This paper shows the changes in soil properties in the fourth year after the application of two kinds of environmentally burdensome wastes. One of the wastes was mineral—carboniferous rock from a ...coal mine, and the other one was organic—post-fermentation sludge from an agricultural biogas plant. The wastes were applied once to a soil of poor quality—a Podzol. The hypothesis to be verified was that one-time application of waste carboniferous rock and/or post-fermentation sludge to a soil has a beneficial effect on the physical status of the soil, and the changes in the soil properties have a permanent character. Also, based on the experiment results, we suggested how these types of waste should be applied to soil. For that purpose, an assessment was performed of the durability, range, and character of changes in soil properties, inter alia: soil texture (PSD), total organic carbon content (TOC), particle density (PD), bulk density (BD), total porosity (TP), air capacity (FAC), air permeability (FAP), sampling moisture (SM), field water capacity (FC), available water (AWC), unavailable water (UWC), and hydraulic conductivity (Ks). Some soil properties have been improved by the use of post-fermentation sludge and the combined application of the two wastes. These were the following soil properties: PSD, TOC, BD, TP, and SM. However, changes to the soil air-water properties (FAC, FAP, FC, AWC, UWC, and Ks) were unfavorable. The effect of the waste’s application was permanent, as differences in soil properties were still visible in the fourth year after their addition. The observations made in the course of the experiment indicate that natural utilization of wastes requires a lot of consideration and should be focused on keeping the balance in the relations between the environmental functions of the soil.
The quantity and quality of organic carbon were studied in bottom sediments of two small, shallow, polymictic dam reservoirs located in SE Poland: Zalew Zemborzycki (ZZ) and Brody Ilzeckie (BI). ...Total content of organic carbon (C sub(org)), and its fractions have been determined. The maps of C sub(org) spatial distribution have been compiled. Wide ranges of sedimentary C sub(org) were noted as well as differences between two reservoirs in respect of its content and spatial distribution. The C sub(org) content in the sediments showed a longitudinal zonation pattern in the ZZ and a transverse one in the BI. The composition of sedimentary C sub(org) showed the highest percentage of the insoluble fraction followed by humus acid fraction and the lowest - hemicelluloses fraction. In the humus acid fraction, fulvic acids overbalanced humic acids.
The importance of birds to pedogenesis and their impact on soil characteristics is a long‐standing topic of research. For this reason, the ornithogenic soils (avian soils) are distinguished as a ...separate category in some soil classifications. The continuous progress of knowledge on and changes in the management of the Earth's resources demand constant updating of definitions and classification criteria in various fields of environmental sciences. A search of the literature revealed few studies that examine the properties of bird soils in the temperate climate zone. This paper focuses on ornithogenic material: grit and bones deposited in the topsoil. Although areas covered by such soils are limited to 1–100 ha, they are found in high abundance in Europe and Asia. The surface horizon of the soil examined in the current study in Poznań, Poland, contained ample ornithogenic material; however, the soil's phosphorus content was remarkably low. Therefore, the analysed soil may not be considered as an ornithogenic soil, nor can it be attributed to the ornithic supplementary qualifier provided by the World Reference Base (WRB). The case study presented here exemplifies that soils containing ornithogenic material but lacking phosphorous compounds may occur in the temperate climate zone. Therefore, we conclude that ornithogenic material is the only permanent indicator of the existence of large groups of birds in non‐polar climate zones.
Despite various water protection measures, good water quality and reduction of nutrient loads seem very distant goals, largely due to limited knowledge of processes occurring in river valleys. Our ...study aimed at establishing the role of small floodplain reservoirs in the eutrophication processes, in the face of recent climate changes. The content of phosphorus and nitrogen compounds was determined in sediments and water of small floodplain reservoirs, (the Vistula River Valley, Poland) using spectrophotometric and Kjeldahl’s method. Nutrient loads in sediments were linked to the texture and total organic carbon content. Seasonal changes in water quality were strictly connected to changing weather conditions, flood and drought. The concentrations of PO43− and NO3− were found to rise after summer flooding. Increases in NH4+, total phosphorus (TP) and total nitrogen (TN) were correlated with the surface water area reduction in the reservoirs, which during the year of the study was on average 62%. Therefore, small floodplain reservoirs could be considered simultaneously as sinks and sources of nutrients. On the one hand, they accumulate P and N compounds carried by the river during the flood. On the other hand, climate change cause that small floodplain reservoirs may be responsible for enhanced biomass production.
•Due to climate change the surface of floodplain water bodies decreases substantially.•The share of small lakes and ponds increases.•Small floodplain lakes may be a substantial source of CO2 ...emission.•Carbon is buried mostly in insoluble forms.
Small floodplain lakes (SFLs), characterized by their diminutive size (<10,000 m2), have been consistently overlooked in assessments of organic carbon (C) stock and the impacts of climate changes. This study aims to ascertain both the quantity and quality of carbon stored within the sediments of SFLs. Furthermore, we endeavour to evaluate the influence of ongoing climate change on the floodplain lake structure within the continental humid climate zone on the example of the Vistula River valley and estimate the CO2 emission from dry floodplain lakes. The sedimentary organic carbon content (TOC) ranged from 2.3–64 g kg−1, averaging at 3.4 g kg−1. Consequently, the sediments in the analysed SFLs of the river section potentially harbour up to 5,785 Mg TOC. Notably, the abundance of easily soluble carbon fractions (humic and fulvic acids) was relatively low (∼15 %), implying a stable immobilization of organic C compounds and minimal impact of sediments on water quality. Satellite imagery analysis for the years 2017–2020 revealed a 31 % reduction in the total lake surface area within a 100-km-long segment of the Vistula River. The decreasing surface area of floodplain lakes and rising mean air temperatures increase CO2 emissions and have an additional impact on climate warming. Our research underscores that investigating lake C storage concerning climate change demands a nuanced approach. While higher temperatures stimulate primary production, the reduction in lake surface area and the escalating role of small lakes, such as SFLs, in C storage should be paramount considerations.
•The possibilities of energetic use of willow biomass form constructed wetland system (CWS) were investigated.•The annual yield of willow biomass was averagely 1.01 kg d·m· m−2.•High and low heating ...value were typical for wood biomass and it was respectively 18.13 and 17.38 MJ·kg−1.•Young parts of the shoots contained more ash and elements than the old ones, and had lower energy parameters.•The rational way to use biomass from CWS is to use it for energy purposes.
The paper presents the results of a study of selected parameters of common osier (Salix viminalis) biomass sampled annually, over a 12-year period, from a constructed wetland wastewater treatment plant. The focus of the study was on parameters that were relevant to biomass energy management. The study was conducted in a constructed wetland wastewater treatment plant consisting of one horizontal flow bed with a total area of 186 m2, planted with osier willows. The following biomass parameters were analysed: biomass yield, volume, humidity, ash content, higher and lower heating values, and contents of N, P, K in different parts of plant stems. The study showed that osier biomass harvested from the investigated constructed wetland system could be used as an energy source in thermochemical processes. The higher and lower heating values were similar to those obtained by other authors (18.13 and 17.38 MJ·kg−1, respectively). The energy yield (17.49 MJ·m−2) and energy density (3486–5411 MJ·m−3) were also calculated. Young shoot parts had higher ash and micronutrient contents and lower energy parameters than old parts.
Small waterbodies and oxbow lakes play an important role as hotspots of biodiversity and landscape diversity, supplying a range of ecosystem services. However, they are at risk of disappearing. Thus, ...there is a need for the threats to their existence to be recognised. In this study we aimed to determine whether land uses within small and larger areas around these waterbodies, combined with selected two abiotic factors (pH, conductivity), affect the “characteristic combination of macrophytes”, which is the main indicator of status conservation of such waterbodies. We surveyed 113 Polish oxbow lakes within the floodplains of 16 rivers. Based on ordination analysis (NMDS db-RDA) we found significant differences in the conservation status of macrophyte assemblages between waterbodies with arable land close by and those with woody and shrub vegetation; also affecting the conservation status of the aquatic plant assemblages were meadows, forests, and water pH. For larger environs the conservation status of the aquatic plant assemblages was affected by land use types (urban, mines and excavations, meadows, forests) and by water pH. Our findings prove that conservation programs of oxbow lakes, ponds and small waterbodies should be based on protection and preservation of their immediate and larger surroundings, as well.
The purpose of the present study was to analyse the contents of calcium, magnesium, potassium, and sodium in bottom sediments of two water reservoirs. The chemical composition of the bottom sediments ...and the ratios between the studied macronutrients were assessed, taking into account the nutritional requirements of plants, to determine whether the sediments were suitable for use in natural/agricultural settings.
The study was conducted at two water reservoirs: the Brody Iłżeckie reservoir built on the Kamienna River in the Świętokrzyskie Province, and Zalew Zemborzycki, lake on the Bystrzyca River in the Lublin Province. Both bodies of water serve as flood water diversion and leisure facilities, and are also used, to a small extent, by the industry. They have a similar age and surface area. Bottom sediments were collected from the reservoirs a single time: 14 samples from Zalew Zemborzycki and 17 from Brody Iłżeckie. Samples were tested for total contents of Ca, Mg, K, and Na. The bottom sediments from Zalew Zemborzycki contained higher amounts of calcium, magnesium, and potassium than the material from Brody Iłżeckie. The values of ratios between K:Mg and K:(Ca + Mg) were similar for both reservoirs, and Ca:Mg and Ca:K were slightly more favourable for the sediments taken from Brody Iłżeckie.
Sediments of two dam reservoirs in SE Poland, Zalew Zemborzycki (ZZ) and Brody IÅżeckie (BI) were studied. The sediments from both reservoirs were sampled in the transects perpendicular to the ...shoreline, at the river inflow and the frontal dam. The total concentration of Mn, Zn, Pb, Cd, Cu, Cr and Ni was determined by ICP-EAS method after the sample digestion in the mixture of concentrated HNOâ and HClOâ acids. The statistical analyses: value intervals, mean values, variation coefficient, the median and the skewed distribution were performed. To estimate differences between the means for transects, Tukeyâs test was applied with least significant difference (LSD) determination. The maps of the metal spatial distribution were drawn and sediment quality according to the geochemical and ecotoxicological criteria evaluated. Differences between the reservoirs in terms of heavy metals concentration in bottom sediments, and regularities in their spatial distribution were found. In the ZZ sediments the concentration was at the level of geochemical background (Zn, Cr), slightly (Cd, Cu, Ni) or moderately (Pb) contaminated sediments. The metal concentration in the sediments of the BI was up to eight times higher as compared to the ZZ. Moreover, sediments from the BI reservoir showed a greater variability of metal concentration than those from ZZ, which resulted from the dredging operation performed in the part of the reservoir. Metal concentration in sediments of the dredged part was ca. 2â5 times lower than in the undredged one, which indicates that after the dredging operation, accumulation of these metals was slight. The concentrations of Zn, Pb and Cd from the undredged part of BI were at the level of contaminated sediments and exceeded the probable effects level (PEL). In the ZZ, the greatest accumulation of metals occurred in the upper part of the reservoir and at the frontal dam, and the lowest in the middle part of the reservoir. In BI, the lower outflow of water in this reservoir caused a lower metal concentration in the sediments at the frontal dam, as compared with the other sediments in the undredged part of the reservoir. The results indicate that in small and shallow reservoirs, areas of accumulation of heavy metals depend on such factors as a parent river current, reservoir depth, water waving, reservoir shape (narrowing, coves/bays), and type of water outflow.
Background and aims - Phenotypic plasticity is the morphological response of a single genotype to produce several different physiological and/or morphological types under changing environmental ...conditions. Desmodesmus, a green alga, has been well documented for its
phenotypic responses (e.g. colony transformation to unicells, and spiny transformation to spineless). Two oxbow lakes (R1 and R2) and one artificial dam reservoir (R3) were used to evaluate the quantity and diversity range of Desmodesmus species occurring during four seasons of one-year.
Methods - Water samples were quantified for Desmodesmus species and identified using the Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM). To better understand the morphological responses of Desmodesmus, an axenic culture of Desmodesmus abundans, CCAP 258/299, was cultured
in sterile-filtered water from each water body collected from each season. Key results - Not surprisingly, different Desmodesmus species inhabited each water body and exhibited different densities of growth, contributing 77% of the total density in R1, 22% in R2 and
only 1% in R3. Summer and autumn were the seasons when Desmodesmus showed the highest density in the shallow and polymictic oxbow lakes (R1 and R2). In the deep and dimictic reservoir (R3), the highest density of Desmodesmus was during autumn. Phenotypic plasticity was observed
in the experiments, with unicells being formed from colonies, some with shorter spines. Desmodesmus grown in a high concentration of nitrogen (SE, Medium 7 +3N and BBM) had a higher percentage of unicells compared to the other culture conditions. Conclusions - Our studies
are important from both taxonomical and ecological points of view, since our results showed that there may be new possibilities for using the phenotypic plasticity of Desmodesmus to assess water quality and as a potential bioindicator of nutrient availability in natural ecosystems.
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