Soil conservation in Polylepis mountain forests of Central Argentina: Is livestock reducing our natural capital?

Mountain forests and their soils provide ecological services such as maintenance of biodiversity, provision of clean water, carbon capture and forage for livestock rearing, which is one of the principal economic activities in mountain areas. However, surprisingly little is known about livestock impact in South American mountain forest soils. With the aim of understanding how livestock and topography influence patterns of forest cover, soil compaction, soil loss and soil chemical properties, we analysed these parameters in 100 Polylepis australis woodland plots situated in the humid subtropical mountains of Central Argentina. We used distance from the nearest ranch as an objective index of historical livestock impact and measured standard topographic variables. Our main results reveal that distance from ranch in all cases partly explains tree canopy cover, soil loss, soil compaction and soil chemical properties; suggesting a strong negative effect of livestock. Intermediate altitudes had more tree canopy cover, while landscape roughness – a measure of the variability in slope inclination and aspect – was negatively associated to soil impedance and acidity, and positively associated to soil organic matter content. Finally, flatter areas were more acid. We conclude that livestock has had a substantial influence on forest soil degradation in the Mountains of Central Argentina and possibly other similar South American mountains. Soil degradation should be incorporated into decision making when considering long‐term forest sustainability, or when taking into account retaining livestock for biodiversity conservation reasons. Where soil loss and degradation are ongoing, we recommend drastic reductions in livestock density.     

晋陕宁黄土丘陵区生态修复与农林牧业持续发展仿真研究

晋陕宁黄土丘陵区土壤侵蚀严重,生态环境脆弱,不合理利用土地是其主要原因,生态修复与环境重建是该区生态与经济持续发展的重要战略措施。应用系统动力学（System Dynamic,简称SD）和“反馈控制（Feedback control）理论建立了该区生态修复和环境重建的SD模型,它分为人口、农业、林业、牧业、农村经济、土壤侵蚀和生态环境6个模块,仿真时间1990～2080年,步长1a。经检验该SD模型的有效性为93．5％,可用于未来仿真预测。根据该区的生态环境特点和农牧业发展现状,选择生态环境恢复重建的3种典型模式——同步发展模式（A模式）、逐步调整模式（B模式）和现状发展模式（C模式）进行仿真研究,预测3种模式2000～2080年的土壤侵蚀、土地利用的发展动态以及农林牧业和生态环境演化趋势。仿真结果表明：土地利用与农、林、牧业持续发展密切相关,坡耕地和草场退化是制约农林牧业发展的主要因素。合理调整土地利用结构和加速治理侵蚀,可促进生态环境逐步恢复和农林牧业持续发展。同步发展模式（A模式）是该区生态修复和环境重建的3个仿真模式中的最优策略,它可促进农林牧协调发展和生态一经济趋向良性循环,并提出该区生态修复与环境重建的对策措施。该SD模型结构合理,运行功能良好,能较真实的模拟具有多变量、非线性变量的复杂生态系统的动态行为,为生态修复研究提供一种有效工具。     

南亚热带水土流失地区人工加速植被演替过程

水土流失地区植被在自然条件下从阳生草本到乔灌草复合植被的演替过程常常需要很长的时间,选取适当树种人工造林可以省略先锋物种强阳生草本的发育时间,提早诱发灌木和草本植物发育,大大加速植被恢复演替过程。通过对广东惠州市惠阳区上杨试验站等南亚热带典型水土流失地区的研究发现：自然封育状态下,水土流失地区植被恢复和演替缓慢,25。后植被覆盖度只有35％,且主要以阳生性耐贫瘠的灌木及草本为主,土壤侵蚀仍然比较严重。选择大叶相思树人工造林加速了植被演替进程,控制了水土流失,12a左右植被覆盖度就达90％左右。造林23a左右,林地遮蔽涵养水分和控制侵蚀作用下迅速生长多种当地物种,形成了乔、灌、草、藤、竹多层复合植被。在南亚热带季风气候地区,自然封育状态下严重水土流失区植被恢复至较稳定的次生林阶段需要60a左右的时间;人工造林加速植被演替只需要20a。植树造林是该地区植被恢复发育及控制水土流失的有效措施。     

戈壁灌丛堆周边地表土壤颗粒的空间异质特征

研究戈壁地区单个灌丛及其下沙堆这一有机整体对周边土壤风蚀的抑制能力, 对加强相关地区的植被类型及其空间配置格局的防沙效应研究十分重要, 可为荒漠化监测的评价和制定科学的防治措施提供参考。该文利用数字图像处理技术, 获取吉兰泰盐湖北部戈壁上单个白刺(Nitraria tangutorum)灌丛沙堆和沙冬青(Ammopiptanthus mongolicus)灌丛沙堆周边地表不同土壤风蚀颗粒的百分含量; 并采用经典描述性统计及地统计学方法, 对各类土壤风蚀颗粒百分含量的水平空间异质性进行分析。结果表明: (1)灌丛基部和下风向是细物质积累区, 以灌丛堆为中心向外, <0.42 mm的细颗粒含量呈减少趋势; 而且细物质积累的最大值出现在白刺灌丛的迎风侧附近, 沙冬青样地则相反, 出现在灌丛的背风侧附近。在沙源物质有限的戈壁中, 白刺的防风固沙作用集中体现在灌丛附近, 其水平空间尺度范围不及沙冬青, 这亦是白刺样地粗粒化程度高于沙冬青样地的原因。(2)白刺和沙冬青灌丛附近地表中粒径>0.84 mm (不可蚀)、0.84-0.42 mm (半可蚀)及<0.42 mm (高度可蚀)颗粒的空间异质性尺度分别为17.80 m、66.63 m、8.41 m和9.82 m、15.33 m、14.91 m, 均超出了灌丛冠幅覆盖范围, 空间自相关部分比例C/(C₀ + C)在63.40%-99.96%之间, 由此推断灌丛沙堆附近的风沙流特征是造成相应尺度内土壤颗粒空间异质性的主要因子。(3)高度可蚀颗粒的空间异质性尺度略大于灌丛平均间距(8.77 m包括灌丛半径), 从防止土壤风蚀来看, 这说明研究区内的建群种灌丛间存在一定程度的相互促进关系, 有利于该区植被的稳定与发展。     

Modeling WEPP erodibility parameters in calcareous soils in northwest Iran

Modeling soil detachment rates at the regional scale is important for better understanding of the processes of erosion and the development of erosion models. Soil erodibility is an important factor for predicting soil loss, but its direct measurement at the watershed scale is difficult, time-consuming and costly. This study used stepwise multiple-linear regression (MLR) and artificial neural networks (ANNs) to model Water Erosion Prediction Project (WEPP) soil erodibility parameters, including the baseline inter-rill erodibility (K_ib), baseline rill erodibility (K_rb) and critical shear stress (τ_cb) of cropland conditions in calcareous soils of northwest Iran. Simulated inter-rill and rill erosion experiments were conducted at 100 locations with three replications. K_ib, K_rb and τ_cb and basic soil properties were measured at each location. Auxiliary variables related to soil erodibility were derived from a Landsat 7 satellite image and a 30 m × 30 m digital elevation model (DEM). MLR and ANN models were employed to predict K_ib, K_rb and τ_cb using two groups of input variables: i) more easily measurable basic soil properties (pedo-transfer functions (PTFs)) and ii) more easily measurable basic soil properties and auxiliary data (soil spatial prediction functions (SSPFs)). The results indicated that the WEPP models performed poorly in comparison to the derived models. PTFs and SSPFs generated from ANN models provided more reliable predictions than the MLR models. ANN-based SSPF models yielded the best results (with the highest R² and lowest RMSE values) for predicting Kib and Krb. ANN-based PTF model performed reasonably well for predicting τ_cb. These results show that information from terrain attributes and remote sensing data are potential auxiliary variables for improving prediction of soil erodibility parameters.     

Effects of wind erosion and sand burial on water relations and photosynthesis in Alhagi sparsifolia in the southern edge of the Taklimakan Desert

塔克拉玛干沙漠南缘风沙活动十分频繁, 风蚀和沙埋是该地区自然植被生长发育的重要影响因子。该文以塔克拉玛干沙漠南缘策勒绿洲-沙漠过渡带为研究区, 以该区域主要建群种植物骆驼刺(Alhagi sparsifolia)为研究对象, 对一次强沙尘天气过后沙丘表面5种不同风蚀沙埋状况的骆驼刺植物进行标定(包括10 cm风蚀、5 cm风蚀、不蚀不积、10 cm沙埋、30 cm沙埋), 天晴后测定其叶水势、叶片含水量、光合参数和叶绿素荧光等参数, 分析研究自然环境条件下风蚀和沙埋对骆驼刺水分和光合作用的影响。结果表明: (1)风蚀显著降低了骆驼刺叶水势和叶片含水量, 进而导致植物气孔导度降低, 并引起植物光合速率和蒸腾速率的下降。风蚀的植物水分利用效率低于沙埋, 特别是在10 cm风蚀深度明显降低。 (2)沙埋增加了骆驼刺的叶水势、叶片含水量和气孔导度, 并引起植物光合速率和蒸腾速率的上升, 水分利用效率也得到提升。(3)风蚀条件下骆驼刺所受胁迫增加, 但可以通过增加活性反应中心的数量和光化学效率来抵消胁迫造成的不利影响。沙埋条件下骆驼刺受胁迫减轻, 反应中心吸收的光能和用于光化学反应的能量随着沙埋程度增加而减小, 这是骆驼刺适应风沙环境的一种生存策略。(4)与5 cm风蚀以及10 cm沙埋相比, 10 cm风蚀显著抑制骆驼刺的生长, 30 cm沙埋则会显著促进骆驼刺的生长。     

乳酸菌阴道胶囊在宫颈糜烂患者宫颈环形电切术后的应用

目的探讨乳酸菌阴道胶囊在宫颈糜烂患者宫颈环形电切（LEEP）术后的应用。方法选取宫颈糜烂患者76例,随机分为观察组（n=38例）和对照组（n=38例）。两组患者均在月经干净后3-7 d行LEEP术,观察组患者加用乳酸菌阴道胶囊阴道放置,每晚1粒,连用14 d。观察两组患者术后阴道流血量、出血持续时间及创面愈合时间,术后8周复诊评估其临床疗效。结果观察组患者术后的阴道流血量、出血持续时间及创面愈合时间明显少于对照组（χ2=7.54、5.65和8.49,P〈0.05或P〈0.01）;术后8周复诊,观察组的临床总有效率明显优于对照组（94.74%vs.78.95%,χ2=4.15,P〈0.05）。结论乳酸菌阴道胶囊在宫颈糜烂患者宫颈环形电切术后的应用具有明确的效果,能明显减少阴道出血量和出血持续时间,有利于促进创面愈合。     

Species Traits as Practical Tools for Ecological Restoration of Marly Eroded Lands

Plant functional traits are increasingly used in restoration ecology because they have the potential to guide restoration practices at a broad scale. This article presents a trait‐based multi‐criteria framework to evaluate and predict the performance of 17 plant seedlings to improve ecological restoration of marly eroded areas in the French Southern Alps. The suitability of these species to limit soil erosion was assessed by studying both their response to erosive forces and their effect on erosion dynamics. We assumed that species efficiency could be explained and predicted from plant traits and we looked for trait‐performance relationships. Our results showed that root slenderness ratio, the percentage of fine roots and root system topology, were the three root morphology traits best describing anchorage strength. Root system characterized by a long and thin tap root and many fine lateral ramifications would be the best to resist concentrated runoff. Species response to burial mainly depended on growth form and morphological flexibility. The abilities of species in reinforcing the soil and reducing erosion rates were negatively correlated to root diameter and positively to the percentage of fine roots. Moreover, root system density and root tensile strength also influenced root reinforcement. Finally, the ability to trap sediment was positively correlated to leaf area and canopy density. Species were then scored and classified in four clusters according to their global performance. This method allows identifying species that possess both response and effect traits related to the goal of preventing erosion during ecological restoration.