坡面流水动力学参数对土壤分离能力的定量影响（简报）

利用变坡试验水槽,在较大流量（0.5～2.0 L/s）和坡度（0～50%）范围内,详细研究了水深、平均流速、雷诺数、佛汝德数和阻力系数对土壤分离能力的定量影响,旨在得到估算土壤分离能力最简单的方法。研究结果表明：坡面流土壤分离能力与水深、平均流速间均呈显著的幂函数关系;土壤分离能力与水流流态密切相关,与水流佛汝德数相比,水流雷诺数与土壤分离能力的关系更密切;土壤分离能力与水流阻力间呈良好的幂函数关系。研究结果表明,平均流速是预测土壤分离能力的最佳参数。研究结果对于理解土壤侵蚀机理,建立土壤侵蚀过程模型具有重要的意义。     

A multi-scale approach of runoff generation in a Sahelian gully catchment: a case study in Niger

Runoff production conditions in a small gully catchment are studied at four different scales: the point scale (0.001 m²), the local scale (1 m²), the field scale (of the order of 100 m²) and the catchment scale (0.2 km²). At the point scale, infiltration measurements were conducted using a tension infiltrometer. At the local and the field scale, runoff plots were setup on typical soil surface conditions of the catchment (plateau bare soil, hillslope bare soil and fallow grassland). At the catchment scale, stream discharges were measured at two gauging stations.The overland flow yield is significantly nonuniform in space, due to the high spatial variability of infiltration capacities and the depressional storage of the soil surface. The runoff and the infiltration data collected confirmed the major role played by soil crusting on runoff generation in that part of Sahel. At the point scale, hydraulic conductivity measurements have shown that infiltration and runoff were driven by the hydraulic properties of the crust. At the field scale, microtopography and heterogeneity in the soil surface crusting decreased discharge volumes. The influence of vegetation growth on runoff yield was evident in the case of the fallow sites. Analysis of discharge data at the catchment scale highlights that infiltration through the bottom of the gully between two gauging stations leads to considerable runoff water transmission losses.     

Short-term recovery of soil functional parameters and edaphic macro-arthropod community after a forest fire

Background, aim and scope  Forest fires can result in severe economic and environmental consequences, and little is known about the ecological patterns and processes that may lead to the recovery of burnt areas. In the last decades, Portugal has been the Southern European country with the highest number of fire events and with the highest burnt area per hectare. With this work, we proposed to study the effect of a forest fire on the terrestrial ecosystem. More specifically, this work intended to evaluate the short-term recovery of several soil chemical, biochemical (microbial enzymatic activities) and biological (edaphic macro-arthropod community) variables in a burnt pine tree forest area. Methodology  Soil and macro-arthropod sampling was carried out in a burnt area (transects BI, BII and BIII) and in a neighbouring unburnt area (U) 3 and 8 months after the fire, coinciding with autumn and spring. Soil was collected for the determination of physical (pH and conductivity) and chemical parameters (moisture and organic matter) and soil enzymes (cellulase, acid phosphatase and nitrogen mineralisation rate). Edaphic macro-fauna was captured using pitfall traps. Results  Univariate and multivariate statistics revealed, overall, that burnt sites displayed lower acid phosphatase and cellulase activities and higher conductivity and pH values than the unburnt area. There was a recovery in the measured soil parameters between autumn and spring in the most interior parts of the burnt areas (BII and BIII), but the outer transect (BI, close to a road) still displayed considerable differences to the remaining burnt transects as well as to the unburnt area. A total of 47 macro-arthropod taxa were captured in both seasons, with Linyphiidae spiders (20.2%) and insect families Formicidae (13.4%) and Staphylinidae (11.9%) being the most abundant. Dominance by some taxa was overall stronger in the burnt than in the unburnt area, although dominant taxa varied between seasons. In autumn, the burnt area was dominated by ants and had also a high abundance of scavengers, carrion feeders and some ground active hunters. In spring, there was a general increase in taxa diversity, richness, and total catches; in the burnt area, there was a re-colonisation by several organisms sensitive to litter quality, such as isopods and pseudoscorpions, particularly in the outer transect (closest to the unburnt area). Discussion  Differences in soil parameters between burnt and unburnt areas were most likely due to the deposition of nutrient-rich alkaline ashes. However, low cellulase activity in the outer part of the burnt area (BI) indicated compromised microbial activity in both sampling seasons. Recovery of soil functional parameters was delayed in the outer zone of the burnt area because of (i) fire intensity in that area or (ii) proximity to the road (enhancing erosion and exposure to contaminants). The pattern of arthropod re-colonisation of the burnt area followed the inverse recovery pattern (from the outer zone to the inner zone), stressing the primary role of the adjacent unburnt area as a source of potentially colonizing organisms. Conclusions  Direct and indirect effects of fire on soil parameters (soil alkalinisation and nutrient enrichment) and edaphic fauna had a short-term persistence in the burnt area, and signs of recovery were evident 8 months after the fire (spring). The adjacent unburnt area seemed to act as an important source of arthropod colonisers. Recommendations and perspectives  More prolonged studies on the recovery of soil functional parameters and arthropod community structure are required to understand long-term re-colonisation patterns. Researchers and authorities should also endeavour in the implementation of measures that favour and protect survivors and new indigenous colonisers (microbes, plants and animals) after a forest fire.     

Spatial and temporal patterns of vegetation recovery following sequences of forest fires in a Mediterranean landscape,Mt. Carmel Israel

The Mediterranean ecosystem of Mt. Carmel is subjected to increasing number of forest fires at various extents and severities due to increasing human activities. Accordingly, we tested whether in areas exposed to different fire histories vegetation regeneration is different in north versus south facing slopes, and the potential impact on erosion processes. Using remote sensing techniques we evaluated the Enhanced Vegetation Index (EVI) to monitor vegetation recovery following a single fire and three successive fires, using a series of Landsat images taken between 1985–2002. Following a single fire, vegetation cover reached pre-disturbance values within less than 5 years. Repeated fires caused further reduction of EVI values, especially at south facing slopes (SFS). The effects of three successive fires within 10 years, followed by a three year recovery period, however, are negligible when considering vegetation cover values. This was deduced as north facing slope EVI values returned to pre-disturbance conditions at the end of the 3 years and SFS EVI values to 80% of the pre-disturbance conditions. Our results indicate that Mediterranean eco-geomorphic systems are quite resilient, showing quick response, at least in terms of return to pre-disturbance states of vegetation cover, and hence of soil erosion rates. This is true not only in response to a disturbance caused by a single fire, but also for repetitive fire incidents.     

Connectivity of litter islands remaining after a fire and unburnt forest determines the recovery of soil fauna

Forest wildfires can dramatically affect soil communities and reduce abundance and diversity of soil fauna. The recovery of soil animals after a fire depends both on immigration from the unburnt forest and on local survival in less-burnt spots, but the relative importance of these mechanisms is poorly known. Therefore, these factors were studied with regard to soil macrofauna and soil mites seven years after a wildfire occurring in a pine forest area with shallow soil in 2001 in central Sweden. Three replicate transects, each consisting of four plots were studied. The plots were located in (i) the unburnt forest close to the fire edge; (ii) slightly burnt patches directly attached to the unburnt forest; (iii) slightly burnt patches surrounded by bare rock but connected to the unburnt forest edge by a corridor with mostly unburnt litter and vegetation; and (iv) island patches not connected with a corridor to the unburnt forest edge. The hypothesis was that that soil animals would particularly disperse from the unburnt forest to moderately burnt plots inside a burnt area via the network of less-burnt corridors. Poor dispersers would be especially few in the island patches lacking connection to the “mainland”, whereas good dispersers would be independent of gaps in connectivity. As expected, the highest abundance of both macrofauna and oribatid mites was found in the unburnt forest. Resident soil macro- and mesofauna representatives had half the abundance in the edge and corridor plots as compared to the control, but their abundance was not lower in the island plots than in the corridor plots indicating on-site survival and recovery. Mobile mesostigmatid mites did not show any significant reduction of abundance in any of the plots. The abundance of soil-dwelling oribatid mites did not differ between islands and unburnt forest, but mobile aboveground oribatids had significantly lower abundance on the islands than in the unburnt forest. The opposite was observed for aboveground and belowground oribatid mite species richness. In conclusion, belowground animals showed mainly local survival and seemed to be independent of corridors presence, whereas most aboveground and mobile macro- and mesofauna seemed to be more responsive to isolation induced by forest fires. Soil and litter corridors connecting unburnt patches inside the burnt forests with the unburnt edges were important mainly for less mobile groups of soil macrofauna. This supports the idea that there is a relatively slow process of soil ecosystem recovery and that external colonization of the burnt areas dominates over the local survival and recovery from refuges.     

Evaluation of two soil conditioners for limiting post‐fire erosion as part of a soil conservation strategy

Soil conservation is a major concern for catchments affected by forest fires. The lack of vegetation cover and the development of soil water repellency increase the risk of topsoil erosion. This paper evaluates two soil conditioners (a wetting agent and a polyvinyl acetate) for limiting overland flow and erosion in inter‐rill areas. Unburned and burned soil samples were treated with one or both soil conditioners. The effects of these treatments on run‐off, water retention, erosion and plant growth were assessed using laboratory rainfall simulations. Polyvinyl acetate had little impact on water retention but was effective in reducing soil loss. The surfactant had little impact on water run‐off or soil loss but substantially improved water retention and plant biomass production. Application of soil conditioners on post‐fire areas could be a valuable technique in a soil conservation strategy. To maximize their benefits, soil conditioners could be applied with seeding using hydroseeding techniques and be limited to particular areas, such as paths and roadsides. Laboratory results indicate that field testing should also be carried out.     

鲁中山区小流域坡面土壤侵蚀产流、产沙及侵蚀方式变化过程的研究

采用模拟降雨的方法对鲁中山区坡面土壤降雨条件下产流、产沙和侵蚀方式的演变过程进行了研究,结果表明:产流量都是随时间递增最终达到稳定产流,但是各次降雨达到稳定产流的时间均随降雨强度和坡度的增大而递减。相同坡度条件下120mmh-1雨强产流较60mmh-1雨强先到稳态,而相同雨强条件下10°坡面则较5°坡面先达到稳态。产沙量呈递增趋势且逐渐达到稳定产沙,达到稳定产沙的时间随雨强和坡度的增大而递减。相同坡度条件下120mmh-1雨强处理较60mmh-1雨强处理先达到稳态,相同雨强条件下10°坡面比5°坡面产沙过程先达到稳定产沙状态;在降雨过程中坡面首先产生面蚀,后出现细沟侵蚀;面蚀率随降雨历时延长有减小趋势,但变幅较小,细沟侵蚀率随降雨时间先急剧增加后保持稳定。     

A comparison of soil and microbial carbon,nitrogen, and phosphorus contents,and macro-aggregate stability of a soil under native forest and after clearance for pastures and plantation forest

Total, extractable, and microbial C, N, and P, soil respiration, and the water stability of soil aggregates in the F-H layer and top 20 cm of soil of a New Zealand yellow-brown earth (Typic Dystrochrept) were compared under long-term indigenous native forest (Nothofagus truncata), exotic forest (Pinus radiata), unfertilized and fertilized grass/clover pastures, and gorse scrub (Ulex europaeus). Microbial biomass C ranged from 1100 kg ha^-1 (exotic forest) to 1310kg ha^-1 (gorse scrub), and comprised 1–2% of the organic C. Microbial N and P comprised 138–282 and 69–119 kg ha^-1 respectively, with the highest values found under pasture. Microbial N and P comprised 1.8–7.0 and 4.9–18% of total N and P in the topsoils, and 1.8–4.4 and 23–32%, respectively, in the F-H material. Organic C and N were higher under gorse scrub than other vegetation. Total and extractable P were highest under fertilized pasture. Annual fluxes through the soil microbial biomass were estimated to be 36–85 kg N ha^-1 and 18–36 kg P ha^-1, sufficiently large to make a substantial contribution to plant requirements. Differences in macro-aggregate stability were generally small. The current status of this soil several years after the establishment of exotic forestry, pastoral farming, or subsequent reversion to scrubland is that, compared to levels under native forest, there has been no decline in soil and microbial C, N, and P contents or macro-aggregate stability.     

Distribution of microbial communities in a forest soil profile investigated by microbial biomass, soil respiration and DGGE of total and extracellular DNA

We studied the distribution of the indigenous bacterial and fungal communities in a forest soil profile. The composition of bacterial and fungal communities was assessed by denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis (DGGE) of total and extracellular DNA extracted from all the soil horizons. Microbial biomass C and basal respiration were also measured to assess changes in both microbial biomass and activity throughout the soil profile. The 16S rDNA-DGGE revealed composite banding patterns reflecting the high bacterial diversity as expected for a forest soil, whereas 18S rDNA-DGGE analysis showed a certain stability and a lower diversity in the fungal communities. The banding patterns of the different horizons reflected changes in the microbial community structure with increasing depth. In particular, the DGGE analysis evidenced complex banding patterns for the upper A1 and A2 horizons, and a less diverse microflora in the deeper horizons. The low diversity and the presence of specific microbial communities in the B horizons, and in particular in the deeper ones, can be attributed to the selective environment represented by this portion of the soil profile. The eubacterial profiles obtained from the extracellular DNA revealed the presence of some bands not present in the total DNA patterns. This could be interpreted as the remainders of bacteria not any more present in the soil because of changes of edaphic conditions and consequent shifting in the microbial composition. These characteristic bands, present in all the horizons with the exception of the A1, should support the concept that the extracellular DNA is able to persist within the soil. Furthermore, the comparison between the total and extracellular 16S rDNA-DGGE profiles suggested a downwards movement of the extracellular DNA.