Species richness in a riparian plant community along the banks of the Xiangxi River, the Three Gorges region

The distribution of vascular plant species richness along an altitudinal gradient and their relationships with environmental variables, including slope, aspect, bank (flooding) height, and river width of the Xiangxi River, Hubei Province, were examined. Total vascular plant species richness changed with elevation: it increased at lower elevations, reached a maximum in the midreaches and decreased thereafter. In particular, tree and herbaceous species richness were related to altitude. Correlation analysis (Kendall's tau) between species richness and environmental variables indicated that the change in species richness in the riparian zone was determined by riparian environmental factors and characteristics of regional vegetation distribution along the altitudinal gradient. The low species richness at lower elevations resulted from seasonal flooding and human activities - agriculture and fuel collection - and the higher. Species richness ill (he midreaches reflected transitional zones ill natural vegetation types that had had little disturbance. These results oil species distribution in the riparian community could he utilized as a reference for restoration efforts to improve water quality of the emerging reservoir resulting from the Three Gorges Hydroelectric Dam project.

Conservation strategies for endemic fish species threatened by the Three Gorges Dam

The largest damming project to date, the Three Gorges Dam has been built along the Yangtze River (China), the most species-rich river in the Palearctic region. Among 162 species of fish inhabiting the main channel of the upper Yangtze, 44 are endemic and are therefore under serious threat of global extinction from the dam. Accordingly, it is urgently necessary to develop strategies to minimize the impacts of the drastic environmental changes associated with the dam. We sought to identify potential reserves for the endemic species among the 17 tributaries in the upper Yangtze, based on presence/absence data for the 44 endemic species. Potential reserves for the endemic species were identified by characterizing the distribution patterns of endemic species with an adaptive learning algorithm called a "self-organizing map" (SOM). Using this method, we also predicted occurrence probabilities of species in potential reserves based on the distribution patterns of communities. Considering both SOM model results and actual knowledge of the biology of the considered species, our results suggested that 24 species may survive in the tributaries, 14 have an uncertain future, and 6 have a high probability of becoming extinct after dam filling.

Identifying paleoflood deposits archived in Zhongba Site, the Three Gorges reservoir region of the Yangtze River, China

IEECAS SKLLQG

Nutrient characteristics in the Yangtze River Estuary and the adjacent East China Sea before and after impoundment of the Three Gorges Dam

From November 2002 to 2006, five cruises were undertaken in the Yangtze River Estuary and the adjacent East China Sea to compare the nutrient concentrations, ratios and potential nutrient limitation of phytoplankton growth before and after impoundment (June 2003) of the Three Gorges Dam (TGD). Concentrations of dissolved inorganic nitrogen (DIN), soluble reactive phosphorus (SRP) and total nitrogen (TN) exhibited an increasing trend from 2002 to 2006. In contrast, total phosphorus (TP) concentration exhibited a decreasing trend. The mean concentrations of DIN, SRP, and TN in the total study area increased from 21.4 mu M, 0.9 mu M, and 41.8 mu M in 2002 to 37.5 mu M, 1.3 mu M. and 82.2 mu M in 2006, respectively. while TP decreased from 2.1 mu M to 1.7 mu M. The concentration of dissolved reactive silica (DRSi) had no major fluctuations and the differences were not significant. The mean concentration of DRSi in the total study area ranged from 52.5 to 92.3 mu M. The Si:N ratio decreased significantly from 2.7 in 2002 to 1.3 in 2006, while TN: TP ratio increased from 22.1 to 80.3. The area of potential P limitation of phytoplankton growth expanded after 2003 and potential Si limitation appeared in 2005 and 2006. Potential P limitation mainly occurred in an area of salinity less than 30 after 2003, while potential Si limitation occurred where the salinity was greater than 30. By comparison with historical data, the concentrations of nitrate and SRP in this upper estuary during November 1980-2006 increased obviously after impoundment of TGD but DRSi decreased. Meanwhile, the ratios of N:P, Si:N and Si:P decreased obviously. (c) 2009 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Size-fractionated phytoplankton biomass in autumn of the Changjiang (Yangtze) River Estuary and its adjacent waters after the Three Gorges Dam construction

A cruise was undertaken from 3rd to 8th November 2004 in Changjiang (Yangtze) River Estuary and its adjacent waters to investigate the spatial biomass distribution and size composition of phytoplankton. Chlorophyll-a (Chl-a) concentration ranged 0.42-1.17 mu g L-1 and 0.41-10.43 mu g L-1 inside and outside the river mouth, with the mean value 0.73 mu g L-1 and 1.86 mu g L-1, respectively. Compared with the Chl-a concentration in summer of 2004, the mean value was much lower inside, and a little higher outside the river mouth. The maximal Chl-a was 10.43 mu g L-1 at station 18 (122.67 degrees E, 31.25 degrees N), and the region of high Chl-a concentration was observed in the central survey area between 122.5 degrees E and 123.0 degrees E. In the stations located east of 122.5 degrees E, Chl-a concentration was generally high in the upper layers above 5 m due to water stratification. In the survey area, the average Chl-a in sizes of > 20 mu m and < 20 mu m was 0.28 mu g L-1 and 1.40 mu g L-1, respectively. High Chl-a concentration of < 20 mu m size-fraction indicated that the nanophytoplankton and picophytoplankton contributed the most to the biomass of phytoplankton. Skeletonema costatum, Prorocentrum micans and Scrippsiella trochoidea were the dominant species in surface water. The spatial distribution of cell abundance of phytoplankton was patchy and did not agree well with that of Chl-a, as the cell abundance could not distinguish the differences in shape and size of phytoplankton cells. Nitrate and silicate behaved conservatively, but the former could probably be the limitation factor to algal biomass at offshore stations. The distribution of phosphate scattered considerably, and its relation to the phytoplankton biomass was complicated.