A GIS plug-in for Bayesian belief networks: Towards a transparent software framework to assess and visualise uncertainties in ecosystem service mapping

The complexity and spatial heterogeneity of ecosystem processes driving ecosystem service delivery require spatially explicit models that take into account the different parameters affecting those processes. Current attempts to model ecosystem service delivery on a broad, regional scale often depend on indicator-based approaches that are generally not able to fully capture the complexity of ecosystem processes. Moreover, they do not allow quantification of uncertainty on their predictions. In this paper, we discuss a QGIS plug-in which promotes the use of Bayesian belief networks for regional modelling and mapping of ecosystem service delivery and associated uncertainties. Different types of specific Bayesian belief network output maps, delivered by the plug-in, are discussed and their decision support capacities are evaluated. This plug-in, used in combination with firmly developed Bayesian belief networks, has the potential to add value to current spatial ecosystem service accounting methods. The plug-in can also be used in other research domains dealing with spatial data and uncertainty.     

Psychrotrophic violacein-producing bacteria isolated from Lake Winnipeg,Canada

Violet and purple bacterial pigmentations are uncommon when considering strict aerobes. Here we report discovery of two novel isolates, P102 and P117 from the freshwater Lake Winnipeg, each with violet to deep purple colony colouration. The relationship between pigment production and growth was investigated under different conditions, including a variety of carbon sources, pH, and temperatures. The violet compounds were purified using polar organic solvents, and then structurally characterized via mass spectrometry and nuclear magnetic resonance to be violacein and deoxyviolacein. Strain P117 produced higher concentrations of the darker pigment deoxyviolacein, which resulted in a deeper hue of violet than in cultures of P102. Strain P102, synthesized violacein maximally in liquid rich organic medium at pH 8 and 20 °C, and had 99.3% sequence similarity to the 16S rDNA from Janthinobacterium lividum. Strain P117, related to Massilia violaceinigra sharing 99.2% 16S rDNA sequence similarity, also produced violacein at similar optimal conditions, but developed higher concentrations of pigment at 15 °C. Culture-based methods found that violacein producers composed 0.001% or 0.023% CFU of environmental heterotrophic populations using BG-11 and potato-based media, respectively. Culture-independent high-throughput ribosomal 16S V4 sequencing of environmental DNA was used to detect Gram-negative species known for their production of violacein. Of all bacterial and archaeal sequences present during the fall in littoral waters and sediment of Lake Winnipeg, 5.5% and 6.3%, respectively, belonged to species that have similar pigment, demonstrating the scarcity of violacein producers in this aquatic freshwater system.     

Groundwater-surface water interactions and agricultural nutrient transport in a Great Lakes clay plain system

Nutrient export from agricultural land to surface waters is a significant environmental concern within the Great Lakes Basin (GLB). A field-based watershed-scale study was completed to investigate spatial and temporal variations of phosphorus and nitrate to assess nutrient transport pathways and groundwater-surface water interactions in an agriculturally dominated clay plain system. This was conducted in the 127 km² Upper Parkhill Watershed, near Lake Huron in southwestern Ontario, Canada. Data collection occurred from June 2018 to May 2019 via continuous sensor deployment and discrete sampling of stream water, groundwater, hyporheic zone, and tile drainage water. Samples were analyzed for various nutrient species (total, total dissolved, soluble reactive, and particulate phosphorus, and nitrate-N) to examine the hydrological dynamics of principal transport pathways of agriculturally-derived nutrients. Total phosphorus and nitrate concentrations in stream water ranged from 0.007 to 0.324 mg/L and 0.32 to 13.13 mg NO₃^?-N/L, respectively. Tile drainage water total phosphorous concentrations varied from 0.006 to 0.066 mg/L. Groundwater total dissolved phosphorus concentrations ranged from <0.003 to 0.085 mg/L. Transport of phosphorus through tile drainage was observed to be greater than through groundwater over the study period. No distinct relationship was observed between nutrient concentrations in the hyporheic zone and the vertical hydraulic gradient within this zone in the studied stream reach. Preliminary correlations were discerned between water quality observations and recognized land management practices. Given the elevated stream nutrient concentrations, these results are consequential for the continual improvement of strategies and programs devised to conserve water resources within the GLB.     

Spatial ecology of common carp (Cyprinus carpio) in Lake Winnipeg and its potential for management actions

Common carp feeding and spawning behaviours negatively impact the functioning of marsh ecosystems. In the Netley-Libau Marsh, situated on the southern end of Lake Winnipeg, water level regulations, nonpoint source nutrient pollution, and the non-native common carp are thought to be the main contributors to the degradation of the marsh habitat. Using acoustic telemetry, we analysed the movement rate, frequency and timing of suspected spawning migrations, spatial ecology, and aggregation of common carp in the Lake Winnipeg drainage over a three year time period. Common carp moved the farthest during the open water period when water temperature was >5 °C. Their annual migration into Netley-Libau Marsh was correlated to ordinal date. Common carp left the marsh in late spring/early summer, presumably feeding in Lake Winnipeg, before moving to overwintering sites situated in Traverse Bay and Lake Winnipeg, where they arrived typically by October and formed aggregations. These findings will inform habitat and fisheries managers in the effort to undertake evidence-based management actions. The predictability of the movements and the tendency for common carp to aggregate indicates that exclusion techniques and commercial fishing may represent viable management solutions.     

基于LMDI和STIRPAT模型的区域用水影响因素定量分析研究

区域用水影响因素分析对落实最严格水资源管理制度、实现节水型社会建设具有重要意义。为定量表征区域用水变化和影响因素之间的关系,通过LMDI因素分解识别人口规模、经济发展水平、节水技术水平对用水变化的影响程度,采用STIRPAT模型解析用水总量对人口规模、经济发展水平、节水技术水平变化的变动响应关系,以榆林市2000—2017年用水及影响因素变化为例开展了实证研究。结果显示:人口规模和经济发展水平对用水增长起到正向促进作用,节水技术水平起到负向抑制作用。人口规模、经济发展水平、节水技术水平效应依次为8 163.124万m~3、144 238.924万m~3、-126 161.049万m~3;人口规模、经济发展水平、节水技术水平每变化1%,用水将分别变化1.208%、0.061%和0.037%;经济发展水平和节水技术水平是用水变化的主要影响因素,但用水对人口规模变化敏感程度最高。最后,结合榆林市水资源特点提出针对性措施和建议,以期为榆林市水资源规划与管理提供参考。     

变化环境下考虑物理机制的SD需水预测研究

随着气候变化与人类活动作用的加剧,流域水资源受变化环境的影响愈加显著。研究变化环境下的流域水资源系统变化特征及需水预测对支撑流域水资源管理与合理配置具有重要的指导意义。基于系统动力学原理,耦合了考虑物理机制的需水预测方法,建立水资源系统模型,以黄河流域为例,分析了多因子驱动及多要素胁迫作用下黄河流域水资源系统变化特征,采用MPI气候模式预估的未来气温、降水结果及未来流域5种不同的经济社会发展情形,预测了黄河流域2017—2030年的水资源供需演变趋势。结果表明:①黄河流域的生活需水量随着流域人口及人均用水需求的增加不断增长。随着产业结构调整,工业需水量呈现缓慢减少态势,生态及三产需水量逐年增加,农业灌溉需水量呈下降趋势;②在加强流域水资源管理力度、增加节水技术投资的前提下,保障流域经济、社会协调发展,注重发展经济的同时兼顾流域生态环境保护,满足黄河流域下一阶段的经济社会可持续发展的要求;③为保障黄河流域水资源可持续发展,实现黄河流域生态保护和高质量发展,需要调整流域水资源管理策略,提高节水程度,促进流域产业结构优化。     

Operations research in solid waste management: A survey of strategic and tactical issues

Solid waste management (SWM) is an increasingly complex task, absorbing a huge amount of resources and having a major environmental impact. Computerized systems based on operations research techniques can help decision makers to achieve remarkable cost savings as well as to improve waste recovery. Nevertheless, the literature is quite scattered and disorganized. The objective of this paper is to present an updated survey of the most relevant operations research literature on SWM, mainly focusing on strategic and tactical issues. In addition to providing an extensive bibliographic coverage, we describe the relationships between the various problems, and outline future research.     

Importance of nonindigenous harpacticoids (Crustacea: Copepoda) decrease with depth in Lake Ontario

Harpacticoid copepods can be a substantial component of the meiobenthic community in lakes and serve an ecological role as detritivores. Here we present the first species-level lake-wide quantitative assessment of the harpacticoid assemblage of Lake Ontario with emphasis on the status of nonindigenous species. Additionally, we provide COI-5P sequences of harpacticoid taxa through Barcode of Life Data System (BOLD). Harpacticoids were collected at depths from 0.1 to 184 m and from a range of substrates from August to September 2018 as part of the Cooperative Science and Monitoring Initiative (CSMI) offshore benthic survey. Twenty-six meiobenthic samples were analyzed using microscopy for community composition analysis of harpacticoids. We found thirteen indigenous and three nonindigenous species of harpacticoid, with the introduced species dominating at shallow depths. The community transitioned from nonindigenous to indigenous species dominance as depth increased. Nonindigenous species accounted for 79% of the community (by abundance) at depths <20 m, 55% from 20 to 40 m, and only 24% at depths >40 m. The nonindigenous species encountered included the first detections of Schizopera borutzkyi (Monchenko, 1967) and Heteropsyllus nunni (Coull, 1975) from Lake Ontario. S. borutzkyi was the most abundant harpacticoid species in the lake, approaching a maximum density of 50,000/m² and a lake-wide average density of 7,900/m². Numerically important indigenous species included Bryocamptus nivalis (Willey, 1925), Canthocamptus robertcokeri (Wilson, 1958), Canthocamptus staphylinoides (Pearse, 1905), and Moraria cristata (Chappuis, 1929). The prevalence of nonindigenous harpacticoids in the meiobenthos of Lake Ontario suggests further investigations of Great Lakes meiofauna communities are warranted.