Species diversity of seagrass-associated bivalves as an ecological parameter to support seagrass conservation along with the Coastal Waters of South Lombok, Indonesia

Syukur A, Zulkifli L, Idrus AA, Hidayati BN. 2021. Species diversity of seagrass-associated bivalves as an ecological parameter to support seagrass conservation along with the Coastal Waters of South Lombok, Indonesia. Biodiversitas 22: 5133-5144. Seagrass has a role in supporting the survival of marine life, such as bivalves. This study aimed to investigate the relationship between bivalve species diversity as a parameter for seagrass conservation. The research approach was through observation and data collection for seagrass and bivalves using quadrant and transect methods—Analysis of the data through descriptive statistical analysis, ANOVA, and Pearson correlation. The number of seagrass species in the six research sites was nine. Furthermore, the species composition of bivalves consisted of 11 families comprising 47 species. The ANOVA results showed a significant difference based on the F-count value, higher than the F-table value of the three ecological indices (H', E, and Ki). Two ecological indices, namely H' and Ki, have r values ??less than 0.5 for all environmental parameters (temperature, brightness, pH, salinity, DO, phosphate, and nitrate) and show no significant correlation. However, the E index value has an r value greater than 0.5 for nitrate, salinity DO, and phosphate. The highest significance value of the four environmental variables is for nitrate, with an r = 0.875. The conclusion is that the richness and abundance of seagrass-associated bivalves in the study area are predetermined by the characteristics of the seagrass environment, especially the substrate. Secondly, seagrasses could create a suitable substrate for bivalves to survive. Therefore, the indicator of the presence of associated Bivalvia species can be a parameter for local scale seagrass conservation at the study site.

Study on Zooplankton Diversity in A Fresh Water Pond (Raja Bandh) of Jamtara, Jharkhand, India

Zooplankton are cosmopolitan in nature and one of the most important ecological parameter in water quality assessment because they help in disposal of sewage and act as natural purifiers of water. Present study was carried out for a period of one-year from July 2018 to June 2019. The present study deals with Zooplankton diversity throughout the year in raja Bandh Pond of Jamtara, Jharkhand. The diversity of various types of zooplankton was studied and the result revealed that the zooplankton was represented by various genera viz., rotifera, cladocera, copepoda and ostracoda. Present study revealed 14 different species of zooplanktons belonging to 4 different classes namely 5 rotifers, 4 cladocerans, 3 copepods and 2 ostracod was observed. Rotifers were the dominant group of Zooplankton recorded with respect to diversity and population density status. Rotifers and Copepoda were the most dominant during summer than followed by Cladocerans and ostracodes. Present study revealed that the annual percentage composition comprises of 38 % rotifer, 26 % copepod, 20 %, cladocera and 16 % ostracoda respectively. Certain species viz, Brachionus sp, Daphnia sp, Cyclops sp, Cypris sp were recorded throughout the year.

Ecological parameter reductions, environmental regimes, and characteristic process diagram of carbon dioxide fluxes in coastal salt marshes

We investigated the ecological parameter reductions (termed “similitudes”) and characteristic patterns of the net uptake fluxes of carbon dioxide (CO2) in coastal salt marshes using dimensional analysis method from fluid mechanics and hydraulic engineering. Data collected during May–October, 2013 from four salt marshes in Waquoit Bay and adjacent estuary, Massachusetts, USA were utilized to evaluate the theoretically-derived dimensionless flux and various ecological driver numbers. Two meaningful dimensionless groups were discovered as the light use efficiency number (LUE = CO2 normalized by photosynthetically active radiation) and the biogeochemical number (combination of soil temperature, porewater salinity, and atmospheric pressure). A semi-logarithmic plot of the dimensionless numbers indicated the emergence of a characteristic diagram represented by three distinct LUE regimes (high, transitional, and low). The high regime corresponded to the most favorable (high temperature and low salinity) condition for CO2 uptake, whereas the low regime represented an unfavorable condition (low temperature and high salinity). The analysis identified two environmental thresholds (soil temperature ~ 17 °C and salinity ~ 30 ppt), which dictated the regime transitions of CO2 uptake. The process diagram and critical thresholds provide important insights into the CO2 uptake potential of coastal wetlands in response to changes in key environmental drivers.

Comparative study of soil properties and vegetation at various open dump and non-dumpsites in the Bengaluru city of Karnataka, India

A comparative field studies on seven municipal dumpsites namely Agara 1 (12.917°N , 77.639°E), Agara 2 (12.922°N, 77.639°E), HSR depot (12.919°N, 77.644°E) , Koramangala Church (12.934°N, 77.626°E) , Koramanagla BDA (12.931°N, 77.625°E), Garvebhayipalya (12.897°N, 77.638°E) and Sanjay Gandhi hospital (12.891°N, 77.601°E), and its adjoining non-dump sites were conducted to understand their soil characteristic features and the vegetation pattern. Soil characteristics were presented in terms of the physicochemical parameters and the vegetation patterns were presented in terms of the dominance using the ecological parameter Important Value Index (IVI). Soils at the dump sites showed higher mean electrical conductivity and pH values as compared to the non-dump sites. Though the mineral content showed higher mean value in the dump sites (except chloride), there is no significant variation in the higher total soluble solutes between dump and non-dump sites(P>0.05) As per ANNOVA there was highly significant variation in the heavy metal content between dump and non dumpsites (P<0.01).. With respect to vegetation analysis though 50 different species found across locations only 10 species viz Alternatheria sessile, Amaranthus spinose, Caesalpinia pulcherima, Ipomea acumilanata, Ipomea evolvulus, Parthenium hysterophorous Pisum sativum, Ricinis communis, Sida rombifolia and Solanum lycopersicum were found consistent across all locations irrespective of the seasons. Among these, A. sessile, R. communis and A. spinosa were found dominant based on the IVI values across seven locations which further can be studied for their potential for phyto remediating the land pollutants such as heavy metals.

An Improved Approach for Soil Moisture Estimation in Gully Fields of the Loess Plateau Using Sentinel-1A Radar Images

As an essential ecological parameter, soil moisture is important for understanding the water exchange between the land surface and the atmosphere, especially in the Loess Plateau (China). Although Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) images can be used for soil moisture retrieval, it is still a challenge to mitigate the impacts of complex terrain over hilly areas. Therefore, the objective of this paper is to propose an improved approach for soil moisture estimation in gully fields based on the joint use of the Advanced Integral Equation Model (AIEM) and the Incidence Angle Correction Model (IACM) from Sentinel-1A observations. AIEM is utilized to build a simulation database of microwave backscattering coefficients from various radar parameters and surface parameters, which is the data basis for the retrieval modeling. IACM is proposed to correct the deviation between the local incidence angle at the scatterer and the radar viewing angle. The study area is located in the Loess Plateau of China, where the main land cover is mostly bare land and the terrain is complex. The Sentinel-1A SAR data in C-band with dual polarization acquired on October 19th, 2017 was adopted to extract the VV&VH polarimetric backscattering coefficients. The in situ measurements of soil moisture were collected on the same day of the SAR acquisition, for evaluating the accuracy of the SAR-derived soil moisture. The results showed that, firstly, the estimated soil moisture with volumetric content between 0% and 20% was in the majority. Subsequently, both the RMSE of estimation values (0.963%) and the standard deviation of absolute errors (0.957%) demonstrated a good accuracy of the improved approach. Moreover, the evaluation of IACM confirmed that the improved approach coupling IACM and AIEM was more efficient than employing AIEM solely. In conclusion, the proposed approach has a strong ability to estimate the soil moisture in the gully fields of the Loess Plateau from Sentinel-1A data.

Conceptual Framework of Energy-and-Ecology of Indoor Plant Lighting

To increase the efficiency of horticulture, the technology of plant cultivation under artificial lighting, i.e. indoor plant lighting, is widely used. The author proposes to expand the range of issues considered in this field and highlight the energy-and-ecology of horticulture (EEH) as a scientific area located at the junction of power engineering and technical subjects, plant physiology, and ecology. (Research purpose) To develop a conceptual framework of the energy-and-ecology of horticulture. (Materials and methods) The object of EEH research is an artificial bioenergetic system of horticulture (ABSH), i.e. a combination of living organisms and technological equipment in a plant growing facility. A mathematical description of the regularities of transferring a substance in horticulture is produced on the basis of a hierarchical model of ABSH. The subject of the EEH study is the regularities of the transformation of matter and energy flows in ABSH. (Results and discussion) The author has determined some specific indicators of energy-ecological compatibility and obtained an expression for determining the energy-ecological coefficient of horticulture through its technological indicators. The paper offers an interpretation of the term "energy-and-ecology of horticulture" as a property of the technological process of plant growing in artificial conditions to meet the requirements of energy efficiency and environmental friendliness. It is shown that an approach based on the concept of best available technologies (BAT) can be applied to the indoor plant lighting. An expression for the quantitative assessment of the energy-ecological parameter in terms of the proximity of the development trajectories of ABSH in a state-space has been obtained. The author proposes an algorithm for BAT forming to be applied in indoor plant lighting. (Conclusions) For the first time, the author raises a question about the development of structural elements of the BAT formation algorithm in lighting horticulture in terms of energy-ecological indicators as an integrative optimality criterion of the system. The author has developed energy audit techniques to optimize the process of plant growing according to the criterion of minimal deviations of energy-ecological performance by varying the lighting parameters, environmental conditions and other factors. Complex implementation of energy- and ecological technologies of indoor plant lighting will allow increasing the efficiency of the production process, reducing the energy intensity while improving the quality of products and ensuring the environmental friendliness of production.

Le français en espace créolophone – Guadeloupe et Seychelles

Both in Guadeloupe and in the Seychelles a French-based Creole coexists with French. In addition to this shared main ecological parameter, the two areas diverge in several other points of their contact ecology: First, due to the different timing of French colonization, the French variety exported to Guadeloupe in the 17th century differed from the variety exported to the Seychelles a century later. Second, while the Seychelles were a British colony from 1814 to independence in 1976, Guadeloupe always remained French and is still a French overseas department. Therefore, the contact ecology in Guadeloupe may be characterized as a reciprocally dominant monocontact situation (see Gadet/Ludwig/ Pfänder 2009), while the situation in the Seychelles is one of polycontact (Seychelles’ Creole-English-French), with Seychelles’ Creole and English being dominant in their influence on French (while the reverse is not the case). Using data from several corpora of spoken and written French in the Seychelles and Guadeloupe, this paper shows instances of code copying (e.g. Johanson 2002, Kriegel/Ludwig/Henri 2009) from the two Creole languages (and English) on the morphosyntactical level.