Biomass estimation models and allocation patterns of 14 shrub species in Mountain Luya,Shanxi, China

Aims Shrub species have evolved specific strategies to regulate biomass allocation among various organs or between above- and belowground biomass and shrub biomass model is an important approach to estimate biomass allocation among different shrub species. This study was designed to establish the optimal estimation models for each organ (leaf, stem, and root), aboveground and total biomass of 14 common shrub species in Mountain Luya, Shanxi Province, China. Furthermore, we explored biomass allocation characteristics of these shrub species by using the index of leaf biomass fraction (leaf to total biomass), stem biomass fraction (stem to total biomass), root biomass fraction (root to total biomass), and root to shoot mass ratio (R/S) (belowground to aboveground biomass).
Methods We used plant height, basal diameter, canopy diameter and their combination as variables to establish the optimal biomass estimation models for each shrub species. In addition, we used the ratios of leaf, stem, root to total biomass, and belowground to aboveground biomass to explore the difference of biomass allocation patterns of 14 shrub species.
Important findings Most of biomass estimation models could be well expressed by the exponential and linear functions. Biomass for shorter shrub species with more stems could be better estimated by canopy area; biomass for taller shrub species with less stems could be better estimated by the sum of the square of total base diameter multiply stem height; and biomass for the rest shrub species could be better estimated by canopy volume. The averaged value for these shrub species was 0.61, 0.17, 0.48, and 0.35 for R/S, leaf biomass fraction, stem biomass fraction, and root biomass fraction, respectively. Except for leaf biomass fraction, R/S, stem biomass fraction, and root biomass fraction for shrubs with thorn was significantly greater than that for shrubs without thorn.     

What potential is there for regeneration of native species from the soil seed bank in Coast Tea Tree‐dominated scrub?

Shrub encroachment generally causes the loss of native species in herbaceous‐dominated communities. The ability of the original ecosystem to return to its pre‐encroachment state (i.e. its ecological resilience) will be partially contingent on the capacity of these species to regenerate from soil‐stored seed. Coast Tea Tree (Leptospermum laevigatum) has formed a dense scrub in many areas previously dominated by grassy woodland, and hence, managers need guidance about the effectiveness of strategies designed to recover the pre‐encroachment vegetation. In this context, we ask: what is the potential of species stored in the soil seed bank to return following Tea Tree removal? A germination experiment was undertaken using soil collected from dense stands of Tea Tree that had been long established. Heat/smoke was applied to soils to simulate the effects of a fire on the soil seed bank, while leaf litter treatments were used to mimic both undisturbed stands and stands where shrubs have been slashed where litter creates a physical barrier to emergence. We found the soil seed bank was dominated by exotic forbs (83% of all germinants) and contained few grasses. Heat and smoke decreased total species density but increased species diversity through the suppression of common exotics. Our data suggest that slashing would result in germination being dominated by exotic flora, but using fire would likely reduce that dominance. However, we conclude that recovery by much of the original flora after site occupation by Coast Tea Tree may be contingent on mechanisms other than soil‐stored seeds.     

Morphological traits and physiological characteristics in drought tolerance in 20 shrub species on the Qinghai-Xizang Plateau

Aims Providing indispensably theoretical evidence for establishing indices of evaluation on drought tolerance in shrubs, and screening for tree species that are drought tolerant for afforestation in arid regions or for matching their characteristics with suitable habitat conditions are the key to vegetation restoration in the Qinghai-Xizang Plateau. However, these issues are not adequately addressed in recent research due to lack of systematic methods. Therefore, our objective was to make a comprehensive evaluation on drought tolerance in 20 shrub species collected from different areas in Qinghai-Xizang Plateau, and to study their underlying mechanisms in drought tolerance.
Methods We made measurements on variables depicting root characteristics, including the root length (TRL), surface area (TRSA), volume (TRV), and tips number (TRTN) of all roots, the root length (FRL), surface area (FRSA), volume (FRV), and tips number (FRTN) of fine roots (d≤2 mm), and derived plant characteristic indices including thickness of cuticle (CT), thickness of palisade tissue (TPT), thickness of spongy tissue (TST), TPT/TST, thickness of leaf (LT), palisable tissue cell density, and tissue structural tense ratio (CTR = TPT/LT × 100%) and spongy tissue loosened ratio (SR = TST/LT × 100%) of leaf anatomical structure, root to shoot ratio (RSR), leaf transpiration rate (T_r), instantaneous water use efficiency (WUE_i), and carbon isotopic composition (δ¹³C) of the 20 shrub species through field experiments. Correlation analysis and principal component analysis were performed on the 19 variables and indices.
Important findings Different shrubs had different mechanisms of drought tolerance. In this study, the character- istics of drought tolerance were mainly categorized into 6 types, involving modifications of (1) root systems, (2) leaf anatomical structure, (3) leaf pattern, and (4) biomass allocation, or via (5) low water-consumption and (6) high WUE_i. Different genera or different tree species within the same genus clearly differed in drought tolerance. The species of the genus Hippophae were relatively poorly tolerant to drought, whereas several shrubs including Potentilla fruticosa, Berberis julianae, Caragana arborescens, Spiraea salicifolia and Hippophae rhamnoides ssp. mongolica occurred to be more drought tolerant than other shrub species investigated in this study. On the other hand, there were highly significant correlations among the characteristics of root systems and among characteristics of leaf anatomical structure. The results of principal component analysis on 19 variables and indices showed that TRL, TRSA, TRV, TRTN, FRL, FRSA, FRV, FRTN, CT, TPT, TST and WUE_i could be effective indicators of drought tolerance of shrubs in the Qinghai-Xizang Plateau. In addition, the drought tolerance of shrubs had a close connection with their origin of collections; the shrubs collected from Xining prefecture in Qinghai Province were more drought tolerant than those from Tianshui Prefecture in Gansu and Lasa Prefecture in Xizang.     

毛乌素沙地中间锦鸡儿整株丛的蒸腾特征

中间锦鸡儿(Caragana intermedia)是一种优良的防风固沙灌木。有关其蒸腾作用的测定研究多是通过对单叶或小枝蒸腾速率的测定值推算整株丛的蒸腾耗水。该研究选择在中间锦鸡儿株丛的主根安装“热扩散探针”来测定整株丛的蒸腾耗水。结果表明: 中间锦鸡儿整株丛液流量的日变化可划分为4个阶段: 1)液流量迅速上升阶段(8:00~11:30), 其液流量占全天液流量的21.21%; 2)液流量最高而相对稳定阶段(12:00~18:00), 液流量占全天液流量的58.84%; 3)液流量迅速降低阶段(18:30~21:00), 液流量占全天液流量的10.62%; 4)液流量最低而稳定阶段(21:30~次日8:00), 液流量占全天液流量的9.32%。从所观测的中间锦鸡儿整株丛液流量的日变化可以看出: 在午间(12:00~14:00), 中间锦鸡儿整株丛蒸腾虽因环境因子的影响(如云朵遮阴)会发生较小的波动, 但并没有出现明显的“午休”现象, 而是保持相对稳定的高蒸腾速率。环境因子对中间锦鸡儿整株丛液流量影响的强弱次序依次为: 太阳辐射>空气温度>水蒸气压亏缺>空气相对湿度>土壤温度>风速。液流量对环境因子变化的响应存在着明显的时滞现象。根据所测大、中、小3个中间锦鸡儿整株丛树干液流量数据, 计算出一个中等大小(株高为110 cm, 冠幅为0.6 m², 叶片总干重为51.82 g)的中间锦鸡儿整株丛在测定时间内的日蒸腾耗水量为2.2 kg · d^-1。     

突变级数法在厦门城市生态安全评价中的应用

针对港湾快速城市化地区存在的潜在突变特性,基于P-S-R(压力-状态-响应)框架和突变级数法,构建了评价城市生态安全的突变模型,并对1996—2006年厦门城市生态安全进行了评价.结果表明：1996—1998年,快速城市化对厦门市区域生态安全的影响不大,研究区生态安全状况呈上升趋势;1998—2001年,由于大范围高强度的填海造地、人口激增等生态干扰远远超过了生态系统自身的修复能力,导致厦门城市生态安全状况呈快速下降趋势;2001—2006年,厦门城市生态安全整体水平回升,主要受其海湾型生态城市重大战略转变的影响;2006年,研究区系统压力安全级别为Ⅲ,说明厦门市还存在着生态安全隐患.突变级数法反映了单一指标极值情况对生态系统突变的影响,弥补了现有方法在此方面的不足,它既减小了权重赋值的主观性,又避免了主观判断安全标准的不确定性,可准确地反映城市生态安全的发展趋势.     

红壤丘陵区林下灌木生物量估算模型的建立及其应用

以中国科学院千烟洲生态试验站林下常见的16种物种作为研究对象,构建了单一物种以植冠面积(Ac)为变量的二次方程和以植冠投影体积(Vc)为变量的乘幂方程来估算物种生物量,以及16种物种的混合模型来估算其生物量,并将最佳生物量估算模型应用于不同森林内灌木层生物量的估计.不同森林的灌木层生物量组成存在较大差异.以物种单一模型计算的落叶阔叶林、次生林、人工针叶林灌木层的生物量分别为4773、3175和733kg.hm-2;以物种混合模型估算的结果略低于单一模型,分别为3946、2772和840kg.hm-2.混合模型在未能对所有物种建立单一模型的情况下估算灌木层生物量时,具有简便、实用性的特点.     

基于样带的唐古特白刺灌丛沙包空间格局尺度研究

黄河河岸与库布齐沙漠之间生态过渡带上的唐古特白刺(Nitraria Tangutorum)灌丛沙包由于遭受到不同程度的破坏而表现出一定程度的退化,空间格局尺度从一定程度上表征了其破碎化程度。我们分别应用样方方差法,小波分析,分维,谱分析以及空隙度分析等方法对鄂尔多斯高原北缘唐古特白刺灌丛沙包的空间格局尺度进行了比较研究,旨在选出适合分析干旱半干旱区白刺灌丛沙包空间格局尺度的方法,并确定研究区内唐古特白刺灌丛沙包的空间格局尺度,为保护唐古特白刺灌丛沙包提供科学依据。结果表明:(1)TTLQV法得到的格局尺度过大,而小波分析得到的格局尺度过小,分维分析得到的格局尺度除了相对较小之外,趋势也不明显,因此都不适合分析干旱半干旱区白刺灌丛沙包的空间格局尺度;(2)而3TLQV,tQV,谱分析和空隙度分析所得到的结果则相对容易接受,其大小顺序是:3TLQV>tQV>空隙度分析>谱分析;(3)独贵塔拉、呼和木独和巴拉贡唐古特白刺灌丛沙包的空间格局尺度分别为16.7～27.1m,10.2～25.0m和8.8～17.0m,这一结果将有助于在今后的研究中合理地确定研究范围和尺度。     

Swamp-riverine tropical fish population: a comparative study of two spatially isolated freshwater ecosystems in Peninsular Malaysia

Twenty-four fish species were collected during a study from October 1996 of the swamp-riverine fish populations of two spatially isolated Malaysian freshwater swamp ecosystems. Twenty one species were collected from the Beriah Kanan River, which is located in northern Peninsular Malaysia, compared to only 10 species obtained from the Ulu Sedili River in the south. At both sites, the species Rasbora einthovenii and Hemirhamphodon pogognathu appeared to be the most dominant species, whereas Rasbora pauciperforata and Nemacheilus selangoricus were very rarely caught and Beriah Kanan and Ulu Sedili River, respectively. An analysis of the physico-chemical data showed that although pH, conductivity and ammonium levels were fairly similar at both sites, orthophosphate, hardness and total suspended solids were relatively higher for Ulu Sedili River.