Abstract: Viability of single species can be understood only in the context of ecological interactions with the other species and the environment. Monitoring multispecies interactions and their environment is critical for analysis of community dynamics, multispecies habitat conservation plans and for adaptive ecosystem management programs. In this study, three simple methods (scaling exponent of Taylor’s power law, resource exploitation competition and interspecies mean crowding coefficients) based on abundance were applied to estimate multiple tree species interactions along the Northeast China Transect. This transect was identified as a middle-latitude transect for terrestrial ecosystem studies by Global Change and Terrestrial Ecosystem Program of IGBP. Our analyses show the differences and similarities of these three methods because each one emphasizes different aspects of multispecies interaction measurement. The combined use of these three methods can provide an easy and simple way to estimate multispecies interactions based on abundance of each tree species and their change under environmental change. The suggested approach could help identify indicator species for monitoring, improve population viability analysis, and set priorities species conservation.

Keywords: Interspecies mean crowding coefficients, multispecies habitat conservation plans, Northeast China Transect, resource exploitation competition, Taylor’s power law

Abstract: The adsorption of phenol by an agro-waste based activated carbon prepared from the root residue of Hemidesmus Indicus (HIC) was investigated to assess its possible use as adsorbent. The effect of various factors, namely, pH, initial adsorbate concentration, adsorbent dosage and contact time were studied to identify adsorption capacity of HIC. The results were compared to that obtained from adsorption of phenol by commercial activated carbon (CAC). Adsorption data were modeled with the Langmuir and Freundlich isotherms. The kinetic models were also applied for the pseudo-first-order, pseudo-second-order, intra-particle diffusion and pore diffusion coefficients. Although HIC and CAC showed much similar isotherm models and kinetics, yet HIC was found to show much higher boundary layer effect and pore-diffusion coefficients, in relation to CAC.

Keywords: Phenol, agro-waste, adsorption, Isotherms, adsorption kinetics

Abstract: Studies on the treatment of simulated acid metal complex azo dye (C.I.Acid black 210) wastewater was carried out in anoxic-aerobic-anoxic microenvironment using a periodically operated sequencing batch reactor (SBR) with suspended growth configuration at two organic loading rates (0.56 Kg COD/cum-day and 0.75 Kg COD/cum-day). The experimental data revealed the effective performance of the SBR system in the process of azo dye minerilazation, which may be attributed to the prevailing anoxic microenvironment present during the cycle operation. The reactor showed rapid startup (within 22 days) and stabilization (within 6 days after loading) compared to conventional continuously operated systems. Organic loading (shock loads) rates have shown relatively less effect on the performance.

Keywords: Simulated acid azo dye wastewater, Sequencing Batch Reactor (SBR), periodic discontinuous process, suspended growth configuration, oxygen consumption rate

Abstract: The problem of endosulfan bioremediation is poor solubility and restriction of appropriate biocatalyst. One promising approach in increasing the bioavailability of this organic compound is addition of surfactants. The synthetic surfactant Tween 80 was non-toxic to soil microorganisms and inert to the soil matrix and had the additional benefit of causing an enhanced dissolution rate for single compounds. The degradation of alpha and beta endosulfan by Pseudomonas aeruginosa with Tween 80 and different moisture regimes (flooded and non-flooded conditions) was studied. The rate of degradation was maximum (92 %) in non-flooded and Tween 80 added soil; the bacterial count was also maximum. The addition of synthetic surfactant Tween 80 enhanced the solubility and degradation of endosulfan. The degradation of both the isomers were observed and accompanied with formation of endodiol and endosulfan sulfate.

Keywords: Tween 80; Moisture regimes; Endosulfan; Degradation; Pseudomonas aeruginosa

Abstract: Heavy metal contamination of industrial effluents is one of the significant environmental problems due to their toxic nature and accumulation throughout the food chain as non-biodegradable pollutants. In this study, dead Bacillus subtilis biomass was assessed for its efficiency to remove chromium(VI) from aqueous solutions. Optimum pH and temperature for biosorption of Cr(VI) were found to be 2.0 and 30oC, respectively. The biomass has the maximum biosorption capacity of 14.54 mg/g of biomass at 100 ppm initial chromium concentration and 2 g/l biomass loading. The biosorption process followed pseudo first order kinetic model, implying that the initial rate of biosorption is totally independent of the initial concentration. The biosorption of Cr(VI) is well described by Langmuir isotherm, which express the existence of monolayer adsorption under the experimental conditions. The adsorptiondesorption experiments performed inferred the reusability of the biomass. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy studies revealed that chromium bound on to the B. subtilis biomass was in trivalent form.

Keywords: Biosorption, Bacillus subtilis, hexavalent chromium, adsorption isotherms, biomass

Abstract: Due to a severe population decline and shrinkage of distribution range in the past decades, the red-footed falcon has gained top priority in both worldwide and Hungarian nature conservation. As a facultative colonial breeder, in Hungary, this species predominantly nests in rookeries. The number of rooks (Corvus frugilegus) has also dramatically fallen recently, but population decline did not affect the large scale breeding distribution of this species. In our study we analyzed the presence of red-footed falcons at a colony in the case of current and historical breeding ranges based on landscape scaled habitat variables. We used a potential colony home-range size, estimated from observed home-range sizes in order to determine the scale of influential habitat variables. According to our results, the primary cause of the observed range shift is the urbanization of rooks in definable regions of Hungary. The ratio of forests and open water surfaces within the potential home-range had negative, while the ratio of grasslands had a positive effect on the probability of red-footed falcon presence. None of our models predicted red-footed falcon presence at colonies outside the current breeding range, suggesting that a probable increase in redfooted falcon population numbers will not be accompanied by the expansion of the current breeding range.

Keywords: red-footed falcon, habitat, modeling, breeding range, rook, spatial GLMM

Abstract: Climate change has a great impact on the build and the work of natural ecosystems. Disappearance of some population or growth of the number in some species can be already caused by little change in temperature. A Theoretical Ecosystem Growth Model was investigated in order to examine the effects of various climate patterns on the ecological equilibrium. The answers of the ecosystems which are given to the climate change could be described by means of global climate modelling and dynamic vegetation models. The examination of the operation of the ecosystems is only possible in huge centres on supercomputers because of the number and the complexity of the calculation. The number of the calculation could be decreased to the level of a PC by considering the temperature and the reproduction during the modelling of a theoretical ecosystem and several important theoretical questions could be answered.

Keywords: climate modelling, ecosystem, climate change, theoretical ecological model

Abstract: This review discusses the connection between quantitative changes of environmental factors and oribatid communities. With the overview of available studies, it can be clearly explored how various characteristics of Oribatid communities are modified due to changes in moisture, temperature, heavy metal concentration, organic matter content and level of disturbance. The most important question concerning the application of Oribatids as indicators is to clarify what kind of information content does natural Oribatid coenological patterns possess from the aspect of bioindication. Most of the variables listed above can be directly measured, since rapid methods are available to quantify parameters of the soil. Responses of Oribatids are worth to study in a more complex approach. Even now we have an expansive knowledge on how communities change due to modifications of different factors. These pieces of information necessitate the elaboration of such methods which render Oribatid communities suitable for the task to prognosticate what extent the given site can be considered near-natural or degraded, based on the Oribatid composition of a single sample taken from the given area. Answering this problem needs extensive and coordinated work.

Keywords: community, bioindication, soil, ecology, coenology