Bacillus licheniformis escapes from Myxococcus xanthus predation by deactivating myxovirescin A through enzymatic glucosylation.

Myxococcus xanthus kills susceptible bacteria using myxovirescin A (TA) during predation. However, whether prey cells in nature can escape M. xanthus by developing resistance to TA is unknown. We observed that many field-isolated Bacillus licheniformis strains could survive encounters with M. xanthus, which was correlated to their TA resistance. A TA glycoside was identified in the broth of predation-resistant B. licheniformis J32 co-cultured with M. xanthus, and a glycosyltransferase gene (yjiC) was up-regulated in J32 after the addition of TA. Hetero-expressed YjiC-modified TA to a TA glucoside (TA-Gluc) by conjugating a glucose moiety to the C-21 hydroxyl group, and the resulting compound was identical to the TA glycoside present in the co-culture broth. TA-Gluc exhibited diminished bactericidal activity due to its weaker binding with LspA, as suggested by in silico docking data. Heterologous expression of the yjiC gene conferred both TA and M. xanthus-predation resistance to the host Escherichia coli cells. Furthermore, under predatory pressure, B. licheniformis Y071 rapidly developed predation resistance by acquiring TA resistance through the overexpression of yjiC and lspA genes. These results suggest that M. xanthus predation resistance in B. licheniformis is due to the TA deactivation by glucosylation, which is induced in a predator-mediated manner.

Growth and physiological responses to successional water deficit and recovery in four warm-temperate woody species.

Plant responses to drought and their subsequent rehydration can provide evidence for forest dynamics within the context of climate change. In this study, the seedlings of two native species (Vitex negundo var. heterophylla, Quercus acutissima) and two exotic species (Robinia pseudoacacia, Amorpha fruticosa) to China were selected in a greenhouse experiment. The gas exchange, stem hydraulic parameters, plant osmoprotectant contents and antioxidant activities of the seedlings that were subjected to sustained drought and rehydration (test group) as well as those of well-irrigated seedlings (control group) were measured. The two native species exhibited a greater degree of isohydry with drought because they limited the stomatal opening timely from the onset of the drought. However, the two exotic species showed a more 'water spender'-like strategy with R. pseudoacacia showing anisohydric responses and A. fruticosa showing isohydrodynamic responses to drought. Severe drought significantly decreased the leaf gas exchange rates and hydraulic properties, whereas the instantaneous water use efficiency and osmoprotectant contents increased markedly. Most of the physiological parameters recovered rapidly after mild drought rehydration, but the water potential and/or supply of nonstructural carbohydrates did not recover after severe drought rehydration. The results demonstrate that the xylem hydraulic conductivity and shoot water potential jointly play a crucial role in the drought recovery of woody plants. In brief, the native species may play a dominant role in the future in warm-temperate forests because they employ a better balance between carbon gain and water loss than the alien species under extreme drought conditions.

Cadmium accumulation and main rhizosphere characteristics of seven French marigold (Tagetes patula L.) cultivars.

The study was conducted to determine Cd accumulation and Cd fraction in the rhizosphere soil of seven Tagetes patula cultivars (Little Hero Orange, Durango Yellow, Janie Yellow Bright, Lucifer Yellow, Hero Flame, Hongyun Red, Konghuang Yellow). T. patula cultivars showed strong tolerance and accumulation to Cd. The highest Cd concentration (273.77 mg kg-1) in shoots was observed in Little Hero Orange when treated with Cd100. For most cultivars, Cd treatments significantly affected rhizosphere pH values, but had a slight effect on dissolved organic carbon (DOC). pH were negatively correlated with Cd accumulation and Cd percentages in the exchangeable fraction in the rhizosphere soil of Little Hero Orange, Durango Yellow, and Konghuang Yellow. No significant correlation was observed between DOC, Cd accumulation and Cd percentage in the exchangeable fraction in the rhizosphere soil, except for Konghuang Yellow. The results suggested that pH might be related to Cd bioavailability and their uptake by T. patula. Among seven cultivars, Little Hero Orange showed the greatest pH decrease, highest shoot Cd accumulation and Cd percentage in the exchangeable fraction, suggesting the difference in pH responses to Cd levels among T. patula might be responsible for their different ability of Cd activation.

Activation of NLRP3 inflammasomes contributes to hyperhomocysteinemia-aggravated inflammation and atherosclerosis in apoE-deficient mice.

Hyperhomocysteinemia (HHcy) has been shown to promote vascular inflammation and atherosclerosis, but the underlying mechanisms remain largely unknown. The NLRP3 inflammasome has been identified as the cellular machinery responsible for activation of inflammatory processes. In this study, we hypothesized that the activation of NLRP3 inflammasomes contributes to HHcy-induced inflammation and atherosclerosis. ApoE-/- mice were fed regular chow, high-fat (HF) diet, or HF plus high methionine diet to induce HHcy. To assess the role of NLRP3 inflammasomes in HHcy-aggravated atherosclerosis, NLRP3 shRNA viral suspension was injected via tail vein to knock down the NLRP3 gene. Increased plasma levels of IL-1ß and IL-18, aggravated macrophage infiltration into atherosclerotic lesions, and accelerated development of atherosclerosis were detected in HHcy mice as compared with control mice, and were associated with the activation of NLRP3 inflammasomes. Silencing the NLRP3 gene significantly suppressed NLRP3 inflammasome activation, reduced plasma levels of proinflammatory cytokines, attenuated macrophage infiltration and improved HHcy-induced atherosclerosis. We also examined the effect of homocysteine (Hcy) on NLRP3 inflammasome activation in THP-1-differentiated macrophages in the presence or absence of NLRP3 siRNA or the caspase-1 inhibitor Z-WEHD-FMK. We found that Hcy activated NLRP3 inflammasomes and promoted subsequent production of IL-1ß and IL-18 in macrophages, which were blocked by NLRP3 gene silencing or Z-WEHD-FMK. As reactive oxygen species (ROS) may have a central role in NLRP3 inflammasome activation, we next investigated whether antioxidant N-acetyl-l-cysteine (NAC) prevented Hcy-induced NLRP3 inflammasome activation in macrophages. We found Hcy-induced NLRP3 inflammasome activation was abolished by NAC. Treatment with NAC in HHcy mice also suppressed NLRP3 inflammasome activation and improved HHcy-induced atherosclerosis. These data suggest that the activation of NLRP3 inflammasomes contributes to HHcy-aggravated inflammation and atherosclerosis in apoE-/- mice. Hcy activates NLRP3 inflammasomes in ROS-dependent pathway in macrophages. These results may have implication for the treatment of HHcy-associated cardiovascular diseases.

Agricultural Waste.

In recent years, the quantity of agricultural waste has been rising rapidly all over the world. As a result, the environmental problems and negative impacts of agricultural waste are drawn more and more attention. Therefore, there is a need to adopt proper approaches to reduce and reuse agricultural waste. This review presented about 200 literatures published in 2015 relating to the topic of agricultural waste. The review examined research on agricultural waste in 2015 from the following four aspects: the characterization, reuse, treatment, and management. Researchers highlighted the importance to reuse agricultural waste and investigated the potential to utilize it as biofertilizers, cultivation material, soil amendments, adsorbent, material, energy recycling, enzyme and catalyst etc. The treatment of agricultural waste included carbonization, biodegradation, composting hydrolysis and pyrolysis. Moreover, this review analyzed the differences of the research progress in 2015 from 2014. It may help to reveal the new findings and new trends in this field in 2015 comparing to 2014.

Biosynthesis of high-purity γ-MnS nanoparticle by newly isolated Clostridiaceae sp. and its properties characterization.

MnS is a p-type semiconductor with both antiferromagnetism and wide band gap, endowing it potential applications for short wavelength optoelectronic devices, solar cells and luminescent materials. Despite successful biosynthesis of nano CdS, PbS and ZnS with extremely low solubility product, there have been no reports available on biosynthesis of nano MnS so far because both PO4(3-) and OH(-) negatively disturb reaction between Mn(2+) and S(2-) through forming Mn3(PO4)2 and Mn(OH)2 as undesirable impurities. In this work, high-purity MnS nanocrystals were synthesized in presence of newly isolated Clostridiaceae sp. through strictly controlling pH value and PO4(3-) dose for the first time. The results showed that hexagonal-shaped γ-MnS with a diameter of 2-3 µm and a thickness of 200-300 nm was obtained by biosynthesis at 0.014 g/L PO4(3-) dose and pH 5.8. The hexagonal-shaped particle possessed dense and uniform texture. The γ-MnS had an obvious absorption peak at 325 nm and an emission peak at 435 nm as well as paramagnetic property with a coercivity of 52.91 Oe and a retentivity of 4.37 × 10(-3) emu/g at ambient temperature. The studies demonstrated that biosynthesis was qualified for preparation of nano metal sulfites with relatively high solubility product like MnS, widening its application spectrum.

Agricultural Waste.

The management and disposal of agricultural waste are drawn more and more attention because of the increasing yields and negative effects on the environment. However, proper treatments such as converting abundant biomass wastes into biogas through anaerobic digestion technology, can not only avoid the negative impacts, but also convert waste into available resources. This review summarizes the studies of nearly two hundred scholars from the following four aspects: the characterization, reuse, treatment, and management of agricultural waste.

Mating strategies of Vitex negundo L. var. heterophylla (Franch.) Rehder (Lamiaceae): A mixed mating system with inbreeding depression.

Plant reproductive ecology is one of the research hotspots in ecology. With the increasing attention paid to the conservation of plant diversity, the research on reproductive characteristics and flowering biological characteristics of more species has attracted more attention. However, plant reproduction is affected by multiple interacting factors such as pollen limitation and resource availability. Vitex negundo var. heterophylla (Franch.) Rehder (Lamiaceae) is a significant species for water and soil conservation. Previous studies have revealed its mating system by the biological characteristics of flowering and SSR markers, but its reproductive strategies remain to be further studied. We evaluated reproductive success through artificial pollination to explore the reproductive characteristics of V. negundo var. heterophylla for the first time. From the results of fruit set, there is a mixed mating system dominated by outcrossing in V. negundo var. heterophylla accompanied by self-compatibility, and it cannot carry out autonomous selfing. Our data show the pollinator-mediated interaction in the success of reproduction, whereas the effect of anemophily is very weak. And the seed germination rate of inbred line progenies was lower than that of hybrid progenies, which is suspected to be caused by inbreeding depression. The research will provide scientific information for the protection and conservation of V. negundo var. heterophylla from the point of view of reproduction. In sum, the results are necessary to protect animal vectors in the background of insect decline.

Changing effects of energy and water on the richness distribution pattern of the Quercus genus in China.

Climate varies along geographic gradients, causing spatial variations in the effects of energy and water on species richness and the explanatory power of different climatic factors. Species of the Quercus genus are important tree species in China with high ecological and socioeconomic value. To detect whether the effects of energy and water on species richness change along climatic gradients, this study built geographically weighted regression models based on species richness and climatic data. Variation partition analysis and hierarchical partitioning analysis were used to further explore the main climatic factors shaping the richness distribution pattern of Quercus in China. The results showed that Quercus species were mainly distributed in mountainous areas of southwestern China. Both energy and water were associated with species richness, with global slopes of 0.17 and 0.14, respectively. The effects of energy and water on species richness gradually increased as energy and water in the environment decreased. The interaction between energy and water altered the effect of energy, and in arid regions, the effects of energy and water were relatively stronger. Moreover, energy explained more variation in species richness in both the entire study area (11.5%) and different climate regions (up to 19.4%). The min temperature of coldest month was the main climatic variable forming the richness distribution pattern of Quercus in China. In conclusion, cold and drought are the critical climatic factors limiting the species richness of Quercus, and climate warming will have a greater impact in arid regions. These findings are important for understanding the biogeographic characteristics of Quercus and conserving biodiversity in China.

Emergy-based evaluation of system sustainability and ecosystem value of a large-scale constructed wetland in North China.

Constructed wetland has been widely adopted to deal with degraded natural wetlands and water bodies; thus, more attention should be focused on ecological-economic sustainability and ecological efficiency of these projects for long-term success. Emergy accounting was conducted to investigate the energy and resource flows in constructed wetlands during the restoration process. Emergy-based indexes were adopted to evaluate the sustainability of a pilot large-scale constructed wetland in a large wetland restoration project in North China, carried out to enhance the river water quality and offset the degradation of natural wetland. Emergy and emdollar values for ecosystem services and natural capital were also calculated. The results showed that when outflow was considered as the product, the studied large-scale constructed wetland was more self-supporting and could be operated with lesser financial investment, although the waste treatment efficiency and the sustainability index were lower than conventional small-scale treatment constructed wetlands. Compared with natural wetlands, more visits from tourists and lesser financial investment coming in as feedback into the wetland would reduce system environment loading and promote system self-support ability, ultimately generating sustainability. In addition, the studied large-scale constructed wetland can effectively simulate energy and resource flows of natural wetland ecosystem and contribute a roughly equal value of ecosystem services in term of gross primary production. The studied large-scale constructed wetland can successfully achieve ecosystem functions as replacement for natural wetland and hasten the restoration process, although the restoration effectiveness of ecosystem structures in terms of living biomass and water using emergy-value accounting is still inconclusive.

Dynamics of the distribution of invasive alien plants (Asteraceae) in China under climate change.

Climate change and biological invasions pose significant threats to the conservation of biodiversity and the provision of ecosystem services. With the rapid development of international trade and economy, China has become one of the countries most seriously affected by invasive alien plants (IAPs), especially the Asteraceae IAPs. For this end, we selected occurrence data of 31 Asteraceae IAPs and 33 predictor variables to explore the distribution pattern under current climate using MaxEnt model. Based on future climate data, the changes in distribution dynamics of Asteraceae IAPs were predicted under two time periods (2041-2060 and 2081-2100) and three climate change scenarios (SSP126, SSP245 and SSP585). The results indicated that the potential distribution of IAPs was mainly in the southeast of China under current climate. Climatic variables, including precipitation of coldest quarter (BIO19), temperature annual range (BIO07) and annual precipitation (BIO12) were the main factors affecting the potential distribution. Besides, human footprint (HFP), population (POP) and soil moisture (SM) also had a great contribution for shaping the distribution pattern. With climate change, the potential distribution of IAPs would shift to the northwest and expand. It would also accelerate the expansion of most Asteraceae IAPs in China. The results of our study can help to understand the dynamics change of distributions of Asteraceae IAPs under climate change in advance so that early strategies can be developed to reduce the risk and influence of biological invasions.

Effects of drought hardening on the carbohydrate dynamics of Quercus acutissima seedlings under successional drought.

Introduction: As precipitation patterns are predicted to become increasingly erratic, the functional maintenance of warm-temperate forests constitutes a key challenge for forest managers. In this study, 2-year-old Quercus acutissima seedlings were selected to elucidate the mechanisms whereby they respond to soil water fluctuations and the drought hardening effects on plant carbohydrate dynamics. Methods: Seedlings were trained under different soil water conditions for 2 months: drought (D), well-watered (W), 1-month drought and then 1-month well-watered (D-W), and 1-month well-watered and then 1-month drought (W-D). The functional traits involved in water- and carbon-use strategies were explored at the end of the hardening period. Compared with seedlings in group W, seedlings in groups D, D-W, and W-D had increased potential for carbon uptake (i.e., light saturated point, maximum ribulose-1,5-bisphosphate (RuBP) saturated rate, and electron transport rate) and water uptake (i.e., fine root-to-coarse root ratio) and downregulated growth and mitochondrial respiration to decrease carbon consumption. After water fluctuation hardening, we performed a successional dry-down experiment for 1 month to detect carbohydrate dynamics and explore the acclimation caused by prior hardening. Results and discussion: Our results revealed that there were more soluble sugars allocated in the leaves and more starch allocated in the stems and roots of seedlings hardened in the D, W-D, and D-W treatments than that of seedlings hardened in the W treatment. No significant changes in total non-structural carbohydrates were found. In addition, we found near-zero (seedlings trained by D and D-W treatments) or negative (seedlings trained by W-D treatment) growth of structural biomass at the end of the dry-down experiment, which was significantly lower than that of W-hardened seedlings. This suggests that there was a shift in allocation patterns between carbon storage and growth under recurrent soil drought, which can be strengthened by drought memory. We conclude that Q. acutissima seedlings adjusted water- and carbon-use strategies in response to water fluctuations, whereas stress memory can enhance their overall performance in reoccurring drought. Therefore, taking advantage of stress memory is a promising management strategy in forest nurseries, and drought-trained seedlings might be more suitable for afforestation practices in sites characterized by fluctuating soil water content, considering the ongoing global climatic changes.

Response mechanisms of 3 typical plants nitrogen and phosphorus nutrient cycling to nitrogen deposition in temperate meadow grasslands.

The increase of nitrogen (N) deposition and the diversity of its components lead to significant changes in the structure and function of temperate meadow steppe, which could affect plant nutrient uptake, nutrient resorption and litter decomposition, thus affecting the biogeochemical cycle process. The distribution and metabolism of nitrogen and phosphorus in plants determine the growth process and productivity of plants. Plant nutrient uptake, nutrient resorption and litter decomposition play an important role in the nutrient cycling process of ecosystem. This study closely combined these three processes to carry out experiments with different nitrogen dosages and types, and systematically explored the response of nitrogen and phosphorus nutrient cycling to nitrogen deposition. The results showed that nitrogen deposition can greatly affect ecosystem nutrient cycle of nitrogen and phosphorus. Firstly, Nitrogen deposition has significant effect on plant nutrient uptake. Nitrogen uptake of stems and leaves increased with the increase of nitrogen addition dosage, while phosphorus uptake of stems and leaves showed a downward trend or no significant effect. Besides, nitrogen addition type had a significant effect on nitrogen and phosphorus content of stems. Secondly, Nitrogen addition dosage had a significant effect on plant nutrient resorption, while nitrogen addition type had no significant effect on it. Thirdly, nitrogen deposition has significant effect on litter decomposition. With the increase of nitrogen addition dosage, the initial nitrogen content of litters increased and the decomposition rate of litters accelerated. Nitrogen application type had significant effect on stem litter decomposition. These results indicated that nitrogen deposition significantly affects plant nutrient cycling, and thus affects the structure and function of grassland ecosystem.

Drivers of aboveground biomass shift with forest stratum in temperate forest of North China.

A better understanding of the underlying ecological mechanisms of diversity-biomass relationships in forest layers (i.e., overstory and understory) is critical to understand the importance of vertical stratification to the functioning of forest ecosystems. However, it is not clear how multiple abiotic (i.e., climate and geography) and biological (i.e., biodiversity, functional characteristics, and stand structural complexity) factors simultaneously determine the aboveground biomass (AGB) of each individual forest stratum. We used data on 156,270 trees from 1986 plots in North China to explore the relationships among biological diversity, plant functional traits, stand structure, climate and topography on variation in AGB of each stratum. The results showed that different biological factors determined the AGB of overstory and understory, and thus indicating different underlying ecological mechanisms in temperate forests. The effects of forest biodiversity on AGB were only significant in understory stratum. In the overstory of the forest, forests with high tree-size dimension inequality and high dominant tree height had larger AGB, hence mass ratio effect and stand structure complexity were the main ecological mechanisms for high biomass. In understory, diversity and overstory attributes were the main factors affecting biomass. Tree height and AGB of the overstory reduced the AGB of the understory layer. In consequence overstory attributes and niche complementation were the main ecological mechanisms in the understory. The overstory exerted influence on the understory through resource quantity and resource heterogeneity. Our findings have important implications for carbon management, enhancement of forest functions and sustainable forest management in temperate forests.

Physiological responses of Quercus acutissima and Quercus rubra seedlings to drought and defoliation treatments.

Ongoing global climate change is increasing the risk of drought stress in some areas, which may compromise forest health. Such drought events also increase outbreaks of insect herbivores, resulting in plant defoliation. Interactions between drought and defoliation are poorly understood. In a greenhouse experiment, we selected a native species, Quercus acutissima Carr. and an alien species, Quercus rubra L. to explore their physiological responses to drought and defoliation treatments. After the treatments, we determined the seedlings' physiological responses on Days 10 and 60. Our results showed that the defoliation treatment accelerated the carbon reserve consumption of plants under drought stress and inhibited the growth of both seedling types. Under the drought condition, Q. rubra maintained normal stem-specific hydraulic conductivity and normal growth parameters during the early stage of stress, whereas Q. acutissima used less water and grew more slowly during the experiment. Sixty days after defoliation treatment, the stem starch concentration of Q. acutissima was higher than that of the control group, but the stem biomass was lower. This indicates that Q. acutissima adopted a 'slow strategy' after stress, and more resources were used for storage rather than growth, which was conducive to the ability of these seedlings to resist recurrent biotic attack. Thus, Q. acutissima may be more tolerant to drought and defoliation than Q. rubra. The resource acquisition strategies of Quercus in this study suggest that the native Quercus species may be more successful at a long-term resource-poor site than the alien Quercus species.

Impacts of climate change and human activities on vegetation coverage variation in mountainous and hilly areas in Central South of Shandong Province based on tree-ring.

Introduction: It is of great significance to understand the characteristics and influencing factors of vegetation coverage variation in the warm temperate zone. As a typical region of the warm temperate zone in eastern China, the mountainous and hilly region in central-south Shandong Province has fragile ecological environment and soil erosion problem. Studying on vegetation dynamics and its influencing factors in this region will help to better understand the relationship between climate change and vegetation cover change in the warm temperate zone of eastern China, and the influence of human activities on vegetation cover dynamics. Methods: Based on dendrochronology, a standard tree-ring width chronology was established in the mountainous and hilly region of central-south Shandong Province, and the vegetation coverage from 1905 to 2020 was reconstructed to reveal the dynamic change characteristics of vegetation cover in this region. Secondly, the influence of climate factors and human activities on the dynamic change of vegetation cover was discussed through correlation analysis and residual analysis. Results and discussion: In the reconstructed sequence, 23 years had high vegetation coverage and 15 years had low vegetation coverage. After low-pass filtering, the vegetation coverage of 1911-1913, 1945-1951, 1958-1962, 1994-1996, and 2007-2011 was relatively high, while the vegetation coverage of 1925-1927, 1936-1942, 2001-2003, and 2019-2020 was relatively low. Although precipitation determined the variation of vegetation coverage in this study area, the impacts of human activities on the change of vegetation coverage in the past decades cannot be ignored. With the development of social economy and the acceleration of urbanization, the vegetation coverage declined. Since the beginning of the 21st century, ecological projects such as Grain-for-Green have increased the vegetation coverage.

Contamination, source, and input route of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in historic wastewater-irrigated agricultural soils.

Contamination by polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) of historic wastewater-irrigated agricultural topsoil (0-5 cm) and the contribution of groundwater irrigation and atmospheric deposition to soil PAHs were studied in a typical agricultural region, i.e. Hunpu region, Liaoning, China. Concentrations of total PAHs ranged from 0.43 to 2.64 mg kg⁻¹ in topsoil, being lower than those found in other wastewater-irrigated areas. The levels of PAHs in soil declined as the distance from a water source increased. Concentrations of individual PAHs were generally higher in upland than in paddy topsoils. The calculated nemerow composite index showed that agricultural soil in the region was "polluted" by PAHs. A human health risk assessment based on the total toxic equivalent concentration showed that the presence of elevated concentrations of PAHs in the soil might pose a great threat to the health of local residents. Ratios of pairs of PAHs and principal component analysis (PCA) showed that pyrogenesis, such as coal combustion, was the main source of PAHs, while petroleum, to some extent, also had a strong influence on PAHs contamination in upland soil. The distribution patterns of individual PAHs and composition of PAHs differed between irrigation groundwater and topsoil, but were similar between atmospheric deposition and topsoil. There were significant linear correlations (r = 0.90; p < 0.01) between atmospheric deposition rates and average concentrations of the 16 individual PAHs in soils, while no significant relationships were observed between irrigation groundwater and topsoil in levels of PAHs. These suggested that PAHs in agricultural soils were mainly introduced from atmospheric deposition, rather than from groundwater irrigation after the phasing out of wastewater irrigation in the region since 2002. This study provides a reference to ensure agricultural product safety, pollution control, and proper soil management.

Impact of socioeconomic development on ecosystem services and its conservation strategies: a case study of Shandong Province, China.

Ecosystems and their components provide a lot of benefits for the welfare of human beings. Coupled with increasing socioeconomic development, most of the rapidly developing and transitional countries and regions have been experiencing dramatic land use changes. This has resulted in a large amount of forestland, grassland, and wetland being occupied as residential and industrial land or reclaimed for arable land, which in turn results in a sharp deterioration of ecosystem services around the world. Shandong Province, an economically powerful province of China, was chosen as a case study in order to capture the impact of socioeconomic development on ecosystem services. By way of the study, land uses and their changes were categorized between 1980 and 2006, and the ecosystem services capital and changes of 111 counties of Shandong Province in different phases were evaluated, as well as the total ecosystem services capital, followed by the zoning of ecosystem services function region of Shandong Province. We found that the counties in mountainous areas and wetlands, where generally the prefectural-level cities are located with a rapid socioeconomic development, experienced a successive deterioration of ecosystem services especially during the 2000s. Finally, three conservation strategies for managing and improving ecosystem services were proposed and discussed with the aim of achieving coordinate and sustainable development of the socioeconomy, environment, and ecosystems not only in Shandong Province but also in other provinces of China, as well as in other developing and transitional countries and regions.

Characterization of contamination, source and degradation of petroleum between upland and paddy fields based on geochemical characteristics and phospholipid fatty acids.

To evaluate contamination caused by petroleum, surface soil samples were collected from both upland and paddy fields along the irrigation canals in the Hunpu wastewater irrigation region in northeast China. N-alkanes, terpanes, steranes, and phospholipid fatty acids (PLFA) in the surface soil samples were analyzed. The aliphatic hydrocarbon concentration was highest in the samples obtained from the upland field near an operational oil well; it was lowest at I-3P where wastewater irrigation promoted the downward movement of hydrocarbons. The Hunpu region was found contaminated by heavy petroleum from oxic lacustrine fresh water or marine deltaic source rocks. Geochemical parameters also indicated significantly heavier contamination and degradation in the upland fields compared with the paddy fields. Principal component analysis based on PLFA showed various microbial communities between petroleum contaminated upland and paddy fields. Gram-negative bacteria indicated by 15:0, 3OH 12:0, and 16:1(9) were significantly higher in the paddy fields, whereas Gram-positive bacteria indicated by i16:0 and 18:1(9)c were significantly higher in the upland fields (p < 0.05). These PLFAs were related to petroleum contamination. Poly-unsaturated PLFA (18:2omega6, 9; indicative of hydrocarbon-degrading bacteria and fungi) was also significantly elevated in the upland fields. This paper recommends more sensitive indicators of contamination and degradation of petroleum in soil. The results also provide guidelines on soil pollution control and remediation in the Hunpu region and other similar regions.