Availability and contributions of soil phosphorus to forage production of seeded alfalfa in semiarid Loess Plateau

The availability of soil phosphorus was studied in response to the forage production of seeded alfalfa (Medicago sativa L.), established by the ridge and furrow water-harvesting technique in the semiarid Loess Plateau of China. The following 5 treatments were set up in this study: (1) conventional cultivation in a flat plot without mulch (CK); (2) plastic mulched ridge with 30 cm width of ridge and furrow (M30); (3) plastic mulched ridge with 60 cm width of ridge and furrow (M60); (4) bare ridge with 30 cm width of ridge and furrow (B30); (5) bare ridge with 60 cm width of ridge and furrow (B60). The forage yield, evapotranspiration (ET), soil organic carbon (SOC), total phosphorus, available phosphorus and the ratio of soil organic C to available P (C/P) were measured in the experiment. Results showed that the positive correlation occurred between the decrease in soil available P and the total forage yield of alfalfa after three-year alfalfa stand. M30 and M60 were higher than those of conventional flat cultivation (CK) by 10.7% and 40.3%, respectively, whereas the yield of two bare treatments (B30 and B60) was lower than that of CK by 14.2% and 28.3%, respectively. After a 3-year alfalfa stand, the trend of the decrease in soil available P was in the order of M60 (55.5%) > M30 (51.5%) > CK (34.6%) > B30 (23.4%) > B60 (17.5%). Moreover, after 3-year alfalfa growth, the C/P ratio increased significantly in all of the treatments by comparing with that before sowing. The C/P ratios of M30 (1165.1) and M60 (1326.1) were significantly higher than those of the other treatments. More interesting finding was that the increase in SOC in dry years promoted the accumulation of soil available P. However, in wet years, the increase of SOC limited the accumulation of soil available P. Therefore, to further increase the forage yield of alfalfa, the effective technique must be developed to increase the soil available P.     

陇东黄土高原丘陵沟壑区天然草地植物多样性研究

以陇东黄土高原丘陵沟壑区天然草地30个植被样点的样方资料为依据,以相对生物量为指标,对该地区群落植物多样性进行了研究。结果表明,该地区天然草地可划分为长芒草草原、次生杂类草草原和杂类草草甸草原3个植被类型,16个群落按放牧程度分为禁牧草地、轻牧草地和过牧草地3个层次。多样性指数显示草甸草原>长芒草草原>次生杂类草草原,轻牧草地>禁牧草地>过牧草地的趋势。放牧程度可能是影响该区域天然草地植物多样性的关键因素,出现海拔增高和降水增加多样性指数降低的趋势可能是放牧干扰的结果。相关性分析显示物种的Shannon-wiener和Simpson多样性指数与Shannon和Simpson均匀度指数间均呈显著正相关,而与生物量之间呈显著负相关。     

2001—2020年川西北高原归一化植被指数演变特征及其对极端气候的响应

川西北高原是典型的生态气候敏感区,其植被状况与气候变化密切相关。本研究基于2001—2020年MODIS-NDVI数据集和气象数据,采用最大值合成、地理探测器模型、线性趋势分析、相关分析等方法,研究川西北高原生长季归一化植被指数(NDVI)的变化趋势及其对气候因子的响应机制。结果表明: 研究期间,川西北高原植被覆盖度整体状况良好,86.8%的区域植被稳定,12.6%的区域NDVI呈弱持续性上升趋势,0.6%的区域NDVI呈下降趋势,全区生态环境呈稳中向好的发展趋势。研究区植被覆盖度空间差异大,总体呈由西南向东北上升的趋势,并有显著的立体变化。海拔1350 m以下,NDVI随海拔升高而上升;海拔1350～3650 m,NDVI无显著变化;海拔3650～5900 m,NDVI随海拔升高而下降,在4750～5900 m快速下降;海拔5900 m以上,几乎无植被。川西北高原的NDVI受多种自然因子交互作用影响,热量因子(月最高气温极大值、月最低气温极小值、植物生长期、年均温、生长期均温)是主导气候因子,除月最高气温极大值外,其余温度因子对NDVI均以正贡献为主。NDVI对气温指数的响应高于降水指数。在气候变暖背景下,极端气温暖指数对川西北高原植被生长尤其是高海拔地区植被生长及改善以促进作用为主。     

高原鼠兔冷驯化和脱冷驯化中的产热变化

本文探讨了冷驯化和脱冷驯化对高原鼠兔代谢产热的影响。在冷驯化中，鼠兔的静止代谢率逐渐增加，血清Ｔ３‘／Ｔ４比率上升，肝线粒体状态３呼吸明显增加，线粒体细胞色素Ｃ氧化酶激活，而肝脏线粒体蛋白含量没有明显变化。     

黄土高原植被恢复的水分生态环境研究

水分是制约黄土高原地区植被恢复与生态环境重建的决定性因子,在分析现有关于该区植被建设中的水分生态环境的各项研究的基础上,从水资源,土壤水分背景,土壤水分动态,土壤干层,土壤水分的林草生产力,水分性质分区,林草对策等7个方面,对黄土高原的土壤水分环境进行了阐述,针对该问题的研究现状,指出其中存在的问题,并对今后的研究进展了展望。     

American pika in a low‐elevation lava landscape: expanding the known distribution of a temperature‐sensitive species

In 2010, the American pika (Ochotona princeps fenisex) was denied federal protection based on limited evidence of persistence in low‐elevation environments. Studies in nonalpine areas have been limited to relatively few environments, and it is unclear whether patterns observed elsewhere (e.g., Bodie, CA) represent other nonalpine habitats. This study was designed to establish pika presence in a new location, determine distribution within the surveyed area, and evaluate influences of elevation, vegetation, lava complexity, and distance to habitat edge on pika site occupancy. In 2011 and 2012, we conducted surveys for American pika on four distinct subalpine lava flows of Newberry National Volcanic Monument, Oregon, USA. Field surveys were conducted at predetermined locations within lava flows via silent observation and active searching for pika sign. Site habitat characteristics were included as predictors of occupancy in multinomial regression models. Above and belowground temperatures were recorded at a subsample of pika detection sites. Pika were detected in 26% (2011) and 19% (2012) of survey plots. Seventy‐four pika were detected outside survey plot boundaries. Lava complexity was the strongest predictor of pika occurrence, where pika were up to seven times more likely to occur in the most complicated lava formations. Pika were two times more likely to occur with increasing elevation, although they were found at all elevations in the study area. This study expands the known distribution of the species and provides additional evidence for persistence in nonalpine habitats. Results partially support the predictive occupancy model developed for pika at Craters of the Moon National Monument, another lava environment. Characteristics of the lava environment clearly influence pika site occupancy, but habitat variables reported as important in other studies were inconclusive here. Further work is needed to gain a better understanding of the species’ current distribution and ability to persist under future climate conditions.     

Contrasting responses to Pleistocene climate changes: a case study of two sister species Allium cyathophorum and A. spicata (Amaryllidaceae) distributed in the eastern and western Qinghai–Tibet Plateau

It has been hypothesized that species occurring in the eastern and the western Qinghai–Tibet Plateau (QTP) responded differently to climate changes during the Pleistocene. Here, we test this hypothesis by phylogeographic analysis of two sister species, Allium cyathophorum and A. spicata. We sequenced two chloroplast DNA (cpDNA) fragments (accD‐psaI and the rpl16 intron) of 150 individuals, and the nuclear (ITS) region of 114 individuals, from 19 populations throughout the distributional ranges of these species. The divergence between the two species was dated at 779 ‐ 714 thousand years before the present and was likely initiated by the most major glaciation in the QTP. Analysis of chlorotype diversity showed that A. spicata, the species occurring in the western QTP, contains much lower genetic diversity (0.25) than A. cyathophorum (0.93), which is distributed in the eastern QTP. Moreover, multiple independent tests suggested that the A. spicata population had expanded recently, while no such expansion was detected in A. cyathophorum, indicating a contrasting pattern of responses to Pleistocene climate changes. These findings highlight the importance of geographical topography in determining how species responded to the climate changes that took place in the QTP during the Pleistocene.     

Patterns of above- and belowground biomass allocation in China’s grasslands: Evidence from individual-level observations

Above- and belowground biomass allocation not only influences growth of individual plants, but also influences vegetation structures and functions, and consequently impacts soil carbon input as well as terrestrial ecosystem carbon cycling. However, due to sampling difficulties, a considerable amount of uncertainty remains about the root: shoot ratio (R/S), a key parameter for models of terrestrial ecosystem carbon cycling. We investigated biomass allocation patterns across a broad spatial scale. We collected data on individual plant biomass and systematically sampled along a transect across the temperate grasslands in Inner Mongolia as well as in the alpine grasslands on the Tibetan Plateau. Our results indicated that the median of R/S for herbaceous species was 0.78 in China’s grasslands as a whole. R/S was significantly higher in temperate grasslands than in alpine grasslands (0.84 vs. 0.65). The slope of the allometric relationship between above- and belowground biomass was steeper for temperate grasslands than for alpine. Our results did not support the hypothesis that aboveground biomass scales isometrically with belowground biomass. The R/S in China’s grasslands was not significantly correlated with mean annual temperature (MAT) or mean annual precipitation (MAP). Moreover, comparisons of our results with previous findings indicated a large difference between R/S data from individual plants and communities. This might be mainly caused by the underestimation of R/S at the individual level as a result of an inevitable loss of fine roots and the overestimation of R/S in community-level surveys due to grazing and difficulties in identifying dead roots. Our findings suggest that root biomass in grasslands tended to have been overestimated in previous reports of R/S.     

Survival of Rio Grande Wild Turkeys on the Edwards Plateau of Texas

Abstract: The southeastern portion of the Edwards Plateau of Texas, historically a stronghold of Rio Grande wild turkeys (Meleagris gallopavo intermedia), has seen a decline in turkey numbers since the 1970s. Because adult and juvenile survival are key parameters affecting turkey population dynamics, we used radiotagged individuals to compare Rio Grande wild turkey survival in areas of suspected decline versus stable portions of the Edwards Plateau during 2001–2003. Reproductive period (breeding or nonbreeding) had an impact on survival, but differences in age, sex, or region did not influence survival. Model averaged estimates of monthly survival were 0.97 (SE = 0.005) for nonbreeding periods and 0.96 (SE = 0.007) for breeding periods. Our results indicate juvenile and adult survival in the declining areas was similar to survival in the stable areas of the Edwards Plateau. This suggests causes of the decline might be associated with differences during other life-history stages, such as nest success or poult survival, although we cannot rule out the possibility juvenile or adult survival contributed to the decline in the past. This situation demonstrates why wildlife managers should be cognizant of the implications of initiating long-term monitoring programs after changes in population status occur, rather than initiating them in expectation of such changes.