Effects of Hydraulic Soil Properties on Vegetation Pattern Formation in Sloping Landscapes

Current models of vegetation pattern formation rely on a system of weakly nonlinear reaction–diffusion equations that are coupled by their source terms. While these equations, which are used to describe a spatiotemporal planar evolution of biomass and soil water, qualitatively capture the emergence of various types of vegetation patterns in arid environments, they are phenomenological and have a limited predictive power. We ameliorate these limitations by deriving the vertically averaged Richards’ equation to describe flow (as opposed to “diffusion”) of water in partially saturated soils. This establishes conditions under which this nonlinear equation reduces to its weakly nonlinear reaction–diffusion counterpart used in the previous models, thus relating their unphysical parameters (e.g., diffusion coefficient) to the measurable soil properties (e.g., hydraulic conductivity) used to parameterize the Richards equation. Our model is valid for both flat and sloping landscapes and can handle arbitrary topography and boundary conditions. The result is a model that relates the environmental conditions (e.g., precipitation rate, runoff and soil properties) to formation of multiple patterns observed in nature (such as stripes, labyrinth and spots).     

Analysis of Large-Scale Spatial Heterogeneity in Vegetation Indices among North American Landscapes

We analyzed the spatial heterogeneity in vegetation indices among 13 North American landscapes by using full Landsat Thematic Mapper images. Landscapes varied broadly in the statistical distribution of vegetation indices, but were successfully ordinated by using a measure of central tendency (the mean) and a measure of dispersion (the standard deviation or the coefficient of variation). Differences in heterogeneity among landscapes were explained by their topographic relief and their land cover. Landscape heterogeneity (standard deviation of the Normalized Difference Vegetation Index, NDVI) tended to increase linearly with topographic relief (standard deviation of elevation), but landscapes with low relief were much more heterogeneous than expected from this relationship. The latter were characterized by a large proportion of agricultural land. Percent agriculture, in turn, was inversely related to topographic relief. The strength of these relationships was evaluated against changes in image spatial resolution (grain size). Aggregation of NDVI images to coarser grain size resulted in steady decline of their standard deviation. Although the relationship between landscape heterogeneity and explanatory variables was generally preserved, rates of decrease in heterogeneity with grain size differed among landscapes. A spatial autocorrelation analysis showed that rates of decrease were related to the scale at which pattern is manifested. On one end of the spectrum are agricultural, low-relief landscapes with low spatial autocorrelation and small-scale heterogeneity associated with fields; their heterogeneity decreased sharply as grain size increased. At the other end, desert landscapes were characterized by low small-scale heterogeneity, high spatial autocorrelation, and almost no change in heterogeneity as grain sized was increased—their heterogeneity, associated with land forms, was present at a large scale. Received 1 October 1997; accepted 11 February 1998.     

Rehabilitation of Semiarid Landscapes in Australia. II. Restoring Vegetation Patches

This paper describes a practical technique, tested experimentally, for rehabilitating degraded semiarid landscapes in Australia. This rehabilitation technique is based on the ecological principle that semiarid landscapes are spatially organized as patchy, source-sink systems; this patchy organization functions to conserve limited water and nutrients within the system. The aim was to rebuild vegetation patchiness, lost through decades of utilization of these landscapes as rangelands. Patches were reconstructed from large tree branches and shrubs obtained locally and placed in elongated piles along contours. These piles of branches were very effective in recreating productive soil patches within the landscape, as described in part I of this study. These new patchy habitats promoted the establishment and growth of perennial grasses. Although the foliage cover of these grasses declined into a drought, which started before the end of the experiment, plant survivorship remained high. This suggests that patches also function as refugia for organisms during droughts. The patches of branches remained robust and functional, even under grazing impacts, although plant growth and survival were significantly higher within an ungrazed paddock than in a grazed paddock.     

Landscapes of Power, Landscapes of Conflict: State Formation in the South Scandinavian Iron Age.

Landscapes of Power, Landscapes of Conflict: State Formation in the South Scandinavian Iron Age. Tina L. Thurston. New York: Kluwer Academic/Plenum Publishers, 2001. 340 pp.     

Formation of Intracellular Concentration Landscapes by Multisite Protein Modification

Multiple cellular proteins are covalently modified (e.g., phosphorylated/dephosphorylated) at several sites, which leads to diverse signaling activities. Here, we consider a signaling cascade that is activated at the plasma membrane and composed of two-site protein modification cycles, and we focus on the radial profile of the concentration landscapes created by different protein forms in the cytoplasm. We show that under proper conditions, the concentrations of modified proteins generate a series of peaks that propagate into the cell interior. Proteins modified at both sites form activity gradients with long plateaus that abruptly decay at successive locations along the path from the membrane to the nucleus. We demonstrate under what conditions signals generated at the membrane stall in the vicinity of that membrane or propagate into the cell. We derive analytical approximations for the main characteristics of the protein concentration profiles and demonstrate what we believe to be a novel steady-state pattern formation mechanism capable of generating precise spatial guidance for diverse cellular processes.     

An Analysis of Vegetation Restoration on Opencast Oil Shale Mines in Estonia

We compared four types of 30‐year‐old forest stands growing on spoil of opencast oil shale mines in Estonia. The stand types were: (1) natural stands formed by spontaneous succession, and plantations of (2) Pinus sylvestris (Scots pine), (3) Betula pendula (silver birch), and (4) Alnus glutinosa (European black alder). In all stands we measured properties of the tree layer (species richness, stand density, and volume of growing stock), understory (density and species richness of shrubs and tree saplings), and ground vegetation (aboveground biomass, species richness, and species diversity). The tree layer was most diverse though sparse in the natural stands. Understory species richness per 100‐m² plot was highest in the natural stand, but total stand richness was equal in the natural and alder stands, which were higher than the birch and pine stands. The understory sapling density was lower than 50 saplings/100 m² in the plantations, while it varied between 50 and 180 saplings/100 m² in the natural stands. Growing stock volume was the least in natural stands and greatest in birch stands. The aboveground biomass of ground vegetation was highest in alder stands and lowest in the pine stands. We can conclude that spontaneous succession promotes establishment of diverse vegetation. In plantations the establishment of diverse ground vegetation depends on planted tree species.     

Spatial Distribution of Aboveground Carbon Stock of the Arboreal Vegetation in Brazilian Biomes of Savanna,Atlantic Forest and Semi-Arid Woodland

The objective of this study was to map the spatial distribution of aboveground carbon stock (using Regression-kriging) of arboreal plants in the Atlantic Forest, Semi-arid woodland, and Savanna Biomes in Minas Gerais State, southeastern Brazil. The database used in this study was obtained from 163 forest fragments, totaling 4,146 plots of 1,000 m² distributed in these Biomes. A geographical model for carbon stock estimation was parameterized as a function of Biome, latitude and altitude. This model was applied over the samples and the residuals generated were mapped based on geostatistical procedures, selecting the exponential semivariogram theoretical model for conducting ordinary Kriging. The aboveground carbon stock was found to have a greater concentration in the north of the State, where the largest contingent of native vegetation is located, mainly the Savanna Biome, with Wooded Savanna and Shrub Savanna phytophysiognomes. The largest weighted averages of carbon stock per hectare were found in the south-center region (48.6 Mg/ha) and in the southern part of the eastern region (48.4 Mg/ha) of Minas Gerais State, due to the greatest predominance of Atlantic Forest Biome forest fragments. The smallest weighted averages per hectare were found in the central (21.2 Mg/ha), northern (20.4 Mg/ha), and northwestern (20.7 Mg/ha) regions of Minas Gerais State, where Savanna Biome fragments are predominant, in the phytophysiognomes Wooded Savanna and Shrub Savanna.     

Response of Vegetation and Soil Carbon and Nitrogen Storage to Grazing Intensity in Semi-Arid Grasslands in the Agro-Pastoral Zone of Northern China

Overgrazing has been the primary cause of grassland degradation in the semi-arid grasslands of the agro-pastoral transition zone in northern China. However, there has been little evidence regarding grazing intensity impacts on vegetation change and soil C and N dynamics in this region. This paper reports the effects of four grazing intensities namely un-grazed (UG), lightly grazed (LG), moderately grazed (MG) and heavily grazed (HG) on vegetation characteristics and soil properties of grasslands in the Guyuan county in the agro-pastoral transition region, Hebei province, northern China. Our study showed that the vegetation height, canopy cover, plant species abundance and aboveground biomass decreased significantly with increased grazing intensity. Similarly, soil organic carbon (SOC) and total nitrogen (STN) in the 0–50 cm were highest under UG (13.3 kg C m⁻² and 1.69 kg N m⁻²) and lowest under HG (9.8 kg C m⁻² and 1.22 kg N m⁻²). Soil available nitrogen (SAN) was significantly lower under HG (644 kg N hm⁻²) than under other treatments (725–731 kg N hm⁻²) in the 0–50 cm. Our results indicate that the pasture management of “take half-leave half” has potential benefits for primary production and livestock grazing in this region. However, grazing exclusion was perhaps the most effective choice for restoring degraded grasslands in this region. Therefore, flexible rangeland management should be adopted in this region.     

Effect of Native Vegetation Loss on Stream Ecosystem Processes: Dissolved Organic Matter Composition and Export in Agricultural Landscapes

Stream and river ecosystems are dependent on energetic inputs from their watersheds and thus shifts in land use from forest cover to agriculture will affect stream community composition and function. The disruption of forest-aquatic linkages alters the organic matter resources in agricultural streams. Dissolved organic matter (DOM) is the dominant form of organic matter in aquatic ecosystems, and a microbial energy source that is important for stream respiration. The concentrations and characteristics of DOM are regulated by both terrestrial (for example, terrestrial organic matter supply) and in-stream processes (for example, microbial respiration and periphyton production) that are influenced by land management. The effects of watershed land use and topographic, soil and climatic variables on DOM quantity (dissolved organic carbon concentration and load), source (terrestrial or in-stream) and quality (composition and lability) were measured in 14 streams across an agricultural land-use gradient. DOC concentration was positively correlated with watershed pasture cover and negatively correlated with watershed relief. No watershed variables were important correlates of DOC load. Stream DOM was primarily of terrestrial origin, but DOM in agricultural streams had a greater proportion of sources from in-stream sources. This may be due to reduced connection with riparian vegetation and increased in-stream primary production. We suggest that maintaining watershed tree cover greater than 52% and ensuring less than 10% of the length of riparian corridor is cleared for pasture could minimize changes to DOM composition. This is important to avoid flow-on effects for stream ecosystem processes that are mediated by DOM. Long-term DOM monitoring will be valuable for assessing the functional impacts of land-use change.     

Spatial Heterogeneity of Denitrification in Semi-Arid Floodplains

Riparian ecosystems are recognized as sinks for inorganic nitrogen (N). Denitrification, a heterotrophic microbial process, often accounts for a significant fraction of the N removed. Characteristics of both riparian soils and hydrologic vectors may constrain the locations where denitrification can occur within riparian ecosystems by influencing the distribution of substrates, water, and suitable redox conditions. We employed spatially explicit methods to quantify heterogeneity of soil characteristics and potential rate of denitrification in semi-arid riparian ecosystems. These results allow us to evaluate the relative contributions of hydrologic vectors (water courses that convey materials) and soil resources (materials required by biota) to spatial heterogeneity of denitrification. During dry and monsoon seasons we contrasted a mesic site, characterized by shallow groundwater and annual inundation by floods, with a xeric site that is inundated less often and has a deeper water table. Potential denitrification was detected throughout the mesic floodplain and the average rate of denitrification was greater at the mesic site than at the xeric site, indicating the influence of water availability on denitrification. At the xeric reach, sharp declines in pools of soil resources and rate of denitrification occurred away from the stream, demonstrating the importance of the stream in determining spatial patterns. Using geographically weighted regression analysis, we determined that soil organic matter and soil nitrate were significant predictors of denitrification at the xeric site, but that factors influencing denitrification varied spatially. Spatial heterogeneity of carbon (C) and N substrates in soils likely influenced spatial patterns of denitrification, but distribution of C and N substrates was ultimately organized by hydrologic vectors. Droughts will increase the abundance of reaches with hydrogeomorphic templates similar to the xeric reach studied here. Consequences of such a transition may include a reduced rate of denitrification and patchy distribution of denitrification in floodplain soils, which will decrease the contribution of riparian ecosystems to N removal. TKH designed and completed the study and wrote the paper; EAW contributed methods and edited the paper; NBG designed the study and edited the paper.     

Rich RNA Structure Landscapes Revealed by Mutate-and-Map Analysis

Landscapes exhibiting multiple secondary structures arise in natural RNA molecules that modulate gene expression, protein synthesis, and viral. We report herein that high-throughput chemical experiments can isolate an RNA’s multiple alternative secondary structures as they are stabilized by systematic mutagenesis (mutate-and-map, M²) and that a computational algorithm, REEFFIT, enables unbiased reconstruction of these states’ structures and populations. In an in silico benchmark on non-coding RNAs with complex landscapes, M²-REEFFIT recovers 95% of RNA helices present with at least 25% population while maintaining a low false discovery rate (10%) and conservative error estimates. In experimental benchmarks, M²-REEFFIT recovers the structure landscapes of a 35-nt MedLoop hairpin, a 110-nt 16S rRNA four-way junction with an excited state, a 25-nt bistable hairpin, and a 112-nt three-state adenine riboswitch with its expression platform, molecules whose characterization previously required expert mutational analysis and specialized NMR or chemical mapping experiments. With this validation, M²-REEFFIT enabled tests of whether artificial RNA sequences might exhibit complex landscapes in the absence of explicit design. An artificial flavin mononucleotide riboswitch and a randomly generated RNA sequence are found to interconvert between three or more states, including structures for which there was no design, but that could be stabilized through mutations. These results highlight the likely pervasiveness of rich landscapes with multiple secondary structures in both natural and artificial RNAs and demonstrate an automated chemical/computational route for their empirical characterization.     

库姆塔格沙漠植被特征分析

沿7条考察路线布设了91个样地,对库姆塔格沙漠植物组成、群落结构及植被分布等特征进行调查分析。结果表明:(1)库姆塔格沙漠植物相对稀少,有23科73属109种植物,物种组成趋向于集中在少数大科中和单种属中,优势科属组成较少,植物区系的温带性质明显,并与古地中海成分关系密切。(2)库姆塔格荒漠植被类型较为丰富,拥有4种植被型17个植被群系。受干旱气候及古水系变化的影响,植被群落物种组成稀少,结构单调,在一定程度上反映了荒漠生态环境的严酷性。(3)库姆塔格荒漠植被分布格局受气候、水分条件的影响较大。沙漠南缘降水条件相对较好,植被分布由东到西随降水的递减而呈现减弱趋势,北缘植被则表现为随古水系的萎缩而减小;植被随海拔高度的分布则表现为随海拔由南到北逐级降低,气候愈为干燥,地表径流减少,植被分布更为稀少。     

Genetic Analysis of the Latent Period of Stripe Rust in Wheat Seedlings

Genetics of slow‐rusting resistance to yellow rust (Puccinia striiformis f.sp. tritici) was studied by a half‐diallel design using six wheat varieties, Tiritea (susceptible), Tancred, Kotare, Otane, Karamu, and Briscard. The parents and 15 F₁ progenies were evaluated in the greenhouse by three pathotypes 7E18A^?, 38E0A⁺, and 134E134A⁺. The latent period was measured as the number of days from inoculation to the appearance of the first pustule. For each pathotype a randomized complete block design was used and data were analysed by methods of Griffing and Hayman. The range of average degree of dominance was from complete dominance to over‐dominance. Positive and negative degrees of dominance were observed for each pathotype that showed the reversal of dominance. Analysis of variance showed the importance of both additive and dominance effects in controlling the latent period. Broad‐sense heritabilities were 0.99 and narrow‐sense heritabilities ranged from 0.85 to 0.94. Briscard and Karamu for the pathotypes 38E0A⁺ and 134E134A⁺, Kotare for the pathotype 7E18A^? and Tancred for the pathotype 38E0A⁺ had significant and positive general combining ability (GCA) (more resistance) for latent period. The crosses of Kotare with Tancred, Briscard and Karamu indicated the highest and positive specific combining ability (SCA) for the pathotype 7E18A^?. Significant additive genetic component and moderate narrow‐sense heritability indicate the possibility of improving for longer latent period of stripe rust in breeding programmes.     

植被科学与多元向量分析

提出植被分析的新数学方法－－多元向量分析法。植被群落是由多种植物组成的。植被状态可以用多维物种空间的点,或连接空间点和原点的多元向量来,向量同时具有量值和方向。向量的量值（长度）表示植被所含物质,能量,信息的总量,而方向表示这个总量在各物种间的分配。在射影空间里,同一射线上的点表示成分相同的植被（或代表相同植被的点组成射线）。用余弦表示的向量方向是植被数量化,进而施行植被成分分析的关键。向量分析既可以用来进行植被分类,也可以用于植被动态监测。     

温、湿度对粘虫蛾飞行能源物质利用的影响

系统研究了不同温、湿度对粘虫蛾飞行能源物质消耗的影响,结果表明,温、湿度对成虫飞行能源物质消耗有显著影响,在适宜的温、湿度下飞行时,粘虫蛾主要飞行能源物质（甘油三酯和糖原）消耗最少,其飞行单位距离所需的甘油三酯也最少,即能源利用效率最高,随着温,湿度从适宜到不适宜,甘油三酯消耗有逐渐增多的趋势,但温,湿度对成虫飞行能源物质消耗会因蛾龄及性别的不同而异,在所测试的几种温,湿度下（高温35℃除外）,5日龄成虫在飞行中消耗的甘油三酯最多,低龄和高龄时消耗均较少,高温下飞行时,雄蛾比雌蛾消耗的能源物质多,而在高温或低湿条件下,雌蛾比雄蛾消耗的多,进一步对影响成虫飞行能源物质消耗的海藻糖酶活力及呼吸强度研究表明,温、湿度对海藻糖酶活性有明显影响,在适宜的温,湿度下,酶的活性高,反之,酶的活性降低,其中高温对酶活性的抑制作用比低温明显,但高湿和低湿对酶活性的抑制作用基本一致,成虫呼吸强度随温度的升降而升降,飞行初期成虫呼吸强度急剧增加,但0.5h后开始下降并维持在一个较稳定的水平,根据所获结果对温、湿度与粘虫蛾飞行能源物质消耗之间的内在联系进行了讨论.     

江苏盐城黑嘴鸥的繁殖栖息地选择

对江苏盐城黑嘴鸥繁殖期觅食地和营巢地及其主要特征进行了调查,黑嘴鸥繁殖觅食地有盐田,碱蓬滩,草滩,水产品养殖塘,农田,泥质滩涂及河口港汊7种类型,生境选择的结果表明黑嘴鸥对碱蓬滩涂和泥质滩涂都有正选择性,对农田和河口港汊具有负选择性,繁殖前期对养殖塘具有正选择性,不同繁殖时期黑嘴鸥对碱蓬滩和养殖塘的利用情况变化最明显,两年中,黑嘴鸥对河口港汊的利用情况稳定,黑嘴鸥营巢地有獐毛滩,碱蓬滩和大米草滩3种类型,其中碱蓬滩是其主要营巢栖息地,对巢址选择因子的分析的结果表明：影响黑嘴鸥巢址选择的因子主要有4类,依次为：植被盖度和群集度,人为活动干扰强度,底栖生物量及距水源距离,其贡献率分别为26．23％,20．55％,14．82％,14．02％。     

Analysis of Precipitation Characteristics during 1957-2012 in the Semi-Arid Loess Plateau,China

Precipitation is the only water supply and most important factor affecting vegetation growth on the slopes of semi-arid Loess Plateau of China. Based on precipitation data from 7 synoptic stations in the study area over the period 1957–2012, the trends of precipitation and standardized precipitation index (SPI) were analyzed by using linear regression, Mann−Kendall, and Spearman’s Rho tests at the 5% significance level. The results show that (1) the precipitation fluctuation of monthly precipitation was intense (coefficients of variation> 100%), and the drier years were recorded as 1965 and 1995 at all stations. (2) The significant change trend of different stations varied on different time scales: the Changwu station had a significant decreasing trend in April (−0.488 mm/year) and November (−0.249 mm/year), while Luochuan station was in April (−0.457 mm/year); Changwu station displayed a significant increasing trends in winter (0.220 mm/year) and a significant decreasing trends in spring (−0.770 mm/year). The significant decreasing trends in annual precipitation were detected at the Suide (−2.034 mm/year) and Yan’an (–2.129 mm/year) stations. (3) The SPI−12 series analysis suggests that the drought degree of Yulin and Changwu was the lowest and that of Hengshan was the highest among the 7 synoptic stations.     

浙江省植被分片介绍

浙江省植被,在全国植被区划中属“中亚热带常绿阔叶林地带”。据《中国植被》一书的划分,浙江省有三个“植被区(Province)”通过,即(1)浙皖山丘、青冈苦槠林栽培植被区;(2)浙闽山丘、甜槠,木荷林区;(3)浙南、闽中山丘,栲类、细柄蕈树林区。我们对这三区,研究了其中植被与生态条件的特点,区划为五个植被片(District)(图1)。关于“植被区”的划分,我们以为主要应依据其优势植物群系及其组合的特点;而植被片的划分,主要应依据其优势植物或群丛及其组合的特点,并结合它的生态条件来考虑。