Seasonal and interannual variations in carbon dioxide exchange over a cropland in the North China Plain

In China, croplands account for a relatively large form of vegetation cover. Quantifying carbon dioxide exchange and understanding the environmental controls on carbon fluxes over croplands are critical in understanding regional carbon budgets and ecosystem behaviors. In this study, the net ecosystem exchange (NEE) at a winter wheat/summer maize rotation cropping site, representative of the main cropping system in the North China Plain, was continuously measured using the eddy covariance technique from 2005 to 2009. In order to interpret the abiotic factors regulating NEE, NEE was partitioned into gross primary production (GPP) and ecosystem respiration (R_eco). Daytime R_eco was extrapolated from the relationship between nighttime NEE and soil temperature under high turbulent conditions. GPP was then estimated by subtracting daytime NEE from the daytime estimates of R_eco. Results show that the seasonal patterns of the temperature responses of R_eco and light‐response parameters are closely related to the crop phenology. Daily R_eco was highly dependent on both daily GPP and air temperature. Interannual variability showed that GPP and R_eco were mainly controlled by temperature. Water availability also exerted a limit on R_eco. The annual NEE was ?585 and ?533 g C m^?2 for two seasons of 2006–2007 and 2007–2008, respectively, and the wheat field absorbed more carbon than the maize field. Thus, we concluded that this cropland was a strong carbon sink. However, when the grain harvest was taken into account, the wheat field was diminished into a weak carbon sink, whereas the maize field was converted into a weak carbon source. The observations showed that severe drought occurring during winter did not reduce wheat yield (or integrated NEE) when sufficient irrigation was carried out during spring.     

On the relationship between water table depth and water vapor and carbon dioxide fluxes in a minerotrophic fen

The focus of this study is the relationship between water table depth (WTD) and water vapor [evapotranspiration (ET)] and carbon dioxide [CO₂; net ecosystem exchange (NEE)] fluxes in a fen in western Canada. We analyzed hydrological and eddy covariance measurements from four snow‐free periods (2003–2006) with contrasting meteorological conditions to establish the link between daily WTD and ET and gross ecosystem CO₂ exchange (GEE) and ecosystem respiration (R_eco; NEE=R_eco?GEE), respectively: 2003 was warm and dry, 2004 was cool and wet, and 2005 and 2006 were both wet. In 2003, the water table (WT) was below the ground surface. In 2004, the WT rose above the ground surface, and in 2005 and 2006, the WT stayed well above the ground surface. There were no significant differences in total ET (～316 mm period^?1), but total NEE was significantly different (2003: 8 g C m^?2 period^?1; 2004: ?139 g C m^?2 period^?1; 2005: ?163 g C m^?2 period^?1; 2006: ?195 g C m^?2 period^?1), mostly due to differences in total GEE (2003: 327 g C m^?2 period^?1; 2004: 513 g C m^?2 period^?1; 2005: 411 g C m^?2 period^?1; 2006: 556 g C m^?2 period^?1). Variation in ET is mostly explained by radiation (67%), and the contribution of WTD is only minor (33%). WTD controls the compensating contributions of different land surface components, resulting in similar total ET regardless of the hydrological conditions. WTD and temperature each contribute about half to the explained variation in GEE up to a threshold ponding depth, below which temperature alone is the key explanatory variable. WTD is only of minor importance for the variation in R_eco, which is mainly controlled by temperature. Our study implies that future peatland modeling efforts explicitly consider topographic and hydrogeological influences on WTD.     

The European carbon balance. Part 3: forests

We present a new synthesis, based on a suite of complementary approaches, of the primary production and carbon sink in forests of the 25 member states of the European Union (EU‐25) during 1990–2005. Upscaled terrestrial observations and model‐based approaches agree within 25% on the mean net primary production (NPP) of forests, i.e. 520±75 g C m^?2 yr^?1 over a forest area of 1.32 × 10⁶ km² to 1.55 × 10⁶ km² (EU‐25). New estimates of the mean long‐term carbon forest sink (net biome production, NBP) of EU‐25 forests amounts 75±20 g C m^?2 yr^?1. The ratio of NBP to NPP is 0.15±0.05. Estimates of the fate of the carbon inputs via NPP in wood harvests, forest fires, losses to lakes and rivers and heterotrophic respiration remain uncertain, which explains the considerable uncertainty of NBP. Inventory‐based assessments and assumptions suggest that 29±15% of the NBP (i.e., 22 g C m^?2 yr^?1) is sequestered in the forest soil, but large uncertainty remains concerning the drivers and future of the soil organic carbon. The remaining 71±15% of the NBP (i.e., 53 g C m^?2 yr^?1) is realized as woody biomass increments. In the EU‐25, the relatively large forest NBP is thought to be the result of a sustained difference between NPP, which increased during the past decades, and carbon losses primarily by harvest and heterotrophic respiration, which increased less over the same period.     

Influence of an invasive ant on grazing and detrital communities and nutrient fluxes in a tropical forest

Aim  Pathways linking grazing and detrital subsystems of terrestrial ecosystems are important for ecosystem processes and function, but remain poorly understood. The invasion of a generalist predator creates a unique opportunity to study the effects of predation across these subsystems. We examine here, the effects of a non-native generalist predator, the little red fire ant ( Wasmannia auropunctata, Roger) on both grazing and detrital invertebrate communities and ecosystem processes in a rain forest understorey.
Location  Gamba Protected Area Complex, south-western Gabon, Africa.
Methods  We measured abundances and diversities of understorey grazing and detrital invertebrate communities, soil nutrients, herbivory, litter fragmentation rates and leaf chemistry of a dominant understorey shrub inside and outside of 19 separate invasion fronts. We then explored possible trophic cascades and pathways of interaction using path analysis.
Results  Results suggest that invasive ants may alter herbivory regimes, grazing and detrital communities, and may indirectly alter litter decomposition and nutrient cycling in the soil by suppressing important microbivore and detritivore populations with consequences for leaf chemistry.
Main conclusions  These results demonstrate that generalist predators may be major drivers of both grazing and detrital subsystems by inducing strong shifts in adjacent communities that ultimately affect ecosystem processes.     

植物-土壤系统中水分再分配作用研究进展

在过去100多年里,植物与土壤之间水分关系的研究多侧重于植物本身的水分利用方式、水分利用效率及其植物根系对水分的吸收等.然而进入20世纪80年代后期,植物生理生态学研究人员开始将注意力转移到植物根系对土壤水分的调节作用,即水分再分配（hydraulic redistribution）作用,具体地讲是在水势差的驱动下水分由根系向土壤中释出的一种双向和被动的水分运转过程,其中既包含水分由深层土壤向表层土壤的释出,也包括由表层土壤向深层土壤的流动,同时还涵盖了水分在水平方向上的侧向运输过程.伴随着研究手段的不断提高和对生态系统水平衡问题的关注,水分再分配逐渐成为近代植物生态学和水文学的交叉学科生态水文学（ecohydrology）的核心研究内容之一.目前该领域的研究已经阐明水分再分配作用在不同程度上对植物个体蒸腾、碳同化速率有很大贡献,有利于提高根系生活力和土壤养分;另外,在不断扩展的生态系统生态学研究中,也加强了对制约水分再分配作用发生的外部因子的认识.回顾和分析了水分再分配的研究历史、生态学意义、影响因素、测定方法等,特别提出阐述浅根系植物对水分再分配作用的依赖性与依赖程度,从植物进化学角度解释水分再分配作用发生的生理学基础和意义及水分再分配作用对土壤微生物活性的影响等方面将是未来研究的几个重点方向.     

生态系统服务价值评估研究进展——国外学者观点

生态系统服务的价值评估是目前生态学研究热点和存在较多争议的领域之一。争论的焦点主要集中在生态系统服务货币化评估的必要性和有效性。通过对大量文献的检索,较为系统地总结了国外学者的观点,特别是引起诸多争论的主要原因：一是由于生态系统本身的复杂性,各项服务之间存在着相互依赖的关系,使生态系统服务的分类本身就缺乏严格的标准,同时存在着时间和空间上复杂的尺度转换问题,从而使生态系统服务的价值评估容易出现重复计算;二是由于经济学方法本身存在着一定的局限性,对于不同的评估对象和评估目标往往需要选取不同的评估方法,每一种生态系统服务通常可以有几种不同的评估方法,评估结果在很大的程度上依赖于选择的不同方法．从而使得到的结果间缺乏可比性;三是由于生态系统不同于经济系统。有时用经济学方法对生态系统进行评估时往往很难反映出自然系统的价值,特别是当人类对生态系统服务的偏好随着时间和新信息的出现而发生变化时,可能会出现更大的差异。今后的研究应当着力于上述困难的解决,以便使生态系统的评估结果更加客观可信,为生态补偿机制建立和生态系统管理等提供有力支撑。     

虚拟草地生态系统的建立方法

通过分析草地生态系统的要素及其关系,将其抽象为多维的虚拟空间,综合应用草地生态学原理、地理信息系统技术、数据库技术、网络技术、软件技术以及JAVA语言,集成基础科学数据和动态信息,在国际互联网上构建了完全开放和共享的、具有10维空间的虚拟草地生态系统.系统实现了空间-属性的双向复合查询和分析、牧草信息检索等主要功能.结果表明,该虚拟系统包含信息量大、运行稳定,为业界提供了一个方便、快捷的信息查询和空间分析的共享平台.该系统是我国在互联网上第一个基于WebGIS技术的虚拟草地生态系统,为建设我国数字草原提供技术支持.     

森林生态系统立地指数的遥感分析

森林生态系统立地指数分析和立地质量的评估是森林生态系统经营管理和造林营林的重要理论基础与规划方法,也是研究森林生态系统生产力的重要内容.由于技术的限制,迄今为止,还没有实现森林生态系统立地空间分布格局的分析和开展立地条件随时间动态变化的研究.卫星遥感为大面积研究森林生态系统的生产力及其空间分布格局和动态提供了一条重要的途径.以云杉为对象,利用卫星遥感为研究手段,在岷江上游的四川西北部松潘镇江关流域研究森林生态系统立地指数的空间分布特点,探索有关遥感反演模型的建立,并通过有关精度的评估分析这种高技术应用的价值和潜力.研究结果表明,遥感植被指数NDVI和TNDVI与野外实测云杉立地指数（SI）基本为线性相关.通过对模型模拟结果和实际测定结果的比较研究,发现在1：1比例的分析图中,NDVI和TNDVI的遥感反演模型都有很好的拟合效果与较高的精度,说明通过遥感植被指数的方法测定森林立地指数具有较高的实用价值.     

关于中国淡水生态系统生物多样性监测与管理的探讨

China is one of the countries in the world with therichest species biodiversityinfreshwater ecosystem.How-ever,duetothe rapid economic growthandthe continuingincrease of human disturbances and destructions of aquatichabitats,the biodiversity of freshwater ecosystemsis dras-tically declining.Waterbodies become more and more“deserted”of sensitive species.Water areas are reduced,fragmentized,and changed in their hydrodynamics(i.e.damming),causing changes in sedimentation and otherchanges.Forinstance,the area o...     

青藏高原高寒灌丛非生长季节CO2通量特征

利用2003年和2004年涡度相关系统通量观测资料,对青藏高原高寒灌丛非生长季节CO2通量特征及其主要影响因子进行了分析。(1)从净生态系统CO2交换(NEE)日变化特征看,除13:00~19:00时有较小的CO2净释放以外,其余时段NEE均很小;(2)高寒灌丛非生长季月份间NEE差异明显,4月和10月是CO2净释放量较大,1月和12月CO2净释放量较小;(3)相对温带草原(高杆草大草原)草地类型,低温抑制下的青藏高原高寒灌丛生态系统非生长季节日平均CO2释放率较低;(4)高寒灌丛非生长季NEE日变化模式与5 cm土壤温度变化呈显著正相关,土壤温度是影响非生长季节青藏高原高寒灌丛NEE变化的主导气候因子,同时NEE变化还受降水的影响。