Special Issue "Wetland Ecology: Principles and Conservation"

A special issue of International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health (ISSN 1660-4601). This special issue belongs to the section "Environmental Science and Engineering".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 31 December 2021.

Special Issue Editors

Dr. Cristina Sousa Coutinho Calheiros
E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Interdisciplinary Centre of Marine and Environmental Research (CIIMAR/CIMAR), University of Porto, Novo Edifício do Terminal de Cruzeiros do Porto de Leixões, Avenida General Norton de Matos, S/N, 4450-208 Matosinhos, Portugal
Interests: water and wastewater treatment; environmental biotechnology; environmental engineering; phytomanagement; bioremediation; phytoremediation; nature-based solutions; freshwater ecosystem conservation and restoration; education for sustainability
Special Issues and Collections in MDPI journals
Dr. Sofia Isabel Almeida Pereira
E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Centre for Biotechnology and Fine Chemistry (CBQF), Universidade Católica Portuguesa, Porto, Portugal
Interests: environmental biotechnology; phytoremediation; phytomanagement; microbial-assisted phytotechnological approaches; plant–microbe interactions; soil fertility; development of bioinoculant formulations; effects of climate change and related abiotic stresses on plant growth and development
Special Issues and Collections in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

We are pleased to announce the Special Issue of the International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health (IJERPH) entitled “Wetland Ecology: Principles and Conservation". We welcome the submission of interdisciplinary work in the format of original research papers, case studies, as well as systematic reviews.

The submissions should cover the latest research related to natural and artificial wetland dynamics in terms of pollution abatement, water quality, the presence of contaminants of emerging concern (CECs), and public health related issues, including microbial pathogens and pollutant pathways. Furthermore, special emphasis will also be given to wetland restoration and conservation, and ecosystem services and their use as tools for climate change adaptation and mitigation.

Wetlands, natural or artificial, play an important role in maintaining ecological service functions, which more than a billion people depend on, and are thus of great value. They face several challenges, related not only with climate change, but also with their misuse, as well as the increasing pressures related to population increase, pollution, and land reclamation. Wetland degradation has the potential to influence human health, biodiversity, and local climate, whereby ecological security may also be jeopardized. This is a global problem that ravages rural and urban territories. This Special Issue aims to disseminate important findings and share innovative ideas in this field of expertise.

Dr. Cristina Sousa Coutinho Calheiros
Dr. Sofia Pereira
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All papers will be peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2300 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • Environmental pollution
  • Contamination
  • Water quality
  • Phytoremediation
  • Ecosystem services
  • Biodiversity
  • Climate Change
  • Wetlands
  • Contaminant of emerging concern
  • Environment and public health
  • Microbial pathogens

Published Papers (4 papers)

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Research

Article
Evaluation of Bed Depth Reduction, Media Change, and Partial Saturation as Combined Strategies to Modify in Vertical Treatment Wetlands
Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2021, 18(9), 4842; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph18094842 - 01 May 2021
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 984
Abstract
The aim of this work was to evaluate the performance of vertical subsurface flow treatment wetlands (VSSF TWs) for treating rural domestic wastewater when strategies such as bed depth reduction and media change are used in combination with bottom saturation. Two treatment wetland [...] Read more.
The aim of this work was to evaluate the performance of vertical subsurface flow treatment wetlands (VSSF TWs) for treating rural domestic wastewater when strategies such as bed depth reduction and media change are used in combination with bottom saturation. Two treatment wetland systems were implemented: normal (VF-N), with a bed depth of 1.0 m, and modified (VF-M), with a bed depth of 0.5 m and a bottom layer of natural zeolite. Schoenoplectus californicus was used as experimental plant. These two treatment systems were operated at a hydraulic loading rate of 120 mm/d in two phases. Phase I did not use bottom saturation, while Phase II involved a bottom saturation of the zeolite layer of the VF-M system. The results show that bed depth reduction did not have a significant effect (p > 0.05) in terms of organic matter, solids, and ammonium removal. Conversely, it had a significant influence (p < 0.05) on phosphate as well as a negative effect on pathogen removal. This influence could be explained by initial media capacity for phosphorus removal and filtration importance in the case of pathogens. Partial saturation only had a positive influence on total nitrogen removal. The addition of a bottom layer of natural zeolite showed no positive effect on nutrient removal. The plant showed adaptation and positive development in both VF-N and VF-M. The water balance showed that water loss was not influenced by bed depth reduction. Therefore, according to the previous results, a combination of the proposal modifications to VSSF TWs can be introduced for treating rural domestic wastewater. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Wetland Ecology: Principles and Conservation)
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Article
Landscape Pattern Evolution Processes of Wetlands and Their Driving Factors in the Xiong’an New Area of China
Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2021, 18(9), 4403; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph18094403 - 21 Apr 2021
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 693
Abstract
Wetland landscape patterns are the result of various ecological and hydrological processes. Based on the land use landscape types from 1980 to 2017, a transfer matrix, landscape pattern analysis index, and principal component analysis were used to analyze the landscape pattern evolution in [...] Read more.
Wetland landscape patterns are the result of various ecological and hydrological processes. Based on the land use landscape types from 1980 to 2017, a transfer matrix, landscape pattern analysis index, and principal component analysis were used to analyze the landscape pattern evolution in the Xiong’an New Area of China, which has a large area with a lake and river wetlands. The results showed that the wetland area has changed greatly since 2000 and the beach land has decreased greatly, while the area of the lake and river wetlands has increased slightly. Beach land was the dominant landscape type of the wetland. The dominant degree of the wetland landscape showed a slightly decreasing trend, and the patches tended to be scattered. The shape complexity of the ponds was the lowest, while that of rivers was the highest. The fragmentation degree of the wetland patches increased, the proportion of landscape types tended to be equalized, and the landscape heterogeneity increased. The leading factors of the wetland landscape change can be summarized as socioeconomic, meteorological, and hydrological processes, with a cumulative contribution rate of 85.3%, among which socioeconomic development was the most important factor. The results have important guiding significance for the ecological restoration and management of wetlands in the Xiong’an New Area and other wetland ecosystems with rivers and lakes. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Wetland Ecology: Principles and Conservation)
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Article
Adjusted Unit Value Transfer as a Tool for Raising Awareness on Ecosystem Services Provided by Constructed Wetlands for Water Pollution Control: An Italian Case Study
Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2021, 18(4), 1531; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph18041531 - 05 Feb 2021
Viewed by 1057
Abstract
Constructed wetlands (CWs) are nature-based solutions (NBS) for water pollution control that can also be designed to be multipurpose in terms of additional ecosystem services (ESs), such as biodiversity support and social benefits. Awareness about additional ESs of CWs can be raised with [...] Read more.
Constructed wetlands (CWs) are nature-based solutions (NBS) for water pollution control that can also be designed to be multipurpose in terms of additional ecosystem services (ESs), such as biodiversity support and social benefits. Awareness about additional ESs of CWs can be raised with value transfer (VT) methods for ESs monetization, in particular, the simplified adjusted unit VT method. A multi-criteria analysis (MCA) was performed to compare grey and green infrastructure alternatives for the management of a combined sewer overflow in the Buccinasco town (Italy), in which the criteria related to ESs were monetized with an adjusted VT method (B£ST software). The results highlighted the potential interest in the implementation of the green infrastructure in a new urban park, due to the activation of additional ESs of interest, such as health and recreational aspects. The results were also confirmed by a sensitivity analysis, which simulated the variation of preferences among different stakeholder groups (e.g., citizens, environmentalists). In conclusion, this work provided a transparent methodology to support decisions regarding green and grey infrastructure, allowing to evaluate additional ESs from the beginning of the decision stage with low cost and efforts. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Wetland Ecology: Principles and Conservation)
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Article
Screening the Capacity of 34 Wetland Plant Species to Remove Heavy Metals from Water
Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2020, 17(13), 4623; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph17134623 - 27 Jun 2020
Cited by 4 | Viewed by 924
Abstract
Floating treatment wetlands (FTWs), consisting of vegetated rafts, may reduce heavy metal levels in polluted water, but the choice of plant species for efficient metal removal needs to be further investigated. We screened the capacity of 34 wetland plant species to remove metals [...] Read more.
Floating treatment wetlands (FTWs), consisting of vegetated rafts, may reduce heavy metal levels in polluted water, but the choice of plant species for efficient metal removal needs to be further investigated. We screened the capacity of 34 wetland plant species to remove metals dissolved in water to identify suitable species for FTWs. The plants were grown hydroponically for 5 days in a solution containing 1.2 µg Cd L−1, 68.5 µg Cu L−1, 78.4 µg Pb L−1, and 559 µg Zn L−1. Results show large variation in metal removal rate and capacity between the investigated species. The species with highest removal capacity could remove up to 52–94% of the metals already after 0.5 h of exposure and up to 98–100% of the metals after 5 days of exposure. Plant size contributed more to high removal capacity than did removal per unit of fine roots. Carex pseudocyperus and C. riparia were the most efficient and versatile species. The findings of this study should be considered as a starting point for further investigation of plant selection for improved water purification by FTWs. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Wetland Ecology: Principles and Conservation)
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