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Additional file 1. Response mechanism of hypocrellin colorants biosynthesis by Shiraia bambusicola to elicitor PB90.

Soil salinization is a serious problem that affects the seedling growth in many regions. A greenhouse experiment was carried to investigate the adaptation ability of seedlings (Sorghum bicolor (L.) Moench.) in coastal saline alkaline environment. Seedlings of sorghum were treated by different salt and alkali stress (NaCl: Na2SO4: NaHCO3 were 2:1:0, 2:1:1, 2:1:2). The treatments consisted of three levels of salinity (100, 200 and 300 mmol/L) and pH values were 7.08, 8.78 and 9.04. The results showed that the seedlings of sorghum have good adaptability to salt stress under low pH (pH ≤7.08). The plant height, the maximum leave areas of seedlings all dropped and root length first ascended and then descended with the increasing of salt and alkali stress. The contents of Chlorophyll b degraded significantly under salt and alkali stress. Salt and alkali stress stimulated the accumulation of organic solutes (proline and protein) and inorganic ions (Na+, Cl-, SO42-). Our results showed that salt and alkali stress have significant effect on growth indexes except root length and the interaction effect has significantly on physiology.

Uninhabited islands are important for providing isolated habitats for unique biological resources, and revealing the spatial pattern of plant diversity is of great significance for the island biodiversity conservation. A total of 15 uninhabited islands in Miaodao Archipelago, a group of typical uninhabited islands in North China, were selected as the study area. The multiple gradients at island and site scales were identified and quantified based on field investigation and remote sensing methods, and seven “from macro to micro” aspects, including morphology, proximity, landscape, terrain, atmosphere, soil, and vegetation, were selected to cover all aspects of factors influencing the plant diversity. Then, the single and comprehensive effects of the multiple gradients on the spatial pattern of plant diversity at the dual scales were analyzed using methods of regression analysis and canonical correspondence analysis ordination. Results indicated that 130 plant species were recorded. The species accumulation curves proved the sufficiency of the numbers of sampling sites and islands to represent the overall characteristics of plant diversity. The species composition on the uninhabited islands possessed common characteristics with the neighboring inhabited islands and mainland, meanwhile, showed unique features on the dominant species. The α diversity showed distinct spatial heterogeneities at the dual scales; the β diversity indicated the great difference of species composition within an island and among different islands. At island scale, island area, vegetation condition, and terrain complexity contributed the most to the spatial pattern of plant diversity. At site scale, biodiversity indices changed irregularly along the multiple gradient factors, yet all aspects of gradients showed significant effects on the species composition and distribution. The island area played a fundamental role in determining the α diversity at island scale and generating the β diversity within an island, however, was not significantly correlated with the diversity at site scale.

The increased production and environmental release of graphene nanoparticles has raised concerns about its environmental impact, but the effects of graphene on living organisms at the metabolic level remain unknown. In this study, we used matrix assisted laser desorption/ionization mass spectrometry imaging (MALDI-MSI)-based untargeted metabolomics to investigate the metabolic response of juvenile earthworms (Eisenia fetida) to graphene exposure in soil tests for the first time. Our results reveal that graphene-exposure significantly disturbs earthworm metabolome, and graphene toxicity on earthworm shows non-concentration-dependent effect. Alanine, phenylalanine, proline, glutamate, arginine, histidine, maltose, glucose, malate, succinate, myo-inositol, and spermidine were successfully screened as significantly change compounds in earthworms for the exposure of graphene. The heterogeneous distributions of these metabolites in earthworm were also clearly imaged by MALDI-MSI. Our MSI results fully showed that the metabolite expression levels in juvenile earthworms significantly changed (up-/down-regulation) after exposure to graphene nanoparticles. This work improves our understanding of graphene nanoparticle toxicity to juvenile earthworms and also enables the continued progression of MALDI-MSI-based metabolomics as an emerging, reliable, and rapid ecotoxicological tool for assessing contaminant toxicity.

The determination of water use patterns of plants in a coastal ecosystem is critical to our understanding of local eco-hydrological processes and predicting trends in ecological succession under the background of global climate change. The water use patterns of Ziziphus jujuba, the dominant species on the Chenier Island in the Yellow River Delta, were examined following summer rainfall events. Stable oxygen isotope analysis was employed to analyze the effects of rainfall on the stable isotopic composition in potential water sources in Z. jujuba. The IsoSource model was used to estimate the contributions of potential water sources for xylem water in Z. jujuba. The results showed heavy rainfall could recharge both soil and groundwater but contributed little to the δ18O values in deep soil water (60–100 cm) and groundwater. Light rainfall had an effect only on surface soil water (0–40 cm). Z. jujuba mainly absorbed deep soil water on non-rainy days. Rainwater became the predominant water source for Z...

MYB transcription factors (TFs) in plants play important roles in abiotic stress tolerance. Here, we report that an MYB-related TF gene, named FvMYB1, was isolated from the salt-tolerant tree species Fraxinus velutina Torr. The real-time PCR analysis showed that the FvMYB1 transcript increased remarkably in response to salt treatment. Subsequently, the FvMYB1 gene was transferred into the tobacco genome via the Agrobacterium-mediated approach. PCR and Southern blot verified that the FvMYB1 gene had been expressed in transgenic tobacco. The overexpressing transgenic seedlings displayed better salt tolerance in root length, shoot fresh weight, and shoot/root ratio compared to the wild type. Moreover, along with the superoxide dismutase and peroxidase activities and proline content that were significantly increased in the transgenic plants, the transcriptions of a series of stress-responsive genes were up-regulated under salt treatment. Further, an analysis of the upstream sequence of the FvMYB1 gene revealed that the promoter could enhance GUS gene expression in transgenic tobacco with NaCl treatment. These results indicate that FvMYB1 functions as a transcriptional activator that plays a regulatory role in salt stress tolerance of F. velutina.

Land surface temperature (LST) is an important indicator of resource and environment changes in coastal wetlands and exhibits considerable spatiotemporal variations under multiple influences of intensive land–sea interaction and various human activities. Revealing the multi-temporal characteristics of LST and its relationships with normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI) and soil moisture content (MC) in coastal wetlands is important for identifying the LST variations under complex factors, the heat effects of different human exploitations, and the corresponding changes in vegetation and soil water conditions. The Yellow River Delta, a typical and important coastal wetland in China, was selected to demonstrate the study. Remote sensing and field investigation served as the data source, and the LST spatiotemporal patterns and their intrinsic correlations with NDVI and MC in the last 30 years and across different seasons were analyzed. Results indicated that LST spatial distributions varied in different years and seasons. In 1987, LST was low along the Yellow River and high in alongshore areas; in 2016, LST was distinctly low in most of the alongshore areas and high in urban and industrial areas. Across seasons, LST differences between alongshore and inner areas were more distinct in spring that in the other seasons, and LST in urban and industrial areas was especially higher than that in other areas in summer. Among different land covers, salt pond generated cool island effect, whereas urban and industrial areas generated heat island effect. Significant correlations were observed between LST and NDVI at regional scale and among LST, NDVI, and MC at site scale, and their relationships varied in different land cover types across different times. The changes in shorelines, land covers, and vegetation and soil conditions jointly determined the LST spatiotemporal patterns, and human activity has been the main driving factor.

Uninhabited islands serve as a natural and unique laboratory for the study of soil fertility under varying natural conditions and potential anthropogenic influences, and how the soil fertility spatially varies and which factor determines the spatial variance remain to be studied. In this study, a total of 15 uninhabited islands in Miaodao Archipelago, a typical archipelago in northern China, were selected to demonstrate the study. The soil fertility was represented by seven soil factors and a composite index, namely, soil fertility indicator (SFI). Different environmental factors that covered natural and anthropogenic aspects were identified at island and local scales, and the spatial pattern of soil fertility responding to the environmental factors was analyzed. Then, the influences of different environmental factors on the spatial variances of soil fertility at the dual scales were quantified. Results revealed that the soils in the study area had considerably higher values of total carbon, total nitrogen, organic matter, available phosphorus, and available potassium compared with the soils on other China’s islands, the recognized standards, and the national and regional mean values, indicating the extremely high fertility. Great spatial differences in the soil fertility were observed among different islands and sampling sites. At island scale, the island isolation, which was represented by the distance to the inhabited islands and the mainland (DTI), determined the spatial variance of soil fertility. The SFI distinctly increased with the increase in DTI, which could be explained partly by the isolation from human activities and the vegetation condition at island scale, and partly by the cross-scale influence from altitude (Al). At local scale, Shannon-Wiener index (H’), Al, slope (Sl), and distance to the shoreline (DTS) showed clear positive correlations with SFI. The Al and DTS determined the spatial variance of soil fertility under the cross-scale influences from island area and DTI, while H’ and Sl didn’t involve cross-scale influences.

Biodegradation, a widely used treatment for petroleum-pollution seawater, except for its effective degradation, the degradation performance and restoration advantages are also worth studying. In this paper, petroleum-degrading bacteria (P1) with biosurfactant-producing bacteria (B2) were used to perform bioaugmentation. The degradation performance and restoration advantages during bioaugmentation were analyzed by UV spectrophotometry and high-throughput sequencing. The results indicated the degradation rate of diesel by bioaugmentation was 71.86 % in 45 days which exceed 38 % to that without bioaugmentation. In addition, the bacterial community of seawater altered after diesel exposure, especially the species of Pseudoalteromonas and Candidatus palagibacter. During bioaugmentation, Shannon index increased from 1.91 to 2.74, and bacterial community diversity of seawater recovered after a period of time.

Immobilized bioremediation technology is widely used in treating oil-contaminated seas, but changes of bacterial community during treatment were rarely known. In this study, two diesel-degrading strains were embedded in straw-alginate beads to form immobilized cells. Diesel degradation properties and morphological characteristics of the immobilized cells were obtained by gas chromatography–mass spectrometry (GC–MS) and scanning electron microscope (SEM). Bacterial community structure was observed by high-throughput sequencing. The results indicated that C11~C17 was more degraded by immobilized cells, and straw-alginate beads had appropriate pore structure. Higher bacterial diversity was observed in the bioremediated seawater. Pseudoalteromonas (26.41%), became the most dominant species after oil spills, and Thalassospira was enriched to 25.89% after bioremediation. Concentration of oil degradation related genes was predicted to be higher in the bioremediated seawater. Hence, immobilized cells in straw-alginate beads were suitable for degradation diesel. This study was expected to improve the actual repair effect of oil spills.

Mapping soil salinity in coastal wetlands is important for revealing the spatiotemporal characteristics of soil salinization but has proved difficult due to complex influencing factors. An improved comprehensive land surface factor system (ICLSFS) was established based on remote sensing for mapping soil salinity in coastal wetlands. The ICLSFS comprised six classes of predictors, namely, spectral value, salinity index, vegetation index, heat and moisture index, spatial location, and land cover. The Yellow River Delta, a typical coastal wetland in North China, served as the study area to demonstrate the ICLSFS in different seasons. Results revealed the high accuracy and low uncertainty of the ICLSFS methods, and partial least squares regression achieved the highest accuracy. The root mean squared error was lowest in winter of all seasons when the soils were bare in North China. The easily-accessed data provided by remote sensing and the repeatability of simulation process render ICLSFS highly applicable in soil salinity mapping in different coastal wetlands. The mean values of soil salinity in the study area were 8.00, 7.53, 7.83, and 6.90 g/kg in spring, summer, autumn, and winter, respectively. Soil salinity exhibited distinct spatial heterogeneity and was high in shoreline areas, and low in the central part of the study area along the Yellow River. In different land cover types, salterns possessed the highest soil salinity, whereas wetland vegetation and farmland had low soil salinities. The ICLSFS was proven to possess high accuracy, low uncertainty, and good applicability, and the accuracy differed across seasons and was the highest in winter. The spatiotemporal characteristics of soil salinity were influenced by natural and anthropogenic factors. Human activities generally aggravated the soil salinization by saltern constructions, saline water irrigation, and groundwater use, while countermeasures to mitigate the soil salinization have achieved good effects in recent years.

Surface soil carbon content (SCC) in coastal area is affected by complex factors, and revealing the SCC spatial distribution is considerably significant for judging the quantity of stored carbon and identifying the driving factors of SCC variation. A comprehensive land surface factor system (CLSFS) was established; it utilized the ecological significances of remote sensing data and included four-class factors, namely, spectrum information, ecological indices, spatial location, and land cover. Different simulation algorithms, including single-factor regression (SFR), multiple-factor regression (MFR), partial least squares regression (PLSR), and back propagation neural network (BPNN), were adopted to conduct the surface (0-30cm) SCC mapping in the Yellow River Delta in China, and a 10-fold cross validation approach was used to validate the uncertainty and accuracy of the algorithms. The results indicated that the mean simulated standard deviations were all0.5g/kg and thus showed a low uncertainty; the mean root mean squared errors based on the simulated and measured SCC were 3.88g/kg (SFR), 3.85g/kg (PLSR), 3.67g/kg (MFR), and 2.78g/kg (BPNN) with the BPNN exhibiting a high accuracy compared to similar studies. The mean SCC was 17.40g/kg in the Yellow River Delta with distinct spatial heterogeneity; in general, the SCC in the alongshore regions, except for estuaries, was low, and that in the west of the study area was high. The mean SCCs in farmland (18.31g/kg) and wetland vegetation (17.98g/kg) were higher than those in water area (16.07g/kg), saltern (15.61g/kg), and bare land (14.71g/kg). Land-sea interaction and human activity jointly affected the SCC spatial distribution. The CLSFS was proven to have good applicability, and can be widely used in simulating the SCC spatial distribution in coastal areas.

A new type of thermostable laccase was isolated from Paraphoma sp. GZS18, and its partial enzymatic properties were determined. A strain GZS18 of laccase with high yield was screened from forest soil and identified as Paraphoma sp. GZS18 through morphological characteristics and ITS sequence analysis. The laccase of Paraphoma sp. GZS18 (Lac-P) was obtained through cation–anion exchange chromatography, gel filtration chromatography, and other purification processes. The testing result shows that Lac-P is a single protein of 75 kDa, and the 11 amino acid sequences in the N-terminal are AX(a)VSVASREMT (X(a) was the non-standard protein). The optimum temperature and optimum pH of lac-P activity are substrate-independent. The temperature is in the range of 50–70 °C, and pH has high catalytic efficiency in the acidic range. Lac-P has good stability in the temperature and pH. The half time at 70–60 °C is 1.5 and 4 h, respectively. At pH 6–9 and room temperature, there is more than 80% activity 24 h later. Lac-P is tolerant of most metal ions and low concentrations of inhibitors but is inhibited by Hg(2+), Fe(2+) and NaN(3). The laccase from Paraphoma sp. GZS18 at high temperature and pH 6–9, with strong stability, has better industrial application characteristics.

Five types of biochars prepared from four crop straws and one wood shaving at 600 °C were characterized, and their sorption to Cd(II) were determined to investigate the differences in capacity to function as sorbents to heavy metals. Surface areas and pore volumes of the biochars were inversely correlated to the lignin content of raw biomass. The biochars derived from crop straws displayed more developed pore structure than wood char due to the higher lignin content of wood. Sorption capacity of the biochars to Cd(II) followed the order of corn straw>cotton straw>wheat straw>rice straw>poplar shaving, which was not strictly consistent with the surface area of the chars. The surface characteristics of chars before and after Cd(II) sorption were investigated with scanning electron microscopy equipped with an energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, which suggested that the higher sorption of Cd(II) on corn straw chars was mainly attributed to cation exchange, surface precipitation of carbonate, and surface complexation with oxygen-containing groups. This study indicated that crop straw biochars exhibit distinct sorption capacities to heavy metals due to various surface characteristics, and thus the sorption efficiency should be carefully evaluated specific to target contaminant.

Information on the effects of continual burial by sediment on seedling survival and morphological growth in coastal marsh remains scarce. A greenhouse experiment was conducted to determine the effects of continual burial on seedling mortality, growth and dry mass allocation of Suaeda salsa in the coastal marsh of the Yellow River estuary. The seeds were planted at 0.5 cm depth in plastic pots filled with unsterilized sediment on May 5, 2012. A depth of 8 cm was chosen as the maximum of continual burial according to the sedimentary rate (6-7 cm) in the coastal marsh at seedling stage. Two weeks after emergence, seedlings were artificially buried to depths of 0 (DO, no burial), 33% (D33, burial of 1 mm d(-1)), 67% (067, burial of 2 mm d(-1)), 100% (D100, burial of 3 mm d(-1)) and 133% (D133, burial of 4 mm d(-1)) of their mean height, with 20 days in total. Results showed that seedling height, stem and taproot diameter, number of branch, hypocotyl and taproot length, and dry mass were significantly affected by burial depth (p < 0.05). No seedlings died in the four burial treatments. Seedling heights in the D33 and 067 treatments were higher than those of the other treatments, indicating that shallow and moderate burials exhibited greater stimulation to seedling growth. Although stem diameter, number and length of branch, and dry mass of seedlings were stimulated in the four burials, the greatest stimulatory effect on stem diameter was observed in the D100 treatment while that on number and length of branch and dry mass occurred in the D67 treatment. With increasing burial depth (D67, D100 and 0133), seedling taproot diameter and length decreased while hypocotyl length increased, reflecting that hypocotyl elongation might occur at the expense of development of the root system. The responses of morphological traits and dry mass allocation of S. salsa seedlings to the burial treatments indicated that they might have a special strategy to tolerate the continual burial in the coastal marsh of the Yellow River estuary. The use of thin-layer burial (2 mm d(-1)) to promote seedling vigor in degraded S. salsa marsh was feasible, and our study provided valuable information for the restoration of S. salsa marsh during seedling growth. (C) 2014 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

The Yellow River Delta covers a large area of saline soil, which needs to be recovered urgently. As the main local halophytes Suaeda salsa, Phragmites australis, and Tamarix chinensis communities play an important role in the improvement of the soil micro-environment. Therefore, we investigated the effect of these three salt-tolerant plant communities on soil enzyme activity in the Yellow River Delta in China. Halophyte plant communities influence the soil micro-ecosystem in the wetland by exerting effects on the physicochemical properties of the soil, and on enzymes and microbial community. In the soil these enzymes affect the redox potential (catalase) and cycling of carbon (dehydrogenase), nitrogen (protease, urease), and phosphorus (acid phosphatase). We analyzed enzyme activity and the relations between the activity of different enzymes, the physicochemical properties of the soil, and the microbial composition. The activity of five enzymes differed significantly between the plant communities. Soil salinity and microbial community composition all influenced enzyme activity. Catalase, protease and urease activity in the soil of the T. chinensis community was significantly higher than in the other two plant communities. Dehydrogenase and acid phosphatase activity were significantly higher in the soil of the P. australis community than in the other two communities. In the succession of the plant community from herbs to woody plants with different salt tolerance mechanisms, a large aboveground biomass may support the growth of soil enzyme activity and soil microorganism diversity. This study showed that the belowground processes were strongly related with plant community succession in salt marsh ecosystem.

Ziziphus jujuba var. spinosa Hu, Periploca sepium Bunge, and Securinega suffruticosa (Pall.) Rehd are mainly natural secondary shrubs on Shell Islands of the Yellow River Delta. The physiological characteristics of leaves of the 3-year-old shrub species, including photosynthesis, apparent quantum yield (AQY), dark respiration rate (RD), light compensation point (LCP), light saturation point (LSP), transpiration rate (E), and water use efficiency (WUE) and so on, were studied by using a Li-Cor6400 portable photosynthesis system. The results showed that the modified rectangular hyperbola model could simulate the photosynthesis–light response curves better, with a compound correlation coefficient (R2) greater than 0.996. There were significant differences in the photosynthetic capacity, AQY, RD, LCP, LSP, E, and WUE among the three shrub species. The three shrub species displayed different photosynthetic ability in the same environment; the photosynthetic capacity of Z. jujuba was 1.49 times that of S. suffr...

To investigate the threshold effects of photosynthetically active radiation (PAR) and soil mass water content (MWC) on photosynthetic efficiency parameters of Ziziphus jujuba Mill var. spinosa and to understand the adaptability of Z.jujuba to light and soil moisture variation, we determined optimal MWC and PAR for Z. jujuba which maintained higher net photosynthetic rate (P-N) and water use efficiency (WUE). Using a Li-6400 portable photosynthesis system, we measured light response of P-N, transpiration rate (E), WUE, and other gas-exchange parameters of 3-year-old Z. jujuba shrubs in a range of soil moisture conditions. The results showed that the leaf photosynthetic rate and WUE of Z. jujuba had a significant response to MWC and PAR. Given increases in the MWC (7.1-17.6%), the plant's light compensation point decreased and its light saturation point (LSP), apparent quantum yield, and maximum P-N increased. When MWC was at 17.6%, the low and high light use efficiency of Z. jujuba was all maximal. P-N obviously increased with increasing MWC (9.2-17.6%). However, P-N decreased when MWC was too high or low. When PAR ranged from 800 to 1200molm(-2)s(-1), P-N and WUE were higher and the LSPs of P-N and WUE ranged between 706 and 1209molm(-2)s(-1). These data indicate that Z. jujuba possessed higher adaptability to light conditions. Based on photosynthetic efficiency parameters, the soil moisture availability and productivity of Z. jujuba were classified and evaluated. For Z. jujuba woodland, MWC 21.5% resulted in low productivity and medium WUE, 19.8-21.5% of MWC resulted in medium productivity and low WUE, 9.2-11.2% of MWC resulted in medium productivity and medium WUE, and 11.2-19.8% of MWC resulted in high productivity and high WUE. The optimum high productivity and high WUE of MWC were at 17.6%, and the corresponding optimum PAR was 1209molm(-2)s(-1).

Little information is available about shell ridge ecosystems. Vegetative distribution and shell sand properties were investigated on a shell ridge in the Binzhou National Shell Ridge and Wetland Nature Reserve. 21 plant species were observed in the study area and, according to the Shannon-Weiner Index and species evenness, vegetative cover, and abundance varied significantly at different sites (P < 0.05). Sand percent, dissolved organic C, total N, and available N concentrations were significantly higher in the upper layers, while total and available P and K concentrations were significantly higher in the lower profile. Plant species were divided into three groups based on canonical correspondence analysis. Group A included 10 plant species, and was well correlated with high available nutrient concentrations (dissolved organic C, and available N, P, and K) and sand moisture. Groups B and C were well correlated with total K, P and salinity. Thus shell sand properties affected the spatial distribution of vegetation in the study area. Due to the coarse texture, salinity was less than 0.4% and much lower than in adjacent soils. Ten salt-sensitive plant species were found, accounting for 48% of the total plant species. Shell sand is therefore imperative to shell ridge ecosystem sustainability, and shell sand mining should be prohibited in the area.

From April 2008 to November 2009, the nitrogen (N) cycle of plant-soil system in seepweed (Suaeda salsa) wetland in the intertidal zone of the Huanghe (Yellow) River estuary was studied. Results showed that soil N had significant seasonal fluctuations and vertical distribution, and the net N mineralization rates in topsoil were significantly different in growing season (p < 0.01). The N/P ratio (9.87 ± 1.23) of S. salsa was less than 14, indicating that plant growth was limited by N. The N accumulated in S. salsa litter at all times during decomposition, which was ascribed to the N immobilization by microbes from the environment. Soil organic N was the main N stock of plant-soil system, accounting for 97.35% of the total N stock. The N absorption and utilization coefficients of S. salsa were very low (0.0145 and 0.3844, respectively), while the N cycle coefficient was high (0.7108). The results of the N turnovers among compartments of S. salsa wetland showed that the N uptake amount of aboveground part and root were 7.764 g/m2and 4.332 g/m2, respectively. The N translocation amounts from aboveground part to root and from root to soil were 3.881 g/m2 and 0.626 g/m2, respectively. The N translocation amount from aboveground living body to litter was 3.883 g/m2, the annual N return amount from litter to soil was more than 0.125(−) g/m2 (minus represented immobilization), and the net N mineralization amount in topsoil (0–15 cm) in growing season was 1.190 g/m2. The assessment of N biological cycle status of S. salsa wetland indicated that N was a very important limiting factor and the ecosystem was situated in unstable and vulnerable status. The S. salsa was seemingly well adapted to the low-nutrient status and vulnerable habitat, and the N quantitative relationships determined in the compartment model might provide scientific base for us to reveal the special adaptive strategy of S. salsa to the vulnerable habitat in the following studies.

It is urgent to recover Bohai Bay costal wetland ecosystem because of covering a large area of severe saline-alkali soil. To explore the relationship between halophyte herbaceous succession and microbial community structure, we chose four local communities which played an important role in improving soil microenvironment. We performed phospholipid fatty acid analysis, measured soil parameters, and evaluated shifts of microbial community structure. Results showed that microbial community structure changed significantly along succession and bacteria community was dominant. Total phospholipid fatty acid content increased in different successional stages but decreased with depth, with similar variations in bacterial and fungal biomass. Soil organic carbon and especially total nitrogen were positively correlated with microbial biomass. Colonization of pioneering salt-tolerant plantsSuaeda glaucain saline-alkali bare land changed total soil microorganism content and composition. These results showed that belowground processes were strongly related with aboveground halophyte succession. Fungal/bacterial ratio, Gram-negative/Gram-positive bacteria ratio, total microbial biomass, and fungi and bacteria content could indicate the degree of succession stages in Bohai Bay wetland ecosystem. And also these findings demonstrated that microbial community biomass and composition evolved along with vegetation succession environmental variables.

A greenhouse study was conducted to determine the impacts of continual burial on seedling emergence and morphology of Suaeda salsa, a pioneer species in the coastal marsh of the Yellow River estuary. From May to June 2012, seeds of S. salsa were artificially buried to depths of 0 cm (no burial), 2 cm (burial of 1 mm d(-1)), 4 cm (burial of 2 mm d(-1)), 6 cm (burial of 3 mm d(-1)), 8 cm (burial of 4 mm d(-1)) and 10 cm (burial of 5 mm d(-1)) in plastic pots filled with unsterilized sediment. Results showed that the percent emergence of seedlings had a significantly negative correlation with continual burial depth (p

Little information was available about the ecosystem of shell ridge along coastline. The vegetation distribution characteristics and physicochemical properties of shell sands were thus conducted in the shell ridge located in Binzhou national nature reserve of shell ridge and wetland, Shandong province, China (38°10'~38°19'N and 117°51'~118°02'E). Results showed that the dominating plant species occurred in this area was divided into two groups: salt-tolerant type and salt-intolerant type. Salt concentration of shell sand was less than 0.3%, showing increasing with the increase of sand profile depth, and was far lower than that of soil in this area. Shell sand available P and K contents were also significantly great in the deep layers (P

Using Grey System Theory, the influence of these indicators of Shandong Province in 1999–2008, which contain the total population, GDP, primary industry output value, secondary industry output value, tertiary industry output value, and emissions of CODcr, emissions of SO2, output of industrial solid waste, investment in control environmental pollution on numbers of the actual talents, administrative preparation talents, career Preparation talents were studied, in order to identify the" growth factor " and "limiting factors. The results showed that: the numbers of actual talents, administrative preparation talents, career preparation talents were closely related with the total population, emissions of CODcr, emissions of SO2 emissions and GDP. The increasing of buliding talents lead to reduce emissions of CODcr, emissions of SO2. The numbers of actual talents were insufficient, especially in the numbers of career preparation talents, which should be increased. The numbers of administrative preparation talents increased fast, which should be properly controlled.