Influence of soil texture and crop management on the productivity of miscanthus (Miscanthus × giganteus Greef et Deu.) in the Mediterranean

Biomass productivity is the main favorable trait of candidate bioenergy crops. Miscanthus × giganteus is a promising species, due to its high‐yield potential and positive traits including low nutrient requirements and potential for C sequestration in soils. However, miscanthus productivity appears to be mostly related to water availability in the soil. This is important, particularly in Mediterranean regions where the risk of summer droughts is high. To date, there have been no studies on miscanthus responses under different soil conditions, while only a few have investigated the role of different crop managements, such as irrigation and nitrogen fertilization, in the Mediterranean. Therefore, the effects of contrasting soil textures (i.e. silty‐clay‐loam vs. sandy‐loam) and alternative agricultural intensification regimes (i.e. rainfed vs. irrigated and 0, 50, 100 kg ha^?1 nitrogen fertilization), on miscanthus productivity were evaluated at three different harvest times for two consecutive years. Our results confirmed the importance of water availability in determining satisfactory yields in Mediterranean environments, and how soil and site characteristics strongly affect biomass production. We found that the aboveground dry yields varied between 5 Mg ha^?1 up to 29 Mg ha^?1. Conversely, nitrogen fertilization played only a minor role on crop productivity, and high fertilization levels were relatively inefficient. Finally, a marked decrease, of up to ?40%, in the aboveground yield occurred when the harvest time was delayed from autumn to winter. Overall, our results highlighted the importance of determining crop responses on a site‐by‐site basis, and that decisions on the optimal harvest time should be driven by the biomass end use and other long‐term considerations, such as yield stability and the maintenance of soil fertility.     

基于FWI湿度码的塔河林业局地表凋落物含水率预测

加拿大火险天气指标系统(FWI)是目前世界上应用最广的火险天气系统,其可燃物含水率预测方法成为一种重要的研究方法.本文以黑龙江省大兴安岭地区塔河林业局典型林分为研究对象,通过野外地表凋落物含水率的连续观测,分析了凋落物含水率与FWI系统3个湿度码\[细小可燃物湿度码（FFMC）、枯落物下层湿度码（DMC）、干旱码（DC）\]之间的关系.结果表明： 对于研究地区8个样地单独取样的地表凋落物,用FWI系统的湿度码FFMC所建立的线性预测方程的平均绝对误差和平均相对误差分别为14.9%和70.7%,低于气象要素回归模型,说明采用FWI湿度码来预测地表凋落物含水率具有一定优势,可用于预测可燃物含水率,但这种优势是有限的.今后应加强对FWI系统在我国应用的修正工作,特别是雨后可燃物湿度码的修正.     

C:N:P stoichiometry in forest floor litter of evergreen broad-leaved forests at different successional stages in Tiantong,Zhejiang, eastern China

地表凋落物在森林物质循环中起着重要作用, 但是目前缺乏对其不同分解层次中碳(C)、氮(N)、磷(P)演替动态的研究。该文以浙江天童常绿阔叶林为研究对象, 用空间代替时间序列的方法, 通过测定5个演替阶段地表凋落物不同分解层次的凋落物量、有机碳库和氮磷养分库的储量及C:N:P化学计量特征, 探讨地表凋落物特征的演替动态。结果表明: 1)随着演替的进行, 地表凋落物量和有机碳储量呈现下降的趋势。2)在各演替阶段, 有机碳含量在各分解层表现出未分解层(L) > 半分解层(F) > 已分解层(Y)的趋势; 有机碳储量均表现为Y < F。3)演替前期群落氮含量和储量显著低于演替中后期群落; 不同分解层的氮含量在各演替阶段皆表现为: Y > F > L, 且各层氮含量随着演替的进行均趋于升高。4)磷含量在演替中期群落最低, 各演替阶段不同分解层的磷含量皆表现为Y > F > L。磷储量的演替趋势不明显。L层磷储量随着演替进行趋于降低。5)随着演替进行, 凋落物C:N、C:P和N:P皆趋于下降(p < 0.05)。在各分解层之间, C:N和C:P皆表现为Y < F < L, N:P差异不显著。总之, 随着演替进行, 天童常绿阔叶林地表凋落物量降低, 有机碳库及氮磷养分库的含量趋于升高, 储量趋向降低, C:N:P趋于下降, 体现了生态系统碳和养分循环随着演替进行在不断优化。     

Prediction accuracies for growth and wood attributes of interior spruce in space using genotyping-by-sequencing

Background

Genomic selection (GS) in forestry can substantially reduce the length of breeding cycle and increase gain per unit time through early selection and greater selection intensity, particularly for traits of low heritability and late expression. Affordable next-generation sequencing technologies made it possible to genotype large numbers of trees at a reasonable cost.

Results

Genotyping-by-sequencing was used to genotype 1,126 Interior spruce trees representing 25 open-pollinated families planted over three sites in British Columbia, Canada. Four imputation algorithms were compared (mean value (MI), singular value decomposition (SVD), expectation maximization (EM), and a newly derived, family-based k-nearest neighbor (kNN-Fam)). Trees were phenotyped for several yield and wood attributes. Single- and multi-site GS prediction models were developed using the Ridge Regression Best Linear Unbiased Predictor (RR-BLUP) and the Generalized Ridge Regression (GRR) to test different assumption about trait architecture. Finally, using PCA, multi-trait GS prediction models were developed. The EM and kNN-Fam imputation methods were superior for 30 and 60% missing data, respectively. The RR-BLUP GS prediction model produced better accuracies than the GRR indicating that the genetic architecture for these traits is complex. GS prediction accuracies for multi-site were high and better than those of single-sites while multi-site predictability produced the lowest accuracies reflecting type-b genetic correlations and deemed unreliable. The incorporation of genomic information in quantitative genetics analyses produced more realistic heritability estimates as half-sib pedigree tended to inflate the additive genetic variance and subsequently both heritability and gain estimates. Principle component scores as representatives of multi-trait GS prediction models produced surprising results where negatively correlated traits could be concurrently selected for using PCA2 and PCA3.

Conclusions

The application of GS to open-pollinated family testing, the simplest form of tree improvement evaluation methods, was proven to be effective. Prediction accuracies obtained for all traits greatly support the integration of GS in tree breeding. While the within-site GS prediction accuracies were high, the results clearly indicate that single-site GS models ability to predict other sites are unreliable supporting the utilization of multi-site approach. Principle component scores provided an opportunity for the concurrent selection of traits with different phenotypic optima.

Electronic supplementary material

The online version of this article (doi:10.1186/s12864-015-1597-y) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.     

UV-B辐射增强对陆地生态系统碳循环的影响

作为全球变化的重要现象之一,紫外射线B(UV-B,波长280～320 nm)辐射增强对陆地生态系统碳循环具有重要影响.UV-B辐射增强主要通过改变植物的光合作用、凋落物分解以及土壤呼吸来影响陆地生态系统碳的输入和转化输出.其他气候因子(大气CO2浓度、温度和水分)可能会促进或减缓UV-B辐射对陆地生态系统碳循环的作用.本文介绍了UV-B辐射增强的背景,综述了国内外近年来UV-B辐射增强及与其他气候因子交互作用对陆地生态系统碳循环的影响,总结了目前研究存在的不足,讨论了未来的研究重点和方向.     

Leaf breakdown in an Atlantic Rain Forest stream

The hypothesis of this study was that colonizers in decaying leaf litter prefer native species (Erythrina verna) to exotic ones (Eucalyptus camaldulensis and Protium heptaphyllum). Therefore, native species are expected to show higher breakdown rates, increased biomass, richness and density of invertebrate species, and increased biomass of decomposer fungi. Breakdown of leaf litter from these three species was assessed in an Atlantic Rain Forest stream. Four samples were collected during a period of 90 days and washed on a sieve to separate the invertebrates. Then, a series of leaf disks were cut to determine ash‐free dry mass and fungal biomass, and the remaining material was oven‐dried to determine the dry weight. Eucalyptus camaldulensis and E. verna showed higher breakdown rates than P. heptaphyllum, due to differences in leaf physical and chemical characteristics. The harder detritus (P. heptaphyllum) broke down more slowly than detritus with high concentrations of labile compounds (E. camaldulensis). The density of the invertebrates associated with detritus increased with time. There were no differences in density, taxonomic richness or biomass of invertebrates among the leaf types, which indicated that the invertebrates did not distinguish between exotic and native detritus. Fungal colonization varied among samples; E. camaldulensis showed the lowest ergosterol concentrations, mainly due to a high concentration of total phenolics. The detritus with the highest hardness value was colonized most slowly by fungi. These results showed that leaf breakdown in Atlantic Rain Forest streams could be affected either by changes in riparian vegetation, or by becoming more savanna‐like process due to climate change.     

土壤动物对川西亚高山和高山森林凋落叶第一年不同分解时期N和P元素动态的影响

土壤动物对高寒森林凋落物养分元素动态具有重要影响, 但这种影响受控于凋落物质量及环境条件。为了解土壤动物对高寒森林凋落物不同分解时期凋落物中N和P元素动态的影响, 采用凋落物分解袋的方法, 于凋落物第一年分解的不同时期, 即冻结前期、冻结期、融化期、生长季节初期、生长季节中期和生长季节末期, 研究了3.00和0.04 mm孔径凋落物袋中川西亚高山和高山森林的代表性植物——康定柳(Salix paraplesia)、方枝柏(Sabina saltuaria)、红桦(Betula albosinensis)和岷江冷杉(Abies fargesii var. faxoniana)凋落物中的N和P元素动态特征。结果表明: 康定柳和红桦凋落物中的N元素呈现出释放—富集—释放的模式, 方枝柏、岷江冷杉凋落物中的N元素则表现为释放—富集模式; 凋落物P元素总体表现为释放模式, 但4种植物凋落物均在生长季节中期具有明显的富集过程; 从凋落物分解的第一年来看, 土壤动物明显促进了4种植物凋落物N的释放, 而抑制了P的释放; 不同时期土壤动物对凋落物中N和P释放量的影响存在显著差异, 且分别与正积温呈极显著正相关和极显著负相关关系; 相对于阔叶植物凋落物, 土壤动物对针叶植物凋落物中N和P元素动态的影响更为显著。这些结果为深入了解高寒森林生态系统土壤动物与凋落物分解等物质循环过程的相互联系具有重要意义。     

Changing sources of soil respiration with time since fire in a boreal forest

Radiocarbon signatures (Δ¹⁴C) of carbon dioxide (CO₂) provide a measure of the age of C being decomposed by microbes or respired by living plants. Over a 2‐year period, we measured Δ¹⁴C of soil respiration and soil CO₂ in boreal forest sites in Canada, which varied primarily in the amount of time since the last stand‐replacing fire. Comparing bulk respiration Δ¹⁴C with Δ¹⁴C of CO₂ evolved in incubations of heterotrophic (decomposing organic horizons) and autotrophic (root and moss) components allowed us to estimate the relative contributions of O horizon decomposition vs. plant sources. Although soil respiration fluxes did not vary greatly, differences in Δ¹⁴C of respired CO₂ indicated marked variation in respiration sources in space and time. The ¹⁴C signature of respired CO₂ respired from O horizon decomposition depended on the age of C substrates. These varied with time since fire, but consistently had Δ¹⁴C greater (averaging ～120‰) than autotrophic respiration. The Δ¹⁴C of autotrophically respired CO₂ in young stands equaled those expected for recent photosynthetic products (70‰ in 2003, 64‰ in 2004). CO₂ respired by black spruce roots in stands >40 years old had Δ¹⁴C up to 30‰ higher than recent photosynthates, indicating a significant contribution of C stored at least several years in plants. Decomposition of O horizon organic matter made up 20% or less of soil respiration in the younger (<40 years since fire) stands, increasing to ～50% in mature stands. This is a minimum for total heterotrophic contribution, since mineral soil CO₂ had Δ¹⁴C close to or less than those we have assigned to autotrophic respiration. Decomposition of old organic matter in mineral soils clearly contributed to soil respiration in younger stands in 2003, a very dry year, when Δ¹⁴C of soil respiration in younger successional stands dropped below those of the atmospheric CO₂.     

Decomposition of macrophyte litter in a subtropical constructed wetland in south Florida (USA)

The South Florida Water Management District has constructed large treatment wetlands (stormwater treatment areas (STAs)) to reduce total phosphorus concentrations in agricultural runoff before this water enters the Everglades. An important component of nutrient removal and storage in these systems is incorporation of nutrients into aquatic macrophytes and burial of this biomass in the sediments. However, decomposition of plant biomass before burial returns nutrients to the water column and may reduce STA treatment efficiency. As part of research on biogeochemical control of STA performance, we conducted a summer (July–September) and a long-term (12-month) experiment (February–February) that measured decomposition rates and release of chemical constituents from dominant aquatic macrophytes in a constructed wetland located in south Florida. The rank order of mean decomposition rates was Najas/Ceratophyllum (0.0568 d⁻¹) > Pistia (0.0508 d⁻¹) > Eichhornia (0.0191 d⁻¹) > submerged Typha (0.0059 d⁻¹) > aerial Typha (0.0008 d⁻¹). Summer decomposition rates were generally higher than rates from the long-term experiment, which suggested a temperature effect. Decomposition rates were negatively correlated with litter C:N and C:P molar ratios and cellulose and lignin content and positively correlated with N and P content. There was no significant difference in decomposition rates among sampling stations despite the fact that there was a decreasing gradient in water column inorganic phosphorus and nitrogen concentrations at these sites. Relatively little of the initial P mass remained in the litter of all species, except Typha, by the end of both experiments. First-order decomposition models derived using nonlinear regression generally had explanatory power, i.e. accounted for variance, comparable to more complex decreasing-coefficient models. Decomposition rates for the species examined in this study were within the range of published values when comparisons were made either by species or by plant group.     

Diagnostic parameters for selecting against novel spruce (Picea abies) decline: IV. Response of photosynthesis and transpiration to SO2+NO2 exposures

The dose- and time-response effects of 3 days of 6 h day-time sequential exposures to NO₂, SO₂ and SO₂+NO₂ of 0.45–1.81 μl l⁻¹ (ppm) SO₂ and 1.50–7.65 μl l⁻¹ NO₂ on photosynthesis, transpiration and dark respiration were examined for nine Carpatho-Ukrainian half-sib families and a population from the GFR ('Westerhof') of Norway spruce [ Piecea abies (L.) Karst.], all in their 5th growing season.
SO₂+NO₂ inhibited photosynthesis and transpiration and stimulated dark respiration more than SO₂ alone. SO₂ and SO₂+NO₂ at the lowest concentrations inhibited night transpiration, but increased it at the highest concentration, the strongest effects being obtained with combined exposures. Photosynthesis of the different half-sib families was affected significantly differently by SO₂+NO₂ exposures. NO₂ alone had no effects.
Sensitivity to transpiration decline correlated negatively with branch density. Height of trees correlated postitively with decline sensitivity in the seed orchard. The distribution of photosynthesis and transpiration sensitivities over all tested half-sib families correlated negatively with the distribution of decline sensitivity of their parents in a rural Danish seed orchard. The relative photosynthesis and transpiration sensitivities may thus serve as diagnostic parameters for selecting against novel spruce decline.