Soil physical properties and preferential flow pathways in tropical rain forest, Bukit Tarek, Peninsular Malaysia

Soil physical properties and water movement within soil were investigated using dyes in a tropical rain forest, the Bukit Tarek Experimental Watershed of Peninsular Malaysia. The saturated hydraulic conductivity (K _s) decreased with increasing soil depth. TheK _s values were higher than those reported for other tropical soils. The geometric means of theK _s values ranged from 4.69×10⁻³ (80 cm) to 4.07×10⁻² cm s⁻¹ (10cm). This suggests saturation overland flow may not be dominant but that subsurface flow must play an important role in stormflow generation. The shapes of the soil moisture characteristic curves resembled those of forest soils which have large changes in volumetric water content at pressure heads <30 cmH₂O. The relatively high conductivities were due to the presence of a porous zone of decomposed root channels which existed continuously in vertical direction. Besides decayed roots, living roots also encourage preferential flow in vertical and lateral (downslope) directions. Termite activities may also form water flow pathways in tropical regions. These detailed results help us analyze water flow within the soil in tropical rain forests.     

海南热带雨林森林旅游发展探讨

海南是“天然氧吧”和“森林浴”最理想、最优越的生态场所,开展热带雨林森林旅游具有得天独厚的条件.分析海南发展热带雨林森林旅游的优势与条件、海南热带雨林森林旅游存在的问题,最后探讨海南热带雨林森林旅游发展对策.     

Pioneer tree responses to variation of soil attributes in a tropical semi-deciduous forest in Brazil

The occurrence of pioneer tree species inside tropical forests is usually associated with canopy openness due to disturbances. The distribution of these species under different environmental conditions, aside from light presence, can be influenced by other variables such as soil attributes, water availability, and non-arborous species presence. This work evaluates pioneer tree distribution in the Pindorama Biological Reserve, Brazil, with respect to altitude, soil attributes, and non-arborous species in 65,400-m² plots in two toposequences of semi-deciduous forest. We evaluated the physical and chemical soil attributes altitude, basal area, height, and number of individuals of tree species with diameter at breast height (DBH) ≥5 cm in a randomly chosen quadrant in each plot. Pioneer trees were characterized by the following higher occurrence species: Acacia polyphylla, Aloysia virgata, Casearia sylvestris, and Croton floribundus. Cluster analysis suggested five similar groups among sampling plots. For each group, the mean of altitude, physical and chemical soil attributes, and degree of non-arborous species infestation was calculated. Principal components analysis correlated variables with pioneer tree data. C. floribundus occurred at low altitudes at lower or higher fertility, C. sylvestris occurred in lower fertility plots, and A. polyphylla and A. virgata occurred in higher altitude plots.     

热带雨林濒危树种望天树的致危原因及保护策略

望天树自身的开花结实特点、种子顽拗性和低成苗率、幼苗生长缓慢、过度砍伐和生境破碎化等导致其更新困难,以致陷入濒危的境地。加强自然保护区管理与法制建设、在天然林保护和次生林恢复工作中辅以人工抚育、防治病虫害和人工接种菌根菌以及实施迁地保护等措施可有效地保护望天树种质资源。     

Species association in tropical montane rain forest at two successional stages in Diaoluo Mountain, Hainan

Species association is one of the basic concepts in community succession. There are different viewpoints on how species interaction changes with the progress of succession. In order to assess these relationships, we examined species associations in the tropical montane rain forest at early and late successional stages in Diaoluo Mountain, Hainan Island. Based on data from a 2 × 2 contingency table of species presence or absence, statistical methods including analysis of species association and X ² tests were applied. The results show that: 1) an overall positive association was present among tree species in the communities during the two successional stages and were statistically significant at the late stage. The number of species pairs with positive and negative associations decreased throughout the process of succession, while the number with null associations was greatly increased. The same trend existed among the dominant and companion species. The results indicate that the communities are developing towards a stable stage where the woody species coexist in harmony. 2) In the early-established and later invading species, all positive associations were not significant. Compared with positive and null associations, fewer negative associations were found. This implies that these species are inclined to coexist independently through portioning of resources. 3) Among the later invading species, positive associations were significant and no negative associations were found which suggest that these species have similar adaptive ability in the habitat and occupied overlapping niches in the community. __________ Translated from Biodiversity Science, 2007, 15(3): 257–263 [译自: 生物多样性]     

Hydrological effects of forest litter and soil in the Simianshan Mountains in Chonging, China

A preliminary study of the hydrological effects of forest litter and soils in the Simianshan Mountains was carried out. Results indicate that the annual accumulation of different forest litters is about 6.80–20.21 t/hm² and the maximum water carrying capacity ranges from 1.8 to 4.6 mm. Among them the water carrying abilities of the litter of Lithocarpus glabra and natural deciduous forests are larger than that of Pinus massoniana. A power function relationship exists between the accumulated water-carrying volume and time. An investigation of the physical properties shows that forest soils, to a depth of 1 m, have a powerful water-carrying ability, varying from 7.84 to 18.87 mm. Non-linear regression analysis shows that the soil infiltration rate is significantly correlated with time. __________ Translated from Journal of Beijing Forestry University, 2005, 27(1): 33–37 [译自: 北京林业大学学报]     

Effects of selective logging on tree diversity and some soil characteristics in a tropical forest in southwest Ghana

We investigated the effects of selective logging disturbances on tree diversity and soil characteristics in the Bia Conservation Area in southwest Ghana.The study was conducted in unlogged,29-35 years post-logged and swamp forests using ten 25 m×25 m plots.In total,we identified 310 individual trees belonging to 87 species.Mean ShannonWeiner index was highest in the post-logged forest but there were no significant differences in tree density,dominance,or DBH size class distributions between these forests.Soil physical properties such as pH and bulk density up to 30 cm depth were similar in the two of forests In terms of soil nutrient status,available P,exchangeable K and total N contents were all similar in the unlogged and post-logged forests.Our findings suggest that the effects of logging on tree diversity are comparatively long-term,in contrast to its short-term effects on some top soil physical and chemical characteristics.     

Effect of recurrent fires on soil nutrient dynamics in a tropical dry deciduous forest of Western Ghats,India

The role of forest fires in the soil dynamics and global carbon cycle has not been comprehensively studied in tropical forests as the effects of fire on tropical forest soils can be extremely variable. This study was aimed to understand how repeated fires affect physical and chemical properties of soil in a tropical dry deciduous forest and alter soil fertility and health. The study was carried out in the dry deciduous forest of Mudumalai Tiger Reserve. Soil samples were collected from unburned (B0) to six-time burned (B6) plots. Samples were collected from each plot from three different depths viz. 0–10 (Top), 10–20 (Middle), and 20–30 cm (Bottom) and analyzed for soil physical and chemical properties. Soil pH, EC, WHC decreased with increasing fire frequencies while bulk density increased. Organic Carbon, Total N, and available P decreased with increasing fire frequencies whereas extractable K initially increased but decreased with the very high frequency of fires. NO₃^?N slightly decreased with high fire frequencies but NH₄^?N decreased significantly with increasing fire frequency. These results provide a new insight regarding the influence of repeated fires on soil that will be valuable to understand the effect of fire on the recovery of soils and nutrient dynamics.     

落叶松林地土壤含水量和土壤养分特征分析

落叶松为松科落叶松属的落叶乔木,是我国东北、内蒙古林区以及华北、西南高山针叶林的主要森林组成树种。试验采用混合采样法,采集金沟屯林场不同林班的土样,对其土壤水分及土壤养分的含量进行分析。研究结果表明：落叶松有林地的土壤含水量（14．98％～18．75％）、有机质（19．0234～22．6999g／kg）、全氮（0．8350～0．9558g／kg）、全磷（0．3618～0．3988g／kg）、全钾（13．4389～14．0865g／kg）、碱解氮（82．2826～86．3147mg／kg）、速效磷（8．841O～9．7346mg／kg）、速效钾（170．0350-303．5020mg／kg）的含量均高于无林地的土壤含水量（10．20％～12．13％）、有机质（13．6614～16．8208g／kg）、全氮（0．4480～0．5040g／kg）、全磷（0．3388～0．3753g／kg）、全钾（11．9508～12．9810g／kg）、碱解氮（69．4000～72．0350mg／kg）、速效磷（5．839O～6．2873mg／kg）、速效钾（100．1399～206．9860mg／kg）的含量,这说明落叶松对土壤有着较好的涵养水源、保持水土的作用。     

Photosynthesis in relation to leaf nitrogen, phosphorus and specific leaf area of seedlings and saplings in tropical montane rain forests of Hainan Island, south China

In order to make clear the relationships between photosynthesis and leaf N, leaf P and SLA of tropical trees, and test the differences in the relationships among life-form groups (trees, shrub-like trees and shrubs), seedlings and saplings of 101 species from a tropical montane rain forest, located in the Diaoluo Mountain of Hainan Island, were selected. The net photosynthesis based on area and mass (A _area and A _mass), leaf nitrogen content based on area and mass (N _area and N _mass), leaf phosphorus content based on area and mass (P _area and P _mass) and specific leaf area (SLA) were measured and/or calculated. The results showed that A _area and A _mass tended to follow the order of shrubs > trees > shrub-like trees. One-way ANOVA showed that the difference in A _area between shrubs and shrub-like trees was significant (p<0.05), and for A _mass there were significant differences between shrubs and shrub-like trees and between shrubs and tree species (p<0.05). The relationships between A _area and N _mass were highly significant in all three life-form groups and for all species (p<0.0001). The correlation between A _area and P _mass was highly significant in shrubs (p = 0.0038), shrub-like trees (p < 0.0002) and for all species (p<0.0001), but not significant in trees (p>0.05). The relationship between A _area and SLAwas highly significant in shrubs (p = 0.0006), trees (p<0.0001) and for all species (p<0.0001), however this relation was not significant in shrub-like trees (p>0.05). The relationships between A _mass and leaf N and SLA were highly significant in all three life-form groups and for all species (p<0.0001). For A _mass and leaf P, there were significant correlations in tree groups (p = 0.0377) and highly significant correlations in shrub groups (p = 0.0004), shrub-like tree groups (p = 0.0018) and for all species (p < 0.0001). Stepwise regression showed that predicted A _mass values were closer to the observed values than those for predicted A _area values. Thus, it can be concluded that the relationships obtained from seedling and sapling measurements are close to those from mature individuals; correlations between photosynthesis and N _mass, P _mass and SLA traits are significant and the relationships are stronger and more stable for A _mass than for A _area. __________ Translated from Acta Ecologica Sinica, 2007, 27(11): 4651–4661 [译自:生态学报]     

锐齿栎林土壤呼吸对土壤水热变化的响应

按照5个土壤含水量(0.20、0.25、0.30、0.35、0.40 kg·kg-1)和5个温度(15、20、25、30、35 ℃)梯度设计试验,对取自北亚热带-暖温带过渡区锐齿栎(Quercus aliena var. acuteserrata)天然林中0～20 cm的原状土柱进行恒温培养和呼吸速率测定.结果表明:土壤温度、含水量及二者的交互作用都对土壤呼吸速率产生显著影响(P＜0.01); 土壤呼吸速率与土壤温度呈正相关,随土壤含水量增高的变化规律为单峰曲线,含水量为0.20～0.35 kg·kg-1 时土壤呼吸速率随含水量的增加而增加,0.35 kg·kg-1时土壤呼吸速率最高,0.35～0.40 kg·kg-1时随含水量的增加土壤呼吸速率下降,是对土壤呼吸产生抑制的土壤含水量临界点;锐齿栎林土壤呼吸Q10值的变化范围为1.36～3.10,平均为2.13,Q10随土壤温度的升高而下降,随含水量增加的变化趋势与土壤呼吸速率一致;土壤含水量0.35 kg·kg-1和土壤温度35 ℃结合下的土壤呼吸速率最高; 回归关系表明土壤呼吸速率与土壤温度呈显著的指数函数关系(P＜0.01),与土壤含水量呈二次函数关系(P＜0.10),土壤温度与含水量可以分别解释呼吸速率变化的73.26%与21.85%,共同解释能力为86.40%,土壤温度对呼吸速率的影响大于土壤含水量.     

热带山地次生雨林生态系统的水文学过程及养分动态*

在小集区技术和定位观测综合实验测定的基础上，研究分析了尖峰岭热带山地雨林更新林生态系统３年间的水文学过程、水质的动态变化、营养元素积累。结果表明：水量及营养元素的输入、再分配和输出量主要集中在雨季在５～１０月份，两者月动态变化特征密切相关，年降水输入营养元素的７８％被森林生态系统积累。     

Soil carbon stock assessment in the tropical dry deciduous forest of the Sathanur reserve forest of Eastern Ghats,India

Climate change and carbon mitigation through forest ecosystems are some of the important topics in global perspective. Tropical dry forests are one of the most widely distributed ecosystems in tropics, which remain neglected in research. The soil organic carbon (SOC) stock was quantified on a large scale (30 1-ha plots) in the dry deciduous forest of the Sathanur reserve forest of Eastern Ghats. The SOC stock ranged from 16.92 to 44.65 Mg/ha with a mean value of 28.26 ± 1.35 Mg/ha. SOC exhibited a negative trend with an increase in soil depth. A significant positive correlation was obtained between SOC stocks and vegetation characteristics viz. tree density, shrub basal area, and herb species richness, while a significant negative correlation was observed with bulk density. The variation in SOC stock among the plots obtained in the present study could be due to differences in tree abundance, herb species richness, shrub basal area, soil pH, soil bulk density, soil texture etc. The present study generates a large-scale baseline data of dry deciduous forest SOC stock, which would facilitate SOC stock assessment at the national level as well as to understand its contribution on a global scale.     

Leaf-litter decomposition of 15 tree species in a lowland tropical rain forest in Sarawak: dynamics of carbon,nutrients, and organic constituents

The effects of tree species on the dynamics of nutrient transformations during leaf-litter decomposition are not well understood in tropical rain forests. To examine differences in the dynamics of C, nutrients, and organic constituents during decomposition among tree species, the leaf-litter decomposition of 15 trees was assessed using a litter-bag method in a lowland tropical rain forest in Sarawak. The dynamics of C was parallel to that of weight loss. The dynamics of nutrients were grouped into three patterns. The dynamics of K was characterized by a high leaching loss in the initial stages, and that of Ca and Mg generally showed a gradual decrease over the course of decomposition. The dynamics of N and P showed highly different patterns with the weight loss, and was characterized by relatively higher remaining mass at the end of the experiment. The variations or exceptions of nutrient dynamics among tree species were considered to be related to the initial concentration of each nutrient. For the dynamics of organic constituents, water-soluble carbohydrates disappeared quickly at the initial stages, and acid-soluble carbohydrates were the second fastest decomposing fraction; the decomposition of acid-insoluble residue (AIS) was the slowest. The release of limiting nutrients (N and P) generally followed the disappearance of AIS, but was independent of the disappearance of AIS when the initial concentrations of these nutrients were very low.     

Avian studies and research opportunities in the Luquillo Experimental Forest: A tropical rain forest in Puerto Rico

The Luquillo Experimental Forest (LEF) located on the Caribbean island of Puerto Rico has a rich history of ecological research, including a variety of avian studies, and is one of the most active ecological research sites in the Neotropics. The LEF spans an elevational range from 100 to 1075 m over which five life zones and four forest types are found in a warm, humid subtropical climate. A total of 23 bird species breeds here and another 76 species, mostly migrants, are known to occur. The food web of the forest in the lower elevations is especially well studied, which allows an assessment of the role of birds in the food web. The LEF is noted for its high densities of Eleutherodactylus frogs and Anolis lizards, which may depress insect densities thereby contributing to the low species richness and densities of most insectivorous birds. The signature species of the forest is the endangered Puerto Rican Parrot (Amazona vittata) that has been the focus of intensive long-term research and recovery efforts, which have spawned research on associated species, including long-term studies on the Pearly-eyed Thrasher (Margarops fuscatus) and botfly (Philornis spp.) ectoparasitism. Given the frequency of hurricane disturbance to the LEF and studies providing baseline for comparisons, research has made major contributions to an understanding of the effects of hurricanes on forest ecosystems including bird populations and their resources. We summarize these and other studies from the LEF to characterize the avifauna and its environment while noting studies with management implications and identify opportunities for future ornithological studies.     

Variation in canopy structure, light and soil nutrition across elevation of a Sri Lankan tropical rain forest

Mixed dipterocarp forests are perhaps the single most important rain forest type in the wet tropics. Only a few studies have purposefully examined differences in resource availability across mixed dipterocarp forest landscapes by simply measuring the abiotic variables of light, soil nutrition and soil water availability in relation to forest structure. We sought to directly measure the environment of canopy gaps across elevation and geology—from lowland mixed dipterocarp forest (100 m amsl) to lower montane dipterocarp forest (1200 m amsl) in southwest Sri Lanka. Middle elevation gap sites (300–900 m amsl) were subdivided into valley, mid-slope and ridge topographic positions. Eighteen natural disturbances all of which were canopy openings caused by tree fall, were randomly selected within primary rain forest that ranged across 100–1200 m elevation. Plots were placed in gap centers and in adjacent understories and measurements taken of forest structure (basal area, canopy height, canopy cover index, CCI), shade (light sensors—photosynthetically active radiation [PAR], canopy hemispherical photographs—global site factor [GSF]) and soil nutrition (pH, exchangeable Al, K, Mg and Ca; Total N; and plant available P). Soil moisture was measured at bi-weekly intervals for five years across middle elevation sites only (300–900 m amsl). Stand basal area, mean canopy height, and canopy cover index all declined with increase in elevation. Understory PAR and GSF decreased with increases in canopy height, basal area and CCI. Size of canopy opening decreased with increase in elevation, but PAR and GSF increased. Valley sites had significantly greater levels of mean percent soil water content as compared to mid-slope and ridge sites of middle elevation sites. However, at the onset of the southwest monsoons in May all sites were similar. Differences were most pronounced during the dry season (December–April). No differences in soil moisture content could be found between gap and understory microsites. K and Ca in gap centers and adjacent forest understories increased with increase in elevation and change in associated geology. pH increased and Al decreased with elevation and associated geology but only for forest understory conditions. Results demonstrate strong differentiation in soil and light resources with elevation that appears related to size of tree-fall disturbance, stature of the forest, topographic position and underlying geology and soil-weathering environment. This suggests that forest management and conservation practices need to develop and tailor techniques and treatments (silviculture) to the forest that emulate and/or account for change in elevation, geology and topographic position. Further studies are needed to identify which are the primary underlying mechanisms (e.g. temperature, wind, soil nutrients, soil moisture availability) defining change in forest structure across elevation.     

凉风坳亚热带次生常绿阔叶林土壤种子库和种子雨的特征研究

选择四川省沐川县凉风坳亚热带次生常绿阔叶林为研究对象,在2004年5月、2004年12月和2005年5月对其林下土壤种子库、种子雨以及种子天然萌发状况等方面进行系统调查及分析研究。结果显示,种子下落前后土壤种子库储量,变动为643.2～889.2粒.m-2,物种和种子密度多年生草本物种均占优势。天然林土壤种子库Shannon-Wiener指数均在2004年5月最大,2004年12月次之,2005年5月最小;Simpson指数却和Shannon-Wiener指数H＇的变化趋势相反;Pielou均匀度指数在2004年12月有所降低,此后又升高。种子均呈明显垂直分布,其中0～2 cm土层种子数量最多,其次是枯枝落叶层,其数量随着土层加深而降低。土壤种子库年输入活力种子142.3粒.m-2,年输出活力种子268.9粒.m-2,动物取食是造成种子损失的主要原因。对照人工林土壤种子库物种和密度均低于天然林地;种子库与地上植被物种相似性系数,人工林较高,而天然次生常绿阔叶林较低。     

Effects of soil moisture and temperature on CH4 oxidation and N2O emission of forest soil

IntroductionMethane (CH4) and Nitrous oxide (NZO) are tWoimportant greenhouse gases that also play an important role in photochemical reactions in atmosphere.The global warming potential of CH4 and NZO areestimated tO be about 62 and 290 times that of carbon dioxide respeCtively. The concentration of thesegases have been increasing rapidly since the start ofthe industrial age, currently at rate of about 1% and0.25% per year respeCtively (Lelieveld et al. 1993),and 70%-90% of these gases …     

Leaf-litter decomposition of 15 tree species in a lowland tropical rain forest in Sarawak: decomposition rates and initial litter chemistry

In a lowland tropical rain forest in Sarawak, leaf-litter decomposition and the initial litter chemistry of 15 tree species were studied. During 13 months of field experiment, weight loss of litter samples was between 44% and 91%, and calculated decomposition rate constants (k) ranged from 0.38 to 2.36 year⁻¹. The initial litter chemistry also varied widely (coefficients of variation: 19%–74%) and showed low N and P concentrations and high acid-insoluble residue (AIS) concentration. For nutrient-related litter chemistry, correlations with the decomposition rate were significant only for P concentration, C/P ratio, and AIS/P ratio (r _s = 0.59, −0.62, and −0.68, n = 15, P < 0.05, respectively). For organic constituents, correlations were significant for concentrations of AIS and total carbohydrates, and AIS/acid-soluble carbohydrate ratio (r _s = −0.81, 0.51, and −0.76, n = 15, P < 0.05, respectively). These results suggested that the relatively slow mean rate of decomposition (k = 1.10) was presumably due to the low litter quality (low P concentration and high AIS concentration), and that P might influence the decomposition rate; but organic constituents, especially the concentration of AIS, were more important components of initial litter chemistry than nutrient concentrations.     

土壤水分梯度对阔叶红松林结构的影响

2002年8月,在吉林省白河林业局红石林场(12755E,4230N),沿着一个山坡设置了一个长宽为112m8m、包含14个样方的样带。调查了群落结构、0-10cm和10-20cm的土壤含水量、枯落物现存量及其C、N、P含量,主要树种的叶片和枝条的C、N、P含量。沿着山坡的不同位置土壤含水量的不同导致阔叶红松林的群落结构发生变化。蒙古栎的比例随着土壤含水量的下降而逐渐升高,而其他主要阔叶树种则逐渐减少乃至消失。枯落物的水分变化趋势与土壤一致。在不同坡位枯落物的分解状况不同,干重差异显著。坡下枯落物含量较坡上的丰富,部分原因在于群落结构的变化。水分和养分含量的变化影响了枯落物的成分、降解及其养分的释放,进一步影响了林木的生长速度和林分结构并最终影响整个生态系统。图7表2参14。