Abstract
The ecological impact of sewage discharges to a mangrove wetland in Futian National Nature Reserve, the People's Republic of China was assessed by comparing the plant community, plant growth and nutrient status of soils and vegetation of a site treated with settled municipal wastewater (Site A) with those of a control adjacent site (Site B) which did not receive sewage. During the one year study, the total and available N and P, and organic carbon concentrations of mangrove soils in Site A did not significantly differ from those of Site B. In both sites, the soil organic C, total N, NH4 }-N and total P content exhibited a descending trend from landward to seaward regions, with the lowest measurements obtained from the most foreshore location. Seasonal variation in N content of soil samples was more obvious than any difference between wastewater treated and the control sites. The soil N content was lower in spring and summer. This was attributed to the higher temperature in these seasons which facilitated degradation of organic matter and absorption of nitrogen by the plants for growth. No significant difference in plant community structure, plant growth (in terms of tree height and diameter) and biomass was found between Sites A and B. Leaf samples of the two dominant plant species, Kandelia candel and Aegiceras corniculatum collected from Site A had comparable content of organic carbon, N, P and K to those Site B. These preliminary results indicated that the discharge of a total volume of 2600 m3 municipal wastewater to an area of 1800 m2 mangrove plants over the period of a year did not produce any apparent impact on growth of the plants. The soils and plant leaves of Site A were not contaminated, in terms of nutrient content, by the discharged sewage.
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Wong, Y.S., Lan, C.Y., Chen, G.Z. et al. Effect of wastewater discharge on nutrient contamination of mangrove soils and plants. Hydrobiologia 295, 243–254 (1995). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00029131
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00029131