Phytomass estimation using eMODIS NDVI and ground data in arid rangelands of Morocco

The assessment of rangeland productivity in semi-extensively grazed arid rangelands is a prerequisite for livestock management in relation to sustainable use of pastoral resources. The objective of this study was to assess rangeland productivity based on normalised difference vegetation index (NDVI) images. Data on phytomass were measured on 61 field samples in arid rangelands of Morocco, covering various rangeland categories during autumn (November) and spring (April), i.e. when phytomass is at low and high levels, respectively, for two consecutive years (2008 and 2009). Dekadal EROS Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (eMODIS) NDVI data were linearly regressed to field measurements for these four periods. Results show that phytomass values were correlated with NDVI during spring, with R² and RMSE values of 0.82 and 0.3 t ha^?1, respectively. This study indicates there is a high potential for operational use of remotely sensed data to estimate rangeland phytomass of semi-extensively grazed rangelands.     

Facilitation of an Exotic Grass Through Nitrogen Enrichment by an Exotic Legume

Invasive species control requires understanding the mechanisms behind their establishment and their interactions with other species. One potential ecosystem alteration influencing the establishment and spread of invasive species is anthropogenic nitrogen enrichment, from sources like introduced or invasive nitrogen (N)-fixing legumes, which can alter competition between native, non-native, and invasive plants. Kentucky bluegrass (Poa pratensis) and N-fixing yellow sweet clover (Melilotus officinalis) are exotic to the Great Plains and are currently invading and degrading native rangelands by altering ecosystem processes and displacing native plants. Therefore, we investigated how N enrichment from yellow sweet clover affects the aboveground biomass production of Kentucky bluegrass and western wheatgrass (Pascopyrum smithii), a native cool-season grass, the ranges of which overlap in the northern Great Plains. In a controlled greenhouse environment, we conditioned experimental pots by growing yellow sweet clover and terminating each plant after 8 wk. Conditioned soils contained ≈ 340% more plant-available N than untreated soils 2 wk after yellow sweet clover death. We then grew Kentucky bluegrass and western wheatgrass transplant seedlings in interspecific and intraspecific pairs in pots conditioned either with or without yellow sweet clover for 12 wk. Aboveground biomass production of both Kentucky bluegrass and western wheatgrass grown in interspecific and intraspecific pairs increased in conditioned soils. However, when grown together in conditioned pots, the increase in Kentucky bluegrass biomass relative to untreated pots (520%) was double that of the increase in western wheatgrass biomass (260%). Our results reveal that Kentucky bluegrass can use increased soil N to produce proportionally more aboveground biomass than western wheatgrass, a native grass competitor. Thus, our results suggest yellow sweet clover and other sources of N enrichment may facilitate the invasion of Kentucky bluegrass.     

氮硅添加对高寒草甸生物量和多样性的影响——以青藏高原为例

草地施肥多集中于添加氮肥与磷肥,很少涉及硅肥。硅作为对植物有益的一种元素,能提高植物对环境的抗性,促进植物的生长。本研究以青藏高原高寒草甸为研究对象,通过添加不同组合的氮肥和硅肥,研究群落地上生物量和生物多样性的变化。结果表明,氮肥和硅肥的添加均能提高群落的地上生物量,然而硅肥提高群落地上生物量的幅度远低于氮肥;在添加氮肥导致群落物种多样性下降的同时,添加硅肥可以缓解群落多样性下降的趋势;硅肥的生物学功能在群落水平上存在着最佳浓度效应。同时,我们推测硅肥在维持群落中杂草的存活率上发挥着积极的作用,并通过比较不同硅肥处理时,杂草生物量所占群落生物量比重的变化,支持了上述推测。     

中国北方草原生物量年际动态

不同类型或同一类型不同区域的草地,其地上生物量在时间和空间上均存在差异,本文从不同的草地类型和时空尺度揭示植被生物量与环境因子间动态关系。结果显示,1)中国北方草原近30余年地上生物量总体呈下降趋势,水分条件较好的区域下降幅度较大,局部变化不显著,而近5年则呈持续增长趋势;2)时间序列上,年降水和年均温的交互作用对各区域草地地上生物量影响不显著;3)空间尺度上,温性草原年均温对地上生物量的影响较显著,高寒草原地上生物量的主要限制因子是降水。     

摩天岭北坡东南部不同海拔梯度草本植物群落特征

海拔因子是影响植被生长的主导因子,对生态系统格局与过程有着深远的影响。本研究运用相关分析、逐步回归分析和Pearson相关系数检验对摩天岭北坡南段海拔600-1 500m草本植物多样性以及群落初级生产力进行分析。结果表明,1)物种多度与海拔梯度呈显著正相关关系(R2=0.278 4)(P0.05),植物盖度与海拔梯度呈显著负相关关系(R2=0.43),草本层高度、密度与海拔梯度相关性不显著(P0.05);2)植被地上生物量随海拔梯度的上升表现出先增后减的变化趋势,地下生物量随海拔变化差异较大,表现出先增后减再增的趋势;3)从功能群的角度分析,草本层植物功能群地上生物量和地下生物量随海拔梯度的变化趋势基本一致。摩天岭北坡东南部草本植物群落特征随海拔梯度变化显著,各功能群的地上、地下生物量差异显著。生物量与草本层植被盖度呈极显著正相关(P0.01),生物量与植物高度和密度的相关性不显著,以及植物盖度、高度和密度之间相关程度不高。     

季节性放牧对草地植物多样性与功能群特征的影响

针对放牧对高寒草地生态系统的影响,通过比较暖季放牧(6月-10月)和冷季放牧(11月-翌年5月)下典型高寒草地物种多样性和功能群特征的变化,分析了高寒草地植物群落对季节性放牧的响应机制。结果表明,暖季放牧草地中物种多样性指数为1.92,均匀度指数为0.78,明显高于冷季放牧草地的1.81和0.74,而冷季放牧草地的丰富度指数为17.45,高于暖季放牧草地的16.45。冷季放牧草地的地上生物量为246.61 g·m~(-2),莎草类和豆科类功能群的生物量比例分别为66.85%和15.86%,其值均高于暖季放牧草地。暖季放牧草地植物总密度为2 064株·m~(-2),明显高于冷季放牧草地的1 394株·m~(-2)。合理的放牧强度下,暖季放牧相比冷季放牧有利于草地群落物种多样性和均匀度的维持,但冷季放牧草地有利于草地群落地上生物量的积累。     

The feasibility of remotely sensed data to estimate urban tree dimensions and biomass

Accurately measuring the biophysical dimensions of urban trees, such as crown diameter, stem diameter, height, and biomass, is essential for quantifying their collective benefits as an urban forest. However, the cost of directly measuring thousands or millions of individual trees through field surveys can be prohibitive. Supplementing field surveys with remotely sensed data can reduce costs if measurements derived from remotely sensed data are accurate. This study identifies and measures the errors incurred in estimating key tree dimensions from two types of remotely sensed data: high-resolution aerial imagery and LiDAR (Light Detection and Ranging). Using Sacramento, CA, as the study site, we obtained field-measured dimensions of 20 predominant species of street trees, including 30–60 randomly selected trees of each species. For each of the 802 trees crown diameter was estimated from the aerial photo and compared with the field-measured crown diameter. Three curve-fitting equations were tested using field measurements to derive diameter at breast height (DBH) (r² = 0.883, RMSE = 10.32 cm) from the crown diameter. The accuracy of tree height extracted from the LiDAR-based surface model was compared with the field-measured height (RMSE = 1.64 m). We found that the DBH and tree height extracted from the remotely sensed data were lower than their respective field-measured values without adjustment. The magnitude of differences in these measures tended to be larger for smaller-stature trees than for larger stature species. Using DBH and tree height calculated from remotely sensed data, aboveground biomass (r² = 0.881, RMSE = 799.2 kg) was calculated for individual tree and compared with results from field-measured DBH and height. We present guidelines for identifying potential errors in each step of data processing. These findings inform the development of procedures for monitoring tree growth with remote sensing and for calculating single tree level carbon storage using DBH from crown diameter and tree height in the urban forest.     

江河源区不同建植期人工草地土壤养分及微生物量磷和磷酸酶活性研究

研究了"黑土滩"退化草地上建植的2,4和6龄垂穗披碱草人工草地土壤养分、微生物量磷、中性磷酸酶活性变化以及它们之间的相互关系。结果表明,随建植期的增加,土壤pH值呈现先降低后升高的趋势,人工4龄草地土壤pH值最低,人工6龄草地最高。从时间尺度看,人工2龄草地土壤养分含量、土壤微生物量磷含量和土壤中性磷酸酶活性较"黑土滩"退化草地明显升高,随着建植期的增加,人工4龄草地各测定指标明显下降,而人工6龄草地各测定指标再次升高。4种草地土壤养分含量、微生物量磷含量和中性磷酸酶活性在土壤剖面中均呈现随土壤深度的增加而递减的趋势。相关分析结果表明,土壤微生物量磷与有机碳、全氮、速效氮和速效钾含量之间呈极显著正相关关系,与全磷含量间呈显著正相关关系;土壤中性磷酸酶活性与大多数土壤养分呈显著或极显著正相关关系,其中与土壤有机碳的相关系数最大;土壤微生物量磷与中性磷酸酶活性呈极显著正相关关系。     

桉树与厚荚相思混交林的生物量及对土壤影响研究

对雷州林业局营造桉树与厚荚相思混交林进行生物量测定及对土壤影响的分析结果表明：尾叶桉与厚荚相思混交林６年生地上部分群体生物量比尾叶桉纯林多３６．６％以上,单株叶量,细根行间混交的尾叶桉分别比纯林的尾叶桉多３８．４％,８２．８％,带状混交的尾叶桉比纯林的尾叶桉分别多１９．５％,４．７％,林分叶量带状混交林比纯林大４．９倍。４年生时混交林凋落物干重比纯林多３１％以上。混交林０－３９ｃｍ土层有机质,全氮     

Effects of Tillage and Fertilization on Biomass, Roots, N-Accumulation and Nodule Bacteria of Vetch (Vicia sativa cv. Alexander)

Field experiments were conducted to determine the effects of tillage (ploughing followed by one rotary hoeing (CT), rotary hoeing (MT) and no-tillage (NT)) and type of fertilization (NP 154/75 kg ha⁻¹, digested farmyard manure 30 t ha⁻¹) on growth (biomass and roots), N-accumulation and nodulation of vetch plants (Vicia sativa cv. Alexander) at different stages. The highest dry matter yields and root weight were determined for the NT and the lowest for the CT systems. The NT system promoted nodulation of vetch plants to a higher degree than the MT and CT systems. At the time just before harvesting, the N-accumulation in the above ground plants, was 54.3 for CT, 76.7 for MT, and 109.0 kg ha⁻¹ for NT, and the corresponding values at roots were 73.3, 112.0 and 173.3 kg ha⁻¹. Growth and nodulation of vetch plants was in general much better on farmyard manure plots than it was with the NP fertilization. The closest correlation coefficients between dry matter of biomass and roots on the one hand, and number of nodules and percentage N in roots on the other, were found with NT. The highest correlation between nodulation and percentage N in roots (r = 0.91***) was observed at the 128-days-old vetch plants. The highest correlation between the number of nodules and percentage N in biomass (r = 0.82**) was found at the beginning of the plants' flowering period. *, **, *** indicate significance at P = 0.05, 0.01 and 0.001 respectively.