Fine root distribution in a young loblolly pine (Pinus taeda L.) stand: Effects of preplant phosphorus fertilization

The effects of preplant phosphorus fertilization on fine root (2 mm) distribution were examined in an 11-year-old stand of loblolly pine (Pinus taeda L.) located on the lower Coastal Plain of North Carolina. Root auger cores were collected from the planting bed and interbed areas from two depths (0–10 and 10–20 cm) from fertilized (45 kg P ha^–1 at time of planting) and nonfertilized plots. Root samples were collected and aboveground growth measured during the 11th year after fertilization. Despite significant increases in aboveground volume and biomass due to fertilization, fine root biomass was unaffected. No differences in rooting density (root length per volume of soil) due to phosphorus additions were detected. However, the ratio of fine root biomass to aboveground (shoot) biomass (R:S) was significantly smaller on plots receiving phosphorus fertilization.operated by Martin Marietta Energy Systems, Inc., under Contract No. DE-AC05-840 R21400 with the U.S. Department of Energy     

Stand dynamics of a yellow-poplar (Liriodendron tulipifera L.) forest in the Appalachian Mountains, Virginia, USA

Yellow-poplar (Liriodendron tulipifera L.) is a large, rapidly growing, shade-intolerant tree species common after disturbances on moist sites in the Appalachian Mountains. The species is typically scattered throughout old-growth mesophytic forests, where periodic gap formation creates conditions favorable for yellow-poplar establishment and growth. On abandoned agricultural fields, however, it is common for nearly monospecific forests of yellow-poplar to develop.This study examines stand dynamics of a yellow-poplar forest in western Virginia, USA that was established on agricultural fields abandoned in the late 1940s. Increment cores were collected from yellow-poplar trees growing on exposed ridgetops and in a more sheltered hollow. Tree-ring data show that the forest is even-aged. Tree establishment began about 5 years earlier on the ridgetops than in the hollow. Major ice storms disturbed the forest in 1978 and 1994, with two separate events in 1994. Ice storms disturb forests by depositing heavy loads of freezing rain on trees, breaking or uprooting them. The dendroecological data collected for this study provide little support for the hypothesis that ice storm disturbance promotes the establishment of new yellow-poplar cohorts. However, the data show that radial growth of some trees increased after ice storm disturbance, a pattern that reflects the increased availability of light following disturbance. Radial growth declined in some other trees as a consequence of severe injury during the storms.Radial growth responses following the 1978 ice storm were stronger on the ridgetops than in the hollow, suggesting that tree damage was more severe on the higher, more exposed sites. Growth responses were relatively mild following the storms of 1994, and did not exhibit pronounced topographic variations.     

雨雪冰冻灾害对中亚热带人工林的影响——以江西省千烟洲为例

为深入研究2008年初低温雨雪冰冻灾害对我国南方森林生态系统的影响, 实地调查了中国科学院千烟洲红壤丘陵综合开发试验站(简称千烟洲站)人工林受损状况, 并结合气象资料与空间数据进行了分析。在千烟洲站内主要的5种林型中, 受损林分多为湿地松(Pinus elliottii)林, 倒伏区面积为7.72 hm², 占森林面积的6.12%, 地上植被碳储量损失1 462 g·m^-2(范围在655-5 230 g·m^-2之间)。持续低温、阴雨潮湿等气象条件是导致湿地松林受损的直接原因, 特别是2008年2月1日的低温、强降水和大风, 加剧了灾害程度。在吉泰盆地低山丘陵区(海拔60-140 m), 高程与局地地形、气象条件密切相关, 因而对冰雪灾害具有较强的指示作用。丘陵顶部土壤贫瘠、受风影响强烈, 林木易受损倒伏。阳坡的林木易偏冠, 这可能是其受损较为严重的原因之一。湿地松林受损的内因主要有冠型、材质、根系分布、叶片特征和年龄等;此外, 人为割脂也可能是造成湿地松大量倒伏的重要因素。     

Ice Storm Damage Greater Along the Terrestrial-Aquatic Interface in Forested Landscapes

Ice storms are an important and recurring ecological disturbance in many temperate forest ecosystems. In 1998, a severe ice storm damaged over ten million hectares of forest across northern New York State, eastern Canada, and New England impacting ecosystem processes across the landscape. This study investigated the spatial arrangement of forest damage at the terrestrial-aquatic interface, an ecological edge of importance to aquatic habitat and nutrient cycling. Vegetation indices, derived from satellite imagery and field-based data, were used to measure forest canopy damage across a 2045 km² region in northern New York State affected by the 1998 storm. We investigated the forest damage gradient in the riparian zone of 13 stream segments of varying size (92.5 km total length) and 13 lakes (37.4 km of shoreline). Large streams (-fourth and fifth order), occurring in forests that received modest ice damage (<15% disturbance coverage), exhibited significantly more damage in the riparian zone within 25 m of the water than in adjacent forest sections; F(3,12) = 7.3 P = 0.005. In similar moderately damaged forests, lake shorelines were significantly more damaged than interior forests; F(3,9) = 6.4 P = 0.013. Analysis of transitions in damage intensity revealed that canopy disturbance followed a decreasing trend (up to 3.5 times less) with movement inland from the terrestrial-aquatic interface. The observed predisposition of forest to disturbance along this ecosystem interface emphasizes the role of the physical landscape in concentrating the movement of wood from the forest canopy to locations proximate to water bodies, thus reinforcing findings that ice storms are drivers of ecological processes that are spatially concentrated.     

Vertical distribution of bacteria in Arctic sea ice from the Barents and Laptev Seas

The vertical distribution of bacterial abundance and biomass was investigated in relation to algal biomass in ice cores taken from drifting ice floes in two Arctic shelf areas: the Barents Sea and the Laptev Sea. Bacteria were not homogeneously distributed throughout the cores but occurred in dense layers. Different types of distribution patterns were found: either a single maximum occurred inside or at the bottom of the ice floe or maxima were found in different parts of the floes. Bacterial concentrations ranged from 0.4 to 36.7 · 10⁵ cells ml⁻¹. The size spectra of sea-ice bacteria were determined by image analysis. Cell sizes showed considerable variation between the ice floes. In multi-year sea ice, the largest bacteria were observed in the area of an internal chlorophyll a maximum. No specific vertical distribution patterns were found in first-year ice floes. Bacterial biomass for the ice cores ranged from 19.2 to 79.2 mg C m⁻², and the ratio of bacterial:ice algal biomass ranged from 0.43 to 10.42. A comparison with data collected from fast ice revealed large differences in terms of cell size, abundance and biomass. Received: 7 September 1995 / Accepted: 10 September 1996     

Biomass and distribution of fine and coarse roots from blue oak (Quercus douglasii) trees in the northern Sierra Nevada foothills of California

This research adds to the limited data on coarse and fine root biomass for blue oak (Quercus douglasii Hook and Arn.), a California deciduous oak species found extensively throughout the interior foothills surrounding the Central Valley. Root systems of six blue oak trees were analyzed using three methods — backhoe excavation, quantitative pits, and soil cores. Coarse root biomass ranged from 7 to 177 kg per tree. Rooting depth for the main root system ranged from 0.5 to 1.5 m, with an average of 70% of excavated root biomass located above 0.5 m. Of the total biomass in excavated central root systems, primary roots (including burls) accounted for 56% and large lateral roots (> 20 mm diameter) accounted for 36%. Data from cores indicated that most biomass outside of the root crown was located in fine roots and that fine root biomass decreased with depth. At surface depths (0–20 cm), small-fine (< 0.5 mm diameter) roots accounted for 71%, large-fine (0.5–2.0 mm) for 25%, and coarse (> 2 mm) for 4% of total root biomass collected with cores. Mean fine root biomass density in the top 50 cm was 0.43 kg m⁻³. Fine root biomass did not change with increasing distance from the trees (up to approximately 5 m). Thus, fine roots were not concentrated under the tree canopies. Our results emphasize the importance of the smallest size class of roots (<0.5 mm), which had both higher N concentration and, in the area outside the central root system, greater biomass than large fine (0.5–2.0 mm) or coarse (> 2.0 mm) roots. This revised version was published online in June 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

How deep must we dig? Sampling depth effects on root biomass assessments in Mediterranean riparian buffers

Abstract

Root turnover is a relevant process controlling carbon and nutrient cycles. Furthermore, root biomass could influence the effectiveness of riparian buffer systems with regard to immobilizing and processing soil water pollutants and improving soil quality. However, sampling root biomass presents many technical problems, because there is as yet no well-established method for assessment thereof. In the present study, we evaluated the effects of limited sampling depth on biomass assessment in four riparian buffers and on two different dates (January and June): a poplar forest, two mixed deciduous afforestations of different ages, and a grassy area. Although, for all systems, most root biomass was limited to the first 30 cm, detection of differences in root biomass among vegetation types depended strongly on sampling depth for both sampling dates. Furthermore, although the poplar forest presented one of the most stable root systems in terms of total biomass between the sampling dates, it was one of the most seasonally dynamic in terms of the amount and distribution with depth of root biomass. The results of this study suggest that a minimum sampling depth should be established for each study according to seasonal variation in vertical distribution of root biomass.     

Effects of soil physicochemical properties and stand age on fine root biomass and vertical distribution of plantation forests in the Loess Plateau of China

The responses of aboveground parts of the forest to changes in environmental factors and stand age is well studied, but the same is not true for the belowground parts of the forest. Two plantation black locust (Robinia pseudoacacia L.) forest sites were taken in the Loess Plateau of China, one in the drier, infertile, more sandy area of the middle Loess Plateau, and another in the wetter, fertile, more clay-filled area of the southern Loess Plateau. At each site, both a younger (8-year-old) plantation stand and an older (30-year-old) plantation stand were included to study the effects of soil physicochemical properties and stand age on the fine root (<2?mm) biomass and vertical distribution of black locust forests. Root samples were taken with soil cores to a depth of 100?cm. The fine root biomass decreased from the middle site to the southern site for both stand ages, as expected, and the decrease could be due to a higher fine root N concentration associated with a higher fine root turnover rate at the southern site. There was a similar rooting pattern, though not deeper, in the drier, sandy site as predicted based on soil water infiltration and evaporation demands. The different effects of stand characters (e.g., tree density, tree height) on the fine root distribution as compared with the environmental properties may contribute partly to the similar pattern found in the two sites. The fine root biomass increased with stand age in both sites. In contrast to the evident difference in fine root biomass, there was no clear trend in the fine root vertical distribution pattern with stand age. Our results indicate that fine roots are likely to respond to changes in soil physicochemical properties and stand age by changing fine root biomass rather than by varying rooting pattern.     

Impact of water depth on root morphology of Juncellus serotinus (Cyperaceae)

Root morphological adaptation is an important mechanism for wetland plants to adapt to environmental conditions. The objective of this study was to investigate the impact of water depth on biomass allocation and root morphology (including root mean diameter, root length, root surface area and root volume) of a wetland plant species, Juncellus serotinus (Cyperaceae). Four levels of water depth were chosen: 10, 30, 50 and 70 cm. Due to the enormous root system, and for easy observation, five groups were used according to the distance from the rhizome: 0–5, 5–10, 10–15, 15–20 and longer than 20 cm (> 20 cm). Results showed that with increasing water depth plant total biomass and root biomass decreased significantly (p < 0.05), and that biomass was mainly allocated to shoots resulting in decreased root to shoot ratio. Root morphology parameters also changed significantly with increasing water depth (p < 0.05). Root mean diameter in all treatments and all other root morphology parameters decreased with increasing distance from the rhizome, while maximum root length, root surface area and root volume in 10 and 30 cm occurred between 5 and 15 cm from the rhizome. The results indicate that shallow water (less than 30 cm in depth) is favorable for the development of J. serotinus root system, and that root morphological characteristics shift with increasing distance from the rhizome.     

冰雪灾害对中亚热带人工针叶林净初级生产力的影响

结合中亚热带江西千烟洲人工针叶林2005、2008和2011年3次树木清查数据以及树木相对生长方程,比较了2008年1月南方冰雪灾害前后的NPP,评价了森林生态系统灾后的恢复能力。结果表明:乡土树种马尾松(Pinus massoniana)与杉木(Cunninghamia lanceolata)比外来树种湿地松(Pinus elliottii)抗灾害能力强;在个体水平上,胸径(D)较大的树木抗灾害能力较差。灾后马尾松与杉木的D增长率降低,而湿地松增大。冰雪灾害导致大量碳(10.44 t C/hm2)从乔木层碳库转移到死生物量碳库,占乔木层碳储量的18.28%。灾前NPP和碳利用效率(CUE)分别为736.23 g C m-2a-1和0.41;灾后经过近4年的恢复,NPP和CUE分别为683.08 g C m-2a-1和0.38。     

采伐干扰对华北落叶松细根生物量空间异质性的影响

以华北落叶松天然林为研究对象,选择采伐干扰林分(样地A)和未采伐干扰林分(样地B),利用根钻法分3层(0—10cm,10—20cm,20—30cm)获取各径级细根(≤1mm、1—2mm、2—5mm3级活细根,≤2mm死亡细根)生物量数据。采用地统计学变异函数和经典统计相结合的数据分析方法对采伐干扰造成的细根生物量空间异质性的变化进行定量研究。主要研究结果如下:采伐干扰林分样地A各经级细根生物量均值减少;同一土层相同径级细根生物量样地A与样地B相比差异显著(P<0.05);不同土层的细根生物量异质性具有显著差别(P<0.05)。0—10cm土层,未采伐干扰林分≤1mm细根生物量呈现较明显的空间自相关变异,采伐干扰林分则表现为随机性变异特征,采伐干扰导致≤1mm细根生物量空间分布特征更加复杂(分维数D=1.978);10—20cm土层,采伐干扰林分各径级细根生物量异质性程度明显降低,只有未采伐干扰林分的5.4%—88.9%。20—30cm土层,未采伐干扰林分≤1mm细根生物量在较小尺度范围(<2.9m)表现出明显的空间自相关变异(结构方差比86.1%),受采伐干扰林分各径级细根生物量异质性程度只有未采伐干扰林分的8.9%—45.9%,且呈现随机性变异。各径级细根生物量空间异质性的垂直分异均表现为随土层深度的增加异质性强度明显降低。     

Does soil acidity reduce subsoil rooting in Norway spruce (Picea abies)?

Increasing evidence suggests that forest soils in central and northern Europe as well as in North America have been significantly acidified by acid deposition during the last decades. The present investigation was undertaken to examine the effect of soil acidity on rooting patterns of 40-year-old Norway spruce trees by comparing fine and coarse roots among four stands which differed in soil acidity and Mg (and Ca) nutrition. The coarse root systems of four to five 40-year-old Norway spruce trees per stand were manually excavated. The sum of cross sectional area (CSA) at 60 cm soil depth and below of all vertical coarse roots, as a measure of vertical rooting intensity, was strongly reduced with increasing subsoil acidity of the stands. This pattern was confirmed when 5 additional acidic sites were included in the analysis. Fine root biomass in the mineral soil estimated by repeated soil coring was strongly reduced in the heavily acidified stands, but increased in the humic layer. Using ingrowth cores and a screen technique, we showed that the higher root biomass in the humic layer of the more acidic stands was a result of higher root production. Thus, reduced fine root biomass and coarse root CSA in deeper soil layers coincided with increased root growth in the humic layer. Root mineral analysis showed Ca/Al ratios decreased with decreasing base saturation in the deeper mineral soil (20–40 cm). In the top mineral soil, only minor differences were observed among stands. In general, low Ca/Al ratios coincided with low fine root biomass. Calcium/aluminum ratios determined in cortical cell walls using X-ray microanalysis showed a similar pattern as Ca/Al ratios based on analysis of whole fine roots, although the amplitude of changes among the stands was much greater. Aluminum concentrations and Ca/Al ratios in cortical cell walls were at levels found to inhibit root growth of spruce seedlings in laboratory experiments. The data support the idea that Al (or Ca/Al ratios) and acid deposition-induced Mg (and possibly Ca) deficiency are important factors influencing root growth and distribution in acidic forest soils. Changes in carbon partitioning within the root system may contribute to a reduction in deep root growth.     

距树干不同距离处华北落叶松人工林细根生物量分布特征及季节变化

 该文研究了华北落叶松(Larix principis-rupprechtii)人工林细根生物量水平分布和季节变化特征。采用钻土芯法(土钻内径7.0 cm), 在距树干20、50和100 cm处设取样点, 每个样点处分3层(0~10、11~20和21~30 cm)钻取土芯, 取样时间为5、7、9和10月。华北落叶松人工林细根(≤2 mm)生物量全年平均值为224.89 g&#8226;m^–2, 在水平分布上表现为100 cm处细根生物量最大(244.20 g&#8226;m^–2), 其次为20 cm处(221.03 g&#8226;m^–2), 50 cm处最少(209.45 g&#8226;m^–2)。在0~30 cm土层, 总细根(包括活跟和死根)生物量季节变化范围在169.67~263.09 g&#8226;m^–2之间, 9月细根生物量最大, 5月细根生物量最少。0~10 cm土层细根生物量季节变化差异显著(p＜0.05), 11~20和21~30 cm差异不显著(p＞0.05)。距树干100和20 cm处(0~10 cm土层), 细根生物量的季节变化差异明显(p＜0.05), 9月总细根生物量最大(172.82和185.68 g&#8226;m^–2), 5月总细根生物量最少(69.28和73.47 g&#8226;m^–2); 50 cm处季节变化差异不明显(p＞0.05)。细根生物量分布和季节变化不仅受土壤垂直格局影响同时也与距树干不同水平距离有很大的关系。     

Stabilising Characteristics of New Zealand Indigenous Riparian Colonising Plants

This paper presents selected results on the above- and below-ground growth performance of twelve indigenous woody species commonly found growing naturally in unstable riparian slope and/or bank environments throughout New Zealand. This study was needed because little information exists on the effectiveness of New Zealand’s indigenous riparian plant species for slope and stream bank stabilisation. By examining the growth performance of selected riparian species during the first 5 years following establishment, we provide valuable insights into the likely strengths and limitations of individual species at maturity and, therefore, into their overall potential usefulness, singularly and/or as mixed plantings, for future riparian stabilisation projects. For all species, their root systems are typically shallow and confined to the uppermost 31 cm of soil. Root spread (mean maximum diameter) increased with increasing age with interspecies differences, by age 5 years, ranging from between ~1 and 2.5 m. At age 5 years the mean root biomass, for all species combined, was 1.2 kg/plant, and averaged ~23% of total plant biomass. Changes in the allocation of biomass for root and shoot growth appear to be species and age dependent. The results of this study indicate that most have above- and below-ground growth attributes well suited to colonising steep and unstable riparian slopes where shallow soil failure is prevalent and/or where stream banks are rocky with skeletal soils. All form part of the early plant succession. Once established, and in the absence of grazing, they are relatively fast growing. The effectiveness of riparian restoration programmes using indigenous species, though potentially high for low-order stream, will be limited by their relatively shallow-rooted habit for bank stabilisation on larger rivers without the prior installation of structural protection works.     

中亚热带杉木人工林细根生物量空间变异与取样数量估算

林木细根生物量具有一定的空间异质性,因此采用合理的细根取样策略对精确估算细根生物量十分重要。通过在福建省三明杉木人工林林内采用土钻法随机选取100个取样点,分析不同细根类型(杉木、林下植被、总细根)生物量的空间变异特征,并对细根生物量所需的取样数量进行估计。结果表明:不同细根类型单位面积生物量随径级(0—1、1—2 mm)及土层深度的增加变异增大,所需的取样数量也相应增加。Shapiro-Wilk检验表明,仅0—2 mm杉木细根和总细根单位面积生物量符合正态分布,其余各个细根类型不同径级不同土层单位面积生物量均不符合正态分布,均呈明显的右偏分布。蒙特卡罗统计模拟分析表明:在置信水平为95%、精度为80%的条件下,直径为0—1 mm、1—2 mm和0—2 mm的细根,杉木采集95、96、32个样品可以满足测定单位面积生物量的需要,林下植被分别采集98、98、63个样品可以满足测定单位面积生物量的需要,而总细根分别采集93、93、18个样品可以满足测定单位面积生物量的需要。     

Root distribution of a Mediterranean shrubland in Portugal

The distribution of roots of an Erica (Erica scoparia and Erica lusitanica) dominated Mediterranean maquis was studied using three different approaches: root counts on trench walls (down to 120 cm), estimation of the maximum rooting depth using an allometric relationship and estimation of fine root biomass and fine root length using soil cores (down to 100 cm). Roots were classified according to diameter (fine, 1.0 mm; small, 1.1–5.0 mm; medium, 5.1–10.0 mm; coarse, >10.0 mm) and species (Erica sp., Pteridium aquilinum, Rubus ulmifolius and Ulex jussiaei). The depth corresponding to 50% of all roots (D ₅₀) was determined by fitting a new model to the cumulative root distribution. Fine roots represented 96% of root counts. Root counts of Erica represented 59%, Ulex 34%, Rubus 6% and Pteridium 1%. Overall root counts showed a D ₅₀ of 26 cm. D ₅₀ was higher for Ulex (40 cm) and Erica (22 cm), than for Pteridium (9 cm) and Rubus (3 cm). D ₅₀ for fine roots was 27 cm, for small roots 11 cm, for medium roots 6 cm and for coarse roots 4 cm. The estimated average maximum rooting depth of the 28 deepest Erica roots was 222 cm. The deepest Erica root was estimated to reach 329 cm. A total of 82% of roots growing deeper than 125 cm were not reaching more than 175 cm. The overall fine root length density ranged from 4.6 cm/cm³ at 10 cm to 0.8 cm/cm³ at 80 cm. The overall fine root biomass ranged from 7.7 mg/cm³ at 10 cm to 0.6 mg/cm³ at 40 cm. D ₅₀ for root biomass was 12 cm and D ₅₀ for root length was 14 cm. Fine root biomass was estimated as 1.6 kg/m² and the respective root length as 18.7 km/m².     

Small-scale spatial heterogeneity in the vertical distribution of soil nutrients has limited effects on the growth and development of Prosopis glandulosa seedlings

We examined the above- and below-ground responses of seedlings of the woody shrub Prosopis glandulosa to the spatial heterogeneity of soil nutrients within the root zone. We performed a microcosm experiment where seedlings were grown with different combinations of nutrients [nitrogen (N), phosphorus (P), and both combined (NP)] and under different levels of nutrient heterogeneity (nutrients supplied as patches located in the bottom and/or upper portion of rooting zone versus homogeneous distribution). Seedling morphology and biomass did not show a strong response to changes in nutrient ion or spatial heterogeneity. Height, number of leaves, and specific leaf area did not vary significantly between treatments. The number of leaves, foliar biomass, stem biomass and biomass allocation to stems of seedlings showed more responsiveness to the addition of N and NP than to the addition of P. The spatial heterogeneity of nutrients affected the diameter, root biomass and leaf N content. Seedlings had higher diameter and root biomass when the nutrients were homogeneously distributed as compared to their placement as patches in the bottom of the microcosms. Their leaf N concentration increased in those treatments where the nutrient patch was located in the lower half as compared to the upper half of the microcosms. Root foraging responses to nutrient patches varied with their location. Significant root proliferation was observed when patches of N, P and NP were located in the upper portion of the rooting zone; when they were located in the lower portion such a response was observed only for P. Despite our findings that Prosopis seedlings have a low overall responsiveness to small-scale vertical differences in soil nutrient heterogeneity, our results suggest that these differences may modify the growth dynamics of the secondary roots of this ecologically important dryland species during the early stages of its development.     

Plant traits enabling survival in Mediterranean badlands in northeastern Spain suffering from soil erosion

Question: This study analysed the effect of severe soil erosion on species composition of plant communities by favouring species showing certain growth forms, root‐sprouting and clonal growth abilities. Location: The study area was located between the middle Ebro Valley and the Pre‐Pyrenees (northeastern Spain). Methods: Root‐sprouting and shoot‐rooting abilities, clonal reproduction and growth form were assessed for the 123 most common plant species from eroded lands in the study area. We obtained 260 vegetation relevés in three different substrata (gypsum outcrops, Miocene clays and Eocene marls) on areas with different degrees of soil erosion. The frequency of every plant trait in each relevé was estimated according to species presence. The effect of soil erosion on the frequency of plant attributes was assessed by correlation analyses. Results: Bipolar, non‐clonal plants and annual species decreased their frequency with increasing soil erosion in the three substrata analyzed, whereas root‐sprouters and woody plants (mostly sub‐shrubs) increased their frequency in most of the substrata analysed. Conclusions: Woody sub‐shrubs, root‐sprouters and clonal species are favoured in eroded lands in NE Spain. Bipolar species and annual plants might not be plastic enough to survive the high stress and frequent disturbances prevailing in such eroded areas.     

华北落叶松林细根生物量对土壤水分、氮营养空间异质性改变的响应

在华北落叶松(Larix principis-rupprechtii)林选取采伐干扰样地和未采伐干扰样地进行对比研究, 分析采伐干扰造成林下土壤水分和氮营养空间异质性的改变对细根生物量空间变异的影响。采用空间格局分析的小支撑、多样点的设计原则, 对每个样点的土壤分3层取样(0-10 cm、10-20 cm、20-30 cm)。进行细根(≤1 mm和1-2 mm)生物量与土壤含水量、全氮、硝态氮、铵态氮和土壤pH的偏相关分析, 以及细根生物量变异函数值和土壤各因子变异函数值的线性回归分析。研究结果表明, 在不同样地, 细根生物量与土壤各因子均表现为正相关关系, 不同土层相关性强弱表现各异, 其中土壤含水量与细根生物量的相关性显著。受采伐干扰后, 细根生物量与土壤含水量、全氮、土壤硝态氮空间变异的关联性更趋于明显。多元线性回归分析结果表明, 采伐干扰样地细根生物量的空间变异更多地受到土壤多因子的综合影响, 而未采伐干扰样地的细根生物量受土壤水分、全氮和硝态氮单独效应的影响更大。     

Effects of livestock exclusion on in‐stream habitat and benthic invertebrate assemblages in montane streams

1. Stream and riparian ecosystems in arid montane areas, like the interior western United States, are often just narrow mesic strands, but support diverse and productive habitats. Meadows along many such streams have long been used for rangeland grazing, and, while impacts to riparian areas are relatively well known, the effect of livestock grazing on aquatic life in streams has received less attention. 2. Attempts to link grazing impacts to disturbance have been hindered by the lack of spatial and temporal replication. In this study, we compared channel features and benthic macroinvertebrate communities (i) between 16 stream reaches on two grazed allotments and between 22 reaches on two allotments where livestock had been completely removed for 4 years, (ii) before and after the 4‐year grazing respite at a subset of eight sites and (iii) inside and outside of small‐scale fenced grazing exclosures (eight pairings; 10+ year exclosures) in the meadows of the Golden Trout Wilderness, California (U.S.A.). 3. We evaluated grazing disturbance at the reach scale in terms of the effects of livestock trampling on per cent bank erosion and found that macroinvertebrate richness metrics were negatively correlated with bank erosion, while the percentage of tolerant taxa increased. 4. All macroinvertebrate richness metrics were significantly lower in grazed areas. Bank angle, temperature, fine sediment cover and erosion were higher in grazed areas, while riparian cover was lower. Regression models identified riparian cover, in‐stream substratum, bank conditions and bankfull width‐to‐depth ratios as the most important for explaining variability in macroinvertebrate richness metrics. 5. Small‐scale grazing exclosures showed no improvements for in‐stream communities and only moderate positive effects on riparian vegetation. In contrast, metrics of macroinvertebrate richness increased significantly after a 4‐year period of no grazing. 6. The success of grazing removal reported here suggests that short‐term removal of livestock at the larger, allotment meadow spatial scale is more effective than long‐term, but small‐scale, local riparian area fencing, and yields promising results in achieving stream channel, riparian and aquatic biological recovery.