Quality characteristics of soils in rocky-desertified areas with ecosystem under restoration succession in Karst regions of Guangxi were studied using spatial sequence instead of temporal one.The Chengjiang Subwatershed in Du′an County,Guangxi was selected as a subject of the study. Sampling sites typical of the eight phases of the restoration succession,i.e.rocky-desertified land,cultivated slopeland,shortgrass land,tall-grass land,shrub-grass land,shrubbery land,artificial arbor forestland,and natural arbor forestland,were picked out in the subwatershed for comparative study of chemical and biological properties of the soils with a view to exploring how soil quality was remedied in the process.Results show soils differed sharply in chemical and biological properties between the phases.With vegetation developing into a higher phase,soil quality on the whole displayed a trend of improvement and so did its various quality indexes.When the vegetation restoration succession went on,soil quality index presented a rising trend,i.e.rocky-desertified land(134.78),cultivated slopeland(192.24),shortgrass land(235.18),tall-grass land(260.67),shrub-grass land(317.89),shrubbery land(359.80),artificial arbor forestland(363.39),and natural arbor forestland(460.77).Positive evolution of natural vegetation is an effective path towards better soil quality and an outright reverse process of rocky desertification.

With the aid of the 3S technology,a baseline landscape of the Yalujiang Estuary was established as reference for analysis and assessment of landscape fragmentation of the coastal wetland therein in 1989 and 2005,using indicators,such as natural landscape index,patch density,largest patch index,patch shape index and contagion index.Results show that the baseline landscape is a useful reference for assessment of landscape fragmentation.The wetland landscape of the Yalujiang Estuary tended to break into patches with natural index declining to 89.373% in 1989 and to 86.691% in 2005.Among the different types of wetlands,reed swamps,mudflats and tidal furrows shrank significantly in acreage with natural index falling down to 69.94%,71.49% and 78.42%,respectively in 2005.The index of patch density of wetlands of all the types increased,with that of reed swamps ranked first,being 18.507,and that of mudflats second,being 6.879 in 2005.Mudflats tended to become more complex in shape of patches while the other types displayed a reverse trend.The contagion index remained high for all the types of wetlands in all the periods,suggesting that the various types of wetlands are distributed in cluster in the Yalujiang Estuary.

Development of eco-tourism in nature reserves has brought in economic benefits,while bringing about negative impacts,such as environmental pollution and ecological damage,on the reserves,which is contrary to and even conflicts with the original intention of protecting nature reserves.Through the survey of the status of construction and management of the nature reserves in 2006 and a special questionnaire on eco-tourism in nature reserves issued and collected in 2008,problems existing in the eco-tourism in nature reserves were systematically discussed from the aspects of eco-tourism-related macroscopic decision-making and management,administrative structure of nature reserve,and relationships of nature reserves with neighboring communities,tourism operators,tourists,and eco-environment,and corresponding countermeasures have been brought forward.

Qinzhou City was 10 603 km2 in total territory.Analysis and evaluation of eco-sensitivity of Qinzhou City based on regional development revealed that areas moderate and low in eco-sensitivity accounted for 64.49% of the total land area,and areas high and non in eco-sensitivity for 19.22% and 16.29%,respectively.Based on analysis of the relationship between eco-sensitivity and development/construction,the city was divided into three types of regions,that is,highly eco-restrictive region,moderately eco-restrictive region and non-eco-restrictive region,which may serve as reference for development of the industrialization and urbanization of the city.Meanwhile,countermeasures are presented for maintenance of regional eco-safety and prevention and control of eco-sensitive hazard from the aspects of natural ecology preservation,conservation of water resources and water supply,impact of natural calamities,and expanding of construction land.

Modification is made of the traditional model of ecological carrying capacity of cropland through introducing the factor of cropland heavy metal pollution into the study of the ecological footprint theory,with Jiangsu Province set as an example in case study.Results show that by using the modified model the ecological carrying capacity of cropland in Jiangsu in 2005 was calculated to be 0.127 hm² per capita,5.2% lower than 0.134 hm² per capita calculated by using the traditional model;the cropland ecological deficit 0.067 hm² per capita,11.7% higher than 0.060 hm² per capita calculated by using traditional model;and the cropland ecological sustainability index 0.39,lower than 0.41 calculated by using traditional model.Although the results of the calculation using both models put the cropland of Jiangsu under the category of "weak unsustainability",the modified model more truly reflected the practical situation of the land use,and the negative impact of heavy metal pollution on ecological carrying capacity of the cropland in Jiangsu Province as well.

Field observation on effects of typical farmland shelterbelts in controlling wind and sand in the sandy land of Yanchi in Ningxia revealed that the shelterbelt of Caragana microphylla shrubberies provided shelter over the woodlot per se and 0-3H(H stands for height) at the leeway edge of the forest,with a limited effective range in the leeway;that the wind speeds at both windward side and leeward side of the shelterbelt of Salix psammophila were greater than the threshold velocity(4.53 m·s^-1)of sand rising,so the shelterbelt gave little protection of the farmland;and that the fragmentary shelterbelt of Ulmus pumila,was unable to play its wind-breaking role.Sands accumulated on the leeway side of the latter two shelterbelts,indicating that they could not effectively prevent aeolian sands from coming into the farmland,while sands arrested inside the belts of Caragana microphylla,showing its effectiveness in controlling aeolian sands.

Field surveys of the rural areas of Jiangsu and Jilin for energy consumption were conducted to explore regional disparities.Results show that Jilin is much higher than Jiangsu in total energy consumption per capita because the former needs more energy for heating in winter.In the respect of bio-energy,Jiangsu uses more crop stalks/straws whereas Jilin,rich in forest resources,burns crop stalks/straws as well as firewood.In the respect of commercial energy,Jiangsu depends more on electrical power,petro-products,and gasol whereas Jilin more on coal.In the respect of renewable energy-biogas,Jiangsu achieved better results than Jilin in popularization.With the help of the econometric model,factors affecting rural household energy consumption were analyzed.Results show that factors,such as per capita net income,per capita farmland area,per capita number of durable household electrical appliances,per capita motorcycle and major productive fixed assets,and region,are the major ones affecting the rural energy consumption,meanwhile financial and technical support from the government,per capita net income,per capita head of pigs in pen,and location of the household,agricultural zone or forest region are major factors influencing the farmer households in adopting biogas or not.

A stationary field experiment was carried out to investigate effect of water treatment on farmland water regime,using a neutron probe.Results show that after a long-term experiment soil water storage in the 0—110 cm soil layer followed an order of suitable water treatment>rainfall treatment>dry treatment with the first two being 23.4% and 12.9%,respectively,higher than the last.During the soybean growing season,soil water storage in all the treatments displayed a trend of seasonal variation,such as declining-rising-declining-rising,which was closely related to rainfall distribution during the season.In terms of moisture consumption by soybean,the three treatments followed a decreasing order of suitable water treatment>rainfall treatment>dry treatment,and their value was 459.4,420.3,and 326.4 mm,respectively.Soybean water consumption varied slightly between treatments at all growth stages,during the period(2008-05-01—2008-06-15) when they were free of the influence of water control,but significantly in the period when they were under the influence of water control.The water-inflow/water-consumption ratio demonstrated that the black soil was quite high in capability of adjusting water regime.Water use efficiency of the dry treatment,the rainfall treatment and the suitable water treatment was 3.9,4.8 and 5.4 kg·hm^-2·mm^-1,respectively,indicating that irrigation could enhance water use efficiency in normal years in black soil.

Soil samples were collected from five regions and 26 soil samples from the Xifeng Profile of the Loess Plateau.Total DNA was extracted from those samples with the aid of bacterial universal primer and amplified by means of PCR and its product analyzed with the DGGE technique to explore diversity of bacterial communities.Oriented towards the features of the microbes in the soil of the plateau,conditions of the DGGE experiment were optimized with an optimal denaturant gradient ranging between 40% and 70%,and an optimal electrophoresis duration being 17 hours(100 V).Analysis of DGGE profiles of bacteria in soils at various depths revealed that there are two different types of bacterial community structures in soils at various depths in the Loess Plateau, which is presumably attributed to changes of the warm-humid environment caused by monsoon climatic conditions,and ice age.In the age when monsoon got stronger in summers and became weak in winters,the climate was warm and humid,and weathering and soil formation were intensive,which showed multiple and dense bands in the DGGE profile,whereas conversely,weathering and soil formation are weak,which showed sparse bands in the profile.The determination of Shannon-Weiner indexes of soil bacteria in the five regions of the plateau indicated that the Shannon-Weiner indexes were influenced not only by the amount of bands,but also by brightness and moving rates of the bands

Both pot experiment and field experiment were carried to test planting of oil sunflower with the application of desulfurized gypsum in ameliorating soils moderate in sodic salinity.Results show that exchangeable sodium percentage(ESP),total alkalinity and pH values decreased significantly,while soil salt content increased.The germination rate and yield of the sunflower increased significantly after desulfurized gypsum was applied,but excessive application of desulfurized gypsum inhibited germination and growth of the plant.After application of 11 250 kg·hm^-2 of desulfurized gypsum in the 0-20 cm surface layer of soils moderate in sodic salinity,the chemical properties of the soils improved with ESP reduced down to <6%,total alkalinity to <0.2 cmol·kg^-1 and pH to <8.5,and the germination rate increased to over 70% and the yield reached to 2 031 kg·hm^-2,or increased by 16.2% in the field experiment.

Effects of drip irrigation were studied on redistribution of soil water and salt in the soils under young forest stands at the fringes of an oasis and a desert in the lower reaches of the Tarim River.Results show that after 24 hours the soil water content decreased horizontally with increasing in distance from the nozzle and reached the lowest at the distance of 75 cm,but increased vertically with depth of the profile and peaked at 75 cm.Vertically along the profile both soil moisture and salt contents were high at 20-40 cm,and tended to decline with the depth,while horizontally,the relativity between the soil moisture content at Point 0 and those at others declined in a proper order while the relativity between the soil salt content at Point 75 cm and those at others increased in a proper order.Vertically,the moisture content in 20-40 cm layer was significantly correlated with that in 0-20 cm layer with P<0.01,and then with that in 40-60 cm layer with P<0.05.

Based on field investigation,soil sampling and laboratory experiment,soil fertilities of main forest soils in a typical region of the Hanjiang River Basin were analyzed quantitatively using the grey relational analysis method,and sequencing based on comprehensive evaluation conducted.Results show that soil fertility varied significantly between the soils of the six types of forests surveyed,which followed an order of evergreen broad-leaved forest(0.920 16) > mixed conifer forest(theropencedrymion)(0.892 87) > shrubberies(0.813 07) > eucalyptus plantation(0.788 58) > Phyllostachys pubescens forest(0.759 85) > Pinus massoniana forest(0.742 96).The soils of the first two were obviously the most fertile of the six,and the last is the poorest,which demonstrates that soil fertility is not only related to soil physico-chemical properties,but also to accumulation and decomposition of the litters therein.

A laboratory experiment was conducted to explore changes in total amount of soluble Al and form of soluble Al in two types of acid soils,tea garden yellow brown soil and tea garden red soil,incorporated with various plant materials: canola straw,wheat straw,rice straw,corn straw,soybean straw,peanut straw,faba bean straw,Chinese milk vetch shoot and pea straw.Except for the treatments of yellow brown soil incorporated with canola straw,wheat straw and rice straw,all the treatments decreased in total soluble Al,total monomeric Al and three inorganic monomeric Al′s,i.e.Al3+,Al-OH and Al-F complexes in two soils to a varying extent as was compared with that in control,because these plant materials increased soil pH.In the yellow brown soil the effect of the legume plant materials on soil pH was higher than that of the non-legume plant materials,thus reducing the amount of Al3+,AlOH and Al-F complexes to a greater extent.All of the nine plant materials increased pH of red soil and decreased soil soluble Al to a varying extent,which followed the order of peanut straw > canola straw > faba bean straw > rice straw > corn straw > wheat straw > Chinese milk vetch shoot > soybean straw and pea straw.Therefore,the incorporation of plant materials can ameliorate soil acidity and reduce toxicity of soluble Al to plants in the soils.Peanut straw is the best choice for increasing soil pH and decreasing toxic aluminum in acid soils.

Removing heavy metals or reducing metal concentrations in heavy metal-contaminated soils by hyperaccumulating plants has been proposed as one of the most promising green remediation techniques.Effects of phytoremediation of heavy metal-contaminated soils on following plants have rarely been investigated.A pot experiment was carried out to investigate effects of phytoremediation by manganese hyperaccumulating plants,Phytolacca americana,on phytotoxicity of a manganese mine tailings contaminated soil and metal accumulation of following plants Glycine max and Phaseolus radiatus therein.The soil in pots was planted first with P.americana seedlings,which were removed after one,two or three years and recorded as T-1,T-2,and T-3,respectively.The soil not planted with P.americana served as control.Then seeds of G.max and P.radiatus were sown into those pots.Phytotoxicity of the soil in the pots treated with P.americana became lower compared with that of the control.Phytoremediation of the contaminated soils decreased concentrations of Cd,Pb,Zn and Mn in the biomass of the two plants,G.max and P.radiatus,which promoted their growth.Phytotoxicity of the soil in the pots treated with P.americana was lower to G.max than to P.radiatus.In order to maintain a long-term sustainable vegetation on lands contaminated by manganese mine tailings,herbaceous legume such as G.max can be used to solve the problem of nitrogen deficiency in soils following 2-3 years of phytoremediation with P.americana.

A strain of cypermethrin-degrading bacteria referred to as LQ-3 was isolated from sludge collected from a wastewater outlet of a pesticide plant.Based on morphological,physiological and biochemical characteristics and 16S rDNA sequences analysis(GenBank Accession No.FJ222585),LQ-3 was identified as Starkeya sp..LQ-3 degraded cypermethrin through co-metabolism.When fed with nutrient substances,such as yeast extract,peptone and glucose,LQ-3 could degrade 72.1% of cypermethrin in the medium(20 mg·L^-1) in 5 d.The optimal pH and temperature for the degradation by LQ-3 was 7-8 and 30 ℃,respectively.Strain LQ-3 was also able to degrade other pyrethroids such as cyhalothrin,fenpropathrin,bifenthrin and deltamethrin besides cypermethrin.The enzyme distribution experiment showed that the enzyme responsible for the cypermethrin degradation was extracellular.

Dynamics,e.g.distribution,accumulation and transfer,of ciprofloxacin(CPFX) in water,sediments and biota in a simulated micro-cosmic aquatic system was studied with HPLC.Results show that once CPFX was released into water body,a portion of it was assimilated by aquatic organisms and a portion deposited into the sediments.Concentration of CPFX in water,sediments and biota varied with the time.The concentration of CPFX decreased rapidly in the water,from 500.00 to 15.30 μg·L^-1 within one day,but increased in the sediment up to 385.57 μg·kg^-1.Enrichment and residue of CPFX in aquatic organisms varied with the species.Echinodorus amazonicus adsorbed CPFX rapidly,especially in its leaves,where the concentration of CPFX reached as high as 795.43 μg·kg^-1 within one day and then turned down gradually.Carassius auratus gibelio and Corbicula fluminea were found absorbing and accumulating CPFX,which could remain in their organs as residue for as long as 45 days.Significant differences existed between these organs in CPFX bioaccumulation,and higher concentration of CPFX was found in visceral tissues than in muscular tissues.Significant differences also existed between species of organisms in CPFX distribution and accumulations,showing an order of E.amazonicus>C.fluminea>C.auratus gibelio.

Efficiency of the use of the modified continuous stirred tank reactor(CSTR) technology in anaerobic fermentation of blue-green algae collected from the Taihu Lake was studied under the different rates of organic loading.Results show that operation of the system at(35±1) ℃ remained stable with organic loading rate gradually increasing.After 65 days of operation,its organic loading could reach as high as 3.53 kg·m³·d^-1,its gas producing rate well as high as 0.89 m³·m^-3·d^-1,its COD removal rate around 70%,and methane concentration of the biogas it produced over 60%.Test of the discharge from the system showed negative of microcystins(MC-RR or MC-LR) in all loading conditions.The findings suggest that the modified CSTR technology satisfies the requirement for efficient treatment of blue-green algae,while realizing the target of energy recovery and dehazardization of the blue-green algae.

Species diversity and community structure of ciliates in the Pb-Zn-Contaminated section of the Shuiyangjiang River were studied during the period from October 2006 to May 2008,using water samples collected from 4 sampling sites in that section in 3 different periods.In the water samples,52 species of ciliates,sorted into 3 classes,12 orders,29 family and 33 genus,were identified,based on which water quality of that section of the Shuiyangjiang River was preliminarily evaluated.Results show that pollution of the water varied in degree between the four sampling sites in the section,following a decreasing order of Xiancheng>Changqu>Muba>Duizhao,from severe to moderate.Ciliates of Cyclidium citrullus,Paramecium caudatum,and Litonotus lamella were screened out to be indicators of Pb-Zn-contamination of water bodies.

A detailed introduction was presented to how Canada handles polluted sites in its territory.It follows the following steps:(1) identify suspected sites;(2) investigate history of the site;(3) conduct initial sampling test;(4) classify the site according to the Canadian Council of Ministers of the Environment(CCME) national classification system;(5) carry out secondary sampling test;(6) reclassify the site according to the CCME national classification system;(7) develop remediation/management strategy;(8) implement the strategy;(9) verify the effect by sampling test and prepare a final report;and(10) perform long-term monitoring.To implement the steps,Canada has laid down a series of guidance documents.Discussion was conducted about the value of the approach as reference for China in developing a polluted sites management system.

Along with development of urbanization,urban thermal field(or urban thermal environment) is changing accordingly as function of numerous factors.One of the changes is the so-called urban heat island effect.To analyze geographical information related to urban land-use types in Macau and to extract data on urban surface temperature as well as urban impermeable surface,GIS and RS were used.Based on the Landsat TM data collected on October 19,2004,factors influencing urban thermal field were studied by the principal component regression method.Results show that the urban thermal field in Macau was greatly affected by impervious surface index,and surface temperature was positively correlated with impervious surface index and road density(P<0.05),while negatively correlated with vegetation index,vegetation cover and proportion of waterbody(P<0.05).

Based on the MODIS data of 2004 and 2008,variation of the landscape of land desertification in the lower reaches of Nenjiang River was explored with the aid of ArcGIS 9.0,ERDAS IMAGE 9.0,and FRAGSTATS.Results show that the desertified land in the studied area was dominated with light and moderate desertification.The edge density and patch density of various landscape elements decreased coincidentally,showing that patches were getting to be simpler in shape,the fragmentation degree of the landscape as a whole lowered and edge effect declined.Of all the landscape elements,except for water landscape,the shape index and the fractal dimension index both dropped,suggesting that the landscape as a whole developed towards simplicity and stability in shape.The interspersion juxtaposition index(IJI) and aggregation index(AI) of all the landscape elements showed a uniform rising trend,demonstrating that patches of the elements were turning to be larger,overall connectivity of the landscape higher,fragmentation degree lower,and interaction and spatial relationship of the landscapes have been strengthened.

A field experiment was conducted using Brassica campestris ssp.pekinensis to assess effect of fertilization on migration and accumulation of Cr,Cu and Ni in the soil-brassica cropping system.Heavy metal absorption capacity of brassica varied with the fertilization treatment showing a decreasing order of organic fertilizer>compound fertilizer>urea.Acumulation of Cu,Cr did with the part of the plant,displaying an order of root>roof>stem.Migration of these heavy metals from soil to brassica demonstrated an order of Cu>Ni > Cr,and effect of fertilization reducing content of available heavy metals in the soil did with the fertilization treatment,revealing an order of organic fertilizer>compound fertilizer>urea.

Field experiments were carried out in Changsha and Zhengzhou to determine residue and degradation dynamics of lufenuron in cotton leaves,cotton seeds and soil.Results show that its recovery rate was in the range of 86.0%-94.7%,88.5%-92.1% and 83.9%-97.7%,and its minimum detectable concentration was 0.025,0.025 and 0.006 mg·kg^-1,respectively.And its half-life was 3.06-3.45 days in cotton leaves and 2.51-2.88 days in soil.In the cotton seeds harvested from fields applied with a recommended dose and a high experimental dose,respectively,its final residue was undetectable.The recommended MRL for lufenuron in cotton seed is 0.05 mg·kg^-1 in China.