Characteristics and Management Plan for the Distribution of Nelumbo nucifera community in Junam Wetland

Background and objective: If the Nelumbo nucifera spreads in a wetland at a high density, it can have considerable positive and negative ecological effects on habitats. For this reason, it is necessary to precisely investigate the impacts of its rapid proliferation. This study was conducted to propose the distribution and management of N. nucifera, which can cause the degradation of wildlife habitats due to the rapid spread of internal and external environmental factors that may affect the Junam wetland ecosystem. Methods: For the investigation and analysis of physical and ecological characteristics, factors of the abiotic environment such as general weather conditions, topography and water depth structure, and soil and water quality analysis, and bioenvironment characteristics such as changes in the N. nucifera community distribution were evaluated. To assess whether the differences in the soil depth and physicochemical characteristics between the N. nucifera community and the aquatic plant community are statistically significant, a One-way ANOVA was executed. Results: N. nucifera was presumably introduced in approximately 2007 and observed at a prevalence of only 0.8% in 2009, but had expanded to 11.1% in 2014. After that, the area was increased to 19.3% in 2015 and 40.0% in 2017, about twice that of the previous survey year. The rapid diffusion of an N. nucifera colony can have adverse effects on wildlife habitats and biodiversity at Junam Wetland. To solve these problems, four management methods can be proposed; water level management, mowing management, installation of posts and removal of lotus roots. Control of the N. nucifera community using these methods was judged to be suitable for cutting and water level management when considering expansion rate, water level variation, and wildlife habitat impacts. Conclusion: As the biotic and abiotic environmental factors are different for each wetland, it is necessary to determine the timing and method of management through a detailed investigation.

Mercury Distribution in an Upper St. Lawrence River Wetland Dominated by Cattail (Typha Angustifolia)

Legacy mercury (Hg) exists in Upper St. Lawrence River wetland hydric soils and is impacted by a new water level management plan (established in 2017) implemented to restore biodiversity and reduce the monotypic nature of riparian wetlands, currently dominated by Typha spp.. The distribution of Hg within the various components of a riparian wetland provides insight into potential impacts of water level fluctuations. Hydric soil represents 83% of the wetland Hg burden while wetland plant biomass contributed 17%, mostly due to organic detritus (13%). Although Typha roots had a bioconcentration factor of 1.2 (relative to hydric soils) and had the highest total Hg among living tissues (25 ± 9.3 ng/g dry wt.), detritus had the highest overall Hg content (110 ± 53 ng/g dry wt.). While root tissue Hg correlated significantly with soil Hg (p = 0.045), it was determined here that Typha spp. has limited use as a biomonitor in wetlands with low levels of Hg contamination, as in this ecosystem. Hg contained within the organic detritus contributed more to the overall Hg burden in these monotypic Typha wetlands than any other tissue or biomass component analyzed. Consequently, shifts in the plant community that are expected to result from a new water level management plan may alter Hg storage within these wetlands and affect its mobility in this ecosystem.

A fine-grained bird Atlas as tool for spatial monitoring: a case study from a remnant wetland during the breeding period (Torre Flavia, central Italy)

During the 2019 breeding period we carried out a bird atlas for a small coastal natural reserve (Torre Flavia wetland, Special Protection Area IT6030020, central Italy), comparing quantitative data of spatial occurrences with records from an analogous study carried out in 2005. From 2005 to 2019 some water-related species increased their frequency of occurrence (Fulica atra, significantly). Among the reed and rush-bed species, Acrocephalus scirpaceus spatially increased and Cisticola juncidis decreased significantly. Among ecotonal, synanthropic and open habitat species, we registered a significant increase of Chloris chloris. A decreasing trend of Passer italiae, Saxicola torquatus, Emberiza calandra, although not significant, may be probably linked to regional or continental factors. Both causes at local (reedbed expansion, rushbed reduction, water-level management) and at larger scale (decline in their continental range) can explain the observed changes in spatial occurrences during this medium-long temporal range. Local atlases can be quick tools useful to drive management strategies in remnant wetlands.

Fish Tank Monitoring System Using IoT

In day to day life human experimentation is tiresome and also gives improper outcomes for estimating the environmental change. In this paper we discuss how to replace manual maintenance of aquariums with an automated system using IoT to automatically monitor, control, and provide real-time status of pressure, temperature, water level, and the light intensity to applications running on user smartphones. It also contains water level management, which will monitor the conditions such as overflow and underflow of water level. The aquarium will perform the lighting automatically.