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Liu X, Arif M, Zheng J, Wu Y, Chen Y, Gao J, Liu J, Changxiao L. Assessing leaf physiological traits in response to flooding among dominant riparian herbs along the Three Gorges Dam in China. Ecol Evol 2024; 14:e11533. [PMID: 38911496 PMCID: PMC11192621 DOI: 10.1002/ece3.11533] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/12/2024] [Revised: 04/25/2024] [Accepted: 05/23/2024] [Indexed: 06/25/2024] Open
Abstract
Dams worldwide have significantly altered the composition of riparian forests. However, research on the functional traits of dominant herbs experiencing flooding stress due to dam impoundment remains limited. Given the high plasticity of leaf traits and their susceptibility to environmental influences, this study focuses on riparian herbs along the Three Gorges Hydro-Fluctuation Zone (TGHFZ). Specifically, it investigates how six leaf physiological traits of leading herbs-carbon, nitrogen, phosphorus, and their stoichiometric ratios-adapt to periodic flooding in the TGHFZ using cluster analysis, one-way analysis of variance (ANOVA), multiple comparisons, Pearson correlation analysis, and principal component analysis (PCA). We categorized 25 dominant herb species into three plant functional types (PFTs), noting that species from the same family tended to fall into the same PFT. Notably, leaf carbon content (LCC) exhibited no significant differences across various PFTs or altitudes. Within riparian forests, different PFTs employ distinct adaptation strategies: PFT-I herbs invest in structural components to enhance stress resistance; PFT-II, mostly comprising gramineous plants, responds to prolonged flooding by rapid growth above the water; and PFT-III, encompassing nearly all Compositae and annual plants, responds to prolonged flooding with vigorous rhizome growth and seed production. Soil water content (SWC) emerges as the primary environmental factor influencing dominant herb growth in the TGHFZ. By studying the response of leaf physiological traits in dominant plants to artificial flooding, we intend to reveal the survival mechanisms of plants under adverse conditions and lay the foundation for vegetation restoration in the TGHFZ.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xiaolin Liu
- Key Laboratory of Eco‐Environments in the Three Gorges Reservoir Region (Ministry of Education)College of Life Sciences, Southwest UniversityChongqingChina
| | - Muhammad Arif
- Key Laboratory of Eco‐Environments in the Three Gorges Reservoir Region (Ministry of Education)College of Life Sciences, Southwest UniversityChongqingChina
- Biological Science Research Center, Academy for Advanced Interdisciplinary StudiesSouthwest UniversityChongqingChina
| | - Jie Zheng
- Key Laboratory of Eco‐Environments in the Three Gorges Reservoir Region (Ministry of Education)College of Life Sciences, Southwest UniversityChongqingChina
- Biological Science Research Center, Academy for Advanced Interdisciplinary StudiesSouthwest UniversityChongqingChina
| | - Yuanyuan Wu
- Key Laboratory of Eco‐Environments in the Three Gorges Reservoir Region (Ministry of Education)College of Life Sciences, Southwest UniversityChongqingChina
| | - Yangyi Chen
- Key Laboratory of Eco‐Environments in the Three Gorges Reservoir Region (Ministry of Education)College of Life Sciences, Southwest UniversityChongqingChina
| | - Jie Gao
- Key Laboratory of Eco‐Environments in the Three Gorges Reservoir Region (Ministry of Education)College of Life Sciences, Southwest UniversityChongqingChina
| | - Junchen Liu
- Key Laboratory of Eco‐Environments in the Three Gorges Reservoir Region (Ministry of Education)College of Life Sciences, Southwest UniversityChongqingChina
| | - Li Changxiao
- Key Laboratory of Eco‐Environments in the Three Gorges Reservoir Region (Ministry of Education)College of Life Sciences, Southwest UniversityChongqingChina
- Biological Science Research Center, Academy for Advanced Interdisciplinary StudiesSouthwest UniversityChongqingChina
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He L, Bhattarai N, Pokhrel Y, Jia N, Zhu P, Ye G, Xu Z, Wu S, Li ZB. Dynamics of land cover changes and carbon emissions driven by large dams in China. iScience 2024; 27:109516. [PMID: 38591004 PMCID: PMC10999998 DOI: 10.1016/j.isci.2024.109516] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/20/2023] [Revised: 01/18/2024] [Accepted: 03/14/2024] [Indexed: 04/10/2024] Open
Abstract
The recent surge in dam construction has sparked debates regarding their contribution to carbon neutrality and food security, focusing on trade-offs between production benefits and ecological drawbacks. However, how dams affect carbon emissions and land cover changes, including their spatial differentiations, remains unclear. We quantified spatiotemporal variations in carbon emissions and storage of 137 large dams in China from 1992 to 2020, resulting from land cover change in potentially affected areas. We observed a lesser increase in carbon emissions and a more pronounced increase in carbon storage driven by forest conservation and regeneration within dam-affected areas compared to unaffected areas. Additionally, we noticed an increased grain yield in nearby areas potentially due to increased water availability. Our findings highlight the importance of considering land cover change when assessing carbon neutrality or grain yield at regional and national scales. This study provides useful insights into optimizing dam locations to mitigate future carbon emissions effectively.
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Affiliation(s)
- Liuyue He
- Donghai Laboratory, Zhoushan 316021, Zhejiang, China
- Ocean College, Zhejiang University, Zhoushan 316021, Zhejiang, China
| | - Nishan Bhattarai
- Department of Geography and Environmental Sustainability, University of Oklahoma, Norman, OK 73019, USA
| | - Yadu Pokhrel
- Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI 48824, USA
| | - Nan Jia
- Center for Systems Integration and Sustainability, part of College of Agriculture and Natural Resources, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI 48824, USA
- Environmental Science and Policy Program, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI 48824, USA
| | - Peng Zhu
- Department of Geography, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong 999077, China
| | - Guanqiong Ye
- Ocean College, Zhejiang University, Zhoushan 316021, Zhejiang, China
| | - Zhenci Xu
- Department of Geography, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong 999077, China
- Shenzhen Institute of Research and Innovation, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong 999077, China
| | - Shaohua Wu
- Institute of Land and Urban-Rural Development, Zhejiang University of Finance and Economics, Hangzhou 310018, China
| | - Zhongbin B. Li
- School of Remote Sensing and Information Engineering, Wuhan University, Wuhan 430079, China
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Huang W, Wei L, Yang Y, Sun J, Ding L, Wu X, Zheng L, Huang Q. Estuarine environmental flow assessment based on the flow-ecological health index relation model: a case study in Yangtze River Estuary, China. ENVIRONMENTAL MONITORING AND ASSESSMENT 2024; 196:348. [PMID: 38446276 DOI: 10.1007/s10661-024-12487-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/02/2023] [Accepted: 02/19/2024] [Indexed: 03/07/2024]
Abstract
Environmental flow (e-flow) is the water demand of one given ecosystem, which can become the flow regulation target for protection and restoration of river or estuarine ecosystems. In this study, an e-flow assessment based on the flow-ecological health index (EHI) relation model was conducted to improve ecosystem health of the Yangtze River Estuary (YRE). Monitoring data of hydrology, biology, and water environment in the last decades were used for the model establishment. For the description of the YRE ecosystem, an EHI system was developed by cumulative frequency distribution curves and adaption of national standards. After preprocessing original flow values into proportional flow values, the generalized additive model and Monte Carlo random sampling were used for the establishment of the flow-EHI relation model. From the model calculation, the e-flow assessment results were that, in proportional flow values, the suitable flow range was 1.05-1.35, and the optimum flow range was 1.15-1.25 (flows in Yangtze River Datong Station). For flow regulation in two crucial periods, flows of 42,630-65,545 m3/s or over 14,675 m3/s are needed for the suitable flow of YRE in summer (June-August) or January, respectively. An adaptive management framework of ecological health-based estuarine e-flow assessment for YRE was contrived due to the limitation of current established model when facing the extreme drought in summer, 2022. The methodology and framework in this study are expected to provide valuable management and data support for the sustainable development of estuarine ecosystems and to bring inspiration for further studies at even continental or global levels.
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Affiliation(s)
- Weizheng Huang
- Key Laboratory of Yangtze River Water Environment of the Ministry of Education, College of Environmental Science and Engineering, Tongji University, Shanghai, 200092, China
| | - Lai Wei
- Key Laboratory of Yangtze River Water Environment of the Ministry of Education, College of Environmental Science and Engineering, Tongji University, Shanghai, 200092, China
| | - Ya Yang
- Key Laboratory of Yangtze River Water Environment of the Ministry of Education, College of Environmental Science and Engineering, Tongji University, Shanghai, 200092, China
| | - Jinnuo Sun
- Key Laboratory of Yangtze River Water Environment of the Ministry of Education, College of Environmental Science and Engineering, Tongji University, Shanghai, 200092, China
| | - Ling Ding
- Shanghai Investigation, Design and Research Institute Co., Ltd. (SIDRI), Shanghai, 200335, China
| | - Xinghua Wu
- Research Center for Eco-Environmental Engineering, China Three Gorges Corporation (CTG), Beijing, 100038, China
| | - Leifu Zheng
- Shanghai Investigation, Design and Research Institute Co., Ltd. (SIDRI), Shanghai, 200335, China
| | - Qinghui Huang
- Key Laboratory of Yangtze River Water Environment of the Ministry of Education, College of Environmental Science and Engineering, Tongji University, Shanghai, 200092, China.
- Shanghai Institute of Pollution Control and Ecological Security, Shanghai, 200092, China.
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Zheng S, Liu M, Han Q, Pang L, Cao H. Seasonal variation and human impacts of the river biofilm bacterial communities in the Shiting River in southeastern China. ENVIRONMENTAL MONITORING AND ASSESSMENT 2024; 196:341. [PMID: 38436747 DOI: 10.1007/s10661-024-12490-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/02/2023] [Accepted: 02/19/2024] [Indexed: 03/05/2024]
Abstract
Bacterial communities in epilithic biofilm plays an important role in biogeochemistry processes in freshwater ecosystems. Nevertheless, our understanding of the geographical and seasonal variations of the composition of bacterial communities in the biofilm of gravels on river bed is still limited. Various anthropogenic activities also influence the biofilm bacteria in gravel rivers. By taking the Shiting River in the upper Yangtze River basin in Sichuan Province as an example, we studied the geographical and seasonal variations of epilithic bacteria and the impacts of weirs and other human activities (e.g., sewage pollution). The river has experienced severe degradation since the Ms 8.0 Wenchuan Earthquake, and weirs were constructed to prevent bed erosion. We collected epilithic biofilms samples at 17 sites along ~ 30 km river reach of the Shiting River in the autumn of 2021 and the summer of 2022, respectively. We applied 16S rRNA gene high-throughput sequencing technology and Functional Annotation of Prokaryotic Taxa (FAPROTAX) to analyze the seasonal and biogeographic patterns and potential functions of the biofilm bacterial communities. The results showed that epilithic bacteria from the two surveys exhibited variation in community composition, bacterial diversity and potential functions. The bacteria samples collected in the autumn have much higher alpha diversity and richness than those collected in the summer. Bacterial richness and diversity were lower downstream of the weirs than upstream. Low diversity was observed at a sampling site influenced by sewage inflow, which contains high level of nitrogen-related chemicals.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shan Zheng
- Key Laboratory of Earthquake Engineering Simulation and Seismic Resilience of China, Earthquake Administration (Tianjin University), Tianjin, 300350, China.
- School of Civil Engineering, Tianjin University, Tianjin, 300350, China.
- State Key Laboratory of Water Resources Engineering and Management, Wuhan University, Wuhan, 430072, China.
| | - Min Liu
- State Key Laboratory of Water Resources Engineering and Management, Wuhan University, Wuhan, 430072, China
| | - Qinghua Han
- Key Laboratory of Earthquake Engineering Simulation and Seismic Resilience of China, Earthquake Administration (Tianjin University), Tianjin, 300350, China
- School of Civil Engineering, Tianjin University, Tianjin, 300350, China
| | - Lina Pang
- College of Architecture and Environment, Sichuan University, Chengdu, 610065, China
| | - Huiqun Cao
- Changjiang River Scientific Research Institute, Wuhan, 430010, China
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Yin Y, Zhang W, Cao X, Chen X, Tang J, Zhou Y, Li Q. Evaluation of sediment phosphorus dynamics in cascade reservoir systems: A case study of Weiyuan River, China. JOURNAL OF ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT 2023; 346:118980. [PMID: 37741190 DOI: 10.1016/j.jenvman.2023.118980] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/30/2023] [Revised: 08/22/2023] [Accepted: 09/09/2023] [Indexed: 09/25/2023]
Abstract
Reservoirs tend to accumulate phosphorus (P) originating from agriculture, industry, and other upstream sources in sediment, with this stored P later released. However, the spatiotemporal dynamics of sediment P release in reservoirs remains unclear. This study investigated the spatiotemporal dynamics in P of the sediment and water of three cascade reservoirs in the Weiyuan River (Tuojiang tributary). The results showed elevated P in sediment [total P (TP): 1208.93 mg kg-1] and water (TP: 0.23 mg L-1) during the low-water season (LWS), which could be attributed to notably higher organic matter content (9.65%), finer particle size (20.95 μm), and extended hydraulic retention time (HRT: 13.13 days) downstream of the cascade reservoirs. Further study employing static in-situ diffusive gradient in thin films (DGT) and dynamic ex-situ adsorption kinetic experiments confirmed that the downstream release of P from sediments [diffusion flux (Fd): 1.67 mg m-2 d-1, equilibrium P concentrations (EPC0): 0.22 ± 0.10 mg L-1] greatly exceeded those upstream (-0.66 ± 0.17 mg m-2 d-1, 0.07 ± 0.001 mg L-1), Fe (II) was a critical factor in regulating sedimentary P release. The combined effects of high P in overlying water and sediment significantly stimulated downstream phytoplankton growth, particularly among cyanobacteria (26.48%) and green algae (8.33%). Further regulatory steps are needed to regulate LWS algal blooms downstream of cascade reservoirs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yuepeng Yin
- State Key Laboratory of Geohazard Prevention and Geoenvironment Protection, Chengdu University of Technology, Chengdu, 610059, China; State Environmental Protection Key Laboratory of Synergetic Control and Joint Remediation for Soil& Water Pollution, College of Ecology and Environment, Chengdu University of Technology, Chengdu, 610059, China
| | - Wen Zhang
- State Key Laboratory of Geohazard Prevention and Geoenvironment Protection, Chengdu University of Technology, Chengdu, 610059, China; State Environmental Protection Key Laboratory of Synergetic Control and Joint Remediation for Soil& Water Pollution, College of Ecology and Environment, Chengdu University of Technology, Chengdu, 610059, China.
| | - Xi Cao
- State Key Laboratory of Geohazard Prevention and Geoenvironment Protection, Chengdu University of Technology, Chengdu, 610059, China; State Environmental Protection Key Laboratory of Synergetic Control and Joint Remediation for Soil& Water Pollution, College of Ecology and Environment, Chengdu University of Technology, Chengdu, 610059, China
| | - Xuemei Chen
- Institute of Hydrobiology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Wuhan, 430072, China
| | - Jinyong Tang
- State Key Laboratory of Geohazard Prevention and Geoenvironment Protection, Chengdu University of Technology, Chengdu, 610059, China; State Environmental Protection Key Laboratory of Synergetic Control and Joint Remediation for Soil& Water Pollution, College of Ecology and Environment, Chengdu University of Technology, Chengdu, 610059, China
| | - Yuxin Zhou
- State Key Laboratory of Geohazard Prevention and Geoenvironment Protection, Chengdu University of Technology, Chengdu, 610059, China; State Environmental Protection Key Laboratory of Synergetic Control and Joint Remediation for Soil& Water Pollution, College of Ecology and Environment, Chengdu University of Technology, Chengdu, 610059, China
| | - Qingman Li
- Institute of Hydrobiology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Wuhan, 430072, China
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