退化草地土壤农化性状与微生物区系研究

通过对三种退化程度不同的草地土壤农化性状与微生物区系进行研究，结果表明，草地退化后，其土壤肥力水平、土壤微生物数量和微生物种类有随退化程度增高而下降的趋势；退化草地存在不同的程度的营养元素比例失调，表现为少氮、缺磷、富钾和高有机质含量，且退化程度接近的草地间，在土壤微生物区系和农化性状有部分类似的特征。     

Variation in competitive abilities of plants and microbes for specific amino acids

 Microbes are assumed to possess strong competitive advantages over plants for uptake of nutrients from the soil. The finding that non-mycorrhizal plants can obtain a significant fraction of their N requirement from soil amino acids contradicts this assumption. The amino acid glycine (Gly) has been used as a model amino acid in many recent studies. Our preliminary studies showed that Gly was a poor substrate for microbial growth compared to other amino acids. We tested the hypothesis that the alpine sedge Kobresia myosuroides competes better for Gly than for other amino acids because of decreased microbial demand for this compound. Soil microbial populations that could grow using Gly as a sole carbon source were about 5 times lower than those that could grow on glutamate (Glu). Gly supported a significantly lower population than any of the ten other amino acids tested except serine. In contrast, K. myosuroides took up Gly from hydroponic solution at faster rates than Glu. In plant-soil microcosms, plants competed with soil microbes 3.25 times better for Gly than for Glu. We conclude that the low microbial demand and the rapid plant uptake of Gly relative to other amino acids allow Gly to be an especially important nitrogen source for K. myosuroides. Received: 9 February 1998     

Effects of warming and nitrogen addition on nutrient resorption efficiency in an alpine meadow on the northern Tibetan Plateau

The increase in two controversial global environmental issues, climate warming and nitrogen (N) deposition, may have distinct effects on the processes and functioning of terrestrial ecosystems. Nutrient resorption is an important determinant of plant community nutrient dynamics, especially in nutrient-limited ecosystems, but information about N and phosphorus (P) resorption in alpine ecosystems is still lacking. A long-term simulated warming and exogenous N addition experiment initiated in July 2010 was conducted in an alpine meadow in Damxung County in northern Tibet. The experiment consisted of conditions of warming and no warming crossed with three N addition levels: 0 (CK), 20 (N20), and 40 (N40) kg N · ha^?1 · year^?1. With increasing N addition levels, the N content and the N/P ratio in plant leaves gradually increased, while the P limitation of plant growth was aggravated by N addition. The moderate N addition level (N20) increased plant N resorption efficiency (NRE), while the high N addition level (N40) had no effect on the NRE of Kobresia pygmaea or Anaphalis xylorhiza. N addition significantly increased the P resorption efficiency (PRE) in Stipa capillacea leaves. However, N addition did not change the community NRE or the community PRE. The soil N content decreased under the warming treatment. At the community level, warming significantly increased the NRE by 12% and 16%, and the PRE by 26% and 24% under the CK and N40 treatments, respectively. The NRE and PRE were higher in S. capillacea than in K. pygmaea and A. xylorhiza, especially at the high N addition level (38% and 45% higher NRE and 36% and 15% higher PRE compared to K. pygmaea and A. xylorhiza, respectively). Correlation analysis showed that the NRE and PRE in plant leaves were mainly mediated by soil inorganic N availability, and tended to decrease with increase of soil N availability, suggesting that N loss due to warming could induce changes in nutrient resorption in alpine ecosystems. The species-specific responses to N addition and the stronger competitive advantage of S. capillacea may change the community structure and subsequently affect the decomposition process in this alpine meadow under future global climate change scenarios.     

Distribution and controlling factors of soil organic carbon storage in the northeast Tibetan shrublands

Purpose

Although large amounts of soil organic carbon (SOC) stored in the shrublands, information about SOC storage was little on the Tibetan Plateau. This study aims to evaluate the spatial patterns and storage of SOC in the shrublands and the relationships of climatic variables and soil pH on the Tibetan Plateau.

Materials and methods

We used 177 profiles of soil samples obtained from 59 shrubland sites on the northeast Tibetan Plateau from 2011 to 2013. Ordinary least squares regressions, curve estimation, and multiple linear regressions were used to evaluate controlling factors on SOC stock. Kriging interpolation was used to upscale sit-level measurements to the whole study area.

Results and discussion

We found that SOC storage in the northeast Tibetan shrublands was 1.36 Pg C in the top 1 m with an average SOC stock of 12.38 kg m^?2. SOC stock decreased from east to west and south to north but generally increased significantly with the mean annual temperature (MAT) and the mean annual precipitation (MAP), and tended to decrease with soil pH. Although similar relationships were also observed in alpine shrublands, the trends among SOC stock, MAP, and MAT were not observed in desert shrublands. Our results indicate that a reduction in soil pH accelerates the C sequestration potential. Furthermore, global warming contributed to C sequestration in alpine shrublands, specifically, SOC stock increased 8.44 kg m^?2 with an increased unit of MAT in alpine shrublands just considering temperature effects. Meanwhile, the C sequestration was different among different regions due to the uneven increases in precipitation. However, in desert shrublands, MAP and MAT did not significantly affect SOC stock.

Conclusions

The results indicate that though a reduction in soil pH could contribute to C sequestration, MAT and MAP have different effects on SOC stock in different Tibetan Plateau shrublands. Increased MAT and MAP were 0.05 °C and 1.67 mm every year on the Tibetan Plateau, which will increase C sequestration in alpine shrublands, but might have limited impacts on desert shrublands, which help us comprehend soil C cycling in the global climate change scenario.

     

Relationships among dust outbreaks, vegetation cover, and surface soil water content on the Loess Plateau of China, 1999–2000

We analyzed relationships among dust outbreaks, Normalized Difference Vegetation Indices (NDVI), and surface soil water content (0 to 2 cm depth) on the Loess Plateau, a significant dust source area of East Asia. World Surface Data for wind speed and current weather, coarse-resolution data for NDVI, and a three-layer soil model for surface soil water content were used. The threshold NDVI for preventing dust outbreaks was about 0.2 when the wind speed ranged from 7 to 8 m s^− 1. This threshold NDVI corresponds to a vegetation cover of 18%. The threshold ratio of surface soil water content to the field capacity (θ_r) was about 0.2. Conditions facilitating dust outbreaks on the Loess Plateau are when NDVI is less than 0.2 with wind speed  7 m s^− 1 and θ_r < 0.2, and when NDVI is greater than 0.2 with wind speed  9 m s^− 1 and θ_r < 0.2.     

Use of landslide-dammed lake deposits and pollen tracing techniques to investigate the erosional response of a small drainage basin in the Loess Plateau, China, to land use change during the late 16th century

A major landslide that occurred in 1569 in the Huangtuwa gully catchment within the Rolling Loess Plateau region of China, resulted in the creation of a landslide-dammed lake at the outlet of the small 0.1 km² tributary valley of the Houxiaotan Gully. All the sediment transported to the outlet of this catchment was deposited in the lake. After about 30 years the dam failed and the lake deposits were dissected as the stream cut down to its former base level. Substantial remnants of the sediment deposits that accumulated over the ca. 30 year period are, however, preserved as terraces near the outlet of the catchment and a vertical section through these sediment deposits was investigated using stratigraphic and pollen tracing techniques. Individual flood couplets could be clearly distinguished and these permitted the establishment of a chronology for the sediment deposits and the estimation of the sediment yields associated with individual events and individual years. Pollen analysis undertaken on samples collected from the individual flood couplets also provided information on the variation of the pollen content of the sediment and the proportion of Artemisia pollen during the period represented by the deposits. Interpretation of the information assembled from the sediment section has made it possible to reconstruct the erosional history of the Houxiaotan catchment during the 31 year period following the landslide. The average sediment yield of the catchment in the late 16th century was very similar to its present-day sediment yield. The sediment yield from the catchment and the relative contribution of the inter-gully areas, as compared to the gully system, declined immediately after the landslide as a result of abandonment of the cultivated land within the catchment. The restoration of cultivation in the catchment after about 17 years resulted in an increase in sediment yield from ca. 9000 t km^− 2 yr^− 1 to ca. 30,000 t km^− 2 yr^− 1 and a substantial increase in the proportion of sediment contributed by the cultivated inter-gully areas. Scope exists to apply a similar approach to the sediment deposits that accumulated in other former landslide-dammed lakes within the Rolling Loess Plateau region of China, in order to develop an improved understanding of the erosion history of the region.     

Use of a regression method to partition sources of ecosystem respiration in an alpine meadow

The partitioning of ecosystem respiration (ER) into plant respiration (PR), aboveground-part respiration (AGR), root respiration (RR), and microbial respiration (MR) components is crucial for understanding the responses of carbon cycling in terrestrial ecosystems to climate change. Here, we present the ER-PB/AGB regression method, which is a modification of the SR-BGB method (PB, plant biomass; AGB, aboveground biomass; SR, soil respiration; BGB, belowground biomass) and is based on the assumption of a linear relationship between biomass and respiration rate for the partitioning of ER into PR, AGR, RR, and MR. Diurnal measurements of CO₂ flux and biomass analysis were conducted in three Kobresia (Kobresia pygmaea, Kobresia humilis, and Kobresia tibetica) meadows on the Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau. We found significant linear relationships between ER and PB/AGB in the three meadows. However, the relationships between measured SR and BGB were either not significant or lower than those between ER and PB/AGB. The relative contributions of respiration components (AGR, RR, MR) to ER decreased consistently in the order AGR > MR > RR in the three Kobresia meadows. The contributions of RR and MR to SR calculated by the proposed ER-PB/AGB method differed widely among the three meadows and were consistently higher (RR) and lower (MR) than those by the SR-BGB method in all three meadows. Compared with the SR-BGB technique, our ER-PB/AGB regression method proved capable of determining more accurately the temporal changes in a larger number of respiration components.     

Compost Source and Rate Effects on Soil Macronutrient Availability Under Saint Augustine Grass and Bermuda Grass Turf

Compost application to turf grasses can increase availability of nutrients in soil and improve growth, but can potentially lead to accumulation of macronutrients in soil and contribute to leaching and runoff losses. The objectives of this study were to investigate the influence of compost source and application rate on concentrations of plant-available macronutrients in soil over 29 months after a one-time application to saint augustine grass [Stenotaphrum secundatum (Walt.) Kuntze] and Bermuda grass [Cynodon dactylon (L.) Pers.] turf. Compost application increased soil organic C, P, Ca, and S concentrations by 3 months after addition, but further increases from 3 to 29 months were seldom observed. In contrast, NO₃-N and K levels declined while Mg levels increased slightly from 3 to 29 months. Seasonal or cyclical patterns of soil macronutrient levels were apparent, as lower concentrations were observed during dormant stages of Bermuda grass growth in winter. Initial macronutrient concentrations of compost sources strongly influenced macronutrient dynamics in surface soil, while higher application rates resulted in higher levels of P, K, Ca, Mg, but not NO₃-N and S. Higher levels of macronutrients in Bermuda grass than saint augustine grass turf suggested plant-mediated uptake and assimilation differed between turf grass species. Utilization of turf grass systems for compost application should take into account plant species composition and the related impacts of plant uptake. Macronutrient concentrations were significantly correlated with both total organic C and dissolved organic C (DOC). Formation of organic matter-cation complexes appeared to influence macronutrient dynamics in soil, and may contribute to leaching and runoff losses.     

放牧对小嵩草草甸土壤酶活性及土壤环境因素的影响

观测了放牧对高寒小嵩草草甸土壤酶活性及土壤环境因素的影响,结果表明:①随着放牧压力的增大,植被盖度、地上生物量、土壤有机质、全氮、硝态氮、全磷、有效磷、土壤水分明显下降,而地下生物量、土壤容重、pH及根土比呈现增大趋势,不同放牧处理间植物群落特征及土壤理化特性显示出明显的差异(P0.05);②纤维素分解酶、多酚氧化酶、脲酶、蛋白酶、碱性磷酸酶和蔗糖酶活性均随放牧压力增大而下降,只有过氧化氢酶以轻牧最高,各处理间上述土壤酶活性差异程度不同;③随着土壤深度的增加,土壤水分含量、地下生物量、根土比、土壤有机质及氮、磷养分等明显下降,而土壤容重和pH逐渐增大,且不同层次之间存在显著的差异(P0.05);④除过氧化氢酶和多酚氧化酶外,其它土壤酶活性随土壤深度的加深显著减小。     

Collection and preliminary evaluation of native turfgrass accessions in Italy

Despite a raising interest on turfs in Italy, all theavailable varieties of this kind in the Country are of foreign origin, and areoften poorly adapted to the prevailing climatic conditions. This prompted tobegin a collection activity of indigenous turfgrass species, with the ultimategoal of identifying promising materials for future breeding based on localgenetic resources. The collection was carried out in three areas of Italy, viz.the northern Po Plain, the coastal region of Liguria, and the island of Sardiniathat are characterised, respectively, by subcontinental, warm temperate, andtypical Mediterranean climate. Altogether, 141 sites were visited, yielding 226accessions belonging to eight species of potential interest for turfs:Poa pratensis, Poa trivialis,Festuca rubra, Festuca arundinacea,Lolium perenne, Agrostis stolonifera,Agrostis tenuis, and Cynodon dactylon,this last being a warm-season grass. Poa pratensis andCynodon dactylon were mostly collected in northern Italyand Sardinia, respectively, whereas Festuca arundinacea andLolium perenne were rather ubiquitous. The collection sitesranged from 0 to 1040 m asl, but sites over 750 m wereonly visited in the inner part of Sardinia. All the accessions, collected aswhole plants, were transplanted at Lodi, northern Italy, where they are beingevaluated. Their preliminary evaluation for traits of importance for turf use,such as sward colour and overall quality, highlighted the great variation andthe occurrence of interesting accessions in all species. Other characters wererecorded, bearing specific importance in individual species, and in all casespromising accessions were identified. The germplasm of Festucarubra, Festuca arundinacea, and Loliumperenne proved highly infected by endophytic (symbiotic) fungi of thegenus Neotyphodium.