BIODIVERSITY AND CONSERVATION OF FRESHWATER FISH IN HONG KONG, CHINA

We surveyed the distribution, composition and diversity of freshwater fish in Hong Kong, China from 2002 to 2004. Sites surveyed were mainly streams, marshes and estuaries. There are ponds for aquaculture and reservoirs in Hong Kong but no large natural water bodies. From the 220 sites surveyed, 114 species of 37 families were found. Gobiidae (with 24 species) and Cyprinidae (21 species) were the dominant families. This survey has increased the number of freshwater fish species recorded in Hong Kong to 167. Among these, 71 (42.5%) are primary freshwater fish, 44 are brackish and 46 are vagrants. The remaining 6 species are diadromous. In Hong Kong, freshwater fish are conserved by a combination of measures. About 38% of Hong Kong’s land area is designated as country parks and/or special areas, and is managed for nature conservation and educational purposes. In addition, another 5% of land area is zoned for conservation in the statutory land use zoning system to protect them from development and incompatible land uses. Major development projects have to go through the statutory environmental impact assessment process to ensure that they will not have adverse impact as far as practicable. There are conservation action plans for important species. For example, captive-bred individuals of the endemic Hong Kong Paradise Fish Macropodus hongkongensis have been released to suitable and secure sites inside country parks and their populations are regularly monitored. Other measures such as wetland creation, restoration and enhancement programmes are also implemented for freshwater fish conservation.

Spatio-temporal patterns of the Red-footed Falcon's hunting behavior during the nestling period suggest ad hoc conservation policies

The Red-footed Falcon(Falco vespertinus)is a species of high international conservation interest.We analyzed its hunting behavior at the two largest colonies in Italy during the nestling period.Using accurate data-loggers,we tracked three adult Red-footed Falcons in June and July,2019 and collected 4703 GPS points.We detected clear patterns of hovering and perching activity(HPA)in both time and space.HPA occupied one-third of the Red-footed Falcons’day,and showed two peaks just after sunrise(between 35 and 40%of the monitoring time)and just before sunset(50‒60%)in both June and July,and minimum(20‒30%)at night and during the hottest time interval(10:00 a.m.‒4:00 p.m.).Almost 40%of HPA occurred within 50 m from nests.Our findings,although preliminary,have important implications for the conservation of these two colonies that are located within two Natura 2000 sites.The detected spatio-temporal patterns of Red-footed Falcons’hunting behavior suggests the creation of two nested protection belts:the inner one is a narrow belt(up to 50 m from the two rows of trees that host the two colonies)with integral conservation,and hopefully increase the alfalfa crops and fallow land,and the outer belt(50 m‒2 km)with optimized agricultural activities.

Identification and Conservation State of Painted Wall Plasters at the Funerary House in Necropolis of Tuna El-Gebel, El-Minia-Upper Egypt

During this study, the principal aim carried out was to obtain more information about technique and conservation conditions of the Egyptian wall paintings during the Roman period in the funerary house in necropolis of Tuna el-Gabal, El-Minia-Upper Egypt. It’s going back to 2nd century AD and involves different sites of Ptolemaic and Roman chapels;some are in the immaculate established style while others are a blend of Pharaonic-Greek style and both are secured with mural painting. Deterioration problems observed on the wall paintings of the funerary house are, loss of plaster layers, disintegration of plaster layers, loss of paint layers (blistering and peeling), discoloration and severely damaged owing to a lot of deterioration factors as weakness of mud brick support, deterioration of surface treatments and to the widespread presence of different salts. The materials used in the painting, preparation layers and the state of conservation of the mural painting at funerary house were investigated by integrated physio-chemical measurements, particularly micro-Raman spectroscopy (µRaman), light optical microscopy (LOM), scanning electron microscopy (SEM) coupled with an energy dispersive X-ray analysis system (EDX), X-ray powder diffraction (XRD) and Fourier transform infrared (FT-IR). In addition, the morphology of multilayer plaster from wall painting was investigated using atomic force microscopy (AFM). A wide color palette utilized as a part of the necropolis has been identified with mineral pigments and pigment mixtures. It is found that, the paints were based on an organic binder and traditional pigments (azurite, hematite, ochre, vegetable black) were used as colorants on plaster. The examination demonstrated that the preparatory layer is verging on made of pure lime while the plaster layer based mainly of lime and gypsum with variable amounts of quartz. The obtained results provided information about the painting technique, chemical composition, crystal structure in addition to the stratigraphy of the paint layers and the state of preservation and on the causes of the painting deterioration. Furthermore, the obtained results can be used in the conservation and restoration interventions of these sites.

Mechanisms of the Deterioration of the Wall Reliefs at Shenhur Temple, Upper Egypt and Concepts for Conservation

The Roman Period temple of Isis at Shenhur was built and enhanced amid the rule of Augustus (30 BCE-14 CE) through that of Trajan (98-117 CE). It was built of two sorts of local limestone and decorated with reliefs. Examination of conservation state uncovered that it was collapsed and only partly preserved and it disposed of some still buried rooms. The temple is exposed to different deteriorations processes created by internal and external stresses because of the mineral composition of the building materials, atmosphere variables, salts crystallization and groundwater. In this study, the deterioration problems of the wall reliefs were examined for the aim of its conservation. For this purpose, the chemical, physical and structural characterization were performed by means of X-Ray Diffraction (XRD) and observation of thin section by transmitted light optical microscopy (LOM), polarized microscope, Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM) attached with EDX and thermogravimetric (DTA & TGA). Additionally, microbiological study and chemical analyses of ground water were carried out. Results demonstrated that the deterioration of Shenhur was because of the forceful activity of the environment agents and soluble salts such as chlorides and sulphates. These results and information allowed that the identification of the types of salts and deterioration features might be used in the future for conservation purposes.

Multi-species habitat models highlight the key importance of flooded reedbeds for inland wetland birds: implications for management and conservation

Background: Inland wetlands are crucial for biodiversity conservation, especially in highly-urbanized landscapes. In the European Union, many wetlands are included in the EU ‘Natura 2000’ network, the main tool for biodiversity conservation over the continent, which requires the development of site-specific management plans. Clear and feasible recommendations are necessary to provide site managers with effective tools for the maintenance of biodiversity in these unstable environments. Birds are excellent umbrella species, therefore a management targeted at increasing habitat suitability for focal bird species would likely benefit broader wetland biological communities. Methods: During spring–summer 2017, we collected presence/absence data for 10 bird species of conservation interest at a site scale for 21 Natura 2000 sites. We also carried out a point count survey to detect presence/absence of four reedbed-dwelling species at 75 points. At the site level, we estimated landscape characteristics from regional GISlayers, whereas fine-scaled habitat composition was recorded on the field within a 100 m-buffer around the 75 points. We analysed the effect of the extent of different habitats on species’ occurrence probability by means of multi-species binomial multivariate adaptive regression splines (MARS) at both scales. We also run species-specific MARS models to compare their performance with those of multi-species models. Results: At the site scale, the extent of the reedbeds/mires was positively associated with the occurrence of all species of conservation concern. At the point-count scale, reedbed extent positively predicted species’ occurrence, but only in presence of patches of clear shallow water. Species-specific MARS models showed qualitatively similar results for some species, but generally were outperformed by multi-species ones. Conclusions: Multi-species MARS models confirmed to be an efficient tool in disclosing species-habitat relationships even for set of species including scarce taxa and when only short-term monitoring data are available. In terms of conservation measures, our findings stress the importance of Phragmites australis reedbed as a key habitat for avian biodiversity, but only when it is flooded and interspersed with scattered patches of open water. The preservation of wide (>100/150 ha) and flooded reedbeds structured in spots of no less than 2 ha emerges as the main conservation measure for the long-term conservation of the threatened avifauna of inland pre-Alpine wetlands.

Examination and Conservation of Helal El-Beah Mosque, Dakahlia, Egypt

Helal El-Beah mosque in Egypt was built from many different materials as sandstone, bricks and marble. These building materials were in a bad condition due to many degradation factors, mainly ground water and salt weathering, so many deterioration phenomena were appeared as horizontal and vertical cracks, salts, loss of the Islamic decorations in the fa?ade and mihrab (Prayer niche), detachment of the plaster, biological colonization and featured dark of the stone surface. Prior to the conservation intervention, the building materials were characterized to identify their components. Scientific conservation treatment was carried out for the long-term conservation of the mosque. Conservation operations at the mosque included: repairing and roof insulation, wet and dry cleaning, joining of cracked parts and surface consolidating, replacement of the Portland cement plaster with lime plaster, re-cladding the lower part of the interior brick walls with sandstone tiles, replacement and completion of the stone blocks.

A scoping review on traditional medicine for bruxism

Objective:To investigate the current evidence on traditional medicine in managing bruxism and its clinical efficacy.Methods:A search was conducted in nine databases to identify potential eligible articles published from the date of inception until August 3,2022.All clinical studies that used traditional medicine of any type in treating bruxism were eligible for inclusion.Two authors performed data extraction and quality as-sessments independently.Retrieved data were tabulated and discussed narratively.Results:A total of 16 clinical studies were included in this scoping review.Of the 16 studies,three studies were randomized controlled trials,one was a caseecontrol study,10 were case series,and two were case reports.Our review identified studies of interventions based on herbal medicine and acupuncture-related therapies.Most studies reported positive results,but the overall quality of the included studies was typically fair to poor.Conclusions:This study is the first scoping review on traditional medicine for bruxism despite the limited evidence.More research on traditional medicine in bruxism management should be conducted for better clarification and application in daily practice.

Effect of Two Substrate Types on Feeding Efficiency by Juvenile Chinese Sturgeon Acipenser sinensis on Barcheek Goby Rhinogobius giurinus

We conducted experiments in an artificial stream tank with wild juvenile Chinese sturgeon Acipenser sinensis captured in the Yangtze Estuary to test the null hypothesis that their feeding efficiency on Barcheek goby Rhinogobius giurinus was not affected by sand vs. smooth glass substrate. Gobies are among the most common prey eaten by wild juvenile A. sinensis in the estuary. Test results found neither substrate type significantly affected feeding efficiency by juveniles. Previous research found a strong innate habitat preference of A. sinensis for sand substrate. The present results indicate that the preference for sand is not related to efficiently capturing R. giurinus on sand, but is an adaptation predisposing juvenile A. sinensis to seek sandy substrate where R. giurinus and other benthic forage are the most abundant in the Yangtze Estuary.

少免耕土壤结构与导水能力的季节变化及其水保效果

通过对黑土坡耕地免耕、少耕与传统耕作土壤物理性状全生育期观测，比较研究土壤结构和导水性状季节变化差异及其与水土流失的关系。结果表明，表层0～20 cm土壤，免耕土壤容重全生育期维持在1.20～1.30 g cm^-3，变化小，大于0.25 mm的水稳性团聚体含量（WR0.25）和平均重量直径（MWD）高于传统耕作，初始和稳定入渗速率均高于少耕和传统耕作，土壤含水量分别较少耕和传统耕作高4.7和4.4个百分点，较传统耕作分别减少地表径流和土壤流失量86%和100%；少耕除夏季各项性状均介于免耕和传统耕作之间，夏季垄沟深松后，垄沟土壤容重显著降低，较免耕和传统耕作降低0.15 g cm^-3以上，提高土壤初始入渗速率30%以上，较传统耕作减少水和土壤流失量20%和40%。传统耕作土壤容重，垄台由播种时的0.91 g cm^-3增加至收获时的1.23 g cm^-3，垄沟一直维持在1.30 g cm^-3左右，WR0.25、MWD、土壤稳定入渗速率、含水量均较低，全生育期10%的雨水流失，土壤流失量615 t km^-2 a^-1。免耕土壤结构稳定，蓄水保水最佳，为效果显著的水土保持耕作措施，少耕也有一定的保水保土作用；免耕和少耕均能够改善土壤物理性状。

An evaluation on using soil aggregate stability as the indicator of interrill erodibility

Aggregate stability is a very important predictor of soil structure and strength,which influences soil erodibility.Several aggregate stability indices were selected for estimating interrill erodibility of four soil types with contrasting properties from temperate and subtropical regions of China.This study was conducted to investigate how closely the soil interrill erodibility factor in the Water Erosion Prediction Project(WEPP) model relates to soil aggregate stability.The mass fractal dimension(FD),geometric mean diameter(GMD),mean weight diameter(MWD),and aggregate stability index(ASI) of soil aggregates were calculated.A rainfall simulator with a drainable flume(3.0 m long × 1.0 m wide × 0.5 m deep) was used at four slope gradients(5°,10°,15° and 20°),and four rainfall intensities(0.6,1.1,1.7 and 2.5 mm/min).Results indicated that the interrill erodibility(Ki) values were significantly correlated to the indices of ASI,MWD,GMD,and FD computed from the aggregate wet-sieve data.The Ki had a strong positive correlation with FD,as well as a strong negative correlation with ASI,GMD,and MWD.Soils with a higher aggregate stability and lower fractal dimension have smaller Ki values.Stable soils were characterized by a high percentage of large aggregates and the erodible soils by a high percentage of smaller aggregates.The correlation coefficients of Ki with ASI and GMD were greater than those with FDand MWD,implying that both the ASI and GMD may be better alternative parameters for empirically predicting the soil Ki factor.ASI and GMD are more reasonable in interrill soil erodibility estimation,compared with Ki calculation in original WEPP model equation.Results demonstrate the validation of soil aggregation characterization as an appropriate indicator of soil susceptibility to erosion in contrasting soil types in China.

Assessing Agricultural Sustainable Development Based on the DPSIR Approach: Case Study in Jiangsu, China

According to the contemporary ecosystem approach, the linkages of human actions with their environment have to be assessed in an integrative manner. The Driver-Pressure-State-Impact-Response （DPSIR） model is applied to identify and describe processes and interactions in human-environmental systems. An example application from a research project dealing with the development of sustainable management strategies for the agriculture in Jiangsu, China, illustrates the potentials and limitations of its sustainable development. The concept and indicators of ecological integrity are used to assess the indicators in the dimensions of DPSIR between 2003 and 2006. The main drivers included population growth which caused increasing demand for food, growing environmental demands, and rapidly decreasing of land and other natural resources. The main environmental problem was water pollution. The results show that in the dimension of driver, total grain output and agricultural land productivity both increased. Labor intensive agriculture has been promoted to increase agricultural land productivity. In the dimension of pressure, on the positive side, infrastructure got greatly improved, the input level such as total power of machinery, and level of fertilizer use increased, and level of pesticides use decreased, but on the negative side, cultivated land per capita and irrigation rate decreased, natural resources keep decreased. Environmental pollution indicators such as industrial wastewater discharge and acid rain rate increased in Jiangsu Province. In the aspect of state, ecosystem state was improved, plant coverage index increased, biological abundance index increased, fertilizer productivity increased, eco-environmental quality index increased, but land degradation index also increased. In the aspect of impact, output level increased, output efficiency enhanced, farmer＇s social economic benefit improved. In the aspect of response, social support was greatly improved, input for environmental governance increased. To assess the effects of environmental governance, Jiangsu government was successful to increase compliance rate of sulfur dioxide emissions, but not so efficient in compliance rate of industrial wastewater discharge.

Quantitative Comparison of Calcium Hydroxide Removal by EndoActivator, Ultrasonic and ProTaper File Agitation Techniques: An in vitro Study

Calcium hydroxide （CH） dressing residues can compromise endodontic sealing. This study aimed to evaluate the amount of remaining CH in root canals after mechanical removal by four groups of irrigation techniques including needle irrigation only, ProTaper file, EndoActivator, and ultrasonic file. Fifteen extracted single-rooted teeth were collected and used for all four groups. The samples were firstly prepared by ProTaper rotary instruments, and then sectioned longitudinally through the long axis of the root canals, followed by final reassembling by wires. CH was kept in the canals for 7 days setting. The removal procedure began with 5 mL of 2.5% sodium hypochlorite （NaOC1） followed by 1 mL of 17% ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid and a final irrigation with 5 mL of 2.5% NaOC1 solution for all groups. No additional agitation of the irrigant was performed in group 1, while agitation for 20 s be- tween irrigants was done with F2 ProTaper rotary file in group 2, EndoActivator with tip size 25/.04 in group 3 and by an ultrasonic file 25/.02 in group 4. The total activation time was 60 s. The roots were then disassembled and captured by digital camera. The ratio of CH coated surface area to the surface area of the whole canal as well as each third of the canal was calculated. The data were statistically ana- lyzed by one-way ANOVA using post hoc Tukey test. Results showed that none of the four techniques could remove all CH. No significant difference was found between EndoActivator and ultrasonic tech- niques. However, they both removed significantly more CH than ProTaper and needle irrigation （P=0.0001）. In conclusion, the sonic and ultrasonic agitation techniques were more effective in removing intracanal medicaments than the ProTaper rotary file and needle irrigation in all thirds of the canal.

Annual Discharge and Sediment Load Variation in Jialing River During the Past 50 Years

Annual discharge and annual suspended sediment loads of Beipei Hydrological Station of the Jialing River catchment were analyzed to describe the trend of Jialing River over the last five decades (1956-2006). These loads were also analyzed to ascertain the influential factors associated with its variation with the help of Kendall's Tau-b correlation analysis and regression analysis. The results indicated that the Jialing River annual discharge showed no significant trend at >95% confidence level while the annual sediment load appeared to have a significant decrease trend over the last 50 years. A decrease in the annual sediment load was particularly apparent after the year 1985, at which a substantial shift in the sediment level occurred. This shift is attributed to the construction of numerous dams in 1980s. However, after the year of 1985, two periodical stages (1986-1991 and 1992-2006) with distinct sediment load and sediment-runoff ratio were identified. The period 1992-2006 is characterised by low sediment load, which is most probably due to the impact of large scale of soil and water conservation, which took place at the end of the 1980s. Last, models describing the relationship between the discharge and the sediment load, discharge and sediment-runoff ratio as well as between the sediment load and sediment-runoff ratio were constructed.

Geographical distribution of red and green Noctiluca scintillans

The dinoflagellate Noctiluca scintillans is one of the most important and abundant red tide organisms and it is distributed world-wide. It occurs in two forms. Red Noctiluca is heterotrophic and fills the role of one of the microzooplankton grazers in the foodweb. In contrast, green Noctiluca contains a photosynthetic symbiont Pedinomonas noctilucae (a prasinophyte), but it also feeds on other plankton when the food supply is abundant. In this review, we document the global distribution of these two forms and include the first maps of their global distribution. Red Noctiluca occurs widely in the temperate to sub-tropical coastal regions of the world. It occurs over a wide temperature range of about 10°C to 25°C and at higher salinities (generally not in estuaries). It is particularly abundant in high productivity areas such as upwelling or eutrophic areas where diatoms dominate since they are its preferred food source. Green Noctiluca is much more restricted to a temperature range of 25°C-30°C and mainly occurs in tropical waters of Southeast Asia, Bay of Bengal (east coast of India), in the eastern, western and northern Arabian Sea, the Red Sea, and recently it has become very abundant in the Gulf of Oman. Red and green Noctiluca do overlap in their distribution in the eastern, northern and western Arabian Sea with a seasonal shift from green Noctiluca in the cooler winter convective mixing, higher productivity season, to red Noctiluca in the more oligotrophic warmer summer season.

Effects of moss-dominated biocrusts on soil detachment by overland flow in the Three Gorges Reservoir Area of China

Biological soil crusts(biocrusts)are important landscape components that exist in various climates and habitats.The roles of biocrusts in numerous soil processes have been predominantly recognized in many dryland regions worldwide.However,little is known about their effects on soil detachment process by overland flow,especially in humid climates.This study quantified the effects of moss-dominated biocrusts on soil detachment capacity(Dc)and soil erosion resistance to flowing water in the Three Gorges Reservoir Area which holds a subtropical humid climate.Potential factors driving soil detachment variation and their influencing mechanism were analyzed and elucidated.We designed five levels of coverage treatments(1%–20%,20%–40%,40%–60%,60%–80%,and 80%–100%)and a nearby bare land as control in a mossdominated site.Undisturbed soil samples were taken and subjected to water flow scouring in a hydraulic flume under six shear stresses ranging from 4.89 to 17.99 Pa.The results indicated that mean Dc of mosscovered soil varied from 0.008 to 0.081 kg m^-2 s^-1,which was 1.9 to 21.0 times lower than that of bare soil(0.160 kg m^-2 s^-1).Rill erodibility(Kr)of mosscovered soil ranged from 0.0095 to 0.0009 s m^-1,which was 2 to 20 times lower than that of bare soil(0.0187 s m^-1).Both relative soil detachment rate and Kr showed an exponential decay with increasing moss coverage,whereas the critical shear stress(τc)for different moss coverage levels did not differ significantly.Moss coverage,soil cohesion,and sand content were key factors affecting Dc,while moss coverage and soil bulk density were key factors affecting Kr.A power function of flow shear stress,soil cohesion,and moss coverage fitted well to estimate Dc(NSE=0.947).Our findings implied that biocrusts prevented soil detachment directly by their physical cover and indirectly by soil properties modification.Biocrusts could be rehabilitated as a promising soil conservation measure during ecological recovery to enhance soil erosion resistance in the Three Gorges Reservoir Area.

Effects of Photosynthetically Active Radiation and Air Temperature on CO_2 Uptake of Pterocarpus macrocarpus in the Open Field

Since trees and plants can absorb CO2, forests are widely regarded as a carbon sink that may control the amount of CO2 in the atmosphere. The CO2 uptake rate of plants is affected by the plant species and environmental conditions such as photosynthetically active radiation (PAR), temperature, water and nutrient contents. PAR is the most immediate environmental control on photosynthesis while air temperature affects both photorespiration and dark respiration. In the natural condition, PAR and temperature play an important role in net CO2 uptake. The effects of PAR and air temperature on the CO2 uptake of Pterocarpus macrocarpus grown in a natural habitat were studied in the present work. Due to many uncontrollable factors, a simple rectangular hyperbola could not represent the measured data. The data were divided into groups of 2oC intervals; CO2 uptake in each group may then be related to PAR by a rectangular hyperbola function. Using the obtained functions, the effect of PAR was removed from the original data. The PAR-independent CO2 uptake was then related to air temperature. Finally, the effects of PAR (I) and air temperature (Ta) on the CO2 uptake rate (A) were combined as: (-0.0575Ta2+2.6691Ta-23.264)I A= ——————————————— (-0.00766Ta2+0.40666Ta-3.99924) (-4.8794Ta2+227.13Ta-2456.9)+I

Grey Relational Analysis on the Effects of Rainfall Factors on Runoff and Sediment in the Sloping Farmland with Different Plants in the Central South of Shandong Province

[Objective] The aim was to study the main rainfall factors influencing runoff and sediment in the sloping farmland with different plants in the central south of Shandong Province.[Method] Through grey relational analysis,the effects of different rainfall factors on runoff and sediment with different plants in the central south of Shandong were studied.[Result] In the sloping farmland with different plants,the effects of rainfall factors on runoff and sediment weren’t consistent.Rainfall was the dominant influencing factor of runoff,but PI30 had the greatest influence on runoff in natural grassland.Meanwhile,rainfall intensity was the main influencing factor of sediment,but PI had the greatest influence on sediment in Astragalus adsurgens Pall.plot.The compound factor had the minimal influence on runoff and sediment in Arachis hypogaea plot and natural grassland.In A.adsurgens Pall.plot,rainfall intensity had the minimal impact on runoff,but the compound factor had the least effect on sediment.[Conclusion] The study could provide theoretical references for the comprehensive control of slope soil erosion,the optimum utilization and sustainable development of land.

Synthesis,Crystal Structure and Thermal Analysis of N-(2,3-Dimethyl-phenyl)-N'-(methoxyl formyl)thiourea

N-（2,3-Dimethyl-phenyl）-N＇-（methoxyl formyl）thiourea was synthesized by the reacting of 2,3-dimethylaniline,potassium thiocyanate（KSCN） and methyl chloroformate（ClCOOCH 3）.Single crystal was obtained by slowly evaporation solvent at room temperature.The structure was characterized by elemental analysis,IR and X-ray crystalography.The compound crystallized：a triclinic system with space group Pī,a=0.83440（12） nm,b=0.89113（13） nm,c=0.93015（13） nm,α=76.548（2） o,β=63.906（2） o,γ=82.538（2） o,V=0.60379（15） nm 3,Z=2,D c =1.311 mg/m 3,F（000）=252,μ=0.256 mm-1,R 1 =0.0379,wR 2 =0.0919.The specific heat capacity of the title compound was determined by a Micro-DSC method,and the specific heat capacity was 1.25 J·g-1 ·K-1 at 298.15 K.Thermodynamic functions,relative to those at the standard temperature of 298.15 K,were calculated via thermodynamic relationship.The thermal behavior of the title compound under a non-isothermal condition was studied by differential scanning calorimetry/thermogravimetric（DSC/TG） method.There was an obvious endothermic peak in the DSC curve,the peak temperature was 479.43 K.The compound mass loss was 89.94% observed from the TG curve.

Comparison of litterfall production in three forest types in Jeju Island, South Korea

Litterfall, which is influenced by physical and biological factors, is a major pathway for carbon and nutrient cycling in forest ecosystems. The purpose of this study was to investigate monthly litterfall production in three forests in Jeju Island differentiated by forest composition and precipitation: Cheongsu(Quercus glauca as the dominant species;low precipitation), Seonheulb(Q. glauca as the dominant species;high precipitation), and Seonheulm(Q. glauca and Pinus thunbergii as the dominant species;high precipitation). Litterfall was collected monthly from April to December 2015 and divided into leaf litter, twig, bark, seeds, and unidentified materials.Seasonal patterns of litterfall production varied across stands according to their species composition. However,the amount of leaf litterfall and total litterfall were comparable among stands, ranging from 362 to 375 g m-2 for leaf litter and 524 g m-2 to 580 g m-2 for total litterfall.Oak leaf litter in May was the highest in all stands, while needle litter was the highest in December in Seonheulm.High twig litterfall in July may be attributable to high rainfall with strong winds and storms during the rainy season. Although forest type and climate factor had no influence on litterfall amounts in this study, the pattern of litterfall production was species dependent, suggesting diverse effects on carbon and nutrient cycling in these forests.

Impact of enclosure management on soil properties and microbial biomass in a restored semi-arid rangeland, Kenya

Rangeland degradation is a serious problem throughout sub-Saharan Africa and its restoration is a challenge for the management of arid and semi-arid areas. In Lake Baringo Basin of Kenya, communities and individual farmers are restoring indigenous vegetation inside enclosures in an effort to combat severe land degradation and address their livelihood problems. This study evaluated the impact of enclosure management on soil properties and microbial biomass, being key indicators of soil ecosystem health. Six reseeded communal enclosures using soil embankments as water-harvesting structures and strictly regulated access were selected, varying in age from 13 to 23 years. In six private enclosures, ranging from 3 to 17 years in age, individual farmers emulated the communal enclosure strategy and restored areas for their exclusive use. Significant decreases in bulk density, and increases in the soil organic carbon, total nitrogen and microbial biomass contents and stocks were found in the enclosures as compared with the degraded open rangeland. In the private enclosures, the impact of rehabilitation on the soil quality was variable, and soil quality was in general lower than that obtained under communal management. The significant increase of absolute stocks of carbon, nitrogen and microbial biomass compared to the degraded open rangeland indicates the potential for the restoration of soil quality through range rehabilitation. Over-sowing with indigenous legume fodder species could improve total nitrogen content in the soil and nutritional value of the pastures as well.