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Ecohyrological Processes, Environmental Effects, and Integrated Regulation of Wetland Ecosystems

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A special issue of Water (ISSN 2073-4441). This special issue belongs to the section "Water Quality and Contamination".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (31 October 2022) | Viewed by 23168

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Special Issue Editors

Prof. Dr. Junhong Bai

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Guest Editor

School of Environment, Beijing Normal University, Beijing 100875, China
Interests: carbon cycling; nitrogen cycling; biogeochemical processes; ecohydrological processes; ecological risks; heavy metals; wetland restoration; wetland soil; microbial ecology; wetland ecology
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Dr. Tian Xie

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor

School of Environment, Beijing Normal University, Beijing 100875, China
Interests: wetland restoration; ecohydrological processes; invasion ecology; wetland vegetation; biological conservation; wetland biodiversity; biogeomorphology
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Dr. Laibin Huang

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor

Department of Land, Air and Water Resources, University of California-Davis, Davis, CA 95616, USA
Interests: soil microbiome and health; N cycling; greenhouse gas emissions; metagenome
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Wetlands are among the most important ecosystems on Earth and play important multiecological service functions such as providing productivity, regulating climate, purifying water quality, sequestrating carbon, and controlling floods. Wetlands serve as sources, sinks, and transformers of a multitude of chemical, biological, and genetic materials. The conversion of sources and sinks of chemical materials highly depends on ecohydrological processes and microbial degradation. Wetland loss and degradation has occurred on a global scale due to intense human activities, and approximately 50% of wetlands has been lost over the past century. The intense anthropogenic disturbances have greatly degraded wetland functions by draining, dredging, and filling wetlands, modifying the hydrological regime, constructing artificial facilities, and polluting wetland habitats. Wetland habitats have been greatly threatened by the abovementioned human pressures and climate change, which can not only affect primary and secondary productivity, community composition and distribution, and biodiversity, but also impact natural ecohydrological and biogeochemical processes. Meanwhile, the ecosystem services of wetlands have also been degraded due to changing wetland hydrology. Therefore, many protection and restoration projects have been conducted to restore degraded habitats, improve water quality, and control flooding. Wetland restoration is driven by policies such as the Ramsar convention on wetlands of international importance, the Clean Water Act of the US, the Water Framework Directive of the European Union, and others. Hopefully, increasing practices of protection and restoration will develop into an intentional activity that initiates or accelerates the recovery of a degraded or destroyed wetlands in more countries.

We invite you to contribute your recent research in relation to understanding ecohydrological processes, environmental effects, and integrated regulation in wetland ecosystems to wetland conservation and management. The potential topics include but not limited to:

Hydrological processes in wetlands;
Wetland biogeochemistrical processes;
Wetland ecological risks;
Wetland structures and functions;
Environmental pollution in wetlands;
Ecohydrological processes in wetlands;
Wetlands conservation and restoration;
Effects of climate change on wetlands;
Ecological service functions in wetlands;
Ecological network analysis of wetlands.

Prof. Dr. Junhong Bai
Dr. Tian Xie
Dr. Laibin Huang
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 submissions that pass pre-check are 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. Water 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 2600 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

ecohydrological processes
environmental effects
ecological risks
biogeochemical processes
pollution
restoration
regulation
climate change
ecological service functions
wetland ecosystems

Published Papers (11 papers)

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Research

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12 pages, 1900 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Application of Modified Biochar in the Treatment of Pesticide Wastewater by Constructed Wetland

by Yong Hu, Rong Xiao, Bo Kuang, Yanping Hu, Yaping Wang, Junhong Bai, Chen Wang, Ling Zhang, Zhuoqun Wei, Kegang Zhang, Milko A. Jorquera, Jacqueliine J. Acuña and Wenbin Pan

Water 2022, 14(23), 3889; https://doi.org/10.3390/w14233889 - 29 Nov 2022

Cited by 5 | Viewed by 2115

Abstract

To explore the synergistic effects of modified biochar in the purification of herbicide-containing wastewater, the effect of biochar addition on the removal effect of the herbicide atrazine in wastewater was verified by the addition of biochar bags in a small reed bed-constructed wetland in the laboratory. The results showed that the addition of sulfuric acid-modified biochar could increase the removal rate of atrazine in wastewater from 50% to 70%, and the COD elimination rate in wastewater was from 66.7% to 86.7%. The addition of biochar to the constructed reed bed wetland improved the removal efficiency of total nitrogen and total phosphorus in the wastewater, and the outlet water from the constructed wetland reached the Class III level of China’s surface water quality standard (the inlet water was inferior to Class V). The experimental design met the requirements of low-cost, generalized atrazine-containing wastewater treatment and thus could have the potential for wide application. The results reflected the application potential of modified biochar as a synergist in the treatment of herbicide wastewater in constructed wetlands. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Ecohyrological Processes, Environmental Effects, and Integrated Regulation of Wetland Ecosystems)

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12 pages, 5037 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Polygonum criopolitanum Hance Expansion and Its Effects on Overwintering Goose Populations in the Poyang Lake Wetland

by Shiyan Wang, Shilin Zhao, Zhen Han, Xiaobo Liu, Jie Wang, Xu Ma, Yiqian Tan and Wenqi Peng

Water 2022, 14(19), 3164; https://doi.org/10.3390/w14193164 - 08 Oct 2022

Viewed by 1245

Abstract

Since 2003, Poyang Lake has been showing obvious signs of degradation due to its changed “river-lake” relationship with the Yangtze River. The water level of Poyang Lake decreases continuously in autumn. The distribution elevation of wetland beach vegetation is constantly moving down and the distribution range is constantly expanding. The Polygonum criopolitanum community expansion at 9–12 m elevation (Yellow Sea elevation, the same below) has resulted in a significant decline in areas of mudflat and shallow water, and a significant change in habitat structure for overwintering migratory birds. Combined with field investigation, controlled experiments and statistical modeling were conducted to simulate Polygonum criopolitanum growth at 9–12 m elevation to establish its growth curve, effective growth time, growth rate, and fast-slow turning point. Polygonum criopolitanum growth rate was fastest in the 12 m elevation zone, and reached a maximum in only 22 days. After that, growth rate slowed down and tended to stagnate. Maximum growth rate of Polygonum criopolitanum in 10 and 11 m elevation zones occurred on the 31st and 46th days, respectively. At the inflection point, the Polygonum criopolitanum biomass accumulation rate was fast, then it gradually slowed down until it stopped. Polygonum criopolitanum growth and development at 9–11 m elevation was highly consistent with the arrival of overwintering migratory geese. Polygonum criopolitanum expansion at 9–11 m elevation created fine habitat conditions and rich food resources for populations of Soybean Goose, White Goose, Swan Goose and Cygnet, which was the fundamental reason for the formation of the Duchang Migratory Bird Reserve after 2003. This study is of scientific significance for studies of wetland vegetation community distribution and the promotion of reserve management. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Ecohyrological Processes, Environmental Effects, and Integrated Regulation of Wetland Ecosystems)

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13 pages, 3443 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Compositional Changes and Co-Occurrence Patterns of Planktonic Bacteria and Microeukaryotes in a Subtropical Estuarine Ecosystem, the Pearl River Delta

by Kang Ma, Ze Ren, Jiaming Ma, Nannan Chen and Jingling Liu

Water 2022, 14(8), 1227; https://doi.org/10.3390/w14081227 - 11 Apr 2022

Cited by 2 | Viewed by 1588

Abstract

Planktonic microorganisms in aquatic ecosystems form complex assemblages of highly interactive taxa and play key roles in biogeochemical cycles. However, the microbial interactions within bacterial and microeukaryotic communities, and the mechanisms underpinning the responses of abundant and rare microbial taxa to environmental disturbances in the river estuary remain unknown. Here, 16S and 18S rRNA gene sequencing were used to investigate the compositional changes and the co-occurrence patterns of bacterial and microeukaryotic communities. The results showed that the rare taxa in the bacterial communities were more prevalent than those in the microeukaryotic communities and may influence the resilience and resistance of microorganisms to environmental variations in estuarine ecosystems. The environmental variations had strong effects on the microeukaryotic communities and their assembly mechanisms but not on the bacterial communities in our studied area. However, based on co-occurrence network analyses, the bacterial communities had stronger links and more complex interactions than microeukaryotic communities, suggesting that bacterial networks may help improve the buffering capacities of the estuarine ecosystem against environmental change. The keystone taxa of bacteria mainly belonged to rare subcommunities, which further illustrates that rare taxa may play fundamental roles in network persistence. Overall, these results provide insights into the microbial responses of aquatic ecosystems to environmental heterogeneity. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Ecohyrological Processes, Environmental Effects, and Integrated Regulation of Wetland Ecosystems)

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13 pages, 1615 KiB

Open AccessFeature PaperArticle

Benthic Macroinvertebrate Diversity as Affected by the Construction of Inland Waterways along Montane Stretches of Two Rivers in China

by Peng Dou, Xuan Wang, Yan Lan, Baoshan Cui, Junhong Bai and Tian Xie

Water 2022, 14(7), 1080; https://doi.org/10.3390/w14071080 - 29 Mar 2022

Cited by 2 | Viewed by 1957

Abstract

Building inland waterways affects the natural structure, formation, and extent of the riverbed and riparian zone. It alters the hydrology and sediment deposition conditions and hence damages the aquatic ecosystem. To address the effects of the construction of inland waterways on the riverine biome, benthic macroinvertebrate communities were compared at different building stages of inland waterways along a gradient of shipping traffic density at two montane rivers in China. The Shannon–Wiener diversity index of the benthic macroinvertebrate communities ranged from 0.4 to 1.6; the lowest value was recorded in the completed inland waterway, while the highest value was recorded in the unaffected stretch. Principal component analysis and canonical correlation analysis showed the communities in the inland waterways to be distinct from those in the natural riparian habitats. Our results suggest that benthic macroinvertebrate communities can reflect the damage done by the hydromorphological modifications caused by building inland waterways. Benthic macroinvertebrate diversity and abundance should therefore be included when assessing the impact of building and operating inland waterways. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Ecohyrological Processes, Environmental Effects, and Integrated Regulation of Wetland Ecosystems)

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17 pages, 3050 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Genotypic Diversity Improves Photosynthetic Traits of Hydrocotyle vulgaris and Alters Soil Organic Matter and N₂O Emissions of Wetland Microecosystems

by Jing-Fang Cai, Kai Sun, Tian-Jian Qin, Xiang-Qi Bu, Mo-Zhu Wang and Hong-Li Li

Water 2022, 14(6), 872; https://doi.org/10.3390/w14060872 - 10 Mar 2022

Cited by 3 | Viewed by 2096

Abstract

In plant communities, genotypic diversity can impact the plant community structure and ecosystem functions, but related research has focused on native plants. Therefore, whether genotypic diversity affects the growth of invasive plants and then changes the wetland microecosystem remains unresolved. In this study, six different genotypes of Hydrocotyle vulgaris, a common invasive plant in China, were selected to construct populations with three different genotypic diversity levels (one, three, and six genotype combinations, respectively) to explore the effects of different genotypic diversity levels on the growth and physiological traits of H. vulgaris, and soil nutrients and greenhouse gas emissions of the wetland microecosystem under flooding conditions. We found that genotypic diversity improved the leaf area, root to shoot ratio and photosynthetic physiological traits of H. vulgaris, especially under flooding. Moreover, genotypic diversity increased soil organic matter (SOM) contents in the wetland microecosystem, while it reduced the cumulative nitrous oxide emissions under flooding conditions. Overall, genotype diversity improved photosynthetic traits of H. vulgaris, further increased SOM, and reduced the N₂O emissions of the wetland microecosystem. The results of this study can provide a theoretical basis for exploring how genotypic diversity levels affect the invasiveness of invasive plants and ecosystems in wetland microecosystems. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Ecohyrological Processes, Environmental Effects, and Integrated Regulation of Wetland Ecosystems)

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11 pages, 22208 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Spatial Distribution of Soil Organic Carbon and Total Nitrogen in a Ramsar Wetland, Dafeng Milu National Nature Reserve

by Xiuying Yao, Dandan Yan, Jingtai Li, Yao Liu, Yufeng Sheng, Siying Xie and Zhaoqing Luan

Water 2022, 14(2), 197; https://doi.org/10.3390/w14020197 - 11 Jan 2022

Cited by 3 | Viewed by 1916

Abstract

The invasion and expansion of Spartina alterniflora in coastal salt marsh wetlands have greatly affected the material cycle of the ecosystem. A total of 372 topsoil samples were collected from 124 sites representing two land-cover types by implementing an unprecedented high sampling density study in the Dafeng Milu National Nature Reserve. Classical statistics and geostatistics were used to quantify soil organic carbon (SOC) and total nitrogen (TN) spatial distribution. Redundancy analysis (RDA) was used to detect correlations between environmental factors, SOC, and TN. The results showed that SOC and TN have moderate variability. The spatial distributions of SOC and TN were similar, and the highest values were observed in the southwest of the study area. In different land cover types, the SOC and TN in the vegetation coverage areas with Spartina alterniflora as the dominant species were significantly higher than those in bare land. RDA showed that TN and aboveground biomass significantly affected the spatial distribution of SOC, while SOC and AGB dominated the spatial distribution of TN. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Ecohyrological Processes, Environmental Effects, and Integrated Regulation of Wetland Ecosystems)

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17 pages, 2406 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Effects of Imazapyr on Spartina alterniflora and Soil Bacterial Communities in a Mangrove Wetland

by Xue Mo, Panpan Dong, Lumeng Xie, Yujiao Xiu, Yanqi Wang, Bo Wu, Jiakai Liu, Xiuhua Song, Mingxiang Zhang and Zhenming Zhang

Water 2021, 13(22), 3277; https://doi.org/10.3390/w13223277 - 19 Nov 2021

Cited by 5 | Viewed by 2187

Abstract

The invasion of Spartina alterniflora (S. alterniflora) has caused serious damage to coastal wetland ecosystems in China, especially the mangrove wetlands in South China. This study aimed to validate the effect of imazapyr on S. alterniflora and soil. The controlled experiment was conducted in May 2021 at the Zhangjiangkou Mangrove Wetland Reserve. In the experiment, 25% (W) imazapyr was used, and six treatments were set up: 3035, 6070, and 9105 mL/acre 25% imazapyr and 1299, 2604, and 5202 mL/acre of AGE 809 + 6070 mL/acre 25% imazapyr. The results showed no side effects on mangrove plants in the spraying area. The highest control efficiency (95.9%) was given by 2604 mL/acre of AGE 809 + 6070 mL/acre 25% imazapyr. The residues of imazapyr in different soils were reduced to 0.10–0.59 mg/kg. The sequencing results showed no significant difference in the overall bacterial communities under different treatments (p > 0.05). The soil bacterial diversity in the samples with adjuvant was higher than that in the samples without adjuvant, while the abundance values were the opposite. There were 10 main communities (>0.3%) at phylum level in all soil samples, among which Proteobacteria, Bacteroidetes, Acidobacteria, Chloflexi, and Actinobacteria were the dominant communities, and the latter four’s abundance changed significantly (p < 0.05). There were significant abundance differences between the groups of oligotrophic and eutrophic bacteria. The redundancy analysis and Monte Carlo tests showed that the total organic carbon (TOC), total phosphorus (TP), available phosphorus (AP), ammonia nitrogen, and total nitrogen were the main factors affecting soil bacterial diversity. At the same time, TOC, AP, and TP were the most critical factors affecting the overall characteristics of soil bacterial communities in different treatments, while soil residues had no significant effect on bacteria. This might be due to the addition and degradation of imazapyr and the coverage of S. alterniflora. The best recommendation is 2604 mL/acre of AGE 809 + 6070 mL/acre 25% imazapyr to be applied in China’s mangrove wetland reserves and coastal wetlands. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Ecohyrological Processes, Environmental Effects, and Integrated Regulation of Wetland Ecosystems)

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18 pages, 3704 KiB

Open AccessArticle

A Tale of Two Deltas: Dam-Induced Hydro-Morphological Evolution of the Volta River Delta (Ghana) and Yellow River Delta (China)

by Dongxue Li, Weilun Gao, Dongdong Shao, Mawusi Amenuvor, Yao Tong and Baoshan Cui

Water 2021, 13(22), 3198; https://doi.org/10.3390/w13223198 - 11 Nov 2021

Cited by 2 | Viewed by 2660

Abstract

Previous studies mostly focus on an individual delta, or deltas at a global scale, to explore dam effects on deltaic hydrological alteration and morphological evolution, while comparative studies on selected similar deltas remain scarce. In this study, we compare the alteration of river discharge and sediment load, as well as the associated deltaic area and shoreline, of two deltas, namely, the Volta River Delta in Ghana and the Yellow River Delta in China, which are subject to similar forcings and mainstem dam influences. The results show that the sediment loads of the Volta River Delta and Yellow River Delta have decreased abruptly and gradually, respectively, to ~10% of the pre-dam level, presumably due to differences in reservoir capacity and upstream dam location. Sediment decline has led to a decrease of the fluvial dominance ratio, which has also been affected by the river mouth location and shoreline orientation. As a consequence, the area of the Volta River Delta has shifted to a new quasi-equilibrium, whereas the Yellow River Delta has kept prograding. This comparative study provides references for understanding the future evolution of similar deltas around the world. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Ecohyrological Processes, Environmental Effects, and Integrated Regulation of Wetland Ecosystems)

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11 pages, 1483 KiB

Open AccessArticle

How Waterlogged Conditions Influence the Nitrogen Dynamics in a Soil–Water–Plant System: Implications for Wetland Restoration

by Lumeng Xie, Ying Liu, Shiqiang Zhao, Liyi Dai, Zhifa Zhang, Mingxiang Zhang and Zhenming Zhang

Water 2021, 13(21), 2957; https://doi.org/10.3390/w13212957 - 20 Oct 2021

Cited by 2 | Viewed by 1917

Abstract

Growing populations and industrialization have led to increased nitrogen (N) loads in wetland ecosystems. A micro-constructed wetland planted with Lythrum salicaria L. to treat artificial wastewater was used to investigate the short-term variations in the plant biomass and dynamics of total nitrogen (TN) content. Our results showed that the biomass of Lythrum salicaria L. rapidly increased during the experiment due to their extensive root system and vigorous spread, and waterlogged conditions had little effect on the relationship between biomass and the TN content in soil and effluent. Under different waterlogged conditions, the TN removal rates in the water were all greater than 60%, providing a reference for the waterlogged conditions used in wetland eutrophication restoration. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Ecohyrological Processes, Environmental Effects, and Integrated Regulation of Wetland Ecosystems)

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17 pages, 1647 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Spatial Pattern of Dissolved Nitrogen in the Water on Receiving Agricultural Drainage in the Sanhuanpao Wetland in China

by Xiaodong Wang, Lijuan Chu, Yujia Song, Guodong Wang and Ming Jiang

Water 2021, 13(19), 2683; https://doi.org/10.3390/w13192683 - 28 Sep 2021

Viewed by 1276

Abstract

The total nitrogen (TN) increases and the water quality deteriorates when a large amount of nitrogen-containing water is discharged from farmlands into wetlands. This research on the relationship between the TN, ammonia nitrogen (NH₄-N), and nitrate nitrogen (NO₃-N) concentrations in water has a certain reference significance for understanding the spatial pattern of nitrogen removal in wetlands. Taking the Sanhuanpao wetland in northeast China as the research object, 24 sampling plots in the study area were sampled in the spring and summer of 2017 to test the concentrations of TN, NH₄-N, and NO₃-N. Based on the calculations of the change rates of the TN, NH₄-N, and NO₃-N in spring and summer, a step-by-step elimination analysis was carried out and the spatial pattern of the TN, NH₄-N, and NO₃-N removals were revealed by gradual buffer extrapolations, combined with stepwise fitting functions. The results show that the removal capacity of NH₄-N is strong within the range of 14.55 km–20 km and 26.93 km–35.96 km from the wetland inlet, and the removal capacity of NO₃-N is relatively strong within the range of 26.93 km–35.96 km. The strong NH₄-N and NO₃-N removal areas in the wetland are not in the geometric center of the wetland, but in separate narrow areas around the center. The TN removal along water channel direction is only 0.25 times higher than that direction perpendicular to the channel, indicating that regardless of whether wetlands are expanded along the water channel or perpendicular to the water channel, the difference to the TN removal is small. Effectively monitoring and managing the reception of agricultural drainage is extremely important for maintaining the water-purification function of wetlands. The aim of the research is to reveal a spatial law of nitrogen removal in wetland water, and provide a framework for studying the mechanism of spatial difference of nitrogen. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Ecohyrological Processes, Environmental Effects, and Integrated Regulation of Wetland Ecosystems)

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Review

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15 pages, 1951 KiB

Open AccessReview

Spartina alterniflora Invaded Coastal Wetlands by Raising Soil Sulfur Contents: A Meta-Analysis

by Zhenzhen Zhao, Liyu Cheng, Chiquan He, Feifei Wang, Jialin Liu, Yuanhang Li, Xueping Chen, Xiaoyan Liu, Gaoming Lv and Daoyuan Wang

Water 2022, 14(10), 1633; https://doi.org/10.3390/w14101633 - 19 May 2022

Cited by 6 | Viewed by 2179

Abstract

Nowadays, plant invasion has become a global ecological threat to local biodiversity and ecosystem stability. Spartina alterniflora encroaches on the ecological niches of local species and changes the soil’s nutrient cycle. However, few comprehensive assessments focus on the effects of S. alterniflora invasion. Here, we investigated how soil sulfur changed with spatiotemporal variation and life forms of native species after S. alterniflora invasion and speculated the possible mechanism of the sulfur increase based on the references. The invasion of S. alterniflora increased soil total sulfur by 57.29% and phytotoxic sulfide by 193.29%. In general, the invasion of S. alterniflora enhanced the total plant biomass and soil nutrients, e.g., soil organic carbon, total nitrogen, and soil microbial biomass carbon, further increasing soil sulfur content. The sulfur accumulation caused by S. alterniflora might result in the poisoning of native species. Thus, we hypothesized that the success of S. alterniflora invasion was closely connected with soil sulfur, especially toxic sulfide. Our study suggests that researchers should give more attention to the correlation between S. alterniflora invasion and the soil sulfur increase. More research is needed to investigate the mechanisms of the successful invasion by accumulating phytotoxic sulfide. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Ecohyrological Processes, Environmental Effects, and Integrated Regulation of Wetland Ecosystems)

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