Effect of drought on diameter increment of Quercus ilex, Phillyrea latifolia, and Arbutus unedo in a holm oak forest of NE Spain

The present study was carried out to elucidate the drought growth responses of Quercus ilex L., Phillyrea latifolia L., Arbutus unedo L., and other accompanying woody species of the Mediterranean holm oak forest. We submitted holm oak forest stands in Prades mountains (NE Spain) to a 2-year experimental drought. We reduced soil water availability about 15% by plastic strips and funnels that partially excluded rain throughfall and by ditch interception of water runoff. Mean stem diameter increment showed a great variation depending on the species. A. unedo had larger growth rates than Q. ilex and P. latifolia, but it was also the species that experimented the highest growth reduction in the drought plots (77%), suggesting a higher drought sensitivity than Q. ilex (55%) and P. latifolia (no drought effect). The growth reduction was specially marked in the larger trees. Aboveground stand biomass increment, estimated from stem diameter by allometric relationships, was 1.9 Mg ha⁻¹ per year in the control plots. The 15% reduction in the upper soil moisture produced 42% reduction in this biomass increment. In the drier conditions predicted in this Mediterranean area in the frame of climate change, an important reduction of growth rates can be hence expected, accompanied by a gain of dominance of drought-tolerant species such as P. latifolia in detriment of more mesic species such as Q. ilex.     

长白落叶松人工林树冠形状的模拟

以长白山地区 2 6a生长白落叶松人工林为研究对象 ,采用枝解析的方法 ,测定了 2 5株林木 (直径 10 5～2 4 9cm)的树冠变量 ,并建立了预测树冠外侧形状的冠形模型。基于枝条着枝深度 (DINC)和林木变量所建立的树冠形状模型包括 :基径、枝长、着枝角度和弦长等预估模型。对于大小相同树木的主要枝条来讲 ,这些树冠变量是随着DINC的增加而增大 ;而林木的胸径 (DBH)和树高 (HT)变量很好地反映了不同大小树木的冠形变化。冠形预测模型预测效果良好 ,充分体现了树冠结构的变化趋势 :树冠形状在树冠的中上部呈抛物线体 ,而在树冠的下部则为近圆柱体。文中所建模型 ,可以合理地描述长白落叶松人工林的树冠形状及其变化规律。     

Branch mortality and potential litterfall from Douglas-fir trees in stands of varying density

Forest floor characteristics influence nutrient cycling and energy flow properties of forest ecosystems, and determine quality of habitat for many forest plants and animals. Differential crown recession and crown development among stands of differing density suggest that an opportunity may exist to control the input of fine woody litter into the system by manipulating stand density. The objective was to measure the rate of branch mortality among stands of differing density and to estimate the range in total per hectare necromass inputs. Although litter traps are reliable for estimating per hectare rates of litterfall, branch mortality dating on sectioned stems uniquely allows assessment of several other litterfall components: (1) individual tree contributions to total litterfall; (2) the amount of branch material released by mortality, regardless of whether the branches are shed to the forest floor; (3) the distribution of basal diameters characterizing the litterfall from a given tree and stand. Twenty-four trees were felled and sectioned on permanent plots that were part of a silvicultural study of stand density regimes in Douglas-fir (Pseudotsuga menziesii (Mirbel) Franco.). Whorl branches were dissected out of bole sections to determine the dates of mortality, and a branch biomass equation was applied to estimate potential rate of litterfall. Periodic annual rates were expressed in four ways: (1) number of branches per tree; (2) mass of branches per tree; (3) mass of branches per unit of crown projection area; (4) mass of branches per hectare. For the growth periods investigated, larger trees and trees growing on denser plots tended to release a greater necromass through branch mortality. Average branch basal diameter generally decreased with increasing stand density. Annual branch mortality ranged from 33 to 430 g m⁻² crown projection area for individual trees, and from 236 to 1035 kg ha⁻¹ for individual plots. These rates approached the low end of the range of previously published fine litterfall rates for Douglas-fir. Rates on these plots were relatively low owing to the temporary delay in crown recession imposed by artificial thinning. A conceptual model of branch litter dynamics is presented to depict consistencies with crown development among stands managed under different density regimes.     

低覆盖度行带式种植模式下赤峰杨根系分布特征

采用根钻法对低覆盖度行带式栽植模式下赤峰杨的根长密度的空间分布特征进行了研究,同时用烘干法对其根质量密度进行了测量。结果表明:赤峰杨的总平均根长密度在不同土层间变化很大,0.0 40 cm土层为根系主要分布区域,其在总平均根长密度中所占比例高达77.1%;不同径级之间的根长密度差异显著,0.0 0.2 mm径级根系的根长密度最大,可达0.61 cm·cm-3。带间根长密度变化出现了先增大后减少而后略有增大的趋势,环境因子影响根系分布,>2.0 mm的粗根根长密度主要分布于带间。低覆盖度行带式配置模式下的赤峰杨吸收根系(<2mm)主要分布于0 40 cm深度区域,粗根(>2.0 mm)主要分布于地表40 cm以下区域,带间是根系的主要分布区域,根系主要利用的是天然降水。     

Effect of collection date on capsule moisture content and germination of Populus ciliata Wall. ex Royle from central Himalaya

Seed maturity indices of Populus ciliata were investigated in collections from Sukhatal and Bhowali. Across both seed sources, mean capsule size varied from 68.0±1.5 mm² to 72.0±0.9 mm², while mean number of capsules/100 grams varied from 268±8 to 295±12. Mean weight of 100 capsules varied from 25.0±1.4 g to 27.0±1.4 g. Weight of 100 capsules among sources and individual trees differed significantly (P < 0.05), while number of capsules/100 grams and weight of 100 capsules was negatively correlated (r² = 0.69). As capsules matured moisture content decreased from 83.2±1.1% to 54.3±0.3% at Sukhatal and from 77.7±0.4% to 46.4±0.3% at Bhowali. The optimum germination was at 58–60% moisture content. Maturation was related to capsule colour changes as well as moisture content. These parameters were judged to be good indicators of when to collect P. ciliata seeds.     

Regional mixed-effects height–diameter models for loblolly pine (<Emphasis Type="Italic">Pinus taeda</Emphasis> L.) plantations

A height–diameter mixed-effects model was developed for loblolly pine (Pinus taeda L.) plantations in the southeastern US. Data were obtained from a region-wide thinning study established by the Loblolly Pine Growth and Yield Research Cooperative at Virginia Tech. The height–diameter model was based on an allometric function, which was linearized to include both fixed- and random-effects parameters. A test of regional-specific fixed-effects parameters indicated that separate equations were needed to estimate total tree heights in the Piedmont and Coastal Plain physiographic regions. The effect of sample size on the ability to estimate random-effects parameters in a new plot was analyzed. For both regions, an increase in the number of sample trees decreased the bias when the equation was applied to independent data. This investigation showed that the use of a calibrated response using one sample tree per plot makes the inclusion of additional predictor variables (e.g., stand density) unnecessary. A numerical example demonstrates the methodology used to predict random effects parameters, and thus, to estimate plot specific height–diameter relationships.     

平原地区杨树人工林阳性冠幅与胸径关系的研究

通过对100株中林46杨树人工林的调查,研究了平原地区杨树人工林阳性冠幅与胸径之间的关系。结果表明:两者之间存在着相当紧密的线性相关关系,其相关线性模型为y=-2.254+0.432x,相关系数为0.9043。     

巴山木竹种群生物量结构研究

研究了陕西镇巴县巴山木竹种群的生物量结构.结果表明:(1)该巴山木竹种群生物量在各构件单位的分配为秆55.56%,叶3.40%,枝9.51%,鞭8.70%,蔸20.77%,根2.06%;地上部生物量在各年龄的分配1～5年生的分别为19.0%,5.2%,5.4%,4.3%,8.9%,6和7年生的14.6%,8和9年生的18.2%,10a及以上的24.4%;地下部生物量在各土层中的分配是0～2cm的12.9%,20～40cm的43.1%,40cm以下的44.0%.(2)3年生及以下幼龄竹和8年生及以上老龄竹的平均秆重低于标准秆重,4～7年生竹的高于标准秆重.(3)随着竹子幼龄-中龄-老龄的年龄变化,单分株叶构件的绝对重量及其与秆重的比值皆有上升-稳定-下降的变化趋势.     

Comparison of chitosans with different molecular weights as possible wood preservatives

Fungi cause serious problems in wood utilization, and environmentally benign wood protection is required as an alternative to traditional chemicals. Chitosan has shown promising antimicrobial properties against several microorganisms. In this study, we present the characterization of and antifungal properties of a commercial chitosan formulation developed for impregnation of wood. A broad range of chemical and mycological methods were used to evaluate the uptake, fixation, and antifungal properties of chitosan for wood preservation. The results show that the higher the uptake of chitosan the lower the relative recovery of chitosan in wood after leaching, and the higher the molecular weight of chitosan the higher the recovery. Chitosan with high molecular weight proved to be more efficient against decay fungi than chitosan with low molecular weight. The fungi tested on chitosan-amended nutrient agar medium were totally inhibited at 1% (w/v) concentration. In decay studies using small wood blocks, 4.8% (w/v) chitosan concentration gave the best protection against brown rot fungi.     

Analysis of the seed dispersal patterns of wild soybean as a reference for vegetation management around genetically modified soybean fields

There are concerns that genetically modified soybean might threaten the genetic diversity of the wild soybean populations that are distributed in East Asia because genetically modified soybean has no crossing barrier with wild soybean. A simple and effective method to prevent hybridization via pollen flow is spatial separation between the two species because their hybridization occurs only when they grow in close proximity. Therefore, the invasiveness of wild soybean needs to be known in order to secure the appropriate distances. As wild soybean seeds are dispersed mechanically by pod dehiscence, an experiment was conducted in which white sheets were placed on the ground, concentric circles were drawn around the parent plants, and the number of dispersed seeds within each 0.5 m‐wide zone were counted. About 40% of the produced seeds were dispersed and the number of dispersed seeds gradually declined as the distance from the parent plants increased. The model that explained the relationship between the number and distance of the dispersed seeds was produced by using a generalized linear model procedure. More than 95, 99, and 99.9% of the produced seeds stayed within 3.5, 5.0, and 6.5 m after natural pod dehiscence. Knowing these values is useful for evaluating the level of invasive risk by mechanical seed dispersal. The goal of the work is to efficiently and deliberately prevent hybridization by isolating genetically modified soybean fields and wild soybean populations by vegetation management, including weeding and setting up specific‐width buffer zones.