Dam construction and nutrient loading are among the greatest threats to freshwater ecosystems, altering ecological processes and the provisioning of ecosystem services.Temporal change in hydrology and ambient nitrogen and phosphorus concentrations was studied on the Grijalva, a large tropical river in southern Mexico, where four hydroelectric dams operate and where land conversion has impacted the freshwater environment. Temporal changes in discharge and in river chemistry were examined by analysing long-term discharge and nutrient data using the software Indicators of Hydrologic Alteration and Mann-Kendall tests. Furthermore, additional water chemistry samples were collected to examine seasonal nutrient dynamics in the lower Grijalva. Long-term discharge data indicated dam construction has severely altered temporal patterns in discharge and other hydrological characteristics. The lower Grijalva has also experienced increase in nitrate concentrations through time, which may be attributed to the expansion of agricultural and urban areas in the watershed.In contrast, total phosphorus appeared to decline at the sites influenced by dam construction. Lower nutrient concentrations were recorded upstream from the city of Villahermosa, suggesting that inputs from urban areas may have contributed to nutrient loading. Additionally, higher nitrate and total phosphorus concentrations were detected in tributaries draining intensive agricultural and suburban areas. Collectively, the results from the study suggest that dam construction and land conversion in large, tropical watersheds can produce chemical and hydrological changes, which may negatively impact important ecosystem services-such as fisheries and the provisioning of sources of drinking water-and may compromise the integrity of coastal zones.

G. Villanueva-López, P. Martínez-Zurimendi, L. Ramírez-Avilés, F. Casanova-Lugo, and A. Jarquín-Sánchez. 2014. Influence of livestock systems with live fences of Gliricidia sepium on several soil properties in Tabasco, Mexico. Cien Inv. Agr. 41(2): 175-186. The aim of the current study was to evaluate the effects of two livestock systems, a livestock system with live fences (LSLF) of Gliricidia sepium associated with signal grass (Brachiaria decumbens) and a livestock system based on a grass monoculture (LSPM), on specific physical and chemical soil characteristics at different depths and distances from the fence. In each system, we randomly selected 9 plots of 600 m 2. A completely randomized design was used with a 2 x 3 factorial arrangement in which we analyzed the influence of the livestock systems (LSLF and LSPM), soil strata (0-10, 10-20 and 20-30 cm) and the interaction of both factors using a multivariate analysis of variance. In addition, we performed analysis of variance to determine the effect of distance sampling in the LSLF (0-3, 3-6 and 6-9 m). The LSLFs were associated with higher (P≤0.05) soil organic matter (OM), carbon (C) and nitrogen (N) content as well as lower pH and bulk density (BD) when compared with the LSPM. In both livestock systems, the soil OM, C and N were higher (P≤0.05) in the upper (0-10 cm) strata and in the LSLF at a 3 to 6 m distance from the live fences. In the LSLF soil, the pH and BD were similar (P>0.05) at different depths and distances from the live fences. However, the soil pH varied between soil depths in the LSPM. Regarding the physical soil properties, only the sand and clay content varied (P≤0.05) at different depths in both systems but not at different distances from the LSLF. We concluded that the LSLF presents high potential to substantially improve the physical and chemical soil properties and provide an important option for reducing soil degradation in future in livestock production systems based on pasture monoculture.

Under greenhouse conditions, we evaluated establishment of four tree species and their capacity to degrade crude oil recently incorporated into the soil; the species were as follows: Cedrela odorata (tropical cedar), Haematoxylum campechianum (tinto bush), Swietenia macrophylla (mahogany), and Tabebuia rosea (macuilis). Three-month-old plants were planted in soil with three treatments of heavy petroleum and a control (C0 0 mg kg; C1 18,000 mg kg; C2 31,700 mg kg; C3 47,100 mg kg) with four repetitions per treatment and species; the experiment was carried out for 245 days. Height and biomass of all species significantly diminished as petroleum concentration increased, although plant survival was not affected. The quantity of colony-forming units (CFU) of rhizospheric bacteria varied among tree species and treatments; petroleum stimulated bacterial CFU for S. macrophylla. The number of fungi CFU for S. macrophylla and T. rosea was significantly greater in C0 than in soil with petroleum, but among species and among different concentrations, no significant differences were found. The greatest percentage of total petroleum hydrocarbon (TPH) degradation was found in C1 for soil without plants (45 %). Differences from the remaining treatments (petroleum concentrations in soil and plant species) were not significant (P < 0.05). Among all trees, H. campechianum had the greatest TPH degradation (32.5 % in C2). T. rosea (C1) and H. campechianum (C2) resulted in petroleum degradation at levels ranging from 20.5 to 32.5 %. On the basis of this experiment, the tree species used did not improve TPH degradation. However, all of them showed high rates of survival and vigor. So, as tree species provide goods and services, experiments with inoculation of hydrocarbonclastic microorganisms, addition of fertilizers, and mixture of tree and grasses are recommended.

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Excess nutrient inputs are a major cause of aquatic ecosystem impairment worldwide. Increased total phosphorus (TP) and total nitrogen (TN) concentrations can lead to eutrophication affecting ecosystem functioning and environmental services provided by streams and rivers. Establishing numeric nutrient criteria is a strategy to reduce nutrient inputs into freshwater ecosystems. Our objective was to estimate nutrient concentrations that could be used as guides to establish nutrient criteria for TP and TN in the Grijalva basin, Mexico. We applied the frequency distribution method to water quality monitoring data for subregions (upper, middle, and lower Grijalva) and for the whole basin, considering two stream size categories. Nutrients were also compared among subregions, land uses, and stream sizes. Agriculture and urban areas showed higher nutrient concentrations than other land uses, probably due to the use of fertilizers and inputs of domestic and industrial wastewater. Higher nutrient concentrations were found in the middle Grijalva and in low-order streams. Nutrient concentrations at the 75th percentile for the reference sites were higher than those obtained at the 5th, 16.7th, and 25th percentiles for the general nutrient data, probably due to the high level of human disturbance in the Grijalva basin. Nutrient concentrations at the 25th percentile are probably too high to protect the aquatic ecosystems in the basin, while concentrations at the 5th percentile can be too restrictive for the basin. Based on our results, nutrient concentrations at the 16.7th percentile are proposed as a first approximation for nutrient criteria to protect river systems in the Grijalva basin.

Influence of three types of riparian vegetation on fluvial erosion control in Pantanos de Centla, Mexico. Wetlands constitute very important ecological areas. The aim of this study was to quantify the soil losses due to fluvial erosion from 2006 to 2008 in two riverbanks under three types of vegetal coverage dominated by Haematoxylum campechianum, Dalbergia brownei and Brachiaria mutica, in the Pantanos de Centla Biosphere Reserve, SE Mexico. The relationship between the texture, organic matter and pH of soils and soil losses was evaluated. We used erosion sticks to estimate soil losses in 18 plots (three plots per type, three vegetation types, two riverbanks). Soil loss decreased in this order: H. campechianum>B. mutica>D. brownei indicating that D. brownei scrubland has the most potential to retain soil. The higher erosive impact within H. campechianum sites can be related with the low density of these trees in the study areas, as well as the lack of association with other types of vegetation that could reinforce the rooting of the soil profile. Furthermore, soil losses in H. campechianum sites were dependent on soil texture. The soils under this type of vegetal coverage were mainly sandy, which are more vulnerable to the erosive action in comparison with fine textured soils or soils with higher clay content, like the ones found in D. brownei and B. mutica sites. Soil losses of 100 % in the second year ( B. mutica plots) can be attributed to the distribution of roots in the upper soil layer and also to livestock management along riverbanks. This study recognizes the importance of D. brownei scrublands in riverbank soil retention. Nevertheless it is necessary to consider the role of an entire vegetal community in future research.

A. Jarquín-Sánchez, S. Salgado-García, D.J. Palma-López, and W. Camacho-Chiu. 2012. Analysis of organic matter in tropical soils with near-infrared spectroscopy (NIRS) and chemometrics. Cien. Inv. Agr. 39(2): 387-394. The objective of this study was to predict the concentration of soil organic matter (SOM) in tropical soils using near-infrared spectroscopy (NIRS) for samples measured within a polyethylene bag and without a bag. One hundred and fifty six soil samples from the humid tropics of Tabasco, Mexico with contrasting chemical characteristics were selected. The samples were dried, ground, and sieved through 2 mm and 5 mm screens, and their SOM contents were determined using the Walkley-Black method. The soil samples were packed in polyethylene bags, and SOM was measured directly with and without a bag using a quartz probe (FOSS 5000 model of NIRsystems, DK-3400 Hillerod,Denmark) for a range from 1100 to 2000 nm to obtain a prediction model of SOM. The model for determining SOM for bagged samples had good fit and explained 88% of the variation (0 to 10, 2% of SOM of samples). The model for determining SOM for bag-less samples was not efficient for predicting independent samples and therefore was discarded. The analysis by NIRS was reliable, more rapid, and easier for the determination of SOM in soil samples measured through a plastic bag.

La sostenibilidad del uso del recurso suelo y la correcta toma de decisiones sobre su manejo depende del conocimiento de las propiedades del mismo. Los métodos de análisis de suelo convencionales son laboriosos, con alto costo y generan gran cantidad de residuos químicos. Debido a la necesidad de tener métodos que permitan el rápido y confiable análisis de sus propiedades, el objetivo de este trabajo fue desarrollar un modelo de predicción para el contenido de carbono orgánico (CO) y nitrógeno total (NT), mediante espectroscopia en las regiones Visible e Infrarrojo Cercano (VIS-NIR). Se llevó a cabo el análisis convencional de carbono total (CT) y NT por combustión seca y del carbono inorgánico (CI) por el método del calcímetro de Bernard, de 599 muestras de suelos forestales de diversas regiones de México. Las ecuaciones de predicción fueron desarrolladas en un equipo FOSS NIR System 6500. Los modelos generados en el proceso de calibración presentaron valores de R2 = 0.93 y 0.88 para CO y NT, respectivamente. La relación entre el error estándar de predicción y la desviación estándar de las muestras (RPD, por sus siglas en inglés) para ambas propiedades fueron superiores a 2. En el proceso de validación, los valores de R2 fueron mayores a 0.9 y RPD a 2, en ambas propiedades. Los resultados muestran que la espectroscopia VIS-NIR es una técnica alternativa a los métodos de análisis convencionales de carbono orgánico y nitrógeno total del suelo.