Effects of removing the litter and humic layers on heathland establishment following plantation removal

We investigated ways of optimising the establishment of Calluna vulgaris-dominated heathland vegetation following removal of pines from afforested heathland using a randomised block experiment. Removal of the litter layer, or both the litter and humic layers, resulted in a higher initial establishment rate of C. vulgaris compared to in the control plots. The effect of adding heathland clippings suggested that the rate of establishment of C. vulgaris was limited by seed availability in plots from which both the litter and humic layers had been removed, but not in those from which just the litter layer had been removed. Removal of both the litter and humic layers did, though, result in a long-term reduction in the depth of the humic layer, a lower loss-on-ignition and lower level of nitrate and total nitrogen compared to in the control plots. The optimal method for establishing heathland vegetation at a site will depend on: (1) whether there is a viable seedbank of C. vulgaris and other desirable heathland species present; (2) the importance of quickly establishing a high cover of desirable heathland species; (3) the likely long-term effects of soil nitrogen levels on the maintenance of C. vulgaris dominance; (4) the practicality of removing and disposing of the litter and humus layers.     

Long-term changes in collembolan communities in grazed and non-grazed abandoned arable fields in Denmark

In order to explore long-term changes in microarthropod communities after introduction of livestock grazing in abandoned fields with herb–grass vegetation at Mols, E. Jutland, Denmark, soil and litter samples were collected from 7 pairs (blocks) of grazed and non-grazed plots over a period of 14 years. Sampling began just before fencing and initiation of cattle and sheep grazing in the spring of 1985. The total material included 76 collembolan species; 65 and 68 species were recorded in the grazed and non-grazed plots, respectively. The number of species recorded at individual sampling dates fluctuated considerably through the period. In the vegetation/litter layer the mean number of species per plot was significantly higher in the non-grazed than in the grazed plots at several sampling dates while in the soil no significant differences were observed. Grazing significantly reduced the abundance of total Collembola, three composite species groups and 12 species at one or more sampling dates. Only three species or species groups (excluding some accidental occurrences) showed significant population increment in response to grazing at one or more sampling dates, most pronounced towards the end of the study period. No species changed from being significantly highest in grazed plots to being significantly highest in the non-grazed plots or vice versa during the study period. Significant relationships between grazing pressure and grazing effect on population density were only found in the vegetation/litter layer and the combined vegetation/litter/soil strata but not in the soil. The three regularly occurring taxa that had highest population densities in the grazed plots were positively correlated with grazing intensity while this was not the case for the majority of those taxa which were most abundant in the non-grazed plots. Canonical correspondence analysis based on species composition suggests separate successional trends for grazed and non-grazed plots. Grazing pressure accumulated through the whole period from start of grazing and precipitation accumulated over one year preceding the sampling date were the most important environmental variables correlated with species composition. According to a permutation test based on a split-plot design water content of the soil measured at each sampling was not significantly correlated with the community development.     

华南典型人工林的土壤物理性质及其水源涵养功能

对杉木、马尾松、湿地松、尾叶桉和马占相思林的土壤物理性质、凋落物持水量以及土壤贮水性能进行了研究。5种林分土壤的毛管孔隙度、非毛管孔隙度和总孔隙度均为上层大于下层,而土壤容重为上层小于下层。总体来看,5种林分中杉木和马占相思林土壤疏松、孔隙度大;尾叶桉林土壤紧实、孔隙度小,马尾松林和湿地松的土壤孔隙度中等。凋落物最大持水量呈现杉木林(18thm-2)>马占相思林(15thm-2)>尾叶桉林(14thm-2)>马尾松林(11thm-2)>湿地松林(10thm-2)。土壤是森林涵养水源的主体,其最大持水量占林地最大持水量的99%以上,顺序为杉木林地和马占相思林(2064和2061thm-2)>湿地松林(2041thm-2)>马尾松林(2032thm-2)>尾叶桉林(1941thm-2)。林地最大持水量的顺序为杉木林地(2082thm-2)>马占相思林地(2076thm-2)>湿地松林地(2051thm-2)>马尾松林地(2043thm-2)>尾叶桉林地(1955thm-2)。     

不同经营年限山核桃林地枯落物和土壤的水文效应

为探讨山核桃(Carya cathayensis Sarg.)—常绿阔叶混交林转变为山核桃纯林过程中林地枯落物和土壤水文效应的变化,利用相邻样地比较采样法,研究了山核桃—阔叶混交林0,5,10,20a山核桃纯林的水源涵养能力差异。结果表明,林地枯落物层持水量、吸水速率与浸水时间的关系分别符合对数函数和指数函数;0a林地的枯落物层蓄积量、最大持水量和有效拦蓄量显著高于5,10,20a的山核桃林地;随着经营年限的延长,林地枯落物层蓄积量、最大持水量和有效拦蓄量呈下降的趋势,与0a相比,分别下降了38.2%~54.6%,58.1%~69.7%,21.0%~33.2%;土壤容重、非毛管孔隙度、毛管孔隙度和总毛管孔隙度及持水力等指标在不同经营年限山核桃林地之间的差异并不显著,与0a土壤的持水力(21 450.0t/hm2)相比,经过不同年限的经营,持水力分别下降了10.6%~20.4%。总体上,山核桃—常绿阔叶混交林转变为山核桃纯林后,降低了林地枯落物和土壤的水文效应。     

托木尔峰自然保护区台兰河上游不同植被类型的水源涵养功能

为了研究托木尔峰自然保护区生态系统的水源涵养功能,选择台兰河上游为研究区域,采用野外观察与室内试验相结合的方法,分别对该区域具有代表性的雪岭云杉林、灌木林、草地植被,从林冠层、枯枝落叶层和土壤层3个层次及综合性的水源涵养能力进行了定量分析。结果表明:研究区云杉林林冠截留能力优于灌木林,穿透降雨量及林冠截留量平均值均大于灌木林。除草地外,各样地枯枝落叶未分解层平均厚度均大于半分解层,云杉林枯枝落叶层的厚度和蓄积量明显大于灌木林,不同植被类型枯枝落叶半分解层的自然持水率、最大持水率均高于未分解层,云杉林枯枝落叶层自然持水率、最大持水率均高于灌木林,灌木林和云杉林的枯枝落叶未分解层有效拦蓄量均高于半分解层。不同植被类型平均土壤容重大小表现为草地灌木林云杉林,土壤孔隙度的平均值大小则与之相反;不同植被类型的土壤自然含水率、饱和含水量及非毛管持水量均表现为云杉林灌木林草地,而不同植被类型30cm深土层的蓄水能力变化则存在差异。研究区不同植被类型的水源涵养能力在181.06~237.63mm,综合、有效水源涵养能力均表现为云杉林灌木林草地,其中土壤层的涵养贡献率最大,总有效蓄水量远小于总持水量。综上所述,台兰河上游云杉林和灌木林具有较好的涵养水源能力,放牧强度和人为干扰是影响研究区不同植被类型尤其是生境脆弱的草地植被水源涵养功能的重要因素。     

Vegetation characteristics and soil properties in grazing exclusion areas of the Inner Mongolia desert steppe

In arid and semi-arid desert steppe areas, grazing exclusion with fencing is widely regarded as an effective strategy for restoring degraded vegetation and enhancing the quality of degraded soil. In this study, we hypothesized that grazing exclusion caused by fencing enhances both vegetation and soil properties, and that the longer an area is fenced, the more considerable the improvement. We conducted an observational study wherein random sampling was utilized to select 9 plots fenced for ten or more years, 25 plots fenced for four to nine years, 25 plots fenced for one to three years and 29 free-grazing plots within an area of approximately 63,000 km² of Inner Mongolia desert steppe. A one-way ANOVA revealed no significant differences in the characteristics of grassland vegetation or soil properties between grasslands fenced for one to three years and free-grazing grassland. After 4 years of fencing, noticeable increases in above-ground biomass, litter content, Simpson index, soil organic carbon, and available nitrogen were observed. Significant positive differences in vegetation coverage, height, species richness, soil available phosphorus, and available potassium were associated with plots with a minimum of 10 years of fencing. The soil layer with the greatest difference in the fenced-in areas for soil organic carbon was at 0–25 cm. For available nitrogen and available phosphorus, fencing produced the most significant differences in the 0–20 cm soil layer, while for available potassium, fencing produced the most significant differences in the 0–30 cm soil layer. However, the fencing did not indicate any statistically significant differences in terms of clay, silt, and sand content in any soil layer. The data support our hypothesis that grazing exclusion improves both vegetation and soil properties, and that longer periods of grazing exclusion result in greater degrees of improvement. This research offers technical guidance for the reasonable choice of fencing time across a vast area of the Inner Mongolian desert steppe.     

Potential of the Silpho Moor experimental birch plots as a habitat for Lumbricus terrestris

It is argued that the podzol of Silpho Moor could be converted under birch to a typical brown earth only if it could sustain an earthworm population with a Lumbricus terrestris biomass of not less than 100 g m^?2. No worms of this species were found under experimental birch plots 30 yr old. The presence of podzolizing species in the ground vegetation; the low pH of the raw humus layer; the low Ca and N supply in the soil, litter and rainfall; and the impeded soil drainage lead to the conclusion that colonization by L. terrestris is unlikely.     

Influence of compost and lime on population structure and element concentrations of forest soil invertebrates

Summary We tested the effects of two organic fertilizers (composts) and lime on the soil fauna of a spruce stand. One compost was obtained from chopped wood and the other from household garbage. At the time of distribution the pH of the control plots averaged 3.2, the garbage compost had a pH of 7.5, and the wood compost of 6.2. During the experimental period the pH of the compost layers decreased. The pH of the former litter layer beneath the composts showed a steep increase after 5 months, but beneath the treatment with wood compost this effect did no persist. Liming increased the pH only slightly in the litter layer. The two types of compost, the litter layer, and lumbricids (Lumbricus rubellus) were analyzed for concentrations of essential and potentially toxic elements. The element burden was highest in the garbage compost with 7- to 11-fold concentrations of Zn, Cd, Pb, Mg, and Cu compared to the needle litter. K, Ba, and Ca were 4 times more concentrated. L. rubellus showed an increased Cu concentration after extraction from the highly contaminated sites of garbage compost. Despite the differences in Pb contamination in the needle litter and in the two compost types, all investigated individuals of L. rubellus contained similar concentrations of Pb. In contrast to Pb, Cd accumulated in this lumbricid. Seasonal fluctuations of microarthropods, their total abundance, and differences in the colonization of the compost layers were observed. Collembola abundance was significantly increased in the garbage compost plots in July 91. There were generally more Prostigmata in the control and limed plots than in the compost plots. Oribatid numbers fell under all treatments compared to the controls. Mesostigmata were identified to species level and 33 species were found in the experimental areas. Certain species, such as Arctoseius cetratus and Uropoda minima, were only found in the treated sites.     

Interactions between earthworms, litter and trees in an old-growth beech forest

 Forty plots were selected in an old-growth beech forest (Biological Reserve of La Tillaie, Fontainebleau State Forest, France), to embrace the whole range of site conditions and phases of vegetation dynamics. Soils are sandy, thus the nutrient status of the topsoil is very poor except when trees have access to an underlying limestone layer. The study was focused on the role of calcium in the sustainability of the beech ecosystem. Calcium is mostly redistributed through leaf litter accretion and the activity of litter-consuming organisms, but other sources are fallen wood and uprooted mounds. In each of the 40 plots, earthworm species were sampled, and measurements were taken in order to describe humus profiles, growth of adult trees, litter quantity and quality, and access to lime. Densities of soil-dwelling earthworms, calcium content of beech leaf litter, height of tallest trees and depth of the limestone layer were correlated, indicating a gradient of soil fertility which mainly results from long-term interactions between soil organisms and trees in varying geological conditions. Possible causal relationships and implications of calcium turnover for nature conservation were discussed in the light of existing knowledge. Received: 6 July 1998     

间伐和去除凋落物对马尾松林细根生产力和土壤有机碳含量的影响

Soils play a critical role in the global carbon cycle, and can be major source or sink of CO₂ depending upon land use, vegetation type and soil management practices. Fine roots are important component of a forest ecosystem in terms of water and nutrient uptake. In this study the effects of thinning and litter fall removal on fine root production and soil organic carbon content were examined in 20-year-old Masson pine (Pinus resinosa) plantations in Huitong, Hunan Province of China in the growing seasons of 2004 and 2005. The results showed that fine root production was significantly lower in the thinning plots than in the control plots, with a decrease of 58% and 14% in 2004 and 2005 growing seasons, respectively. Litter fall removal significantly increased fine root production by 14% in 2004. Soil temperature (T_soil) and soil moisture (M_soil) were higher in the thinning plots than those in the controls. Litter fall removal had significant effiects on T_soil and M_soil. Soil organic carbon content was higher in the thinning plots but was lower in the plots with litter fall removal compared with that in the controls. Our results also indicated that annual production of fine roots resulted in small carbon accumulation in the upper layers of the soil, and removal of tree by thinning resulted in a significant increase of carbon storage in Masson pine plantations.