Comparison of foliar nutrient concentrations between natural and artificial forests of Pinus sylvestris var. mongolica on sandy land, China

In order to examine the causes of degradation of Pinus sylvestris var. mongolica plantations on sandy land, the foliar concentrations of N, P, K and C were analyzed and compared between the field grown P. sylvestris var. mongolica trees from two provenances （natural forests and plantations）. The results indicated that natural tree needles had lower N, P and C concentrations, and higher K concentrations than those of plantation tree needles. For plantation tree needles, ratios of N： P, P. K and N： K increased with tree age before 45 years old; but they were not clear for the natural tree needles. Compared with the conclusions reported on Pinus spp., we found that the foliar N and P concentrations were in the optimal range for both natural and plantation tree needles. This result suggested that N or P might not be the absolute limit factors in plant nutrient for P sylvestris var. mongolica on sandy land. However, foliar K concentrations in both natural and plantation tree needles were much lower than those reported on Pinus spp. （〉4.80 g kg-1）.The N： P ratio of natural needles was in the adequate ranges, but N： P ratio of plantation needles was out of the adequate ranges. These results indicated that there was a better balanced nutrition status in the natural forest than in the plantations. If only considering the foliar nutrient concentrations of P sylvestris var. mongolica from different provenances, it might be concluded that the degradation phenomenon of P. sylvestris var. mongolica plantations was not induced by nutrition deficiency of absolute nutrients of N and P, but might be induced by other mineral nutrients or by the effectiveness of N and P nutrients. The unbalanced nutrition status and relatively quick decomposition of needles in the plantations might also contribute to the degradation.     

Morphogenetic responses of Populus alba L. under salt stress

The morphogenetic responses to salt stress of Tunisian Populus alba clones were studied in order to promote their plantation in damaged saline areas.One year-old plants of three P.alba clones(MA-104,MA-195 and OG)were subjected to progressive salt stress by irrigation during two consecutive years.The plants were grown in a nursery,inside plastic receptacles containing sandy soil and were irrigated with tap water(control)or 3–6 g/l NaCl solution.During this study,leaf epinasty,elongation rate,vigor,internode length,plant architecture,and number of buds were evaluated.Test clone response was highly dependent on the applied treatment and degree of accommodation.The most pronounced alterations were induced under 6g/l of NaCl treatment including leaf epinasty,leaf elongation rate delay,vigor decrease,internode length shortening,and morphogenetic modifications.These responses were less noticeable in the MA-104 clone with respect to the two other clones.The salt effect induced a delay in the leaf elongation rate on the MA-195 and OG clones leading to an early leaf maturity.The vigour and internode length of the MA-104 clone was less affected than the other clones.The OG clone was the most salt-sensitive thus,it developed shorter branches and more buds number than MA-195 and MA-104.The effect of long-term salt stress was to induce early flowering of the P.alba clones which suggests that mechanism of salt accommodation could be developed.     

Development, manufacture and application of Beta-Cypermethrin aqueous capsule suspension

The optimal formula of Beta-Cypermethrin aqueous capsule suspension was screened out through the experiment,preparation and manufacture of basic formulas, which has no sedimentation, suspended drops of oil, peels and agglomerating and the diameter of capsule is in range of 10-30μm, conformed to the technical requirement. The aftereffect of the 3.3% Beta-Cypermethrin aqueous capsule suspension which was manufactured according to the optimal formula was up more than 25 days. The experiments on controlling the larvae of Dendrolinmus superans Butler and the adults of Xylotrechus rusticus L were carried out with different concentrations of this chemical. The death rate reached 80% when 250 times solution of the chemical was sprayed on stem to control the larvae of D. superans. For control of the adults of X. rusticus, 200, 400 and 600 times solution of the chemical were applied and their control effects (death rate) reached 85.23%, 74.21% and 66.59% respectively. Two kinds of solution (200 times and 300 times) of the chemical were used to control the larvae of D. superans in large area, and the control effect for both concentrations was over 90%.     

Considering and comparing regeneration in natural and man-made stands in northern Iran

In this study the regeneration diversity of Syahkal forests afforestated and natural stands in north of Iran was studied and compared from the point of view of evenness and diversity index.In order to accomplish this study two natural and man-made stands that almost are located in the same height above the sea level were chosen.The area of each stand was 30 ha and the inventory was done by the random-systematic method with a 5R land measurement(500 m2)selected.Also,in order to study the regeneration in the center of each sample piece 125 square meters micro plots were formed.The results show that regeneration diversity index in natural stands is more than that in man-made stands which in this case Mc-Arthur index with 2.41 has the most amount while Simpson index with 0.543 has the least amount.But the evenness indexes in man-made stands are more than that in natural stand which the main reason is the purity of the man-made stand.     

Plant diversity patterns in different forests in Aershan, Inner Mongolia

Taking the communities of the sample sites in Aershan of Inner Mongolia as an investigation object, the indices affecting plant diversity were studied. The investigation was carried out in three different forest types (natural forests, plantations and regenerated forests after fire). Results show that 95 plant species belonging to 19 families and 50 genera were identified in total. Of these species, nine were arbors, six were shrubs and the other 80 were herbs. We found some differences in the dominant species of different layers in three forest types. Natural forests had the largest importance value for the total number of species, followed by plantations and regenerated forests after fire. Plantations and natural forests had a similar change in richness indices. The largest value of richness indices was obtained in natural forests, while the lowest value was in regenerated forests after fire. Three diversity indices (Simpson’s, Shannon-Wiener and Pielou’s indices) indicate a similar trend in all sample plots. With an increase in elevation, values of diversity indices first increased and then decreased. In different forest types, similarity between natural forests was largest, while similarity between the regenerated forests and plantations was lowest.     

Ultrasonic-assisted Radical Process for Directed Degradation of Arabinogalactan北大核心CSCD

Arabinogalactan (AG) was extracted from the sawdust of larch (Larix gmelinii(Rupr.) Kuzen). The arabinogalactan obtained was physically degraded by ultrasound-assisted free radicals. The free radical scavenging ability of decomposed AG was selected as an indicator on the evaluation of the antioxidant activity. On the basis of single-factor test, response surface optimization was used to determine the optimal degradation conditions, and the optimum conditions are found as follows: the dpolysaccharide concentration was 10 g/L; ultrasonic temperature was 60℃; the H2O2 volume fraction was 6%; and the ultrasonic time was 60 min. Under this optimum degradation condition, the ·OH scavenging rate of arabinogalactan was 89.6%, and Mr of AG was degraded from 52 ku to around 25 ku, and the cumulative weight fraction of this molecular weight reached 60%.Compared with AG, the antioxidant activity of arabinogalactan oligosaccharide(AG-O) obtained in the anti-oxidative activity was significantly enhanced, and its IC50 value decreased from 2.058 g/L to 0.497g/L. © 2018, Editorial Board of «Chemistry and Industry of Forest Products». All right reserved.     

Community structure and biodiversity in plantations and natural forests of seabuckthorn in southern Ningxia, China

Two types of sampling plots of seabuckthorn (Hippophae rhamnoides) communities were investigated in Pengyang County of Ningxia region by a typical sampling method to study the characteristics of community structure and biodiversity. Composition and dominant species of each community were analyzed by the importance value of species as an index. The number of individuals and the importance value, as well as Sorensen’s similarity coefficient, Shannon-Wiener diversity index, Pielou’s evenness index and Simpson’s dominance index, were used as indices to compare characteristics of community structure, similarity and biodiversity between plantations and natural forests of seabuckthorn. The results indicate that the importance values of species of natural seabuckthorn communities were dispersed and the difference between dominant species was not statistically significant. Diversity indices of natural seabuckthorn communities reflected by species richness and evenness were higher than that of plantations. Com-munity structure of natural seabuckthorn forests is more complex. We propose that natural forest can be used as sample to guide se-lection of plant species in silviculture in order to improve biodiversity of plantation.     

Optimization for microwave-assisted direct liquefaction of bamboo residue in glycerol/methanol mixtures

Bamboo residues were liquefied in a mixture of glycerol and methanol in the presence of sulfuric acid using microwave energy. We investigated the effects of liquefaction conditions, including glycerol/methanol ratio, liquefaction temperature, and reaction time on the conversion yield. The optimal liquefaction conditions were under the temperature of 120 °C, the reaction time of 7 min, the glycerol–methanol–bamboo ratio of 8/0/2(W/W), and the microwave power of 300 W. Maximum conversion yield was 96.7 %. The liquid products were separated into two contents(water soluble part and precipitate part) by addition of a sufficient amount of water. By Fourier transform infrared(FT-IR), the water soluble content mainly contained glycerol and its derivate and carbohydrate degradation products, and the precipitate content was mainly lignin derivatives.     

Self-assembly,Mixed System and Drug-loading Research of Rosin-based Tertiary Amine Salt北大核心CSCD

A novel maleic rosin-based ester tertiary amine salt surfactant (RETAS) with three hydrophilic groups was synthesized through D-A addition reaction, acyl chlorination, esterification reaction and salt forming reaction with rosin acid as raw material. The critical micelle concentration (CCMC) of RETAS was 0.73 mmol/L (0.50 g /L), and the corresponding surface tension at CMC (γCMC) was 38.58 mN/m. The RETAS was mixed with natural soapnut saponin. The best compound proportion of mixed system was obtained by determining the surface tension, emulsification property and foam property to study the synergistic effect. And the self-assembly behavior and micelle morphology of the composite system was characterized by transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and the micelle formation mechanism was speculated in detail. The results showed that the γCMC and CCMC of mixtures were 37.57 mN/m and 0.40 g/L when the optimum mass ratio of RETAS/soapnut saponin was 5:5. The emulsifying properties of RETAS and saponin were only 292 s and 310 s respectively, but the emulsifying properties increased to 373 s in the optimum mass ratio. Finally, the cytotoxicity of RETAS on human colon adenocarcinoma cells (Caco-2) was investigated and it was found that it had non-toxic or low toxicity and was applied to study the drug loading properties of anticancer drug doxorubicin (DOX). The release rates of DOX on RETAS were 67 % and close to 100 % in pH value 7.4 and 5.0, respectively. While the release rates of DOX on the mixture were 68 % and close to 90 % in pH value 7.4 and 5.0. The results showed that both RETAS and mixed product could be used as the target carrier of DOX. Under simulated tumor conditions, DOX was still slowly released after 24 hours in pH=5.0. © 2018, Editorial Board of «Chemistry and Industry of Forest Products». All right reserved.     

Treatment of fir wood with chitosan and polyethylene glycol

Chitosan is a natural biopolymer, derived from chitin, which is used for wood modification. Polyethylene glycol(PEG) was reacted with wood to provide possible fixation of the chitosan to wood. Wood blocks were treated with chitosan and PEG, as well as pre-treatment with the PEG at different temperatures and further reaction with the chitosan. The samples were soaked in water to study leaching of the chemicals, water absorption, swelling, as well as anti-swelling efficiency. Any prior reaction of the wood with PEG provided better reaction to the chitosan.Bulking was increased after the treatment of the wood with PEG. Swelling was reduced in the PEG-treated wood blocks as well as the pre-treated samples. Chitosan was not able to protect wood against water penetration: the treated samples showed more water absorption and swelling.However, pre-treatment of the samples decreased swelling in the wood, and the density was not noticeably affected by the treatments. Heating during the treatment caused more reduction in swelling for PEG–chitosan treated samples.     

Plant communities and reproductive phenology in mountainous regions of northern Libya

Within the semi-desert landscape of northern Libya, two sub-humid escarpments occur: Al-Akhdar in the east and Nafusa(Jabal Al-Gharbi) in the west. This study compares plant communities in the two regions, which are along an elevation gradient, in terms of species composition and diversity, frequency of different Raunkiaer life forms, and reproductive phenology. The two regions differed in species composition and life-form frequency between regions and between elevation zones within each region. Patterns were associated with the lower rainfall and lower moisture-holding capacity of soils at Nafusa,resulting in more xeric conditions. Only 13% of species were shared between the two regional landscapes. Species diversity, life-form frequency, and duration of the flowering–fruiting phenophase were all affected by elevation above sea level. The duration of flowering and fruiting in spring and fall was associated with environmental conditions, although there were different thresholds in the two regions. There was both a spring and fall episode of flowering at Nafusa, but only spring flowering at Al-Akhdar. It is anticipated that there will be a gradual shift of plant communities to higher elevations and loss of certain sensitive species in response to ongoing climate change.     

Implications of crude oil pollution on natural regeneration of plant species in an oil-producing community in the Niger Delta Region of Nigeria

The study evaluated the impact of crude oil pollution on natural regeneration of plant species in a major oil-producing community in the Niger Delta region of Nigeria. Three sites—unpolluted site(US), polluted and untreated site(PUS), and polluted and treated site(PTS)—were purposively chosen for the study. The seedling emergence method was used to evaluate soil seed banks in the various sites at two depths, 0 to 10 cm and 10 to 20 cm. Woody-plant species richness, abundance, and diversity were higher in the US seed bank than in the PUS and PTS seed banks. The highest number of non-woody plants was observed in the US, followed by the PTS, and then the PUS. Both species richness and diversity of non-woody plants were highest at the US, followed by the PUS, and lowest in the PTS. Woody species in the US seed bank were 87.5% and 80% dissimilar with those of the PUS and PTS at 0–10 cm and 10–20 cm respectively. No variation was observed between woody species in the PUS and PTS seed banks. Non-woody species at 0-10 cm US seed bank were 73.08% dissimilar with those of PUS at the two soil depths and 81.48/88.46% dissimilar with those of the 0–10/10–20 cm of the PTS respectively. At 10–20 cm, non-woody species of the US were 69.66% dissimilar with those from each of the two soil depths in PUS; and 73.91/81.82% dissimilar with those of 0–10/10–20 cm of the PTS respectively. Non-woody species variation between the PUS and PTS was higher at 10–20 cm than 0–10 cm. The poor seed bank attributes at the polluted sites demonstrates that crude oil pollution negatively affected the natural regeneration potential of the native flora because soil seed banks serve as the building blocks for plant succession. Thorough remediation and enrichment planting are recommended to support the recovery process of vegetation in the polluted areas.     

Ectomycorrhizal communities associated with Tilia amurensis trees in natural versus urban forests of Heilongjiang in northeast China

The deciduous linden tree(Tilia amurensis Rupr.) is protected at National Level II in China as a species of ecological and economic importance. The objective of this study was to assess and compare the ectomycorrhizal communities associated with T. amurensis in natural versus urban forests of central Heilongjiang Province. The percentage of T. amurensis colonisation by ectomycorrhiza was more than 60 % in urban forests,compared to 34–49 % in natural forests. Use of a combination of morphological and molecular methods documented 18 ECM(ectomycorrhizal) types among three sites; 12–13 ECM species were identified in the natural sites versus 9 species in the urban site. Four ECM species(Boletus sp., Tuber sp., Inocybe sp.2, Leccinum sp.1) were the dominant mycorrhizal symbionts, and Cenococcum geophilum and Russula sp. were found only in the natural forests.     

Status of urban vegetation in Guangzhou City

According to a survey for the urban vegetation of Guangzhou, urban vegetation has a significantly difference from natural vegetation because of intense human impacts. The research was conducted in a synthetic survey for soil, species diversity, roadside trees and ecological function of urban vegetation in Guangzhou City. The results showed that: (1) soil densities of urban roadside and park forests were higher than mean density of natural forest soil. The pH values of soil in urban roadside were higher too, and the content of organic matter and the concentration of nitrogen were lower. (2) Species diversity of urban vegetation was lower. The most number of species was only 16 species in tree layers of urban forest. (3) Tree growth was limited by narrow space in high-density urban area, where the trees with defects and disorders were common. (4) Comparing with mature natural forests, the productivity of urban vegetation was lower. The effect of urban vegetation on balance of carbon and oxygen were influenced by the low primary production of urban vegetation. Therefore, the growth condition for urban vegetation should be improved. Biodiversity, primary production and ecological function should be increased for urban vecletation in order to improve urban eco-environment.     

Microbial biomass in subtropical forest soils： effect of conversion of natural secondary broad-leaved forest to Cunninghamia lanceolata plantation

Conversion of natural secondary broad-leaved forest to Cunninghamia lanceolata plantation is a common management practice in subtropical China. In this study, we compared soil physico-chemical properties, microbial biomass in one natural secondary broad-leaved forest and two C. lanceolata plantation sites to estimate the effects of forest conversion on soil microbial biomass at the Huitong Experimental Station of Forestry Ecology, Chinese Academy of Sciences. Concentrations of soil organic carbon, total nitrogen, NH4^＋-N and microbial biomass carbon and nitrogen were much lower under C. lanceolata plantations as compared to natural secondary broad-leaved forest. Soil microbial biomass C in the first and second rotation of C. lanceolata plantations was only 53%, 46% of that in natural secondary broad-leaved forest, and microbial biomass N was 97% and 79%, respectively. The contribution of microbial biomass C to soil organic C was also lower in the plantation sites. However, the contribution of microbial N to total nitrogen and NH4^＋-N was greater in the C. lanceolata plantation sites. Therefore, conversion of natural secondary broad-leaved forest to C. lanceolata plantation and continuous planting of C. lanceolata led to the decline in soil microbial biomass and the degradation of forest soil in subtropical China.     

Optimizing continuous cover management of boreal forest when timber prices and tree growth are stochastic

Background: Decisions on forest management are made under risk and uncertainty because the stand development cannot be predicted exactly and future timber prices are unknown. Deterministic calculations may lead to biased advice on optimal forest management. The study optimized continuous cover management of boreal forest in a situation where tree growth, regeneration, and timber prices include uncertainty.Methods: Both anticipatory and adaptive optimization approaches were used. The adaptive approach optimized the reservation price function instead of fixed cutting years. The future prices of different timber assortments were described by cross-correlated auto-regressive models. The high variation around ingrowth model was simulated using a model that describes the cross- and autocorrelations of the regeneration results of different species and years. Tree growth was predicted with individual tree models, the predictions of which were adjusted on the basis of a climate-induced growth trend, which was stochastic. Residuals of the deterministic diameter growth model were also simulated. They consisted of random tree factors and cross- and autocorrelated temporal terms.Results: Of the analyzed factors, timber price caused most uncertainty in the calculation of the net present value of a certain management schedule. Ingrowth and climate trend were less significant sources of risk and uncertainty than tree growth. Stochastic anticipatory optimization led to more diverse post-cutting stand structures than obtained in deterministic optimization. Cutting interval was shorter when risk and uncertainty were included in the analyses.Conclusions: Adaptive optimization and management led to 6%–14% higher net present values than obtained in management that was based on anticipatory optimization. Increasing risk aversion of the forest landowner led to earlier cuttings in a mature stand. The effect of risk attitude on optimization results was small.     

Application of CITYgreen5.0 model to tender appraisement of small-scale green-space designs

Developed by the American Forests, CITYgreen5.0 model has been widely applied to urban forestry research and has played an important role in analyzing quantitatively the ecological benefits produced by varied green-space ecosystems. One of the functions of this model is to evaluate quickly and objectively on parts of the ecological benefits possibly produced by different design schemes for the same small-scale green-space project before the establishment. A comparative analysis was conducted by modeling partial ecological benefits potentially produced by green-spaces of two different design schemes for the same roof garden of Chuangfushidai-Junjingyuan in Shenzhen, given the growth status of plants both immediately after the establishment and 20 years later. Meanwhile, the project costs for each design scheme were also taken into consideration. The results showed that scheme II, mainly designed with a natural style of plant disposition, had a better greenery structure than that of scheme I, which was basically designed with a regular style of plant disposition. The estimated value of the partial ecological benefits produced by scheme II was larger than that of scheme I and the benefit-cost ratio of scheme II was more rational. It was suggested that scheme II be put into practice.     

Main Anatomy Characteristics in Cell Wall and Lignin Distribution of Bamboo Culms(Pseudosasa amabilis)

The anatomy characteristics of cell wall and lignin distribution in different anatomical regions for 12-month-old bamboo species Pseudosasa amabilis was investigated.The lignin distribution was studied by means of optical microscope and confocal laser scanning microscope and the color reaction. In addition,the distribution of lignin in different tissues(fiber,parenchyma and vessel) was investigated by visible-light microspectrophotometry coupled with the Wiesner and Maule reaction.The cell walls of different tissues were all lignified and the lignin was widely distributed in different tissues, in which there was a difference between tissues and anatomical regions in lignin content.Guaiacyl lignin and syringyl lignin unit could be found in cell wall of fiber,parenchyma and vessel through Wiesner and Maule reaction and the absorbance peak of spectrum. There was no regular variation in lignin content with different radial location of culms and different location in fiber strands.The lamellation of the fiber cell wall was generally had as alternating broad and narrow layers with alternating low and high concentration of lignin.     

Contribution of soil fauna to the degradation of recalcitrant components in Cinnamomum camphora foliar litter in different-sized gaps in Pinus massoniana plantations

Forest gaps are important in forest dynamics and management, but little is known about how soil fauna influence the degradation of recalcitrant litter components in different-sized forest gaps. This investigation uses litterbags with two different mesh sizes (0.04 and 3 mm) to control the meso- and microfauna entering the bags to quantify the contribution of soil fauna to the degradation of recalcitrant components (including condensed tannins, total phenol, lignin and cellulose) during litter decomposition. The experiment was conducted in seven different forest gap sizes in Pinus massoniana plantations over 1 year. One closed-canopy site (CC) and forest gap sizes of 100, 225, 400, 625, 900, 1225 and 1600 m^2 were created in a P. massoniana plantation in the Sichuan basin of China;the CC was treated as the control. Cinnamomum camphora foliage from local native trees was used in all forest gap experiments. We found the following:(1) Gap size had significant effects on the degradation rates (E) of condensed tannins and lignin and on the contributions of soil fauna;medium-sized gaps also presented high degradation rates. Soil fauna obviously contributed to the degradation of recalcitrant foliar litter components in medium-sized gaps.(2) The highest contribution to degradation (40.98%) was recorded for lignin, and the lowest contribution (0.29%) was recorded for condensed tannins. The results indicate that medium-sized gaps (900 m^2) were conducive to the degradation of recalcitrant litter components by soil fauna.     

Thermal Decomposition Characteristics and Kinetics of Tea Stalk北大核心CSCD

In order to provide comprehensive utilization of tea stalk waste by thermochemical conversion, the thermal decomposition process of tea stalk and its kinetics were studied with simultaneous measurements of thermogravimetry (TG)/differential thermal analysis (DTA). The TG-DTG-DTA curves of tea stalk were acquired in a nitrogen atmosphere. The results indicated that the mass loss process of the samples could be divided into five stages. Among the five stages, most of the decomposition occurred in the third and fourth stages. The two main stages were indicated as exothermic processes, with the average weight loss rates of 55.12% and 28.48% at different heating rates of 10, 15, 20, 25 K/min, respectively. At higher heating rate, the fourth stage of the decomposition reaction was shifted to higher temperature range. The thermal decomposition kinetic parameters were calculated by Kissinger, FWO peak maximum evolution and FWO isoconversional methods. The results showed that the Kissinger and FWO peak maximum evolution methods were more suitable for the thermal decomposition kinetic parameters. The apparent activation energies were calculated to be 666.53 and 642.80 kJ/mol by the two methods, respectively. And natural logarithm of the pre-exponential factor (lnA) calculated by Kissinger method was given as 145.83. © 2018, Editorial Board of «Chemistry and Industry of Forest Products». All right reserved.