Carbohydrate dynamics in particle-size fractions of sandy spodosols following forest conversion to maize cropping

In southwest France, much of the forested land on sandy spodosols has been converted to continuous maize cropping in the last few decades. To evaluate the impacts of this change on soil organic matter properties, we compared total organic C and neutral and amino sugars content in whole soil and particle size separates of two forested, and five related sites that had been either clear-cut for 12 and 18 mo, or cultivated to maize for 4-22 yr. Soil carbohydrates accounted for 4-7% of the total organic C across all sites. Soil organic C contents of clear-cut and cultivated sites were only 57-79% of the average value measured in forested sites. Accordingly, carbohydrate content of clear-cut and cultivated sites were only 35-66% of the value in forested sites. Ordering the sites in a chronosequence indicated that both total organic C and carbohydrate contents decreased with an increase in time elapsed since clear-cutting and maize cultivation. The only exception was a partial recovery of carbohydrate content in the site that had been under continuous maize for 22 yr. The clay+silt fraction (0-50 μm) was enriched in carbohydrates, mainly of microbial origin, whereas the sand size fractions (50-200 and 200-2000 μm) contained fewer carbohydrates which were mainly of plant origin. Monosaccharide analysis of particle size separates revealed significant differences in carbohydrate composition between sites. Relative to forested sites, the coarse and fine sand fractions in clear-cut and cultivated sites were depleted in carbohydrates and were relatively enriched in plant-derived carbohydrates. Carbohydrate content of the clay+silt fraction drastically decreased upon clear-cutting. Amino sugar content was consistently lower in clear-cut and cultivated sites than in forested sites, indicating that microbial populations were negatively affected by clear-cutting and cultivation. The fungal population appeared more sensitive than bacteria to these land-use changes as indicated by a greater decline in glucosamine than in muramic acid contents.     

FT-IR study of the changes in carbohydrate chemistry of three New Jersey pine barrens leaf litters during simulated control burning

Low intensity control burns are a standard fuel reduction management tool used in pine barrens ecosystems. Periodic disturbances through fire can be an important influence on the cycling of nutrients within the ecosystem. Previous studies have shown that the inorganic chemistry of leaf litter residues differs with increasing temperature. Our study compared chemical changes in white oak (Quercus alba), pitch pine (Pinus rigida) and black huckleberry (Gaylussacia baccata), characteristic of the New Jersey pine barrens, during thermal decomposition using FT-IR spectroscopy. Three replicates of senescent leaf material were ground and separately heated for 2 h at: 100, 200, 300, 400 and 550 °C. These temperatures are representative of the range seen in fuel reducing prescribed burns in the pine barrens. Unburned litter of each species was used as a control. An optimization process using varying amounts of KBr and oak litter was performed to develop favorable FT-IR spectral conditions for a sample to KBr ratio of 0.75%. Chemometric analysis of the FT-IR spectra using principal component analysis (PCA) was used to analyze the changes in carbohydrate chemistry of each litter plant species (leaf litter species) at each temperature. In general, it appears that there is clear separation of leaf litter species at the different combustion temperatures. Infrared spectroscopy illustrated that all three species shared wavenumbers characteristic of the primary components of leaves such as cellulose, lignin and hemicellulose. Results from the PCA indicated separation of litter species and species by combustion temperature. PC axis 1 corresponds to the effects of temperature on leaf litter species and PC axis 2 separates the leaf litter species. At the low temperatures (control-200 °C), oak, pine and huckleberry litter species separated from each other. Wavenumbers that contributed to the separation of species at low temperatures belonged to functional group stretching frequencies of outer surface waxes, basic sugars, fatty acids and aldehydes. It appears that oak had more IR bands specific to suberin content. Convergence of these species occurs at 300 °C. Complexity of chemical composition decreases at this particular temperature as is shown by the decrease in wavenumber richness when compared to litters at low and high temperatures. Oak, pine and huckleberry had similar IR spectra showing bands belonging to outer surface wax content, pectin, lignin and hemicellulose. With increasing temperatures (400-550 °C), differences between litter species increased slightly. Plant material was reduced to similar composition due to thermal decomposition, which consisted of inorganic materials such as carbonate, phosphate and sulfate ions and possible fused aromatics.     

Culture-dependent and culture-independent microbial investigation of pine litters and soil in subtropical Australia

Background, aim, and scope  Forest plantations, widely grown for wood production, involve the selective promotion of single-tree species or replacement of natural species by exotic tree species. Slash pine (Pinus elliottii) has been chosen for reforestation of infertile sandy soils in southeast Queensland, Australia. These exotic pine plantations minimize soil and water losses and are important scientific study sites. The soil environment of these plantations, though devoid of sufficient nutrients, organic carbon and other factors, harbors innumerable bacteria that may play a crucial role in maintaining soil quality and ecosystem functions. These soil microorganisms also have the potential for use as sensitive biological indicators to reflect environmental changes. It is therefore essential to understand the interrelationships among bacterial communities and their environment by assessing their structural and functional diversity and their responses to disturbances. The main aim of our investigation was to determine the diversity of bacterial communities in forest litters and soil during the forest leaf litter decomposition using culture-dependent and culture-independent techniques. Materials and methods  A 25-cm (diameter) × 40-cm core sample was collected and fractionated into three subsamples designated E1 (L leaf litter layer), E2 (F leaf litter layer), and E5 (0–10 cm soil layer). Both culture-dependent and culture-independent methods were applied in this study. In the culture-independent study, a strategy of whole-community DNA extraction, polymerase chain reaction (PCR) amplification followed by cloning and 16S rDNA sequence analysis was used; for culture-dependent study, the strategy included sample plating and bacteria isolating, DNA extraction, PCR amplification, and 16S rDNA sequence analysis. The diversity similarities between two bacterial communities and two methods are quantified using Jensen–Shannon divergence. Results  From culture-dependent study, 336 colonies in total were isolated and grouped from the three subsamples, and the 16S rRNA sequence analysis from a representative isolate from each morphogroup (21 isolates) indicated that they belonged to the phyla Actinobacteria, Firmicutes, and Proteobacteria. Culture-independent assessment based on 16S rRNA gene library comprising 194 clones revealed that members of the phylum Actinobacteria were absent in the culture-independent studies. Clones in libraries from E1 consisted exclusively of members of the Firmicutes. The majority of clones from E2 were related to Firmicutes (79%) and Proteobacteria (21%). Clones derived from E5 were mostly affiliated with Acidobacterium (42%), followed by unclassified bacteria (27%), Verrucomicrobiales (12%), Proteobacteria (11%), and Planctomycetes (8%). Discussion  This study showed that bacterial culturabilities in different fractions of leaf litters were similar, and both of them were higher than the bacterial culturability in the soil. Unculturable bacterial diversity in the soil, however, was much higher than the leaf litter bacterial diversity. The bacterial diversity on the top layer of leaf litters was slightly less than that on the bottom layer of leaf litters. This might indicate that forest soils are a more complex environment than leaf litters are and also that they might inhabit more unculturable microorganisms in the forest soils, which would need to be further investigated. The leaf litter layer samples also demonstrate the significant difference between the bacterial community diversity discovered by these two methods in this study. The information provided by assessing the different fractions of leaf litters and forest soil has improved our understanding of the bacterial community distributions within the forest soil and the above-leaf litters in an exotic pine plantation of subtropical Australia. Conclusions  This study represents the first attempt to examine the bacterial community in the different fractions of forest leaf litters and soil in subtropical Australia. The data from this study show that the 16S rDNA clone libraries provided more comprehensive phylogenetic diversity in the soil and leaf litter samples than the culture collections provided, and both the culture-dependent and culture-independent studies revealed that the bacterial diversity present in the leaf litters was very different to that present in the soil. The comparative analysis of bacterial communities in different fractions of leaf litters and soil samples has also provided important baseline information about the bacterial diversity and composition in the exotic pine forest plantations. Recommendations and perspectives  The experimental data provided important information on the bacterial diversity in forest leaf litter and soil samples, though additional surveys and comparisons at different locations would be needed to further characterize. In addition, combined methods that can provide different parts of information on bacterial diversity are encouraged to be used in bacterial community study. The established libraries of diverse 16S rRNA gene fragments from slash pine leaf litters and forest soil can be used to construct specific DNA primers and probes to target bacterial groups of interest. It may then be possible to study the ecology of these bacterial communities and the role of specific bacterial groups that contribute to the many interesting properties of these environments.     

Nutrient cycling in a Pinus patula plantation in the Mpumalanga Province, South Africa

The accumulation of litter on the forest floor was identified as a potential problem in managed plantations of Pinus patula (Schlechtd. et Cham.) in the Mpumalanga Province of South Africa in the late 1980s. Litter accumulation in pine plantations is regarded as a threat to site productivity as organic acids are released, moisture penetration is altered and nutrients are immobilised within the litter. This study examines the cycling of nutrients in a 42-year-old P. patula stand in which litter has accumulated. Samples of the vegetation, litter and soil components were collected and chemically analysed for total nitrogen (N), phosphorus (P) and the major cations potassium (K⁺), calcium (Ca²⁺) and magnesium (Mg²⁺). Complete nutrient budgets for N and P, and the cation pool sizes were determined. It was evident from these studies that large reserves of N (1442 kg ha⁻¹) and P (103 kg ha⁻¹) are stored in the litter layers, with levels of cations being low. The presence of large nutrient reserves within the litter and the predominance of fine feeder roots distributed within this layer indicated that a tightly closed plant–litter–plant nutrient cycle was in operation for the cycling of N and P. This may not be true for the major cations. Management of the litter should ensure retention of as many nutrients as possible in the system. This could be achieved through controlled burning to reduce nutrient loss through volatilisation; increasing forest floor temperatures by altering the planting density and application of dolomitic lime to replace cations and to alleviate the acidic conditions making the litter more favourable for decomposing organisms.     

永春县马尾松摘梢造林试验效果分析

通过对马尾松摘梢与无摘梢造林成活率、胸径生长、高生长情况进行调查分析,结果表明:摘梢造林平均成活率比无摘梢高出28%,摘梢造林与无摘梢造林对马尾松的胸径、树高生长影响均无显著差异,坡位对马尾松的胸径、树高生长影响极显著差异。     

分形理论在植物根系结构研究中的应用

根系结构是影响植物生长的重要因素，本首次探讨了分形模型在植物根系结构研究中的应用，并以马尾松为例分析了马尾松根系结构与分形维数的关系，结果表明：马尾松细根含量越低，根桩含量越高，生长越好，分形维数越小，根系结构的各级含量，根桩量以及胸径，树高与植物根系结构分形维数之间存在显的回归关系，分形模型可以应用于植物根系结构特征的研究，从而为植物根系结构研究提供新方法。     

凉山州纵坑切梢小蠹虫发生情况及防治对策研究

凉山州有18.6万hm2的飞播林区均为云南松纯林,近些年受到纵坑切梢小蠹的严重危害,对该地区纵坑切梢小蠹的发生危害情况进行了系统的调查研究,发现该虫在凉山州发生面积为5.1万hm2,其中重度发生0.51万hm2,中度发生1.88万hm2,轻度发生2.71万hm2,遍布凉山州飞播林的主要林区,并且以很快的速度扩散蔓延;为此,在原有的防治经验的基础上,结合凉山州的实际情况提出了具有针对性的综合治理措施。     

华山松腐烂病发生危害与相关因子的初步研究

 调查研究表明:华山松腐烂病的发生危害与树龄、混交比、郁闭度等11方面的因子有关,将有助于华山松腐烂病发生、发展规律的研究和防治工作的开展。     

樟子松针叶床层结构对失水过程中含水率参数的影响

以樟子松针叶床层为例,初步研究可燃物结构床层结构特征对其失水过程中时滞和平衡含水率参数(基于Nelson模型)的影响。通过对15个不同厚度、载量、密度的樟子松可燃物床层的失水过程的分析,估计这些床层的时滞和平衡含水率参数,利用这些参数进行可燃物含水率模拟的平均绝对误差和均方根误差均不超过0.01,所估计的可燃物含水率参数有效。对可燃物床层结构特征对这些参数的影响的研究表明,可燃物床层厚度和载量对时滞和平衡含水率的2个参数a、b具有有显著影响,与时滞和平衡含水率参数b正相关,与平衡含水率参数a负相关,据此建立可燃物含水率参数的预测模型。该模型高估了时滞和平衡含水率参数b,低估了平衡含水率参数a。所得结果还有一些不确定性,特别是可燃物结构特征对平衡含水率参数的影响,需要在更宽的温湿度范围内、针对其他平衡含水率模型和在失水吸水2个过程上进一步研究。     

红松针锈病病原菌种与专化型的研究

１９８９年到１９９１年，于黑龙江省勃力县通天一林场，通过人工接种和野外观察，孢子形态大小比较，参考有关研究文献，把引起红松针锈病病原的鞘锈菌，看做为由若干个寄生性不同的专化型组成的集成合种是较妥当的方案。按国际命名先后法规，用凤毛菊鞘锈菌作为集合种，分布在中国东北已明确了３个专化型：Ｃ．ｓａｕｓｓｕｒｅａｅ Ｔｈｕｅｍｅｎ ｆ． ｓｐ． ｓａｕｓｓｕｒｅａｅ，Ｃ．ｓａｕｓｓｕｒｅａｅ Ｔｈｕｅｍｅ