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Abstract Biomanipulation has been widely used in the ecological restoration of eutrophic lakes for decades. However, biomanipulation is prone to failure if external nutrient loads are not reduced. In order to explore the importance of filter‐feeding fish and bivalves on algal control, an outdoor mesocosm experiment was conducted using different nutrient concentrations. Four treatments simulating daily loads of nutrients in Lake Taihu were studied: current, two times, and three times average daily loads of nutrients with both fish (Aristichthys nobilis) and Asian clam (Corbicula fluminea) and as a control current daily loads without fish or bivalves. Results showed that stocking of filter‐feeding fish and bivalves (80 g m−3 bighead carp; 200 g cm−2 clams) at two times daily nutrient loads could effectively control water column Chl a concentrations and phytoplankton biomass. At higher nutrient concentrations (TN ≥ 260 μg L−1 d−1; TP ≥ 10 μg L−1 d−1), top‐down control of filter‐feeding fish and bivalves was less effective and bottom‐up effects resulted in significant increases of Chl a concentration. Thus, as phytoplankton biomass in freshwater ecosystems is determined by both the top‐down effects of predators and the bottom‐up effects of nutrients, external loadings should be controlled when filter‐feeding fish and bivalves are used for algal control to ensure the efficacy of biomanipulation.

Non-invasive geophysical exploration methods a play key role in the exploration of ore deposits. In the present study, the audio-frequency magnetotelluric (AMT) method was applied to metallic mineral exploration. The metallic mineral deposit targeted was the recently discovered super large lead–zinc deposit of the Zhugongtang mining area of Hezhang County in the northwestern Guizhou province in China. The main objectives of this study were to estimate the geoelectric strike and generate geoelectric models that estimate both the depth and distribution of resistivity structures across the deposit. To achieve the objectives, we deployed sixty-one (61) AMT survey sites with an interstation separation of 20 m on a 1280 m survey track perpendicular to the geological strike across the Zhugongtang deposit. We operated in fifty-three (53) frequencies in the range 1–10,400 Hz to record the resistivity distribution of subsurface to a depth of more than 1200 m. The results from the AMT data computations estimated the geoelectric strike that varies between NE285° and NE315°. This range of strikes suggested that structures across the deposit are oriented in the NW–SE direction. Obtained two-dimensional (2D) models elucidated a remarkably low resistivity body (0.50 km depth), thus extending to great depth and were interpreted as lead–zinc mineralization. Furthermore, low resistivity (1000 Ωm). Bioclastic limestone and dolomite limestone were inferred and characterized by moderate-high resistivity (>250 Ωm) and were not widely distributed. A unit of basalts was found with moderate resistivity (>63 Ωm). In addition, it was also found that regions with high number of faults tend to have low resistivity values compared to regions with a low fault number. In summary, this case study presents the results of applying an AMT approach to explore the conductivity characteristics of structures across the Zhugongtang deposit. The findings may contribute to the literature about this deposit.

Research on the electrical properties of rocks and ores plays a crucial role in the development of geophysical electromagnetism methods. However, currently available instruments suffer from high power consumption, a limited number of electrodes, inaccurate measurements, poor portability, and a limited ability to measure the electrical parameters of rocks and ores. To address these issues, this paper presents a three-dimensional electrical impedance tomography system for rock samples with high-density microelectrodes based on an Android system and STM32 microcontroller. The system features high observation accuracy, dense electrode arrays (with 384 current and potential electrodes), flexible electrode selection, user-friendly human–computer interaction, good stability, and real-time performance. Powered by a single power bank, the entire instrument can be controlled and monitored wirelessly via Bluetooth and Wi-Fi technology using an Android smartphone. Additionally, the system not only enables accurate measurement of electrical parameters, but also facilitates the generation of three-dimensional impedance imaging of specimens via inversion algorithms after data export, allowing for a comprehensive understanding of the electrical properties of rocks and ores. This system holds great potential for future research in this field. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Biomanipulation has been widely used in the ecological restoration of eutrophic lakes for decades. However, biomanipulation is prone to failure if external nutrient loads are not reduced. In order to explore the importance of filter‐feeding fish and bivalves on algal control, an outdoor mesocosm experiment was conducted using different nutrient concentrations. Four treatments simulating daily loads of nutrients in Lake Taihu were studied: current, two times, and three times average daily loads of nutrients with both fish (Aristichthys nobilis) and Asian clam (Corbicula fluminea) and as a control current daily loads without fish or bivalves. Results showed that stocking of filter‐feeding fish and bivalves (80 g m−3 bighead carp; 200 g cm−2 clams) at two times daily nutrient loads could effectively control water column Chl a concentrations and phytoplankton biomass. At higher nutrient concentrations (TN ≥ 260 μg L−1 d−1; TP ≥ 10 μg L−1 d−1), top‐down control of filter‐feeding fish and bivalves was less effective and bottom‐up effects resulted in significant increases of Chl a concentration. Thus, as phytoplankton biomass in freshwater ecosystems is determined by both the top‐down effects of predators and the bottom‐up effects of nutrients, external loadings should be controlled when filter‐feeding fish and bivalves are used for algal control to ensure the efficacy of biomanipulation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Non-invasive geophysical exploration methods a play key role in the exploration of ore deposits. In the present study, the audio-frequency magnetotelluric (AMT) method was applied to metallic mineral exploration. The metallic mineral deposit targeted was the recently discovered super large lead–zinc deposit of the Zhugongtang mining area of Hezhang County in the northwestern Guizhou province in China. The main objectives of this study were to estimate the geoelectric strike and generate geoelectric models that estimate both the depth and distribution of resistivity structures across the deposit. To achieve the objectives, we deployed sixty-one (61) AMT survey sites with an interstation separation of 20 m on a 1280 m survey track perpendicular to the geological strike across the Zhugongtang deposit. We operated in fifty-three (53) frequencies in the range 1–10,400 Hz to record the resistivity distribution of subsurface to a depth of more than 1200 m. The results from the AMT data computations estimated the geoelectric strike that varies between NE285° and NE315°. This range of strikes suggested that structures across the deposit are oriented in the NW–SE direction. Obtained two-dimensional (2D) models elucidated a remarkably low resistivity body (<15 Ωm) at an elevation of less than 1600 m above sea level (>0.50 km depth), thus extending to great depth and were interpreted as lead–zinc mineralization. Furthermore, low resistivity (<63 Ωm) features were imaged both in superficial and deeper depths and interpreted as shale, sandstone, claystone, and silty mudstone units. Dolomite and limestone lithologies were found widely distributed with high resistivity (>1000 Ωm). Bioclastic limestone and dolomite limestone were inferred and characterized by moderate-high resistivity (>250 Ωm) and were not widely distributed. A unit of basalts was found with moderate resistivity (>63 Ωm). In addition, it was also found that regions with high number of faults tend to have low resistivity values compared to regions with a low fault number. In summary, this case study presents the results of applying an AMT approach to explore the conductivity characteristics of structures across the Zhugongtang deposit. The findings may contribute to the literature about this deposit. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The importance of trophic interactions for determining the distributions, abundances, and taxonomic compositions of organisms in ecosystems has long been studied and debated. Here we test the effect of a trophic cascade on diatom (Asterionella formosa) blooms in subtropical, eutrophic Lake Taihu, China.A long‐term data series (2005–2015) on planktivorous fish, zooplankton and diatoms has been analysed. Structural equation modelling is used to test our hypotheses about the influences of top‐down and bottom‐up forces on A. formosa.Since 2009, a spring bloom of A. formosa has occurred in the lake, coinciding with a reduction of Daphnia galeata biomass and of total cladoceran biomass following a marked increase in the stock of planktivorous fish (bighead carp and silver carp). Light, phosphorus (total and soluble reactive phosphate) and silica did not act as limiting factors for the growth of A. formosa.Structural equation modelling analysis showed that top‐down effects of cladocerans on A. formosa biomass were more important than bottom‐up effects (wind speed and soluble reactive phosphate). Although A. formosa was negatively correlated with total nitrogen, total with other inorganic nitrogen (NO3 and NH4) did not restrict the proliferation of diatom blooms after 2007. These results suggested that the substantial reduction of the Daphnia population caused a diatom bloom through a trophic cascade by planktivorous fish.Our study provides new insight into the effects of trophic interactions on diatom bloom formation in natural freshwater ecosystems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Small fish are highly associated with submerged macrophytes but may potentially hamper their growth due to nutrient excretion that stimulate growth of phytoplankton and periphyton growth. We conducted a mesocosm experiment to elucidate the effects of the small omnivore Chinese bitterling Acheilognathus macropterus on the growth of phytoplankton, periphyton and the submerged macrophyte Vallisneria denseserrulata. The treatments were fishless as well as low (LF) and high (HF) fish density. We found that the concentrations of nutrients and the phytoplankton biomass increased substantially in both fish treatments, leading to a significantly higher light attenuation compared with the control. Moreover, bitterling substantially enhanced the biomass of periphyton on plant leaves. Consequently, the relative growth rate (RGR) of V. denseserrulata was significantly suppressed in HF, while RGR in the LF treatment did not differ significantly from the controls. However, the bitterling also stimulated the ramet production of V. denseserrulata, significantly. Our results indicate that Chinese bitterling reduce the RGR of V. denseserrulata under high fish density condition. Therefore, the density of Chinese bitterling should be kept low in order to reduce the negative effects of the fish on the RGR of submerged macrophytes (e.g. V. denseserrulata), when restoring lakes by plant transplantation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Filter‐feeding silver carp (Hypophthalmichthys molitrix) has been extensively used to control algae blooms in Chinese lakes. However, the benefit of stocking silver carp to restore eutrophic lakes remains controversial and the reasons for the different responses observed are unclear.In this study, we conducted an outdoor experiment to assess the impact of the biomass level of four silver carp (c. 0, 25, 50, and 100 g/m3) on phytoplankton through direct grazing and fish‐mediated nutrient recycling, respectively. We used a nested design with nutrient‐permeable chambers with or without fish placed inside ponds. In this way, the phytoplankton incubated outside the chambers was affected by both consumer grazing and nutrient recycling, whereas the phytoplankton inside the fish‐free chambers was only affected by consumer‐mediated nutrient recycling.Outside the chambers, the concentrations of total nitrogen, dissolved total nitrogen, and total phosphorus did not differ significantly among the treatments, whereas the dissolved total phosphorus level was significantly higher in the fishless treatment. The concentration of chlorophyll a (Chl a), phytoplankton biomass and the ratio of nanophytoplankton Chl a to total phytoplankton Chl a in the fish‐present treatments were significantly higher than in the fishless treatment and the phytoplankton was dominated by small‐sized species. While the zooplankton biomass and zooplankton:phytoplankton biomass ratio were significantly lower in the fish‐present treatments, indicating a strong fish predation on zooplankton. As for the water inside the chambers, there was no significant difference among the four treatments for any of the measured variables except total phosphorus.Our results suggest that silver carp indirectly stimulated phytoplankton growth by reducing the zooplankton grazing rather than through nutrient recycling, and that fish grazing on phytoplankton could not compensate for the loss of grazing by zooplankton, leading to higher phytoplankton biomass when silver carp was present. The benefit of using filter‐feeding fish as a biomanipulation tool to create clear water is therefore questionable unless control of nanophytoplankton can be achieved. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Omnivorous fishes are prevalent in warm waters and may have strong impacts on water quality by excreting nutrients and reducing periphyton biomass. However, most studies have focused on large-sized species and overlooked the role of small omnivores. Filter-feeding mussels may modulate the negative effects of small omnivorous fishes on water quality, and stocking of mussels has been frequently used in shallow eutrophic freshwaters in China to improve the water clarity. However, the mechanisms behind such management practices are poorly studied. We conducted a mesocosm experiment to examine the ecosystem effects of the bitterling Acheilognathus macropterus as modulated by the mussel Sinanodonta woodiana , one of the mussels upon which it relies for breeding. We hypothesized that bitterling would exert negative effects on the lake environment, specifically higher phytoplankton biomass and lower water clarity, but that these effects might be alleviated by the filter-feeding activities of S. woodiana. In a 56-d mesocosm experiment with and without bitterling in the presence and absence of mussels, we found interactive effects of bitterling and mussels. In mesocosms with bitterling, nutrient concentrations, phytoplankton biomass, and total suspended solids (TSS) increased, but there were no changes in periphyton biomass in the mussel-free treatments. In contrast to the effects of large-sized omnivorous fishes reported from the literature, bitterling mainly affected TSS levels by increasing organic suspended solids rather than inorganic solids, indicating weak effects on sediment resuspension. However, the presence of mussels alleviated the negative effects of bitterling by decreasing nutrient levels, phytoplankton biomass, and TSS concentrations. Mussels alone had no effects on periphyton biomass, but the mussel–bitterling interactions boosted the growth of periphyton. Our study suggests that the negative effects of bitterling on water quality (e.g., increased nutrient concentrations and phytoplankton biomass) are alleviated by the presence of filter-feeding mussels, but the stimulatory interactive effects of mussels and bitterling on periphyton may impair the recovery of submerged macrophytes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Rapid expansion of juvenile fish after biomanipulation can delay the successful restoration of submerged macrophytes, leading to a turbid water status in subtropical shallow lakes. Aimed to test the effects of direct removal of juvenile crucian carp (Carassius carassius) on water quality and growth of two submerged macrophytes Vallisneria natans and Hydrilla verticillate, a short-term outdoor mesocosm experiment was conducted in the Taihu Laboratory for Lake Ecosystem Research (TLLER). The results indicated that the concentrations of TN, TP, suspended solids, and chlorophyll a decreased significantly with increasing removal density of juvenile crucian carp, thus resulting in a clear status of the water. Additionally, the mean relative growth rate of V. natans and H. verticillata in the low- and high-density removal treatments were higher than that in the controls. Moreover, the removal of juvenile crucian carp also significantly increased the stem length of V. natans, but no significant effect on that of H. verticillata. Meanwhile, the total number of V. natans and H. verticillata in the low- and high-density removal treatments was higher than that in the controls, but all of H. verticillata were lower than the initials. Our results indicated that removing juvenile crucian carp could improve the water quality, increasing relative growth rate, height, and reproduction of V. natans, and improving the survival rate of H. verticillata. The promotion of fish removal on the V. natans growth was greater than H. verticillata. The results also implied that it was necessary to continuously remove the juvenile benthivorous fish several times for restoring the submerged macrophytes in shallow lakes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Lake ecosystems are exposed to a range of anthropogenic pressures, particularly eutrophication, and in some cases also stocking and/or overfishing of top-predator fish species, all factors that have implications for the food web structure and which could lead to dominance of nuisance cyanobacteria. Restoration of degraded lakes demands insight into the relative role of top-down for bottom-up regulating forces. While knowledge about these forces in temperate lakes is extensive, comparatively little is known of their role in subtropical lakes where the importance of herbivorous and benthic feeding fish is higher. Here, we analyzed a long-term monitoring data set on subtropical, shallow Lake Taihu, China, and applied random forests regression to examine how phytoplankton was related to environmental variables and biotic assemblages. Our results indicate that the biomass and density of phytoplankton increased with increasing biomass of benthivorous and zooplanktivorous fish and decreased with increases in ammonium concentrations, the nitrogen to phosphorus ratio, and zooplankton biomass, while the response to climate fluctuations and changes in the biomass of piscivores was weak. Effects of higher trophic levels explained as much of the variance in phytoplankton biomass as did nutrients and climatic factors. Moreover, the remarkably reduced ratio of zooplankton to phytoplankton biomass and the decline in cladoceran individual biomass emphasized the increasing importance of top-down control in regulating the phytoplankton following extensive stocking. Our findings offer insight into how fish management may be combined with catchment-level restoration measures to conserve and enhance water quality. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Understanding how biological communities respond to climate change is a major challenge in ecology. The response of ectotherms to changes in temperature depends not only on their species-specific thermal tolerances but also on temperature-mediated interactions across different trophic levels. Warming is predicted to reinforce trophic cascades in linear aquatic food chains, but little is known about how warming might affect the lower trophic levels of food webs involving extensive fish omnivory, a common scenario in subtropical and tropical waterbodies. In this study, a mesocosm warming experiment was conducted involving a pelagic food chain (fish–zooplankton–phytoplankton) topped by the omnivorous bighead carp [Aristichthys nobilis (Richardson)]. We found that temperature elevation significantly enhanced the growth of fish and suppressed zooplankton, including both metazooplankton and ciliates, while abundances of phytoplankton, despite disruption of temporal dynamics, did not increase correspondingly—likely due to fish predation. Our results suggest that trophic cascades are less unlikely to be reinforced by warming in food chains involving significant omnivory. Moreover, we found that warming advanced the spring abundance peak of phytoplankton abundance and that of the parthenogenetic rotifer Brachionus quadridentatus; whereas, it had no effect on the only sexually reproducing copepod, Mesocyclops leuckarti, presumably due to its prolonged life history. Our study also confirmed that warming may lead to a phenological mismatch between some predators and their prey because of the distinct life histories among taxa, with potentially severe consequences for resource flow in the food chain, at least in the short term. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Shallow lakes are dominated by small omnivorous fish, but the roles of these small fish in aquatic ecosystems are not well-known. A small omnivorous bitterling (Acheilognathus macropterus) has been found to be dominant after lake restoration in shallow lakes. We conducted a mesocosm experiment to examine the effects of bitterling on water quality and plankton communities. Bitterling significantly increased the concentrations of nutrients, chlorophyll a (Chla) and suspended solids (TSS), and decreased the light intensity. The abundance and biomass of phytoplankton in the fish-present treatment were significantly higher than the controls, with Microcystis spp. and Dolichospermum spp. dominating the phytoplankton community. However, bitterling did not significantly affect the abundance and biomass of zooplankton, although the presence of bitterling shifted the community structure to dominance by small-sized species. Density-dependent effects of bitterling were observed on the concentrations of nutrient, TSS, organic suspended solids and Chla and on light intensity, but were not found for plankton and ratio of zooplankton to phytoplankton biomass. Our study indicates that A. macropterus can negatively affect water quality and facilitate the dominance of cyanobacteria. Therefore, monitoring and control of these small omnivorous species should be emphasized when restoring or managing shallow lakes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Small omnivorous fish often dominate in subtropical shallow lakes, and they may affect the community structure of aquatic organisms on at least two trophic levels. However, in the study of aquatic food webs in subtropical lakes, most ecologists have focused on the effects of large-sized omnivorous species (e.g. common carp), studies of small-sized species being scarce. We conducted a mesocosm experiment with two treatments (fish presence and absence) to examine the effects of a small-sized omnivore, bitterling (Acheilognathus macropterus), on phytoplankton, zooplankton and benthic macroinvertebrates. Our results showed that bitterling presence significantly increased the chlorophyll a concentration and biomass of phytoplankton, which became dominated by cyanobacteria (mainly Aphanizomenon spp.) that accounted for >99% of both total phytoplankton abundance and biomass. Both the abundance and biomass of zooplankton were also higher in the fish-present treatment, but small rotifers became dominant, and the zooplankton:phytoplankton biomass ratio decreased, indicating less grazing on phytoplankton. Moreover, both the abundance and biomass of benthic macroinvertebrates (tubificids) were higher in the bitterling-present treatment than in the controls, which is opposite to the situation found when omni-benthivorous fish (e.g. crucian carp) dominate. Higher biomass of tubificids may, in turn, result in higher sediment nutrient release. Our study suggests that A. macropterus, and maybe also other bitterling species, can alter both pelagic and benthic assemblages via both top-down and bottom-up control effects and lead to more turbid water in eutrophic lakes. Thus, more attention should be paid to these small omnivorous species in the restoration and management of shallow subtropical lakes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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It is well established that benthivorous fish in shallow lakes can create turbid conditions that influence phytoplankton growth both positively, as a result of elevated nutrient concentration in the water column, and negatively, due to increased attenuation of light. The net effect depends upon the degree of turbidity induced by the benthivores. Stocked Carassius carassius dominate the benthivorous fish fauna in many nutrient-rich Chinese subtropical and tropical shallow lakes, but the role of the species as a potential limiting factor in phytoplankton growth is ambiguous. Clarification of this relationship will help determine the management strategy and cost of restoring eutrophic lakes in China and elsewhere. Our outdoor mesocosm experiment simulating the effect of high density of crucian carp on phytoplankton growth and community structure in eutrophic shallow lakes suggests that stocking with this species causes resuspension of sediment, thereby increasing light attenuation and elevating nutrient concentrations. However, the effect of light attenuation was insufficient to offset the impact of nutrient enhancement on phytoplankton growth, and significant increases in both phytoplankton biomass and chlorophyll a concentrations were recorded. Crucian carp stocking favored the dominance of diatoms and led to lower percentages (but not biomass) of buoyant cyanobacteria. The dominance of diatoms may be attributed to a competitive advantage of algal cells with high sedimentation velocity in an environment subjected to frequent crucian carp-induced resuspension and entrainment of benthic algae caused by the fish foraging activities. Our study demonstrates that turbidity induced by stocked crucian carp does not limit phytoplankton growth in eutrophic waters. Thus, removal of this species (and presumably other similar taxa) from subtropical or tropical shallow lakes, or suspension of aquaculture, is unlikely to boost phytoplankton growth, despite the resulting improvements in light availability. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Phytoplankton and benthic algae coexist in shallow lakes and the outcome of the competition between these two photoautotrophs can markedly influence water clarity. It is well established that exposed artificial substrate in eutrophic waters can remove nutrients and fine particles from the water column via the attached periphyton canopy. However, the effects of the introduction of artificial substrate on the competition between planktonic and benthic primary producers remain to be elucidated. We conducted a short-term outdoor mesocosm experiment to test the hypothesis that the nutrient and light changes induced by exposed artificial substrate (polythene nets) would benefit the benthic algae. Artificial substrate significantly reduced total nitrogen and phosphorus concentrations and water clarity improved, the latter due to the substrate-induced reduction of both organic and inorganic suspended solids. Consequently, as judged from changes in chlorophyll a (Chl-a) concentrations in water and sediment, respectively, exposed artificial substrate significantly reduced the phytoplankton biomass, while benthic algae biomass increased. Our results thus indicate that exposed artificial substrate may be used as a tool to re-establish benthic primary production in eutrophic shallow lakes after an external nutrient loading reduction, paving the way for a benthic- or a macrophyte-dominated system. Longer term and larger scale experiments are, however, needed before any firm conclusions can be drawn on this. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The objective of this study was to evaluate the occurrence, spatiotemporal distribution, mass balance and ecological risks of 43 commonly used human and veterinary antibiotics in both aqueous and sedimentary phases in a large subtropical shallow lake, Lake Taihu. In the aqueous phase, sulfonamides (2.64–344 ng L−1), lincomycin (ND to 53.8 ng L−1) and florfenicol (0.15–963 ng L−1) were the main compounds with high concentrations and detection frequencies. In the sedimentary phase, fluoroquinolones (ND to 174 ng g−1, dry weight) and tetracyclines (ND to 39.6 ng g−1, dry weight) were the predominant compounds. Antibiotic concentrations in Lake Taihu were generally lower relative to data documented in previous studies on China and other countries. The composition of antibiotics showed that livestock wastewater might be the main source of antibiotics in Lake Taihu, followed by domestic wastewater. Antibiotics in the lake water showed slight spatial variation in summer and significant spatial variation in winter; whereas, antibiotic concentrations in the sediments varied obviously, with high concentrations found in the sites close to potential pollution sources. Mass balance showed that sediments are an important sink and potential source for fluoroquinolones and tetracyclines. In addition to antibiotics' physicochemical properties, the spatiotemporal distribution of antibiotics in the lake was influenced by both pollution sources and lake hydrodynamics. The environmental risk assessment results showed that sulfamethoxazole could pose high risks on the algae in the aquatic ecosystem, followed by tetracyclines (algae) and fluoroquinolones (bacteria). Overall, our study reveals complex compositions and clear spatiotemporal dynamics in Lake Taihu, which were the consequence of pollution sources and lake hydrodynamics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A yearlong campaign to examine sediment resuspension was conducted in large, shallow and eutrophic Lake Taihu, China, to investigate the influence of vegetation on sediment resuspension and its nutrient effects. The study was conducted at 6 sites located in both phytoplankton-dominated zone and macrophyte-dominated zone of the lake, lasting for a total of 13 months, with collections made at two-week intervals. Sediment resuspension in Taihu, with a two-week high average rate of 1771 g·m-2·d-1 and a yearly average rate of 377 g·m-2·d-1, is much stronger than in many other lakes worldwide, as Taihu is quite shallow and contains a long fetch. The occurrence of macrophytes, however, provided quite strong abatement of sediment resuspension, which may reduce the sediment resuspension rate up to 29-fold. The contribution of nitrogen and phosphorus to the water column from sediment resuspension was estimated as 0.34 mg·L-1 and 0.051 mg·L-1 in the phytoplankton-dominated zone. Sediment resuspension also largely reduced transparency and then stimulated phytoplankton growth. Therefore, sediment resuspension may be one of the most important factors delaying the recovery of eutrophic Lake Taihu, and the influence of sediment resuspension on water quality must also be taken into account by the lake managers when they determine the restoration target. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Considering personal privacy and difficulty of obtaining training material for many seldom used English words and (often non-English) names, language-independent (LI) with lightweight speaker-dependent (SD) automatic speech recognition (ASR) is a promising option to solve the problem. The dynamic time warping (DTW) algorithm is the state-of-the-art algorithm for small foot-print SD ASR applications with limited storage space and small vocabulary, such as voice dialing on mobile devices, menu-driven recognition, and voice control on vehicles and robotics. Even though we have successfully developed two fast and accurate DTW variations for clean speech data, speech recognition for adverse conditions is still a big challenge. In order to improve recognition accuracy in noisy environment and bad recording conditions such as too high or low volume, we introduce a novel one-against-all weighted DTW (OAWDTW). This method defines a one-against-all index (OAI) for each time frame of training data and applies the OAIs to the core DTW process. Given two speech signals, OAWDTW tunes their final alignment score by using OAI in the DTW process. Our method achieves better accuracies than DTW and merge-weighted DTW (MWDTW), as 6.97% relative reduction of error rate (RRER) compared with DTW and 15.91% RRER compared with MWDTW are observed in our extensive experiments on one representative SD dataset of four speakers' recordings. To the best of our knowledge, OAWDTW approach is the first weighted DTW specially designed for speech data in adverse conditions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Crucian carp (Carassius carassius) is a key fish species in most Chinese subtropical and tropical shallow lakes. Through sediment feeding, crucian carp could greatly change water turbidity and nutrient levels, as well as the abundance of herbivorous consumers, which may have important influences on seston element stoichiometry. However, so far, experimental studies on this topic are lacking. We conducted a 36-day mesocosm experiment to explore the effects of crucian carp on water physicochemical and biological properties, and C/N/P ratios in suspended particulate matter (SPM) under eutrophic conditions. Our results provided three major findings: (1) Crucian carp resuspended sediments and along with them, reduced light penetration and lower light/total phosphorus (TP) ratios. (2) Crucian carp reduced biomasses of both zooplankton and macrozoobenthos, whereas their effect on phytoplankton was weak, potentially because of resuspension-induced light limitation. (3) Both C/P and N/P ratios in SPM were significant lower in mesocosms with crucian carp than in fish-free controls, which may be attributed to the high contribution of P-rich sediments and low light to nutrient supply caused by fish-induced resuspension. Our results suggest that besides planktivorous fish, benthivore (e.g., crucian carp) in warm shallow waters could also affect pelagic C/N/P stoichiometry via sediment feeding, which may further influence energy transfer efficiency in lake food chain. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]