undergoing invasion by Spartina alterniflora,were assessed to determine the potential utility of remotely sensed data in assessing future invasion and changes in species composition.Following a review of published research on remote sensing of salt marshes,53 locations along three transects were sampled for paired data on plant species composition and spectral reflectance using a FieldSpecTM Pro JR Field Portable Spectroradiometer.Spectral data were processed concerning reflectance,and the averaged reflectance values for each sample were reanalysed to correspond to a 12-waveband bandset of the Compact Airborne Spectral Imager.The spectral data were summarised using principal components analysis(PCA)and the relationships between the vegetation composition,and the PCA axes of spectral data were examined.The first PCA axis of the reflectance data showed a strong correlation with variability in near infrared reflectance and‘brightness’,while the second axis was correlated with visible reflectance and‘greenness’.Total vegetation cover,vegetation height,and mudflat cover were all significantly related to the first axis.The implications of this in terms of the ability of remote sensing to distinguish the various salt marsh species and in particular the invasive species S.alterniflora were discussed.Major differences in species with various physiognomies could be recognised but problems occurred in separating early colonising S.alterniflora from other species at that stage.Further work using multi-seasonal hyperspectral data might assist in solving these problems.

Dynamic antimicrobial resistant patterns of Escherichia coli from healthy poultry and swine over 10 years in Chongming Island,Shanghai

Background:Antimicrobial resistance(AMR)is one of the greatest threats to animal and public health.Here,we conducted a dynamic surveillance of Escherichia coli on Chongming Island in Shanghai during 2009-2021 to identify the characteristics and trends of Chongming’s AMR pandemic.Methods:Rectal(cloaca)swabs from four poultry and nine swine farms(Chongming Island,2009-2021)were collected for E.coli strains acquisition.The micro-broth dilution method was used to test antimicrobial susceptibility of E.coli isolates against 10 antimicrobial classes including 15 antimicrobials.Utilizing generalized linear mixed models(GLMMs)and co-occurrence analyses,we further explored the multiple-drug-resistance(MDR)combinations and dynamic patterns of E.coli over 10 years in two food animals.Results:Total of 863 MDR isolates were found among 945 collected E.coli isolates,337 from poultry and 608 from swine.Both isolates exhibited high resistant rates(>70%)to tetracyclines,phenicols,sulfonamides,penicillins,and aminoglycosides(only in swine).The resistant rates of swine isolates to penicillins,aminoglycosides,tetracyclines,phenicols,and polymyxins were significantly higher than those of poultry isolates,whereas resistance to fluoroquinolones was reversed.Resistance to polymyxins decreased similarly in swine(42.4%in 2009 to 0.0%in 2021)and poultry isolates(from 16.5%to 0.0%).However,resistance to other seven antimicrobial classes(excluding carbapenems and penicillins)declined dramatically in swine isolates,particularly fluoroquinolones(from 80.5%to 14.4%),and tendencies of resistance to the seven classes showed markedly divergent patterns in poultry isolates.Using Poisson GLMMs,the AMR carriage since 2016 was significantly lower than that of 2009(odds ratio<1),indicating a decline in the risk of MDR emergence.Furthermore,despite the highly diverse MDR profiles,co-occurrence analysis identified two prominent MDR clusters of penicillins-phenicols-fluoroquinolones in poultry and aminoglycosides-tetracyclines-sulfonamides-phenicols in swine.Conclusions:Our study uncovered vastly distinct AMR patterns and dynamic tendencies of poultry and swine E.coli isolates from Chongming.Meanwhile,Chongming’s AMR status has ameliorated,as indicated by the decline in antimicrobials prevalence(particularly in swine),lower likelihood of MDR emergence and low carbapenem-,cephalosporin-,and polymyxin resistance.Importantly,this surveillance results are the vital basis for future policy development in Chongming and Shanghai.

On eco-planning for an eco-demonstration park (EDP) and sustainability-Case study of the Luhua EDP in the Chongming Island of Shanghai,China

Thebackground,concept,connotation,principles,andmethodsofeco-planningforanEco-Demonstration Park(EDP)and sustainability were examined based on a case study of the Luhua EDP in the Chongming Island of Shanghai,China,which is an important part of Shanghai Eco-city planning and construction in the 21st century.By analyzing natural,social and economic conditions,calculating population using the land capacity eco-model,eco-function zoning,and eco-construction,an innovative eco-industrial structure and technical chain were formulated.A comprehensive eco-planning scheme for the EDP was proposed,including planning and management strategies for subsystems of efficient industry,good quality human settlement,high standard eco-construction and eco-tourism as well as effective environmental protection and attractive landscape.The EDP should be an area with coordinated and sustainable economic,social and environmental subsystems.Eco-planning for the EDP should be a very important part of eco-city planning and sustainability.The paper aims to set up a theoretical framework and practical basis for eco-planning and promoting harmony between human and nature.

Spatial and seasonal pattern of macrozoobenthic assemblages and the congruence in water quality bioassessment using different taxa in artificial Mingzhu Lake in Shanghai

The spatial and seasonal pattern of macrozoobenthic structure and its relationship with environmental factors were studied from July 2006 to April 2008 in Mingzhu Lake,Chongming Island,Shanghai at the Changjiang River mouth.The congruences in water quality bioassessment based on diversity and biotic indices and using different taxonomic categories were also explored to find the best assessment method of water quality for the lake.All major structural characteristics of macrozoobenthic community,including species composition,abundance,biomass and four biomass-based diversity indices(Shannon's diversity,Simpson's diversity,Pielou's evenness and Simpson's evenness index) fluctuated significantly in season but in space.The above four abundance-based diversity indices plus abundance-based Margalef's richness index did not display significant spatial variations;and significant seasonal differences were found in three indices only.Water temperature was the key environmental factor responsible for macrozoobenthic spatio-temporal distribution patterns.Water quality assessed by Shannon's index(H_a') and biological pollution index(BPI) rather than the other four biotic indices were consistent with those by trophic state index(TSI).Results from chironomids and oligochaetes did not always agree to those from the whole community when H_a' or Hilsenhoff biotic index was applied to bioassessment.Therefore,combining multiple indices and avoiding a single taxonomic category to assess water quality are strongly recommended and in Mingzhu Lake using a mixture of H_a' and BPI will ensure the most effective investigation of water quality.Our results also show that the main structural characteristics of macrozoobenthic communities in the small lake may display consistent spatial patterns.

Quantitative Assessment of Soil Health Under Different Planting Patterns and Soil Types

Soil health assessment is an important step toward understanding the potential effects of agricultural practices on crop yield, quality and human health. The objectives of this study were to select a minimum data set for soil health evaluation from the physical, chemical and biological properties and environmental pollution characteristics of agricultural soil and to develop a soil health diagnosis model for determining the soil health status under different planting patterns and soil types in Chongming Island of Shanghai, China. The results showed that the majority of the farmland soils in Chongming Island were in poor soil health condition, accounting for 48.9% of the survey samples, followed by the medium healthy soil, accounting for 32.2% of the survey samples and mainly distributed in the central and mid-eastern regions of the island. The indicators of pH, total organic carbon, microbial biomass carbon and Cd exerted less influence on soil health, while the soil salinization and nitrate accumulation under a greenhouse cropping pattern and phosphate fertilizer shortage in the paddy field had limited the development of soil health. Dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethanes, hexachlorocyclohexanes and Hg contributed less to soil health index (SHI) and showed no significant difference among paddy field, greenhouse and open-air vegetable/watermelon fields. The difference of the SHI of the three soil types was significant at P = 0.05. The paddy soil had the highest SHI values, followed by the gray alluvial soil, and the coastal saline soil was in a poor soil health condition, indicating a need to plant some salt-tolerant crops to effectively improve soil quality.

Changes in soil carbon sequestration and soil respiration following afforestation on paddy fields in north subtropical China

Aims Although many studies have reported net gains of soil organic carbon(SOC)after afforestation on croplands,this is uncertain for Chinese paddy rice croplands.Here,we aimed to evaluate the effects of affores-tation of paddy rice croplands on SOC sequestration and soil respiration(R).Such knowledge would improve our understanding of the efctive-ness of various land use options on greenhouse gas mitigation in China.Methods The investigation was conducted on the Chongming Island,north subtropical China.Field sites were reclaimed from coastal salt marshes in the 1960s,and soils were homogeneous with simple land use:histories.SOC stocks and R,levels were monitored over one year in a paddy rice cropland,an evergreen and a deciduous broad-leaved plantation established on previous paddy fields and a reference fal-low land site never cultivated.Laboratory incubation of soil under fast-changing temperatures was used to compare the temperature sensitivity(Q10)of SOC decomposition across land uses.Important Findings After 15-20 years of afforestation on paddy fields,SOC concentra-tion only slightly increased at the depth of 0--5 cm but decreased in deeper layers,which resulted in a net loss of SOC stock in the top 40cm.Seasonal increase of sOC was observed during the rice-growing period in croplands but not in afforested soils,suggest-ing a stronger SOC sequestration by paddy rice cropping.However,SOC sequestered under cropping was more labile,as indicated by its higher contents of dissolved organic carbon and microbial bio-mass.Also,paddy soils had higher annual R,than afforested soils;R,abruptly increased after paddy fields were drained and plowed and remained distinctively high throughout the dry farming period.Laboratory incubation revealed that paddy soils had a much higher Q10 of SOC decomposition than afforested soils.Given that tem-perature was the primary controller of R,in this region,it was con-cluded that despite the stronger SOC sequestration by paddy rice cropping,its SOC was less stable than in afforested systems and might be more easily released into the atmosphere under global warming.