Effects of warming and clipping on plant and soil properties of an alpine meadow in the Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau,China

Climate warming and livestock grazing are known to have great influences on alpine ecosystems like those of the Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau(QTP) in China. However, it is lacking of studies on the effects of warming and grazing on plant and soil properties in these alpine ecosystems. In this study, we reported the related research from manipulative experiment in 2010–2012 in the QTP. The aim of this study was to investigate the individual and combined effects of warming and clipping on plant and soil properties in the alpine meadow ecosystem. Infrared radiators were used to simulate climate warming starting in July 2010, while clipping was performed once in October 2011 to simulate the local livestock grazing. The experiment was designed as a randomized block consisting of five replications and four treatments: control(CK), warming(W), clipping(C) and warming+clipping combination(WC). The plant and soil properties were investigated in the growing season of the alpine meadow in 2012. The results showed that W and WC treatments significantly decreased relative humidity at 20-cm height above ground as well as significantly increases air temperature at the same height, surface temperature, and soil temperature at the depth of 0–30 cm. However, the C treatment did not significantly decrease soil moisture and soil temperature at the depth of 0–60 cm. Relative to CK, vegetation height and species number increased significantly in W and WC treatment, respectively, while vegetation aboveground biomass decreased significantly in C treatment in the early growing season. However, vegetation cover, species diversity, belowground biomass and soil properties at the depth of 0–30 cm did not differ significantly in W, C and WC treatments. Soil moisture increased at the depth of 40–100 cm in W and WC treatments, while belowground biomass, soil activated carbon, organic carbon and total nitrogen increased in the 30–50 cm soil layer in W, C and WC treatments. Although the initial responses of plant and soil properties to experimental warming and clipping were slow and weak, the drought induced by the downward shift of soil moisture in the upper soil layers may induce plant belowground biomass to transfer to the deeper soil layers. This movement would modify the distributions of soil activated carbon, organic carbon and total nitrogen. However, long-term data collection is needed to further explain this interesting phenomenon.     

Effects of soil nutrients and climate factors on belowground biomass in an alpine meadow in the source region of the Yangtze-Yellow rivers,Tibetan Plateau of China

Improving our knowledge of the effects of environmental factors(e.g.soil conditions,precipitation and temperature) on belowground biomass in an alpine grassland is essential for understanding the consequences of carbon storage in this biome.The object of this study is to investigate the relative importance of soil nutrients and climate factors on belowground biomass in an alpine meadow in the source region of the Yangtze and Yellow rivers,Tibetan Plateau.Soil organic carbon(SOC),total nitrogen(TN) and total phosphorous(TP) contents and belowground biomass were measured at 22 sampling sites across an alpine meadow on the Tibetan Plateau.We analyzed the data by using the redundancy analysis to determine the main environmental factors affecting the belowground biomass and the contribution of each factor.The results showed that SOC,TN and TP were the main factors that influenced belowground biomass,and the contribution of SOC,TN and TP on biomass was in the range of 47.87%–72.06% at soil depths of 0–30 cm.Moreover,the combined contribution of annual mean temperature(AMT) and mean annual precipitation(MAP) on belowground biomass ranged from 0.92% to 4.10%.A potential mechanism for the differences in belowground biomass was caused by the variations in soil nitrogen and phosphorous,which were coupled with SOC.A significant correlation was observed between MAP and soil nutrients(SOC,TN and TP) at the soil depth of 0–10 cm(P0.05).We concluded that precipitation is an important driving force in regulating ecosystem functioning as reflected in variations of soil nutrients(SOC,TN and TP) and dynamics of belowground biomass in alpine grassland ecosystems.     

Effects of long-term warming on the aboveground biomass and species diversity in an alpine meadow on the Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau of China

Ecosystems in high-altitude regions are more sensitive and respond more rapidly than other ecosystems to global climate warming.The Qinghai-Tibet Plateau(QTP)of China is an ecologically fragile zone that is sensitive to global climate warming.It is of great importance to study the changes in aboveground biomass and species diversity of alpine meadows on the QTP under predicted future climate warming.In this study,we selected an alpine meadow on the QTP as the study object and used infrared radiators as the warming device for a simulation experiment over eight years(2011-2018).We then analyzed the dynamic changes in aboveground biomass and species diversity of the alpine meadow at different time scales,including an early stage of warming(2011-2013)and a late stage of warming(2016-2018),in order to explore the response of alpine meadows to short-term(three years)and long-term warming(eight years).The results showed that the short-term warming increased air temperature by 0.31℃and decreased relative humidity by 2.54%,resulting in the air being warmer and drier.The long-term warming increased air temperature and relative humidity by 0.19℃and 1.47%,respectively,and the air tended to be warmer and wetter.The short-term warming increased soil temperature by 2.44℃and decreased soil moisture by 12.47%,whereas the long-term warming increased soil temperature by 1.76℃and decreased soil moisture by 9.90%.This caused the shallow soil layer to become warmer and drier under both short-term and long-term warming.Furthermore,the degree of soil drought was alleviated with increased warming duration.Under the long-term warming,the importance value and aboveground biomass of plants in different families changed.The importance values of grasses and sedges decreased by 47.56%and 3.67%,respectively,while the importance value of weeds increased by 1.37%.Aboveground biomass of grasses decreased by 36.55%,while those of sedges and weeds increased by 8.09%and 15.24%,respectively.The increase in temperature had a non-significant effect on species diversity.The species diversity indices increased at the early stage of warming and decreased at the late stage of warming,but none of them reached significant levels(P>0.05).Species diversity had no significant correlation with soil temperature and soil moisture under both short-term and long-term warming.Soil temperature and aboveground biomass were positively correlated in the control plots(P=0.014),but negatively correlated under the long-term warming(P=0.013).Therefore,eight years of warming aggravated drought in the shallow soil layer,which is beneficial for the growth of weeds but not for the growth of grasses.Warming changed the structure of alpine meadow communities and had a certain impact on the community species diversity.Our studies have great significance for the protection and effective utilization of alpine vegetation,as well as for the prevention of grassland degradation or desertification in high-altitude regions.     

Degradation leads to dramatic decrease in topsoil but not subsoil root biomass in an alpine meadow on the Tibetan Plateau,China

Understanding the effects of degradation on belowground biomass (BGB) is essential for assessment of carbon budget of the alpine meadow ecosystem on the Tibetan Plateau, China. This ecosystem has been undergoing serious degradation owing to climate change and anthropogenic activities. This study examined the response of the vertical distribution of plant BGB to degradation and explored the underlying mechanisms in an alpine meadow on the Tibetan Plateau. A field survey was conducted in an alpine meadow with seven sequential degrees of degradation in the Zoige Plateau on the Tibetan Plateau during the peak growing season of 2018. We measured aboveground biomass (AGB), BGB, soil water content (SWC), soil bulk density (SBD), soil compaction (SCOM), soil organic carbon (SOC), soil total nitrogen (STN), soil total phosphorus (STP), soil available nitrogen (SAN), and soil available phosphorus (STP) in the 0-30 cm soil layers. Our results show that degradation dramatically decreased the BGB in the 0-10 cm soil layer (BGB_0-10) but slightly increased the subsoil BGB. The main reason may be that the physical-chemical properties of surface soil were more sensitive to degradation than those of subsoil, as indicated by the remarked positive associations of the trade-off value of BGB_0-10 with SWC, SCOM, SOC, STN, SAN, and STP, as well as the negative correlation between the trade-off value of BGB_0-10 and SBD in the soil layer of 0-10 cm. In addition, an increase in the proportion of forbs with increasing degradation degree directly affected the BGB vertical distribution. The findings suggest that the decrease in the trade-off value of BGB_0-10 in response to degradation might be an adaptive strategy for the degradation-induced drought and infertile soil conditions. This study can provide theoretical support for assessing the effects of degradation on the carbon budget and sustainable development in the alpine meadow ecosystem on the Tibetan Plateau as well as other similar ecosystems in the world.     

Non-growing season soil CO2 efflux and its changes in an alpine meadow ecosystem of the Qilian Mountains,Northwest China

Most soil respiration measurements are conducted during the growing season.In tundra and boreal forest ecosystems,cumulative,non-growing season soil CO2 fluxes are reported to be a significant component of these systems' annual carbon budgets.However,little information exists on soil CO2 efflux during the non-growing season from alpine ecosystems.Therefore,comparing measurements of soil respiration taken annually versus during the growing season will improve the accuracy of estimating ecosystem carbon budgets,as well as predicting the response of soil CO2 efflux to climate changes.In this study,we measured soil CO2 efflux and its spatial and temporal changes for different altitudes during the non-growing season in an alpine meadow located in the Qilian Mountains,Northwest ChinaField experiments on the soil CO2 efflux of alpine meadow from the Qilian Mountains were conducted along an elevation gradient from October 2010 to April 2011.We measured the soil CO2 efflux,and analyzed the effects of soil water content and soil temperature on this measure.The results show that soil CO2 efflux gradually decreased along the elevation gradient during the non-growing season.The daily variation of soil CO2 efflux appeared as a single-peak curve.The soil CO2 efflux was low at night,with the lowest value occurring between 02:00-06:00.Then,values started to rise rapidly between 07:00-08:30,and then descend again between 16:00-18:30.The peak soil CO2 efflux appeared from 11:00 to 16:00.The soil CO2 efflux values gradually decreased from October to February of the next year and started to increase in March.Non-growing season Q10(the multiplier to the respiration rate for a 10℃ increase in temperature) was increased with raising altitude and average Q10 of the Qilian Mountains was generally higher than the average growing season Q10 of the Heihe River Basin.Seasonally,non-growing season soil CO2 efflux was relatively high in October and early spring and low in the winter.The soil CO2 efflux was positively correlated with soil temperature and soil water content.Our results indicate that in alpine ecosystems,soil CO2 efflux continues throughout the non-growing season,and soil respiration is an important component of annual soil CO2 efflux.     

Effects of freezing intensity on soil solution nitrogen and microbial biomass nitrogen in an alpine grassland ecosystem on the Tibetan Plateau,China

The change of freeze-thaw pattern of the Tibetan Plateau under climate warming is bound to have a profound impact on the soil process of alpine grassland ecosystem;however,the research on the impact of the freeze-thaw action on nitrogen processes of the alpine grassland ecosystem on the Tibetan Plateau has not yet attracted much attention.In this study,the impact of the freezing strength on the soil nitrogen components of alpine grassland on the Tibetan Plateau was studied through laboratory freeze-thaw simulation experiments.The 0–10 cm topsoil was collected from the alpine marsh meadow and alpine meadow in the permafrost region of Beilu River.In the experiment,the soil samples were cultivated at –10°C,–7°C,–5°C,–3°C and –1°C,respectively for three days and then thawed at 2°C for one day.The results showed that after the freeze-thaw process,the soil microbial biomass nitrogen significantly decreased while the dissolved organic nitrogen and inorganic nitrogen significantly increased.When the freezing temperature was below –7°C,there was no significant difference between the content of nitrogen components,which implied a change of each nitrogen component might have a response threshold toward the freezing temperature.As the freeze-thaw process can lead to the risk of nitrogen loss in the alpine grassland ecosystem,more attention should be paid to the response of the soil nitrogen cycle of alpine grasslands on the Tibetan Plateau to the freeze-thaw process.     

Ecological biomass allocation strategies in plant species with different life forms in a cold desert,China

Biomass allocation patterns among plant species are related to their adaptive ecological strategies. Ephemeral, ephemeroid and annual plant life forms represent three typical growth strategies of plants that grow in autumn and early spring in the cold deserts of China. These plants play an important role in reducing wind velocity in the desert areas. However, despite numerous studies, the strategies of biomass allocation among plant species with these three life forms remain contentious. In this study, we conducted a preliminary quadrat study during 2014-2016 in the southern part of the Gurbantunggut Desert, China, to investigate the allocation patterns of above-ground biomass (AGB) and below-ground biomass (BGB) at the individual level in 17 ephemeral, 3 ephemeroid and 4 annual plant species. Since ephemeral plants can germinate in autumn, we also compared biomass allocation patterns between plants that germinated in autumn 2015 and spring 2016 for 4 common ephemeral species. The healthy mature individual plants of each species were sampled and the AGB, BGB, total biomass (TB), leaf mass ratio (LMR) and root/shoot ratio (R/S) were calculated for 201 sample quadrats in the study area. We also studied the relationships between AGB and BGB of plants with the three different life forms (ephemeral, ephemeroid and annual). The mean AGB values of ephemeral, ephemeroid and annual plants were 0.806, 3.759 and 1.546 g/plant, respectively, and the mean BGB values were 0.106, 4.996 and 0.166 g/plant, respectively. The mean R/S value was significantly higher in ephemeroid plants (1.675) than in ephemeral (0.154) and annual (0.147) plants. The mean LMR was the highest in annual plants, followed by ephemeroid plants and ephemeral plants, reflecting the fact that annual plants allocate more biomass to leaves, associated with their longer life span. Biomass of ephemeral plants that germinated in autumn was significantly higher than those of corresponding plants that germinated in spring in terms of AGB, BGB and TB. However, the R/S value was similar in plants that germinated in autumn and spring. The slope of regression relationship between AGB and BGB differed significantly among the three plant life forms. These results support different biomass allocation hypotheses. Specifically, at the individual level, the AGB and BGB partitioning supports the allometric hypothesis for ephemeroid and annual plants and the isometric hypothesis for ephemeral plants.     

Climate effects on an inland alpine lake in Xinjiang,China over the past 40 years

Inland lakes are important water resources in arid and semiarid regions. Understanding climate effects on these lakes is critical to accurately evaluate the dynamic changes of water resources. This study focused on the changes in Sayram Lake of Xinjiang, China, and addressed the effects of climate fluctuations on the inland lake based on long-term sequenced remote sensing images and meteorological data from the past 40 years. A geographic information system (GIS) method was used to obtain the hypsometry of the basin area of Sayram Lake, and estimation methods for evaporation from rising temperature and water levels from increasing precipitation were proposed. Results showed that: (1) Areal values of Sayram Lake have increased over the past 40 years. (2) Both temperature and precipitation have increased with average increases of more than 1.8℃ and 82 mm, respectively. Variation of the water levels in the lake was consistent with local climate changes, and the areal values show linear relationships with local temperature and precipitation data. (3) According to the hypsometry data of the basin area, the estimated lake water levels increased by 2.8 m, and the water volume increased by 12.9×10 8 m3 over the past 40 years. The increasing area of Sayram Lake correlated with local and regional climatic changes because it is hardly affected by human activities.     

围栏与不同放牧强度对东祁连山高寒草甸植被和土壤的影响

在东祁连山高寒草地,对围栏7年和不同放牧强度的草地进行了物种数、地上生物量、地下生物量、土壤理化性质等研究。结果表明,围栏7年的高寒草地鲜草产量为425.8 g·m-2,显著高于夏季中牧159.3 g·m-2和夏季重牧91.0 g·m-2,但与冬季轻牧、夏季轻牧差异不显著。围栏条件下的物种数为26.3种·16 m-2,显著低于其他放牧条件下的物种数,但显著高于夏季重牧条件下的物种数23.0种·16 m-2;轻度或重度放牧都会使物种数减少,夏季中牧下的物种数最高(33.5种·16 m-2)。在0~10 cm的表层土壤中,围栏7年的草地根系生物量显著高于其他放牧强度。随着放牧强度的增加,根系生物量在0~10 cm土壤中呈下降趋势,在30~40 cm土壤中则表现为升高趋势。围栏7年的土壤容重低于其他放牧强度下的土壤容重,但差异不显著;夏季重牧的土壤容重显著高于围栏7年和其他放牧强度的土壤容重。随着放牧强度的增加,0~10 cm土壤碱解氮增加,围栏7年草地最低。围栏封育可有效改善和恢复草地植被,但不能长时间禁牧不进行放牧利用。合理的放牧能够维护高寒草甸草地生态系统功能、促进物种丰富度和土壤营养的均衡。     

禁牧对祁连山冰沟流域高山草甸土有机碳及理化性质和酶活性的影响

在青海省祁连山冰沟流域的高山草甸土上,选择放牧与禁牧2个样品采集区,研究了禁牧对祁连山冰沟流域高山草甸土有机碳及理化性质和酶活性的影响。结果表明:高山草甸土遭到放牧牲畜连续3年的啃食和践踏后,植被覆盖度明显降低,归还到土壤中的生物量和枯落物积累量减少,0~20 cm土层有机质含量、有机碳密度、总孔隙度、团聚体、田间持水量、氮磷钾和酶活性降低,容重、CaCO_3和可溶性盐增加,但20 cm以下土层这些性质变化不大。放牧与禁牧比较,0~20 cm土层土壤容重、可溶性盐和CaCO_3分别增加14.15%、6.35%和1.27%;有机碳含量、有机碳密度、总孔隙度、团聚体和田间持水量分别降低29.76%、22.82%、9.45%、6.49%和7.69%;全氮、全磷、全钾、脲酶、蔗糖酶、磷酸酶和过氧化氢酶分别降低25.97%、15.56%、12.17%、33.77%、26.11%、42.00%、29.31%。放牧对有机碳、容重、孔隙度、田间持水量、可溶性盐、氮磷钾和酶活性影响深度为20 cm,对团聚体影响深度为40 cm。     

Volume fractal dimension of soil particles and relationships with soil physical-chemical properties and plant species diversity in an alpine grassland under different disturbance degrees

Fractal geometry is an important method in soil science,and many studies have used fractal theory to examine soil properties and the relationships with other eco-environmental factors.However,there have been few studies examining soil particle volume fractal dimension in alpine grasslands.To study the volume fractal dimension of soil particles(D) and its relationships with soil salt,soil nutrient and plant species diversity,we conducted an experiment on an alpine grassland under different disturbance degrees:non-disturbance(N 0),light disturbance(L),moderate disturbance(M) and heavy disturbance(H).The results showed that(1) Ds varied from 2.573 to 2.635 among the different disturbance degrees and increased with increasing degrees of disturbance.(2) Shannon-Wiener diversity index,Pielou's evenness index and Margalef richness index reached their highest values at the M degree,indicating that moderate disturbance is beneficial to the increase of plant species diversity.(3) In the L and M degrees,there was a significant positive correlation between D and clay content and a significant negative correlation between D and soil organic matter(SOM).In the H degree,D was significantly and positively correlated with total salt(TS).The results suggested that to a certain extent,D can be used to characterize the uniformity of soil texture in addition to soil fertility characteristics.(4) For the L degree,there was a significant negative correlation between D and the Shannon-Wiener diversity index;while for the M degree,there was a significant negative correlation between D and Pielou's evenness index.     

Fluxes of methane,carbon dioxide and nitrous oxide in an alpine wetland and an alpine grassland of the Tianshan Mountains,China

Methane(CH4), carbon dioxide(CO2) and nitrous oxide(N2O) are known to be major greenhouse gases that contribute to global warming. To identify the flux dynamics of these greenhouse gases is, therefore, of great significance. In this paper, we conducted a comparative study on an alpine grassland and alpine wetland at the Bayinbuluk Grassland Eco-system Research Station, Chinese Academy of Sciences. By using opaque, static, manual stainless steel chambers and gas chromatography, we measured the fluxes of CH4, N2O and CO2 from the grassland and wetland through an in situ monitoring study from May 2010 to October 2012. The mean flux rates of CH4, N2O and CO2 for the experimental alpine wetland in the growing season(from May to October) were estimated at 322.4 μg/(m2?h), 16.7 μg/(m2?h) and 76.7 mg/(m2?h), respectively; and the values for the alpine grassland were –88.2 μg/(m2?h), 12.7 μg/(m2?h), 57.3 mg/(m2?h), respectively. The gas fluxes showed large seasonal and annual variations, suggesting weak fluxes in the non-growing season. The relationships between these gas fluxes and environmental factors were analyzed for the two alpine ecosystems. The results showed that air temperature, precipitation, soil temperature and soil moisture can greatly influence the fluxes of CH4, N2O and CO2, but the alpine grassland and alpine wetland showed different feedback mechanisms under the same climate and environmental conditions.     

Effects of different plantation types on soil properties after vegetation restoration in an alpine sandy land on the Tibetan Plateau,China

Large areas of Artemisia ordosica Krasch., Caragana korshinskii Kom., and Caragana intermedia Kuang and H. C. Fu plantations were established on moving sand dunes in the Gonghe Basin(northeastern Tibetan Plateau) for vegetation restoration. Elevating our understanding of the changes in soil characteristics after the establishment of different plantation types can be useful in the context of combating desertification. To assess the effects of these plantation types on the restoration of sandy land, we measured soil physical-chemical properties at four depths(0–5, 5–10, 10–20, and 20–50 cm) in each of the three plantation types and also in non-vegetated moving sand dunes(as control sites). Generally, the establishment of A. ordosica, C. korshinskii and C. intermedia plantations on sand dunes has greatly ameliorated soil quality in the Gonghe Basin. Specifically, relative to the moving sand dunes, shrub plantation has increased the silt and clay contents, total porosity and water holding capacity, soil organic matter, total nitrogen, total phosphorus and total potassium contents. The calculated soil quality index suggested that in the Gonghe Basin, C. intermedia is the best choice for soil amelioration. In all the three plantation types, soil amelioration mainly occurred in the shallow depths.     

Interacting effects of soil degradation and precipitation on plant productivity in NE Patagonia,Argentina

Our objective was to examine the effects of inter-annual variation of precipitation on productivity of two dominant species (Chuquiraga avellanedae, an evergreen shrub, and Nassella tenuis, a perennial grass) in two communities of contrasting soil degradation: a herbaceous steppe with shrubs (HSS) and a degraded shrub steppe (SS). Data were collected during two consecutive years with different annual precipitation. Aboveground productivity was determined nondestructively using a double sampling approach. The number of inflorescences per plant was recorded too. Perennial grass productivity was lower in SS than in HSS in both years, while shrub productivity was lower in SS only during the year of below average precipitation. With rising precipitation the perennial grass increased the number of inflorescences while the evergreen shrub augmented vegetative biomass. In summary, the effects of precipitation on plant productivity are community dependent; abiotic factors, such as superficial and sub-superficial soil characteristics, and biotic factors, such as leaf area index (LAI) or tussock sizes, may interact to influence the responses of species to precipitation. Our results suggest that if precipitation increased, this would favor the dominance of shrubs over grasses.     

Cultivation effects on soil texture and fertility in an arid desert region of northwestern China

In arid desert regions of northwestern China, reclamation and subsequent irrigated cultivation have become effective ways to prevent desertification, expand arable croplands, and develop sustainable agricultural production. Improvement in soil texture and fertility is crucial to high soil quality and stable crop yield. However, knowledge on the long-term effects of the conversion of desert lands into arable croplands is very limited. To address this problem, we conducted this study in an arid desert region of northwestern China to understand the changes in soil physical-chemical properties after 0, 2, 5, 10, 17, and 24 years of cultivation. Our results showed that silt and clay contents at the 17-year-old sites increased 17.5 and 152.3 folds, respectively, compared with that at the 0-year-old sites. The soil aggregate size fraction and its stability exhibited an exponential growth trend with increasing cultivation ages, but no significant change was found for the proportion of soil macroaggregates (>5.00 mm) during the 17 years of cultivation. The soil organic carbon (SOC) content at the 24-year-old sites was 6.86 g/kg and increased 8.8 folds compared with that at the 0-year-old sites. The total (or available) nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium contents showed significant increasing trends and reached higher values after 17 (or 24) years of cultivation. Changes in soil physical-chemical properties successively experienced slow, rapid, and stable development stages, but some key properties (such as soil aggregate stability and SOC) were still too low to meet the sustainable agricultural production. The results of this long-term study indicated that reasonable agricultural management, such as expanding no-tillage land area, returning straw to the fields, applying organic fertilizer, reducing chemical fertilizer application, and carrying out soil testing for formula fertilization, is urgently needed in arid desert regions.     

Effects of emitter discharge rates on soil salinity distribution and cotton(Gossypium hirsutum L.) yield under drip irrigation with plastic mulch in an arid region of Northwest China

A field experiment was carried out to investigate the effects of different emitter discharge rates under drip irrigation on soil salinity distribution and cotton yield in an extreme arid region of Tarim River catchment in Northwest China.Four treatments of emitter discharge rates,i.e.1.8,2.2,2.6 and 3.2 L/h,were designed under drip irrigation with plastic mulch in this paper.The salt distribution in the range of 70-cm horizontal distance and 100-cm vertical distance from the emitter was measured and analyzed during the cotton growing season.The soil salinity is expressed in terms of electrical conductivity(dS/m) of the saturated soil extract(EC e),which was measured using Time Domain Reflector(TDR) 20 times a year,including 5 irrigation events and 4 measured times before/after an irrigation event.All the treatments were repeated 3 times.The groundwater depth was observed by SEBA MDS Dipper 3 automatically at three experimental sites.The results showed that the order of reduction in averaged soil salinity was 2.6 L/h > 2.2 L/h > 1.8 L/h > 3.2 L/h after the completion of irrigation for the 3-year cotton growing season.Therefore,the choice of emitter discharge rate is considerably important in arid silt loam.Usually,the ideal emitter discharge rate is 2.4-3.0 L/h for soil desalinization with plastic mulch,which is advisable mainly because of the favorable salt leaching of silt loam and the climatic conditions in the studied arid area.Maximum cotton yield was achieved at the emitter discharge rate of 2.6 L/h under drip irrigation with plastic mulch in silty soil at the study site.Hence,the emitter discharge rate of 2.6 L/h is recommended for drip irrigation with plastic mulch applied in silty soil in arid regions.     

Flowering behaviors of the inflorescences of an alien plant (Plantago asiatica), an alpine plant (Plantago hakusanensis), and their hybrids on Mt. Hakusan,Japan

In the subalpine zone on Mt. Hakusan, Japan, Plantago asiatica, an alien plant, and Plantago hakusanensis, a native alpine species, grow sympatrically along with their putative hybrids. Here, their flowering behavior, which affects the frequency of hybridization and the colonizing ability of P. asiatica and its hybrids, is described. The flowering behavior of each species and of two F₁ hybrids from different seed parents was determined based on the position of the flower in the inflorescence by using a generalized linear mixed model. The percentage fruit set of individually bagged inflorescences was calculated to corroborate the assumptions of the opportunities for self‐pollination. All the flowers were protogynous; however, many P. asiatica anthers dehisced before browning of the stigma in the flower and the sex presentations in the inflorescence were asynchronous. The percentage of fruit set was high. Consequently, P. asiatica has the opportunity for self‐pollination within the flower and in the inflorescence. In contrast, the P. hakusanensis anthers dehisced after browning of the stigma in the flower; their sex presentation was synchronous in the inflorescence, showing negligible opportunities for self‐pollination, and the fruit set was low. Accordingly, in the field, P. hakusanensis might require pollination among the inflorescences for seed production and be actively outcrossed, while P. asiatica is able to outcross in the early flowering phase. Therefore, P. asiatica and P. hakusanensis have opportunities for hybridization. The F₁ hybrids exhibited intermediate flowering behavior and produced fruits, demonstrating the potential to reproduce by selfing.     

农牧交错带不同植被群落对土壤微生物量碳氮磷的影响

为了解荒漠化土地植被恢复对土壤微生物量的影响,以地处毛乌素沙地南缘的榆林市沙生植物园植被恢复30年的乔木、灌木和草地3种植被群落下土壤为研究对象,分析了植被恢复对土壤微生物量碳、氮、磷含量及比值的影响及其与土壤理化性质的相关性。结果表明,农牧交错带荒漠化土地植被恢复可以明显提高表层土壤微生物碳、氮、磷的含量。土壤微生物量碳以灌木林地为最高,含量为288.35 mg·kg-1,显著高于草地和乔木,分别是乔木林地和草地的3.99和2.10倍;土壤微生物磷在三种植被群落间差异不明显;三种植被群落下土壤微生物碳氮比的高低为乔木林地草地灌木林地,土壤微生物碳磷比表现为草地略高于乔木林地和灌木林地。相关性分析结果显示微生物量碳、氮、磷与土壤理化性质相关性极为密切,其中与土壤养分各指标大多呈现极显著相关,与土壤容重多为极显著负相关。说明土壤微生物量可以作为评价土壤质量的生物学指标。     

库布齐沙地柠条根际土壤微生物生物量及其与土壤因子的关系

对库布齐沙地柠条根际、非根际土壤微生物生物量碳、氮分布状况及其与土壤因子的关系进行了研究。结果表明:柠条土壤生物量碳、氮含量的分布趋势均为根际土壤>非根际土壤>流沙,且以表层(0-10cm)最高,随土层加深,呈下降趋势;柠条土壤中微生物量碳、氮对土壤有机质、全氮的贡献率分别为1.55%-4.73%,5.61%-13.39%,微生物量碳氮比为3.10-7.22;微生物量碳氮间呈显著正相关,土壤全氮、有机质含量与土壤微生物生物量碳、氮相关性最大。     

Monitoring and analysis of snow cover change in an alpine mountainous area in the Tianshan Mountains,China

Estimating the snow cover change in alpine mountainous areas(in which meteorological stations are typically lacking) is crucial for managing local water resources and constitutes the first step in evaluating the contribution of snowmelt to runoff and the water cycle. In this paper, taking the Jingou River Basin on the northern slope of the Tianshan Mountains, China as an example, we combined a new moderate-resolution imaging spectroradiometer(MODIS) snow cover extent product over China spanning ...