Urbanization reduces resource use efficiency of phytoplankton community by altering the environment and decreasing biodiversity

Supervised machine learning for understanding and predicting the status of bistable eukaryotic plankton community in urbanized rivers

Understanding and predicting the ecological status of urbanized rivers is crucial for their restoration and management. However, the complex and nonlinear nature of ecological responses poses a challenge to the development of predictive models. Here, the study investigated and predicted the status of eukaryotic plankton communities in urbanized rivers by coupling environmental DNA metabarcoding, the alternative stable states theory, and supervised machine learning (SML) models. The results revealed two distinct states of eukaryotic plankton communities under similar environmental conditions: one state was characterized by the enrichment of a diverse phytoplankton population and the high relative abundance of protozoa, whereas the alternative state was characterized by abundant phytoplankton and fungi with an associated risk of algal blooms. Turbidity was identified as a key driver based on the SML model and Mantel test. Potential analysis demonstrated that the response pattern of eukaryotic plankton communities to turbidity was thresholds with hysteresis (Threshold1 = 17 NTU, Threshold2 = 24 NTU). A reduction in turbidity induced a regime shift in the eukaryotic plankton community toward an alternative state associated with a risk of algal blooms. In the prediction of ecological status, both SML models showed excellent performance (R2 > 0.80, RMSE < 0.1, Kappa > 0.70). Additionally, SHapley Additive exPlanations analysis identified turbidity, chlorophyll-a, chemical oxygen demand (COD), ammonia nitrogen and green algae's amplicon sequence variants as crucial features for prediction, with turbidity and COD showing a synergistic effect on ecological status. A framework was further proposed to enhance the understanding and prediction of ecological status in urbanized rivers. The obtained results of this study demonstrated the feasibility of using SML models to predict and explain the ecological status of urbanized rivers with alternative stable states. This provides valuable insights for the application of SML models in the restoration and management of urbanized rivers.

Similarities and differences in bacterial communities between the Pearl River (Guangzhou section) and its estuary

BACKGROUND

The Pearl River and its estuary are highly exposed to anthropogenic disturbance. Because bacterial communities play an indispensable role in aquatic ecosystems, there has been an increased research focus on the statuses of these communities under human-induced perturbations.

METHODS AND RESULTS

This study investigated the composition, diversity, and structure of bacterial communities across 29 sites from the Guangzhou section of the Pearl River (GZ) to the Pearl River Estuary (PRE) using 16S rRNA gene amplicons. The results revealed similar dominant phyla of bacteria in both GZ and PRE, as well as significant differences in bacterial community composition and diversity between the two sections. Proteobacteria and Cyanobacteria were identified as the primary drivers of compositional differences between GZ and PRE. The Cyanobacteria Dolichospermum_NIES41 and Cuspidothrix issatschenkoi were only present in GZ, whereas the marine Gram-negative bacteria of Porticoccus litoralis and Thalassolituus oleivorans were unique to PRE.

CONCLUSIONS

Bacterial community composition and diversity exhibit both similarities and differences between GZ and PRE; Proteobacteria and Cyanobacteria are key factors underlying these variations. Bacterial communities in both GZ and PRE are strongly influenced by human activities, and salinity is an important factor in controlling their differences. This study provides a comprehensive analysis of the bacterial communities in GZ and PRE, establishing a foundation for better management of aquatic ecosystems impacted by anthropogenic activities.

Environmental and hydrological synergies shaping phytoplankton diversity in the Hetao irrigation district

Phytoplankton are crucial primary producers in freshwater ecosystems, driving matter and energy flow across trophic levels, essential for biodiversity and ecological balance. Most research emphasizes environmental factors shaping their diversity, while the role of hydrological connectivity remains poorly understood. This study collected 81 phytoplankton samples from the Hetao Irrigation District along a gradient from upstream to downstream and utilized high-throughput sequencing to evaluate the spatial distribution patterns of phytoplankton diversity. The study analyzed the impacts of environmental factors, hydrological connectivity (water surface ratio, Wp), and human activities (land-use intensity, LUI) on phytoplankton diversity. The results revealed that the phytoplankton community comprised 9 phyla, 158 families, 378 genera, and 1189 species. There were significant differences in phytoplankton diversity among different water bodies, with a gradual increase in phytoplankton diversity from west to east across the five major irrigation areas. Lake Ulansuhai had relatively low phytoplankton diversity. The ASV number, Chao1 index, and ACE index showed significant positive correlations with dissolved oxygen (DO), pH, and water temperature (WT). The Shannon index and Pielou'e evenness (Pielou_e) index showed significant positive correlations with the water surface ratio (Wp). The partial least squares model indicated that environmental factors directly influenced phytoplankton diversity. Hydrological connectivity indirectly affected phytoplankton diversity by altering environmental factors. We emphasize that hydrological connectivity is as important as environmental factors in driving phytoplankton diversity in the Hetao Irrigation District. This study provides key insights for water quality assessment and biodiversity conservation in the region.

Machine learning predicts the growth of cyanobacterial genera in river systems and reveals their different environmental responses

Cyanobacterial blooms are a common and serious problem in global freshwater environments. However, the response mechanisms of various cyanobacterial genera to multiple nutrients and pollutants, as well as the factors driving their competitive dominance, remain unclear or controversial. The relative abundance and cell density of two dominant cyanobacterial genera (i.e., Cyanobium and Microcystis) in river ecosystems along a gradient of anthropogenic disturbance were predicted by random forest with post-interpretability based on physicochemical indices. Results showed that the optimized predictions all reached strong fitting with R2 > 0.75, and conventional water quality indices played a dominant role. One-dimensional and two-dimensional partial dependence plot (PDP) revealed that the responses of Cyanobium and Microcystis to nutrients and temperature were similar, but they showed differences in preferrable nutrient utilization and response to pollutants. Further prediction and PDP for the ratio of Cyanobium and Microcystis unveiled that their distinct responses to PAHs and SPAHs were crucial drivers for their competitive dominance over each other. This study presents a new way for analyzing the response of cyanobacterial genera to multiple environmental factors and their dominance relationships by interpretable machine learning, which is suitable for the identification and interpretation of high-dimensional nonlinear ecosystems with complex interactions.

Assessment of low impact development (LID) strategies under different land uses in an urban sub-catchment in the Philippines

Lack of studies in developing countries with tropical climate such as the Philippines limit local LID adoption. This study compared the performance of different LID scenarios across different urban land use types at the sub-catchment level using peak flow, runoff volume and flood reductions as performance criteria. Results showed that the most effective strategies for each land use are: 1) combined green roof and bioretention for low-density residential (reduction up to 10% peak flow, 11% runoff volume and 33% flood volume); 2) green roof for high-density residential (8% peak flow, 6% runoff volume and 18% flood volume); 3) combined rain barrel, bioretention and permeable pavement for industrial (23% peak flow, 41% runoff volume and 56% flood volume), and 4) combined vegetative swale and detention pond for urban open spaces (81% peak flow, 8% runoff volume and 84% flood volume). While effective for most low intensity storms, the observed sharp decrease in LID performance with increased rainfall intensity poses a major challenge, especially in the context of the Philippines frequented by high intensity storms. This study also examined how differences in land use characteristics influence LID performance, unlike most studies that focused on LID type comparisons. It showed that low urban density setting positively affected peak flow and flood reduction performance of rain barrels and green roofs, while good drainage infrastructure quality positively affected peak flow and flood reduction performance of rain barrels and bioretention. Decision-makers may use these findings to conduct rapid assessments on LID selection and siting, provided similarities between land use characteristics described in this study and those at their localities are justified. This can lead to increased LID adoption towards building water resilient, and sustainable cities.

The Driving Mechanism of Phytoplankton Resource Utilization Efficiency Variation on the Occurrence Risk of Cyanobacterial Blooms

Algae are highly sensitive to environmental factors, especially nutrient fluctuations; excessive nutrients can lead to the proliferation of specific algae species, resulting in dominance. In this study, we aimed to reevaluate changes in algal dominance from the perspective of resource utilization efficiency (RUE). We established 80 monitoring sites across different water systems, collecting water and phytoplankton samples. Using canonical correspondence analysis (CCA) and a generalized additive model (GAM), we analyzed the correlation between phytoplankton RUE and nutrient concentrations, quantifying the corresponding relationship between algal dominance and RUE. Our results indicate a significant negative correlation between the RUE of total phosphorus (TP) and total nitrogen (TN) concentration, but a positive correlation with N:P. The RUE of TN was negatively correlated with TN concentration and N:P. We constructed GAMs with interaction terms and confirmed a nonlinear relationship between algal dominance and RUE. When the RUE of TN was low, a positive correlation was observed, while a negative correlation was observed otherwise. These findings reveal the ecological adaptability of algal communities and provide valuable insights for predicting the risk of algal bloom outbreaks.

Community stability of free-living and particle-attached bacteria in a subtropical reservoir with salinity fluctuations over 3 years

Changes in salinity have a profound influence on ecological services and functions of inland freshwater ecosystems, as well as on the shaping of microbial communities. Bacterioplankton, generally classified into free-living (FL) and particle-attached (PA) forms, are main components of freshwater ecosystems and play key functional roles for biogeochemical cycling and ecological stability. However, there is limited knowledge about the responses of community stability of both FL and PA bacteria to salinity fluctuations. Here, we systematically explored changes in community stability of both forms of bacteria based on high-frequency sampling in a shallow urban reservoir (Xinglinwan Reservoir) in subtropical China for 3 years. Our results indicated that (1) salinity was the strongest environmental factor determining FL and PA bacterial community compositions - rising salinity increased the compositional stability of both bacterial communities but decreased their α-diversity. (2) The community stability of PA bacteria was significantly higher than that of FL at high salinity level with low salinity variance scenarios, while the opposite was found for FL bacteria, i.e., their stability was higher than PA bacteria at low salinity level with high variance scenarios. (3) Both bacterial traits (e.g., bacterial genome size and interaction strength of rare taxa) and precipitation-induced factors (e.g., changes in salinity and particle) likely contributed collectively to differences in community stability of FL and PA bacteria under different salinity scenarios. Our study provides additional scientific basis for ecological management, protection and restoration of urban reservoirs under changing climatic and environmental conditions.

Schoenoplectus americanus as a potential phytoremediator: in vitro assessment of its ability to remove contaminants in domestic and tannery wastewater

Growing industrialization and urbanization have led to increased water pollution due to the inadequate treatment and disposal of domestic wastewater (DW) and wastewater produced by industries such as tanneries (TW). These wastewaters are characterized by high concentrations of organic matter, nutrients, sulphates, chlorides and high microbial load. TW also contains phenols and chromium, which disturb and harm the ecosystem the local. The decontamination of wastewater prior to their discharge through biological tools, especially the use of species that are native to the site in need of treatment, has been described as effective and advantageous. This study evaluated the ability of Schoenoplectus americanus, a native plant species from Cordoba (Argentina), to phytoremediate local DW and TW samples at a laboratory scale. The aim was to ascertain whether this system could potentially be considered for the remediation of wastewater in real-world scenarios. S. americanus was able to tolerate pure DW and a 1/20 (v/v) dilution of TW for 30 days under hydroponic conditions. Removal rates ranging from 50% to 89% were obtained for residual organic matter (determined as chemical oxygen demand or COD), total nitrogen (TN) and total phosphorus (TP). Significant removal of total chromium (TCr) and total phenols (TPhs) was also observed in TW (85% and 98%). The number of total coliforms (TC), was reduced by about 96% and 99%. These results indicate that S. americanus is a good candidate for the phytoremediation of regional DW and TW. For this reason, it may be considered for full-scale applications in the future.

Different seasonal dynamics, ecological drivers, and assembly mechanisms of algae in southern and northern drinking water reservoirs

The role of environmental factors on the community structure of algae has been intensively studied, but there are few analyses on the assembly mechanism of the algal community structure. Here, changes in the community structure of algae in different seasons, the effects of environmental variables on the algal community structure, and the assembly mechanism of the algal community structure in northern and southern reservoirs were investigated in this study. The study revealed that Bacillariophyta, Cyanophyta, and Chlorophyta were the predominant algal species in the reservoirs, with Bacillariophyta and Cyanophyta exhibiting seasonal outbreaks. Compared to the northern reservoirs, the algal diversity in the southern reservoirs was greater. The diversity and algal community structure could be significantly impacted by variations in water temperature and nitrogen level. According to the ecological model, the interaction among algal communities in reservoirs was primarily cooperation. The key taxa in the northern reservoirs was Aphanizomenon sp., while the outbreak in the southern reservoirs was Coelosphaerium sp. The community formation pattern of reservoirs was stochastic, with a higher degree of explanation observed in the southern reservoirs compared to the northern reservoirs. This study preliminarily explored the assembly mechanism of the algal community, providing a theoretical basis for the control of eutrophication in drinking water reservoirs.

The impact of rainfall events on dissolved oxygen concentrations in a subtropical urban reservoir

Understanding controls of dissolved oxygen (DO) concentrations in reservoirs is important as they are important for fisheries and a significant driver of greenhouse gas emissions. The latter is of global significance as IPCC inventories now require greenhouse gas emissions from artificial reservoirs to be included. Declines in dissolved oxygen (DO) concentrations in lakes and reservoirs have been linked to climate change and human activity. However, these effects can vary widely in any given region under various meteorological conditions. There is a clear need to know how changes in weather patterns affect DO in reservoirs by changing internal processes. Based on a six-year (2016-2021) high-frequency (twice a week) dataset from a shallow urban reservoir (Xinglinwan Reservoir) in subtropical China, the long-term (six years) and short-term (8-72-h) drivers of DO concentrations in surface waters were evaluated. Over the past six years, the concentration of DO has gradually decreased in the reservoir from 2016 to 2021. Multivariate adaptive regression spline (MARS) models were developed to identify the key factors explaining variability in DO and partial least squares path models (PLS-PM) were used to explore the short-term relationships between DO and environmental variables in rainy and dry (non-rain) periods, separately. We identified three key drivers operating on different time scales. First, the long-term decline of DO in Xinglinwan Reservoir from 2016 to 2021 was best explained by anthropogenic nutrient inputs. Second, rainy periods prior to sampling reduced DO concentrations indirectly by affecting the algal biomass and nutrient concentrations. This effect varied in complexity with the duration of the rainfall period. Third, water temperature best explained DO concentrations during dry periods, while wind reduced DO by reducing algal biomass. We conclude that anthropogenic nutrient and organic matter inputs drive long-term oxygen declines in urban subtropical reservoirs, while meteorological factors determine short-term variability in DO concentrations.

Microeukaryotic plankton evolutionary constraints in a subtropical river explained by environment and bacteria along differing taxonomic resolutions

Microeukaryotic plankton communities are keystone components for keeping aquatic primary productivity. Currently, variations in microeukaryotic plankton diversity have often been explained by local ecological factors but not by evolutionary constraints. We used amplicon sequencing of 100 water samples across five years to investigate the ecological preferences of the microeukaryotic plankton community in a subtropical riverine ecosystem. We found that microeukaryotic plankton diversity was less associated with bacterial abundance (16S rRNA gene copy number) than bacterial diversity. Further, environmental effects exhibited a larger influence on microeukaryotic plankton community composition than bacterial community composition, especially at fine taxonomic levels. The evolutionary constraints of microeukaryotic plankton community increased with decreasing taxonomic resolution (from 97% to 91% similarity levels), but not significant change from 85% to 70% similarity levels. However, compared with the bacterial community, the evolutionary constraints were shown to be more affected by environmental variables. This study illustrated possible controlling environmental and bacterial drivers of microeukaryotic diversity and community assembly in a subtropical river, thereby indirectly reflecting on the quality status of the water environment by providing new clues on the microeukaryotic community assembly.

Urbanization reduces fish taxonomic and functional diversity while increases phylogenetic diversity in subtropical rivers

Urbanization is considered as a major cause of widespread biodiversity loss in freshwater ecosystems. However, multidimensional fish diversity patterns driven by urbanization in subtropical rivers are still unclear. We studied fish taxonomic, functional, and phylogenetic diversity in rivers under a gradient of watershed urbanization (Maozhouhe, Guanlanhe and Shenzhenhe rivers are in urbanized watersheds while Pingshanhe and Dapengwan rivers are in forested watersheds) in Shenzhen, a megacity with rapid urbanization in south China. Fish assemblages showed significant differences between the forested and urbanized watersheds in both the wet and dry seasons. Rivers in the forest watersheds showed significantly higher taxonomic and functional but lower phylogenetic diversity patterns. Rivers in the urbanized watersheds were largely occupied by non-native species. Overall, there was a distinct difference in river fish assemblages between forested and urbanized watersheds, and urbanization largely affected multidimensional fish diversity. These results will help us to take more effective conservation and restoration measures, and provide an essential reference for ecological management and sustainability of urban rivers.

Analyzing the non-linear association between urbanization and ecological footprint: an empirical analysis

Due to urbanization's substantial impact on economic development and environmental quality, particularly in emerging nations, the subject has attracted major attention in recent years. Urbanization increases infrastructure, transportation, and high energy consumption demand, leading to increased environmental degradation. Therefore, this study examines how urbanization has affected environmental degradation in Pakistan using yearly data from 1970 to 2020. A non-linear autoregressive distributed lag (NARDL) model is applied to study the asymmetric impact of urbanization on ecological footprint per capita. The results show that urbanization is asymmetrically associated with environmental degradation. Positive changes in urbanization led to increased environmental degradation, while negative changes in urbanization led to a decline in environmental degradation in Pakistan. Foreign direct investment and industrial production are positive and significant factors of environmental degradation, while trade openness and money supply are negatively linked with environmental degradation in Pakistan. Economic growth shows a positive link, while economic growth square shows a negative link with environmental degradation. These findings also confirm the environmental Kuznets curve (EKC) hypothesis in Pakistan. It is suggested that the urbanization threshold should be analyzed to determine where environmental degradation tends to decline, and less polluting technology and renewable energy resources should be encouraged to reduce environmental degradation in Pakistan.

The Impact of New Urbanization Construction on Sustainable Economic Growth of Resource-Based Cities

New urbanization construction is important for promoting sustainable economic growth in resource-based cities and can help resource-based cities achieve a sustainable development model with efficient resource allocation and green and low-carbon industrial transformation. Based on the background of the comprehensive pilot policy of new urbanization, we examined whether new urbanization construction promoted the economic growth of resource-based cities using 2011-2017 data on prefecture-level cities and the difference-in-differences (DID) method. It was found that new urbanization construction significantly promoted the growth in GDP per capita of resource-based cities, with a coefficient estimate of 0.1330, and this result passed a robustness test. The mechanism test indicated that new urbanization construction promoted the economic growth of resource-based cities by improving the efficiency of resource allocation and promoting industrial structure upgrading, with interaction term coefficient estimates of 0.1465 and 0.2929, respectively. Heterogeneity analysis showed that the policy effect of new urbanization construction was stronger in resource-rich cities than in resource-poor cities, significant in energy-based resource-based cities but not in metal-based and other resource-based cities, and significant in resource-based cities in the eastern and western regions of China but not in the central region. This study provides government departments implementing new urbanization policies with the results of a policy performance assessment of new urbanization construction for resource-based cities and feasible policy recommendations for the sustainable transformation of resource-based cities.

Spatio-temporal evolution and influencing factors of synergizing the reduction of pollution and carbon emissions - Utilizing multi-source remote sensing data and GTWR model

Grasping current circumstances and influencing components of the synergistic degree regarding reducing pollution and carbon has been recognized as a crucial part of China in response to the protection of the environment and climate mitigation. With the introduction of remote sensing night-time light, CO₂ emissions at multi-scale have been estimated in this study. Accordingly, an upward trend of "CO₂-PM_2.5" synergistic reduction was discovered, which was indicated by an increase of 78.18% regarding the index constructed of 358 cities in China from 2014 to 2020. Additionally, it has been confirmed that the reduction in pollution and carbon emissions could coordinate with economic growth indirectly. Lastly, it has identified the spatial discrepancy of influencing factors and the results have emphasized the rebound effect of technological progress and industrial upgrades, whilst the development of clean energy can offset the increase in energy consumption thus contributing to the synergy of pollution and carbon reduction. Moreover, it has been highlighted that environmental background, industrial structure, and socio-economic characteristics of different cities should be considered comprehensively in order to better achieve the goals of "Beautiful China" and "Carbon Neutrality".

Do submerged macrophyte species influence crustacean zooplankton functional group richness and their resource use efficiency in the low-light environment?

During the high grazing of epiphytic zooplankton in submerged macrophyte beds, the changes in crustacean zooplankton functional groups are crucial for stabilizing a clear water state in shallow lakes. However, submerged macrophytes often experience low-light stress due to many ecological processes. It is unclear whether submerged macrophytes alter the zooplankton functional group and their resource use efficiency in the low-light environment. We conducted two mesocosm experiments involving the treatments of low-light and submerged macrophyte species (Vallisneria natans and Potamogeton maackianus). The results show that abiotic factors (e.g., light) were the most important variables in explaining the change in the zooplankton community. Specifically, zooplankton functional group (i.e., pelagic species, plant-associated species, and substrate scrapers) richness and zooplankton species diversity decreased with the decreasing light intensity, especially for low substrate scraper abundance. In addition, structural equation models showed that low-light stress reduced zooplankton resource use efficiency by reducing zooplankton functional group richness and species diversity. Compared to species diversity, zooplankton functional group richness had a greater influence on their resource use efficiency (Zp/Chl-a) in the low-light environment. Our results suggest that the low-light stress reduced zooplankton resource use efficiency by changing their functional group richness. Moreover, the abundance of substrate scrapers shaken from V. natans was higher than that from P. maackianus. Therefore, submerged macrophyte species influence crustacean zooplankton functional group richness and their resource use efficiency in the low-light environment. Selecting appropriate aquatic plant species to assure the high diversity of zooplankton should be considered when conducting lake restoration using submerged macrophytes.

Investigation of water quality and aquatic ecological succession of a newly constructed river replenished by reclaimed water in Beijing

The potential to create new ecosystems in rivers is possible through the use of reclaimed water as a replenishment source, although the long-term effects of this method are unknown. In this study, the water quality and aquatic ecological evolution of a newly constructed river replenished by reclaimed water in Beijing (the Jing River) were investigated, and the conventional water quality, phytoplankton indicators, and submerged plant growth conditions from October 2018 to December 2020 were analyzed. Spearman's correlation and redundancy analysis between possible influential environmental factors and algal indicators were conducted. The results show that the major water quality indicators could meet the water quality standards for landscape water. There were seven phyla present, including 322 species of phytoplankton. The phytoplankton density increased, followed by a decreasing trend. Phytoplankton densities at each monitoring site reached 10 × 10⁶ to 25 × 10⁶ cells/L in 2019 before decreasing in 2020, then ranging from 8 × 10⁶ to 20 × 10⁶ cells/L. Phytoplankton growth was influenced by changing water quality and ecosystems. Consequently, the submerged plant coverage rate gradually increased from 2018 (0%) to 2020 (26.27%-37.06%), as did biodiversity. Through the implementation of ecological restoration measures in the Jing River, the reclaimed water environment evolved into a more natural water environment, which could provide some reference for similar areas to use reclaimed water as a water replenishment source.

Intensive human land uses cause the biotic homogenization of algae and change their assembly process in a major watershed of China

Human land uses are a crucial driver of biodiversity loss in freshwater ecosystems, and most studies have focused on how cities or croplands influence alpha diversity while neglecting the changes in community composition (beta diversity), especially in algae. Here, we examined the taxonomic and functional composition of algae communities and their underlying drivers along the human land-use intensity gradient in the Huai River basin, the third largest basin in China. Our results indicated that the increased intensity of human land use caused biotic homogenization (decreasing compositional dissimilarity between sites) of algae communities in terms of both taxonomic and functional traits. Functional beta diversity was more sensitive to human land uses than taxonomic beta diversity. Furthermore, we found that the increased intensity of human land use altered algae assemblage processes. As opposed to the low- or moderate-intensity human land uses, in high-intensity groups, species sorting rather than dispersal limitations dominated algae community assembly. NO2-N, HCO3, and Fe were the major factors explaining the variance in the taxonomic and functional beta diversities of algae. Human land use reshaped the taxonomic and functional structures of algae, raising concerns about the ecological processes altered by human activity.

Characterization of microbial community, ecological functions and antibiotic resistance in estuarine plastisphere

The plastisphere is a new ecological niche. Compared to the surrounding water, microbial community composition associated with the plastisphere is known to differ with functional consequences. Here, this study characterized the bacterial and fungal communities associated with four types of plastisphere (polyethylene, polystyrene, polypropylene and polyvinyl chloride) in an estuarine habitat; assessed ecological functions including carbon, nitrogen, phosphorus and sulfur cycling, and determined the presence of antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs) and human pathogens. Stochastic processes dominated the community assembly of microorganisms on the plastisphere. Several functional genera related to nutrient cycling were enriched in the plastisphere. Compared to surrounding water and other plastisphere, the abundances of carbon, nitrogen and phosphorus cycling genes (cdaR, nosZ and chpy etc.) and ARGs (aadA2-1, cfa and catB8 etc.) were significantly increased in polyvinyl chloride plastisphere. In contrast, the polystyrene plastisphere was the preferred substrate for several pathogens being enriched with for example, Giardia lamblia 18S rRNA, Klebsiella pneumoniae phoE and Legionella spp. 23S rRNA. Overall, this study showed that different plastisphere had different effects on ecological functions and health risk in estuaries and emphasizes the importance of controlling plastic pollution in estuaries. Data from this study support global policy drivers that seek to reduce plastic pollution and offer insights into ecological functions in a new ecological niche of the Anthropocene.

In situ detection of the genotoxic potential as one of the lines of evidence in the weight-of-evidence approach-the Joint Danube Survey 4 Case Study

Environmental studies which aim to assess the ecological impact of chemical and other types of pollution should employ a complex weight-of-evidence approach with multiple lines of evidence (LoEs). This study focused on in situ genotoxicological methods such as the comet and micronucleus assays and randomly amplified polymorphic DNA analysis as one of the multiple LoEs (LoE3) on the fish species Alburnus alburnus (bleak) as a bioindicator. The study was carried out within the Joint Danube Survey 4 (JDS4) at nine sites in the Danube River Basin in the Republic of Serbia. Out of nine sampling sites, two were situated at the Tisa, Sava, and Velika Morava rivers, and three sites were at the Danube River. The three additionally employed LoEs were: SumTUwater calculated based on the monitoring data in the database of the Serbian Environmental Protection Agency (SEPA) (LoE1); in vitro analyses of JDS4 water extracts employing genotoxicological methods (LoE2); assessment of the ecological status/potential by SEPA and indication of the ecological status for the sites performed within the JDS4 (LoE4). The analyzed biomarker responses in the bleak were integrated into the unique integrated biomarker response index which was used to rank the sites. The highest pollution pressure was recorded at JDS4 39 and JDS4 36, while the lowest was at JDS4 35. The impact of pollution was confirmed at three sites, JDS4 33, 40, and 41, by all four LoEs. At other sampling sites, a difference was observed regarding the pollution depending on the employed LoEs. This indicates the importance of implementing a comprehensive weight-of-evidence approach to ensure the impact of pollution is not overlooked when using only one LoE as is often the case in environmental studies.

Total nitrogen and community turnover determine phosphorus use efficiency of phytoplankton along nutrient gradients in plateau lakes

Numerous studies support that biodiversity predict most to ecosystem functioning, but whether other factors display a more significant direct impact on ecosystem functioning than biodiversity remains to be studied. We investigated 398 samples of the phytoplankton phosphorus resource use efficiency (RUE_P = chlorophyll-a concentration/dissolved phosphate) across two seasons in nine plateau lakes in Yunnan Province, China. We identified the main contributors to phytoplankton RUE_P and analyzed their potential influences on RUE_P at different lake trophic states. The results showed that total nitrogen (TN) contributed the most to RUE_P among the nine lakes, whereas community turnover (measured as community dissimilarity) explained the most to RUE_P variation across the two seasons. Moreover, TN also influenced RUE_P by affecting biodiversity. Species richness (SR), functional attribute diversity (FAD2), and dendrogram-based functional diversity (FDc) were positively correlated with RUE_P in both seasons, while evenness was negatively correlated with RUE_P at the end of the rainy season. We also found that the effects of biodiversity and turnover on RUE_P depended on the lake trophic states. SR and FAD2 were positively correlated with RUE_P in all three trophic states. Evenness showed a negative correlation with RUE_P at the eutrophic and oligotrophic levels, but a positive correlation at the mesotrophic level. Turnover had a negative influence on RUE_P at the eutrophic level, but a positive influence at the mesotrophic and oligotrophic levels. Overall, our results suggested that multiple factors and nutrient states need to be considered when the ecosystem functioning predictors and the biodiversity-ecosystem functioning relationships are investigated.

Novel insights in seasonal dynamics and co-existence patterns of phytoplankton and micro-eukaryotes in drinking water reservoir, Northwest China: DNA data and ecological model

Although associations between phytoplankton and micro-eukaryotes have been studied in aquatic ecosystems, there are still knowledge gaps in comprehending their dynamics and interactions in drinking water reservoirs. Here, the seasonal dynamics of phytoplankton and micro-eukaryotic diversities and their co-existence patterns were studied in a drinking water reservoir, Northwest China. The highest phytoplankton diversity was observed in summer, and Chlorella sp. that belongs to Chlorophyta was the most abundant genus. The highest eukaryotic diversity was also detected in summer, and Rimostrombidium sp. that belongs to Ciliophora was the most dominant genus. Mantel test showed that the phytoplankton diversity was significantly correlated with ammonia nitrogen (r = 0.561, p = 0.001) and dissolved organic carbon (r = 0.267, p = 0.017), while the eukaryotic diversity was significantly associated with ammonia nitrogen (r = 0.265, p = 0.034) and temperature (r = 0.208, p = 0.046). PLS-PM (Partial Least Squares Path Modeling) further revealed that nutrients (P < 0.01) significantly affected the phytoplankton diversity, while nutrients (P < 0.01) and temperature (P < 0.01) significantly influenced the eukaryotic diversity. Co-occurrence network displayed the primarily positive interactions (77.66% positive and 22.34% negative) between phytoplankton and micro-eukaryotes. These findings could deepen our understanding of interactions between phytoplankton and micro-eukaryotes and their driving factors under changing aquatic environments of drinking water reservoirs.

Microbial community composition and function in an urban waterway with combined sewer overflows before and after implementation of a stormwater storage pipe

When the wastewater volume exceeds the sewer pipe capacity during extreme rainfall events, untreated sewage discharges directly into rivers as combined sewer overflow (CSO). To compare the impacts of CSOs and stormwater on urban waterways, we assessed physicochemical water quality, the 16S rRNA gene-based bacterial community structure, and EcoPlate-based microbial functions during rainfall periods in an urban waterway before and after a stormwater storage pipe was commissioned. A temporal variation analysis showed that CSOs have significant impacts on microbial function and bacterial community structure, while their contributions to physicochemical parameters, bacterial abundance, and chlorophyll a were not confirmed. Heat map analysis showed that the impact of CSO on the waterway bacterial community structure was temporal and the bacterial community composition in CSO is distinct from that in sewers. Hierarchical clustering analysis revealed that the waterway physicochemical water qualities, bacterial community composition, and microbial community function were distinguishable from the upper reach of the river, rather than between CSO and stormwater. Changes in the relative abundance of tetracycline resistance (tet) genes-especially tet(M)-were observed after CSOs but did not coincide with changes in the microbial community composition, suggesting that the parameters affecting the microbial community composition and relative abundance of tet genes differ. After pipe implementation, however, stormwater did not contribute to the abundance of tet genes in the waterway. These results indicate that CSO-induced acute microbial disturbances in the urban waterway were alleviated by the implementation of a stormwater storage pipe and will support the efficiency of storage pipe operation for waterway management in urban areas.

Urbanization increases stochasticity and reduces the ecological stability of microbial communities in amphibian hosts

Urbanization not only profoundly alters landscape profiles, ecosystems and vertebrate faunal diversity but also disturbs microbial communities by increasing stochasticity, vulnerability, biotic homogenization, etc. However, because of the buffering effect of host species, microbial communities are expected to be influenced by both host species and urbanization stresses. Therefore, the impacts of urbanization on animals' microbial symbionts could be more complex and uncertain. In this study, we quantified the urbanization degree of sampling sites and surveyed the gut and skin microbes of three amphibian host species in different sites in urban parks and nearby villages of Chengdu, Southwest China. Furthermore, a co-occurrence network analysis, the phylogenetic normalized stochasticity ratio and Sloan neutral community models were applied to infer the impact of urbanization on symbiotic microbial communities. For the three host species, urbanization increased the diversity of symbiotic microbes and the number of keystone microbial taxa. However, the negative effects of such increased diversification were evident, as the community stochasticity and co-occurrence network structure vulnerability also increased, while the network structure complexity and stability were reduced. Finally, the community stochasticity had positive associations with the network vulnerability, implying that the existence of many transient symbiotic rare microbial taxa in urban parks makes the symbiotic microbial community structure more fragile. Conclusively, urbanization increased the symbiotic microbial diversity at the cost of community stability; the results provide a new perspective for better understanding the complex triangulated environment-host-microbe relationship.

The scale-dependence of spatial distribution of reservoir plankton communities in subtropical and tropical China

Distance-decay relationships (DDRs) represent a very useful approach to describing the spatial distribution of biological communities. However, plankton DDR patterns and community assembly mechanisms are still poorly understood at different spatial scales in reservoir ecosystems. We collected phytoplankton, zooplankton and water samples in 24 reservoirs from subtropical and tropical China from July to August 2018. We examined DDR patterns across three distinct spatial scales, i.e., within-reservoir, within-drainage (but between reservoirs) and between drainages. We tested whether the rate of change (i.e., slope) of DDRs is consistent across different spatial scales. We assessed the relative importance of spatial and environmental variables in shaping the community distribution of plankton and quantitatively distinguished the community assembly mechanisms. We observed significant DDR curves in phytoplankton and zooplankton communities, in which slopes of the DDRs were steepest at the smallest spatial scale. Both spatial and environmental factors had significant impacts on DDR and dispersal assembly was a slightly stronger process in reservoir phytoplankton and zooplankton community assembly than niche-based process. We conclude that DDRs of reservoir phytoplankton and zooplankton vary with spatial scale. Our data shed light on how spatial and environmental variables contribute to plankton community assembly together. However, we revealed that dispersal process contributes to the biogeography of reservoir plankton slightly more strongly than environmental filtering. Collectively, this study enhances the understanding of plankton biogeography and distribution at multiple spatial scales.

Environmental impacts and risks of bridges and tunnels across lakes: An overview

Bridges and tunnels are built across lakes, especially in China, to improve road connectivity for transportation. However, their environmental impacts and risks have not received adequate attention. In this study, the magnitude of bridges and tunnels across 142 lakes in China were investigated. The investigation revealed that 37 bridges and 10 tunnels (a total length of 56.82 km) were built across 26 lakes during 2000-2020. From 2011 to 2020, the construction rate of bridges and tunnels across lakes in China was ∼6 times higher than the average value worldwide. Their environmental impacts and risks on lakes were summarised by analyzing previous publications screened from the Web of Science platform. The environmental impacts and risks during the bridge/tunnel construction period generally include decrease in water exchange, habitat destruction, biological reduction, increase in suspended solids, and water quality pollution. Tunnel construction may also affect the ecological conditions of groundwater due to its disturbances in the underground area. During the bridge/tunnel operation period, environmental impacts and risks were mainly induced by rainfall events and water pollution accidents. The impacts and risks were highly related to the construction location, bridge/tunnel properties, moving vehicles, fixing activities, and atmospheric deposition. Owing to the existing weaknesses in management practices, a framework, aiming to reduce the environmental impacts and risks caused by bridges and tunnels across lakes, was proposed. The framework identified the critical issues and their corresponding management strategies during the bridge/tunnel construction and operation periods and enabled the generation of the best management strategy for each specific period.

A novel indicator for defining plain urban river network cyanobacterial blooms: resource use efficiency

Increasing eutrophication and climate change have led to heavy cyanobacterial blooms in water diversion sources (e.g., lakes, reservoirs), which can potentially cause algae-bearing water to spread to downstream to an urban river network via diversion channels. Defining the extent of cyanobacterial blooms in an urban river network has become a novel concern in urban river management. In this paper, we investigated the physicochemical and algae community characteristics of a small, closed, urban river network, JiangXinZhou (JXZ), in the Lake Taihu basin. We propose a novel indicator, resource use efficiency (RUE), for defining the extent of cyanobacterial blooms in JXZ, whose recreational drinking water comes entirely from outside diversion sources. The results show that the JXZ's aquatic habitat conditions (mean water temperature, total nitrogen concentration, total phosphorus concentration, and nitrogen to phosphorus ratio) are highly suitable for the proliferation of cyanobacterial biomass during the high-water period. The RUE was used for calculation and shows a strong relationship with algae density, which means that it can be used as an index to define the degree of urban river cyanobacterial blooms. The findings indicate that the risk of cyanobacterial bloom is absent when the RUE is less than 46.81; blooms appear in the water bodies when the RUE reaches up to 106.68. This work provides theoretical support for the sustainable use of regional water resources.

Deposition kinetics of bacteriophage MS2 on Microcystis aeruginosa and kaolin surface

Waterborne virus contamination might easily adsorb on the organic or inorganic surface in the complex aquatic environment. A quartz crystal microbalance coupled with dissipation monitoring was used to investigate the effects of the ionic strength of monovalent cation and divalent cation and pH on the deposition kinetics of bacteriophage MS2 on silica surface coated with Microcystis aeruginosa or kaolin, which represents organic or inorganic particle, respectively. Derjaguin-Landau-Verwey-Overbeek theory was used to illustrate the deposition mechanisms of MS2. The increased concentration of Na⁺ significantly enhanced the deposition rates of MS2 on both coated silica surfaces due to the reduction of repulsive electrostatic interactions. However, the MS2 deposition rates decreased at higher ionic strength of Ca²⁺, which accounted for the steric and hydrophobic interactions. And the higher MS2 deposition rates on both surfaces occurred at pH 3. In addition, the deposition rates of MS2 on kaolin-coated silica surfaces were higher than on the Microcystis-coated surface under all studied conditions. Furthermore, the Derjaguin-Landau-Verwey-Overbeek theory could elucidate the deposition mechanism in Na⁺ solution, whereas the steric and hydrophobic interactions should be considered for the presence of high concentration of Ca²⁺.

Water depth and land-use intensity indirectly determine phytoplankton functional diversity and further regulate resource use efficiency at a multi-lake scale

Biodiversity-ecosystem functioning relationships under multiple pressures have recently been the subject of broad studies. For the key primary producer in aquatic ecosystems, phytoplankton, several studies have focused on trait-based functional diversity (FD) and the related functioning (e.g., resource use efficiency, RUE), and their linkages. However, investigations of the effects of environmental factors at different levels (e.g., land use, lake morphometry, climate and nutrients) on FD and RUE are sparse. We developed a data-driven-model framework to simultaneously elucidate the effects of multiple drivers on FD (functional diversity based on dendrograms, FDc and functional richness, FRic) and RUE (of nitrogen and phosphorus) of phytoplankton based on data from 68 Yunnan-Guizhou Plateau lakes, Southwest China. We found that the concentration of total phosphorus, which is mainly affected by land-use intensity and influenced by water depth, was the primary (positive) driver of changes in both FDc and FRic, while RUE was mainly explained by phytoplankton FD (i.e., FRic). These results indicate that water depth and land-use intensity influence indirectly phytoplankton FD and further regulate RUE. Moreover, nonlinear correlations of RUE with FRic were found, which may be caused by interspecific competition and niche differentiation of the phytoplankton community related to nutrient levels. Our finding may help managers to set trade-off targets between FD and RUE in lake ecosystems except for extremely polluted ones, in which the thresholds derived from the Bayesian network, of total phosphorus, total nitrogen and land-use intensity were approximately 0.04 mg/L, 0.50 mg/L and 244 (unitless), respectively. The probability of meeting the RUE objectives was lower in shallow lakes than in deep lakes, but for FRic the opposite was observed.

Short-term rainfall limits cyanobacterial bloom formation in a shallow eutrophic subtropical urban reservoir in warm season

The global increase in dominance of toxic blooms of cyanobacteria has severely impacted aquatic ecosystems and threatened human health for decades. Although it has been shown that high levels of rainfall may inhibit the growth of bloom-forming cyanobacteria, it is still unclear how cyanobacteria respond to short-term rainfall events. Based on five-year (2016-2020) high-frequency (half-week) sampling data from a shallow eutrophic urban reservoir in subtropical China, we explored the short-term effects of rainfall events on cyanobacterial biomass (CBB) by constructing generalized additive models of CBB in rainy periods during warm (April to September) and cool (December and January) months, respectively. We find evidence in support of the hypotheses that short-term rainfall events significantly reduce CBB in warm months, but the opposite response was observed in the cool months. We also highlight a difference in the factors explaining CBB decreases in warm months (precipitation, air temperature, relative humidity, dissolved oxygen and total phosphorus) compared with factors explaining the response of CBB in cool months (sunshine hours, pH and total carbon). In particular, meteorological factors (precipitation, wind speed and sunlight) might drive changes in water temperature and hydro-dynamics of the reservoir, thereby causing a rapid reduction of CBB after rainfall events in warm months. This varying response of cyanobacteria to short-term rainfall events in the shallow eutrophic subtropical reservoir may also be expected in temperate or cool lakes as climate change effects become stronger.

Anthropogenic Intensity-Determined Assembly and Network Stability of Bacterioplankton Communities in the Le'an River

Bacterioplankton are essential components of riverine ecosystems. However, the mechanisms (deterministic or stochastic processes) and co-occurrence networks by which these communities respond to anthropogenic disturbances are not well understood. Here, we integrated niche-neutrality dynamic balancing and co-occurrence network analysis to investigate the dispersal dynamics of bacterioplankton communities along human activity intensity gradients. Results showed that the lower reaches (where intensity of human activity is high) had an increased composition of bacterioplankton communities which induced strong increases in bacterioplankton diversity. Human activity intensity changes influenced bacterioplankton community assembly via regulation of the deterministic-stochastic balance, with deterministic processes more important as human activity increases. Bacterioplankton molecular ecological network stability and robustness were higher on average in the upper reaches (where there is lower intensity of human activity), but a human activity intensity increase of about 10%/10% can reduce co-occurrence network stability of bacterioplankton communities by an average of 0.62%/0.42% in the dry and wet season, respectively. In addition, water chemistry (especially NO₃^–-N and Cl^–) contributed more to explaining community assembly (especially the composition) than geographic distance and land use in the dry season, while the bacterioplankton community (especially the bacterioplankton network) was more influenced by distance (especially the length of rivers and dendritic streams) and land use (especially forest regions) in the wet season. Our research provides a new perspective of community assembly in rivers and important insights into future research on environmental monitoring and classified management of aquatic ecosystems under the influence of human activity.

Microeukaryotic Community Shifting Along a Lentic-Lotic Continuum

As an important regulator of ecosystem functions in river systems, microeukaryotes play an important role in energy and material conversion, yet little is known about the shift along a lentic-lotic continuum. In this study, the 18S rRNA genes sequencing was used to identify the microeukaryotic communities at 82 sites along a lentic-lotic continuum with the aim of understanding the impact of upstream inlet river on microeukaryotic communities in Baiyang Lake (BYD) and its downstream. Our results showed that the upstream inlet river affected the diversity and community composition of microeukaryotes in BYD and downstream rivers, and environmental variables greatly affected the composition of microeukaryotic community. The community composition in BYD had lower variabilities. Co-occurrence network analysis revealed that the network was non-random and clearly parsed into three modules, and different modules were relatively more abundant to a particular area. As keystone taxa, some nodes of the upstream microeukaryotic network played an important role in structuring network and maintaining the stability of the ecosystem. In BYD and downstream, the microeukaryotic network was highly fragmented, and the loss of keystone taxa would have an adverse impact on the integrity and function of the microeukaryotic community. Microeukaryotes had strong tendencies to co-occur, which may contribute to the stability and resilience of microeukaryotic communities. Overall, these findings extend the current understanding of the diversity and community composition of microeukaryotic along a lentic-lotic continuum.

Phytoplankton dynamics and implications for eutrophication management in an urban river with a series of rubber dams

Rubber dams are widely used in urban rivers for landscape construction and flood control. However, the increased water residence time by dams usually causes phytoplankton accumulation. Developing a greater understanding of the phytoplankton dynamics and the effecting factors is essential for the eutrophication control of dammed rivers. Here, we investigated the variations in biomass and structure of phytoplankton communities along an urban landscape river with 30 rubber dams, and the main controlling factors during a 2-yr field monitoring. The biomass of phytoplankton significantly increased from 12.7 μg/L-Chl a and 1.14 × 107 ind./L-cells at the natural river part above dams to 65.2 μg/L-Chl a and 1.16 × 108 ind./L-cells at the 30th dam on average. There were different dominant taxa of phytoplankton between river sections with and without dams in different seasons. As Bacillariophyta dominated at the natural river part above dams throughout the year, accounting for 64.6% on average, and dominated at the 13th and 30th dams during the cold seasons (69.6% on average). But during the warm seasons, Cyanophyta and Chlorophyta increased obviously in the dammed river sections and became dominant taxa at the 30th dam, accounting for 55.9% and 34.7% respectively. The α-diversity of phytoplankton decreased along the series of dams. While the β-diversity between river sections with and without dams increased because of species replacement. Redundancy analysis revealed that nutrients, flow velocity and temperature were the main factors influencing the spatial-temporal variation in phytoplankton community structure in this river. High-frequency monitoring data further indicated that phosphorus and discharge explained most of the variations in phytoplankton biomass within the 13th dam impoundment. It suggested that management strategies should focus on reducing the phosphorus input concentration under 0.164 mg/L and increase the discharge higher than 0.64 m3/s during warm seasons, to prevent phytoplankton bloom and further eutrophication problems in this dammed river.

Functional Responses of Phytoplankton Assemblages to Watershed Land Use and Environmental Gradients

Watershed land-use changes have been identified as major threats to lake fauna, subsequently affecting ecosystem functioning. In this study, the functional-based approach was used to examine the effects of land use and environmental changes on phytoplankton communities in four selected lakes in Northeast China. We also identified the sensitive functional traits as indicators of environmental stressors. The integration of RLQ analysis with the fourth-corner approach significantly identified five of 18 functional trait categories, including flagella, filamentous, unicellular, mixotrophic, and chlorophyll c, as potential indicators to changes in watershed land-use intensity and environmental gradients. Significant relationships between traits and land use and water quality highlighted the consequential indirect impact of extensive agricultural and urban development on phytoplankton via allochthonous nutrient inputs and various contaminants. In addition, the functional richness of phytoplankton assemblages generally increased along with surface area and forests, but decreased along with intensive agricultural and urban land use, implying that functional homogenization may cause a reduction in ecosystem productivity and reliability to land-use intensity. Given the superior performance of the functional-based approach, our findings also highlighted the importance of the application of both the biological traits and functional diversity index in monitoring programs for lake ecosystems.

Spatial and Temporal Distribution of Bacterioplankton Molecular Ecological Networks in the Yuan River under Different Human Activity Intensity

Bacterioplankton communities play a crucial role in freshwater ecosystem functioning, but it is unknown how co-occurrence networks within these communities respond to human activity disturbances. This represents an important knowledge gap because changes in microbial networks could have implications for their functionality and vulnerability to future disturbances. Here, we compare the spatiotemporal and biogeographical patterns of bacterioplankton molecular ecological networks using high-throughput sequencing of Illumina HiSeq and multivariate statistical analyses from a subtropical river during wet and dry seasons. Results demonstrated that the lower reaches (high human activity intensity) network had less of an average degree (10.568/18.363), especially during the dry season, when compared with the upper reaches (low human activity intensity) network (10.685/37.552) during the wet and dry seasons, respectively. The latter formed more complexity networks with more modularity (0.622/0.556) than the lower reaches (high human activity intensity) network (0.505/0.41) during the wet and dry seasons, respectively. Bacterioplankton molecular ecological network under high human activity intensity became significantly less robust, which is mainly caused by altering of the environmental conditions and keystone species. Human activity altered the composition of modules but preserved their ecological roles in the network and environmental factors (dissolved organic carbon, temperature, arsenic, oxidation-reduction potential and Chao1 index) were the best parameters for explaining the variations in bacterioplankton molecular ecological network structure and modules. Proteobacteria, Actinobacteria and Bacteroidetes were the keystone phylum in shaping the structure and niche differentiations in the network. In addition, the lower reaches (high human activity intensity) reduce the bacterioplankton diversity and ecological niche differentiation, which deterministic processes become more important with increased farmland and constructed land area (especially farmland) with only 35% and 40% of the community variation explained by the neutral community model during the wet season and dry season, respectively. Keystone species in high human activity intensity stress habitats yield intense functional potentials and Bacterioplankton communities harbor keystone taxa in different human activity intensity stress habitats, which may exert their influence on microbiome network composition regardless of abundance. Therefore, human activity plays a crucial role in shaping the structure and function of bacterioplankton molecular ecological networks in subtropical rivers and understanding the mechanisms of this process can provide important information about human-water interaction processes, sustainable uses of freshwater as well as watershed management and conservation.