Mangroves as indicators of coastal change

In view of the unique biological characteristics of mangroves, it is interesting to assess the extent to which these ecosystems can be used as indicators of coastal change or sea-level rise. From recent studies of mangrove mortality at several locations (including Guiana, Gambia, Côte d'Ivoire, Kenya, India and Bangladesh), it appears that these coastal ecosystems are so specialized that any minor variation in their hydrological or tidal regimes causes noticeable mortality. Each species of mangrove (but particularly those belonging to the genera Rhizophora, Bruguiera, Sonneratia, Heritiera and Nypa) occurs in ecological conditions that approach its limit of tolerance with regard to salinity of the water and soil, as well as the inundation regime. If the duration of daily immersion were to be modified by tectonic, sedimentological or hydrological events, the species either readjusts to the new conditions or succumbs to unsuitable conditions. Consequently, the use of remote sensing data for mangrove ecosystems offers excellent potential as a tool for monitoring coastal change.     

A leakiness index for assessing landscape function using remote sensing

The cover, number, size, shape, spatial arrangement and orientation of vegetation patches are attributes that have been used to indicate how well landscapes function to retain, not ‘leak’, vital system resources such as rainwater and soil. We derived and tested a directional leakiness index (DLI) for this resource retention function. We used simulated landscape maps where resource flows over map surfaces were directional and where landscape patch attributes were known. Although DLI was most strongly related to patch cover, it also logically related to patch number, size, shape, arrangement and orientation. If the direction of resource flow is multi-directional, a variant of DLI, the multi-directional leakiness index (MDLI) can be used. The utility of DLI and MDLI was demonstrated by applying these indices to three Australian savanna landscapes differing in their remotely sensed vegetation patch attributes. These leakiness indices clearly positioned these three landscapes along a function-dysfunction continuum, where dysfunctional landscapes are leaky (poorly retain resources). This revised version was published online in July 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

Characterizing historical and modern fire regimes in Michigan (USA): A landscape ecosystem approach

We studied the relationships of landscape ecosystems to historical and contemporary fire regimes across 4.3 million hectares in northern lower Michigan (USA). Changes in fire regimes were documented by comparing historical fire rotations in different landscape ecosystems to those occurring between 1985 and 2000. Previously published data and a synthesis of the literature were used to identify six forest-replacement fire regime categories with fire rotations ranging from very short (<100 years) to very long (>1,000 years). We derived spatially-explicit estimates of the susceptibility of landscape ecosystems to fire disturbance using Landtype Association maps as initial units of investigation. Each Landtype Association polygon was assigned to a fire regime category based on associations of ecological factors known to influence fire regimes. Spatial statistics were used to interpolate fire points recorded by the General Land Office. Historical fire rotations were determined by calculating the area burned for each category of fire regime and dividing this area by fifteen (years) to estimate area burned per annum. Modern fire rotations were estimated using data on fire location and size obtained from federal and state agencies. Landtype Associations networked into fire regime categories exhibited differences in both historical and modern fire rotations. Historical rotations varied by 23-fold across all fire rotation categories, and modern forest fire rotations by 13-fold. Modern fire rotations were an order of magnitude longer than historical rotations. The magnitude of these changes has important implications for forest health and understanding of ecological processes in most of the fire rotation categories that we identified.This revised version was published online in May 2005 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

我国热区疫霉种的分布、疫病及其防治研究进展

综述了我国热带地区疫霉种类及其引起的植物病害,并总结了疫病的防治措施,最后对疫病防治的新策略进行了展望。     

热带农业科技国际合作项目评价体系初探

从国际科技合作项目的特点出发,探讨提出热带农业科技国际合作项目评价体系的雏形,并对评价体系的项目前评价、项目中评价及项目后评价3个阶段的评价指标加以充实,为热带农业科技国际合作项目的科学、规范管理提供参考依据。     

Influence of biomineralization on the physico-mechanical profile of a tropical soil affected by erosive processes

Most of the soils of tropical countries are affected by erosion processes. As a result, much attention has been dedicated to the use of microorganisms to improve the geotechnical properties and stability of soils in the context of “bioengineering”. This work was carried out to analyze the effects of the use of a CaCO₃ precipitating nutrient on native microbiota with the aim of mitigating the erosion processes in a tropical soil profile. We observed that the use of nutrient B4 enabled native bacteria present in the soil to precipitate calcium carbonate, resulting in improvements in the physical, chemical, mineralogical and mechanical properties of the soil, which allowed the mitigation of the erosion processes that characterize the soil profile studied.     

Soil aggregate formation and stability induced by starch and cellulose

Soil aggregate (SA) can be formed and stabilized when soil organic matter (SOM) is decomposed in the soil. However, the relationships between the SA dynamics and SOM with different decomposition rates have not been clarified. Therefore, this study examined the effects of the addition of polysaccharides to soil on SA formation and stability. A Japanese tropical soil was incubated for 99 d at 30 °C in a dark environment following the addition of 0.5% (w/w) starch or cellulose. The decomposition rates of the amendments, and SA formation and stability were evaluated by measuring soil respiration rates, and distribution fractions of soil aggregate sizes and mean weight diameter (MWD) of SA, respectively. The cumulative soil respirations with all treatments rapidly increased until Day 12 of the incubation. The initial slope of the cumulative soil respiration in the soil with starch was significantly higher than that in the soil with cellulose. In either soil with starch or cellulose, the fractions of macro-aggregates (>1000 μm in diameter) significantly increased, respectively, compared with control soil. However, the fractions of meso-aggregates (250–1000 μm) and nano-aggregate (<20 μm) in the soil with starch significantly decreased, while those fractions in the soil with cellulose fluctuated until Day 6. The MWDs reached the maximum on Day 6, indicating the SA formation in the soils with starch or cellulose. The increasing rate of the SA formation in the starch-amended soil was greatly higher than that in the cellulose-amended soil. After Day 6, the MWDs in the soils with either polysaccharide decreased with similar trends with no significant differences between treatments, indicating similar stability of the SA in both treatments. This study showed that the different decomposability of the organic amendments might influence the SA formation differently, but not the SA stability.     

兴隆热带花园生态设计研究与探讨

从热带雨林的恢复、生物多样性的保护及景观格局等多个层面,对兴隆热带花园这一新型热带植物园的生态设计进行分析,以期对生态设计实践有所帮助。     

黄土高原植被净初级生产力时空变化及其影响因素

为了探明黄土高原地区植被生产力变化的驱动机制,该文基于MODIS传感器获得的MOD17A3数据,分析了黄土高原2000-2010年间植被净初级生产力(net primary productivity,NPP)的时空变化及其主要影响因素,并借助多元统计分析方法对引起NPP变化的自然和人为因素进行量化分析。结果表明:黄土高原植被总NPP从2000年的119 Tg(以C计)增加到2010年的144 Tg(以C计),年增速4.57 g/(m2·a)(P0.05)(以C计)。黄土高原约91%的区域NPP呈增加趋势,37%的区域增加趋势显著,主要分布在陕西、青海大部分地区、甘肃南部及宁南山区。整个黄土高原近11 a间NPP变化受自然和人为因素共同影响,其中退耕还林还草累计面积、帕尔默干旱指数(palmer drought severity index,PDSI)、耕地面积和人口数量是影响NPP变化的主要因素。退耕还林还草累计面积占四者总贡献率的43%,PDSI占40%,耕地面积和人口数量分别占13%和4%。对区域而言,由退耕还林还草工程引起的土地利用覆被变化是退耕区(陕北、甘肃东南部等)NPP增加的主要因素,而近年来干旱情况的缓解(PDSI呈上升趋势)则是青海、内蒙古等地NPP增加的主要因素。该研究对于黄土高原各区域生态资源管理,以及生态系统的建设具有一定的指导和借鉴意义。     

陆地生态系统碳循环对土地利用变化的响应

陆地生态系统碳循环在全球碳循环中占有重要地位,而土地利用变化是估测陆地生态系统碳储存与释放的最大不确定性因素。植被和土壤是陆地生态系统的两大碳库,是碳循环中的两个重要纽带,土地利用变化影响陆地生态系统土壤和植被碳的固定、积累与释放,从而影响整个碳循环过程。本文主要从土壤和植被碳库的角度出发,综述了近年来土地利用变化对陆地生态系统碳循环的影响及其机理,以及研究方法进展,着重分析了模型在此方面的应用;并提出了未来研究方向的展望。