scholarly journals Ecobiomics: Environmental metagenomic biomonitoring

2019 ◽  
Vol 3 ◽  
Author(s):  
James Macklin ◽  
Donald Baird ◽  
Keith Newton
Keyword(s):  
Environmental Assessment ◽  
Aquatic Ecosystems ◽  
Soil Health ◽  
Soil Biodiversity ◽  
Adverse Impacts ◽  
New Knowledge ◽  
Standard Soil ◽  
Improve Water Quality ◽  
Soil And Water

Land use disturbances are having enormous adverse impacts on the biodiversity and integrity of natural and managed ecosystems around the world. Adverse impacts on biodiversity are compromising ecosystem services and processes, reducing ecosystem resilience, and leading to unpredictable ecosystem responses to environmental change. The Metagenomics-Based Ecosystem Biomonitoring Project (EcoBiomics) focuses on the urgent need to better understand the extent and significance of ongoing changes to biodiversity in the soil and aquatic ecosystems that sustain essential ecosystem services upon which Canadians and the Canadian economy depend. This project uniquely recognizes that a breadth of scientific expertise from within the Canadian government is required to undertake this research, which is spread across relevant departments and agencies with Biodiversity portfolios. It involves over 50 participants (researchers, technicians, bioinformaticians, software developers, managers and students, etc.) contributing to many smaller projects in several locations across Canada organized by themes. The objectives of this project include: Develop standard soil and water methods and a federal Bioinformatics Platform to harmonize analyses of metabarcoding, metagenomics and metatranscriptomics data across federal departments/agencies; Establish genomic observatories and comprehensive biodiversity baselines for assessing future changes to water and soil biodiversity at long-term environmental monitoring sites in Canada; Develop new knowledge to improve water quality and soil health by comprehensively characterizing aquatic microbiomes, soil microbiomes, and invertebrate zoobiomes, and testing hypotheses to enhance environmental assessment, monitoring, and remediation activities. Develop standard soil and water methods and a federal Bioinformatics Platform to harmonize analyses of metabarcoding, metagenomics and metatranscriptomics data across federal departments/agencies; Establish genomic observatories and comprehensive biodiversity baselines for assessing future changes to water and soil biodiversity at long-term environmental monitoring sites in Canada; Develop new knowledge to improve water quality and soil health by comprehensively characterizing aquatic microbiomes, soil microbiomes, and invertebrate zoobiomes, and testing hypotheses to enhance environmental assessment, monitoring, and remediation activities. Our poster will focus primarily on the challenges associated with the first objective. Genomic technologies are revolutionizing biodiversity assessment in soil and aquatic ecosystems, and they now offer the only practical way to comprehensively characterize this enormous biodiversity. These technologies and associated tools allow us to obtain comprehensive baseline biodiversity data that are essential to support evidence-based decision-making. However, a strong focus of this project is to enable environmental assessment, monitoring, and remediation activities by a multitude of potential end users and thus standardized protocols and processes must be determined and shared. For the data generated, several procedures were defined. A minimum metadata profile related to the sampling event is required for all projects, which follows existing standards including the DarwinCore (https://dwc.tdwg.org). Sample preparation was also standardized based primarily on protocols developed in earlier projects that were validated for use in Ecobiomics, for example the Earth Microbiome Project (http://www.earthmicrobiome.org). The procedures for DNA extraction through sequencing largely followed the Minimum Information about “X” Sequence (MIxS) standard (gensc.org/mixs). This data is all input into an in-house custom-built software package, Sequence Database (SeqDB) used by all participants across the entire project, which is made available centrally via a federal high-performance computing centre. SeqDB not only stores the metadata and data generated but also maintains provenance based on defined workflows for metabarcoding, shotgun metagenomics, and other “omics” pipelines. It also supports project management through various metrics and visualizations. We will document some of the challenges to standardizing data and workflows in large multi-domain and multi-department project like Ecobiomics and the need for further standard development to truly support data sharing and integration across a highly diverse ecosystem of genomic observatories globally.

Tests on the methodology elaborated by the ENVASSO Project to measure the decline in soil biodiversity due to erosion

2011 ◽  
Vol 60 (1) ◽  
pp. 245-258 ◽  
Author(s):  
Barbara Simon ◽  
Anita Gál ◽  
Zsófia Marosfalvi ◽  
Péter Hegymegi ◽  
Balázs Szeder ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Environmental Assessment ◽  
Soil Biodiversity

Az Európai Unió 2002-es „Egy tematikus talajvédelmi stratégia felé” című közleményében definiálta a talaj funkcióit és a talajainkat veszélyeztető legfontosabb nyolc tényezőt, melyek a következők: erózió, talaj szervesanyag-csökkenés, talajszennyezés, talajlefedés, talajtömörödés, talaj biodiverzitás csökkenés, szikesedés, árvizek és földcsuszamlások. Az „Environmental Assessment of Soil for Monitoring” (ENVASSO) Projekt az EU 25 tagállamának részvételével, egy harmonizált módszertan kidolgozását tűzte ki célul a talajtulajdonságokban bekövetkező változások nyomon követésére. Ennek érdekében minden egyes talajt veszélyeztető tényező vizsgálatára egy indikátor hármast (TOP3) dolgozott ki. A talajainkat veszélyeztető nyolc tényező közül a talaj biodiverzitás csökkenésével foglalkozunk részletesen, melynek legfontosabb kiválasztott indikátorai: a földigiliszta (BIO1) és ugróvillás (BIO2) diverzitás (fajdiverzitás), és a mikrobiológiai talajlégzés (BIO3) (biológiai funkció). Kutatásunk célkitűzése az volt, hogy az ENVASSO által javasolt módszertan kivitelezhetőségét teszteljük a Szent István Egyetem Tangazdaságában egy eróziós katéna mentén. Megállapítottuk, hogy a talaj biodiverzitása csökkent az erózió mértékének növekedésével, valamint a módszertan megfelelő tervezéssel alkalmas monitoring célra.

scholarly journals Effect of Long-Term Soil Management Practices on Tree Growth, Yield and Soil Biodiversity in a High-Density Olive Agro-Ecosystem

Agronomy ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (6) ◽  
pp. 1036
Author(s):  
Sauro Simoni ◽  
Giovanni Caruso ◽  
Nadia Vignozzi ◽  
Riccardo Gucci ◽  
Giuseppe Valboa ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Organic Carbon ◽  
Soil Organic Carbon ◽  
Soil Structure ◽  
Soil Management ◽  
Carbon Pools ◽  
Grass Cover ◽  
Soil Biodiversity ◽  
Canopy Effect ◽  
Soil Organic Carbon Pools

Edaphic arthropod communities provide valuable information about the prevailing status of soil quality to improve the functionality and long-term sustainability of soil management. The study aimed at evaluating the effect of plant and grass cover on the functional biodiversity and soil characteristics in a mature olive orchard (Olea europaea L.) managed for ten years by two conservation soil managements: natural grass cover (NC) and conservation tillage (CT). The trees under CT grew and yielded more than those under NC during the period of increasing yields (years 4–7) but not when they reached full production. Soil management did not affect the tree root density. Collecting samples underneath the canopy (UC) and in the inter-row space (IR), the edaphic environment was characterized by soil structure, hydrological properties, the concentration and storage of soil organic carbon pools and the distribution of microarthropod communities. The soil organic carbon pools (total and humified) were negatively affected by minimum tillage in IR, but not UC, without a loss in fruit and oil yield. The assemblages of microarthropods benefited, firstly, from the grass cover, secondly, from the canopy effect, and thirdly, from a soil structure ensuring a high air capacity and water storage. Feeding functional groups—hemiedaphic macrosaprophages, polyphages and predators—resulted in selecting the ecotonal microenvironment between the surface and edaphic habitat.

scholarly journals Agricultural Conservation Practices and Aquatic Ecological Responses

Water ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (12) ◽  
pp. 1687
Author(s):  
Richard E. Lizotte ◽  
Peter C. Smiley ◽  
Robert B. Gillespie ◽  
Scott S. Knight
Keyword(s):  
Aquatic Ecosystems ◽  
Harmful Algal Blooms ◽  
Algal Blooms ◽  
Soil Health ◽  
Conservation Agriculture ◽  
Agricultural Runoff ◽  
The United States ◽  
Ecosystem Structure ◽  
Ecological Responses ◽  
And Function

Conservation agriculture practices (CAs) have been internationally promoted and used for decades to enhance soil health and mitigate soil loss. An additional benefit of CAs has been mitigation of agricultural runoff impacts on aquatic ecosystems. Countries across the globe have agricultural agencies that provide programs for farmers to implement a variety of CAs. Increasingly there is a need to demonstrate that CAs can provide ecological improvements in aquatic ecosystems. Growing global concerns of lost habitat, biodiversity, and ecosystem services, increased eutrophication and associated harmful algal blooms are expected to intensify with increasing global populations and changing climate. We conducted a literature review identifying 88 studies linking CAs to aquatic ecological responses since 2000. Most studies were conducted in North America (78%), primarily the United States (73%), within the framework of the USDA Conservation Effects Assessment Project. Identified studies most frequently documented macroinvertebrate (31%), fish (28%), and algal (20%) responses to riparian (29%), wetland (18%), or combinations (32%) of CAs and/or responses to eutrophication (27%) and pesticide contamination (23%). Notable research gaps include better understanding of biogeochemistry with CAs, quantitative links between varying CAs and ecological responses, and linkages of CAs with aquatic ecosystem structure and function.

Impacts of switching tillage to no-tillage and vice versa on soil structure, enzyme activities, and prokaryotic community profiles in Argentinean semi-arid soils

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
L A Gabbarini ◽  
E Figuerola ◽  
J P Frene ◽  
N B Robledo ◽  
F M Ibarbalz ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Community Structure ◽  
Soil Structure ◽  
Management Practices ◽  
Soil Health ◽  
Amplicon Sequencing ◽  
16S Rrna Genes ◽  
Rrna Genes ◽  
Prokaryotic Community ◽  
C Cycle

Abstract The effects of tillage on soil structure, physiology, and microbiota structure were studied in a long-term field experiment, with side-to-side plots, established to compare effects of conventional tillage (CT) vs. no-till (NT) agriculture. After 27 years, part of the field under CT was switched to NT and vice versa. Soil texture, soil enzymatic profiles, and the prokaryotic community structure (16S rRNA genes amplicon sequencing) were analysed at two soil depths (0–5, 5–10 cm) in samples taken 6, 18, and 30 months after switching tillage practices. Soil enzymatic activities were higher in NT than CT, and enzymatic profiles responded to the changes much earlier than the overall prokaryotic community structure. Beta diversity measurements of the prokaryotic community indicated that the levels of stratification observed in long-term NT soils were already recovered in the new NT soils thirty months after switching from CT to NT. Bacteria and Archaea OTUs, which responded to NT were associated with coarse soil fraction, SOC and C cycle enzymes while CT responders were related to fine soil fractions and S cycle enzymes. This study showed the potential of managing the soil prokaryotic community and soil health through changes in agricultural management practices.

Perspectives on the Review of AECL's Proposal for Disposing of Canada's Nuclear Fuel Waste

1997 ◽  
Vol 506 ◽  
Author(s):  
K.W. Dormuth ◽  
P.A. Gillespie ◽  
S.H. Whitaker
Keyword(s):  
Nuclear Fuel ◽  
Environmental Assessment ◽  
Geological Disposal ◽  
The Public ◽  
Public Hearings ◽  
Points Of View ◽  
Nuclear Fuel Waste ◽  
Term Management

ABSTRACTA federal Environmental Assessment Panel has completed public hearings on the proposed concept for geological disposal of Canada's nuclear fuel waste. The Panel will make recommendations to assist the governments of Canada and Ontario in reaching decisions on the acceptability of the proposed concept and on the steps that must be taken to ensure the safe long-term management of nuclear fuel waste in Canada. It is instructive to review the background to the public hearings, to consider the issues that have been important in the public review, and to reflect on the opposing points of view presented at the hearings.

scholarly journals Improvement of Tea (Camellia sinensis L.) Soil Properties by Growing Different Green Crops

2015 ◽  
Vol 12 (2) ◽  
pp. 34-38 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ashim Kumar Saha ◽  
Apu Biswas ◽  
Abdul Qayyum Khan ◽  
Md. Mohashin Farazi ◽  
Md. Habibur Rahman
Keyword(s):  
Organic Carbon ◽  
Soil Properties ◽  
Total Nitrogen ◽  
Soil Ph ◽  
Nutritional Value ◽  
Soil Health ◽  
Critical Value ◽  
Available Phosphorus ◽  
Organic Carbon Content

Long-term tea cultivation has led to degradation of the soil. Old tea soils require rehabilitation for restoring soil health. Soil rehabilitation by growing different green crops can break the chain of monoculture of tea. An experiment was conducted at The Bangladesh Tea Research Institute (BTRI) Farm during 2008-2011 to find out the efficiency of different green crops on the improvement of soil properties. Four green crops such as Guatemala, Citronella, Mimosa and Calopogonium were grown to develop the nutritional value of the degraded tea soil. Soil samples were collected and analyzed before and at the end of experiment. Soil pH was increased in all four green crops treated plots with the highest increase in Citronella treated plots (from 4.1 to 4.5). Highest content of organic carbon (1.19%) and total nitrogen (0.119%) were found in Mimosa and Calopogonium treated plots, respectively. Concentration of available phosphorus, calcium and magnesium in all green crops treated plots were above the critical values, while available potassium content was above the critical value in Guatemala, Citronella and Mimosa treated plots. Changes in soil pH and available potassium were significant, while changes in organic carbon content, total nitrogen and available calcium were insignificant. Changes in available phosphorus and magnesium were significant. The Agriculturists 2014; 12(2) 34-38

scholarly journals PERBANDINGAN STRUKTUR, FUNGSI, DAN NILAI BUDAYA PADA LEGENDA TELAGA NGEBEL PONOROGO DAN LEGENDA DANAU RANU PASURUAN

2017 ◽  
Vol 3 (2) ◽  
pp. 201
Author(s):  
Nuraini Saura Putri ◽  
Oktavian Aditya Nugraha
Keyword(s):  
Cultural Heritage ◽  
Structure Function ◽  
Cultural Values ◽  
General Public ◽  
Oral Literature ◽  
Cultural Institutions ◽  
Literature Research ◽  
New Knowledge ◽  
Similarities And Differences

Efforts to preserve the legendary cultural heritage and in the framework of seeking the identity of the nation as well as the diversity of ethnic groups in Indonesia, one way to do is to collect and care for folklore. This research as a means to treat foklor legend of Lake Ranu and Ngebel legend Telaga. Both legends have almost the same story, both the character and the story. The purpose of this study is to determine the similarities and differences in the two legends, through its structure, function and cultural values. Such long-term goal in this study is, to provide knowledge about oral literature research on literature students who can be used as a reference for the future. In addition, this research can also provide new knowledge for the general public about the storyline of the legend of Lake Ngebel and the legend of Lake Ranu. Based on the results of research that has been done then can be drawn a conclusion, namely: the structure there are four equations and has three differences. Something contained in the two legends have three functions, namely; as entertainment, as a means of legitimizing institutions and cultural institutions, as child educators. For the cultural values contained in these two legends are the value of Diktatik, Ethical, and Religious values

scholarly journals Modern condition and analysis of anthropogenous-climatic transformation of vegetation of lakes of the northern Steppe land

2018 ◽  
Vol 29 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
N. O. Roshchyna
Keyword(s):  
Aquatic Ecosystems ◽  
Aquatic Vegetation ◽  
Snow Accumulation ◽  
Floodplain Lakes ◽  
Anthropogenic Factors ◽  
Chemical Pollution ◽  
Ecological Groups ◽  
Adventive Species ◽  
Higher Aquatic Vegetation

In this article, the current and former distribution of higher aquatic vegetation has been analyzed for floodplain lakes, arenas lakes and third terraces lakes in the valleys of large and medium North-Steppe Dnieper rivers. The article is devoted to the current state analysis of the higher aquatic vegetation at North-Steppe Dnieper lakes, its dynamics over a long-term period, as well as the determination of the nature and extent of anthropogenic-climatic changes in vegetation. Anthropogenic influence is a major threat to the development and functioning of most aquatic ecosystems. Since the twentieth century, it has been intensified by trends to long-term climate changes, which are also largely result of human activity. Increasing temperature of the winter season does not contribute to snow accumulation. Reduction of snow accumulation (frequent thaws during the winter), regulation of river flow (formation of a reservoirs cascade and ponds) and accumulation of melt water in artificial reservoirs led to the smoothing of the peak of the spring flood. Thus, the factor that provided spring washing of floodplain lakes, limited their overgrowing by air-water vegetation and their waterlogging disappeared. The anthropogenic factors that influence negatively include: intensification of agriculture, plowing of coastal areas, unreasonable land reclamation, overgrazing, development of transport and engineering infrastructure, urbanization, recreation, and chemical pollution. The presented data was obtained on the basis of processing our own research materials of 2009–2018 and literary and archival materials analysis (the herbarium of the Dnipropetrovs’k National University and the archive of the Research Institute of Biology). Natural Northern Steppe Dnieper lakes are located mainly in river valleys, so the study area was conventionally divided into sections: the large river valley (Dnieper) and the middle rivers valleys (Samara and Orel). Three ecological groups of macrophytes were reviewed and compared: hydatofites (submerged species), pleistophytes (species with floating leaves) and helophytes (air-water species). The vegetation of Dnieper floodplain lakes practically did not change for all three formation groups. The number of immersed plants communities within the floodplains of medium-sized rivers has decreased by three. The pleistophytes and helophytes associations decreased to fragments of associations. The lakes vegetation within the sandy Dnieper terrace practically did not change for all three formation groups. The submerged lakes plants associations within the sandy medium-sized rivers terraces have been reduced by two. As part of the lakes vegetation on the Dnipro saline terraces, fragments of associations of the two species are considered extinct. A new association of southern adventive species Ruppia maritima L. has appeared within the limits of the middle rivers saline terrace. Changes in higher aquatic vegetation are characteristic of all types of lakes. Changes occur in the direction of crowding out higher aquatic vegetation communities by airborne plant communities. The consequence of the anthropogenic-climatic transformation of aquatic ecosystems is increased mineralization, siltation, and, as a result, intensive overgrowing of lakes by aboriginal and adventive species with a wide ecological amplitude (replacement of sensitive to environmental changes species).

scholarly journals Effects of Long-Term Increases in Water Temperature and Stratification on Large Artificial Water-Source Lakes in South Korea

Water ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (17) ◽  
pp. 2341
Author(s):  
Soon-Ju Yu ◽  
Ju-Yeon Son ◽  
Ho-Yeong Kang ◽  
Yong-Chul Cho ◽  
Jong-Kwon Im
Keyword(s):  
South Korea ◽  
Water Temperature ◽  
Aquatic Ecosystems ◽  
Water Source ◽  
Lake Surface ◽  
Lake Water Quality ◽  
Slope Estimator ◽  
Artificial Water ◽  
Lake Stratification

Long-term changes in air and water temperatures and the resulted stratification phenomena were observed for Soyang Lake (SY), Paldang Lake (PD), Chungju Lake (CJ), and Daecheong Lake (DC) in South Korea. Non-parametric seasonal Kendall and Mann-Kendall tests, Sen slope estimator, and potential energy anomaly (PEA) were applied. The lake surface water temperatures (LSWTs) of SY and DC increased at the same rate (0.125 °C/y), followed by those of CJ (0.071 °C/y) and PD (0.06 °C/y). Seasonally, the LSWT increase rates for all lakes, except PD, were 2–3 times higher than the air temperature increase rates. The lake stratification intensity order was similar to those of the LSWT increases and correlations. SY and DC displayed significant correlations between LSWT (0.99) and PEA (0.91). Thus, the LSWT significantly affected stratification when the water temperature increased. PD demonstrated the lowest correlation between LSWT and PEA. Inflow, outflow, rainfall, wind speed, and retention time were significantly correlated, which varied within and between lakes depending on lake topographical, hydraulic, and hydrological factors. Thus, hydraulic problems and nutrients should be managed to minimize their effects on lake water quality and aquatic ecosystems because lake cyanobacteria can increase as localized water temperatures increase.

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