Freeze-thaw Effects on Sorption/Desorption of Dissolved Organic Carbon in Wetland Soils

The effects of freeze-thaw cycles on sorption/desorption of dissolved organic carbon （DOC） in two wetland soils and one reclaimed wetland soil were investigated. DOC concentrations added were 0-600 mg/L. Laboratory incubations of sorption/desorption of DOC had been carried out at -15℃ for 10 h, and then at ＋5℃ for 13 h. Soil samples were refrozen and thawed subsequently for 5 cycles. Initial Mass model was used to describe sorption behavior of DOC. The results indicate that freeze-thaw cycles can significantly increase the sorption capacity of DOC and reduce the desorption capacity of DOC in the three soils. The freeze-thaw effects on desorpfion of DOC in soils increase with the increasing freeze-thaw cycles. The conversion of natural wetlands to soybean farmland can decrease the sorption capacity and increase the desorption capacity of DOC in soils. Global warming and reclamation may increase DOC release, and subsequently increase the loss of carbon and the emission of greenhouse gas.

Micronutrient dynamics in some wetland soils of south-eastern Nigeria

The inventory of profile distribution of total iron (Fe), zinc(Zn), manganese(Mn) and copper(Cu) were determined in three different soil horizons each of the wetland soils selected form Mbiabet(MB), Nkari(NK) and Nkana(NA) in Ini Local Government Area of Akwa Ibom State. Total Fe ranged between 3 25 and 4 15 ppm. The average contents were 3 72, 3 91 and 3 62 ppm in Mbiabet(MB), Nkari(NK) and Nkana(NA) soils respectively. The total value of Zn also ranged between 2 4 and 4 9 ppm with the average content in each soil being 28.27, 17 73 and 36 53 ppm respectively. The amount of Fe and Zn in these soil profiles were strongly correlated with the clay content and high levels of organic matter of 3 70%, 2 47% and 2 5% respectively. The content clearly reflected a poor drainage conditions.In all the soil profiles Mn and Cu were detected in at least one of the soil horizons. However, Mn and Cu were not detected in the soil horizons at Nkari.Generally, the relative inventory of these micronutrients appeared to be influenced by pH, drainage pattern, organic matter and clay contents of these soils.The inventory of total values of the wetland soils considered are assessed in the light of establishing a baseline information.

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.

EFFECTS OF WATER TABLE AND NITROGEN ADDITION ON CO_2 EMISSION FROM WETLAND SOIL

Soil respiration is a main dynamic process of carbon cycle in wetland. It is important to contribute to global climate changes. Water table and nutritious availability are significant impact factors to influence responses of CO2 emission from wetland soil to climate changes. Twenty-four wetland soil monoliths at 4 water-table positions and in 3 nitrogen status have been incubated to measure rates of CO2 emission from wetland soils in this study. Three static water-table controls and a fluctuant water-table control, with 3 nitrogen additions in every water-table control, were carried out. In no nitrogen addition treatment, high CO2 emissions were found at a static low water table (Ⅰ) and a fluctuant water table (Ⅳ), averaging 306.7mg/(m2·h) and 307.89mg/(m2·h), respectively, which were 51%-57% higher than that at static high water table (Ⅱ and Ⅲ). After nitrogen addition, however, highest CO2 emission was found at Ⅱ and lowest emission at Ⅲ. The results suggested that nutritious availability of wetland soil might be important to influence the effect of water table on the CO2 emission from the wetland soil. Nitrogen addition led to enhancing CO2 emissions from wetland soil, while the highest emission was found in 1N treatments other than in 2N treatments. In 3 nutritious treatments, low CO2 emissions at high water tables and high CO2 emissions at low water tables were also observed when water table fluctuated. Our results suggested that both water table changes and nutritious imports would effect the CO2 emission from wetland.

Effects of Reclamation on Soil Carbon and Nitrogen in Coastal Wetlands of Liaohe River Delta,China

To evaluate the influence of wetland reclamation on vertical distribution of carbon and nitrogen in coastal wetland soils, we measured the soil organic carbon(SOC), soil total nitrogen(STN) and selected soil properties at five sampling plots(reed marsh, paddy field, corn field, forest land and oil-polluted wetland) in the Liaohe River estuary in September 2013. The results showed that reclamation significantly changed the contents of SOC and STN in the Liaohe River estuary(P < 0.001). The SOC concentrations were in the order: oil-polluted wetland > corn field > paddy field > forest land > reed marsh, with mean values of 52.17, 13.14, 11.46, 6.44 and 6.16 g/kg, respectively. STN followed a similar order as SOC, with mean values of 1351.14, 741.04, 632.32, 496.17 and 390.90 mg/kg, respectively. Interaction of reclamation types and soil depth had significant effects on SOC and STN, while soil depth had significant effects on SOC, but not on STN. The contents of SOC and STN were negatively correlated with pH and redox potential(Eh) in reed marsh and corn field, while the SOC and STN in paddy field had positive correlations with electrical conductivity(EC). Dissolved organic carbon(DOC), ammonium nitrogen(NH_4^+-N) and nitrate nitrogen(NO_3~–-N) were also significantly changed by human activities. NH_4^+-N and NO_3~–-N increased to different degrees, and forest land had the highest NO_3~–-N concentration and lowest DOC concentration, which could have been caused by differences in soil aeration and fertilization. Overall, the results indicate that reed harvest increased soil carbon and nitrogen release in the Liaohe River Estuary, while oil pollution significantly increased the SOC and STN; however, these cannot be used as indicators of soil fertility and quality because of the serious oil pollution.

Effects of Tamarisk shrub on physicochemical properties of soil in coastal wetland of the Bohai Sea

There are many different and even controversial results concerning the effects of Tamarisk on the physicochemical properties of soil. A year-round monitoring of soil salinity, p H and moisture is conducted beneath the Tamarisk shrub in a coastal wetland in the Bohai Sea in China, to ascertain the effects of Tamarisk on the physicochemical properties of soil in coastal wetland. Compared with the control area, the soil moisture content is lower around the area of the taproot when there is less precipitation in the growing season because of water consumption by Tamarisk shrub. However, the soil moisture content is higher around the taproot when there is more precipitation in the growing season or in the non-growing period because of water conservation by the rhizosphere. The absorption of salt by the Tamarisk shrub reduces the soil salinity temporarily, but eventually salt returns to the soil by the leaching of salt on leaves by rainfall or by fallen leaves. The annual average soil moisture content beneath the Tamarisk shrub is lower than the control area by only 6.4%, indicating that the Tamarisk shrub has little effect on drought or water conservation in soils in the temperate coastal wetland with moderate annual precipitation. The annual average salinity beneath the Tamarisk shrub is 18% greater than that of the control area, indicating that Tamarisk does have an effect of rising soil salinity around Tamarisk shrubs. The soil p H value is as low as 7.3 in summer and as high as 10.2 in winter. The p H of soil near the taproot of the Tamarisk shrubs is one p H unit lower than that in the control area during the growing season. The difference in p H is less different from the control area in the non-growing season, indicating that the Tamarisk shrub does have the effect of reducing the alkalinity of soil in coastal wetland.

Ammonium Oxidizing Bacteria Activity and Nitrification Rate in Oil Contaminated Wetland Soil under Remediation with Nutrient Supplements and Leguminous Plants

Previous investigation on the impact of crude oil on the growth of tropical legumes and its effect on nitrogen dynamics in wetland ultisol showed that oil contamination reduced N uptake by plants but increased N accumulation in soil microbial biomass. Moreover, the presence of hydrocarbons widened the C/N ratio in soil and led to more available N being immobilized by soil microorganisms. The present study was carried out to evaluate the activity of ammonium oxidizing bacteria (AOB) and their nitrification potential rate (NPR) in wetland soil under a remediation course. Mineralization studies showed that ammonium-N levels decreased while nitrate-N increased progressively in the uncontaminated soil (control) cultivated with leguminous plants (cover crops) during the 12 weeks remediation period. However, the remediated soils were affected in different ways. The experimented soil cultivated with Centrosema pubescens had higher mineral nitrogen (NH4-N, NO3-N, NO2-N, Total N and P) than soil cultivated with Calopogonium mucunoides and Pueraria phaseoloides. AOB counts recorded were in the ranged, 2.25 × 102 - 2.66 × 105, 2.31 × 102 - 2.11 × 104 and 4.25 × 102 - 2.98 × 104 respectively. The highest NPR was found in uncontaminated soil (11.68 - 60.92 nmol N/g dry weight soil (DWS)) followed by soil treated with poultry manure (9.65 - 24.86 nmol N/g DWS/h), NPK (7.88 - 39.45 nmol N/g DWS/h) and in the oil-contaminated soil (0.11 - 1.87 nmol N/g DWS/h). The relations between NH4-N concentration and NPR in soil cultivated with Centrosema (r = 0.852), Calopogonium (r = 0.745) and Pueraria (r = 0.722) were positively significant at 95% confidence limit. Similarly the relations between AOB density and NPR for Centrosema (r = 0.654;P = 0.05), Calopogonium (r = 0.588;P = 0.05) and Pueraria (r = 0.518;P = 0.05) were significant. The findings imply that nitrification potential of crude oil- contaminated soil differs significantly with the nutrient amendment/treatment technique adopted for remediation. Our research has shown that treatment of uncontaminated soil with cover crops increased AOB and nitrification rate. More so, contaminated soil treated with poultry manure and NPK-fertilizer, cultivated with covers crops resulted in remarkable reduction in hydrocarbons content and increased population of nitrifiers and nitrification potential rates of wetland soil over time. However, contaminated soil treated with poultry manure and cultivated with Centrosema pubescens is more effective in bioremediation of crude oil-contaminated soil.

Effects of Wetland Utilization Change on Spatial Distribution of Soil Nematodes in Heihe River Basin, Northwest China

The first account of the effects of wetland reclamation on soil nematode assemblages were provided, three sites in Heihe River Basin of Northwest China, that is grass wetland(GW), Tamarix chinensis wetland(TW) and crop wetland(CW) treatments, were compared. Results showed that the majority of soil nematodes were presented in the 0–20 cm soil layers in CW treatments, followed by in the 20–40 cm and 40–60 cm layers in GW treatments. Plant-feeding nametodes were the most abundant trophic groups in each treatment, where GW(91.0%) > TW(88.1%) > CW(53.5%). Generic richness(GR) was lower in the TW(16) than that in GW(23) and CW(25). The combination of enrichment index(EI) and structure index(SI) showed that the soil food web in GW was more structured, and those in TW was stressed, while the enrichment soil food web was presented in the CW treatment. Several ecological indices which reflected soil community structure, diversity, Shannon-Weaver diversity(H′), Evenness(J′), Richness(GR) and modified maturity index(MMI) were found to be effective for assessing the response of soil namatode communities to soil of saline wetland reclamation. Furthermore, saline wetland reclamation also exerted great influence on the soil physical and chemical properties(p H, Electric conductivity(EC), Total organic carbon(TOC), Total nitrogen(Total-N) and Nitrate Nitrogen(N-NO3–)). These results indicated that the wetland reclamation had significantly effects on soil nematode community structure and soil properties in this study.

Transfer and Transformation of Soil Iron and Implications for Hydrogeomorpholocial Changes in Naoli River Catchment, Sanjiang Plain, Northeast China

Wetland soils are characterized by alternating redox process due to the fluctuation of waterlogged conditions. Iron is an important redox substance, and its transfer and transformation in the wetland ecosystem could be an effective indicator for the environment changes. In this paper, we selected the Naoli River catchment in the Sanjiang Plain, Northeast China as the study area to analyze the dynamics of transfer and transformation of soil iron, and the relationship between iron content change and environmental factors. The results show that the total and crystalline iron contents reach the peak in the depth of 60 cm in soil profile, while the amorphous iron content is higher in the topsoil. In the upper reaches, from the low to high landscape positions, the total and crystalline iron contents decrease from 62.98 g/kg to 41.61 g/kg, 22.82 g/kg to 10.53 g/kg respectively, while the amorphous iron content increases from 2.42 g/kg to 8.88 g/kg. Amorphous iron content has positive correlation with organic matter and soil water contents, while negative correlation with pH. Moreover, both the crystalline and amorphous iron contents present no correlation with total iron content, indicating that environmental factors play a more important role in the transfer and transformation of iron other than the content of the total iron. Different redoximorphic features were found along the soil profile due to the transfer and transformation of iron. E and B horizons of wetland soil in the study area have a matrix Chroma 2 or less, and all the soil types can meet the criteria of American hydric soil indicators except albic soil.

Spatial Variation of Soil Inorganic Carbon Reserves of Typical Estuarine Wetlands in Jiaozhou Bay, China

The storage of inorganic carbon in estuarine wetlands is of great significance for mitigating global warming. The Dagu River estuary and Yanghe River estuary of Jiaozhou Bay were selected as sampling areas, and data analysis was carried out by Duncan method to explore the distribution characteristics and influencing factors of soil inorganic carbon(SIC) reserves. The results showed that increasing distance from the estuary led to higher reserves in the mudflat along the coastal zone. The scouring action of seawater bodies was the main factor driving this distribution. In the vertical section, the SIC reserves in 40–60 cm depth were relatively high, accounting for 34.11% of the 0–60 cm soil depth, and resulting from the transport of water and salt in seawater. In the river flat along the vertical coastal zone, the SIC reserves first decreased and then increased with increasing distance from the sea, and the SIC reserves in 0–20 cm depth were relatively high in the vertical section, accounting for 38.18% of the 0–60 cm soil depth. These reserves were affected by synergetic factors such as oceanic factors and anthropogenic activities. The invasion of Spartina alterniflora decreased the SIC reserves of wetlands, mainly due to its root transformation and the differences of growth characteristics and years being the main reasons for the observed decreases. Aquaculture activities changed the physical and chemical properties of the soil in aquaculture ponds, and consequently changed the distribution of SIC reserves.

Iron-mediated soil carbon response to water-table decline in an alpine wetland

With the support by the National Natural Science Foundation of China and the Ministry of Science and Technology of China,a collaborative study by the research groups led by Prof.Feng Xiaojuan(冯晓娟)from the Institute of Botany,Chinese Academy of Sciences and Prof.He Jinsheng(贺金生)from Peking University demonstrates the under-investigated role of iron(Fe)in mediating soil enzyme activity

Vertical characteristics of the Hani terrace paddyfield ecosystem in Yunnan,China

The Hani terrace paddyfield in Yunnan Province,China is categorized as a‘constructed wetland’under the Lamsar Convention classification.The Hani terrace paddyfield ranges from an altitude of 144 to 2000 m above sea level(ASL)in the southern slopes of the Ailao Mountains,angling down at a range of 15°to 75°.In this study,we investigated the ecosystem of the terrace paddyfields in the Mengpin and Quanfuzhuang administrative villages located at the center of the cultural heritage conservation district in the Hani terrace paddy-field.The Hani terrace paddyfield ecosystem structure is"forest-village-terrace paddyfield-river"in the order of descending altitude.Soil and water samples were sequen-tially taken from forests,villages and the terrace paddy-fields to be able to study the vertical characteristics of Hani’s terrace paddyfields.PO_(4)-P and NH_(3)-N in water were measured to test for water contamination.Seven soil nutrient factors were tested,including organic material(OM),char and nitrogen ratio(C/N),pH,total nitrogen(TN),total phosphorus(TP),available phosphorus(AP),and available potassium(AK).Soil quality was also eval-uated using the characteristics of the soil nutrient factors.Vertical changes in the landscape,wetland types,wetland plants,hydrology and soil nutrients were characterized.Results showed that:(1)Hani’s terrace paddyfield can be divided into five types of wetlands;the rice varieties and cultivation patterns vary in each type of wetland.(2)Hani’s terrace paddyfield has a great capacity for water conservation and a strong ability to purify contaminants.The impoundage of Hani’s terrace paddyfield is about 5050 m^(3)/hm^(2).Contaminants in the terrace paddyfield soils decrease exponentially with the decline in altitude.(3)Comparison of soil quality in five different land use types indicates decreasing soil quality from forest to terrace land to terrace paddyfield to water source.Except for headwater soil,single factors such as OM,TN and TP,and the comprehensive soil quality in individual sampling zones tend to increase with altitude elevation.Comprehensive soil quality in the Quanfuzhuang sampling zone is better than in the Mengpin sampling zone.Finally,a comparison of Hani’s terrace paddyfield with plain paddyfields and natural wetlands highlighted the vertical characteristics of Hani’s terrace paddyfield.