New Insight into Organomineral Interactions in Soils. The Impact of Clay-Size Peat-Derived Organic Species on the Structure and the Strength of Soil Silt Aggregates

Data Availability Statement: The data presented in this study are available on request from the corresponding author. The data are not publicly available due to requiring specific software to view the data files. Most of the data are presented within this publication in the figures.Knowledge of the effects of different organic species on soil structure and strength is gained mostly from experiments on natural soils amended with organic substances of various particle sizes, pH, ionic composition, and inorganic impurities. It greatly diversifies the experimental results and shadows individual effects of organic amendments. Therefore, to look for a clearer view, we examined the impact of HCl-washed clay-size organic species: peat, humic acids, residue after humic acid extraction, and two biochars, all derived from the same peat and having similar particles, on the structure and strength of artificial soil silt aggregates using mercury intrusion porosimetry, bulk density measurements, SEM, and uniaxial compression. Bulk density increased due to humic acid addition and decreased for the other amendments. The total pore volumes behaved oppositely. All organic substances except humic acid decreased the pore surface fractal dimension, indicating a smoothening of the pore surface. Humic acid appeared to occupy mostly the spaces between the silt grains skeleton, while the other species were also located upon silt grains. The latter effect was most evident for 600 °C heated biochar. Humic acid, peat, and the residue after humic acid extraction improved mechanical stability, whereas both biochars weakened the aggregates, which means that bulk density plays a smaller role in the mechanical stability of granular materials, as it is usually considered. A new equation relating maximum stress and the amount of the organic additives was proposed.Funded in part by the National Science Centre, Poland within an Opus 15 Project 2018/29/B/ST10/01592 Effect of minerals and different forms of organic carbon on structure, porosity and mechanical and water stability of soil aggregates—model studies. The full APC waiver for this paper was granted and approved by the editorial office of “Agriculture” MDPI Journal

Nanofluidic transport governed by the liquid/vapour interface

Liquid/vapour interfaces govern the behaviour of a wide range of systems but remain poorly understood, leaving ample margin for the exploitation of intriguing functionalities for applications. Here, we systematically investigate the role of liquid/vapour interfaces in the transport of water across apposing liquid menisci in osmosis membranes comprising short hydrophobic nanopores that separate two fluid reservoirs. We show experimentally that mass transport is limited by molecular reflection from the liquid/vapour interface below a certain length scale, which depends on the transmission probability of water molecules across the nanopores and on the condensation probability of a water molecule incident on the liquid surface. This fundamental yet elusive condensation property of water is measured under near-equilibrium conditions and found to decrease from 0.36 ± 0.21 at 30 °C to 0.18 ± 0.09 at 60 °C. These findings define the regime in which liquid/vapour interfaces govern nanofluidic transport and have implications for understanding mass transport in nanofluidic devices, droplets and bubbles, biological components and porous media involving liquid/vapour interfaces.Center for Clean Water and Clean Energy at MIT and KFUPM (Project R10-CW-09

Prediction of size distribution of crude oil drops in the permeate using a slotted pore membrane

This paper was accepted for publication in the journal Chemical Engineering Research and Design and the definitive published version is available at http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.cherd.2014.02.017Permeate size distribution of various crude oil drops with, and without, oscillating the membrane has been predicted using the 'Linear Fit' approach. Drops pass through the membrane due to drag force created by the flow of fluid around the drops. Static force is the force responsible for the rejection of drops through the membrane and is directly proportional to the interfacial tension between dispersed and continuous phases. Without applied shear, 100% cut-off of drops though the membrane is assumed when the drag force and the static force balances each other. With the applied shear, 100% cut-off of drops through the membrane is when drops moves away from the membrane surface due to migration velocities and do not pass the membrane into the permeate. Extrapolating 100% cut-off to the origin of the rejection graphs gives a straight line that is referred as 'Linear Fit' and can be used for predicting rejection below 100% cut-off. Linear fit can be used for predicting drop rejection below 100% cut-off. The portion of oil that would not be rejected by the membrane and would pass through the membrane into the permeate can be calculated using this approach. For a given size of drops in a feed suspension, permeate size distribution can be predicted by multiplying the fraction of oil passing through the membrane and the feed size distribution data. Overall concentration of oil in the permeate can be calculated by knowing size distribution of drops in the permeate, and that provides an idea whether the concentration of oil in the permeate is below the standard set by international regulatory authorities

Intraspecific Diversity Regulates Fungal Productivity and Respiration

Individuals and not just species are key components of biodiversity, yet the relationship between intraspecific diversity and ecosystem functioning in microbial systems remains largely untested. This limits our ability to understand and predict the effects of altered genetic diversity in regulating key ecosystem processes and functions. Here, we use a model fungal system to test the hypothesis that intraspecific genotypic richness of Paxillus obscurosporus stimulates biomass and CO2 efflux, but that this is dependent on nitrogen supply. Using controlled experimental microcosms, we show that populations containing several genotypes (maximum 8) of the fungus had greater productivity and produced significantly more CO2 than those with fewer genotypes. Moreover, intraspecific diversity had a much stronger effect than a four-fold manipulation of the carbon:nitrogen ratio of the growth medium. The effects of intraspecific diversity were underpinned by strong roles of individuals, but overall intraspecific diversity increased the propensity of populations to over-yield, indicating that both complementarity and selection effects can operate within species. Our data demonstrate the importance of intraspecific diversity over a range of nitrogen concentrations, and the need to consider fine scale phylogenetic information of microbial communities in understanding their contribution to ecosystem processes

Fungal planet description sheets: 951–1041

Novel species of fungi described in this study include those from various countries as follows: Antarctica , Apenidiella antarctica from permafrost, Cladosporium fildesense fromanunidentifiedmarinesponge. Argentina , Geastrum wrightii onhumusinmixedforest. Australia , Golovinomyces glandulariae on Glandularia aristigera, Neoanungitea eucalyptorum on leaves of Eucalyptus grandis, Teratosphaeria corymbiicola on leaves of Corymbia ficifolia, Xylaria eucalypti on leaves of Eucalyptus radiata. Brazil, Bovista psammophila on soil, Fusarium awaxy on rotten stalks of Zea mays, Geastrum lanuginosum on leaf litter covered soil, Hermetothecium mikaniae-micranthae (incl. Hermetothecium gen. nov.)on Mikania micrantha, Penicillium reconvexovelosoi in soil, Stagonosporopsis vannaccii from pod of Glycine max. British Virgin Isles , Lactifluus guanensis onsoil. Canada , Sorocybe oblongispora on resin of Picea rubens. Chile, Colletotrichum roseum on leaves of Lapageria rosea. China, Setophoma caverna fromcarbonatiteinKarstcave. Colombia , Lareunionomyces eucalypticola on leaves of Eucalyptus grandis. Costa Rica, Psathyrella pivae onwood. Cyprus , Clavulina iris oncalcareoussubstrate. France , Chromosera ambigua and Clavulina iris var. occidentalis onsoil. French West Indies , Helminthosphaeria hispidissima ondeadwood. Guatemala , Talaromyces guatemalensis insoil. Malaysia , Neotracylla pini (incl. Tracyllales ord. nov. and Neotra- cylla gen. nov.)and Vermiculariopsiella pini on needles of Pinus tecunumanii. New Zealand, Neoconiothyrium viticola on stems of Vitis vinifera, Parafenestella pittospori on Pittosporum tenuifolium, Pilidium novae-zelandiae on Phoenix sp. Pakistan , Russula quercus-floribundae onforestfloor. Portugal , Trichoderma aestuarinum from salinewater. Russia , Pluteus liliputianus on fallen branch of deciduous tree, Pluteus spurius on decaying deciduouswoodorsoil. South Africa , Alloconiothyrium encephalarti, Phyllosticta encephalarticola and Neothyrostroma encephalarti (incl. Neothyrostroma gen. nov.)onleavesof Encephalartos sp., Chalara eucalypticola on leaf spots of Eucalyptus grandis × urophylla, Clypeosphaeria oleae on leaves of Olea capensis, Cylindrocladiella postalofficium on leaf litter of Sideroxylon inerme , Cylindromonium eugeniicola (incl. Cylindromonium gen. nov.)onleaflitterof Eugenia capensis , Cyphellophora goniomatis on leaves of Gonioma kamassi , Nothodactylaria nephrolepidis (incl. Nothodactylaria gen. nov. and Nothodactylariaceae fam. nov.)onleavesof Nephrolepis exaltata , Falcocladium eucalypti and Gyrothrix eucalypti on leaves of Eucalyptus sp., Gyrothrix oleae on leaves of Olea capensis subsp. macrocarpa , Harzia metro sideri on leaf litter of Metrosideros sp., Hippopotamyces phragmitis (incl. Hippopota- myces gen. nov.)onleavesof Phragmites australis , Lectera philenopterae on Philenoptera violacea , Leptosillia mayteni on leaves of Maytenus heterophylla , Lithohypha aloicola and Neoplatysporoides aloes on leaves of Aloe sp., Millesimomyces rhoicissi (incl. Millesimomyces gen. nov.) on leaves of Rhoicissus digitata , Neodevriesia strelitziicola on leaf litter of Strelitzia nicolai , Neokirramyces syzygii (incl. Neokirramyces gen. nov.)onleafspots o

Fungal Planet description sheets : 951–1041

Novel species of fungi described in this study include those from various countries as follows: Antarctica,Apenidiella antarctica from permafrost, Cladosporium fildesense from an unidentified marine sponge. Argentina,Geastrum wrightii on humus in mixed forest. Australia, Golovinomyces glandulariae on Glandularia aristigera,Neoanungitea eucalyptorum on leaves of Eucalyptus grandis, Teratosphaeria corymbiicola on leaves of Corymbiaficifolia, Xylaria eucalypti on leaves of Eucalyptus radiata. Brazil, Bovista psammophila on soil, Fusarium awaxy onrotten stalks of Zea mays, Geastrum lanuginosum on leaf litter covered soil, Hermetothecium mikaniae-micranthae(incl. Hermetothecium gen. nov.) on Mikania micrantha, Penicillium reconvexovelosoi in soil, Stagonosporopsis vannacciifrom pod of Glycine max. British Virgin Isles, Lactifluus guanensis on soil. Canada, Sorocybe oblongisporaon resin of Picea rubens. Chile, Colletotrichum roseum on leaves of Lapageria rosea. China, Setophoma cavernafrom carbonatite in Karst cave. Colombia, Lareunionomyces eucalypticola on leaves of Eucalyptus grandis. CostaRica, Psathyrella pivae on wood. Cyprus, Clavulina iris on calcareous substrate. France, Chromosera ambiguaand Clavulina iris var. occidentalis on soil. French West Indies, Helminthosphaeria hispidissima on dead wood.Guatemala, Talaromyces guatemalensis in soil. Malaysia, Neotracylla pini (incl. Tracyllales ord. nov. and Neotracyllagen. nov.) and Vermiculariopsiella pini on needles of Pinus tecunumanii. New Zealand, Neoconiothyriumviticola on stems of Vitis vinifera, Parafenestella pittospori on Pittosporum tenuifolium, Pilidium novae-zelandiaeon Phoenix sp. Pakistan, Russula quercus-floribundae on forest floor. Portugal, Trichoderma aestuarinum fromsaline water. Russia, Pluteus liliputianus on fallen branch of deciduous tree, Pluteus spurius on decaying deciduous wood or soil. South Africa, Alloconiothyrium encephalarti, Phyllosticta encephalarticola and Neothyrostromaencephalarti (incl. Neothyrostroma gen. nov.) on leaves of Encephalartos sp., Chalara eucalypticola on leaf spots ofEucalyptus grandis x urophylla, Clypeosphaeria oleae on leaves of Olea capensis, Cylindrocladiella postalofficiumon leaf litter of Sideroxylon inerme, Cylindromonium eugeniicola (incl. Cylindromonium gen. nov.) on leaf litter ofEugenia capensis, Cyphellophora goniomatis on leaves of Gonioma kamassi, Nothodactylaria nephrolepidis (incl.Nothodactylaria gen. nov. and Nothodactylariaceae fam. nov.) on leaves of Nephrolepis exaltata, Falcocladiumeucalypti and Gyrothrix eucalypti on leaves of Eucalyptus sp., Gyrothrix oleae on leaves of Olea capensis subsp.macrocarpa, Harzia metro-sideri on leaf litter of Metrosideros sp., Hippopotamyces phragmitis (incl. Hippopotamycesgen. nov.) on leaves of Phragmites australis, Lectera philenopterae on Philenoptera violacea, Leptosilliamayteni on leaves of Maytenus heterophylla, Lithohypha aloicola and Neoplatysporoides aloes on leaves of Aloesp., Millesimomyces rhoicissi (incl. Millesimomyces gen. nov.) on leaves of Rhoicissus digitata, Neodevriesiastrelitziicola on leaf litter of Strelitzia nicolai, Neokirramyces syzygii (incl. Neokirramyces gen. nov.) on leaf spots of Syzygium sp., Nothoramichloridium perseae (incl. Nothoramichloridium gen. nov. and Anungitiomycetaceae fam.nov.) on leaves of Persea americana, Paramycosphaerella watsoniae on leaf spots of Watsonia sp., Penicilliumcuddlyae from dog food, Podocarpomyces knysnanus (incl. Podocarpomyces gen. nov.) on leaves of Podocarpusfalcatus, Pseudocercospora heteropyxidicola on leaf spots of Heteropyxis natalensis, Pseudopenidiella podocarpi,Scolecobasidium podocarpi and Ceramothyrium podocarpicola on leaves of Podocarpus latifolius, Scolecobasidiumblechni on leaves of Blechnum capense, Stomiopeltis syzygii on leaves of Syzygium chordatum, Strelitziomycesknysnanus (incl. Strelitziomyces gen. nov.) on leaves of Strelitzia alba, Talaromyces clemensii from rotting wood ingoldmine, Verrucocladosporium visseri on Carpobrotus edulis. Spain, Boletopsis mediterraneensis on soil, Calycinacortegadensisi on a living twig of Castanea sativa, Emmonsiellopsis tuberculata in fluvial sediments, Mollisia cortegadensison dead attached twig of Quercus robur, Psathyrella ovispora on soil, Pseudobeltrania lauri on leaf litterof Laurus azorica, Terfezia dunensis in soil, Tuber lucentum in soil, Venturia submersa on submerged plant debris.Thailand, Cordyceps jakajanicola on cicada nymph, Cordyceps kuiburiensis on spider, Distoseptispora caricis onleaves of Carex sp., Ophiocordyceps khonkaenensis on cicada nymph. USA, Cytosporella juncicola and Davidiellomycesjuncicola on culms of Juncus effusus, Monochaetia massachusettsianum from air sample, Neohelicomycesmelaleucae and Periconia neobrittanica on leaves of Melaleuca styphelioides x lanceolata, Pseudocamarosporiumeucalypti on leaves of Eucalyptus sp., Pseudogymnoascus lindneri from sediment in a mine, Pseudogymnoascusturneri from sediment in a railroad tunnel, Pulchroboletus sclerotiorum on soil, Zygosporium pseudomasonii onleaf of Serenoa repens. Vietnam, Boletus candidissimus and Veloporphyrellus vulpinus on soil. Morphological andculture characteristics are supported by DNA barcodes

Analysis of the productivity of ecological farms in the Krasnik county (Lublin voivodship)

Celem pracy była analiza produkcyjności gospodarstw ekologicznych skupionych na terenie powiatu kraśnickiego (województwo lubelskie), na podstawie badań ankietowych. Wielkość gospodarstw ekologicznych jest zróżnicowana, przeważają gospodarstwa o wielkości od 5 do 10 ha. Produkcja roślinna jest dominującym kierunkiem działalności rolniczej (57%). W wielu gospodarstwach funkcjonuje mieszany typ produkcji (43%). Rolnicy utrzymują zwierzęta gospodarskie ze względu na pozyskanie nawozów naturalnych oraz produktów spożywczych na potrzeby własne i sprzedaż (mleko, jaja, sery). Główną działalnością rolników z terenu powiatu kraśnickiego jest uprawa owoców miękkich oraz zbóż. Ankietowani rolnicy korzystają z dopłat finansowych. Pozyskane fundusze przeznaczają głównie na modernizację gospodarstwa (40%) oraz zakup maszyn rolniczych (36%) i materiału siewnego. Inspiracją do zmiany typu produkcji były dodatkowe środki finansowe płynące z dotacji oraz wizyta u rolnika, który prowadzi ekogospodarstwo i zdrowy styl życia, co jest związane z modą na bycie ekologicznym. Na podstawie przeprowadzonych badań można stwierdzić, że produkcyjność gospodarstw ekologicznych w powiecie kraśnickim jest na wysokim poziomie i jest opłacalna dla rolników oraz korzystna dla środowiska przyrodniczego.The purpose of the work was to analyze the productivity of ecological farms in the Kraœnik county (Lublin voivodeship), on the basis of the survey. The size of the farms was differentiated, usually amounting to 5 to 10 hectares. Crop production is the predominant agricultural activity (57%). There is a mixed crop-livestock production in many farms (43%). Farmers keep livestock due to the acquisition of natural fertilizers and food products for own needs and for sale (milk, eggs, cheese). Cultivation of soft fruits and cereals is the main activity of farmers from the Kraœnik county. The surveyed farmers benefit from funding. The obtained funds are spent mainly on the modernization of farms (40%) and the purchase of agricultural machinery (36%) and seed. Additional grants and a visit of the farmer running an ecological farm and leading healthy lifestyle connected with the trend to be ecological were the inspiration to change the type of production. On the basis of the present studies, it can be concluded that the productivity of ecological farms in the Kraœnik county is at a high level, and it is profitable for farmers and beneficial to the environment

Effects of sewage abatement on water and sediment chemistry, Navisink River, New Jersey

A primary sewage treatment plant on the Navesink River at Red Bank, New Jersey, ceased operation after December 1971. Inorganic phosphate and disolved oxygen analyses were run on water samples before and after sewage abatement, as were analyses for calcium, iron, and aluminum phosphate in the sediment. The water chemistry returned to normal within 1 mth of abatement, while sedimentary phosphate values increased. The sediment appears to be a phosphate sink rather than a reservoir

Application of Biolog Ecoplate to monitor the the ecotoxicity status of sewage sludge (a review)

Rosnąca ilość osadów ściekowych i pofermentacyjnych stwarza konieczność ich racjonalnego zagospodarowania, gdyż składowanie może być niebezpieczne dla środowiska. Ze względu na zawartość w osadach materii organicznej oraz składników pokarmowych niezbędnych dla roślin mogą być one stosowane jako nawozy organiczne. Jednak poza cennymi substancjami osady mogą zawierać również składniki toksyczne i niebezpieczne. Dlatego też istnieje konieczność opracowania metod szybkiej oceny ekotoksyczności osadów, które pozwolą określić możliwość zastosowania danego osadu w rolnictwie. System Biolog Ecoplate® umożliwia ocenę profilu metabolicznego odzwierciedlającego stan aktywności populacji mikroorganizmów w próbkach środowiskowych. Jest to szybka i nowoczesna technika, która wykorzystując biologiczne właściwości pozwala charakteryzować stan ekologiczny próbek środowiskowych, tj. osady ściekowe i pofermentacyjne.Increasing amount of sewage sludge requires their reasonable management, whereas a storage might be environmentally hazardous. Due to organic matter and nutrients pres-ence in sludge, they may be used as organic fertilizers. However, beyond the valuable contests, sewage sludge can also contain toxic or dangerous components. Therefore, there is a need to develop methods for rapid assessment of sediments ecotoxicity, that will determine their possible ap-plicability in agriculture. The Biolog® Ecoplate enables the metabolic profiles diversity evaluation of microbial populations in environmental samples, which reflects the state of their activity. It is regarded as modern technology, that by means of biological properties allows quick characterization of the ecological status of environmental samples, such as sewage sludge

Fine-scale structure of populations of the ectomycorrhizal fungus Hebeloma cylindrosporum in coastal sand dune forest ecosystems

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