建德林场乌龙山林区土壤类型及其宜林特性

建德林场乌龙山林区经调查可划分为2个土类,8个亚类,9个土属和14个土种。这些土壤都具有不同的肥力和宜林特性,因此在生态平衡中的作用和资源开发利用方面都有各自的特点。故在营林过程中应尽力保护自然形成的优良的森林土壤性状,在生态效益为主的前提下充分发挥其经济和社会效益。     

森林涵养水源功能及其生态补偿机制构建——以广西大瑶山自然保护区为例

对广西大瑶山自然保护区森林冠层、林下灌草层、林地枯枝落叶层及林地土壤层4个水文层次的涵养水源功能进行了效益计量调查研究,结果表明,该区森林植被总贮蓄水量为27508×104m3,年平均直接或间接的生态经济效益价值为3.75亿元,这对于维护周边地区的生态安全和可持续发展具有重要作用。根据该区森林涵养水源的效益计量调查状况提出了相应的生态补偿机制构建。     

多宝山铜矿开发的必要性及对其资源环境的影响

以黑龙江多宝山铜矿为例,探讨了开发东北、内蒙地区国有林区大型矿区的深远影响,并从生物多样性、生态效能、景观风貌、环境质量等多方面着手,重点分析了开发多宝山铜矿对国有林区森林资源和生态环境的影响,最后提出了相应的建议与措施。     

不同浸提剂处理森林土壤溶解性有机碳含量比较

为了解亚热带森林土壤溶解性有机碳(DOC)的特征规律,采用培养离心的方法获取土壤溶液测得DOC含量,对比传统水溶性有机碳(WSOC)提取法间的差异。选取湖南大山冲森林公园保存完好的3种亚热带典型次生林地,按10cm一层采集剖面土壤,采用不同方法提取测定土壤DOC和WSOC含量,分析与土壤理化指标的相关性及方法间的显著性关系。结果表明:①典型森林土壤DOC或WSOC含量随土壤剖面深度的增加,呈显著下降趋势。培养离心提取测得的土壤DOC含量明显较低,仅0.82～9.52 mg/kg,超纯水浸提的风干土WSOC含量达10.56～249.19 mg/kg,而0.5 mol/L K₂SO₄提取的鲜土WSOC含量达155.70～576.94 mg/kg,0.5mol/L K₂SO₄浸提的干土WSOC含量最高,达158.94～797.56 mg/kg,含量表现为:DOC<干土超纯水浸提WSOC<鲜土K₂SO₄浸提WSOC<干土K₂...     

稻麦联合收获机分段式脱粒装置设计与优化

针对纵轴流联合收获机在收获稻麦时出现的脱粒不彻底、分离不完全等问题,该研究设计了一种分段式纵轴流脱粒分离装置。该装置主要由锥形脱粒滚筒、脱粒强度可调式凹板筛、360°分离式凹板筛、作业参数电控调节系统等构成。通过单因素试验,分别获得了脱粒强度可调式凹板筛的开关板针对小麦和水稻脱粒的最佳开关状态。为寻求装置作业参数对脱粒效果的影响规律及最优参数组合,进行了多目标优化试验。以滚筒转速、导流板角度、凹板筛脱粒间隙、凹板筛分离间隙及喂入量作为影响因素,以破碎率、损失率、脱出物含杂率为试验指标,建立了破碎率、损失率、脱出物含杂率的数学模型。试验结果表明:各因素对破碎率影响的显著性大小顺序为滚筒转速、凹板筛脱粒间隙、导流板角度、喂入量、凹板筛分离间隙;对脱出物含杂率影响的显著性大小顺序为滚筒转速、导流板角度、凹板筛脱粒间隙、喂入量、凹板筛分离间隙;对损失率影响的显著性大小顺序为滚筒转速、导流板角度、凹板筛脱粒间隙、喂入量、凹板筛分离间隙。通过多目标参数优化分析,确定装置进行小麦脱粒的最优作业参数组合为脱粒滚筒转速905 r/min、导流板角度69°、凹板筛脱粒间隙18 mm、凹板筛分离间隙19 m...     

How good are managed forests at conserving native woodpecker communities? A study in sub-Himalayan dipterocarp forests of northwest India

We assessed the impact of forest management on woodpecker community structure sub-Himalayan dipterocarp sal (Shorea robusta) forests. We selected eight sites representing four management-based ‘forest types’ (natural unworked sal, old- and young managed sal, and teak plantations). At each site, bird surveys were conducted along 2-km-long transects, 20 times during breeding and non-breeding seasons. Habitat characteristics were enumerated using circular and belt plots. Species composition across forest types was compared using multi-response permutation procedures. Indicator analysis identified woodpecker species preferring particular forest types. Biomass, abundance, and mean species richness of woodpeckers were highest in natural sal, intermediate in managed sal, and lowest in teak. There were apparent differences in woodpecker densities between seasons. Densities were higher in breeding season than non-breeding season for natural sal, while the opposite was true for managed sal. Woodpecker species composition significantly differed across forest types. The four largest species, including grey-headed (Picus canus) and greater yellownape (Picus flavinucha) that were identified as indicators, predominated natural sal but were scarce in other types. At a broader level, mean species richness of woodpeckers strongly indicated mean richness of other avifauna during breeding season. Our study suggests that forest management has significantly altered the sub-Himalayan woodpecker community structure. Managed sal forests, particularly teak plantations, are largely unable to support the original woodpecker assemblage during breeding season, although they provide foraging grounds during non-breeding season.     

Linking past land use, recent disturbance, and dispersal mechanism to forest composition

Many areas in north-eastern North America were historically cleared for agriculture and subsequently abandoned. The resulting woodlots are exposed to varying degrees of recent disturbance. This paper examines the contributions of land use history and recent disturbance on the species richness and community composition of wooded areas in an agricultural landscape. Woodlots were categorized according to land clearance history, past grazing, and recent disturbance, such as the presence of roads or selective cutting. Vegetation surveys resulted in the identification of 250 herbaceous plant species, 44 of which were classified as exotic. While no influence of recent disturbance on community composition was detected, past land use influenced species richness for all plant groups examined. General linear models indicated that herbaceous, native, and forest species richness was highest in historically partially cleared sites; while exotic and invasive species richness was greatest in historically cleared sites. Non-metric multi-dimensional scaling (NMS) ordination was used to identify associations between community assemblage, land use history, and dispersal mechanism. The two axes of the NMS ordination explained 79.2% of the variation in the data, and indicated that woodlots completely cleared in the past were associated with wind dispersed species indicative of disturbed habitats. In contrast, historically uncleared sites contained short-distance dispersed species indicative of rich woods. Although no effects of recent disturbance were detected, the long lived impacts of past land use and the increase of exotic and invasive species in historically cleared indicate that undisturbed woodlots should be considered of highest conservation importance.     

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.     

Importance of hedgerows as habitat corridors for forest plants in agricultural landscapes

Hedgerows have been proposed as habitat and conservation corridor for forest plant species, but their importance for the survival of these species is still not clear. The objective of our study was to examine the frequency of occurrence of forest species and total forest species richness in different parts of the hedgerows, and to relate these patterns of occurrence to the species’ habitat requirements and life history traits. We surveyed in total 130 forest-hedgerow transects in North-western Germany, including three age classes.About 77% of all forest plant species (including some endangered taxa) occurring in the neighbouring forests were also found in the adjacent hedgerows. In all age classes, there was a negative relationship between distance from the forest-hedgerow ecotone and the number of species. Ancient hedgerows were not significantly more species-rich than more recent ones. Within 100 m distance from the forest edge, forest species richness increased with an increasing number of species in the nearby forest and with an increasing cover of the tree canopy as well as a decreasing cover of the shrub layer. Species with high frequency had comparatively high Ellenberg indicator values for light, and were mostly associated with anemochorous and epizoochorous seed dispersal.The frequency of occurrence in hedgerows of species with common attributes was partly in agreement, partly in disagreement with the results obtained in previous studies. We conclude that patterns are difficult to generalize, probably due to a strong regional variation in the pool of forest species and in the specific environments of both forests and hedgerows.     

An upland farming system under transformation: Proximate causes of land use change in Bela-Welleh catchment (Wag, Northern Ethiopian Highlands)

A possible way out of the ‘low-level equilibrium trap’ in the Ethiopian Highlands is agricultural intensification. To characterise and quantify current transformations in these permanent upland cultivation systems, a detailed study on land use changes and its proximate causes was carried out in the 41 km² Bela-Welleh catchment (2050–3682 m a.s.l.) in the Wag zone of Amhara Region, Northern Ethiopia. Land use maps were obtained through aerial photo interpretation (1965 and 1986) and detailed field mapping (2005–2006). Interpretation of topographic maps and field mapping gave knowledge of the spatial distribution of possible explanatory factors. Major land use changes are (1) a gradual abandonment of mountain agriculture which was replaced by woody vegetation (now covering 70% of the upper catchment) and (2) the widespread introduction of irrigation agriculture, wherever water is available (from 0% in 1982 to 5% of the catchment in 2006). Whereas both changes are favoured by government policies, they have now at least partially been taken up by the farming communities. The study demonstrates these land use changes and their influencing factors. Changes of crop- and rangeland into forest occur on the steeper slopes in higher topographical position. Changes from rain fed cropland into irrigated cropland (two harvests) depend obviously on the availability of water, but also on population density, and inversely on distance to Sekota town. We are here in presence of an almost classical example of the mutation of a “permanent upland cultivation system” into a system with irrigated agriculture.