东祁连山杜鹃灌丛草地物种多样性特征及干扰因子

在海拔3080~3610 m范围内,研究东祁连山杜鹃灌丛在不同海拔高度的物种多样性特征及砍伐、滑坡干扰对其影响。结果表明:Shannon-Wiener指数随海拔高度先升后降,最高值出现在3330 m处,为2.537,最低值则出现于海拔最高的3610m处,为2.109,两个峰值相差0.428,下降幅度为16.9%;丰富度指数与之相似,以3330m最高,为3.672,在3610m处最低,为2.2,峰值相差1.472,下降幅度为40.1%;均匀度的变化规律有所不同,最高值出现在海拔3400m处,为0.793,最低值则出现于较低的3160m处,为0.725,两个峰值相差0.068,仅下降8.6%,变幅很小;总体来看,在3230~3400m之间,群落的物种多样性、丰富度和均匀度均较高;较高和较低海拔地段,物种多样性较低,丰富度和均匀度相应偏低;群落在自然应力的作用下发生滑坡后,其Shannon-Wiener指数、丰富度和均匀度均有较大程度下降,比对照分别下降46.9%、34.2%和38.0%,差异极显著;砍伐的情形则与滑坡大不相同,群落被砍伐两年内,其Shannon-Wiener指数、丰富度和均匀度均无显著差异。     

基于R非线性加权回归的灌木相容性生物量模型

以福建省灌木生物量实测数据为基础,以R软件构建根、枝干、叶非线性相容性模型,同时以各分量独自拟合模型的方差建立的加权回归方程作为权重,构建灌木相容性生物量模型。结果表明:利用R分析软件能够快速地构建非线性相容性模型,而且能较全面、客观地反映各组分之间生物量的分配关系。     

Frequency and timing of stem removal influence Corylus americana resprout vigor in oak savanna

Shrubs are an important component of many ecosystems, contributing to spatial and resource heterogeneity and adding to life form and species diversity. Many shrub species have adapted to regular disturbances such as fire by resprouting after stem removal. The relative vigor with which shrubs resprout influences post-disturbance size and density of individuals and thus, can alter community structure. However, little is known about how disturbance frequency and seasonality influence resprouting. We studied resprout vigor of the native shrub American hazel (Corylus americana Walter) in oak savanna in Minnesota, USA. We measured resprout growth of individual shrubs in response to the frequency and timing of clipping in relatively open and shaded conditions. We hypothesized that resprouting of C. americana would be negatively related to clip frequency, due to more rapid depletion of stored resources necessary for resprouting, and positively related to light availability. In 12 weeks following a single clipping, shrubs recovered 82% of the lost stem biomass in open savanna, but only 17% in shaded forest. In both open and closed sites, shrubs clipped three times or more resprouted only 10-15% as much biomass as those clipped once. Moreover, the timing of clipping had as large an effect on resprout potential as the number of clipping events, and small differences in timing were important. Plants clipped once in mid or late June or in July regrew 57, 17, and 8% as much biomass, respectively in the six weeks following clipping as those clipped in early June. These results illustrate that both the timing and number of disturbance events within a growing season can strongly influence shrub growth, which can have important implications for ecosystem structure, function, and management.     

Spatial distribution and physiology of biological soil crusts from semi-arid central Spain are related to soil chemistry and shrub cover

Despite the critical role of biological soil crusts (BSCs) in arid and semi-arid ecosystem function, few studies are found concerning the most important environmental variables affecting their distribution and physiology. This study seeks to determine soil and microenvironmental factors affecting the spatial distribution and pigment production of BSC-forming lichens and mosses in open patches of a semi-arid Mediterranean kermes oak thicket. We measured late-successional BSC cover, shrub cover, distance to nearest kermes oak (to test for effects of kermes oak thicket microenvironment on BSC), and pigment concentration of one lichen (Cladonia foliacea) and one moss (Pleurochaete squarrosa) species in the Nature Reserve El Regajal-Mar de Ontígola (Central Spain). At the macroscale (>0.5 m), results showed that BSC distribution and pigments were tightly coupled to a suite of soil properties, in particular soil pH, Fe, and Ca. Specifically, soil pH had a positive relationship with the cover of five individual BSC-forming lichen species and was negatively related to pigment production in C. foliacea. When pH was excluded from the analysis, Ca appeared as the main soil variable and was correlated with total BSC cover and total lichen cover. The micronutrient Fe had a significant positive relationship with the concentration of eight pigments in P. squarrosa and was also coupled with the cover of two BSC-forming lichens. Manganese, previously proposed as a key limiting micronutrient for BSCs, affected lichen diversity in a negative way. At the microscale (∼0.5 m), kermes oak microenvironment, shrub cover, and moss cover were determinants of BSC distribution, and total lichen and total BSC cover were overrepresented on N and E-facing shrub microsites. Our findings suggest that soil chemical variability and microsite diversity created by neighbouring vegetation affect BSC distribution in complex and essential ways and that studies aiming to explore BSC-environment relationships should be conducted at various spatial scales. Studies based on species- or group-specific responses are, thus, inadequate to unveil the main factors determining the distribution of the diverse organisms that constitute BSCs and/or to propose potential tools aiming to restore BSC in arid and semiarid ecosystems.     

Shrub encroachment does not reduce the activity of some soil enzymes in Mediterranean semiarid grasslands

Shrub encroachment is a worldwide phenomenon with implications for desertification and global change. We evaluated its effects on the activities of urease, phosphatase and β-glucosidase in Mediterranean semiarid grasslands dominated by Stipa tenacissima by sampling 12 sites with and without resprouting shrubs along a climatic gradient. The presence of shrubs affected the evaluated enzymes at different spatial scales. Soils under S. tenacissima tussocks and in bare ground areas devoid of vascular plants had higher values of phosphatase and urease when the shrubs were present. For the β-glucosidase, this effect was site-specific. At the scale of whole plots (30 m × 30 m), shrubs increased soil enzyme activities between 2% (β-glucosidase) and 22% (urease), albeit these differences were significant only in the later case. Our results indicate that shrub encroachment does not reduce the activity of extracellular soil enzymes in S. tenacissima grasslands.     

Are drought and wildfires turning Mediterranean cork oak forests into persistent shrublands?

In the Iberian Peninsula Mediterranean oak forests have been transformed into a mosaic landscape of four main patch-types: forests, savannas, shrublands and grasslands. We used aerial photographs over a period of 45 years (1958–2002) to quantify the persistence and rates of transitions between vegetation patch-types in southern Portugal, where cork oak is the dominant tree species. We used logistic regression to relate vegetation changes with topographical features and wildfire history. Over the 45 years, shrublands have been the most persistent patch-type (59%), and have been expanding; forests are also persistent (55%) but have been decreasing since 1985; savannas and grasslands were less persistent (33% and 15%, respectively). Shrublands persistence was significantly correlated with wildfire occurrence, particularly on southern exposures after 1995. In contrast, forest persistence decreased with wildfire occurrence, and forests were more likely to change into shrublands where wildfire had occurred after 1995.     

Rainfall harvesting on slopes using contour furrows with plastic-covered transverse ridges for growing Caragana korshinskii in the semiarid region of China

A rainwater harvesting system on slopes using contour furrows with plastic-covered transverse ridges designed to be used in small rainfall dominated areas of the semiarid loess region of China has been tested from 2001 to 2004. The system consisted of constructing contour furrows on the loess slope at a distance of 5 m with plastic-covered transverse ridges built in the furrows between shrubs of Caragana korshinskii. There were three treatments in the study: (1) plastic-covered ridge with gravel-mulched furrows (T1), (2) plastic-covered ridge with bare furrows (T2), and (3) control (no ridge and no contour furrow) (T3).

The experimental results indicated that runoff from the natural loess slope was small and variable, and only produced from a few rainfall events with high intensity. Runoff efficiency averaged 13.8, 4.5, 1.4, and 0.4% in 2001, 2002, 2003, and 2004, respectively. However, the plastic-covered ridges accumulated runoff from most rainfall events, particularly from the light rains less than 5 mm. So the natural loess slope between the furrows and the plastic-covered ridges in the furrows can complement each other, i.e., the plastic-covered ridges induce runoff from small rainfall to the planted area, and the natural loess slope between the furrows concentrate runoff from heavy rainfall, thus improving rain use efficiency. The total runoff collected from both the natural loess slope and the plastic-covered ridges to the planted area in the furrows was 231, 143, 88, and 59 mm in 2001, 2002, 2003, and 2004, respectively. Soil moisture storage in the 200-cm deep soil layer was obviously higher for T1 and T2 than for T3, and C. korshinskii showed a significant improvement in growth for the T1 and T2 treatments. Therefore the combination of contour furrows and plastic-covered ridges as rainwater harvesting system may have a great potential development in the small rainfall dominated arid regions of China.     

灌木柳盐土扦插对抗盐立苗基质的响应

[目的]探索灌木柳盐土扦插对抗盐立苗基质的响应,为灌木柳沿海滩涂种植并形成栽培技术体系提供理论支撑。[方法]采用盆栽模拟试验,设0、500、1 000、1 500、2 000 g 5个处理水平的抗盐立苗基质用量,研究不同基质用量对灌木柳扦插穗新萌发枝条的生长情况、成活率及盐害指数的影响。[结果]在基质用量1 500 g范围内,随着抗盐立苗基质用量的增加,新萌发枝条高度增加。穴施基质用量1 000 g以上对萌发枝条叶片保持稳定的叶绿素含量起着积极作用。随着抗盐立苗基质用量的增加,萌发枝条成活率明显提升,成活期限也明显加长,基质用量达1 500 g以上,灌木柳扦插枝条均能存活58 d以上。盐害指数随基质用量的增大明显降低,基质用量2 000 g处理盐害指数在扦插后58 d才有所增加。[结论]抗盐立苗基质的应用能够促进灌木柳盐土扦插穗萌发枝条的生长,减缓盐分胁迫对萌发分枝的危害,维护叶片叶绿素含量的稳定。穴施抗盐立苗基质1 500 g以上能够明显降低盐害指数,提升灌木柳扦插穗的存活率。     

乡土灌木夏季移植技术

采用相同的栽植方式及不同的遮阴方法,于7月份对金银忍冬、东北接骨木和暖木条荚莲等灌木进行了移植。结果表明：栽植方式相同,但遮阴方法不同,其移栽成活率也不尽相同。由于不同树种对光照变化的反应不同,因此,选择科学的移栽方式及遮阴方法是提高移栽灌木成活率的关键。     

Testing three Mediterranean shrub species in runoff reduction and sediment transport

Runoff yield and sediment delivery are compared in three shrub species (Medicago arborea, Atriplex nummularia, and Psoralea bituminosa) with natural (matorral) vegetation in an experimental plot set. The planted species are arranged in discontinuous rows perpendicular to the slope, acting as barriers to the direction of the surface water flow. The study was carried out from 1988 to 1995, in which 56 erosive rain events were monitored in runoff production and in soil losses, together with their intrinsic characteristics (duration, intensity and rainfall). Growth of the three shrub species (height, vegetation cover, and stem diameter) and the influence on soil properties during this period were recorded. Because of certain characteristics of the study area (shallow soils, high levels of carbonates, stoniness) and the climate (an especially intense period of drought since 1990), the growth of these plants was very irregular. M. arborea gave the best protection against water erosion reducing sediment production by more than 58% compared to the bare soil. However, the protection afforded by this species never reached that obtained with natural vegetation, which reduced sediment production by almost 75%.