This study evaluates the spatial heterogeneity of the soil chemical properties of surface soils across a 1 ha old-growth subtropical karst forest in southwest China.

In karst ecosystems, a high level of CaCO3 enhances the stabilization of soil organic matter (SOM) and causes nitrogen (N) and/or phosphorus (P) limitation in plants. Oxalic acid has been suggested to be involved in the nutrient-acquisition strategy of plants because its addition can temporarily relieve nutrient limitation. Therefore, understanding how oxalic acid drives N availability may help...

Most cave and karst ecosystems are believed to be dependent on an influx of allochthonous organic carbon. Although microbes are largely responsible for the fate of dissolved organic matter (DOM) in karst, the role of microbes in chemosynthetic (autochthonous) production and processing of DOM has received limited attention. Chromophoric dissolved organic matter (CDOM) is the fraction of DOM that...

Nutrient contamination of surface waters and groundwaters is an issue of growing importance as the risks associated with agricultural run-off escalate due to increasing demands on global food production. In this study, the influence of surface water–groundwater interaction on the nutrient flux in a lowland karst catchment was investigated with the aid of alkalinity sampling and a hydrological m...

Water supply is a major problem in the Adriatic islands, especially during the summer tourism season, and represents a limiting factor to the islands' further economic development. Much attention has been given to water supply solutions, primarily in terms of attempting to use the existing island water. Unfortunately, few islands have favourable hydrological conditions to accumulate significant...

Karst is a hydrogeological environment of importance not only for its water resources potential but also for its scenic and economic potential, thereby increasing the intensity of human impact. The uniqueness of karst in this regard stems from its high sensitivity and vulnerability to imposed pressures and its distinctive response to these pressures. Therefore, a clear definition and formulatio...

Karst hydrological investigation of the sinking stream problem of the River Zrmanja is presented. The aim of this analysis is to assess the feasibility of constructing three hydroelectric power plants (HEPP) along the River Zrmanja course. This paper presents a suitable and simple hydrological methodology that can be applied to scarce available data obtained on complex karst terranes. The paper...

Gypsum karst problems in the Permian and Triassic sequences of England have caused difficult conditions for bridge and road construction. In Northern England, the Ripon Bypass crosses Permian strata affected by active gypsum karst and severe subsidence problems. Here, the initial borehole site investigation for the road was supplemented by resistivity tomography studies. The roadway was reinfor...

The major phylogenetic pattern of the cyprinid tribe Labeonini has been revealed by previous molecular studies; however, the relationships within a clade that mainly inhabits the karst regions, which we refer to as the "karst group", in southwest China remain unresolved due to the low taxon sampling. This group includes more than 50% of the genera and species of Labeonini in China. Moreover, mo...