Ecohydrology & Hydrobiology最新文献

DNA barcoding represents a handy tool for species identification. In addition, it serves as a complementary approach that improves the characterisation of evolutionary lineages and facilitates the detection of potentially undescribed and cryptic species. Based on the case study in the Western Carpathians, which belong to the Carpathian biodiversity hotspot, we have compiled the first DNA barcode reference library for molecular identification of invertebrates associated with epikarst, a unique, yet understudied, shallow subterranean aquatic habitat that extends at the interface between the soil and carbonate rocks. We analysed invertebrates collected in 2019-2020 from epikarst water that continuously seeps into four caves of the Demänovský Cave System in northern Slovakia. The standard barcode marker of the mitochondrial COI gene was amplified in more than 920 individuals of aquatic, semi-aquatic, and terrestrial invertebrates. The final data set consisted of 784 barcode sequences representing 36 morphospecies, the majority (98.3%) belonging to Arthropoda. Automated cluster delineation using the Barcode of Life Data System (BOLD) revealed 60 Barcode Index Numbers (BINs), of which 43 BINs were new to BOLD, representing mostly typical subterranean species. Almost 20% of the morphospecies displayed high intraspecific variation (>2.2%), suggesting the need for further investigation to assess potential taxonomic problems or cryptic diversity. Our results also indicated the existence of several yet undescribed invertebrate species and possible heteroplasmy or COI numts in the collembolan Megalothorax sp. (incertus species group). The resulting DNA barcode library represents a significant advance not only in the characterisation of epikarst biodiversity but also in the understanding of subterranean biodiversity in general, paving the way for future complex evolutionary and biogeographical studies.

Assessment, maintenance, and implementation of environmental flow (hereafter e-flow) in rivers and wetlands have been recognized as a vital tool for sustaining freshwater ecosystems in several countries including India. In this view, the paper intends to review the current understanding of e-flow concept in India. This can be accomplished by reviewing case studies reported for different river basins across India and documented literature, legislative and water policy reports, minutes of meetings, workshops, and conferences. with the aim, On the other hand, its aims to briefly trace the history of e-flow assessment studies as well as the progress that has been achieved so far since 1998s. Role of enabling factors and constraints for e-flow implementation in India at a macro scale is also highlighted, which shows e-flow understanding has received considerable attention over the past two decades for the conservation of freshwater ecosystems and is still evolving. This paper also concludes with identifying a range of actions and gives some directions for future research that requires for e-flow implementation in a river basin.

Climate-smart agriculture (CSA) is a managerial approach that aims to optimize the interactions of agriculture and climate. Since the Gorganrood basin in Golestan province is one of the regions influenced by climate change in Iran, this study was conducted to classify how CSA practices have been adopted across this basin. The statistical population was composed of all farmers living in this basin (N = 76140), out of whom 384 farmers were sampled by stratified random sampling technique with proportional allocation using Krejcie and Morgan's table. The research was conducted by the survey method, and the research instrument was a researcher-design questionnaire whose validity was confirmed by a panel of experts. Cronbach's alpha also confirmed the reliability (α = 0.79). Data were analyzed by descriptive techniques and analysis of variance in the SPSS24 software package. The application of CSA practices was classified in the study site using the ISDM index in the ArcGIS 10.3 software package. The results showed that CSA application was generally higher than the average (1.63/3.00). The sub-basins were also found to differ in the use of CSA practices significantly so that the more distant a sub-basin was from the center of the province, the lower the extent of CSA application would be. Furthermore, some studied practices were costly and needed extension training, so they seemed to be largely overlooked in some sub-basins. Accordingly, different CSA actors are recommended to consider this approach a systematic and long-term solution whose implementation requires all-inclusive attention to farmers in different regions.

The composition of biofilm formed on artificial microplastics (MPs) during the summer stagnation was studied in a field experiment at five lakes with different trophy. After a two-month incubation of MPs, molecular analyses were carried out to isolate the genetic material of bacteria present in the biofilm. Next-generation sequencing of 16S rRNA genes was performed to identify species. Bacterial abundance was also determined in the lake water (2.31 – 4.26 Mcell ml⁻¹) and in the water from experimental baskets containing MPs (0.58 – 4.68 Mcell ml⁻¹). The biofilm formed on the MPs was analysed at various systematic levels, including phylum, family, class, genus, and species. A total of 18 species were identified, with a high percentage of the Proteobacteria phylum noted. This may indicate that this group favours MPs regardless of the trophic level. In this study, the presence of bacteria with the ability to degrade polymers, such as Pseudomonas putida, was observed, as well as Lacibacterium aquatile, which can indicate water quality. Among the other identified bacterial species, several pathogens were found, including Escherichia coli, Staphylococcus aureus, Candidatus Saccharibacteria, and Candidatus Cardinium, which may indicate anthropogenic pollution. The presence of E. coli was detected on MPs in each of the studied lakes, suggesting that MPs may serve as a new vector for dangerous pathogens, regardless of trophic status. Despite the two-month experiment, no statistically significant differences in bacterial species diversity (as measured by alpha and beta indices) were observed between lakes with different trophy.