Effects of burning on soil macrofauna in a savanna-woodland under different experimental fuel load treatments

In West African savanna-woodland, the use of prescribed burning as a management tool has ecological implications for the soil biota. Yet, the effects of fire on soil inhabiting organisms are poorly understood. The aim of this study was to examine the responses of soil macro-invertebrates to early fires in a Sudanian savanna-woodland on a set of experimental plots subject to different fuel load treatments. The abundance of major macro-invertebrate taxa and functional groups, and taxon richness were quantified in soil cores collected from three different soil layers before and immediately after burning. The results indicated that, overall, there was substantial spatial and temporal variation in the composition of macro-invertebrate assemblages. The immediate effects of fire were to reduce total invertebrate numbers and numbers of many invertebrate groups dramatically. This is probably due to the fact that many of the surface-dwelling macrofauna perished as a result of less favorable microclimate due to fire, diminished resources, or migrate to safer environments. Fuel load treatment did not affect the community taxonomic richness or abundance of the soil-dwelling fauna. Furthermore, annual changes in community composition were more pronounced at the burnt site than in the control. This could be related to the inter-annual difference in precipitation pattern recorded during the two-year study period at our site. Since soil macrofauna population declines in fire-disturbed areas, increasing fire prevalence may jeopardize the long-term conservation of fire sensitive macrofauna groups. Special fire management attention is therefore recommended with due consideration to the type of burning and fuel properties to avoid the detrimental effects of intense fire affecting the resilience of savanna soil macrofauna species.     

焚烧对芨芨草产量和品质的影响

本文研究了焚烧对芨芨草生产力的影响。焚烧后芨芨草在开花期可增产６２．２％，其营养价值在生长前期有所提高，以粗蛋白质在来分含量的提高和无氮浸出物与纤维素的降低为特征，烧后芨芨草期可延长１５天左右，叶量增大，地下部增重大于地下部。     

套筒式燃煤高效间接加热通用热风炉的研究

根据固体燃料燃烧和热风干燥的特点,研制成功了新型套筒式换热的高效燃煤热风炉,已广泛应用于谷物及农产品干燥加工行业。该文除对工作原理及设计方法作了介绍外,还对各种空气加热装置作了比较。     

Responses of microbial biomass and respiration of soil to topography,burning, and nitrogen fertilization in a temperate steppe

Temporal dynamics of microbial biomass and respiration of soil and their responses to topography, burning, N fertilization, and their interactions were determined in a temperate steppe in northern China. Soil microbial indices showed strong temporal variability over the growing season. Soil microbial biomass C (MBC) and N (MBN) were 14.8 and 11.5% greater in the lower than upper slope, respectively. However, the percentage of organic C present as MBC and the percentage of total N present as MBN were 16.9 and 26.2% higher in the upper than lower slope, respectively. Neither microbial respiration (MR) nor metabolic quotient (qCO₂) was affected by topography. Both MBC and MBN were increased by burning, on average, by 29.8 and 14.2% over the growing season, and MR and qCO₂ tended to reduce depending on the sampling date, especially in August. Burning stimulated the percentage of organic C present as MBC and the percentage of total N present as MBN in the upper slope, but did not change these two parameters in the lower slope. No effects of N fertilization on soil microbial indices were observed in the first growing season after the treatment. Further research is needed to study the long-term relationships between changes in soil microbial diversity and activity and plant community in response to burning and N fertilization.     

Carbon and nitrogen degradation on molecular scale of grass-derived pyrogenic organic material during 28 months of incubation in soil

The present study focuses on the microbial recalcitrance of pyrogenic organic material (PyOM) on a molecular scale. We performed microcosm incubation experiments using ¹³C- and ¹⁵N-enriched grass-derived PyOM mixed with a sub soil material taken from a Haplic Cambisol. Solid-state ¹³C and ¹⁵N NMR studies were conducted to elucidate the humification processes at different stages of PyOM degradation. The chemical structure of the remaining PyOM after incubation was clearly different from the initial pyrogenic material. The proportion of O-containing functional groups was increased, whereas that of aryl C and of N-containing heterocyclic structures had decreased, probably due to mineralisation and conversion to other C and N groups. After 20 months of incubation the aryl C loss reached up to 40% of the initial amount and up to 29% of the remaining PyOM C was assigned to carboxyl/carbonyl C and O-aryl C. These reactions alter the chemical and physical properties of the char residue and make it more available for further microbial attack but also for adsorption processes. Our study presents direct evidence for the degradation of N-heterocyclic domains in charred plant remains adding new aspects to the understanding of the N cycling in fire-affected ecosystems.     

Applying evidence-based practice in conservation management: Lessons from the first systematic review and dissemination projects

Lack of systematic evaluation of the effectiveness of conservation practices has hindered advances in scientific management of biodiversity. Development of an evidence-based framework of the kind used in the health services has been advocated as an approach to address this problem. Here we report on and evaluate the first two ecological systematic reviews undertaken using this framework. The subjects were the effectiveness of burning as a conservation intervention for UK sub-montane, dry dwarf shrub heaths (heath review) and blanket bog (bog review). Systematic search yielded 13 data sets from seven ‘heath’ articles and 11 data sets from eight ‘bog’ articles. Data from the heath review were of sufficient quality to enable meta-analysis whereas data from the bog review was synthesised by “vote counting”. Meta-analysis of the heath data indicates that floristic diversity is variable, particularly in early post-fire successional sequences, but older stands experienced significantly greater loss of diversity than younger stands. The bog review indicates that there are no consistent changes in floristic composition in response to burning. The evidence-base for upland management by burning is insufficient to generate robust management recommendations highlighting the necessity for further work. Feedback from the dissemination of the reviews provided valuable lessons for future reviews in terms of stakeholder involvement in question formulation and the balance between a reductionist and holistic approach. Systematic reviews are appropriate tools for conservation management and formalise the information available based on the weight of evidence. Evidence will commonly be lacking in many areas of conservation biology and the evidence-based framework effectively exposes this situation in a way that can determine requirements for needs-led research.     

火烧对土壤性质的影响

火烧以后 ,土壤的各种性质会发生较大变化 ,原因是火向土壤中施加了热量、灰烬 ,并且改变了土壤环境和微气候 ,土壤性质也可因植被和生物活性的改变而发生相应的变化。本文对火烧后土壤生态系统中养分的浓度、有效性、迁移性 ,土壤中的生物和酶活性 ,土壤有机碳库等的变化进行了综合评述 ,以期为森林火灾、草地烧荒后的土壤管理等提供理论参考。     

焚烧对芨芨草滩地草场土壤生态条件的影响

本文研究了焚烧对芨芨草滩地草场上壤生态条件的影响。结果表明，焚烧可使土壤温度升高，地表可升温3．2～10．8℃，地表以下土层也有所升温，但其数值随深度增加而递减。焚烧后土壤含水量在0～40cm土层内可增加2．42～4．58％，土壤含盐量和土壤含磷量均有增加，但土壤含氮量则有所下降。     

不同季节火烧对小针茅草原群落特征的影响

采用控制火烧的方法探讨不同季节火烧对小针茅草原的影响。结果表明:火烧会抑制丛生禾草小针茅和无芒隐子草的高生长;春季火烧使群落的盖度在整个生长季偏低;火烧减少群落地上生物量,在整个生长季中火烧处理地基本低于未烧地,春季与冬季火烧地相比,前者总体低于后者。因而火烧处理对于小针茅草原具有一定的抑制作用,尤其春季火烧较为明显,这与火烧对建群种小针茅地面更新芽的影响有关。     

一次受夏收作物秸秆焚烧影响形成灰霾天气的机理分析

针对2012年6月中旬苏北地区的一次大面积夏收作物秸秆焚烧,通过对能见度、空气污染指数、可吸入颗粒物和降水中钾离子等数据的分析,并结合对气象条件的分析,初步揭示了秸秆焚烧对空气污染产生的影响机理,指出由秸秆焚烧产生的气态颗粒物在不利扩散的气象条件下会形成灰霾天气。