Abiotic and biotic drivers of species diversity in understory layers of cold temperate coniferous forests in North China

Understory plants are important components of forest ecosystems and play a crucial role in regulating community structures, function realization, and community succession. However, little is known about how abiotic and biotic drivers affect the diversity of understory species in cold temperate coniferous forests in the semiarid climate region of North China. We hypothesized that(1) topographic factors are important environmental factors affecting the distribution and variation of understory strata,and(2) different understory strata respond differently to environmental factors; shrubs may be significantly affected by the overstory stratum, and herbs may be more affected by surface soil conditions. To test these hypotheses, we used the boosted regression tree method to analyze abiotic and biotic environmental factors that influence understory species diversity, using data from 280 subplots across 56 sites in cold temperate coniferous forests of North China.Elevation and slope aspect were the dominant and indirect abiotic drivers affecting understory species diversity, and individual tree size inequality(DBH variation) was the dominant biotic driver of understory species diversity; soil water content was the main edaphic factors affecting herb layers. Elevation, slope aspect, and DBH variation accounted for 36.4, 14.5, and 12.1%, respectively, of shrub stratum diversity. Shrub diversity decreased with elevation within the range of altitude of this study, but increased with DBH variation; shrub diversity was highest on north-oriented slopes. The strongest factor affecting herb stratum species diversity was slope aspect, accounting for 25.9% of the diversity, followed by elevation(15.7%), slope(12.2%), and soil water content(10.3%). The highest herb diversity was found on southeast-oriented slopes and the lowest on northeast-oriented slopes; herb diversity decreased with elevation and soil water content, but increased with slope. The results of the study provide a reference for scientific management and biodiversity protection in cold temperate coniferous forests of North China.     

柏木、马褂木和杉木等针阔混交林结构化森林经营研究

以29a生柏木、马褂木和杉木针阔混交林为研究材料,利用结构化森林经营技术评价林分的稳定性。结果表明:柏木、马褂木和杉木等针阔混交林中树种优势程度最高的为柏木,其次为马褂木;整个林分中的树种为随机分布,林分中林木大多数处于强度混交和极强度混交的状态,其中刺槐、翅荚木、构树和马尾松平均混交度为1,为极强度混交。女贞、黄檀、蓝果树、香椿、和油桐为强度混交。优势树种柏木、马褂木和杉木中,马褂木的平均混交度0.615,处于中度混交状态,杉木的平均混交度0.519,处于中度混交状态,柏木的平均混交度为0.484,处于弱度混交与中度混交之间。林分中翅荚木和构树的平均大小比数为1,在它们所处的结构单元中处于绝对劣势状态;黄檀、蓝果树和油桐的平均大小比数在0.750~0.856之间,处于劣势状态;刺槐和杉木的平均大小比数在0.5~0.618之间,处于从劣势向中庸过渡状态;柏木、女贞、马褂木、马尾松、黄樟和香椿平均大小比数在0.25~0.5之间,处于从中庸向亚优势过渡状态;林分中,天然更新情况均达到了更新良好的等级,林分处于健康稳定的状态,目前不需要经营。结果为柏木、马褂木和杉木针阔混交林经营提供了理论依据和技术支持。     

Fire-induced carbon emissions from tropical mixed broad-leaved forests of the Terai-Siwalik region,central Nepal

Forest fires are one of the major environmen-tal issues globally.In Nepal,substantial amounts of forest biomass and carbon are lost due to fire.Nepal's high val...     

Post-fire salvage logging reduces carbon sequestration in Mediterranean coniferous forest

Post-fire salvage logging is a common silvicultural practice around the world, with the potential to alter the regenerative capacity of an ecosystem and thus its role as a source or a sink of carbon. However, there is no information on the effect of burnt wood management on the net ecosystem carbon balance. Here, we examine for the first time the effect of post-fire burnt wood management on the net ecosystem carbon balance by comparing the carbon exchange of two treatments in a burnt Mediterranean coniferous forest treated by salvage logging (SL, felling and removing the logs and masticating the woody debris) and Non-Intervention (NI, all trees left standing) using eddy covariance measurements. Using different partitioning approaches, we analyze the evolution of photosynthesis and respiration processes together with measurements of vegetation cover and soil respiration and humidity to interpret the differences in the measured fluxes and underlying processes. Results show that SL enhanced CO₂ emissions of this burnt pine forest by more than 120 g C m⁻² compared to the NI treatment for the period June-December 2009. Although soil respiration was around 30% higher in NI during growing season, this was more than offset by photosynthesis, as corroborated by increases in vegetation cover and evapotranspiration. Since SL is counterproductive to climate-change and Kyoto protocol objectives of optimal C sequestration by terrestrial ecosystems, less aggressive burnt wood management policies should be considered.     

怀化市鹤城区针阔混交林林分结构研究

以怀化市鹤城区针阔混交林为研究对象,选择具有代表性的11块20 m×20 m标准地,进行树种组成结构分析,并利用Weibull分布函数开展直径分布研究。结果表明:(1)标准地内乔木层阔叶树以檫木、枫香、木荷为主,针叶树以杉木、马尾松、柏木为主。林木总蓄积量比重值位于前5位的树种是:杉木、枫香、马尾松、楠木、檫木,分别占总蓄积量的18.52%、18.36%、18.13%、12.88%、12.70%。(2)林分直径结构分析表明,树木直径分布曲线均呈不规则单山峰状曲线,应用Weibull分布函数拟合反映直径分布,并进行x2检验,效果比较理想。(3)各标准地林分的混交度均值都大于0.7,各优势树种的平均混交度比较高,按从大到小排序为马尾松杉木木荷檫木苦槠白栎枫香楠木柏木。     

Structure and composition of the seed bank in monospecific and tree species-rich temperate broad-leaved forests

How tree species diversity affects ecosystem functioning is a topic of intensive research. This study compares monospecific and species-rich broad-leaved forests under similar bedrock and climate conditions for the size and composition of their seed bank. We tested the hypotheses that (i) the actual herb-layer vegetation has an only weak influence on the composition of the seed bank, (ii) the species diversity of the seed bank increases with tree-layer diversity, and (iii) tree species forming a more persistent litter layer reduce the number of germinating seeds. The number of seeds and their species composition were investigated in soil cores taken from three soil depths (0–5, 5–10 and 10–20 cm; n = 4, with each 6 sub-samples) in 9 study plots differing in tree species diversity (3 monospecific Fagus plots, 3 plots with Fagus, Fraxinus and Tilia, and 3 plots with Fagus, Fraxinus, Tilia, Carpinus and Acer). Tree species diversity had a much stronger influence on the size and composition of the seed bank than herb-layer diversity or composition, the latter revealing only a low similarity to the corresponding seed bank. The number and species diversity of emerging seedlings decreased significantly with the amount of acidifying Fagus litter, but increased with litter mass of Tilia and other trees with nutrient-rich, rapidly decomposing litter. We conclude that tree species diversity does not influence the seed bank through effects on herb-layer composition, but mostly through differential disturbance histories of the stands and litter quality effects on germination and soil chemistry. From the contrasting effects of Fagus and Tilia leaf litter, it appears that effects of tree species identity are more relevant than influences of tree species diversity itself.     

Harvest impacts on soil carbon storage in temperate forests

Forest soil carbon (C) storage is a significant component of the global C cycle, and is important for sustaining forest productivity. Although forest management may have substantial impacts on soil C storage, experimental data from forest harvesting studies have not been synthesized recently. To quantify the effects of harvesting on soil C, and to identify sources of variation in soil C responses to harvest, we used meta-analysis to test a database of 432 soil C response ratios drawn from temperate forest harvest studies around the world. Harvesting reduced soil C by an average of 8 ± 3% (95% CI), although numerous sources of variation mediated this significant, overall effect. In particular, we found that C concentrations and C pool sizes responded differently to harvesting, and forest floors were more likely to lose C than mineral soils. Harvesting caused forest floor C storage to decline by a remarkably consistent 30 ± 6%, but losses were significantly smaller in coniferous/mixed stands (−20%) than hardwoods (−36%). Mineral soils showed no significant, overall change in C storage due to harvest, and variation among mineral soils was best explained by soil taxonomy. Alfisols and Spodosols exhibited no significant changes, and Inceptisols and Ultisols lost mineral soil C (−13% and −7%, respectively). However, these C losses were neither permanent nor unavoidable. Controls on variation within orders were not consistent, but included species composition, time, and sampling depth. Temporal patterns and soil C budgets suggest that forest floor C losses probably have a lesser impact on total soil C storage on Alfisols, Inceptisols, and Ultisols than on Spodosols, which store proportionately large amounts of C in forest floors with long C recovery times (50–70 years). Mineral soil C losses on Inceptisols and Ultisols indicate that these orders are vulnerable to significant harvest-induced changes in total soil C storage, but alternative residue management and site preparation techniques, and the passage of time, may mitigate or negate these losses. Key findings of this analysis, including the dependence of forest floor and mineral soil C storage changes on species composition and soil taxonomic order, suggest that further primary research may make it possible to create predictive maps of forest harvesting effects on soil C storage.     

Correlations between canopy gaps and species diversity in broad-leaved and Korean pine mixed forests

Regeneration of tree species associated with canopy gaps in broad-leaved Korean pine forests was investigated. Species diversity in gaps and under closed canopy was compared, the relationship between biodiversity and gap structure was analyzed. Results indicate that there were significant differences between tree species diversity in gaps and that under canopy (p<0.01). In terms of Shannon-Wiener index, evenness index, and abundance index, the biodiversity in gap community were higher than those under forest canopy in regeneration layer. In terms of Simpson’s dominance index, the dominance of certain species in the regeneration layer increased from gaps to closed canopy (p<0.01). In contrast, trends of biodiversity changes of succession layer in gaps and under closed canopy were opposite. Tree species diversity of different layers reacted directly to the change of gap size class. For example, Shannon-Wiener index and abundance index is higher and Simpson’s dominance index is the lowest in succession layer of medium-size gap (100–250 m²) in the broad-leaved Korean pine forest of Changbai Mountains. Shannon-Wiener index reached the highest in a size of ≥250 m² and <100 m², reached the lowest in a size of 200–250 m² in the regeneration layer. Simpson’s dominance index reached its maximum when the gap size was between 200 and 250 m². Generally, species of different layers reacted differently to the changes of gap size classes. The gap size class with more seedlings did not correspond to size class containing more medium-size trees. Tree species diversity indices in the two layers behaved reciprocally during the development process of forest gaps. __________ Translated from Chinese Journal of Applied Ecology, 2005, 16(12): 2,236–2,240 [译自: 应用生态学报, 2005, 16(12): 2,236–2,240]     

Separating effects of changes in atmospheric composition,climate and land-use on carbon sequestration of U.S. Mid-Atlantic temperate forests

Terrestrial carbon dynamics have been vastly modified because of changes in atmospheric composition, climate, and land-use. However, few studies provide a complete analysis of the factors and interactions that affect carbon dynamics over a large landscape. This study examines how changes in atmospheric composition (CO₂, O₃ and N deposition), climate and land-use affected carbon dynamics and sequestration in Mid-Atlantic temperate forests during the 20th century. We modified and applied the PnET-CN model, a well established process-based ecosystem model with a strong foundation of ecosystem knowledge from experimental studies. We validated the model results using the U.S. Forest Inventory and Analysis (FIA) data. Our results suggest that chronic changes in atmospheric chemistry over the past century markedly affected carbon dynamics and sequestration in Mid-Atlantic temperate forests, while climate change only had a minor impact although inter-annual climatic variability had a far more substantial effect. The NPP response to a century of chronic change in atmospheric composition at the regional scale was an increase of 29%, of which, 14% was from elevated CO₂, 17% from N deposition, 6% from the interaction between CO₂ and N deposition, and minus 8% from tropospheric ozone. Climate change increased NPP by only 4%. Disturbed forests had 6% lower NPP than undisturbed forests after seven decades. Regrowing forests after harvesting and natural disturbances had much greater capacity for sequestering carbon than undisturbed old-growth forests even though the newer forests had slightly lower net primary production (NPP). The modeling results indicated that N deposition was a stronger force than elevated CO₂ for increasing NPP and fast turnover tissues, while elevated CO₂ favored more sustainable carbon storage and sequestration. The model results are consistent with various experiments and observations and demonstrate a powerful approach to integrate and expand our knowledge of complex interactive effects of multiple environmental changes on forest carbon dynamics.     

Active organic carbon pool of coniferous and broad-leaved forest soils in the mountainous areas of Beijing

In order to explore the effects of different forest types on active soil carbon pool, the amounts and density of soil organic carbon (SOC) were studied at different soil horizons under typical coniferous and broad-leaved forests in the mountainous area of Beijing. The results showed that the amount of total SOC, readily oxidizable carbon and particulate organic carbon decreased with increasing depths of soil horizons and the amounts at depths of 0–10 cm and 10–20 cm in broad-leaved forest was clearly higher than that in coniferous forests. The trend of a decrease in SOC density with increasing depth of the soil horizon was similar to that of the amount of SOC. However, no regular trend was found for SOC density at different depths between coniferous forest and broad-leaved forests. The ratio of readily oxidizable carbon to total amount of SOC ranged from 0.36–0.45 and the ratio of particulate organic carbon to total amount of SOC from 0.28–0.73; the ratios decreased with increasing depths of soil horizons. Active SOC was significantly correlated with total SOC; the relationship between readily oxidizable carbon and particulate organic carbon was significant. A broad-leaved forest may produce more SOC than a coniferous forest.     

燕山北部山地人工针叶林及天然阔叶林植被层的降水截留量研究

为了比较人工针叶林及天然阔叶林对降水的调控作用,利用泡枝法对燕山北部山地落叶松人工林及天然次生杨桦林植被层对降水的截留量进行了比较。研究结果表明:在各个年龄阶段,落叶松乔木林冠截留量都高于天然次生杨桦林。落叶松人工林幼龄林、中龄林、近熟林乔木林冠截留量分别为0.44mm、0.74mm、0.69mm,杨桦林则分别为0.25mm、0.33mm、0.49mm;但落叶松人工林灌木的截留量低于天然次生杨桦林;华北落叶松人工林植被层总截留量高于天然次生杨桦林,分别是0.48mm、0.78mm、0.74mm。随着林龄的增加,杨桦林林冠截留量有逐渐增加的趋势,幼龄林、中龄林、近熟林分别为0.41 mm、0.38 mm、0.76mm;但落叶松林到达近熟林时林冠截留量却有所下降。     

Distribution patterns of tree,understorey, and detritus biomass in coniferous and broad-leaved forests of Western Himalaya,India

Forest biomass pools are the major reservoirs of atmospheric carbon in both coniferous and broad-leaved forest ecosystems and thus play an important role in regulating the regional and global carbon cycle. In this study, we measured the biomass of trees, understorey, and detritus in temperate (coniferous and broad-leaved) forests of Kashmir Himalaya. Total ecosystem dry biomass averaged 234.2 t/ha (ranging from 99.5 to 305.2 t/ha) across all the forest stands, of which 223 t/ha (91.9–283.2 t/ha) were stored in above- and below-ground biomass of trees, 1.3 t/ha (0.18–3.3 t/ha) in understorey vegetation (shrubs and herbaceous), and 9.9 t/ha (4.8–20.9 t/ha) in detritus (including standing and fallen dead trees, and forest floor litter). Among all the forests, the highest tree, understorey, and detritus biomass were observed in mid-altitude Abies pindrow and Pinus wallichiana coniferous forests, whereas the lowest were observed in high-altitude Betula utilis broad-leaved forests. Basal area has showed significant positive relationship with biomass (R² = 0.84–0.97, P < 0.001) and density (R² = 0.49–0.87). The present study will improve our understanding of distribution of biomass (trees, understorey, and detritus) in coniferous and broad-leaved forests and can be used in forest management activities to enhance C sequestration.     

全球气候变化与森林碳汇作用

引言 自20世纪80年代末以来,全球气候发生了显著变化,引发了一系列生态问题,日益受到国际社会的广泛关注,这是人类社会发展从未有过的新情况和新问题。面对这一严峻形势,国际社会在共同的利益和责任的驱动下,积极寻求应对之策。1992年6月在巴西里约热内卢举行的联合国环境与发展大会上,150多个国家参与制定了《联合国气候变化框架公约》（简称《公约》）。1997年12月在日本京都,本着共同但有区别的责任的原则,通过了旨在限制发达国家温室气体排放量,通过了以抑制全球气候变暖的《京都议定书》。在《京都议定书》签订后,     

Topographic and biotic regulation of aboveground carbon storage in subtropical broad-leaved forests of Taiwan

There is a growing need to understand, and ultimately manage, carbon storage by forest ecosystems. Broad-leaved evergreen forests of Taiwan provide an outstanding opportunity to examine factors that regulate ecosystem carbon storage. We utilized data from three Taiwan Forest Dynamics Plots (FS, LHC, and PTY) in which every tree is identified, measured, tagged and mapped, to examine factors regulating carbon storage as estimated from aboveground biomass. Allometric equations were used to estimate the aboveground biomass of each tree, and a model building procedure was used to examine relationships between plot-level aboveground biomass (AGB; Mg/ha) and a suite of topographic and biotic factors. We found that our study sites have AGB values comparable to some of the most carbon dense forests in the world. Across all three sites, maximum biomass was contained in the taxonomic families Fagaceae, Lauraceae and Theaceae. In the FS site, we identified slope convexity (P = 0.03) and elevation (P < 0.001) as topographic predictors of AGB and found that maximum AGB was found in topographically flat areas. In FS, stem density (P < 0.001) was a significant biotic predictor of AGB and the maxima occurred at intermediate densities. In LHC, we found that convexity (P < 0.001) and slope (P < 0.001) were significantly related to AGB which was maximized along a topographic ridge in the plot. Species richness (P < 0.001) was a significant biotic predictor of AGB in LHC, and the relationship indicated slightly higher AGB at higher levels of species richness. The only significant factor related to AGB in PTY was species richness (P = 0.02). Further work is needed to seek a mechanistic understanding of topographic factors and species richness as drivers of carbon storage in forests.     

蒙古栎林在温带落叶阔叶林群落分级中的地位

为清楚阐明蒙古栎林的群落分级及其在温带落叶阔叶林群落分级中的地位，我们收集了东北亚201个蒙古栎林和日本的153个栎林的资料．将其综合于一个简表中．并应用Braun—Blanquet方法对这些森林植被进行了比较。结果表明：在温带落叶阔叶林的群落分级系统中。蒙古栎林与水青冈纲占据着同等重要的地位，它们共同构成温带落叶阔叶林纲群(Class-group)。不同生境下的蒙古栎的20个群集或群落被归纳成为2个目、3个群团和3个亚群团。     

Forest carbon sequestration in China and its benefits

Carbon sequestration is important in studying global carbon cycle and budget. Here, we used the National Forest Resource Inventory data for China collected from 2004 to 2008 and forest biomass and soil carbon storage data obtained from direct field measurements to estimate carbon (C) sequestration rate and benefit keeping C out of the atmosphere in forest ecosystems and their spatial distributions. Between 2004 and 2008, forests sequestered on average 0.36 Pg C yr^?1 (1 Pg = 10¹⁵g), with 0.30 Pg C yr^?1 in vegetation and 0.06 Pg C yr^?1 in 0–1 meter soil. Under the different forest categories, total C sequestration rate ranged from 0.02 in bamboo forest to 0.11 Pg C yr^?1 in broadleaf forest. The southwest region had highest C sequestration rate, 30% of total C sequestration, followed by the northeast and south central regions. The C sequestration in the forest ecosystem could offset about 21% of the annual C emissions in China over the same period, especially in provinces of Tibet, Guangxi, and Yunnan, and the benefit was similar to most Annex I countries. These results show that forests play an important role in reducing the increase in atmospheric carbon dioxide in China, and forest C sequestration are closely related to forest area, tree species composition, and site conditions.     

永州市杉木林碳贮量及碳贮潜力分析

基于2014年永州市森林资源调查统计数据,利用生物量相对生长方程与转换系数之间的关系,估算永州市杉木林碳贮量及碳贮潜力,为永州市杉木林可持续经营和生态功能区划提供科学依据。结果表明:2014年永州市杉木林现存碳贮量为8.62×106 t,成熟林碳贮量最高,为2.27×106 t。如果采取合理经营措施,永州市杉木林的碳贮量可增加到17.73×106 t,为目前杉木林碳贮量的2.1倍;幼龄林碳贮量增加最多,为实际值的2.9倍。未来10年永州市杉木林的碳贮量可达到15.98×106 t,增加7.36×106 t。可见,永州市杉木林具有较大的碳贮潜力。加强现有杉木林尤其是中幼龄林的经营管理,调整杉木林龄组面积结构,适当限制采伐近熟林、成熟林和过熟林,可充分发挥杉木林的碳贮潜力。     

Belowground competition in a broad-leaved temperate mixed forest: pattern analysis and experiments in a four-species stand

We investigated fine root biomass and distribution patterns in a species-rich temperate Carpinus–Quercus–Fagus–Tilia forest and searched for experimental evidence of symmetry or asymmetry in belowground competition. We conducted extensive root coring and applied the recently introduced in situ-root growth chamber technique for quantifying fine root growth under experimentally altered intra- and interspecific root neighbourhoods in the intact stand. In 75% of all soil cores, fine roots of more than two tree species were present indicating a broad overlap of the root systems of neighbouring trees. Quercus trees had more than ten times less fine root biomass in relation to aboveground biomass or productivity (stem growth) and a much higher leaf area index/root area index ratio than Carpinus, Fagus and Tilia trees. The root growth chamber experiments indicated a high belowground competitive ability of Fagus in interspecific interactions, but a low one of Quercus. We conclude that (1) interspecific root competition is ubiquitous in this mixed stand, (2) root competition between trees can be clearly asymmetric, and (3) tree species may be ranked according to their belowground competitive ability. Fagus was found to be the most successful species in belowground competition which matches with its superiority in aboveground competition in this forest community.