Saccharides of ectomycorrhizal fungal sclerotia as sources of forest soil polysaccharides

ABSTRACT

The neutral monosaccharide composition of forest soils differs from that of non-forest soils suggesting there is an accumulation of microbial saccharides. Ectomycorrhizal (ECM) fungi can be responsible as the fungi are typical in forest soils. We investigated neutral saccharides of ECM fungal sclerotia to determine what part it might play in the origin of forest soil polysaccarides. Sclerotial grain (SG) was collected from the O, A1 and A2 horizons of a soil of subalpine forest of Mt. Ontake, central Japan. Neutral saccharides in soil and SG were analyzed by two step hydrolysis with sulfuric acid and gas-chromatography of alditol acetate derivatives. Saccharides accounted for 6.0?16% of the SG by carbon content. The SG contained predominantly easily hydrolysable (EH)-glucose, which accounted for 75–85% of the composition depending on grain size and the soil horizon, followed by mannose (7.7?15%), galactose (2.2?4.8%) and non-easily hydrolysable (NEH)-glucose (1.7?6.1%). The SG contained all of these sugars irrespective of its size. The SG collected from the A1 and A2 horizons contained all sugar components found in that from the O horizon, except for fucose in that from A2 horizon. The monosaccharide composition of SG indicates that accumulation of ECM fungal sclerotial polysaccharides might have been responsible for enlarging the molar ratios of (galactose + mannose) /(arabinose + xylose) and EH-glucose/NEH-glucose of forest soils. The proportions of SG saccharides relative to soil saccharides were 3.6, 1.2, and 0.83% for the O, A1 and A2 horizons, respectively. These levels of the proportion are considerable as ECM fugal sclerotia are the products of a limited species among hundreds and thousands of microbial species inhabiting forest soils. The sclerotia forming ECM fungal species such as Cenococcum geophilum may be key sources of forest soil polysaccharides.     

辽阳县森林昆虫资源调查报告

2003~2007年,对辽阳县森林昆虫资源进行了普查,结果表明:我县森林昆虫共有18个目166科1337种,其中:天敌昆虫262种,占森林昆虫总数的19.6%;重要害虫25种,占总数的1.9%。明确了不同林分类型中的主要害虫种类和捕食性、寄生性天敌昆虫种类。     

SOIL ATTRIBUTES AFTER THE CONVERSION FROM FOREST TO PASTURE IN AMAZON

The conversion from forest to grassland is drastically changing soil characteristics in Amazon, leading to land degradation when it is poorly managed. Chemical and physical changes of a Typic Hapludox were evaluated as a function of the conversion (by means of fire) from forest to Brachiaria brizantha cultivation. Samples from the remaining forest were also sampled. Treatments were made to pastures eight (P8), thirteen (P13) and fifteen (P15) years after conversion, and to land under continuous grazing, and to a remaining forest area (control). The forest soil was more acidic than the pasture soils. Soil density and Ca⁺² increased after the conversion, regardless of the period of grazing. Carbon stocks varied from 31·2 t ha⁻¹ in the forest soil to 37·4 (P8), 33·5 (P13) and 30·7 t ha⁻¹ (P15). Copyright © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

The influence of forest cover on mule deer habitat selection, diet, and nutrition during winter in a deep-snow ecosystem

Recent research in western North America suggests that open forage areas are a greater limiting factor to mule deer abundance than closed conifer forests. However, much of this work was conducted in ecosystems prone to fire and low snow depths compared to the limits of mule deer range such as the Columbia Mountains, British Columbia, where snow is deep and fires are rare. We used snow track surveys as a measure of habitat use and fecal nitrogen as an index of dietary quality to compare the relative value to mule deer of open deciduous canopies to closed coniferous canopies in a wet ecosystem with deep snow and few fires. Deciduous canopies contain higher levels of understory forage compared to dense coniferous canopies, which are better at intercepting snow. We also evaluated food habits across landscapes with contrasting forest canopies. Results corroborated previous work in that foraging areas such as deciduous stands were strongly selected by deer, despite deeper snow relative to closed coniferous stands. Deer consumed fewer understory shrubs in coniferous-dominated stands, suggesting lower nutritional intake in these stands. Finally, deer appeared to derive a nutritional benefit in landscapes that had a higher proportion of open deciduous canopies, as indexed by fecal nitrogen. However, not all open canopy stands were of equal value to deer – deciduous-dominated stands were selected, whereas clearcuts were avoided. Similarly, not all closed coniferous stands were equally selected: cedar–hemlock stands were avoided whereas Douglas-fir stands were selected and indeed contained the highest proportion of deer tracks. We suggest that winter foraging areas have been underrepresented in management policy in British Columbia, but that snow-interception cover provided by coniferous stands still plays a role in winter deer ecology in deep-snow ecosystems.     

Above- and belowground ecosystem biomass and carbon pools in an age-sequence of temperate pine plantation forests

We assessed the successional development of above- and belowground ecosystem biomass and carbon (C) pools in an age-sequence of four White pine (Pinus strobus L.) plantation stands (2-, 15-, 30-, and 65-years-old) in Southern Ontario, Canada. Biomass and C stocks of above- and belowground live and dead tree biomass, understorey and forest ground vegetation, forest floor C (LFH-layer), and woody debris were determined from plot-level inventories and destructive tree sampling. Small root biomass (<5 mm) and mineral soil C stocks were estimated from soil cores. Aboveground tree biomass became the major ecosystem C pool with increasing age, reaching 0.5, 66, 92, and 176 t ha⁻¹ in the 2-, 15-, 30-, and 65-year-old stands, respectively. Tree root biomass increased from 0.1 to 10, 18, 38 t ha⁻¹ in the 2-, 15-, 30-, and 65-year-old stands, respectively, contributing considerably to the total ecosystem C in the three older stands. Forest floor C was 0.8, 7.5, 5.4, and 12.1 t C ha⁻¹ in the 2-, 15-, 30-, and 65-year-old stands, respectively, indicating an increase during the first two decades, but no further age-effect during the later growth phase. Mineral soil C was age-independent with 37.2, 33.9, 39.1, and 36.7 t C ha⁻¹ in the 2-, 15-, 30-, and 65-year-old stands, respectively. Aboveground ecosystem C increased with age from 3 to 40, 52, and 100 t C ha⁻¹ in the 2-, 15-, 30-, and 65-year-old stands, respectively, due to an increase in aboveground tree biomass. Belowground ecosystem C remained similiar in the early decades after establishment with 37, 39, and 39 t C ha⁻¹ in the 2-, 15-, and 30-year-old stands, but increased to 56 t C ha⁻¹ in the 65-year-old stand due to an increase in root biomass. The difference in total ecosystem C between the 2- and 65-year-old stand was 116 t C ha⁻¹. Our results highlight the importance of considering the successional development of forest ecosystem C pools, when estimating C sink potentials over their complete life cycle.     

红锥4种林型土壤理化性质及微生物量差异分析

【目的】研究广西国有高峰林场不同红锥人工林对土壤理化性质及微生物生物量的影响,旨在为该区红锥人工林合理经营和持续生产发展提供科学依据。【方法】以红锥纯林、红锥+湿地松混交林、红锥+米老排混交林、红锥+火力楠混交林4种红锥林型人工林0~60 cm土层为研究对象,分析4种红锥林型的土壤理化性质和微生物生物量差异以及变化规律。【结果】4种林型3个土层(0~20、20~40、40~60 cm)间土壤有机碳(SOC)、全氮(TN)、容重(ρb)、含水率(θg)以及微生物生物量碳(MBC)和微生物生物量氮(MBN)均差异显著,且随着土层深度的增加,4种林型的SOC、TN、全磷(TP)、θg均表现为逐渐降低,ρb表现为逐渐增大。0~60 cm土层4种林型间SOC、TN、TP、θg、pH值、ρb均差异极显著。其中红锥+米老排混交林土壤SOC、TN、TP、θg和MBC、MBN均最大,pH值和ρb最小;红锥纯林土壤SOC、TN、TP和MBC、MBN均最小,pH值和ρb最大。相关分析表明,MBC与SOC、TP呈显著正相关,与ρb呈显著负相关;MBN与SOC、TN、TP呈显著正相关,与ρb呈显著负相关;SOC、TN、TP与ρb呈显著负相关。【结论】红锥混交林能够有效提高土壤养分,改善土壤质地,且红锥阔叶混交林较红锥针阔混交林的效果更佳。     

Apiculture and forestry (bees and trees)

Honey bees are found associated with forests globally. Flowers of forest trees provide subsistence for honey bees and the trees physically provide shelter for a swarm or bee hive. Forest management and beekeeping have each had a long history both in the United States and globally, but have seldom been integrated or studied in a systematic fashion. Purposeful plantings of trees, as in agroforestry systems, could be designed to favor bee forage or hive protection.Tree growing and beekeeping can easily be combined for several reasons. Both are sustainable on land that is hilly or otherwise less desirable for other agricultural purposes. Both require labor intermittently, and can be sustained while the grower/beekeeper is busy with other farming occupations. Bee hives require very little space, while the bees themselves can forage in a radius of 4 to 5 km. Hives may be located within or near a tree plantation, and utilize both the trees and surrounding other flowering plants for forage. Combining forestry and beekeeping provides annual honey bee products (e.g. honey, beeswax) to supplement income from a landowner's long term forest managements. In areas like Kentucky, where more than half of the forest landowners own 4 ha or less of commercially valuable woodland, it is important to produce economic benefit from those lands without harvesting all the trees. Combining bees and trees is one way of accomplishing this goal. This paper addresses several important known bee-tree interactions which need more systematic study.     

浅谈森林病虫害的特点和预防措施

近几十年来中国森林病虫害的发生面积逐年递增,危险性病虫害不断出现。对中国森林病虫害发生日趋严重的主要原因进行了分析,并在此基础上,分析了中国森林病虫害防治将要面临的形势及其应采取的对策。     

红松的地理分布

文章考证了天然红松(Pinus koraiensis Sieb.et Zucc)及红松林在世界上的地理分布。红松主要分布在中国东北东部、俄罗斯远东南部及朝鲜半岛,日本岛的四国及本州也有零散分布。整个分布区的北界在52°N(俄罗斯);南界在33°50′N(日本);东界在140°20′E(俄罗斯);西北界在49°28′N,126°40′E(中国);西南界在41°20′N,124°E(中国)。红松林的分布以中国东北东部为中心,北到51°N(俄罗斯),南至39°N(朝鲜半岛),森林面积约50万km~2。红松林由南向北随着纬度的递增表现出组成的分异;且随着纬度的递增,红松林垂直分布的海拔高度逐渐下降。人为因素的干扰是导致红松分布范围逐渐缩小的主要因素。     

建阳市森林生态系统服务价值评估

根据建阳市2011年森林资源清查资料和相关部门提供的监测数据,应用《森林生态系统服务功能评估规范》对其森林生态系统服务功能进行价值评估,结果表明：2011年建阳市森林生态系统服务功能总价值为169．27亿元／a;7项服务功能价值大小排序为涵养水源〉生物多样性保护〉保育土壤〉固碳制氧〉物质生产〉净化大气环境〉森林旅游,其中涵养水源、生物多样性保护和保育土壤3种服务价值占整个森林生态系统服务功能总价值的80．2％。