Perspectives on measurement of denitrification in the field including recommended protocols for acetylene based methods

Of the biogeochemical processes, denitrification has perhaps been the most difficult to study in the field because of the inability to measure the product of the process. The last decade of research, however, has provided both acetylene and¹⁵N based methods as well as undisturbed soil core andin situ soil cover sampling approaches to implementing these methods. All of these methods, if used appropriately, give comparable results. Thus, we now have several methods, each with advantages for particular sites or objectives, that accurately measure denitrification in nature. Because of the general usefulness of the acetylene methods, updated protocols for the following three methods are given: gas-phase recirculation soil cores; static soil cores; and the denitrifying enzyme assay also known as the phase 1 assay. Despite the availability of these and other methods, denitrification budgets remain difficult to accurately establish in most environments because of the high spatial and temporal variability inherent in denitrification. Appropriate analysis of those data includes a distribution analysis of the data, and if highly skewed as is typically the case, the most accurate method to estimate the mean and the population variance is the UMVUE method (uniformly minimum variance unbiased estimator). Geostatistical methods have also been employed to improve spatial and temporal estimates of denitrification. These have occasionally been successful for spatial analysis but in the attempt described here for temporal analysis the approach was not useful.Discussions of the importance of denitrification have always focused on quantifying the process and whether particular measured quantities are judged to be a significant amount of nitrogen. A second line of evidence discussed here is the extant genetic record that results from natural selection. These analysis lead to the conclusion that strong selection for denitrification must currently be occurring, which implies that the process is of general significance in soils.     

杨树光肩星天牛种群空间格局的地统计学研究

根据在宁夏青铜峡市４块不同类型样地上收集到的光肩星天牛卵、幼虫和成虫的数量和位置资料,应用地统计学方法对其处群的空间格局进行了研究,结果表明,在各种林型中天牛卵和幼虫的数量具有明显的空间依赖性,其变程分别为２０－４０ｍ和２８－１７０ｍ,局部空间连续性强度分别为０．２６－０．４７和０．１４－０．５５５;而成虫的数量没有表现出空间依赖性,在空间呈随机分布。对不同样方大小的变异曲线图进行比较得知;在一定     

基于地统计学的黄土高寒区典型林地土壤水分盈亏状况研究

土壤水分是黄土高寒区水循环、地下水补给和植被恢复的关键因素,基于地统计学研究土壤水分空间分布及其盈亏状况,揭示林地土壤水分的空间分布规律、变异特征及空间结构,对于区域植被恢复具有重要价值。以大通县安门滩小流域人工林地作为研究对象,运用地统计学方法对其5月、7月和9月的土壤储水量、林地耗水量和土壤水分盈亏量进行综合分析。研究结果表明:(1)土壤储水量总体表现为9月5月7月,而林地耗水量为7月9月5月,5—7月绝大多数林地的土壤水分呈亏损状态,而7—9月所有林地土壤水分都得到了补充,总体来看,5—9月研究区多数林地的土壤水分有所盈余,土壤储水量、林地耗水量和土壤水分盈亏量均采用指数模型作为最优理论变异函数模型;(2)5月、7月和9月土壤储水量呈南高北低、西高东低的空间分异规律,且西南-东北方向变异较东南-西北方向剧烈;各月林地耗水量在西南-东北方向变异较东南-西北方向剧烈,总体表现为西南部区域低于东北部区域;在5—7月、7—9月和5—9月这三个时期内,土壤水分盈亏量的取值均呈现出东北部区域小于西南部区域的特点。综上,当地土壤水分状况与林地耗水量分布格局并不完全匹配,虽然绝大部分林分能够维持土壤水分收支平衡,但部分山脚处的青杨林地和中部区域的华北落叶松林地出现了土壤水分亏损的现象。为防止林地水分环境恶化,在之后黄土高寒区的植被建设过程中,应适当调整林分配置。     

云南松三种同域共存切梢小蠹梢转干期的空间分布格局

分布在我国西南地区的横坑切梢小蠹,云南切梢小蠹和短毛切梢小蠹同域危害寄主云南松,给林业生产带来巨大损失。为探讨同域切梢小蠹种群在共存下对其空间分布格局的影响,采用传统聚集指标法和地统计学方法研究了三者在梢转干期不同受害云南松纯林树冠中的空间分布型。结果表明重度受害样地中云南切梢小蠹种群密度显著高于横坑切梢小蠹,在轻度受害样地则相反;传统聚集指标法结果显示同域共存的3种切梢小蠹种群在不同受害程度云南松中均为聚集分布,横坑切梢小蠹和云南切梢小蠹聚集是由环境因素和昆虫本身的聚集习性引起;地统计学结果表明除重度受害样地中短毛切梢小蠹呈随机分布外,其余切梢小蠹在不同种群密度下均呈聚集分布;除重度受害样地横坑切梢小蠹外,其他小蠹的空间依赖范围为4.01—7.45 m。横坑切梢小蠹和云南切梢小蠹在不同受害林分中拟合的半变异函数模型在球形模型和高斯模型之间转换。同域共存关系不影响不同种群密度下的切梢小蠹种群空间分布类型,但影响其半变异函数模型和理论参数。     

A geostatistical model to describe root vitality and ectomycorrhization in Norway spruce

Abstract

The spatial distribution of vital root tips and ectomycorrhizal (ECM) communities in forest soils is characterized by patchiness at a microscale level, mostly related to the distribution patterns of biotic and abiotic factors. A geostatistical model was applied to verify if spatial analyses could be useful in identifying an appropriate sampling method to study root tip vitality, ectomycorrhization and the ECM community. Root samples were collected from two high mountain Norway spruce forests (Trentino province, Italy) following a geometrical design. Laboratory microscopic and geostatistical ordinary kriging analyses were used to map tip vitality and ectomycorrhization degree, ECM richness and distribution grouped in “exploration types” (amount of emanating hyphae or presence and differentiation of rhizomorphs). Spatial gradients of the examined features existed at plant level, associated to the up-downslope direction (root tip vitality and ectomycorrhization, ECM richness) and distance from the stem base (ECM exploration types). The effectiveness of the geostatistical model used demonstrates that a geometrical sampling design, associated to spatial mapping techniques, can be useful in research where the tree, and not the forest, is the subject (mycological and phytopathological studies).     

基于GIS的缓坡烟田土壤养分空间变异研究

综合运用地统计学和GIS相结合的方法,分析了缓坡地形下土壤养分的空间变异规律,并绘制养分空间分布图,为山地缓坡烟田养分分区及精准施肥决策提供理论依据.结果表明:研究区内4种养分含量均具中等程度变异.土壤有机质、碱解氮、速效磷和速效钾的变程分别为61.8、76.3、70.5 m和57 m.土壤速效钾的分形维数最高,有机质和碱解氮其次,速效磷最低.有机质和速效钾的最适模型为指数模型,块金系数分别为30.9％和31.1％;碱解氮和速效磷可用球状模型进行较好拟合,其块金系数分别为37.7％和26.4％,4种养分均有中等程度的空间相关性.各向异性和趋势性分析均显示,有机质和速效磷具有较强的各向异性,碱解氮和速效钾的各向同性范围最广.研究区4种养分的空间分布格局在海拔和坡度的影响下呈现出一定的规律性,低值均在坡度较大的中北部出现,东北部和南部较平缓区域出现高值.     

茶园害虫匮乏期天敌与蚊虫的空间关系

为了充分发挥中性昆虫蚊虫作为天敌的食饵替代物作用,科学地保护和利用自然天敌,2015年和2016年开展了合肥地区白毫早茶园和乌牛早茶园害虫匮乏时期(3—5月)的天敌与蚊虫之间的空间关系研究,运用地学统计学方法求得天敌和蚊虫各自的变程,用灰色关联度方法分析蚊虫与天敌变程的关联度,关联度值越大的天敌在空间上对蚊虫的跟随关系越密切。并分析茶树品种间及年度间天敌位次的变化。8种天敌中,白毫早茶园2015年与蚊虫空间跟随关系密切的前四位天敌是粽管巢蛛、八斑球腹蛛、三突花蟹蛛和茶色新圆蛛;2016年的是粽管巢蛛、茶色新圆蛛、锥腹肖蛸和三突花蟹蛛;两年间前四位天敌有3种相同,但位次不全相同。乌牛早茶园2015年与蚊虫空间跟随关系密切的前四位天敌是八斑球腹蛛、茶色新圆蛛、锥腹肖蛸和三突花蟹蛛;2016年的是三突花蟹蛛、粽管巢蛛、草间小黑蛛和茶色新圆蛛;两年间前四位天敌中有茶色新圆蛛和三突花蟹蛛2种相同。年度间天敌位次相异率为87.5%,茶树品种间天敌位次相异率为93.75%。按照天敌位次总和及按照天敌与蚊虫空间关系密切指数总和评判,两种茶园2015年和2016年3—5月份与蚊虫空间关系密切的前四位天敌均依次是粽管巢蛛、三突花蟹蛛、茶色新圆蛛和八斑球腹蛛。本文的结果为人为地促进优势种天敌建群,合理保护和利用自然天敌提供科学依据。     

Grazing intensity enhances spatial aggregation of dominant species in a desert steppe

Understanding how grazing activity drives plant community structure or the distribution of specific species in a community remains a major challenge in community ecology. The patchiness or spatial aggregation of specific species can be quantified by analyzing their relative coordinates in the community. Using variance and geostatistical analysis methods, we examined the quantitative characteristics and spatial distribution of Stipa breviflora in a desert steppe in northern China under four different grazing intensities (no grazing, NG, light grazing, LG, moderate grazing, MG, and heavy grazing, HG) at three small spatial scales (10 × 10 cm, 20 × 20 cm, 25 × 25 cm). We found that grazing significantly increased cover, density, and proportion in standing crop of S. breviflora, but decreased height. The spatial distribution of S. breviflora was strongly dependent upon the sampling unit and grazing intensity. The patchiness of S. breviflora reduced with sampling scale, and spatial distribution of S. breviflora was mainly determined by structural factors. The intact clusters of S. breviflora were more fragmented with increasing grazing intensity and offspring clusters spread out from the center of the parent plant. These findings suggest that spatial aggregation can enhance the ability of S. breviflora to tolerate grazing and that smaller isolated clusters are beneficial to the survival of this dominant species under heavy grazing.