Water relations of Yezo spruce and Todo fir in declined stands of boreal Forest in Hokkaido, Japan

Recently, symptoms of decline have been widely observed in Yezo spruce (Picea jezoensis) and Todo fir (Abies sachalinensis) in Hokkaido. In order to clarify the mechanism of decline, the water status of Yezo spruce and Todo fir trees in the Tokyo University Forest in Hokkaido were investigated. The decline is observed mainly in stands damaged by Typhoon XV of 1981 (D-stands), but is not observed in undamaged stands (C-stands). Sampled trees in both types of stands were selected, the severity of their decline estimated, diurnal water potentials measured and water relation parameters such as water potential at turgor-loss point ( ) and osmotic potential at full saturation ( ) were estimated by pressure-volume analysis. The diurnal trends of leaf water potential and midday water potential ( ) of the sample trees were clearly different between the D-stands and the C-stand. Water stress in trees was much more severe in the D-stands than in the C-stand. and of the declining trees were lower in the D-stands than in the C-stand. However, and were not significantly different between declining trees and healthy-looking trees in D-stands. It was concluded that stand-level water stress, induced by the destruction of the canopy by the typhoon, was associated with the decline symptoms. The measurement of water relation parameters proved to be useful for diagnosis and prediction of decline at a stand level in this area.     

Genetic parameter estimates for growth and form traits in common ash (Fraxinus excelsior, L.) in a breeding seedling orchard at Little Wittenham in England

Data from a trial of 36 families at Little Wittenham, North Oxford was used to assess growth traits and stem form in common ash (Fraxinus excelsior, L.). The trial followed a design described by Barnes (Silv Genet 44(2–3):81–88, 1995) as the Breeding Seedling Orchard (BSO). The objectives of the study were to determine variation in growth and form traits and estimate genetic parameters of families. Assessments conducted at 3–8 years for height, diameter at breast height (dbh), straightness and forking showed significant differences (P < 0.05) among families with Guys (19), Settrington (34), Overbury (23) and Grimthorpe (36) being the best performers while Coleford (3 and 5) Gwynedd (27) and Bacheiddon (32) were the least performers. At the overall level, the additive genetic coefficient of variation (CV_A) ranged between 10.2 and 12.7% for height and 1.5 and 2.1% for dbh. Height had a high genetic correlation (r_g = 0.85) with dbh whilst forking had low correlation (r_g = 0.25) with height. Estimates of heritability decreased with age from  = 0.62 at 3 years to  = 0.30 at 8 years for height while values for dbh decreased from  = 0.48 at 4 years to  = 0.27 at 8 years. Some genetic gains are possible despite the low genetic variation among families; height had the greatest potential of genetic gain (12.5% at 8 years). Results suggest that early selection of superior families of Fraxinus excelsior appears to be feasible and it could be possible to achieve simultaneous improvement in both growth and form.     

Nutrient and sediment removal by switchgrass and cool-season grass filter strips in Central Iowa, USA

Simulated rainfall and runoff were used to compare the effectiveness of 6 m and 3 m wide filter strips of switchgrass (Panicum virgatum) and cool-season filter strips consisting of bromegrass (Bromus inermis), timothy (Phleum pratense) and fescue (Festuca spp.) in reducing sediment, nitrogen and phosphorus in surface runoff from adjacent crop fields. The 6 m and 3 m wide strips represented 20:1 and 40:1 area ratios, respectively. Twelve plots, six each, in the switchgrass and cool-season grass strips, were laid out on Coland soil, having an average slope of 3%. Plots received simulated rainfall of 5.1 cm hr¹ intensity and simulated runoff containing known quantities of sediment and nutrients. Three runon samples, each integrated over 15 minutes, and nine runoff samples, each integrated over five minutes, were collected from each plot and analyzed for sediment, total-N, -N, total-P and P. The 6 m wide filter strips removed 77% while the 3 m removed 66% of the incoming sediment from surface runoff. The 6 m filter strips removed 46% of total-N, 42% of -N, 52% of total-P, and 43% of -P; and the 3 m filter strips removed 28% of total-N, 25% of -N, 37% of total-P and 34% of -P. Differences between 6 m and 3 m filter strips were significant (P < 0.05) for sediment and nutrient removal. Switchgrass filter strips removed significantly more total-N, -N, total-P and -P than cool-season grass filter strips (P < 0.05). This revised version was published online in June 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

Osmotic stress in wood — part II: on the computation of drying stresses in wood

Summary Plastic stress arising in wood during drying is calculated according to the theoretical model developed earlier. The mechanism of stress reversal and the type of resudual stress corresponding to different values of material constants are shown. The results are in qualitative agreement with experimental evidence.List of symbols A coefficient of swelling below the fibre saturation point - C concentration of moisture in wood; weight of moisture per weight of dry wood - C ₀ uniform concentration of moisture in wood at the beginning of drying - C ₁ equilibrium concentration of moisture at the boundary during drying - C =C-C ₁ - non-dimensional concentration - D diffusivity - D ₀ first term in the expansion of diffusivity as function of concentration: D=D ₀(1+D ₁ C+...) - D ₁ secondterm in the expansion (see D ₀) - E Young's modulus - e _ij deviator of tensor of strain: - e _ij ^P deviator of plastic strain: - e _ij ^E deviator of elastic strain - F fibre saturation point (concentration at which the function (c) changes slope) - F =F-C ₁ - g(x,t) function which assumes the value 1 in the elastic zone and 0 in the plastic zone - k von Mises' yield stress - L half width of the sample - M total moisture content - P plastic power - S _ij deviator of stress - S _kk =S ₁₁+S ₂₂+S ₃₃ - S _ij ^E =2 e _ij - T _ij tensor of stress - T _kk =T ₁₁+T ₂₂+T ₃₃ - T non-zero component of stress in a beam or plate - non-dimensional stress - actual stress rate in an elastic zone, fictitious stress rate in a plastic zone - t time - t increment of time - x y z spatial coordinates - X increment of spatial coordinate - Y - Y ₀, Y ₁ terms in the expansion of Y(C): Y(C)=Y ₀(1+Y ₁ C+...) - non-dimensional Y - , (c) coefficient of osmotic expansion (dependent on concentration) - _ij tensor of strain - _kk =₁₁+₂₂+₃₃ - =_yy=_zz non-zero component of strain in the case of a plate or beam - modified strain - elastic constants of an isotropic body - non-dimensional spatial coordinate - Poisson's ratio - non-dimensional time     

Linearity and non-linearity in mechano-sorptive creep of softwood in compression and bending

Summary Non-linearity of softwood in axial mechano-sorptive creep during moisture cycling can be characterised as departure from linear behaviour. Linear behaviour is shown by experimental measurement to be a gradual approach to a creep limit with exponentially decreasing increments of compliance, J_i, per moisture cycle, when tested under a constant stress. On the other hand, when the stress is progressively increased by a small increment after each moisture cycle, the compliance increments will progressively increase, having a value of , where n is the cycle number. By subtracting one compliance increment from the succeeding one, the value of J_i can be obtained. Analysis of experimental results in bending tension and compression showed that the compression test pieces departed from linearity at total strains around 0.14% to 0.15%, the bending test pieces showed slight evidence of non-linearity at about the same strain, whilst the tensile pieces were approximately linear up to 0.18% strain.This project was supported by the U.K. Science and Engineering Research Council and by the European Commission     

Characterization of cellulose in compression and opposite woods of a Pinus densiflora tree grown under the influence of strong wind

Summary Structural factors in a Pinus densiflora tree grown under the influence of strong wind were measured. No difference for cellulose molecules was noticed between compression and opposite wood, but the was somewhat lower in the region where the compression wood was concentrated. The degree of crystallinity of cellulose was 45–50% in compression wood, about 50% in normal wood, and 50–60% in opposite wood. The crystallinity decreased with increasing height above the ground. The maximum point of crystallographic b-axis (fiber axis) orientation distribution for cellulose crystallites in compression wood was located at 30°, in normal wood at 25° and in opposite wood at 0°. The cellulose crystallite dimension in the transverse direction was 3.2 nm, corresponding to four cellulose unit cells, a value that was almost constant throughout the wood. In the longitudinal direction, there were large differences in cellulose crystallite dimensions between compression and opposite woods. In compression wood the cellulose crystallite dimensions was 12 nm corresponding to 11–12 cellulose unit cells. In opposite wood it was 17–32.5 nm corresponding to 17–32 cellulose unit cells. These structural factors were apparently affected by the environmental conditions, and the mechanical properties of the wood were influenced by these factors. Opposite wood had longer crystallites, a higher degree of crystallinity and a better orientation distribution of cellulose crystallites in the longitudinal direction. Compression wood, on the other hand, had shorter crystallites, a lower degree of crystallinity and a large angle between the stem and the direction of the crystallites.     

Modeling height–diameter relationship for <Emphasis Type="Italic">Populus euphratica</Emphasis> in the Tarim riparian forest ecosystem,Northwest China

Modeling height–diameter relationships is an important component in estimating and predicting forest development under different forest management scenarios. In this paper, ten widely used candidate height–diameter models were fitted to tree height and diameter at breast height(DBH)data for Populus euphratica Oliv. within a 100 ha permanent plots at Arghan Village in the lower reaches of the Tarim River, Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region of China. Data from 4781 trees were used and split randomly into two sets:75 % of the data were used to estimate model parameters(model calibration), and the remaining data(25 %) were reserved for model validation. All model performances were evaluated and compared by means of multiple model performance criteria such as asymptotic t-statistics of model parameters, standardized residuals against predicted height,root mean square error(RMSE), Akaike’s informationcriterion(AIC), mean prediction error(ME) and mean absolute error(MAE). The estimated parameter a for model(6) was not statistically significant at a level of a = 0.05. RMSE and AIC test result for all models showed that exponential models(1),(2),(3) and(4) performed significantly better than others. All ten models had very small MEs and MAEs. Nearly all models underestimated tree heights except for model(6). Comparing the MEs and MAEs of models, model(1) produced smaller MEs(0.0059) and MAEs(1.3754) than other models. To assess the predictive performance of models, we also calculated MEs by dividing the model validation data set into 10-cm DBH classes. This suggested that all models were likely to create higher mean prediction errors for tree DBH classes[20 cm. However, no clear trend was found among models.Model(6) generated significantly smaller mean prediction errors across all tree DBH classes. Considering all the aforementioned criteria, model(1): TH ? 1:3 t a= e1 t b?eàc?DBHT and model(6): TH ? 1:3 t DBH2= ea t b?DBH t c ? DBH2T are recommended as suitable models for describing the height–diameter relationship of P. euphratica. The limitations of other models showing poor performance in predicting tree height are discussed. We provide explanations for these shortcomings.     

Microbiological parameters as indicators of soil organic carbon dynamics in relation to different land use management

Labile C fractions: microbial biomass C (MBC), K₂SO₄ extractable C ( \textC_{\textK 2 \textSO 4} {\text{C}}_{{{\text{K}}_{ 2} {\text{SO}}_{ 4} }} ) and the cumulated mineralized C in 21 days incubation at 28°C (C–CO_2(21d)), were compared as land use indicators in a calcareous soil under three different management systems: native Querqus ilex forest (under and outside tree cover), a Pinus halepensis plantation, and cropped land (with cereals). Microbial biomass and activity were found to be low and coincided with high carbonate contents. As indicators of land use, \textC_{\textK 2 \textSO 4} {\text{C}}_{{{\text{K}}_{ 2} {\text{SO}}_{ 4} }} and C–CO_2(21d) showed the same sensitivity as MBC. C–CO₂ emissions were measured in an incubation experiment in order to study C mineralization kinetics. The data for cumulative amounts of C–CO₂ released showed a good fit (R ² > 0.94) to the first-order kinetic model C _m = C _o(1 − e^−kt ). The kinetic parameters C _o and C _o k were affected by land use and especially by tree cover. Principal components analysis was applied to the data and the relationship among microbial metabolic quotient (qCO₂), labile C pools, and MBC revealed a decrease in efficiency of organic substrate utilization with an increase in availability and lability of the organic matter.     

Causes for the small scale variability of nitrate concentration in seepage water of an N saturated mature spruce stand

Context

In N-saturated forests nitrate concentrations in seepage water ( $ {\text{N}}{{\text{O}}_3}{^{ - }_{\text{seepage}}} $ ) regularly show high spatial variability even within homogeneous stands. Up to now the reasons of this variability are not fully understood.

Aims

The main objective was to identify the crucial parameters that control spatial variability of $ {\text{N}}{{\text{O}}_3}{^{ - }_{\text{seepage}}} $ at the H?glwald site.

Methods

We investigated a multitude of parameters (e.g. N turnover, root biomass, soil chemistry, soil physics, stand parameters) and related them to $ {\text{N}}{{\text{O}}_3}{^{ - }_{\text{seepage}}} $ , measured in 40?cm depth with suction cups.

Results

A small number of biological parameters (net N mineralization, root distribution, and stand density) explained up to 93?% of the variability of $ {\text{N}}{{\text{O}}_3}{^{ - }_{\text{seepage}}} $ in linear regression models. Net N-mineralization rates in the humus layer and fine root biomass in the upper mineral soil influenced $ {\text{N}}{{\text{O}}_3}{^{ - }_{\text{seepage}}} $ positively. Fine root biomass in deeper soil layers (30?C40?cm depth) and stand density had a negative influence.

Conclusion

The rate of net N mineralization in the organic layer is decisive for the nitrate production in the soil. Roots in the upper mineral soil increase $ {\text{N}}{{\text{O}}_3}{^{ - }_{\text{seepage}}} $ by intensive water uptake but excluding nitrate at the same time. The variation of these two parameters is responsible for most of the small-scale variability of $ {\text{N}}{{\text{O}}_3}{^{ - }_{\text{seepage}}} $ .     

Distribution of small mammals in a silvoarable agroforestry system in Northern England

The importance of agroforestry systems in temperate regions in providing habitat for small mammals has not been investigated. Numbers and densities of small mammals were assessed by live trapping in a complex farming landscape including mature hedgerows, arable fields, areas of trees planted at forestry density (2,500 trees ha–1) and trees in an agroforestry configuration (178 trees ha^–1) consisting of rows of trees separated by arable alleys. Over a 2 -year period, 1680 animals were captured; 69% were Apodemus sylvaticus L., 20% Sorex araneus L. and 10% Clethrionomys glareolus Schreber. Small numbers of Mus domesticus Rutty, Sorex minutus L., and Neomys fodiens Pennant were also caught. The density of captures of A. sylvaticus and S. araneus varied little over the whole farming landscape in contrast to C. glareolus which had a greater density of captures in mature hedgerows. However, for the small mammals collectively, away from hedgerows, the highest density of captures was found in the agroforestry tree rows (15.5 per 100 trap nights) and the least in open arable crop (4.3), with both arable alleys and forestry density trees having intermediate values (9.1 and 9.2 respectively).Densities of captures of A. sylvaticus were greater in the tree rows and arable alleys than in the forestry area and the adjacent open arable crop, whereas for S. araneus they were greater in the habitats with trees. It is clear that the range of habitats in an agroforestry system is valuable for small mammal conservation.     

Strain analysis near the cutting edge in orthogonal cutting of hinoki (<Emphasis Type="Italic">Chamaecyparis obtusa</Emphasis>) using a digital image correlation method

A digital image correlation (DIC) method was utilized to measure strain distributed within approximately 0.5 mm of the cutting edge during slow-speed orthogonal cutting of air-dried hinoki (Chamaecyparis obtusa), to clarify the relationships of the strain distribution and cutting conditions, including cutting angle (\(\theta\)) and depth of cut (\(d\)). The strain was measured in 0.04 mm steps, and the measurable minimum strain was approximately 0.08%. Tensile strain of 3% or larger normal to the cutting direction, \({\varepsilon _y}\), tended to extend 0.2 mm or further ahead of the tool when \(\theta \leq 60^\circ\) and \(d \geq 0.1{\text{ mm}}\). This tensile \({\varepsilon _y}\) corresponded to the occurrence of the fore-split in Chip Type I. The tensile \({\varepsilon _y}\) detected along the path of the cutting edge decreased as \(\theta\) and/or \(d\) decreased. Positive shear strain, \({\gamma _{xy}}\), tended to be detected ahead of the tool in Type I. Negative \({\gamma _{xy}}\) tended to be detected ahead of the tool in Type II and III \(\left( {\theta \geq 70^\circ ,\,\,d \geq 0.05{\text{ mm}}} \right)\). These \({\gamma _{xy}}\) values were considered to be related to the elongation and shrinkage of the chip. The study confirmed the usability of the DIC method for the evaluation of cutting conditions and also to classify chip formation into chip types.     

High organic carbon stock in a karstic soil of the Middle-European Forest Province persists after centuries-long agroforestry management

Little is known on soil organic carbon (SOC) stocks in karst areas worldwide, although many of them have seen long-term application of agroforestry systems with a potential for carbon sequestration. Therefore, our study aimed to assess landscape-level SOC concentration and stock in the Silica Plateau, a part of the Slovak Karst Biosphere Reserve located in the Western Carpathians (Slovakia) with a centuries-long agroforestry record. The most represented local soil units are Chromi-Rendzic Leptosols and Chromic Cambisols with clayey loam texture, C/N ratio 9–12, and $ {\text{pH}}_{{{\text{H}}_{2} {\text{O}}}} $ 6.6–6.2 in their organo-mineral surface horizons. Mull surface humus form prevails under mixed forest stands dominated by hornbeam (Carpinus betulus L.), oak (Quercus petraea L.), and beech (Fagus sylvatica L.). A total of 2,700 soil samples were collected from 150 soil pits. Both SOC concentrations and stocks were determined for the 0–60?cm mineral soil layer. Soil stoniness was accounted for by means of electrical resistivity tomography. According to the analysis of covariance, cropland SOC concentration (0.026?g?g^?1) is significantly lower compared to forestland (0.040?g?g^?1) and pastureland (0.041?g?g^?1) (P?<?0.01). During the period of 130?years after forest clearing, cropland SOC stock has been reduced at an exponential decay rate of ca 0.002?year^?1, while the SOC stock in pastureland has increased following land use change from cropland by approximately 30% during the same period of time. Irrespective of land use history, overall SOC stock is high reaching on average 207.4?Mg?ha^?1, out of which 66% are stored within 0–30?cm and 34% within 30–60?cm soil layers.     

Mögliche Gefährdung der Umwelt durch Pflanzenschutzmaβnahmen

Zusammenfassung Es wird untersucht, welche Bedeutung die in Zukunft sicher noch zunehmende Anwendung von Pflanzenschutzmitteln in der BRD für Boden und pflanzliche Nahrung hat.Die Anwendung der vieldiskutierten Insektizide spielt nur eine sehr geringe Rolle (5% der verwendeten Pflanzenschutzmittel). Fast der Mittel sind Herbizide, der Rest Fungizide, die meist in Boden und Pflanze schnell abgebaut werden.Nur auf etwa 3–4% der Bodenfläche, bzw. 5–7% der LN kann mit Rückständen durch Verwendung persistenterer Mittel gerechnet werden.Ein großer Teil der mit Pflanzenschutzmitteln behandelten Feldkulturen dient nicht direkt der menschlichen Ernährung, sondern wird als Viehfutter verwendet. Etwaige Rückstände sind für den Menschen ohne Bedeutung.Rückstandsuntersuchungen der pflanzlichen Nahrung haben ergeben, daß nur in ganz wenigen Fällen die Toleranzen überschritten wurden, Aber dies bedeutet noch keine Gefährdung, da diese Toleranzen weit unter der akut toxischen Menge liegen und dauernde Aufnahme gleicher Früchte mit gleichen Wirkstoffen nicht wahrscheinlich ist.Die Betrachtungen haben gezeigt, daß bei sachgemäßer Anwendung von Pflanzenschutzmitteln mit einer Gefährdung von Boden und pflanzlicher Nahrung durch diese nicht zu rechnen ist.

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Summary The use of pesticides in the Federal Republic of Germany will almost certainly increase still further in future. Its effect on plant produce and soil is being investigated.The use of the much-discussed insecticides plays only a very small part in this (only 5% of all pesticides used). Almost of the products are herbicides, the rest fungicides, which are mostly broken down rapidly in plants and the soil.Following application of persistent compounds, residues can be expected in only 3–4% of the total land surface, i. e. 5–7% of the farmland.A large proportion of crops treated with pesticides are not intended for direct human consumption but are used as animal fodder. Any residues occurring here are of no significance to man.Residue analysis of plant produce revealed that in only a very few cases was the tolerance level exceeded. This does not, however, incur any risk, as the tolerances are well below the acute toxic levels, and prolonged consumption of the same crops treated with the same pesticides is unlikely.Experience has shown, that there is no risk to plant produce and soil if pesticides are applied in the proper manner.

     

Effects of <Emphasis Type="Italic">Faidherbia albida</Emphasis> canopy and leaf litter on soil microbial communities and nitrogen mineralization in selected Zambian soils

The nitrogen status of most Zambian soils is inherently low. Nitrogen-fixing trees such as Faidherbia albida (F. albida) could have the potential to restore soil fertility. We conducted a study to examine the role of mature F. albida trees on the soil microbial communities and overall N fertility status in Zambia. Soil samples were collected under and outside the canopies of F. albida trees in representative fields from two sites namely; Chongwe (loamy sand) and Monze (sandy loam). To assess the long term canopy effects; total N, mineral N and soil organic carbon (C_org) content were directly measured from soils collected under and outside the canopy. Short term litter effects were assessed by subtracting concentrations of biochemical properties of non-amended controls from amended soils with F. albida litter during an 8 week incubation experiment. We also determined N mineralization rates, microbial community structure—Phospholipid fatty acids, microbial biomass carbon, and labile organic carbon (\({\text{C}}_{{{\text{org[K}}_{ 2} {\text{SO}}_{ 4} ]}}\)) during incubation. For the long term canopy effect, average N mineralization rate, C_org, total N and mineral N content of non-amended soils under the canopy were (all significant at p < 0.05) greater than soils outside the canopy on both sites. In the short term, amending soils with litter significantly increased N mineralization rates by an average of 0.52 mg N kg^?1 soil day^?1 on soil from Monze. Microbial biomass carbon measured after 4 weeks of incubation was on average significantly higher on amended soils by 193 and 334 mg C kg^?1 soil compared with non-amended soils in Chongwe and Monze soils, respectively. After 6 weeks of incubation, the concentration of all selected biomarkers for major microbial groups concentrations in non-amended soils were significantly higher (all p < 0.05) under the canopy than outside in Monze soil. Using principal component analysis, we found that the segregation of the samples under and outside the canopy by the first principal component (PC1) could be attributed to a proportional increase in abundances of all microbial groups. Uniform loadings on PC1 indicated that no single microbial group dominated the microbial community. The second principal component separated samples based on incubation time and location. It was mainly loaded with G-positive bacteria, and partly with G-negative bacteria, indicating that microbial composition was dominated by these bacterial groups probably at the beginning of the incubation on Monze soils. Our results show that the improvement of soil fertility status by F. albida could be attributed to a combination of both long term modifications of the soil biological and chemical properties under the canopy as well as short term litter fall addition.     

Characterization of Brauns’ lignin from fresh and vacuum-dried birch (Betula pendula) wood

Brauns’ lignins present in the methanol extracts of fresh birch (Betula pendula) xylem and of sawn birch board subjected to vacuum drying were characterized by ¹H and ¹³C NMR spectroscopy (1D and 2D), IR spectroscopy, gel permeation chromatography (GPC) and colour measurements (CIELab) in order to find out whether Brauns’ lignin could contribute to the colour change of sawn timber that occurred during vacuum drying. The two Brauns’ lignin samples contained about equal amounts of syringylpropane and guaiacylpropane units linked with β-O-4 and β–β side-chain structures. Molecular weight of the Brauns’ lignin of vacuum-dried birch board (acetylated: 5,200 g mol⁻¹) was higher than that of the Brauns’ lignin of fresh birch wood (acetylated: 4,400 g mol⁻¹). The Brauns’ lignin of vacuum-dried wood was also clearly darker and more prominently yellow and red; between the Brauns’ lignin samples was 23.59. The differences in the molecular weights and colours suggest that the Brauns’ lignin underwent a chemical change during vacuum drying of the wood and that this change may have affected the colour of the wood.     

A new composite k-tree estimator of stem density

This study presents a generally applicable and robust k-tree composite estimator of density. We propose to estimate stem density by a weighted average $ \left( {\hat{\lambda }_{\text{aic}} } \right) $ of 16 individual density estimators. The weights given to individual estimators are inversely proportional to the relative fit (Akaike’s corrected information criterion) of each estimator to the assumed distribution of observed k-tree distances. The performance of the proposed estimator is evaluated in simulated simple random sampling with k?=?3 and 6 in 58 forest stands (54 actual and 4 simulated) and 600 replications. Sample sizes were 15 and 30 locations per stand. Eleven estimators were novel, including three designed for regular spatial patterns. Absolute stand-level bias with k?=?6 varied from 0.1 to 8.1% (mean 1.8%), and a bias larger than 6% was limited to 3 stands with either pronounced density gradients or a strong clustering of stem locations. Root mean squared errors were approximately 16% (k?=?6 and n?=?15) versus 12% for sampling with comparable fixed-area plots. Coverage of computed 95% confidence intervals ranged from 0.72 to 0.99 (median?=?0.98 with n?=?15 and 0.95 with n?=?30), with 98% of all intervals achieving a coverage of 0.85 or better. In seven stands used in an assessment of a novel spatial point pattern reconstruction k-tree density estimator (RDE) by Nothdurft et al. (Can J For Res 40:953–967, 2010), the average absolute bias of $ \hat{\lambda }_{\text{aic}} $ with k?=?6 was 1.5 versus 0.7% for $ \hat{\lambda }_{\text{RDE}} $ .     

Spatial distribution pattern and dynamics of the primary population in a natural Populus euphratica forest in Tarim Basin, Xinjiang, China

One 50 m × 50 m standard plot was sampled in a natural forest of Populus euphratica in Awati County, situated at the edge of the Tarim Basin, Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, China. The field investigation was conducted with a contiguous grid quadrate method. By means of a test of variance/mean value ratio, aggregation intensity index and theoretical distribution models, the spatial distribution pattern and the dynamics of primary populations in P. euphratica forest were studied. The results showed that the spatial distribution pattern of two dominant arbor populations conformed to clumped distribution. The aggregation intensity of the P. euphratica population was higher than that of P. pruinosa population. The spatial distribution pattern of two companion plant populations in the shrub layer also conformed to clump type, though the aggregation intensity of Tamarix chinensis was higher. In the herb layer, the distribution patterns of Glycyrrhiza uralensis and Asparagus persicus conformed respectively to a clumped pattern and a random pattern. The results of a Taylor power method test and Iwao’s regression model also verified that both P. euphratica and P. pruinosa populations belong to a clumped pattern. Although the distribution pattern of P. pruinosa population at different development stages all belonged to a clumped distribution pattern, the aggregation intensity dropped gradually along with age development. The distribution patterns of the P. euphratica population at different development stages changed from random type to clumped type, and further to random type. The differences in spatial distribution patterns of different populations at different development stages were related not only to ecological and biological characteristics of each species in the communities in the light of competitive exclusion principle among the populations, but were also closely related to the habitats in which the species lived in. __________ Translated from Journal of Southwest Forestry College, 2007, 27(2): 1–5 [译自: 西南林学院学报]     

Moisture extraction and crop yield as a function of distance from a row of Eucalyptus tereticornis

A study was made on the effect of an east-west tree line of years old Eucalyptus tereticornis on soil physical parameters and adjoining mustard and wheat crops as a function of distance from the tree-crop interface in north- and south-facing sides. Maximum soil temperature, pan evaporation, moisture extraction, number of plants/m², and yields of mustard and wheat did not differ significantly on the two sides of plantation. Plant growth parameters decreased linearly with distance from the plantation. Mustard yield, Y (kg/ha) was linearly related to moisture extraction, ME (mm) as Y = 1914–120.3 ME. Eucalyptus tereticornis was found to extract 5 times more water than mustard from 0–150cm soil profile. Mustard and wheat yield reductions in adjoining 10 meter strips on both sides of the plantation were 47 and 34 per cent, respectively. Eucalyptus tereticornis is, therefore, not a suitable species for row plantations in agro-forestry systems in deep water table conditions of semi-arid regions.