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Journal ArticleDOI

Multidisciplinary approach to assess the water self-depuration characteristics of Suquía River (Córdoba, Argentina)

03 Sep 2014-Revista Chilena de Historia Natural (BioMed Central)-Vol. 87, Iss: 1, pp 1-13
TL;DR: In this article, the authors analyzed the water self-depuration capacity along a polluted river (Suquia River) in Argentina: abundance of microbial metabolic groups, cover and type of vegetation, and type and concentration of soil and sediment humic substances.
Abstract: We analyzed the following characteristics of water self-depuration capacity along a polluted river (Suquia River) in Argentina: (a) abundance of microbial metabolic groups, (b) cover and type of vegetation, and (c) type and concentration of soil and sediment humic substances. The objective was to establish the modifications of water self-depuration characteristics of the polluted sites in comparison to a reference site in order to provide basic data for ecological restoration programs. Five samples of riparian soil, water, and sediments were collected at a reference site and five polluted sites during low- and high-flow water periods. In each site the vegetation type and soil cover were recorded. In all samples the abundance of ammonifiers, nitrate reducers, sulfate reducers, cellulolytic microorganisms, aerobic heterotrophs, and fermenters was measured. Besides, soil and sediment organic matter and humic and fulvic acids content were analyzed. Our results showed that all sites differed in their water self-depuration characteristics with respect to the reference site and that these variations are due to a combination of natural and anthropic factors. The Suquia River presents a great heterogeneity of water self-depuration characteristics but it does not achieve a mitigation of the anthropogenic impact produced by Cordoba city. We concluded that restoration actions in lotic ecosystems should be adapted for each river sector.

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Citations
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Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: The results showed the presence of contaminants along the studied river and the ability of C. largillierti to bioaccumulate them, and suggest this species as an useful bioindicator of aquatic pollution.

15 citations

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: In this paper, organic matter dynamics and humic substances (HS) spectrochemical properties along the lower-middle basin of the Suquia River were investigated. But the results were limited to a small portion of the river basin.

14 citations

References
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Book ChapterDOI
01 Jan 2015
TL;DR: In the field of soil biology, the potential for an exciting, dynamic future if we understand it and apply its unifying principles can be found in the recent advances in genomic studies as discussed by the authors.
Abstract: Our science, based on a successful past, has great potential for an exciting, dynamic future if we understand it and apply its unifying principles. Advances in genomic studies are identifying multitudes of new soil biota. Automated, analytical instrumentation and modeling are characterizing soil organic matter and its dynamics. Soil nutrient transformations, plant–microbial interactions, substrate availability, and interactions with the soil matrix at the nanometer and micrometer levels must be understood. They also need to be interpreted to kilometer–megameter scales required for both global C and N cycling as well as an increased understanding of human resources. The turnover of soil organic matter, now considered to be primarily microbial products, controls nutrients such as phosphorus, sulfur, and metals. Our complex field requires a greater knowledge of physiological, ecological, and modeling concepts. These concepts must be integrated with information on soil characteristics and breakthroughs in methodology to understand the diversity, occurrence, and interactions of organisms with their environment.

881 citations


"Multidisciplinary approach to asses..." refers background in this paper

  • ...The ammonifiers were the most abundant group, probably due to the high physiologic variability of these microorganisms and that ammonifying activity has few limitations and only depends on the availability of N organic compounds (Paul 2007)....

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Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: In this paper, a comparative study using three different chemometric techniques to evaluate both spatial and temporal changes in Suquia River water quality, with a special emphasis on the improvement obtained using discriminant analysis for such evaluation.

859 citations

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: In this article, the authors describe the prospects for incorporating hotspot and hot moment phenomena into denitrification models in terrestrial soils, the interface between terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems, and in aquatic ecosystems.
Abstract: Denitrification, the anaerobic reduction of nitrogen oxides to nitrogenous gases, is an extremely challenging process to measure and model. Much of this challenge arises from the fact that small areas (hotspots) and brief periods (hot moments) frequently account for a high percentage of the denitrification activity that occurs in both terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems. In this paper, we describe the prospects for incorporating hotspot and hot moment phenomena into denitrification models in terrestrial soils, the interface between terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems, and in aquatic ecosystems. Our analysis suggests that while our data needs are strongest for hot moments, the greatest modeling challenges are for hotspots. Given the increasing availability of high temporal frequency climate data, models are promising tools for evaluating the importance of hot moments such as freeze-thaw cycles and drying/rewetting events. Spatial hotspots are less tractable due to our inability to get high resolution spatial approximations of denitrification drivers such as carbon substrate. Investigators need to consider the types of hotspots and hot moments that might be occurring at small, medium, and large spatial scales in the particular ecosystem type they are working in before starting a study or developing a new model. New experimental design and heterogeneity quantification tools can then be applied from the outset and will result in better quantification and more robust and widely applicable denitrification models.

580 citations


"Multidisciplinary approach to asses..." refers background in this paper

  • ...The mix of vegetation types (tree, shrubs, and grasses) is the best approach to reach the advantages mentioned above (Groffman et al. 2009)....

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  • ...…compounds, removing C, N, and S from ecosys- is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons g/licenses/by/2.0), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction roperly credited. tems (Leonov and Chicherina 2008; Groffman et al. 2009; Gift et al. 2010)....

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Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: The usefulness of water quality indices (WQI) to assess the water quality from multiple measured parameters, and to evaluate spatial and temporal changes, is verified and could be of particular interest for developing countries.

578 citations


"Multidisciplinary approach to asses..." refers background in this paper

  • ...…organic compounds, (c) soil, water, and sediment chemical characteristics, and (d) soil, water, and sediment microbial indicators of sewage pollution (Pesce and Wunderlin 2000; Wunderlin et al. 2001; Contardo-Jara et al. 2009; Merlo et al. 2011; Monferrán et al. 2011; Pasquini et al. 2012)....

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  • ...Numerous authors have evaluated the pollution of Suquía River (Cordoba, Argentina) by means of different aspects such as (a) water and sediment heavy metal content, (b) air volatile organic compounds, (c) soil, water, and sediment chemical characteristics, and (d) soil, water, and sediment microbial indicators of sewage pollution (Pesce and Wunderlin 2000; Wunderlin et al. 2001; Contardo-Jara et al. 2009; Merlo et al. 2011; Monferrán et al. 2011; Pasquini et al. 2012)....

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Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: The impact of nutrient discharges from wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) to United States freshwater systems is reviewed and reuse programs provide an opportunity to reduce or eliminate direct nutrient discharging to receiving waters while allowing for the beneficial use of reclaimed water.
Abstract: Excessive nutrient loading (considering nitrogen and phosphorus) is a major ongoing threat to water quality and here we review the impact of nutrient discharges from wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) to United States (US) freshwater systems While urban and agricultural land uses are significant nonpoint nutrient contributors, effluent from point sources such as WWTPs can overwhelm receiving waters, effectively dominating hydrological characteristics and regulating instream nutrient processes Population growth, increased wastewater volumes, and sustainability of critical water resources have all been key factors influencing the extent of wastewater treatment Reducing nutrient concentrations in wastewater is an important aspect of water quality management because excessive nutrient concentrations often prevent water bodies from meeting designated uses WWTPs employ numerous physical, chemical, and biological methods to improve effluent water quality but nutrient removal requires advanced treatment and infrastructure that may be economically prohibitive Therefore, effluent nutrient concentrations vary depending on the particular processes used to treat influent wastewater Increasingly stringent regulations regarding nutrient concentrations in discharged effluent, along with greater freshwater demand in populous areas, have led to the development of extensive water recycling programs within many US regions Reuse programs provide an opportunity to reduce or eliminate direct nutrient discharges to receiving waters while allowing for the beneficial use of reclaimed water However, nutrients in reclaimed water can still be a concern for reuse applications, such as agricultural and landscape irrigation

410 citations


"Multidisciplinary approach to asses..." refers background in this paper

  • ...Both natural and anthropic factors modify different aspects of lotic systems including nutrients, organic C, and dissolved O2 contents (Carey and Migliaccio 2009), which affect microbial abundance and activity, altering natural depuration rate in time and distance (Dzyuban 2003; Kosolapov et al. 2003; Carey and Migliaccio 2009; Perryman et al. 2011)....

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  • ...Both natural and anthropic factors modify different aspects of lotic systems including nutrients, organic C, and dissolved O2 contents (Carey and Migliaccio 2009), which affect microbial abundance and activity, altering natural depuration rate in time and distance (Dzyuban 2003; Kosolapov et al.…...

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  • ...The main factors that could modify the water selfdepuration characteristics have natural (climatic, geomorphologic, and hydrologic characteristics) and anthropogenic origin (urban discharges, channel modification, etc.) (Artigas et al. 2009; Carey and Migliaccio 2009; Kang and Lin 2009)....

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  • ...There is not a pristine site; therefore, following Carey and Migliaccio (2009), a reference site with minimal conditions of pollution was selected....

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  • ...…of lotic systems including nutrients, organic C, and dissolved O2 contents (Carey and Migliaccio 2009), which affect microbial abundance and activity, altering natural depuration rate in time and distance (Dzyuban 2003; Kosolapov et al. 2003; Carey and Migliaccio 2009; Perryman et al. 2011)....

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