Foliar status and factors affecting foliar and soil chemistry in a natural aleppo pine forest

The foliar status and the factors affecting the foliar chemistry in a natural Aleppo pine forest grown on calcareous soils in Greece were examined. It was found that the Aleppo pine needles had significantly higher calcium (Ca) concentrations, but significantly lower concentrations of magnesium (Mg), potassium (K), phosphorus (P), iron (Fe) and manganese (Mn) than the respective average concentrations of natural Aleppo pine forests in Spain. It was also found that only foliar Ca and Mn had a significant correlation with the exchangeable Ca and available Mn in soils, respectively. Principal component analysis showed that the nature of the calcareous parent material, (colluvial rocks and hard limestones) were the main factors affecting both foliar and soil chemistry. This finding is important as colluvial soils always coexist with other soil types in hilly and mountainous regions containing calcareous material.     

Soil P fractions in a volcanic soil chronosequence of Central Mexico and their relationship to foliar P in pine trees

Phosphorus (P) is a major plant nutrient, however, its availability in volcanic ash soils is presumed to be small, due to its specific sorption on short‐range order minerals. We analyzed distinct P fractions in volcanic ash soils of different age (60 to > 100,000 y BP) under pine forests in Central Mexico to investigate their changes along a chronosequence of Regosols, Andosols, and Lixisols, and to evaluate if P availability limits tree growth at any particular stage. Top soil and subsoil samples were first analyzed by the Tiessen and Moir method, which failed to extract exhaustively “organic” and “occluded P”, and “P associated with apatite”. Therefore, we modified the fractionation scheme by including a “recalcitrant organic P” fraction obtained from the difference between P determined in air‐dried subsamples and subsamples burned at 300°C; P adsorbed to short‐range order minerals was assessed in an extraction with NH₄‐oxalate, and P in primary minerals by subtracting the sum of all other fractions from total P contents determined by XRF. This we did after discovering that primary P occurred in the form of fluorapatite included in plagioclase, volcanic glass or olivine. We also measured P contents in pine needles and related these with the “mobile soil P” fractions. The results show that “organic P” reaches maximum contents in 10,000‐y old soil, as does P associated with short‐range order minerals, while P occluded into crystalline oxides increases constantly over time. After 100,000 y, 31% of total P still remains in the form of primary P in A horizons. “Mobile P” was constant > 40 mg kg^?1 in Regosols and Andosols and related positively with foliar P contents, which were within adequate nutritional ranges. Only in Lixisols small “mobile P” concentrations in soil correspond with inadequate P contents in pine needles.     

Growth and nitrogen uptake of jack pine seedlings in response to exponential fertilization and weed control in reclaimed soil

We evaluated the impact of exponential fertilization in nursery and weed removal in the field on growth and nitrogen (N) retranslocation and uptake from the soil of jack pine (Pinus banksiana Lamb.) seedlings planted on an oil sands reclaimed soil. Exponential fertilization is a method of supplying nutrients at an exponential rate to achieve constant internal nutrient concentrations in seedlings without changing their size during their growth in the nursery. The N retranslocation in seedlings was traced using ¹⁵N isotope labeling. Exponential fertilization increased nutrient reserve in the seedling in nursery production, and increased height (P = 0.003), root collar diameter (P < 0.001), total biomass (P < 0.001), and N content (P < 0.001) of seedlings at the end of first growing season in the field growth. Conventionally fertilized seedlings allocated a greater percent of biomass to roots than to current-year needles. The ¹⁵N isotope analysis showed that 59 to 82% of total N demand of new growth was met by retranslocation from old tissues. Exponential fertilization increased N retranslocation by 147% (P < 0.001) and N uptake from the soil by 175% (P = 0.012). Weed removal marginally increased (P = 0.077) N uptake from the soil but decreased (P = 0.046) N retranslocation with no net effect on total N content in new tissues. We conclude that exponential fertilization improves the early growth of jack pine and can help improve revegetation in reclaiming disturbed oil sands sites.     

Drought constraints on transpiration and canopy conductance in mature aspen and jack pine stands

Half-hourly mean values of transpiration measured by eddy covariance over the course of six growing seasons in two boreal forest sites were used to develop stand-level relationships between transpiration and soil water content. The two sites were an aspen site on fine-textured soil and over five growing seasons for a jack pine site on coarse-textured soil in Saskatchewan, Canada. About half of the data record covered a multi-year drought that was more severe at the aspen site than the jack pine site. Measurements of transpiration and environmental variables were used to adjust a transpiration model to each site, with environmental variables retained in the model based on their capacity to improve the model adjustment. The model was also used to produce estimates of maximum canopy conductance (g_cMAX). The fit of the model to the aspen half-hourly transpiration is better than to the jack pine data (r² of 0.86 versus 0.60). Relative soil water content explains more of the variability in half-hourly transpiration at the aspen site (46%) than at the jack pine site (10%). The relationships between transpiration and environmental variables are stable throughout the drought suggesting an absence of acclimation. Published soil water modifier curves for loamy clay soils compare well with the modifier function we obtained for a similar soil at the aspen site, but the agreement between the published curve and our curve is poor for the sandy soil of the jack pine site. Values of g_cMAX computed at the half-hourly scale are greater at the aspen site (14.3 mm s⁻¹) than at the jack pine site (10.2 mm s⁻¹), but we hypothesize that the coarse soil and perennially lower water content of the jack pine site may cause this difference. Finally, we also present values of g_cMAX computed at the daily and monthly scales for use in models that operate at these time steps.     

Investigation of ovicell hyperplasia in bryozoans chronically exposed to natural oil seepage

Systemic collection and examination of bryozoans from surface, subsurface and benthic kelp fronds in an area chronically exposed to natural oil seepage revealed no instances of ovicell hyperplasia. Reasons are presented to explain the contrast between these findings and reported ovicell hyperplasia in other species exposed to creosote and petroleum hydrocarbons.     

Contribution of fine roots to ecosystem biomass and net primary production in black spruce, aspen, and jack pine forests in Saskatchewan

Fine root (<2 mm) processes contribute to and exhibit control over a large pool of labile carbon (C) in boreal forest ecosystems because of the high proportion of C allocated to fine root net primary production (NPP), and the rapid decomposition of fine roots relative to aboveground counterparts. The objective of this study was to determine the contribution of fine roots to ecosystem biomass and NPP in a mature black spruce (Picea mariana Mill.) (OBS), aspen (Populus tremuloides Michx.) (OA), and jack pine (Pinus banksiana Lamb.) (OJP) stand, and an 11-year-old harvested jack pine (HJP) stand in Saskatchewan. Estimates of fine root biomass and NPP were obtained from nine minirhizotron (MR) tubes at each of the four Boreal Ecosystem Research and Monitoring Sites (BERMS). Fine root data were collected once a month for May–September in 2003 and 2004. Additional C biomass and NPP data for various components of the forest stands were obtained from Gower et al. (1997) and Howard et al. (2004). Annual fine root biomass averaged 3.10 ± 0.89, 1.71 ± 0.49, 1.62 ± 0.32, and 2.96 ± 0.67 Mg C ha⁻¹ (means ± S.D.) at OBS, OA, OJP, and HJP, respectively, comprising between 1 and 6% of total stand biomass. Annual fine root NPP averaged 2.66 ± 0.97, 2.03 ± 0.43, 1.44 ± 0.43, and 2.16 ± 0.81 Mg C ha⁻¹ year⁻¹ (means ± S.D.) at OBS, OA, OJP, and HJP, respectively, constituting between 41 and 71% of total stand NPP. Results of this study indicate that fine roots produce a large amount of C in boreal forests. It is speculated that fine root NPP may control a large amount of labile C-cycling in boreal forests and that fine root responses to environmental and anthropogenic stress may be an early indicator of impaired ecosystem functioning.     

The influence of mycorrhizal associations on paper birch and jack pine seedlings when exposed to elevated copper,nickel or aluminum

Acid deposition may adversely affect northern forest ecosystems by increasing the concentration of metals in the soil solution. This study investigates the effects of ectomycorrhizal fungi on paper birch and jack pine seedlings exposed to elevated Cu, Ni, or Al in sand culture. One of four mycorrhizal fungi,Scleroderma flavidum, was able to reduce Ni toxicity to the birch seedlings. It did this by reducing transport of Ni to the stems. None of the fungi affected Cu toxicity in birch. In separate experiments, jack pine seedlings were exposed to combinations of Al and Ca. Infection withRhizopogon rubescens increased seedling susceptibility to A1. Seedlings inoculated withSuillus tomentosus showed a greater growth stimulation by Ca than uninoculated jack pines. Thus, for both tree species, the mycorrhizal association could alter the response of seedlings to high concentrations of certain metals, although this varied with fungal species.     

Injuries to scots pine mycorrhizas and chemical gradients in forest soil in the environment of a pulp mill in central Finland

The occurrence and condition of Scots pine mycorrhizas were studied at different distances from a pulp mill in Central Finland. The chemical analyses of the soil humus layer in the vicinity of the mill revealed increased levels of ammonium-nitrogen, sulphur and calcium but unaltered concentrations of phosphorus and magnesium. Higher nitrate levels and nitrification were clearly detected at some sites which had recently been limed. Significant decreases in root ramification index and number of living mycorrhizas were found in a zone 0–0.6 km zone surrounding the factory but these parameters increased with increasing distance. Within a 2 km zone around the mill there were abundantCenococcum geophilum andPaxillus involutus-type mycorrhizas while lowered frequencies of several other mycorrhizal types were detected. An ultrastructural study revealed changes in several types of mycorrhizas, the clearest of which were increased tannin deposition in cortical cells, intracellular growth of hyphae in cortical cells and the appearance of electron dense accumulations in the vacuoles of the fungal cells. The ultrastructural changes observed were distributed at least to a distance of 3 km from the mill and occurred in the roots of trees that had only a slight loss of needle mass. Nitrogen deposition is suspected to be the primary cause of root decline but atmospheric S0₂ through the tree crown is also likely to be a contributing factor.     

Nitrogen mineralisation in the soil of indigenous oak and pine plantation forests in a Mediterranean environment

Nitrogen mineralisation in soils of various forest sites (pine plantation, natural and thinned oak) at Uluda? University campus in Bursa, Turkey was investigated continuously over a year by the field incubation method. Net nitrogen mineralisation and nitrification rates varied depending on sampling dates. Although nitrogen mineralisation and nitrification rates increased in the spring and summer months, there was no seasonal variation in the soils of the examined forests. Annual net nitrate (NO₃^?–N) accumulation in the upper soil layer (0–5 cm) was higher in Oak I and Oak II (14 kg ha y^?1 and 12 kg ha y^?1) than in the pine plantation (8 kg ha y^?1). While annual net NO₃^?–N accumulation (0–5 cm) varied between the oak forests (possibly due to forest management practices), annual net N_min values were similar in these forests. No significant correlation was found between the examined soil parameters and net nitrification and mineralisation rates in the soils (P > 0.05). These results indicate that tree species and forest management practices play important roles in N cycling in forest ecosystems.     

Enchytraeid and nematode numbers in urban,polluted Scots pine (Pinus sylvestris) stands in relation to other soil biological parameters

Summary We examined the number of enchytraeids and nematodes in the mor humus layer of polluted Scots pine (Pinus sylvestris L.) stands, located on a sulphur gradient from 1.2 to 2.8 mg g^-1 in mor humus and up to a distance of 40 km from the centre of Oulu, an industrialized city in northern Finland, in autumn 1989 and spring 1990. The number of enchytraeids, dominated by one species, Cognettia sphagnetorum, showed a clear positive correlation with the soil respiration rate and the diversity and production of mycorrhizal fungi, and all these were negatively related with S and N concentrations in the soil, as measured in 1987 and 1988. This negative correlation may have been caused by an alteration in food supply of enchytraeids, owing to changes in litter quality and the amount and species composition of fungi and mycorrhizae. Nematode numbers showed a positive correlation with the activity of dehydrogenase enzymes mineral N, and soil pH. The feeding characteristics of nematodes as a group need further study. The numbers of both enchytraeids and nematodes were higher in the autumn than in the spring and in the case of nematodes this variation was related to soil moisture.The work was carried out in the Department of Botany, University of Oulu, Linnanmaa, SF-90570 Oulu, Finland, and in Forestry Canada, Petawawa National Forestry Institute, Chalk River, Ontario, K0J 1J0, Canada     

采取综合配套措施,积极防治人为破坏

采取综合配套措施,包括广泛宣传《条例》、《细则》,增强广大人民群众的法制观念;严肃查处典型案例,巩固扩大治理成果;采取果断有力措施,开展毀林开荒大检查,充分利用行政手段,明确和完善具体政策;加强队伍建设,建立乡规民约;建立健全水土保持机构,协调各个方面共同防治人为破坏,近5年来,基本上煞住了人为破坏的歪风。     

Weathering of primary silicate minerals in the natural soil environment in relation to a chemical weathering model

A theoretical model for the weathering rate of silicate minerals in the laboratory and the natural soil environment has been developed where the rate is assumed to be proportional to the exposed surface area of the mineral, the soil moisture saturation and the chemical driving force, given as a kinetic expression. The kinetic expression describes the dependency of the rate on the solution concentration of reactants and has the general form of a sum forward rates minus a sum backward rates. Data from the Gårdsjön watershed in Southern Sweden were used to estimate weathering rate of several silicate minerals, and the result is in good agreement with laboratory values. The weathering model developed by the authors was applied to the watershed to predict the present day weathering in the area, and the predicted values coincide with the observed weathering rates.     

Compacted soil affects soil macrofauna populations in a semi-arid environment in central Queensland

Population densities of soil macrofauna were assessed in a field experiment with annually compacted treatments (applied to whole plots) and management treatments to repair initially compacted soil. Earthworms accounted for about half the macrofauna recovered during the experiment. Compaction of wet surface soil (water content>plastic limit) by agricultural machinery generally reduced numbers of macrofauna and earthworms. Annual compaction with a 10 Mg axle load on wet soil reduced mean macrofauna numbers from 70 to 15 m⁻² and mean earthworm numbers from 41 to 2 m⁻². Annual compaction with 6 Mg on soil drier than the plastic limit to a depth of 0.08 m had no adverse effect on the soil macrofauna. A 3-year pasture ley had more macrofauna (211 m⁻²) than a control treatment under cropping (29 m⁻²) but numbers declined when cropping was resumed.     

Initial recovery of soil carbon and nitrogen pools and dynamics following disturbance in jack pine forests: A comparison of wildfire and clearcut harvesting

Forests naturally maintained by stand-replacing wildfires are often managed with clearcut harvesting, yet we know little about how replacing wildfire with clearcutting affects soil processes and properties. We compared the initial recovery of carbon (C) and nitrogen (N) pools and dynamics following disturbance in jack pine (Pinus banksiana) stands in northern Lower Michigan, USA, by sampling soils (Oa+A horizons) from three “treatments”: 3-6-year-old harvest-regenerated stands, 3-6-year-old wildfire-regenerated stands and 40-55-year-old intact, mature stands (n=4 stands per treatment). We measured total C and N; microbial biomass and potentially mineralizable C and N; net nitrification; and gross rates of N mineralization and nitrification. Burned stands exhibited reduced soil N but not C, whereas clearcut and mature stands had similar quantities of soil organic matter. Both disturbance types reduced microbial biomass C compared to mature stands; however, microbial biomass N was reduced in burned stands but not in clearcut stands. The experimental C and N mineralization values were fit to a first-order rate equation to estimate potentially mineralizable pool size (C₀ and N₀) and rate parameters. Values for C₀ in burned and clearcut stands were approximately half that of the mature treatment, with no difference between disturbance types. In contrast, N₀ was lowest in the wildfire stands (170.2 μg N g⁻¹), intermediate in the clearcuts (215.4 μg N g⁻¹) and highest in the mature stands (244.6 μg N g⁻¹). The most pronounced difference between disturbance types was for net nitrification. These data were fit to a sigmoidal growth equation to estimate potential NO₃⁻ accumulation (Nit_max) and kinetic parameters. Values of Nit_max in clearcut soils exceeded that of wildfire and mature soils (149.2 vs. 83.5 vs. 96.5 μg NO₃⁻-N g⁻¹, respectively). Moreover, the clearcut treatment exhibited no lag period for net NO₃⁻ production, whereas the burned and mature treatments exhibited an approximate 8-week lag period before producing appreciable quantities of NO₃⁻. There were no differences between disturbances in gross rates of mineralization or nitrification; rather, lower NO₃⁻ immobilization rates in the clearcut soils, 0.20 μg NO₃⁻ g⁻¹ d⁻¹ compared to 0.65 in the burned soils, explained the difference in net nitrification. Because the mobility of NO₃⁻ and NH₄⁺ differs markedly in soil, our results suggest that differences in nitrification between wildfire and clearcutting could have important consequences for plant nutrition and leaching losses following disturbance.     

Genotypic variation in foliar nutrient concentrations, δ13C,and chlorophyll fluorescence in relation to tree growth of radiata pine clones in a serpentine soil

This study investigated the genotypic variation in foliar nutrient concentrations, isotopic signature (δ¹³C), and chlorophyll fluorescence (F_v/F_m) and tree growth of 40 radiata pine clones grown on a New Zealand serpentine soil, and the relationships between growth and physiological traits of these clones from improved and unimproved groups. Genotypic variation in growth and physiological traits existed within (i.e., clonal) and between groups, with larger variation among clones. The clonal repeatabilities were greater for foliar nitrogen (N), calcium (Ca), magnesium (Mg), boron (B) concentrations, δ¹³C, and Ca : Mg ratio (0.35–0.64) than for growth traits (0.14–0.27) and other physiological traits (0.08–0.24). Significant phenotypic correlations were found between growth traits and foliar phosphorus (P), potassium (K), sulfur (S), iron (Fe), and K : Mg and Ca : Mg ratios and F_v/F_m (positive), and foliar Mg (negative). This study indicates that the trees on this serpentine soil generally suffered from multiple nutrient deficiencies and imbalances and the clonal variation in growth performance was more related to their capabilities of acclimation to nutrient than water stresses. Overall, the clones that absorbed more P, K, S, and Fe and less Mg from the soil grew better on this serpentine soil. For unimproved clones, the most limiting nutrients for tree growth were foliar K and Fe, while for improved clones it was foliar K.     

Soil rehabilitation through afforestation: evaluation of the performance of Eucalyptus and pine plantations in a Nigerian Savanna environment

On the outskirts of Zaria, northern Nigeria, Eucalyptus camaldulensis and Pinus oocarpa plantations have been established to satisfy both land rehabilitation and agroindustrial objectives. Soils of the plantations and adjacent unafforested degraded sites where major influences from soil type and management were minimal were sampled to provide data for a parallel investigation of the effect of afforestation on soil rehabilitation. Three adjacent age–grade plantations in respect of each tree species were involved. These are 6, 13 and 27 years for eucalyptus, and 7, 15 and 25 years for pines. Results obtained showed that the rate of soil regeneration in the context of present silvicultural practices is extremely slow. Of the soil parameter studies, only organic matter shows significant improvement within the examined time frame. The soil texture, bulk density, infiltration rate, nutrient elements and pH showed only slight improvement. There was little evidence to suggest that either of the tree species had a more beneficial effect on the soil than the other. The significance of the results is discussed in terms of land‐use decision and policies in Nigeria towards a sustainable afforestation programme. Copyright © 2001 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Determination of a chemical basis of air-pollution stress in wood of mature white pine trees in the susceptive forest ecosystems

This paper describes a pilot investigation dealing with changes in chemical composition of wood in pollution-stressed white pine trees, taken from two forested ecosystems of Southern Ontario, Canada. The implications of this research lie in a much needed search for a potential bloindicator of a pre-decline, incipient-stress induced (and/or contributed by) the air-pollutants.     

Quantification of sterols and aliphatic alcohols in Mediterranean stone pine (Pinus pinea L.) populations

Individual components of Pinus pinea L. oil unsaponifiable matter isolated from seven Mediterranean populations were identified and quantified. P. pinea oil unsaponifiable matter contained very high levels of phytosterols (>or=4298 mg kg-1 of total extracted lipids), of which beta-sitosterol was the most abundant (74%). Aliphatic alcohol contents were 1365 mg kg-1 of total extracted lipids, of which octacosanol was the most abundant (41%). Two alcohols (hexacosanol and octacosanol), which are usually absent in common vegetable oils, were described for P. pinea oils. There were almost no differences in the total unsaponifiable matter of the seven Mediterranean populations studied. However, sterol and aliphatic alcohol contents showed some variability, with Tunisian and Moroccan populations showing very different and higher contents.     

Biochemical and cytological analyses in natural populations ofVicia benghalensis L.

Summary 27 accessions ofVicia benghalensis from different geographical origins constitute the pool on which the present study was performed. Genetic variation among the samples was biochemically and cytologically evaluated: seed storage protein profiles and C-banded karyotypes were analysed from single individuals of each accession. SDS-PAGE has shown the possibility to divide the samples into two groups, each characterized by specific protein profiles. The two patterns were indicated as A and B. From individual seed electrophoresis it was ascertained that samples possessing the pattern A showed a low level of individual variation, while those possessing the pattern B were highly polymorphic, thus suggesting differences in the allogamic rate. The cytological analysis demonstrated the presence of two groups of accessions, one being much richer in heterochromatin as evidenced by C-banding (H⁺) than the other (H^-). The analysis of biochemical and karyological data showed a constant association between pattern A and karyotype H⁻ and between pattern B and karyotype H⁺. On the basis of these results it is proposed to considerV. benghalensis as a highly heteromorphic species, in which two groups may be identified.