Growth and competitiveness of the New Zealand tree species Podocarpus cunninghamii is reduced by ex-agricultural AMF but enhanced by forest AMF

The composition of arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) communities found in agricultural systems has been found to be very different to that of forest. The implications of this, if any, for the restoration of indigenous forest on ex-agricultural land is poorly understood. This study investigated the effect that AMF communities isolated from ex-agricultural and forest soils have on the growth of an indigenous New Zealand tree species (Podocarpus cunninghamii). The forest AMF community was isolated from a remnant stand of P. cunninghamii forest and the ex-agricultural AMF from a retired grazing grassland. In addition, the study examined how the two AMF communities affected the competitiveness of P. cunninghamii when grown in competition with an invasive grass species (Agrostis capillaris), which is frequently dominant on ex-agricultural land in New Zealand. P. cunninghamii growth was significantly decreased by inoculation with ex-agricultural AMF compared to forest AMF. Furthermore, the forest AMF community was able to significantly increase P. cunninghamii root production when in competition with A. capillaris. The findings suggest that when attempting to restore indigenous forest on ex-agricultural land, inoculation of tree seedlings with appropriate forest AMF may improve their growth and survival.     

Land-use history has a stronger impact on soil microbial community composition than aboveground vegetation and soil properties

The response of soil microbial communities following changes in land-use is governed by multiple factors. The objectives of this study were to investigate (i) whether soil microbial communities track the changes in aboveground vegetation during succession; and (ii) whether microbial communities return to their native state over time. Two successional gradients with different vegetation were studied at the W. K. Kellogg Biological Station, Michigan. The first gradient comprised a conventionally tilled cropland (CT), mid-succession forest (SF) abandoned from cultivation prior to 1951, and native deciduous forest (DF). The second gradient comprised the CT cropland, early-succession grassland (ES) restored in 1989, and long-term mowed grassland (MG). With succession, the total microbial PLFAs and soil microbial biomass C consistently increased in both gradients. While bacterial rRNA gene diversity remained unchanged, the abundance and composition of many bacterial phyla changed significantly. Moreover, microbial communities in the relatively pristine DF and MG soils were very similar despite major differences in soil properties and vegetation. After >50 years of succession, and despite different vegetation, microbial communities in SF were more similar to those in mature DF than in CT. In contrast, even after 17 years of succession, microbial communities in ES were more similar to CT than endpoint MG despite very different vegetation between CT and ES. This result suggested a lasting impact of cultivation history on the soil microbial community. With conversion of deciduous to conifer forest (CF), there was a significant change in multiple soil properties that correlated with changes in microbial biomass, rRNA gene diversity and community composition. In conclusion, history of land-use was a stronger determinant of the composition of microbial communities than vegetation and soil properties. Further, microbial communities in disturbed soils apparently return to their native state with time.     

Conversion of a tropical forest into agroforest alters the fine root-related carbon flux to the soil

Large areas of remaining tropical forests are affected by anthropogenic disturbances of various intensities. These disturbances alter the structure of the forest ecosystem and consequently its carbon budget. We analysed the role of fine root dynamics in the soil carbon budget of tropical moist forests in South-east Asia along a gradient of increasing disturbance intensity. Fine root production, fine root turnover, and the associated carbon fluxes from the fine root system to the soil were estimated with three different approaches in five stands ranging from an old growth forest with negligible anthropogenic disturbance to a cacao agroforestry system with planted shade trees. Annual fine root production and mortality in three natural forest sites with increasing canopy openness decreased continuously with increasing forest disturbance, with a reduction of more than 45% between the undisturbed forest and the forest with large timber extraction. Cacao agroforestry stands had higher fine root production and mortality rates than forest with large timber extraction but less than undisturbed forest. The amount of carbon annually transferred to the soil carbon pool through fine root mortality was highest in the undisturbed forest and generally decreased with increasing forest use intensity. However, root-related C flux was also relatively high in the plantation with planted shading trees. In contrast, the relative importance of C transfer from root death in the total above- and below-ground C input to the soil increased with increasing forest use intensity and was even similar to the C input via leaf litter fall in the more intensively managed agroforest. We conclude that moderate to heavy disturbance in South-east Asian tropical moist forests has a profound impact on fine root turnover and the related carbon transfer to the soil.     

我国森林土壤健康评价研究进展

保持和提高森林土壤健康是实现森林健康的基础。本文综述了森林土壤健康的概念、评价指标、评价方法及其优缺点。森林土壤健康评价是相对的而不是绝对的,主要以土壤的功能为基础,不同类型土壤的评价应采用不同的标准。因此,须进一步加强评价指标的标准化、综合化和应用化,选择适宜的方法来评价森林土壤健康,从而探索有利于某地区森林土壤健康的管理措施,以实现森林土壤的可持续发展。     

黄山风景区步道土壤理化性质变化特征分析

步道作为旅游景区重要的基础设施之一,是旅游活动冲击的主要对象,尤其以步道两侧土壤环境受影响最为显著。在黄山风景区内选择7条主要步道,设置14条调查样带,每条样带按照距游道远近依次选取5个连续样方,每个样方的面积设置为1 m×1m。在野外调查和实验室分析的基础上,采用多重比较等方法并建立土壤影响指数模型来探讨旅游活动对黄山风景区土壤环境的影响程度和规律。结果显示:旅游活动对土壤的硬度、pH值、有机质、全磷、全钾等因子的变化有显著的影响,其受影响范围主要集中在距步道4m内;由于游客访问比例不同,不同步道受影响的程度有明显差异,其中以玉屏景区和北海景区受影响较为严重,天海景区和西海景区次之,上山道和下山道受影响最小。     

井冈山国家级自然保护区森林土壤养分含量的空间变化

以井冈山国家级自然保护区为研究区,采集了57个土壤剖面的5个不同深度(0~10、10~20、20~40、40~60、60 cm)的土壤样品,对土壤样品的有机碳、全氮、全磷和全钾等指标进行了测定,并结合森林类型数据和DEM高程数据,对不同森林类型及高程条件下的土壤养分状况进行比较分析。结果表明:①土壤有机碳含量最大,全磷含量最小,各土壤养分含量均随土壤深度的增加而递减;②土壤类型的空间分布呈现海拔梯度特征,黄棕壤的分布海拔最高,依次为黄壤、黄红壤,红壤的分布海拔最低;③全磷、有机碳及C/N随着海拔高度的上升呈增加趋势。全钾含量随着海拔高度的上升呈下降趋势;④不同森林类型土壤养分存在差异,常绿阔叶林、落叶阔叶林和常绿落叶阔叶混交林的各土壤养分含量均较高;山顶矮林和温性针叶林除全氮和全钾含量外,其他土壤养分值显著高于其他林型;竹林及灌木林的土壤养分条件相对较差;⑤不同森林类型土壤养分含量的空间分布规律与其分布的海拔高度范围有关。     

五台山南台山地草甸种群对旅游干扰的生态响应

以五台山南台为例,利用生态位的宽度指数,研究了草甸种群对旅游干扰的生态响应。结果表明:(1)紫羊茅、珠芽蓼和北方嵩草的生态位宽度较大,是群落的建群种。随着距离的增加,旅游干扰减小,不仅物种的数量越来越多,而且其生态优势也趋于增强,说明旅游干扰限制了种群对其周围资源的利用。其中,紫羊茅的相对优势在下降,而北方嵩草的相对优势却不断增强。(2)两种划分方法表明,北方嵩草、雪白委陵菜、零零香、歪头菜、小红菊和兰花棘豆是增长型的种类;扁蓄是衰退型的种类;地榆是波动型的种类。     

天保工程对东北和内蒙古重点国有林区保育土壤生态效益的影响

为了直观地反映天然林资源保护工程所带来的生态效益,体现重大生态工程的巨大作用,实现林业及生态的可持续发展,依据LY/T1721-2008《森林生态服务功能评估规范》,应用分布式测算方法,对东北和内蒙古重点国有林区天保工程保育土壤物质量及价值量进行评估.结果表明:1)截至2015年,9个优势树种固土和保肥总量分别为13.17亿t/a和8 203.72万t/a,比天保工程实施前分别增加2.36亿t/a和1 738.23万t/a;2)9个优势树种固土和保肥总价值分别为905.29和2 408.92亿元/a,比天保工程实施前分别增加455.44和699.69亿元/a;3)桦木林和阔叶混交林固土效益突出,而红松林和樟子松林固土效益不显著;落叶松林和阔叶混交林保肥效益均最好,樟子松林保肥效益较差;4)对森林实施保护,能有效改善其生态系统服务功能,使森林保育土壤生态效益得到相应的提升.研究为评估天保工程区森林的其他生态服务功能,以及后续天保工程的实施提供科学依据.     

天目山自然保护区旅游解说系统的调查与分析

良好的旅游解说系统,是提高游客旅游体验质量和接受环境教育的重要手段,是生态旅游区建设的重要内容之一。为了解天目山国家级自然保护区旅游解说系统设置状况和游客使用情况,以实地勘察和问卷调查为手段,对其旅游环境解说系统进行调查与分析。结果表明,景区的解说系统比较规范,并能于景区的文化蕴涵相融合,也能起到较好的解说引导作用。同时,也发现其解说系统存在着一些问题,如解说系统不完善、导游人员素质有待提高、解说牌示系统有待改善等问题。针对这些问题,建议通过建立功能完善的游客中心、增加电子解说系统等途径,来推进其旅游解说系统的功能提升。     

Responses of Chilean forest birds to anthropogenic habitat fragmentation across spatial scales

Although it is recognized that anthropogenic forest fragmentation affects habitat use by organisms across multiple spatial scales, there is uncertainty about these effects. We used a hierarchical sampling design spanning three spatial scales of habitat variability (landscape > patch > within-patch) and generalized mixed-effect models to assess the scale-dependent responses of bird species to fragmentation in temperate forests of southern Chile. The abundances of nine of 20 bird species were affected by interactions across spatial scales. These interactions resulted in a limited effect of within-patch habitat structure on the abundance of birds in landscapes with low forest cover, suggesting that suitable local habitats, such as sites with dense understory cover or large trees, are underutilized or remain unused in highly fragmented landscapes. Habitat specialists and cavity-nesters, such as tree-trunk foragers and tapaculos, were most likely to exhibit interactions across spatial scales. Because providing additional sites with dense understory vegetation or large habitat trees does not compensate the negative effect of the loss of forest area on bird species, conservation strategies should ensure the retention of native forest patches in the mixed-use landscapes.