Grassland Precipitation-Use Efficiency Varies Across a Resource Gradient

Aboveground net primary production (ANPP) is positively related to mean annual precipitation, an estimate of water availability. This relationship is fundamental to our understanding and management of grassland ecosystems. However, the slope of the relationship between ANPP and precipitation (precipitation-use efficiency, PUE) has been shown to be different for temporal compared with spatial precipitation series. When ANPP and precipitation are averaged over a number of years for different sites, PUE is similar for grasslands all over the world. Studies for two US Long Term Ecological Research Sites have shown that PUE derived from a long-term dataset (temporal model) has a significantly lower slope than the value derived for sites distributed across the US central grassland region (spatial model). PUE differences between the temporal model and the spatial model may be associated with both vegetational and biogeochemical constraints. Here we use two independent datasets, one derived from field estimates of ANPP and the other from remote sensing, to show that the PUE is low at both the dry end and the wet end of the annual precipitation gradient typical of grassland areas (200–1200 mm), and peaks around 475 mm. The intermediate peak may be related to relatively low levels of both vegetational and biogeochemical constraints at this level of resource availability. Received 2 June 1998; accepted 21 October 1998.     

Regional Patterns in Carbon Cycling Across the Great Plains of North America

The large organic carbon (C) pools found in noncultivated grassland soils suggest that historically these ecosystems have had high rates of C sequestration. Changes in the soil C pool over time are a function of alterations in C input and output rates. Across the Great Plains and at individual sites through time, inputs of C (via aboveground production) are correlated with precipitation; however, regional trends in C outputs and the sensitivity of these C fluxes to annual variability in precipitation are less well known. To address the role of precipitation in controlling grassland C fluxes, and thereby soil C sequestration rates, we measured aboveground and belowground net primary production (ANPP-C and BNPP-C), soil respiration (SR-C), and litter decomposition rates for 2 years, a relatively dry year followed by a year of average precipitation, at five sites spanning a precipitation gradient in the Great Plains. ANPP-C, SR-C, and litter decomposition increased from shortgrass steppe (36, 454, and 24 g C m^–2 y^–1) to tallgrass prairie (180, 1221, and 208 g C m^–2 y^–1 for ANPP-C, SR-C, and litter decomposition, respectively). No significant regional trend in BNPP-C was found. Increasing precipitation between years increased rates of ANPP-C, BNPP-C, SR-C, and litter decomposition at most sites. However, regional patterns of the sensitivity of ANPP-C, BNPP-C, SR-C, and litter decomposition to between-year differences in precipitation varied. BNPP-C was more sensitive to between-year differences in precipitation than were the other C fluxes, and shortgrass steppe was more responsive than were mixed grass and tallgrass prairie.     

Seasonal Variation in Aboveground Production and Radiation-use Efficiency of Temperate rangelands Estimated through Remote Sensing

Aboveground net primary production (ANPP) of grasslands varies spatially and temporally. Spectral information provided by remote sensors is a promising new tool that may be able to estimate ANPP in real time and at low cost. The objectives of this study were (a) to evaluate at a seasonal scale the relationship between ANPP and the normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI), (b) to estimate seasonal variations in the coefficient of conversion of absorbed radiation into aboveground biomass (ε_a), and (c) to identify the environmental controls on such temporal changes. We used biomass-based field determinations of ANPP for two grassland sites in the Flooding Pampa, Argentina, and related them with NDVI data derived from the NOAA Advanced Very High Resolution Radiometer (AVHRR) satellites using three different models. Results were compared with data obtained from the new Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) sensor at an additional site. The first model was based solely on NDVI; the second was based on the amount of photosynthetically active radiation absorbed by the green vegetation (APAR_g), which was derived from NDVI and incoming photosynthetically active radiation (PAR); the third was based on APAR_g and ε_a, which was in turn estimated from climatic variables. NDVI explained between 63 and 93% of ANPP variation, depending on the site considered. Estimates of ANPP were not improved by considering the variation in incoming PAR. At both sites, ε_a varied seasonally (from 0.2 to 1.2 g DM/MJ) and was significantly associated with combinations of precipitation and temperature. Combining ε_a variations with APAR_g increased our ability to account for seasonal ANPP variations at both sites. Our results indicate that NDVI produces good, direct estimates of ANPP only if NDVI, PAR, and ε_a are correlated throughout the seasons. Thus, in most cases, seasonal variations of ε_a associated with temperature and precipitation must be taken into account to generate seasonal ANPP estimates with acceptable accuracy.     

Patterns of plant species richness in pasture lands of the northeast United States

Pasture lands are an important facet of land use in the northeast United States, yet little is known about their recent diversity. To answer some fundamental questions about the diversity of these pasture lands, we designed a broad survey to document plant species richness using an intensive, multi scale sampling method. We also wanted to learn whether environmental (soils or climate) or land management variables could help explain patterns of species richness. A total of 17 farms, encompassing 37 pastures, were sampled in New York, Pennsylvania, Vermont, Maryland, Massachusetts and Connecticut during July and August 1998. We positively identified a total of 161 different plant species across the study region. Species richness averaged 31.7±1.1 on pastures. Infrequent, transient species that were mostly perennial and annual forbs accounted for 90% of the species richness. Except for a subjective rating of grazing intensity, land management methods were not good predictors of species richness. Over time, it appears that grazing neither reduces nor increases species richness in pastures. Of the environmental variables measured, only soil P explained a significant amount of the variation in species richness. Soil P was inversely related to species richness at the 1m² scale. Percent SOM was positively associated with species richness at this scale, although weakly. At larger spatial scales, we suggest that patterns of species richness are best explained by the species diversity of soil seed banks, or seed rain, and stochastic recruitment of these species into existing vegetation.     

Shrub encroachment in North American grasslands: shifts in growth form dominance rapidly alters control of ecosystem carbon inputs

Shrub encroachment into grass-dominated biomes is occurring globally due to a variety of anthropogenic activities, but the consequences for carbon (C) inputs, storage and cycling remain unclear. We studied eight North American graminoid-dominated ecosystems invaded by shrubs, from arctic tundra to Atlantic coastal dunes, to quantify patterns and controls of C inputs via aboveground net primary production (ANPP). Across a fourfold range in mean annual precipitation (MAP), a key regulator of ecosystem C input at the continental scale, shrub invasion decreased ANPP in xeric sites, but dramatically increased ANPP (>1000 g m⁻²) at high MAP, where shrub patches maintained extraordinarily high leaf area. Concurrently, the relationship between MAP and ANPP shifted from being nonlinear in grasslands to linear in shrublands. Thus, relatively abrupt (<50 years) shifts in growth form dominance, without changes in resource quantity, can fundamentally alter continental-scale pattern of C inputs and their control by MAP in ways that exceed the direct effects of climate change alone.     

Carbon and Nitrogen Dynamics of Boreal Jack Pine Stands With and Without a Green Alder Understory

We compared the species composition, structure and selected components of the carbon (C) and nitrogen (N) budgets of similar-aged, mature boreal jack pine (Pinus banksiana Lamb.) forests with and without green alder [Alnus crispa (Ait.) Pursh.] in two different boreal environments. The C and N content of the overstory biomass components (for example, stem, branch, and foliage), total vegetation, forest floor, and mineral soil were greater (P= 0.05 to P= 0.10) for jack pine with alder (JPA) stands than for jack pine without alder (JP) stands at both study areas. Jack pine foliage N isotopic discrimination (δ¹⁵N) and annual litterfall N content were significantly greater (P < 0.05) in the JPA than the JP stands at both study areas, suggesting that alder was fixing N and that N availability was greater in the JPA than the JP stands. The greater leaf area index (LAI) and overstory C accumulation in the JPA than the JP stands (P < 0.05) is likely because of the greater N availability in the JPA stands, but the effect of soil texture discontinuity on water availability in the JPA stands can not be dismissed. Percent ground cover by feathermoss varied among the jack pine communities and was positively correlated with overstory LAI (r ²= 0.83, P< 0.05). One index of N-use efficiency (NUE), defined as aboveground net primary productivity (ANPP) per litterfall N, was significantly greater (P < 0.05) for the JP than the JPA stands, but a second index of NUE, ANPP/N uptake, did not differ between the two jack pine communities. Jack pine trees growing without alder produced more organic matter per unit of N, but percent N retranslocation from senescing foliage and N mean residence time in the overstory did not differ between the JPA and the JP stands. A conceptual model is presented that illustrates the potential influence of alder on the species composition, structure, and function of boreal jack pine forests. Received 6 January 1998; accepted 15 April 1998.     

冬小麦高产高效栽培投资风险预测模拟

在产量形成规律及投入产出效益规律基础上,建立了冬小麦高产高效栽培投资风险预测模拟模型.并以Window XP为平台,采用VB(Visual Basic)语言编程,建立了相应的可视化模拟系统。通过模拟,生产者可以预测在当时的市场价格下小麦生产的投资风险大小,并预测生产的最大利润及小麦产量.模拟系统还可以用于决策部门对市场价格的宏观调控,如果希望增加农民收入,鼓励农民生产粮食,决策部门可以先定单位面积小麦生产利润值,通过模拟得适宜的肥粮价比,用来调控市场价格,     

冬小麦高产优质高效栽培决策模拟研究

在产量和品质形成规律及投入产出效益规律基础上,应用模糊集方法,构建了一个综合的冬小麦高产优质高效栽培优化决策模拟模型.并以Window XP为平台,采用VB(Visual Basic)语言编程,建立了相应的可视化决策支持系统.实现了在不同时空、自然、社会、经济、技术条件下,进行多目标、可综合、可选择、可调控的冬小麦田间水肥管理决策的目标.通过检验证明模拟模型是可行的.     

Detritus Production and Soil N Transformations in Old-Growth Eastern Hemlock and Sugar Maple Stands

To examine the linkage between forest cover type, litter inputs, and patterns of net N mineralization versus the turnover of N among soil microbes, we measured both the net and gross rates of N mineralization in replicated, adjacent old-growth eastern hemlock [Tsuga canadensis(L.) Carr.] or sugar maple (Acer saccharum Marsh.) stands in upper Michigan. Mean aboveground net primary production and annual litterfall mass were significantly higher (P < 0.01) in the maple forests (870 g·m^-2·y^-1 and 439 g·m^-2·y^-1, respectively) than in the hemlock forests (480 g·m^-2·y^-1 and 344 g·m^-2·y^-1, respectively). Forest floor and coarse woody debris mass, however, were significantly lower (P < 0.05) in the maple forests (2.2 and 0.1 kg·m^-2, respectively) than in the hemlock forests (2.9 and 0.2 kg·m^-2, respectively). Litterfall N concentration was not significantly different (P > 0.10) between the two forest types. In situ gross rates of N mineralization were higher (P < 0.06) in the maple forests than in the hemlock forests (7.5 and 6.1 mg N·kg soil^-1·d^-1 respectively), but in situ net N mineralization varied independently of forest type and stand-level litterfall N concentration. Cover type–dependent differences in detritus production and detritus C quality appear to result in different N turnover rates, but the balance between gross mineralization and immobilization of N is very sensitive to within stand variability and varies at a scale smaller than cover type alone can predict. Received 3 Feburary 1999; accepted 27 August 1999.     

黄土高原半湿润区气候变化对冬小麦生育及水分利用效率的影响

利用黄土高原半湿润区1981～2010冬小麦生长发育定位观测资料和对应平行气象观测资料,分析气候变化对冬小麦生长发育的影响,以及冬小麦水分利用效率与气象条件的关系。结果表明:(1)研究区域降水量年际变化呈波动变化,20世纪90年代降水量最少,并存在3年、8年的年际周期变化;气温年际变化呈上升趋势,气温变化曲线线性拟合倾向率为0.325℃/10年;作物生长季干燥指数呈显著上升趋势,干燥指数变化曲线线性拟合倾向率为0.069/10年,20世纪90年代至2010年明显趋于暖干化;研究区域冬小麦播种至成熟期间≥0℃积温为2 000℃～2 200℃,降水量为300～350mm,日照时数为1 900～2 100h。(2)受气候变暖的影响,研究区域冬小麦播种期每10年推后2～3d,返青期每10年提前4～5d,开花期和成熟期每10年提前5～6d;冬小麦越冬期每10年缩短5～6d、全生育期每10年缩短7～8d。(3)由于研究区冬春季气温显著升高,越冬死亡率下降,冬小麦水分利用率呈上升趋势;冬小麦播种～出苗期和起身～拔节期气温对冬小麦水分利用效率的影响为负效应,其余时段气温对水分利用效率的影响为正效应,其中的乳熟期～成熟期水分利用效率对气温变化十分敏感;播种～出苗期、分蘖～冬前停止生长期和乳熟～成熟期降水量对冬小麦水分利用效率影响为负效应,且乳熟期～成熟期水分利用效率对降水量变化十分敏感;越冬期和返青～拔节期降水量对冬小麦水分利用效率影响为正效应,并在冬小麦越冬后期和返青期前后水分利用效率对降水量变化十分敏感。     

Interannual Variability in Terrestrial Net Primary Production: Exploration of Trends and Controls on Regional to Global Scales

Climate and biophysical regulation of terrestrial plant production and interannual responses to anomalous events were investigated using the NASA Ames model version of CASA (Carnegie–Ames–Stanford Approach) in a transient simulation mode. This ecosystem model has been calibrated for simulations driven by satellite vegetation index data from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Advanced Very High Resolution Radiometer (AVHRR) over the mid-1980s. Relatively large net source fluxes of carbon were estimated from terrestrial vegetation about 6 months to 1 year following El Niño events of 1983 and 1987, whereas the years 1984 and 1988 showed a drop in net primary production (NPP) of 1–2 Pg (10¹⁵ g) C from their respective previous years. Zonal discrimination of model results implies that the northern hemisphere low latitudes could account for almost the entire 2 Pg C decrease in global terrestrial NPP predicted from 1983 to 1984. Model estimates further suggest that from 1985 to 1988, the northern middle-latitude zone (between 30° and 60°N) was the principal region driving progressive increases in NPP, mainly by an expanded growing season moving toward the zonal latitude extremes. Comparative regional analysis of model controls on NPP reveals that although Normalized Difference Vegetation Index “greenness” can alone account for 30%–90% of the variation in NPP interannual anomalies, temperature or radiation loading can have a fairly significant 1-year lag effect on annual NPP at middle- to high-latitude zones, whereas rainfall amount and temperature drying effects may carry over with at least a 2-year lag time to influence NPP in semiarid tropical zones.     

Silica and Ash in Native Plants of the Central and Southeastern Regions of the United States

Ash and silica contents and depositional patterns were determinedfor different tissues of 11 plants growing in the southeasternand central parts of the USA. Silica content was high in theleaves, sheaths and inflorescences of the grasses studied, especiallyso in the inflorescence of the C₃ grass, Stipa comata Trise.and Rupr. The ash content was especially high in leaves of Polymniauvedalia L., which are also high in calcium. Calcium depositionwas largely in trichomes and in veins of the leaf. Energy-dispersiveX-ray analysis showed that the distribution of the element siliconis closely related to certain epidermal structures such as ridges,cell walls, rows of irregularly-shaped structures lying lenghthwisealong the leaf, dumb-bell shaped structures and trichomes. Thesestructures also correspond to the phytoliths left behind afterdecay of the plant. The C₃ grasses differed from the C₄ in thatthey showed oval structures and produced correspondingly ovalphytoliths. Silicified trichomes (particularly in the C₃ grasses)and long, narrow, silica fibres were common in the inflorescencesof the grasses studied. These sharp particles could be irritatingto oesophageal and other tissues. Similar fibres in other grasseshave been implicated in certain cancers. High silicificationof the inflorescence structures might afford protection forthe seed, as reported for other grasses. C₃ and C₄ grasses, silica and ash content, scanning electron microscopy, energy-dispersive X-ray analysis, silicon distribution, spectra of elements in plants, trichomes, silica fibres, phytoliths     

The Influence of Climate, Soils, Weather, and Land Use on Primary Production and Biomass Seasonality in the US Great Plains

Identifying the conditions and mechanisms that control ecosystem processes, such as net primary production, is a central goal of ecosystem ecology. Ideas have ranged from single limiting-resource theories to colimitation by nutrients and climate, to simulation models with edaphic, climatic, and competitive controls. Although some investigators have begun to consider the influence of land-use practices, especially cropping, few studies have quantified the impact of cropping at large scales relative to other known controls over ecosystem processes. We used a 9-year record of productivity, biomass seasonality, climate, weather, soil conditions, and cropping in the US Great Plains to quantify the controls over spatial and temporal patterns of net primary production and to estimate sensitivity to specific driving variables. We considered climate, soil conditions, and long-term average cropping as controls over spatial patterns, while weather and interannual cropping variations were used as controls over temporal variability. We found that variation in primary production is primarily spatial, whereas variation in seasonality is more evenly split between spatial and temporal components. Our statistical (multiple linear regression) models explained more of the variation in the amount of primary production than in its seasonality, and more of the spatial than the temporal patterns. Our results indicate that although climate is the most important variable for explaining spatial patterns, cropping explains a substantial amount of the residual variability. Soil texture and depth contributed very little to our models of spatial variability. Weather and cropping deviation both made modest contributions to the models of temporal variability. These results suggest that the controls over seasonality and temporal variation are not well understood. Our sensitivity analysis indicates that production is more sensitive to climate than to weather and that it is very sensitive to cropping intensity. In addition to identifying potential gaps in out knowledge, these results provide insight into the probable long- and short-term ecosystem response to changes in climate, weather, and cropping.     

Remote Sensing of Climatic Anomalies and West Nile Virus Incidence in the Northern Great Plains of the United States

The northern Great Plains (NGP) of the United States has been a hotspot of West Nile virus (WNV) incidence since 2002. Mosquito ecology and the transmission of vector-borne disease are influenced by multiple environmental factors, and climatic variability is an important driver of inter-annual variation in WNV transmission risk. This study applied multiple environmental predictors including land surface temperature (LST), the normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI) and actual evapotranspiration (ETa) derived from Moderate-Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) products to establish prediction models for WNV risk in the NGP. These environmental metrics are sensitive to seasonal and inter-annual fluctuations in temperature and precipitation, and are hypothesized to influence mosquito population dynamics and WNV transmission. Non-linear generalized additive models (GAMs) were used to evaluate the influences of deviations of cumulative LST, NDVI, and ETa on inter-annual variations of WNV incidence from 2004–2010. The models were sensitive to the timing of spring green up (measured with NDVI), temperature variability in early spring and summer (measured with LST), and moisture availability from late spring through early summer (measured with ETa), highlighting seasonal changes in the influences of climatic fluctuations on WNV transmission. Predictions based on these variables indicated a low WNV risk across the NGP in 2011, which is concordant with the low case reports in this year. Environmental monitoring using remote-sensed data can contribute to surveillance of WNV risk and prediction of future WNV outbreaks in space and time.     

小麦花培育种效率与从不同杂种世代取材的关系

通过对小麦花培育种效率与不同杂种世代取材的研究表明,过去小麦花培育种效率低的主要原因是取F1代材料花药培养。通过大量的实验研究认为;用F1代材料进行花药培养育种的效率非常低,特别是在花培苗群体小的情况下,要获得新品种几乎是不可能的,根据实验结果以及理论分析,建议花培育种应结合常规的田间选择,取F2或F3代（特别是F3代）材料是进行花培,育种效果较好。并在此实验结果的指导下,从稍高世代取材,于5－7年的时间内选育出两个通过审定的花培小麦新品种。     

小麦幼苗磷利用率及相关基因的染色体定位

利用小麦'中国春-埃及红'代换系对调控不同水分和磷素胁迫处理下磷素利用效率及相关性状进行了染色体定位和遗传分析,为作物磷素高效利用的遗传改良研究奠定基础.结果表明,染色体7A和7D代换系在Hoagland营养液(WP)、10% PEG-6000 Hoagland营养液(-WP)、1/2P Hoagland营养液(W-P) 处理下,可能携带有对磷素利用有促进作用的基因.遗传分析表明,磷素利用率的遗传力、遗传进度、相对遗传进度都较高,说明该性状的变异由遗传作用引起的比重较大,环境因素对它的遗传影响不大,适合在遗传育种中进行早代选择.     

Projected Effects of Climate Change on Patterns of Vertebrate and Tree Species Richness in the Conterminous United States

General circulation models (GCM) predict that increasing levels of atmospheric carbon dioxide (CO₂) and other greenhouse gases will lead to dramatic changes in climate. It is known that the spatial variability of species richness over continental spatial scales is strongly correlated with contemporary climate. Assuming that this relationship between species richness and climate persists under conditions of increased CO₂, what changes could we expect to occur in terms of species richness? To address this question, I used observed relationships between contemporary richness and climate, coupled with climate projections from five GCM, to project these future changes. These models predict that the richness of vertebrate ectotherms will increase over most of the conterminous United States. Mammal and bird richness are predicted to decrease in much of the southern US and to increase in cool, mountainous areas. Woody plant richness is likely to increase throughout the North and West and to decrease in the southwestern deserts. These projections represent changes that are likely to occur over long time scales (millennia); short-term changes are expected to be mainly negative.     

黄河三角洲芦苇种群高度和地上净生产量生长季动态

黄河三角洲位于山东省东北部。本地区自然植被的主要类型是盐生草甸,其中广泛分布在低平洼地、黄河故道以及池塘河渠的芦苇(Phragmites communis)种群是该地区重要的农业资源之一。通过在生长季中对这一种群的定位研究,初步揭示了种群高度和地上净生产量动态的基本规律。一、自然环境概况黄河三角洲在中国植被区划上属暖温带落     

Response of the Shortgrass Steppe to Changes in Rainfall Seasonality

Studies in temperate grassland ecosystems have shown that differences in composition of C₃ and C₄ plant functional types can have important influences on ecosystem pools and processes. We used a plant community dynamics model (STEPPE) linked to a biogeochemical cycling model (CENTURY) to determine how ecosystem properties in shortgrass steppe are influenced by plant functional type composition. Because of phenological differences between C₃ and C₄ plants, we additionally simulated the effects of precipitation seasonality on plant communities and examined how C₃ and C₄ composition interacts with precipitation to affect ecosystems. The model output suggests that differences in C₃ and C₄ composition can lead to differences in soil organic carbon (C) and nitrogen (N) within 1000 simulation years. Soil organic C and N (g C and N m^{− 2} to 0.2-m depth) were least in a 100% C₄ community compared with a 100% C₃ community and a mixed C₃–C₄ community. A change in the time of maximum precipitation from summer to spring in a simulated shortgrass steppe slightly favored C₃ plants over C₄ plants. The proportion of total net primary production accounted for by C₃ plants increased from 21% to 25% after 200 years, when 90 mm of precipitation was switched from summer to spring. Soil organic matter (SOM) was relatively stable in the C₄-dominated communities with respect to changes in precipitation seasonality, whereasSOM in the C₃ community was sensitive to precipitation seasonality changes. These results suggest an important interaction between plant community composition and precipitation seasonality on SOM, with phenology playing a key role. Received 9 June 1998; accepted 6 January 1999     

Altering Rainfall Timing and Quantity in a Mesic Grassland Ecosystem: Design and Performance of Rainfall Manipulation Shelters

Global climate change is predicted to alter growing season rainfall patterns, potentially reducing total amounts of growing season precipitation and redistributing rainfall into fewer but larger individual events. Such changes may affect numerous soil, plant, and ecosystem properties in grasslands and ultimately impact their productivity and biological diversity. Rainout shelters are useful tools for experimental manipulations of rainfall patterns, and permanent fixed-location shelters were established in 1997 to conduct the Rainfall Manipulation Plot study in a mesic tallgrass prairie ecosystem in northeastern Kansas. Twelve 9 x 14–m fixed-location rainfall manipulation shelters were constructed to impose factorial combinations of 30% reduced rainfall quantity and 50% greater interrainfall dry periods on 6 x 6–m plots, to examine how altered rainfall regimes may affect plant species composition, nutrient cycling, and above- and belowground plant growth dynamics. The shelters provided complete control of growing season rainfall patterns, whereas effects on photosynthetic photon flux density, nighttime net radiation, and soil temperature generally were comparable to other similar shelter designs. Soil and plant responses to the first growing season of rainfall manipulations (1998) suggested that the interval between rainfall events may be a primary driver in grassland ecosystem responses to altered rainfall patterns. Aboveground net primary productivity, soil CO₂ flux, and flowering duration were reduced by the increased interrainfall intervals and were mostly unaffected by reduced rainfall quantity. The timing of rainfall events and resulting temporal patterns of soil moisture relative to critical times for microbial activity, biomass accumulation, plant life histories, and other ecological properties may regulate longer-term responses to altered rainfall patterns.