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.     

基于GIS和AHP的潍坊市冰雹灾害风险区划

利用潍坊市1971-2000年9个气象站逐月冰雹及其灾情信息,根据层次分析、加权综合评价、极差标准归一化等方法,建立影响潍坊市冰雹灾害的主要评估模型,即致灾因子危险性、承灾体易损性和防灾减灾能力,综合各项指标通过ArcGIS9.3平台得到潍坊市冰雹灾害风险区划图。结果表明:潍坊市年均降雹日数随地形高程增加呈增加趋势,冰雹灾害发生的高风险区在该市西部地区,其发生冰雹灾害次数多、抗灾能力弱是该区发生雹害概率高的主要原因,较高风险以上的地区占全市一半以上区域,而低风险区则是位于该市中部偏南地区,这与历史冰雹灾情基本吻合。对潍坊市历史冰雹灾害进行风险评估,旨在为该市防灾减灾提供科学依据。     

青藏高原高寒荒漠地带与寒冷干旱核心区域

青藏高原高寒荒漠地带位于高原主体西北部地势最高的部分。该区域气候极其寒冷干燥,属于高原亚寒带,高山高原地貌多被横向断陷盆地所切割;多年冻土发育,冰缘作用普遍;自然过程年青,高山寒漠土壤浅薄;生物区系成分交错,高寒荒漠景观突出;生态环境脆弱,需加大自然保护建设与管理。高寒荒漠地带腹地为寒冷干旱核心区域,是全球高原高山区域,具有独特地位的地生态格局。     

不同经度天山云杉林分因子随海拔梯度的变化

选择新疆天山山脉从西到东处于不同经度的昭苏、巩留、乌苏、乌鲁木齐和哈密的天山云杉林进行垂直样带调查:将各地点划分为低、中和高3个海拔范围,比较不同范围内主要林分因子的差异;分析主要林分因子随海拔梯度(50 m间隔)的变化.结果表明:各地点3个海拔范围内主要林分因子呈现出不同的变化规律;天山云杉林分平均胸径和最大胸径随海拔梯度的变化差异不显著,而平均树高、最大树高、林分密度、胸高断面积和蓄积量随海拔的增加总体上呈现单峰型的变化趋势;尽管不同经度位置天山云杉林分布的海拔上下限范围不同,但各个位置天山云杉林分的平均树高、最大树高、林分密度、胸高断面积和蓄积量随海拔梯度的变化都可以用二次曲线方程进行描述.     

Vegetation and its relation to soil nutrient and salinity in the Calabar mangrove swamp,Nigeria

The study examines vegetation – environment relationships. Vegetation measurements included species frequency, density, diameter and tree height, while environmental measurements were soil particle size distribution, acid properties (pH, Al, SO₄), nutrient cations (Ca, Na, Mg, K), organic carbon, nitrogen, phosphorus and chloride content. Nypa fruticans was the dominant species in the A stratum (> 3 m tall) while Rhizophora mangle was dominant in the B stratum (1–3 m tall). The C stratum (< 1 m tall) was dominated by mangrove, Nypa and Raphia saplings. Silt was dominant and the most variable particle size fraction. A principal components analysis of the soil data indicated the first three dominant components influencing the vegetation were salinity, nutrient and soil texture. Tree height and density correlated highly with the salinity and soil texture gradients (P < 0.01), while basal area correlated with salinity and nutrient gradients (P < 0.01). While Avicannia africana in the A stratum was influenced largely by the salinity and soil texture gradients. Nypa fruticans in the B stratum was influenced by salinity and nutrients.     

Altitudinal patterns of the flora of seed plants of Dawei Mountain in Yunnan Province, south China

Altitudinal gradient incorporates multiple resource gradients, which vary continuously in different fashions. It is important to study the mountain floristic patterns along altitudinal gradients, which reveal the regular pattern of the flora along the environmental gradients, the changing trend of biodiversity patterns along the altitudinal gradient, and relevance of biological fitness. To explore the compositional characteristics and ecological significance of floristic patterns along altitudinal gradient in China National Nature Reserve of Dawei Mountain in the southeast of Yunnan Province, field investigations have been made to the flora along the two routes of the southwest slope and the northeast slope of the said reserve, including a vertical vegetation transect. Meanwhile, further investigations have also been made to the flora of Dawei Mountain, which has been accounted for in the literature, as Flora Yunnan, The Seed Plant in Yunnan, and so on. The structural characteristics of the flora and the altitudinal distribution pattern of its floristic components were analyzed. By applying systematic cluster analysis, the altitudinal position of the dividing line of floristic changes along altitudinal gradient was detected, and the effects of the montane climate on the vertical variation of floristic composition were studied. Conclusions were put forward. This paper can be summarized as follows: (1) The obvious boundary that differentiates tropical floristic elements is located at the altitude of approximately 1,500 m; it is reasonable to stipulate the boundary line between tropical rain forests and the evergreen broad-leaved forests. (2) The vertical vegetation spectrum made by cluster analysis shows that humid rain forests are below 700 m a.s.l, montane rain forests are between 700 and 1,500 m, monsoon evergreen broad-leaved forests are between 1,300 and 1,800 m, and montane mossy evergreen broad-leaved forests are above 1,800 m a.s.l. Nonrepresentative montane mossy dwarf forests (above 2,100 m) in the area are distributed in windward sides and in barren land on the mountain slopes. __________ Translated from Acta Phytoecologica Sinica, 2005, 29(6): 894–900 [译自: 植物生态学报]     

西双版纳兰科植物海拔分布格局

根据实地调查和相关文献资料整理,确定西双版纳野生兰科植物428种。将研究区按200 m海拔段划分为10个海拔梯度,分析兰科植物垂直分布格局。结果表明:①西双版纳兰科植物的垂直分布格局呈"中间膨胀型",峰值出现在1 000~1 200 m海拔段;②相邻海拔段的兰科植物种类相似系数较高(0.31~0.79),海拔段相隔越远相似性系数越小;③随海拔升高各海拔段的兰科植物生活型及区系成分的种类数量也呈现出先升高后下降的垂直分布格局;④地生兰和附生兰的种数在海拔600 m左右达到平衡,600 m以上附生兰占优势;⑤各海拔段兰科植物均以热带种类占主导地位(72%~87.8%),其中又以热带亚洲分布型的种类占优势。     

滇西北兰科植物海拔分布格局

根据实际调查和整理相关文献资料,确定滇西北兰科植物409种,其分布的海拔范围为650～4700m;并按400m划分海拔段,共9个梯度,分析其垂直分布格局。结果表明：滇西北兰科植物的垂直分布格局呈“中间膨胀型”或“单峰型”,随着海拔升高,各海拔段兰科植物的数量依次为92、167、194、223、192、159、129、58、32种,其中1051—3000m海拔范围的物种多样性较高;相邻海拔段兰科植物种类相似性系数较高,海拔段相隔越远,相似性系数越小;生活型以地生兰为主,1051～1450m海拔段附生兰种类较为丰富,1851～3450m海拔段地生兰种类较为丰富,各海拔段腐生兰种类较少;1851—2250m海拔段区系成分最多,物种数为223种,占该区域兰科植物总数的54．52％;该区域的区系平衡点在海拔2115m左右,生活型平衡点在海拔2050m左右。     

元阳梯田土壤碳氮的垂直分布特性

 对元阳梯田3个海拔梯度［高海拔（1615~1682m）、中海拔（1532~1555m）和低海拔（1445~1468m）］表层土壤（0~30cm）碳氮组分的含量现状与分布特征进行了研究。结果表明：元阳梯田表层土壤有机碳（TOC）总体达到二级水平,而土壤全氮（TN）、pH值和微生物量碳氮(MBC,MBN)含量较低,土壤溶解性有机碳氮（DOC,DON）含量及其占土壤有机碳、全氮的比值较高,土壤易氧化碳（ROC）和轻组碳氮（LFC,LFN）含量处于中等水平。上述指标均呈现出随海拔的下降而降低的趋势,且元阳梯田土壤DOC,DON,ROC,LFC和LFN与梯田海拔之间呈显著正相关关系（P<005）。元阳梯田土壤TOC,TN,MBC,MBN及NH+4 N含量在3个海拔梯度之间均没有显著差异性;而土壤pH值、DON,ROC,LFC和LFN含量均在高海拔梯度显著高于低海拔梯度（P<005）     

Floral Diversity and Distribution in the High Altitude Cold Desert of Ladakh,India

This study deals with the floral diversity and distribution patterns in plant species in relation to environmental gradients in the high altitude cold desert of Ladakh, India. An extensive literature survey and field explorations were made across the different parts of Ladakh in order to create a compilation of vascular plant species. For the quantification of vegetation, a total of eight habitat types were identified and sampled using the point intercept method. In all, 647 species of vascular plants belonging to 58 families and 243 genera were documented. Asteraceae (89 species), Poaceae (66 species), Brassicaceae (54 species), and Fabaceae (43 species) were the dominant families. Astragalus was the most dominant genus as it obtained 24 species, followed by Polygonum (18 species), Artemisia (15 species), and Potentilla (14 species). Among the habitats, riverine beds contained the highest frequency of plant species, followed by narrow gorges and tablelands. The crags and ridges had the lowest frequency of plants. Relatively high water and moisture availability may be the cause of the high frequency of plant species in riverine beds and narrow gorges. The vegetation composition was influenced by elevation; however, the intensity of change reduced at >4500-m elevation. The conservation and management of high altitude cold desert vegetation are discussed based on field observations and findings.