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This research work targets to evaluate the floristic composition of Mahseer National Park, Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK). Field data was recorded from fifteen different sites. The Quadrat method was used for vegetation sampling while the exact location of each site, altitude, exposure and geographical coordinates were documented by using geographical positioning system (GPS). To analyze the significance of environmental variables, multivariate statistical analysis was carried out by using two-way clustering, canonical correspondence analysis (CCA) and general linear model (GLM) response curve analysis. Floristically, 109 plant species belonging to 45 families were recorded. Among families, Poaceae was most commonly distributed, accounting for 15 species in total. Two-way cluster analysis categorized the vegetation into four major plant communities. CCA was used to analyze the vegetation-environment relation. Plant species showed a significant correlation response against altitudinal gradient, total nitrogen, electrical conductivity and calcium contents. The GLM response curve and IVI demonstrated that Cynodon dactylon was the most dominant species followed by Dalbergia sissoo and Adhatoda zeylinica. This study provided the baseline information about the eco-floristic composition. It suggested that the area is floristically rich, and needs to be analyzed in detail by future researchers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Tropical mountain forests in Eastern Ghats provide a unique opportunity to relate environmental drivers to plant community structure along elevation gradient. We aimed to investigate the tree diversity, composition and stand structure along elevation gradient and drivers facilitating species distribution across Mahendragiri Hill Forest (MHF) in Eastern Ghats of Odisha, India. Altogether 120 plots of 0.05 ha were established and stems ≥10 cm diameter at breast height were measured. We compared species composition and stand structure among elevation zones. Ordination analysis was used to quantify how community structure was related to topographic, climatic and onsite conditions. In total 189 species representing 131 genera and 51 families were recorded ranging from 64 (MHF6) to 106 species (MHF4). Fabaceae representing 23 species, followed by Phyllanthaceae was dominant families. Maximum tree density and basal area were enumerated in high elevation MHF6 and least disturbed MHF5, respectively. Canonical Correspondence Analysis (CCA) interpreted 58.59% of variation and depicted the role of elevation followed by disturbance and precipitation in species distribution patterns. Variance partitioning analysis shows that topography and disturbance strongly partitioned the dissemination of tree species. Variations in species diversity reflects a direct coupling or interaction of several factors together, making it a complex phenomenon.

Understanding the variables that determine the variation in forest species composition and diversity in tropical montane systems remains a topic for discussion in plant ecology. This is especially true in areas where the topography is complex and forests are vulnerable to human activity. In this study, a set of topographic, soil, and climatic variables were used to determine their effects on the composition and diversity patterns of two forests in the West Usambara Mountains (Tanzania). Two-phase systematic sampling was used to collect vegetation data from 159 sample plots distributed across the forests. An agglomerative hierarchical clustering method was used for forest community classification, and indicator species analysis was used to determine the species significantly associated with forest communities. The influence of environmental variables on forest communities was analysed using canonical correspondence analysis (CCA). Finally, we evaluated diversity patterns by comparing diversity indices (Shannon-Wiener diversity index, evenness, and richness) and beta diversity processes. In total, 7,767 individual trees belonged to 183 species, 132 genera, and 66 families were quantified. We found that (i) the forests of West Usambara can be divided into three different forest communities; (ii) each forest community has a specific set of topographical, soil, and climate variables; (iii) there are significant differences in Shannon diversity and richness indices among communities; and (iv) community composition is mostly influenced by species turnover than by species nestedness. Our study revealed the importance of considering a set of environmental variables related to climate, soil, and topography to understand the variation in the composition and diversity of forest communities in tropical montane forests.

This research analysed the availability of phytoplankton and the growth rate of Vannamei shrimp in relation to water quality changes. The research was carried out in February–March 2021 for a half cycle of shrimp cultivation in two ponds of the Brackish Water Fish Culture Probolinggo Laboratory in Probolinggo, East Java, Indonesia. The research used a descriptive method and included a survey. Sampling was made every two weeks for two months. Nine parameters were measured and ten shrimps were taken for a specific growth rate ( SGR) measurement once per sampling. Data were analysed using the principal component analysis (PCA) and canonical correspondence analysis (CCA). Secondary data of water quality were added for the PCA. The results show that the phytoplankton found in the first pond consisted of Chlorophyta, Chrysophyta, and Cyanophyta, whereas the phytoplankton in the other pond included Chlorophyta, Chrysophyta, Cyanophyta, and Dinophyta. The abundance of phytoplankton ranged from 12–80∙10 3 cell∙cm –3, which indicated eutrophic waters. The PCA demonstrated that pH, nitrate, and total organic matter (TOM) significantly influenced phytoplankton abundance in the pond. In addition, water quality parameters, such as temperature, transparency, salinity, nitrite and phosphate levels, were tolerable in both ponds for the growth of shrimps. However, the level of pH was lower than the aquaculture quality standard, whereas those of nitrate, ammonia, and TOM were higher. The growth rate of Vannamei shrimp increased by 0.76–7.34%∙day –1.

The present study was conducted to investigate the effects of physical factors on the diversity of species of Carabidae (Coleoptera: Carabidae) in three regions of Karaj, Eshtehard, and Taleghan, Alborz province. To this end, during 2015-2016, sampling was carried out using pitfall traps and physical factors. In this regard, the elevation, slope, direction, precipitation, temperature, soil texture, grain size of soil, and percentage of vegetation were recorded in each studied station. Based on the results, in total, 329 specimens including 38 species were identified in the three studied areas. Pearson and Spearman tests were used to investigate the relationships between the species diversity index (Shannon's Diversity Index) and the studied factors. Also, the effect of habitat physical parameters on the diversity of the species of Carabidae in the studied areas was analyzed using Canonical Correspondence Analysis (CCA). The results of the study showed that no significant relationship between the Shannon-Wiener Index and studied parameters (P

Benthic invertebrates communities are frequently used as indicators of aquatic ecosystem health since many species are sensitive to pollution and abrupt changes in their environment. Limited knowledge exists on the interlinkages of hydrological dynamics, water quality and the ecological character of groundwater-dependant ecosystems especially in developing countries. In this study we assessed the sensitivity of benthic macroinvertebrates to water quality dynamics in the Barotse Floodplain, a groundwater-dependant wetland. Benthic invertebrates were sampled in the dry season using the kick-net method at selected points upstream, mid-stream and downstream. The selection of sampled points was based on an initially conducted water quality survey that characterized the wetland into mainly two water types, NaHCO3 (upstream) and CaMgHCO3 (downstream). Canonical Correspondence Analysis (CCA) was used to investigate the influence of water quality on macroinvertebrate subclass-taxa level. Furthermore, factor analysis was used to derive the processes propagating the observed water quality variability. It was established that the composition and diversity of macroinverbrate communities at subclass-taxa level was influenced by effects of the wetland flood pulse, salinity (mineralisation) from groundwater input and biogeochemical processes during the expansion and contraction of the floodplain-river exchange. This study has demonstrated that biomonitoring was effective in capturing the natural processes/regimes of the environmental (such as flooding) and thus has potential to be used for mointoring extreme effects of phenomenon such as climate change. It is recommended that, the families, genus and species taxonomic levels are needed to improve the understanding of responses of the subclass-taxa level and the detection of specific contamination signatures, to ensure wetland conservation and protection. Integrated water resources management for wetlands thus should incorporate biomonitoring conjuctively with traditional methods to ensure vital ecosystems are not compromised at the expense of maximizing the economic and social welfare of humanity.

In response to uncertainty in remotely sensed land cover products, there is continuing research on accuracy assessment and analysis. Given reference sample data, accuracy indicators are commonly estimated based on error matrices, from which areal extents of different cover types are also estimated. There are merits to explore the ways utilities of land cover products may be further enhanced beyond map face values and conventional area estimation. This paper presents an integrative method (CCAErrMat) for uncertainty characterization and utility enhancement. This works through reference-map cover type co-occurrence analyses based on error matrices localized in canonical correspondence analysis (CCA) ordination space rather than in geographic space to overcome the sparsity of reference sample data. The aforementioned co-occurrence analyses facilitate quantification of accuracy indicators, identification of correctly classified and perfectly misclassified pixels, and prediction of reference class probabilities, all at individual pixels. Moreover, these predicted reference class probabilities are used as auxiliary variables to formulate model-assisted area estimation, further enhancing map utilities. Extensions to CCAErrMat are also investigated as a way to bypass the pre-computing of map class occurrence pattern indices as candidate explanatory variables for CCAErrMat, leading to two variant methods: CCACCAErrMat and CNNCCAErrMat. A case study based in Wuhan municipality, central China was undertaken to compare the proposed method against alternative methods, including CCA-separate and CNN-separate. The advantages of CCAErrMat and CCACCAErrMat were confirmed. The proposed method is recommendable for characterizing uncertainty and enhancing utilities in land cover maps by analyzing locally constrained error matrices. The method is also cost-effective in terms of reference sample data, as requirements for them are similar to those for conventional accuracy assessments. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This research analysed the availability of phytoplankton and the growth rate of Vannamei shrimp in relation to water quality changes. The research was carried out in February-March 2021 for a half cycle of shrimp cultivation in two ponds of the Brackish Water Fish Culture Probolinggo Laboratory in Probolinggo, East Java, Indonesia. The research used a descriptive method and included a survey. Sampling was made every two weeks for two months. Nine parameters were measured and ten shrimps were taken for a specific growth rate (SGR) measurement once per sampling. Data were analysed using the principal component analysis (PCA) and canonical correspondence analysis (CCA). Secondary data of water quality were added for the PCA. The results show that the phytoplankton found in the first pond consisted of Chlorophyta, Chrysophyta, and Cyanophyta, whereas the phytoplankton in the other pond included Chlorophyta, Chrysophyta, Cyanophyta, and Dinophyta. The abundance of phytoplankton ranged from 12-80∙103 cell∙cm-3, which indicated eutrophic waters. The PCA demonstrated that pH, nitrate, and total organic matter (TOM) significantly influenced phytoplankton abundance in the pond. In addition, water quality parameters, such as temperature, transparency, salinity, nitrite and phosphate levels, were tolerable in both ponds for the growth of shrimps. However, the level of pH was lower than the aquaculture quality standard, whereas those of nitrate, ammonia, and TOM were higher. The growth rate of Vannamei shrimp increased by 0.76-7.34%∙day-1. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We analyzed the content of mitragynine (MG) found in kratom leaves (Mitragyna speciosa) and the influence of different environmental conditions (air and soil variables) on the yield in various regions of Thailand. The content of MG in kratom leaves ranged from 7.5 - 26.6 mg g-1 of dry leaf weight. Canonical correspondence analysis showed that the most significant environmental variables affecting the MG content among the various regions were light intensity, relative humidity, soil volumetric water content (VW), soil pH, and calcium. This study is a first step towards providing information about environmental conditions suitable to maximize the quality and quantity of bioactive alkaloids in kratom. Future studies should focus on leaf collection and the post-harvest processes in order to assure the desired alkaloidal content in finished products, when produced under suitable environmental conditions identified in this study. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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We analyzed the content of mitragynine (MG) found in kratom leaves (Mitragyna speciosa) and the influence of different environmental conditions (air and soil variables) on the yield in various regions of Thailand. The content of MG in kratom leaves ranged from 7.5 – 26.6 mg g-1 of dry leaf weight. Canonical correspondence analysis showed that the most significant environmental variables affecting the MG content among the various regions were light intensity, relative humidity, soil volumetric water content (VW), soil pH, and calcium. This study is a first step towards providing information about environmental conditions suitable to maximize the quality and quantity of bioactive alkaloids in kratom. Future studies should focus on leaf collection and the post-harvest processes in order to assure the desired alkaloidal content in finished products, when produced under suitable environmental conditions identified in this study.

The present study aimed to assess the spatial distribution and invasion potential of naturalized Datura innoxia Mill., a member of the family Solanaceae, across elevation, edaphic, and climatic gradients in invaded communities of semiarid regions in northern Pakistan. The species' phytosociological attributes, diversity indices, and biotic and environmental factors were assessed in 21 sites (210 plots) and categorized into three elevation groups separated by Ward's agglomerative cluster. The vegetation was dominated by annual species, which facilitated the naturalization and invasion of alien species. The groups were dominated by D. innoxia, having different codominant species Parthenium hysterophorus L. in Group I, Medicago denticulata in Group II, and Parthenium hysterophorus in Group III; however, the third codominant species of groups I and III were different. In addition, Canonical correspondence analysis (CCA) unveiled that abiotic factors such as elevation (r = −0.65), mean yearly temperature (r = 0.79), annual yearly humidity (r = 0.76), and day length in hours (r = 0.79) and biotic factors such as cultivated fields (r = −0.83) and traffic density (r = 0.70) were strongly correlated on canonical axes, revealing their vital importance in determining vegetation structure. The study concluded that this naturalized species propagated efficiently in the present environmental conditions and if these conditions prevailed, the species would be established as an invasive species. Therefore, control of this naturalized species is critically important, including their exploitation for medicinal and phytochemical utilization, which will enhance the protection of native populations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The present study was conducted to investigate the effects of physical factors on the diversity of species of Carabidae (Coleoptera: Carabidae) in three regions of Karaj, Eshtehard, and Taleghan, Alborz province. To this end, during 2015- 2016, sampling was carried out using pitfall traps and physical factors. In this regard, the elevation, slope, direction, precipitation, temperature, soil texture, grain size of soil, and percentage of vegetation were recorded in each studied station. Based on the results, in total, 329 specimens including 38 species were identified in the three studied areas. Pearson and Spearman tests were used to investigate the relationships between the species diversity index (Shannon's Diversity Index) and the studied factors. Also, the effect of habitat physical parameters on the diversity of the species of Carabidae in the studied areas was analyzed using Canonical Correspondence Analysis (CCA). The results of the study showed that no significant relationship between the Shannon-Wiener Index and studied parameters (P<0.05). Species diversity was affected by temperature, the three parameters of altitude, soil texture, and grain size of soil, and the four parameters of direction, slope, precipitation, and vegetation percentage in Karaj, Eshtehard, and Taleghan, respectively. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Plant-parasitic nematodes are one of the main causes of yield loss in agricultural products. During a survey of almond (Prunus dulcis Mill..) orchards in the central part of Iran, seven species of plant-parasitic nematodes were identified from the soil and root samples in five orchards; ChamAli, Chelvan, Saman, Kharaji and Teshneez. The most common nematodes observed were Scutylenchus rugosus (168/100 g soil), Boleodorus thyllactus (58/100 g soil), Helicotylenchus pseudorobustus (36/100 g soil), and Helicotylenchus digonicus (34/100 g soil). We analysed pH, Zn, Mn, Fe and physical properties of the soils including percentages of sand, silt and clay. At Kharaji and Teshneez (soil texture sand 72%; silt 8%; clay 20% and low Fe), Pratylenchus thornei, Merlinius brevidens, and H. digonicus were observed more than at other localities, although levels were not as high at Teshneez, where Mn was lower, as they were at Kharaji. S. rugosus was dominant in soils with high levels of Fe in Saman, Chelvan, and ChamAli orchards, but this species was not observed at Kharaji and Teshneez. In conclusion, the almond-producing regions had various types of plant-parasitic nematodes, with six and five species found in Kharaji and Teshneez orchards, respectively. However, further studies are required to evaluate the tree damage caused by plant-parasitic nematodes on the almond orchards. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The stream Balkhila is a glacier-fed and originates at higher altitudes from the Lal Mati glacier, flows through the famous Mandal valley of Garhwal Himalaya and finally merges with the Alaknanda River in Chamoli district of Uttarakhand. The present study aimed to assess the population structure, density and diversity of the periphyton community along with some detrimental ecological parameters in the glacier fed stream Balkhila for a period of two years on a monthly basis from November 2018 to October 2020. The stream Balkhila was represented by 17 periphytic genera belonging to 3 classes, namely, Bacillariophyceae, Chlorohyceae and Cyanophyceae. The class Bacillariophyceae was represented by 10 periphytic genera (Cymbella, Navicula, Fragilaria, Nitzschia, Ampohora, Diatoma, Synedra, Tabellaria, Cocconeis and Meridion), and Chlorophyceae (green algae) was represented by 6 algal genera (Chlorella, Ulothrix, Zygnema, Oedogomium, Spirogyra and Stigeoclonium). The class Myxophyceae was represented by a single genus (Phormidium). The maximum periphytic density (individuals/cm²) was found to be 316.7±7.1 x 103 in January, and the minimum density (12.5±3.5 x 10³) was recorded in August. The SIMPLER test indicated 18.58% dissimilarity of periphytic communities between the two years of study. The Shannon-Wiener diversity index values were high (2.358 and 2.388) in December and January and minimum (0.2484 and 0.3534) in July and August during the first and second years of the study, respectively. Multivariate canonical correspondence analysis (CCA) suggested that most of the periphytic genera were closely associated with the winter season (December, January and February). The various ecological parameters of our study indicated that the Balkhila stream is a conducive habitat for periphyton communities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Algal diversity in rice cultivation terraces at the foothills of Borail range in Dima Hasao district of Assam, North-East India has been studied. The rice cultivated terrace habitats maintained by different ethnic communities harbour plentiful algae. Physicochemical parameters of water and soil of the terraces were ascertained and seasonal algal distribution monitored. Water in the agroecosystem was assessed to be acidic to neutral with low nitrate–N and soluble reactive phosphorus (SRP) content. Dissolved silicon (d-Si) content ranged from 8.85 to 18.92 mg L−1. The soil pH was acidic with organic carbon (OC) in the range 1.02–1.42%, and water holding capacity (WHC) in the range 42.71–53.43%. Overall, 98 algal species under 50 genera of cyanophyceae and chlorophyceae with 29 species each have been documented. The bacillariophyceae was represented with highest number of species (40). Diversity was assessed to be highest in autumn. The species Anabaena torulosa, Cylindrospermum minimum, Nostoc spongiaeforme, Phormidium ambiguum, Cladophora glomerata, Oedogonium pusillum, Pleurotaenium ehrenbergii, Spirogyra collinsii, S. crassa, Zygnema cruciatum, Cymbella tumida, Gomphonema gracile were observed to be most dominant in the rice terraces. Algal distribution in the agro-ecosystems in relation to physico-chemical characteristics of water and soil was analysed by Principal component analysis (PCA) and Canonical correspondence analysis (CCA). Air temperature (AT), pH, total alkalinity (Talk), SRP, Free CO2 (F-CO2) of water were observed to be the most important factors for algal growth in the rice terraces. The most significant soil attributes included WHC, bulk density, porosity and soil organic carbon. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Erzincan University Journal of Science & Technology is the property of Erzincan Binali Yildirim Universitesi and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

The present study focuses on the forest structure of highly disturbed sites in Western Himalayan regions in Pakistan. In this study, the regeneration potential of conifer species is a key point for the assessment of future conifer status in disturbed environment by employing multivariate techniques. The forests are composed of four conifer species Pinus wallichiana A. B. Jacks, Pinus roxburghii Sarg., Cedrus deodara (Roxb.) G. Don, and Abies pindrow (Royle ex D. Don) Royle., associated with broadleaved species Quercus baloot Griffith, Quercus dilatata Raf., and Aesculus indica (Wall. ex Cambess.) Hook. Cluster analysis shows five groups when Pinus wallichiana (PW) forms the largest group, incorporates with other conifers and broadleaved species and in some cases it overlaps with its subgroups forming a pure larger group. Similarly in DCA (ordination) overlapping exists in all the axes while elevation is the only variable that shows a highly significant (P < 0.001) correlation with conifers. Cedrus deodara (CD) with Quercus baloot (QB) and Aesculus indica (AI) shares a significant (P < 0.05) correlation in the same habitat while there is no correlation between the remaining conifers. It is anticipated that overlapping in cluster analysis and ordination and non-significant correlations in cluster analysis and ordination are due to the highly disturbed nature of the sites. It is also suggested that seedling recruitment and development are highly affected due to the anthropogenic disturbance. Therefore, proper maintenance of the forest, proper management and conservational practice should be imposed.

In response to uncertainty in remotely sensed land cover products, there is continuing research on accuracy assessment and analysis. Given reference sample data, accuracy indicators are commonly estimated based on error matrices, from which areal extents of different cover types are also estimated. There are merits to explore the ways utilities of land cover products may be further enhanced beyond map face values and conventional area estimation. This paper presents an integrative method (CCAErrMat) for uncertainty characterization and utility enhancement. This works through reference-map cover type co-occurrence analyses based on error matrices localized in canonical correspondence analysis (CCA) ordination space rather than in geographic space to overcome the sparsity of reference sample data. The aforementioned co-occurrence analyses facilitate quantification of accuracy indicators, identification of correctly classified and perfectly misclassified pixels, and prediction of reference class probabilities, all at individual pixels. Moreover, these predicted reference class probabilities are used as auxiliary variables to formulate model-assisted area estimation, further enhancing map utilities. Extensions to CCAErrMat are also investigated as a way to bypass the pre-computing of map class occurrence pattern indices as candidate explanatory variables for CCAErrMat, leading to two variant methods: CCACCAErrMat and CNNCCAErrMat. A case study based in Wuhan municipality, central China was undertaken to compare the proposed method against alternative methods, including CCA-separate and CNN-separate. The advantages of CCAErrMat and CCACCAErrMat were confirmed. The proposed method is recommendable for characterizing uncertainty and enhancing utilities in land cover maps by analyzing locally constrained error matrices. The method is also cost-effective in terms of reference sample data, as requirements for them are similar to those for conventional accuracy assessments.

This preliminary study aimed to identify benthic macroinvertebrates, and test the relationships of macroinvertebrate functional feeding groups (FFGs) and environmental parameters in the stream environments of the Guli River National Wetland Park. We used square-frame net to collect benthic macroinvertebrate populations and multi-parameter probe to measure water temperature, conductivity, pH, chlorine, turbidity, ammonium, nitrate and chlorophyll 푎 in situ. We analyzed total nitrogen and total phosphorus in the lab following American Public Health Association (APHA) protocols. We used the canonical correspondence analysis (CCA) to test the correlations of stream community FFGs with physicochemical variables. We caught a total of 64 macroinvertebrate species and measured ten environmental variables at eight sites in both seasons (summer and autumn). Among macroinvertebrates, we identified more insects (50 species) in both seasons. Benthic macroinvertebrate abundance (p = 0.6966), taxa richness (p = 0.1122), Shannon diversity (퐻, p = 0.0762) and Pileou's evenness (퐽', p = 0.7922) were similar at all sites between two seasons. Water temperature, chlorine, NH4+, NO3-, turbidity, TN and TP were high during summer, while chlorophyll a, conductivity and pH increased during autumn. Our CCA results showed that the metrics of abundance of gathering-collectors had significant relationships with total phosphorus, total nitrogen, nitrate and conductivity. The findings also shed light on predators, shredders and filter-collectors and their positive correlations with pH, turbidity, ammonium, chlorine and chlorophyll 푎 in stream environments. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Wastewater Treatment Pond (WTP) is an effective remediation technology for economically developing nations. Although it's excessive organic and nutrient loads with higher water logging time triggers mixed and unprofitable microalgal mats. This may serve as a seeding source for Cyanobacterial bloom in receiving waterbodies. Since, to maintain the growth of desirable algal species in WTPs, understanding towards environmental regulation and algal mat composition is important, especially for tropical countries, like India. In this study, biological treatment pond (BTP) and outlet pond (OP), of a tannery effluent treatment plant in eastern coast of India, were chosen for surveying the algal community composition concerning ecological parameters. Nearly, both the ponds were polluted, but the diversity was lower in BTP due to its elevated nutrient content (Ammonia 173 mg L−1) and higher persistent organic matters (COD 301.7 mg L−1) than OP. Using canonical correspondence analysis, seasonal variations showed higher species abundance during early summer compared to other seasons. A total of 37 taxa forming thick algal mats were recorded. The matrix of mats was mainly composed of Cyanobacterial members such as Phormidium, Leptolyngbya, Spirulina, and Pseudanabaena, followed by diatoms, especially Amphora and Nitzschia. Diatoms commonly occurred as embedded component in the entangled matrix of blue-green algal filaments. Hierarchical cluster analysis was employed to group all these taxa based on their seasonal appearance and abundance. This year-long intensive study revealing seasonal algal mat composition patterns in these WTPs will ultimately safeguard the livelihood and security of adjoining localities through proper site-specific pollution control. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract Although sugarcane-soybean intercropping has been widely used to control disease and improve productivity in the field, the response of soil fungal communities to intercropping has not been fully understood. In this study, the rhizosphere fungal communities of sugarcane and soybean under monoculture and intercropping systems were investigated using Illumina MiSeq sequencing of ITS gene. Intercropping decreased the alpha-diversity and changed fungal community composition compared to monocultures. Taxonomic analyses showed that the dominant phyla were Ascomycota, Zygomycota and Basidiomycota. The abundance of Ascomycota decreased in intercropping sugarcane-grown soil compared to monoculture, while it increased in soybean-grown soil in the intercropping system. In addition, intercropping increased the abundance of important fungal genera, such as Trichoderma, Hypocreales and Fusarium but decreased the relative abundance of Gibberella and Chaetomium. The results of canonical correspondence analysis and automatic linear modelling indicated that fungal community compositions were closely associated with soil parameters such as total nitrogen (TN), soil organic matter (SOC), pH and NO3 −, which suggests that the impacts of intercropping on the soil fungal community are linked to the alteration of soil chemical properties.

Abstract Most studies have employed aeration–biofiltration process for the simultaneous removal of iron, manganese and ammonia in groundwater. However, what’s inside the “black box”, i.e., the potential contribution of functional microorganisms behavior and interactions have seldom been investigated. Moreover, little attention has been paid to the correlations between environmental variables and functional microorganisms. In this study, the performance of industrial-scale biofilters for the contaminated groundwater treatment was studied. The effluent were all far below the permitted concentration level in the current drinking water standard. Pyrosequencing illustrated that shifts in microbial community structure were observed in the microbial samples from different depths of filter. Microbial networks showed that the microbial community structure in the middle- and deep-layer samples was similar, in which a wide range of manganese-oxidizing bacteria was identified. By contrast, canonical correlation analysis showed that the bacteria capable of ammonia-oxidizing and nitrification was enriched in the upper-layer, i.e., Propionibacterium, Nitrosomonas, Nitrosomonas and Candidatus Nitrotoga. The stable biofilm on the biofilter media, created by certain microorganisms from the groundwater microflora, played a crucial role in the simultaneous removal of the three pollutants.

The present study focuses on the forest structure of highly disturbed sites in Western Himalayan regions in Pakistan. In this study, the regeneration potential of conifer species is a key point for the assessment of future conifer status in disturbed environment by employing multivariate techniques. The forests are composed of four conifer species Pinus wallichiana A. B. Jacks, Pinus roxburghii Sarg., Cedrus deodara (Roxb.) G. Don, and Abies pindrow (Royle ex D. Don) Royle., associated with broadleaved species Quercus baloot Griffith, Quercus dilatata Raf., and Aesculus indica (Wall. ex Cambess.) Hook. Cluster analysis shows five groups when Pinus wallichiana (PW) forms the largest group, incorporates with other conifers and broadleaved species and in some cases it overlaps with its subgroups forming a pure larger group. Similarly in DCA (ordination) overlapping exists in all the axes while elevation is the only variable that shows a highly significant (P < 0.001) correlation with conifers. Cedrus deodara (CD) with Quercus baloot (QB) and Aesculus indica (AI) shares a significant (P < 0.05) correlation in the same habitat while there is no correlation between the remaining conifers. It is anticipated that overlapping in cluster analysis and ordination and non-significant correlations in cluster analysis and ordination are due to the highly disturbed nature of the sites. It is also suggested that seedling recruitment and development are highly affected due to the anthropogenic disturbance. Therefore, proper maintenance of the forest, proper management and conservational practice should be imposed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The spatial and temporal variation in the distribution, abundance and assemblage structure of zooplankton were examined in a mining-impacted stretch of river Ganga. The collection of samples has been done from three different sampling zones such as Z1 (Chandi Bridge Ghat) as reference zone, Z2 (Shyampur), and Z3 (Bisanpur) as mining-intruded area from May 2017 to April 2018. During the analysis, twenty-eight species of zooplankton kindred to four groups mainly Rotifera (ten species), Protozoa (five species), Cladocera (eight species), and Copepoda (five species) were identified. In the course of analysis, it was observed that Rotifera were dominant (43.49 %) followed by Cladocera (19.58 %), Protozoa (18.31 %), and Copepoda (18.62 %). The results showed that the distribution and abundance of zooplankton fluctuated more at Z1 (reference zone) as compared with Z2 and Z3 (mining-intruded zones). The diversity indices also indicated the higher richness, abundance, and evenness of zooplankton ranging from 3.145 to 3.180 at Z1, 3.081 to 3.129 at Z2, and 3.130 to 3.175 at Z3. The canonical correspondence analysis (CCA) showed positive and negative correlation between the zooplankton and water quality of the river Ganga. The present study shows that the anthropogenic activities such as river bed mining disturbed the water quality through enhancing the turbidity and nutrients load in the aquatic system. However, these changes in water quality significantly affected the distribution and abundance of zooplankton. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Elevated soil concentrations of antimony (Sb) and co-contaminants are frequently encountered where antimony has been mined on a large scale. For instance, the Xikuangshan antimony mine in central South China has sustained, over many centuries, dispersed and spatially variable input of toxic elements into the soil ecosystem. We utilized this unique environment to assess the impact of geochemical conditions on soil microbiology. Geochemical conditions were assessed by monitoring absolute and available fractions of toxic elements and disrupted soil properties. Soil microbiology was studied by high-throughput sequencing and statistical analysis, including principle component analysis and canonical correspondence analysis. Results show that Sb concentrations were ranged from 970 to more than 24,000 mg/kg. As concentrations were three times higher than the regional background values and ten times higher for Pb, 590 times higher for Cd and 30 times higher for Hg. About 5–10% of the total soil Sb was environmentally mobile. Microbial diversity was high, and soil properties such as pH, organic matter, iron and sulfate controlled the absolute microbial activity. We identified strong positive and negative correlations with specific bacterial taxonomic groups which show: (1) an intolerance of available fractions for all elements, e.g., Gemmatimonas, Pirellula, Spartobacteria; (2) a good tolerance of available fractions for all elements, e.g., Povalibacter, Spartobacteria; and (3) a mixed response, tolerating available Sb, Hg and Cd and inhibition by As, Pb, e.g., Escherichia/Shigella and Arthrobacter, and in reverse, e.g., Gemmatimonas and Sphingomonas. The site hosts great diversity dominated by Gram-negative organisms, many with rod (bacillus) morphologies but also some filamentous forms, and a wide range of metabolic capabilities: anaerobes, e.g., Saccharibacteria, metal oxidizing, e.g., Geobacter, chemoautotrophs, e.g., Gemmata, and sulfur reducing, e.g., Desulfuromonas. The bioremediation potential of Arthrobacter and Escherichia/Shigella for Sb control is highlighted. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A study was conducted to investigate the association between tree species composition with soil edaphic factor in Chemerong Recreational Forest, the largest recreational forest in Terengganu, Peninsular Malaysia. Two types of forest were chosen which are riparian forest and inland forest. Four plots with the dimension of 50 m x 20 m each were established with two plots at each forest type with total study site of 0.4 ha. A total of 1158 trees (≥1 cm diameter) from 263 species, 125 genus and 50 families were recorded. The higher species number was recorded in the inland forest with 175 species, 103 genus and 45 families compared to riparian plot with 154 species, 109 genera and 39 families. Lijndenia laurina was found to be the important species in the riparian forest with Important Value Index (IVi) of 5.22% while Mangifera caesia at the inland forest with 3.21%. The Shannon-Weiner diversity indexes (H') was considered high in all two types of forest with 5.04 at the riparian forest and 5.14 at the inland forest. Sorenson's community similarity coefficient (CCs) showed the tree species communities, between the two types of forest had low similarities with 0.38. A total 33 endemic species in Peninsular Malaysia were found at Chemerong Recreational Forest. Fifty-five species in this study were listed in the International Union for Conservation of Nature IUCN red list of threatened species 2019. Significant differences were found in phosphorus, electric conductivity, ammonium nitrate, moisture content and organic matter between these forests. Canonical Correspondence Analysis (CCA) showed less association between species composition with the physico-chemical characyeristics of soil in this study indicating the soil edaphic factor is not the main factor controlling the species distribution at this site. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The levels perception and behavior of farmers on pesticide uses and its relevant risks to the environment and human health were surveyed among the farmers of Bangladesh in two areas: Savar Upazila (SU) and Mehendiganj Upazila (MU). Significant differences were observed between the farmers' regarding information of pesticides (χ2 = 19.679 at p < 0.05). 35% farmers of SU reported different mass communication devices as a primary source of information while 36% farmers from MU reported other farmers as their sources of information followed by pesticide dealers (28%). Proper storage and uses of personal protective equipment (PPE) were absent. However, significant differences were also observed to cover face with cloth (χ2 = 22.019 at p < 0.05). Farmers of SU used partial cover 69% while in MU 48% farmers reported no covering. Only 14% and 5% of farmers reported the full use of PPE in both areas. 39% farmers and 42% farmers of the SU and MU, respectively, reported throwing empty pots into the nearby water body followed by taking home for reuse by 31% and 24%, respectively. 88% farmers of SU vs. 82% farmers of MU consumed betel leaf, tobacco or smoking during spraying. 87% in SU and 66% in MU believed that pesticide application decreased soil fertility (χ2 = 12.265 at p < 0.05). About 83% farmers in SU and 24% farmers in MU reported that surface water pollution occurred due to pesticide χ2 = 69.963 at p < 0.05); excessive uses of pesticides destroyed beneficial insects (χ2 = 73.509 at p < 0.05). 67% farmers of SU and 26% farmers of MU responded that environmental quality was deteriorating. Canonical correspondence analysis (CCA) revealed all the background variables (education, age, farming experience, and farm ownership) had a similar contribution towards understanding the danger of pesticides impact of health and environment irrespective of rural or urban location. A DPSIR framework (drivers, pressures, state, impact, response model) for the health and environmental hazard and a conceptual model of training tools for farmers are proposed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Seasonal variations in species composition and growth dynamics of phytoplankton in Uzuncayir Dam Lake (Tunceli, Turkey) were studied in relation to ecological factors by collecting horizontal water and phytoplankton samples for over a year. A total of 46 phytoplankton taxa were recorded, where Bacillariophyta was the most abundant in species number representing 24 taxa. Diatoms were the most conspicuous phytoplankton in terms of abundance as well as occurrence frequency. Charophyta, Chlorophyta, Cyanobacteria, Ochrophyta, Miozoa, and Euglenozoa were the least abundant. However, some Diatoms (Gyrosigma attenuatum, Hippodonta hungarica, Meridion circulare, Nitzschia clausii, Nitzschia frustulum, Pantocsekiella ocellata, Rhoicosphenia abbreviata), Charophytes (Cosmarium granatum, Mougeotiopsis calospora), Cyanobacteria (Leiblenia epiphytica, Planktothrix agardhii); Dinoflagellates (Ceratium hirundinella, Parvodinium africanum, Parvodinium inconspicuum, Peridinium cinctum), and Ochrophyta (Dinobryon pediforme) were also noticeable, with their occurrence in all seasons. Canonical correspondence analysis (CCA) and principal component analysis (PCA) were employed to analyze the relationship between occurrence and abundance of phytoplankton species as well as the ecological factors. The results showed that pH and the concentrations of NH4, NO3, and PO4 influenced seasonal occurrence and abundance of phytoplankton species in the lake. Uzuncayir Dam Lake may be classified as an oligotrophic lake with the mean value of nitrate 2.62 mg L−1 and phosphate 0.23 mg L−1 as supported by the occurrence of various phytoplankton groups. Findings related to pollution indices yielded that Uzuncayir Dam Lake is on the edge of the moderate state of organic pollution. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Potamogetonaceae is one of the most diverse aquatic plant families in the world and in Turkey. No research has been done on environmental preferences of Potamogetonaceae species in Turkey. We aimed to understand the relationship between distribution of species and hydrochemistry using canonical correspondence analysis. Distribution and abundance patterns of species along an altitudinal gradient were also investigated. We collected 14 Potamogetonaceae species from 96 wetlands throughout Turkey and measured 10 water chemistry parameters. The most important environmental variables were electrical conductivity (EC), water temperature (Tw), dissolved oxygen (DO), and pH. These variables explained 5.9% of the total variance. Potamogeton coloratus had the lowest Tw and pH and the highest EC optima. Potamogeton gramineus preferred high Tw and pH and the lowest EC. Stuckenia amblyphylla had high DO and low Tw and EC preferences. Potamogeton natans sampled from highlands had the lowest DO optima. Stuckenia pectinata had the highest tolerance for EC and, along with P. crispus, the highest Tw tolerance. Remaining species are widespread with broad altitudinal distributions and average values of environmental parameters. The most vulnerable species are P. coloratus, S. amblyphylla and P. gramineus as they have special habitat preferences and narrow tolerances. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The cultivation of transgenic Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt) has received worldwide attention since Bt crops were first released. Its ecological risks on arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) have been widely studied. In this study, after cultivation for five seasons, the AMF diversity and community composition of two Bt maize varieties, 5422Bt1 (event Bt11) and 5422CBCL (event MO10), which both express Cry1Ab protein, and their isoline non-Bt maize 5422, as well as Bt straw after cultivation had been returned to subsequent conventional maize variety, were analyzed using Illumina MiSeq sequencing. A total of 263 OTUs (operational taxonomic units) from 511,847 sequenced affiliated with the AMF which belonged to Mucoromycota phylum Glomeromycotina subphylum were obtained. No significant difference was detected in the AMF diversity and richness (Shannon, Simpson, ACE, and Chao 1 indices) and community composition in rhizosphere soils and roots between Bt and non-Bt treatment revealed by NMDS (non-metric multidimensional scaling) and NPMANOVA (non-parametric multivariate analysis). Moreover, Glomus was the most dominant genus in all samples. Although there was no significant difference in the AMF community in roots and rhizosphere soils between the Bt and non-Bt maize treatments, total phosphorus (TP), total nitrogen (TN), organic carbon (OC), and pH were driving factors affecting the AMF community, and their composition varied between rhizosphere soils and roots during the maturity period of the fifth season. Compared to our previous study, the results were identical. In conclusion, no significant difference was observed between the Bt and non-Bt treatments, and the Illumina MiSeq method had higher throughput and higher quality read cover, which gave us comprehensive insight into AMF communities in agro-ecosystems.

Kalam Kohistan is a dry, temperate hilly region in the Hindu Raj Series of the Greater Hindu Kush Mountains with diverse forests. As plant distribution and composition is expression of a range of various environmental variables, ecological and floristic attributes of vegetation in the Laikot Forests were therefore evaluated via consecutive explorative trips. These forests have not been evaluated ecologically before due to harsh climatic conditions and issues of accessibility and the study in hand is one of the first in its nature. Quantitative ecological techniques were used to sample forest vegetation and identify species in quadrats of 2 m × 2 m for herbs, 5 m × 5 m for shrubs and 10 m × 10 m for trees. All the data of 195 plant species and environmental factors were analyzed via Two-way Cluster Analysis and Canonical Correspondence Analysis using PCORD and CANOCO software. Among 195 plant species from 63 families were 27 species of Asteraceae, the most-speciose family, followed by Poaceae (20 spp.). The dominant life form was therophyte (86 spp.; 44% share), followed by phanerophyte (41 spp.; 21% share). For the leaf size spectrum, most prevalent was nanophyll (73 spp.; 44%) followed by microphyll (66 spp., 34%) and mesophyll (44 spp.; 23%). Calcium carbonate, pH, potassium, sand, silt, organic matter, slope aspect and grazing significantly influenced species composition, distribution and habitat. The floristic variation in the region was diverse due to elevational and aspect gradients and thus devided into three zones. This vegetation zonation can be utilized for forest management, species and habitat conservation. Both in situ and ex situ conservation of threatened plant species may improve their conservation status in future if address properly. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Phytoplankton assemblages were investigated in 2015 along the seasonal changes of the Genhe River in the Greater Hinggan Mountains. The survey was performed in June (spring), August (summer), and October (autumn) at nine sampling stations to study the community composition, abundance, and biodiversity. The results showed that 61 species belonging to 16 genera were identified, including Bacillariophyta of 31 species, Dinophyta 2 species, Cyanophyta 2 species, Chlorophyta 20 species, Chrysophyta 2 species, and Cryptophyta 1 species; Besides, Bacillariophyta are dominant species. Shannon-Wiener (H′) and Pielou (J′) indices indicated that phytoplankton community was stable. And these two indices were significantly lower in summer than in spring and autumn. Phytoplankton abundance and biomass show significant differences in each season. The total phytoplankton abundance (1122.3 × 104 ind/L) and biomass (6.5709 mg/L) in summer are much higher than that in spring and autumn. There were few species and low abundance and biomass in the upper reaches of Genhe River; this fact can be explained by the cold climate in the Greater Higgnan Mountains region. Canonical correspondence analysis (CCA) was used to analyze the data. It revealed that Fe3+, Cu2+, pH, and water temperature (WT) were responsible for most of the variation in space in the phytoplankton community. These environmental parameters play an essential role in the community structure variation of phytoplankton in the upper reaches of Genhe River, the strong association between phytoplankton community structure and ecological factors is varied in each season. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Shipin Kexue/ Food Science is the property of Food Science Editorial Department and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Coastal dunes are very prone to environmental changes and they are very vulnerable ecosystems. Coastal dune vegetation in the north of Turkey cover a comparatively wide area (149 km) and they include most of the characteristic coastal dune zones. However, they are threatened by disturbance factors and most significant of these are inundation and dune erosion especially in drift line. In the present study, the relationships between some chemical and physical traits and coastal dune species in characteristic dune zones were investigated in Central Black Sea Region of Turkey. Soil reaction (pH), sodium adsorption ratio (SAR), organic matter content (% OM), potassium ion (K+) concentration, bicarbonate ion (HCO3−) concentration and coarse and very fine sand contents were found to be the most significant abiotic factors along seashore to inland gradient in studied coastal dunes. Medium sand and OM contents were associated with main and transitional dunes, while pH and SAR were associated with drift line and embryonic dune zones. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: This research aimed at the application of canonical correspondence analysis (CCA) towards the cases of oral squamous cell carcinoma patients who attended Hospital Universiti Sains Malaysia (USM) from 2011 to 2017 (based on secondary data). Design: Retrospective study design. Materials and Methods: This study was conducted using descriptive analysis and canonical correspondence analysis (CCA) to get the pattern of the associated factors according to the categories among the 117 oral cancer patients in the study. The associated TNM staging with the sites of oral cancer were assessed using graphical mapping approach. Results: The stage IV (TNM staging) oral cancer most commonly occurred at the tongue region of the patients being studied, for both male and female patients. Conclusion: Through this study, we addressed the issues such as the global concept and interpretation of the CCA model. The significant result from this finding (output based) is very important especially toward oral cancer patients management. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The present study was carried out in Tungnath alpine meadows of Kedarnath Wild Life Sanctuary, Western Himalaya from subalpine to upper alpine zone. A total of four summits were selected along an altitudinal gradient and sampled for detailed vegetation analysis using multi summit approach as per Global observation research initiative in alpine environments (GLORIA). Species richness, diversity, and evenness among four summits as well as the interaction between environmental variables with plant communities were assessed. Monthly mean soil temperature was calculated using data retrieved from geo-precision temperature logger in order to identify the trend of soil temperature among different season and altitudinal gradient and its implications to plant communities. Soil samples were analyzed from each summit by collecting randomized composite soil samples. The indirect non-metric multidimensional scaling (NMDS) and direct canonical correspondence analysis (CCA) tools of ordination techniques to determine the linkage between plant species from various sample summits and biotic/abiotic environmental gradients were used in the present study. The results of the study demonstrated increase in species richness as soil temperature increases, the ecotone representing summits were found most warm summits followed by highest species richness. Annual soil temperature increased by 1.43°C at timberline ecotone. Whereas, at upper alpine zone the soil temperature increased by 0.810C from year 2015 to 2016. Sørensen’s similarity index was found to be increased between subalpine and upper alpine zone with increase in the presence of subalpine plant species at upper alpine zone. Both the ordination tools separate the subalpine summit and their respective vegetation from summits representing timberline ecotone and upper alpine zone. Soil pH, altitude, soil cation exchange capacity were found as the key abiotic drivers for distribution of plant species. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The intensive management practices in greenhouse production may alter the soil physicochemical properties and contribute to the accumulation of heavy metals (HMs). To determine the HM concentrations in vegetable soil in relation to soil physicochemical properties and cultivation age, we conducted a soil survey for typical greenhouse soils in Shouguang, China. The results indicated that Cd is a major HM pollutant in the tested soils, as the only HM element exceeding the allowed limit for vegetable soil. The surveyed data was analyzed with regression analysis, correlation analysis and canonical correspondence analysis (CCA). A positive correlation is observed between HM pollution level and cultivation age. CCA results suggest that the HM pollution level and distribution in soil are significantly affected by soil physicochemical properties, which was a function of years of cultivation as revealed by regression analysis. In summary, cultivation age is an important factor to affect soil physicochemical properties (organic matter and inorganic nutrients) as well as HM contamination. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of South China Fisheries Science is the property of South China Fisheries Science Editorial Department and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

The present study was conducted to elaborate vegetation composition structure to analyze role of edaphic and topographic factors on plant species distribution and community formation during 2013–14. A mixture of quadrat and transect methods were used. The size of quadrat for trees shrubs and herbs were 10 × 5, 5 × 2, 1 × 1 meter square respectively. Different phytosociological attribute were measured at each station. Primary results reported 123 plant species belong to 46 families. Asteraceae and Lamiaceae were dominant families with 8 species each. PCORD version 5 were used for Cluster and Two Way Cluster Analyses that initiated 4 plant communities within elevation range of 529–700 m from sea level. Indicator species analyses (ISA) were used to identify indicator species of each community. CANOCO Software (version 4.5) was used to measure the influence of edaphic and topographic variables on species composition, diversity and community formation. Whereas Canonical Correspondence Analysis (CCA) was used to measure the effect of environmental variables which showed elevation and aspect were the stronger environmental variable among topographic and CaCO 3 contents, electric conductivity, soil pH were the stronger edaphic factors in determination of vegetation and communities of the Bheer Hills. Grazing pressure was one of the main anthropogenic factors in this regard. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Salinization is one of the main types causing land desertification in arid and semi-arid regions. Little is known about the impacts of salinization on the distribution and diversity of plant species, especially in semiarid inland saline habitats. We established a total of 40 sampling plots to determine plant community (floristic composition, species abundance, cover, frequency, and aboveground biomass) and soil characteristics (moisture, pH, electrical conductivity (EC), and the contents of Na+, K+, Ca2+, Mg2+, Cl−, SO42− and HCO3−). The TWINSPAN method was used to distinguish plant communities, by which three plant communities (I, II, III) were identified, namely Artemisia scoparia + Agropyron cristatum + Sophora alopecuroides (I), Kalidium gracile + Atriplex centralasiatica (II), and Salicornia europaea + Suaeda salsa (III). From I to III, the indices reflecting species diversity all decreased except for Pielou’s index of evenness, while the aboveground biomass and cover increased; the characteristic indices of soil moisture, EC, the contents of Na+, K+, Ca2+, Mg2+, Cl−, SO42− and total dissolved salts (TDS) significantly increased, while the Ca2+/Na+, K+/Na+ ratios and HCO3− content significantly decreased. Canonical correspondence analysis (CCA) showed that the most important environmental factors influencing species distribution were: soil moisture, SO42−, K+/Na+ and pH. Stepwise multiple-regression analysis indicated that species richness was correlated mainly with TDS and moisture. These results also suggested that vegetation can be used as a proxy indicating soil salt conditions, and their relationships can further provide important information for the improvement of salt-affected soil’s management and salt-tolerant species utilization in environmental restoration. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A large spectrum of coastal lagoon types with a wide range of environmental conditions is observed along the French Mediterranean coast. These comprise wide trophic and salinity gradients, ranging from oligotrophic to hypertrophic status, and from nearly freshwater to slightly above marine Mediterranean Sea water salinities, respectively. The statistical analysis of a long-term dataset, including water column variables and observations of macrophyte genera, showed that salinity, depth, and then trophic status, were important factors explaining the distribution of benthic macrophytes for the soft-bottom sediments in the 34 studied French Mediterranean lagoons. Based on this, we assumed that the vegetation succession along the eutrophication gradient was different according to the lagoon salinity ranges. Euhaline and polyhaline lagoons follow the well-known Schramm schematic model, where aquatic angiosperm such as seagrasses dominate under oligotrophic conditions, and opportunistic macroalgae and phytoplankton dominate under eutrophic and hypertrophic conditions. In oligohaline and mesohaline lagoons, the succession is probably an intermediate scheme between the successions observed in small temperate lakes and in marine coastal ecosystems due to the presence of both brackish and freshwater species. We thus propose a conceptual scheme for the oligohaline and mesohaline lagoons. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Most studies have employed aeration-biofiltration process for the simultaneous removal of iron, manganese and ammonia in groundwater. However, what's inside the 'black box', i.e., the potential contribution of functional microorganisms behavior and interactions have seldom been investigated. Moreover, little attention has been paid to the correlations between environmental variables and functional microorganisms. In this study, the performance of industrial-scale biofilters for the contaminated groundwater treatment was studied. The effluent were all far below the permitted concentration level in the current drinking water standard. Pyrosequencing illustrated that shifts in microbial community structure were observed in the microbial samples from different depths of filter. Microbial networks showed that the microbial community structure in the middle- and deep-layer samples was similar, in which a wide range of manganese-oxidizing bacteria was identified. By contrast, canonical correlation analysis showed that the bacteria capable of ammonia-oxidizing and nitrification was enriched in the upper-layer, i.e., Propionibacterium, Nitrosomonas, Nitrosomonas and Candidatus Nitrotoga. The stable biofilm on the biofilter media, created by certain microorganisms from the groundwater microflora, played a crucial role in the simultaneous removal of the three pollutants. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]