The species diversity of phytoplankton is usually very high in wild aquatic systems, as seen in the paradox of plankton. Coexistence of many competitive phytoplankton species is extremely common in nature. However, experiments and mathematical theories show that interspecific competition often leads to the extinction of most inferior species. Here, we present a lattice version of a multi-species Lotka–Volterra competition model to demonstrate the importance of local interaction. Its mathematical equilibrium is the exclusion of all but one superior species. However, temporal coexistence of many competitive species is possible in an ecological time scale if interactions are local instead of global. This implies that the time scale is elongated many orders when interactions are local. Extremely high species diversity of phytoplankton in aquatic systems may be maintained by spatial coexistence in an ecological time scale.
The microorganism community that grows under duckweed shelter can play an important role on treatment processes. Therefore, the present study aimed to assess the zooplankton dynamic and microbial community in duckweed ponds (DPs) applied for domestic wastewater treatment under open field conditions. A pilot system comprised of two DPs in series (DP1 and DP2), with 10 m2 each, received domestic wastewater through a flow rate of 200 L·day−1. Thus, the system was monitored during 314 days through samples collected...
The significant challenge of achieving safe, reliable and continuous service delivery has been a focus of the water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) sector in recent years, with less attention given to other important sustainability considerations such as environmental sustainability. The agenda set by the Sustainable Development Goals prompts a wider lens, bringing water resource management and ecosystem conservation together with water and sanitation access targets in one integrated goal. As we grapple with our...
Water contamination with potentially toxic elements (PTEs) has become one of the key issues in recent years that threatens human health and ecological systems. The present study is aimed at removing PTEs like cadmium (Cd), chromium (Cr), copper (Cu) and lead (Pb) from aqueous solutions and industrial wastewater using activated carbon (AC) as an adsorbent through different batch and column experiments. Results demonstrated that the removal of PTEs from aqueous solutions was highly pH dependent, except for Cr, and...
Biofilms are complex biostructures that appear on all surfaces that are regularly in contact with water. They are structurally complex, dynamic systems with attributes of primordial multicellular organisms and multifaceted ecosystems. The presence of biofilms may have a negative impact on the performance of various systems, but they can also be used beneficially for the treatment of water (defined herein as potable water, municipal and industrial wastewater, fresh/brackish/salt water bodies, groundwater) as well...
Despite increased promotion, sanitation programmes have varying degrees of success partly because of limited consideration of the wider context beyond individual factors in programme design. Although a recent model, Integrated Behaviour Model for Water Sanitation and Hygiene (IBM-WASH) comprehensively addresses this gap, the model focuses on the initial adoption factors and lacks emphasis on the functioning of the entire sanitation system from toilet usage to the safe disposal of the waste. Hence application of...
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