Toward a general evaluation model for soil respiration (GEMSR)

Soil respiration is an important component of terrestrial carbon budget. Its accurate evaluation is es- sential to the study of terrestrial carbon source/sink. Studies on soil respiration at present mostly focus on the temporal variations and the controlling factors of soil respiration, but its spatial variations and controlling factors draw less attention. Moreover, the evaluation models for soil respiration at present include only the effects of water and heat factors, while the biological and soil factors controlling soil respiration and their interactions with water and heat factors have not been considered yet. These models are not able to accurately evaluate soil respiration in different vegetation/terrestrial ecosystems at different temporal and spatial scales. Thus, a general evaluation model for soil respiration (GEMSR) including the interacting meteorological (water and heat factors), soil nutrient and biological factors is suggested in this paper, and the basic procedure developing GEMSR and the research tasks of soil respiration in the future are also discussed.     

Conservation-oriented restoration—a two for one method to restore both threatened species and their habitats

There is an urgent need for a new conservation approach as mere designation of protected areas, the primary approach to conserving biodiversity, revealed its low conservation efficiency and inability to cope with numerous challenges faced by nature in the Anthropocene. The paper discusses the new concept, which proposes that ecological restoration becomes an integral part of conservation planning and implementation, and is done using threatened plant species that are introduced not only into locations where they currently grow or grew in the recent past, but also into suitable locations within their potential distribution range. This new concept is called conservation-oriented restoration to distinguish it from the traditional restoration. Although the number of restoration projects focusing on recreation of once existing natural habitats is instantly growing, the majority of ecological restoration projects, in contrast to conservation-oriented restoration, have predominantly utilitarian goals, e.g.improvement or air quality, erosion control or soil replenishment. Conservation-oriented restoration should not be seen as an alternative either to the latter, or to the conservation dealing with particular threatened species(species-targeted conservation). These three conservation approaches, traditional ecological restoration, species-targeted conservation, and conservation-oriented restoration differ not only in broadly defined goals and attributes of their targets, but also in the types of ecosystems they are applicable to, and complement each other in combating global deterioration of the environment and biodiversity loss.     

Ecological restoration and recovery in the wind-blown sand hazard areas of northern China: relationship between soil water and carrying capacity for vegetation in the Tengger Desert

The main prevention and control area for wind-blown sand hazards in northern China is about 320000 km2 in size and includes sandlands to the east of the Helan Mountain and sandy deserts and desert-steppe transitional regions to the west of the Helan Mountain.Vegetation recovery and restoration is an important and effective approach for constraining wind-blown sand hazards in these areas.After more than 50 years of long-term ecological studies in the Shapotou region of the Tengger Desert,we found that revegetation changed the hydrological processes of the original sand dune system through the utilization and space-time redistribution of soil water.The spatiotemporal dynamics of soil water was significantly related to the dynamics of the replanted vegetation for a given regional precipitation condition.The long-term changes in hydrological processes in desert areas also drive replanted vegetation succession.The soil water carrying capacity of vegetation and the model for sand fixation by revegetation in aeolian desert areas where precipitation levels are less than 200 mm are also discussed.     

Characteristics and underlying mechanisms of plant deep soil water uptake and utilization: Implication for the cultivation of plantation trees北大核心CSCD

Root water uptake is an essential part of tree water relations and plays a crucial role in tree physiological activities. Water resource in deep soil is relatively abundant and can provide plenty of water to trees to guarantee their survival and healthy growth during dry seasons. Thus, a good comprehension of the characteristics and underlying mechanisms of deep soil water uptake and utilization by trees will deepen the understanding of the interaction between trees and the environment, tree survival and growth strategies, coexistence and competition among different species, etc. This knowledge is important in establishing green cultivation schemes for plantations, which depend less on the external water resources input and avoid the adverse effects on the water ecological environment. From existing studies, the characteristics and underlying mechanisms of deep water uptake and utilization by trees are reviewed. Firstly, the definition of deep roots and deep soil is discussed, and 1 m depth is recommended as the average (reference) definition standard in main forest vegetation types except the boreal forest. The reasons for the formation of deep tree roots around the globe were also determined. Secondly, the observed deep soil water uptake characteristics of trees and their influencing factors are summarized. Then, from the aspects of the adjustment of deep root traits and the coordination of hydraulic traits of different organs, the mechanisms of deep water uptake by trees are discussed. For example, the spatial, temporal and efficiency adjustment strategies of deep roots can be used to facilitate the absorption of deep soil water. Finally, some implications of deep soil water uptake for the cultivation of plantations are proposed, such as “for water management in plantations, trees should be induced to moderately utilize some deep soil water and an appropriate irrigation frequency should be selected”, “appropriate mixed planting of different tree species can facilitate the buffering effect of deep soil water storage”, “developing techniques of selecting trees for thinning based on the water uptake depths of different species”, etc. Deficiencies of existing studies and some future research directions were also pointed out. © 2018 Editorial Office of Chinese Journal of Plant Ecology. All Rights Reserved.     

Conservation-oriented restoration—a two for one method to restore both threatened species and their habitats

There is an urgent need for a new conservation approach as mere designation of protected areas, the primary approach to conserving biodiversity, revealed its low conservation efficiency and inability to cope with numerous challenges faced by nature in the Anthropocene. The paper discusses the new concept, which proposes that ecological restoration becomes an integral part of conservation planning and implementation, and is done using threatened plant species that are introduced not only into locations where they currently grow or grew in the recent past, but also into suitable locations within their potential distribution range. This new concept is called conservation-oriented restoration to distinguish it from the traditional restoration. Although the number of restoration projects focusing on recreation of once existing natural habitats is instantly growing, the majority of ecological restoration projects, in contrast to conservation-oriented restoration, have predominantly utilitarian goals, e.g.improvement or air quality, erosion control or soil replenishment. Conservation-oriented restoration should not be seen as an alternative either to the latter, or to the conservation dealing with particular threatened species(species-targeted conservation). These three conservation approaches, traditional ecological restoration, species-targeted conservation, and conservation-oriented restoration differ not only in broadly defined goals and attributes of their targets, but also in the types of ecosystems they are applicable to, and complement each other in combating global deterioration of the environment and biodiversity loss.     

Conservation-oriented restoration—a two for one method to restore both threatened species and their habitats

There is an urgent need for a new conservation approach as mere designation of protected areas, the primary approach to conserving biodiversity, revealed its low conservation efficiency and inability to cope with numerous challenges faced by nature in the Anthropocene. The paper discusses the new concept, which proposes that ecological restoration becomes an integral part of conservation planning and implementation, and is done using threatened plant species that are introduced not only into locations where they currently grow or grew in the recent past, but also into suitable locations within their potential distribution range. This new concept is called conservation-oriented restoration to distinguish it from the traditional restoration. Although the number of restoration projects focusing on recreation of once existing natural habitats is instantly growing, the majority of ecological restoration projects, in contrast to conservation-oriented restoration, have predominantly utilitarian goals, e.g.improvement or air quality, erosion control or soil replenishment. Conservation-oriented restoration should not be seen as an alternative either to the latter, or to the conservation dealing with particular threatened species(species-targeted conservation). These three conservation approaches, traditional ecological restoration, species-targeted conservation, and conservation-oriented restoration differ not only in broadly defined goals and attributes of their targets, but also in the types of ecosystems they are applicable to, and complement each other in combating global deterioration of the environment and biodiversity loss.     

Characteristics of soil water distribution and evaluation of recharge rate under different grazing history in the Xilin Gol Steppe北大核心CSCD

Aims In the Xilin Gol Steppe, human-induced grassland degradation and land desertification are becoming increasingly severe. Critical evaluation of its impact on soil water and recharge rate is important for sustainable management of soil health and water resources in the region. Methods In order to determine the effect of different grazing history on dynamics of deep soil moisture contents and precipitation infiltration in the Xilin Gol Steppe, three sites with different grazing history (ungrazed since 1979 or UG79, ungrazed since 1999 or UG99, and continuously grazed or CG) were selected with two sampling spots for each site. The precipitation infiltration was estimated using the chloride mass balance method. Important findings The results showed that: 1) Average soil water content of 0–5 m was 7.1%, 6.9%, and 6.3% for UG79, UG99, and CG, respectively, with no significant difference. In the soil layer of 0–2 m, the soil water content of UG79 was 26.6% and 33.7% higher than that of UG99 and CG, respectively. The soil water content of UG79 was significantly higher than that of UG79 and UG99 (p < 0.05) with no significant difference between UG99 and CG. The soil water storage capacity of UG79 was 87.19 mm higher than UG99 and 82.52 mm higher than CG. In the deep layer of 2–5 m, no significant difference in the soil water content and the water storage among different grazing history. 2) The factors influencing soil water differed among different grazing treatments. The soil water content was mainly affected by the vegetation conditions and soil properties for the 0–2 m soil layer, but by the composition of soil particles for the 2–5 m soil layer. The effect of soil organic matter (SOM) content on soil water increased with time without grazing. Soil water content of the entire soil profile of UG79 was significantly correlated with soil texture and SOM content (p < 0.01). Soil water content of 0–2 m was significantly correlated with SOM content (p < 0.01), soil water content of 2–5 m was significantly correlated with the soil texture (p <0.01), but soil moisture content of UG99 and CG had no significant correlation with SOM content. 3) Annual recharge rate was 5.64, 3.54, and 2.45 mm·a –1 for UG79, UG99 and CG, respectively. The recharge rate increased by 44.5% and 130.2% for the site without grazing for 15 and 35 years, respectively. The recharge rate in the study area ranged from 1.95 to 7.61 mm·a –1 , accounting for only 0.55%–2.13% of the precipitation. In summary, ungrazing treatment can increase soil water retention, total water storage capacity, and recharge. © 2018 Editorial Office of Chinese Journal of Plant Ecology. All Rights Reserved.     

Ecological dynamic model of grassland and its practical verification

Based on the physico-biophysical considerations, mathematical analysis and some approximate formulations generally adopted in meteorology and ecology, an ecological dynamic model of grassland is developed. The model consists of three interactive variables, i.e. the bio-mass of living grass, the biomass of wilted grass, and the soil wetness. The major biophysical processes are represented in parameterization formulas, and the model parameters can be determined inversely by using the observational climatological and ecological data. Some major parameters are adjusted by this method to fit the data (although incomplete) in the Inner Mongolia grassland, and other secondary parameters are estimated through sensitivity studies. The model results are well agreed with reality, e.g., (i) the maintenance of grassland requires a minimum amount of annual precipitation (approximately 300 mm); (ii) there is a significant relationship between the annual precipitation and the biomass of living grass; and (iii) the overgrazing will eventually result in desertification. A specific emphasis is put on the shading effect of the wilted grass accumulated on the soil surface. It effectively reduces the soil surface temperature and the evaporation, hence benefits the maintenance of grassland and the reduction of water loss in the soil.     

New judgement on the source of soil water in extremely dry zone

There is always a relatively high moisture content in the shallow soil layer in Gobi area on the top of the Mogao Grottoes in the extremely dry zone. This paper gives out a new judgement on soil water source through field experiments using the isolated water method, simulated rainfall method and greenhouse method. Under the condition of typical hyper-arid climate far away from rainfall effect and after cutting off the connection of soil and groundwater the simulated rainfall experiment was conducted, through putting up a plastic greenhouse to obtain a relatively closed space and extracting the condensed water on the film surface, the soil water output from the greenhouse was monitored. The experimental results show that generally the rainfall can be completely evaporated in about 20 days under the isolated condition. In the relatively closed space sheltered by arched greenhouse in the Gobi area water can be continuously transferred outward from subsoil and condensed on the roof film, with a daily output quantity of 3–5 g/m²d. After prolonged output soil water content remains significantly higher than that of the control and before covering by arched shed. Comprehensively judging from this, groundwater is an important source of soil water in addition to precipitation. The new judgement has a very important practical significance to the water research of the groundwater–soil–plant-atmosphere circle (GSPAC) and the recovery of the desertified environment.     

Bugs beneath the surface： the functional significance of soil macroinvertebrates to landscape health in Australia＇s tropical savannas

Soil macroinvertebrates play an important role in sustaining production and biodiversity in Australia＇ s tropical savannas. For example, termites, through their foraging and nesting activities, recycle nutrients and carbon and produce soil pores that facilitate water infiltration. The challenge ahead is to quantitatively understand the relationships and processes that drive this. What roles do different species and functional groups of macroinvertebrates play in various landscape processes？ What are the effects of different land management practices （e.g., domestic cattle grazing, fire） on these relationships, and the consequences for landscape health？ This paper presents preliminary results from studies in northern Australia, that examine the effects of land condition and domestic cattle grazing on soil macroinvertebrates, and the potential for termites to be used as a tool to restore soil function in degraded areas. In northern Australia, increased degradation seems to be associated with declines in the diversity and activity of macroinvertebrates. Termites appear to be one of the most resilient groups, with some species capable of maintaining activity in degraded landscapes.     

重点脆弱生态区生态恢复的综合效益评估

全球变化和人类活动的剧烈影响导致对人类福祉至关重要的生态系统功能和服务的改变,生态系统退化已成为全球面临的严重问题之一。综合评价生态恢复效益是目前衡量恢复工程实施效果的重要途径。以中国重点脆弱生态区为研究对象,选取产水、土壤保持、食物供给、固碳4项服务,构建研究区生态恢复综合效益评估指标体系,并通过Welch T方法检验恢复显著和不显著区生态系统服务指标,对比分析研究区生态恢复综合效益的变化情况。结果表明:2000年到2015年,生态恢复工程的实施使脆弱区生态系统服务整体增长20.86%;综合效益由波动变化转为稳定,并稳定在其均值0.55附近,其中喀斯特区综合效益最高,达0.75以上;生态系统类型变化主要是农田、森林、草地和聚落生态系统之间的转移,森林和草地生态系统的增加使得生态系统服务水平升高;T检验的结果表明生态恢复带来综合效益的改善和生态系统服务能力的提高。     

生态治理技术评价指标体系

为了对生态治理技术进行更加科学合理的评价,在确定了指标体系构建思路的基础上,根据评价指标的筛选原则,通过对评价指标的理论初选和专家筛选,构建了能够揭示生态治理技术本身属性、相宜性、应用效果、推广潜力等的综合评价指标体系。该指标体系包含目标层和指标层两个层次,目标层为生态治理技术适应效果,指标层分为控制性指标和分类评价指标。控制性指标包含5个一级指标和14个二级指标,适用于所有类型的生态治理技术;分类评价指标为三级指标,共有水土保持技术、荒漠化治理技术、石漠化治理技术和生态恢复技术四个类型的三级指标各29个,针对不同的生态治理技术可以选用合适的三级指标对其进行评价。这样的评价指标体系既可体现区域差异,又可建立公共评价平台,为生态治理技术的评估提供了科学依据和关键技术支撑。     

区域尺度生态修复空间辨识研究进展

区域尺度辨识生态修复空间是进行生态恢复与重建的重要前提,对区域生态文明建设和可持续发展具有重要作用。如何构建科学合理、面向政策和民众需求的生态修复空间辨识指标体系,目前已成为生态学研究的热点问题之一。系统梳理生态空间评价理论,综合构建生态修复空间辨识框架,包括评价对象的选择、评价指标筛选的原则、指标体系构建的主要方法和评价指标权重设定等方面,在区域生态评价的基础上,强调政策目标、民众需求,构建了生态质量、生态系统服务、生态系统健康3个方面18个指标,能够较全面反映区域生态空间主要特征,以期为构建区域尺度生态修复空间辨识指标体系提供参考,为生态恢复和重建提供科学依据。研究还展望了区域尺度下生态修复空间辨识的重点发展方向,即加强复合生态系统理论的应用,统筹社会、经济、自然因子开展综合评价,并推动多尺度评价结果的融合与应用。     

粤北南岭典型矿山生态修复工程技术模式与效益预评估——基于广东省山水林田湖草生态保护修复试点框架

广东粤北南岭山区地处国家生态安全格局“两屏三带”中的南方丘陵山地带的核心区,由于历史上有色金属矿产无序开采、选矿和冶炼等活动,导致区域生态环境问题突出,并造成下游区域土壤、水、农作物污染。修复历史遗留矿山、做好源头控制是解决区域生态环境问题的关键所在。以典型矿山废弃地单元（废土堆）为例,提出其生态修复工程技术模式与关键技术,开展修复效益预评估方法和实践研究。研究结果表明：粤北南岭山区矿区生态环境问题主要包括矿山植被破坏和水土流失问题突出、地质灾害风险隐患较大、矿山周边水土污染严重几个方面;矿山生态修复应以防控安全隐患为基础,以恢复生态功能为主要目标,同时治理矿山水土污染。构建了遵循山水林田湖草系统共治的“依山就势”重塑地形、“因势利导”疏导水流、“柔性防护”稳定边坡的粤北南岭废土堆立体生态修复模式,提出了相应的场地平整、清污分流、土壤改良、边坡生态袋植生、立体植被配置等生态恢复关键技术;建立了包括涵养水源、保持水土、净化环境及净化水质4个方面的生态效益评估模型,废土堆修复后生态效益预计可达到66754.25元/a。研究结果可为粤北南岭山区及类似区域山水林田湖草系统共治提供技术支撑。     

湖滨湿地生态系统稳定性评价

根据生态系统稳定性的产生原因,将稳定性划分为系统整体稳定性和系统结构稳定性。从系统的稳定性出发,以生态系统的整体稳定性和结构稳定性两个方面为对象,对湖滨湿地生态恢复所产生的生态效益进行了研究。针对系统整体稳定性,给出了生物多样性指数、自然保护区比重和自然灾害等级3个评价指标,并介绍了相应的指标量化方法。与此同时结合能值理论,准确地分析了湖滨湿地生态系统的结构稳定性,为评价湖滨湿地生态恢复的生态效益评价提供了客观的标尺。     

重点脆弱生态区生态恢复综合效益评估指标体系

生态恢复是扭转由人类活动引起的生态环境退化和生物多样性损失,并保证生态系统服务可持续供给的一项主要战略措施。20世纪90年代以来我国针对重点脆弱生态区(北方风沙区、黄土高原区、西北干旱区、青藏高原区和西南喀斯特地区)实施了一系列的生态恢复工程。科学合理地评估重点脆弱生态区生态恢复综合效益,对生态恢复措施的进一步优化调整具有重要的理论与实践意义。然而,在重点脆弱生态区生态恢复综合效益评估的集成研究方面,由于缺乏统一的指标体系,阻碍了区域内综合性和长期性的生态恢复综合效益评估和监测,因此亟需构建一套面向我国重点脆弱生态区的生态恢复综合效益评估指标体系。以我国5个重点脆弱生态区为研究区,根据"生态恢复-生态系统结构-质量-服务-效益"级联式概念框架,在指标筛选原则和方法的指导下,参考现有的生态恢复评估成果,构建科学化、系统化和规范化的生态恢复综合效益评估指标体系。研究结果以期为重点脆弱生态区生态恢复评估研究和管理应用提供理论与技术支撑。     

黄河三角洲芦苇湿地的恢复

近年来由于人类活动及自然灾害等多种因素的影响,黄河三角洲芦苇湿地生态系统的健康受到威胁,出现不同程度的退化。为进一步研究2002年开始实施的湿地恢复工程,选择未恢复区、恢复区比较其水、植被、土壤等生态特征,结合野外调查及实验分析数据,结果显示至2005年7月恢复区湿地水域面积比例增加,水质得到明显改善,植被群落呈正向演替,土壤达到中、轻度盐化土水平,水禽种类增加,生物多样性更加丰富。研究结果表明,以恢复湿地水文条件为核心措施的湿地恢复方案具有可行性。研究对于黄河三角洲其他类型湿地的恢复及改善其生态功能具有指导作用。     

生态建设补偿的定量标准——以南水北调东线水源地保护区一期生态建设工程为例

生态补偿标准的确定是生态补偿机制建立的重点和难点.以南水北调东线水源地保护一期生态建设工程的补偿为例,探讨生态建设的补偿标准.从工程投资和机会成本的角度分析生态建设的总成本为1.46亿元/年,通过生态系统服务价值评价并结合专家咨询赋权,计算出生态建设工程成功实施后,建设区域所增加的生态服务效益为0.83亿元/年,外部区域所增加的生态服务效益为2.13亿元/年;综合生态建设成本和生态效益,提出了根据生态服务效益分担生态建设成本的补偿标准分析思路,并由此计算得到外部区域对建设区域的补偿标准为1.11亿元/年.     

景感生态学在煤电基地生态建设与管理中的应用

煤电基地的开发对中国能源利用格局具有深远的影响,是煤炭行业发展的重要方向,但也对生态环境提出了严峻的挑战。在我国煤电基地的生态建设中,基于景观生态学的应用研究较多,缺乏对居民感知、愿景和福祉等方面的联系和研究。以内蒙古锡林郭勒煤电基地为例,在分析因煤电基地的开发建设而导致的生态环境问题基础上,运用景感生态学的理论和方法,从煤电基地的景感营造、景感修复、景感保护监测管理、生态文明的建设共4个方面进行了分析,为煤电基地的生态建设、保护与管理提出了具有建设性的措施和建议。结合生态环境物联网对所选景感指标的监测、谜码数据平台的评价分析及预警系统,对实现煤电基地的生态健康保障、生态服务提升、以及居民愿景和福祉的提高有着重要意义,为实现区域可持续发展的目标提供了有效措施。本研究为煤电基地相关区域的生态建设、保护与管理提供科学依据和有效对策,为后续相关研究打下基础。     

青藏高原重大建设工程生态修复综合效益评估指标体系

青藏高原作为我国重要的生态屏障和战略资源基地,兼顾经济社会的发展和生态环境的保护,是当前区域发展的主要目标。为实现该目标,国家先后开展了多项推动当地经济发展的重大建设工程项目,并在项目开展的过程中,针对出现的生态问题,实施了一系列的生态修复措施。目前针对青藏高原重大建设工程生态修复的研究,在多工程类型修复效益的融合,以及宏观空间布局尺度上对生态修复成效的评估还相对较少,并且缺乏统一的评价标准。故本研究选取青藏高原道路、水电和矿产开发三类典型的重大建设工程,结合区域及工程特点,通过文献调研、业界专家咨询等方法手段,以生态修复后的生态系统结构、质量和服务为核心架构,筛选能够综合客观的反映该地区生态修复效益的具体指标,最终构建系统、合理和科学的青藏高原重大建设工程生态修复综合效益评估指标体系。该评估指标体系涉及生态系统结构、质量和服务三大指标类别,包括10个主题指标,21个具体指标。以期为青藏高原重大建设工程生态修复效益的总体认知和长期监测,以及未来生态修复工程的制定、建设工程的布局及其他生态系统管理措施的实施,和未来生态修复评估的相关研究提供科学参考和理论支撑。