放牧对五台山高山、亚高山草甸牧草品质的影响

通过野外样地调查和室内分析,从牧草的适口性和营养成分两方面,研究了放牧对五台山高山、亚高山草甸牧草品质的影响。结果表明：放牧干扰草甸中适口性为喜食及以上的优质牧草种类为20种,喜食牧草在群落中的相对盖度最大,为45.40%;与之相比,极度退化草甸中优质牧草种类为13种,乐食牧草的相对盖度最大,为62.24%;喜食以上优质牧草的相对盖度最大值,出现在轻度退化草甸中,达到65.95%。同一适口性等级牧草,在不同退化等级草甸中,种类发生变化。从放牧干扰草甸到极度退化草甸,牧草中的粗蛋白和灰分含量呈增加趋势,而中性洗涤纤维和酸性洗涤纤维含量呈下降趋势。放牧压力下,五台山高山、亚高山草甸的牧草品质并未下降,但放牧造成的草甸生产力降低,制约了资源的可持续利用和保护。     

川西亚高山草甸土壤呼吸的昼夜变化及其季节动态

采用LI-8100A土壤碳通量自动测量系统,于2011年4—11月对川西亚高山草甸的土壤呼吸进行了测定,分析了水热因子对草甸昼、夜间土壤呼吸特征及其季节动态变化的影响。结果表明:1)川西亚高山草甸昼、夜间土壤呼吸的变化格局不同,昼间呈双峰型,夜间呈抛物线型;整个观测期(4—11月)内,夜间土壤呼吸占总土壤呼吸的46.79%,其中草盛期(6—9月)的昼、夜土壤呼吸占有较大比例。2)8次夜间土壤呼吸测定的变化趋势基本相同,最低值均在06:30—07:00左右;昼、夜间土壤呼吸季节变化的主要影响因素为土壤5 cm温度,Van’t Hoff指数模型和Lloyd和Taylor方程均适合预测整个的土壤呼吸通量。3)返青期(4—5月)和枯黄期(10—11月)的昼、夜间土壤呼吸差异不显著,均低于草盛期;整个观测期,草甸昼、夜间土壤呼吸与土壤温度均有显著的指数相关,而与土壤水分含量存在显著线性相关则表现在草返青期夜间及枯黄期昼、夜间。4)整个观测期昼、夜间的Q10值分别为3.90和3.74;对Q10值的分析表明,返青期昼土壤呼吸的Q10值最大(4.14),草盛期夜间的Q10值最小(1.40)。研究结果说明,采用昼、夜间土壤呼吸的瞬时值来推算土壤呼吸的季节通量和年通量时,不仅需要加大观测期间夜间土壤呼吸的测定,还需要考虑昼、夜间土壤温度和土壤含水量及其它生物因子的影响。     

旅游对北京东灵山亚高山草甸物种多样性影响的初步研究

在1965、1983、1994和2000年4个时期调查数据的基础上,对北京东灵山区亚高山草甸物种多样性变化和生活型谱进行了对比研究,结果显示,近年来东灵山亚高山草甸的物种多样性呈下降趋势,尤其是1983～1994年的下降速度明显加快,利用重要值作为权重参数对不同时期的东灵山亚高山草甸生活型谱进行了比较,所得到的结果反映了20世纪80年代以来,伴随旅游发展而迅速增加的马匹散牧已经对亚高山草甸的群落外貌造成了严重的不良影响,群落高度降低,物种组成改变及植被盖度下降等,说明过度放牧是东灵山亚高山草甸退化的重要影响因素,根据东灵山风景区亚高山草甸目前存在的问题,我们建议当地有关部门科学地确定东灵山风景区旅游容量,首先要严格限制风景区马匹的散牧,关闭风景区内的跑马场和牧马帐蓬,并通过加强宣传、管理和景区的基本建设,充分发挥生态系统的服务功能,实现在保护生态环境的前提下实现资源的持续利用。     

积雪对祁连山亚高山草甸土壤呼吸速率的影响

草地作为陆地生态系统的重要组成部分,是分布最广的植被类型之一,全球草地面积约占陆地面积的1/4,土壤碳储量约占全球总碳储量的1/5,在气候变化和陆地生态系统的碳循环方面起着重要作用。我国各类天然草原面积近4亿hm~2,约占国土面积的41.7%,草地的总碳储量约占陆地生态系统总碳储量的16.7%,其中土壤层占93.1%,在碳储量中占有重要的地位。土壤呼吸是陆地生态系统碳循环的主要环节,其中草地土壤呼吸占陆地土壤呼吸量的5.6%,因此草地土壤碳库正成为草地生态系统研究的热点。祁连山草地资源丰富,亚高山草甸是祁连山自然保护区的基质景观。积雪作为冰冻圈的重要组成部分,对土壤温度和土壤水分具有调控作用,是影响土壤呼吸的重要因素,但是目前关于积雪对土壤呼吸的影响研究少见。研究区选择祁连山中部天涝池流域,利用LI-8100开路式土壤碳通量测定系统,探讨了土壤不同融化状态下积雪对祁连山亚高山草甸生态系统呼吸速率和土壤呼吸速率的影响,并分析了地表温度和土壤温度、地表空气相对湿度和土壤体积含水量对土壤呼吸的影响。结果表明:(1)雪覆盖降低了生态系统呼吸和土壤呼吸速率,但当日融化的积雪对次日生态系统呼吸有促进作用;(2)呼吸速率与土壤温度和地表温度呈显著指数关系(P0.01),与地表空气相对湿度呈线性相关关系。降雪后,全融土壤中呼吸速率与温度和地表空气相对湿度间的相关性好;(3)温度较高时,温度对呼吸速率的作用强;温度较低时,温度对呼吸速率的影响不大。     

增温和放牧对草地土壤和生态系统呼吸的影响

草地生态系统作为世界陆地生态系统的主体类型,其土壤呼吸和生态系统呼吸是陆地生态系统碳循环的重要组成部分,土壤呼吸是未经扰动的土壤由于代谢活动而产生CO2的过程,生态系统呼吸包括地下部分的土壤呼吸和地上部分植被的自养呼吸。研究增温和放牧对草地土壤和生态系统呼吸的影响,可为预测未来气候变化条件下的全球碳收支以及草地的可持续经营与管理提供重要的科学依据。该文扼要综述了关于草地土壤和生态系统呼吸对增温和放牧的响应方面的研究。结果表明:草地土壤和生态系统呼吸对增温和放牧的响应非常复杂,受多种因素的综合影响,无论是增温还是放牧对草地土壤和生态系统呼吸的影响均具有不确定性,因草地类型、增温幅度、增温时间、放牧强度、放牧频度和放牧方式的不同而不同。在此基础上,指出了以后应加强研究的方向,草地的利用离不开放牧,对于未来气候变化条件下的草地,温度升高和放牧这两个因素必然是同时存在的,以前多数实验是单独研究增温或放牧对它们的影响,然而,这两者对草地生态系统的影响并非可加的,因此,需要加强增温与放牧的耦合试验,同时加强关于生态系统呼吸不同组分对两者的响应的研究,以便更好地理解增温和放牧的影响机制。另外,草地土壤和生态系统呼吸对增温和放牧的响应会随着时间的推移而发生变化,因而加强长期连续的试验观测很有必要。     

亚高山草甸植物群落对气候变化的响应

为了研究气温升高、氮素增加和人为干扰对亚高山草甸植物生长和非结构性碳水化合物(NSC)的影响,该研究采用开顶式生长箱(OTC)模拟增温,同时进行施加氮肥和除草处理,对青藏高原东南缘邛崃山脉东坡巴郎山(四川盆地向青藏高原的过渡地带)的亚高山草甸植物的生长和NSC含量进行测定分析。结果显示:(1)各处理土壤全磷(P)和全钾(K)含量与对照均无显著差异,增温加施肥处理的土壤全氮(N)含量与对照无显著差异,但增温处理、施肥处理、除草处理、增温加除草处理、施肥加除草处理和增温加施肥加除草处理的土壤全氮含量较对照均显著降低。(2)增温促进禾本科和杂类草功能群生长,抑制莎草科功能群生长,提高禾本科功能群重要值,降低杂类草功能群重要值,且对莎草科功能群重要值的作用受施氮和除草的影响;施肥促进禾本科和杂类草功能群的高生长,并且促进莎草科功能群生长;除草促进莎草科功能群生长,抑制禾草科和杂类草功能群的生长;而施肥和除草的交互作用有利于禾草科功能群生长,施肥和除草都提高了莎草科功能群的重要值,降低了禾草科功能群的重要值。(3)不同物种NSC含量及分配对于各处理的响应有所不同,紫地榆的NSC含量与物种分盖度相关性显著,珠芽蓼的NSC含量与物种高度相关性显著。研究表明,气候变暖和土壤氮素增加有利于禾本科和莎草科植物的生长,并使植物改变体内非结构性碳水化合物的分配来抵御环境压力。     

旅游对北京东灵山亚高山草甸物种多样性影响的初步研究

在1965、1983、1994和2000年4个时期调查数据的基础上,对北京东灵山区亚高山草甸物种多样性变化和生活型谱进行了对比研究,结果显示,近年来东灵山亚高山草甸的物种多样性呈下降趋势,尤其是1983～1994年的下降速度明显加快。利用重要值作为权重参数对不同时期的东灵山亚高山草甸生活型谱进行了比较,所得到的结果反映了20世纪80年代以来,伴随旅游发展而迅速增加的马匹散牧已经对亚高山草甸的群落外貌造成了严重的不良影响：群落高度降低、物种组成改变及植被盖度下降等,说明过度放牧是东灵山亚高山草甸退化的重要影响因素。根据东灵山风景区亚高山草甸目前存在的问题,我们建议当地有关部门科学地确 定东灵山风景区旅游容量,首先要严格限制风景区马匹的散牧,关闭风景区内的跑马场和牧马帐篷,并通过加强宣传、管理和景区的基本建设,充分发挥生态系统的服务功能,实现在保护生态环境的前提下实现资源的持续利用。     

基于分子生态学网络探究亚高山草甸退化对土壤微生物群落的影响

土壤微生物群落在草地生态系统功能中发挥着至关重要的作用,但目前尚不清楚微生物群落的分子生态网络如何响应亚高山草甸退化。以五台山4个不同退化阶段(未退化、轻度退化、中度退化和重度退化)亚高山草甸为研究对象,利用高通量测序和随机矩阵网络构建理论构建土壤微生物群落分子生态网络。探讨草地退化对亚高山草甸土壤微生物群落结构及网络的影响,不同退化程度下微生物网络结构中的关键微生物变化规律以及该过程中微生物之间的互作关系。研究结果表明,不同退化程度亚高山草甸土壤微生物(细菌、真菌和细菌-真菌)网络拓扑属性存在差异。总体上,退化增加了土壤细菌内部、真菌内部以及细菌-真菌群落间的相互作用,导致其网络结构更为复杂。未退化草甸土壤微生物网络具有较长的平均路径距离和较高的模块性,使其比退化草甸更能抵抗外界环境的变化,在应对人为干扰或者气候变化时可能具有更高的稳定性。退化草甸中的网络关键物种(模块枢纽和连接器)与未退化草甸明显不同。土壤含水量和pH与亚高山草甸土壤细菌、真菌以及整个微生物网络连通度均显著相关(P<0.05),总氮和硝氨态氮含量与土壤真菌和微生物网络连通度呈显著相关(P<0.05)。亚...     

五台山亚高山草甸的β多样性研究

分别应用基于二元属性数据的群落相异性系数、Cody指数、W ilson和Shm ida指数及Sorenson指数和基于数量数据的B ray-Curtis指数对五台山亚高山草甸的β多样性沿海拔梯度的变化规律进行了研究.结果表明:群落相异性系数、Cody指数、W ilson和Shm ida指数总体上随海拔升高呈现相似的变化趋势,但波动幅度有一定差异.B ray-Curtis指数对群落沿海拔梯度的变化更为敏感,它所反映的结果更准确可靠.同时,除海拔梯度外,人为活动干扰也是引起β多样性发生变化的一个不可忽视的重要因素.     

巴郎山高山及亚高山草甸花卉植物生物量海拔梯度格局

采用野外调查方法,研究卧龙巴郎山高山及亚高山草甸不同海拔梯度下花卉植物生物量的变化格局,并进行土壤因子分析,结果表明:花卉植物地上生物量随海拔的升高呈单峰曲线变化,在3500 m处达到峰值,花-果、茎、叶生物量的变化趋势与地上生物量一致;地下生物量随海拔的升高呈U型曲线变化.随海拔的升高,土壤酸性增强,水解氮和全钾含量显著升高,土壤有机质、全氮和有效磷的含量显著降低,花卉植物地上生物量随土壤pH值及全氮、速效钾含量的升高显著增大;地下生物量随土壤有机质、有效磷含量的升高显著增大,随全钾、水解氮含量的升高显著减小.     

CO2 efflux under different grazing managements on subalpine meadows of Shangri-La, Northwest Yunnan Province, China

Soil carbon stored on the Tibetan Plateau appears to be stable under current temperature, but it may be sensitive to global warming. In addition, different grazing systems may alter carbon emission from subalpine meadow ecosystems in this region. Using a chamber-closed dynamic technique, we measured ecosystem respiration (ER) and soil respiration (SR) rates with an infrared gas analyzer on a perennial grazing meadow (PM) and a seasonal grazing meadow (SM) of Shangri-La in the Hengduan Mountain area. Both PM and SM showed strong unimodal seasonal variations, with the highest rates in July and the lowest in January. Significant diurnal variations in respiration were also observed on PM, affected mainly by air and soil temperatures, with the highest rates at 14:00 and the lowest before dawn. Both ER and SR rates were higher on PM than on SM from June to October, suggesting that the higher grazing pressure on PM increased respiration rates on subalpine meadows. The exponential model F = ae^{bT<,/sup> of soil temperature (T) explained the variation in respiration better than the model of soil moisture (W) (R2 = 0.50–0.78, P < 0.0001), while the multiple model F = aebT<,/sup>Wc gave better simulations than did single-factor models (R2 = 0.56–0.89, P < 0.0001). Soil respiration was the major component of ER, accounting for 63.0%–92.7% and 47.5%–96.4% of ER on PM and SM, respectively. Aboveground plant respiration varied with grass growth. During the peak growing season, total ecosystem respiration may be dominated by this above-ground component. Long-term (annual) Q₁₀ values were about twice as large as short-term (one day) Q₁₀. Q₁₀ at different time scales may be controlled by different ecological processes. The SM had a lower long-term Q₁₀ than did the PM, suggesting that under increased temperature, soil carbon may be more stable with reduced grazing pressure.}     

川西亚高山针叶林土壤呼吸速率与不同土层温度的关系

采用密闭气室红外CO2分析法（IRGA）,在野外连续定位测定了川西亚高山冷杉原始林的土壤呼吸,并对其不同土层（0、5、10、15和20cm）的温度进行了同步测定．在此基础上,分析了土壤呼吸的日、季节动态变化,及其与不同土层温度的关系和土壤呼吸Q10值变化．结果表明：冷杉原始林土壤呼吸呈现明显的日变化和季节变化．土壤呼吸的日最高值出现在12：00-14：00,最低值出现在8：00—10：00,与土壤表面温度的日变化一致;土壤呼吸的季节变化表明：7—8月的土壤呼吸高于9-11月,与不同土层温度季节变化规律一致;土壤呼吸与不同土层温度呈显著的指数增长关系,土壤呼吸速率与土壤15cm深处温度的相关性明显高于其它土层;利用Q10模型计算0～20cm各土层的Q10值分别为2．36、4．75、4．90、6．27和5．46,表明海拔高、温度低的环境条件下,土壤呼吸的Q10值偏高．     

Temperature and moisture sensitivities of CO2 efflux from lowland and alpine meadow soils

Aims This study was conducted to (i) determine if soil CO₂ efflux is more sensitive to temperature changes in alpine areas than in lowland grasslands, (ii) examine the effects of temperature and moisture on soil respiration, and (iii) evaluate the potential for change in soil carbon storage in response to global warming in different grasslands in East Asia.Methods We collected soil samples from two different temperate grasslands, an alpine meadow on the Qinghai-Tibetan plateau, China, and a lowland grassland in Tsukuba, Japan. The CO₂ emission rate was then measured for these soil samples after they were incubated at 25°C and 60% of the water holding capacity for 7 days.Important findings (i)?The soil respiration rate was more sensitive to temperature change in the alpine soil than in the lowland soil. The average Q 10 was 7.6 for the alpine meadow soil but only 5.9 for the lowland soil. The increased sensitivity appears to be due, at least in part, to the soil organic carbon content and/or soil carbon to nitrogen ratio, especially in the surface layer. (ii) The relationship between the CO₂ emission rate and the soil moisture content revealed that the alpine meadow had a more clear response than the lowland soil. (iii) This study suggests that changes in soil moisture and soil temperature may have larger impacts on soil CO₂ efflux in the alpine meadow than in the lowland grassland evaluated here.     

Responses of soil respiration to simulated precipitation pulses in semiarid steppe under different grazing regimes

Aims Precipitation pulses and different land use practices (such as grazing) play important roles in regulating soil respiration and carbon balance of semiarid steppe ecosystems in Inner Mongolia. However, the interactive effects of grazing and rain event magnitude on soil respiration of steppe ecosystems are still unknown. We conducted a manipulative experiment with simulated precipitation pulses in Inner Mongolia steppe to study the possible responses of soil respiration to different precipitation pulse sizes and to examine how grazing may affect the responses of soil respiration to precipitation pulses.Methods Six water treatments with different precipitation pulse sizes (0, 5, 10, 25, 50 and 100 mm) were conducted in the ungrazed and grazed sites, respectively. Variation patterns of soil respiration of each treatment were determined continuously after the water addition treatments.Important findings Rapid and substantial increases in soil respiration occurred 1 day after the water treatments in both sites, and the magnitude and duration of the increase in soil respiration depended on pulse size. Significantly positive relationships between the soil respiration and soil moisture in both sites suggested that soil moisture was the most important factor responsible for soil respiration rate during rain pulse events. The ungrazed site maintained significantly higher soil moisture for a longer time, which was the reason that the soil respiration in the ungrazed site was maintained relatively higher rate and longer period than that in the grazed site after a rain event. The significant exponential relationship between soil temperature and soil respiration was found only in the plots with the high water addition treatments (50 and 100 mm). Lower capacity of soil water holding and lower temperature sensitivity of soil respiration in the grazed site indicated that degraded steppe due to grazing might release less CO₂ to the atmosphere through soil respiration under future precipitation and temperature scenarios.     

冻融交替对科尔沁沙地不同土地利用方式土壤呼吸的影响

在中高纬度和高海拔地区,冻融作用影响土壤的理化性质和微生物性状,进而影响土壤呼吸过程。研究冻融作用下土壤呼吸的变化,对准确估算全球碳循环具有重要意义。以科尔沁沙地沙质草地、樟子松疏林草地和农田为研究对象,通过冻融实验比较不同土地利用方式和冻融循环对土壤呼吸的影响。结果表明:土地利用方式对土壤呼吸有显著影响,在未发生冻融作用时沙质草地土壤呼吸速率显著大于樟子松疏林草地和农田(P0.05),3种土地利用方式的土壤呼吸平均速率分别为0.339、0.258和0.234μmolCO2.m-2.s-1;不同冻融循环对沙质草地和樟子松疏林草地土壤呼吸影响显著(P0.05)。其中,一次冻融循环条件下沙质草地、樟子松疏林草地和农田土壤呼吸平均速率分别为0.276、0.243和0.233μmolCO2.m-2.s-1,多次冻融循环条件下分别为0.314、0.274和0.259μmolCO2.m-2.s-1;沙质草地、樟子松疏林草地和农田的Q10值分别为116.0、26.2和16.4,表明冬季低温条件下土地利用方式强烈影响土壤呼吸对温度的敏感性。     

Temporal and spatial variations of stem CO2 efflux of three species in subtropical China

Aims Although stem CO₂ efflux is critical to ecosystem carbon and energy balance and its feedback to future climate change, little information is available on stem CO₂ efflux and its responses to temperature, especially in subtropical China. This study aims to (i) evaluate the temporal and spatial variations of stem CO₂ efflux of three species, including oak (Quercus acutissima Carr.), masson pine (Pinus massoniana Lamb.) and loblolly pine (Pinus taeda Linn.) in subtropical China and (ii) analyze the temperature sensitivity of stem CO₂ efflux in the three species based on 2-year field measurements.Methods We measured stem CO₂ efflux and stem temperature (at 3 cm depth) of the three species using the horizontally oriented soil chamber technique from September 2008 to August 2010. We also conducted a 24-h measurement to examine the diurnal variation of stem CO₂ efflux in three consecutive days in April 2009.Important findings The temporal dynamics of stem CO₂ efflux followed the change of the stem temperature in a 3-cm depth with a bell-shaped curve in the three species. Stem temperature explained 77–85% of the seasonal variations of stem CO₂ efflux over the entire study period in the three species. The temperature sensitivity (Q 10) of stem CO₂ efflux was obviously different among the three species with higher Q 10 value found in oak (2.24) and lower values in the coniferous species (1.76 and 1.63). Our results also showed that the Q 10 values of stem CO₂ efflux in all the three species were lower in the growing season than that in the non-growing season, indicating that the growth and maintenance respiration had different temperature responses. Moreover, we found that the temperature-normalized stem CO₂ efflux (R 10) changed greatly between the growing and non-growing seasons in oak and masson pine, but not in loblolly pine. Additionally, we also found that in the non-growing season, the principal factor responsible for the spatial variation of stem CO₂ efflux among the 15 sampling trees was sapwood volume, whereas in the growing season, stem CO₂ efflux was closely related to annual dry-matter production in the three subtropical species.     

土壤水热条件对东北森林土壤表面CO2通量的影响

东北地区森林生态系统因其面积大,碳贮量高而在本地区和我国碳平衡中占有重要的地位.土壤表面CO2通量(RS)作为陆地生态系统向大气圈释放的主要CO2源,其时空变化直接影响到区域碳循环.该研究采用红外气体分析法比较测定我国东北东部次生林区6个典型的森林生态系统的RS及其相关的土壤水热因子,并深入分析土壤水热因子对RS的影响.研究结果表明影响RS的主要环境因子是土壤温度、土壤含水量及其交互作用,但其影响程度因生态系统类型和土壤深度而异.包括这些环境因子的综合RS模型解释了67.5%～90.6%的RS变异.在整个生长季中,不同生态系统类型的土壤温度差异不显著,而土壤湿度的差异显著(α=0.05).蒙古栎(Quercus mongolica)林、红松(Pinus koraiensis)林、落叶松(Larix gmelinii)林、硬阔叶林、杂木林和杨桦(Populus davidiana-Betula platyphylla)林的RS变化范围依次为1.89～5.23 μmol CO2·m-2·s-1,1.09～4.66μmol CO2·m-2·s-1,0.95～3.52 μmol CO2·m-2·s-1,1.13～5.97μmol CO2·m-2·s-1,1.05～6.58 μmol CO2·m-2·s-1和1.11～5.76μmol CO2·m-2·s-1.RS的季节动态主要受土壤水热条件的驱动而呈现单峰曲线,其变化趋势大致与土壤温度的变化相吻合.Q10从小到大依次为蒙古栎林2.32,落叶松林2.57,红松林2.76,硬阔叶林2.94,杨桦林3.54和杂木林3.55.Q10随土壤湿度的升高而增大;但超过一定的阈值后,土壤湿度对Q10起抑制作用.该研究结果强调对该地区生态系统土壤表面CO2通量的估测应同时考虑土壤水热条件的综合效应.     

Biodiversity management of fens and fen meadows by grazing,cutting and burning

Question: Can the biodiversity of fens in Europe and North America be maintained through the use of grazing (especially cattle grazing), fire, and/or cutting? Location: European and North American fens. Methods: This paper is a review of the literature on the effects of grazing, fire and cutting on fens, to explore the relationship between management and biodiversity in fens. Results: A reduction of cattle grazing, mowing and burning in fens has led to a reduction in biodiversity in fens. The vegetation of abandoned fens shifts to trees and shrubs after 10–15 years, which shade the smaller and rarer species of these wetlands. While careful use of fire is used to manage fens in North America, it is not widely used in European fens, perhaps because the peat of drained fens may catch fire. Cattle grazing cannot be considered a natural disturbance in North America, since cattle did not evolve on that continent. In Europe, cattle do not generally graze in unaltered fens, but they do use slightly drained fen meadows. Conclusions: Three approaches have been used to control the dominance of tall woody and herbaceous species in abandoned fens, including the re‐introduction of cattle, mowing, and burning. Overgrazing results in a permanent reduction in biodiversity, therefore cattle re‐introduction must be approached cautiously. In Europe, but not in North America, mowing has been an important management tool, and mowing has been successful in maintaining species richness, particularly in fens that have been mowed annually for centuries. Fire has been the most common and successful management tool in North America although it is not effective in removing shrubs that have become large. Because the problems and solutions are similar, the literature of both European and North American fen management can be analyzed to better assess the management of fens on both continents. Many management questions require further study and these are listed in the paper.     

Woody tissue photosynthesis reduces stem CO2 efflux by half and remains unaffected by drought stress in young Populus tremula trees

A substantial portion of locally respired CO₂ in stems can be assimilated by chloroplast-containing tissues. Woody tissue photosynthesis (P_wt) therefore plays a major role in the stem carbon balance. To study the impact of P_wt on stem carbon cycling along a gradient of water availability, stem CO₂ efflux (E_A), xylem CO₂ concentration ([CO₂]), and xylem water potential (Ψ_xylem) were measured in 4-year-old Populus tremula L. trees exposed to drought stress and different regimes of light exclusion of woody tissues. Under well-watered conditions, local P_wt decreased E_A up to 30%. Axial CO₂ diffusion (D_ax) induced by distant P_wt caused an additional decrease in E_A of up to 25% and limited xylem [CO₂] build-up. Under drought stress, absolute decreases in E_A driven by P_wt remained stable, denoting that P_wt was not affected by drought. At the end of the dry period, when transpiration was low, local P_wt and D_ax offset 20% and 10% of stem respiration on a daily basis, respectively. These results highlight (a) the importance of P_wt for an adequate interpretation of E_A measurements and (b) homeostatic P_wt along a drought stress gradient, which might play a crucial role to fuel stem metabolism when leaf carbon uptake and phloem transport are limited.     

Elevated CO2 and temperature impacts on different components of soil CO2 efflux in Douglas-fir terracosms

Although numerous studies indicate that increasing atmospheric CO₂ or temperature stimulate soil CO₂ efflux, few data are available on the responses of three major components of soil respiration [i.e. rhizosphere respiration (root and root exudates), litter decomposition, and oxidation of soil organic matter] to different CO₂ and temperature conditions. In this study, we applied a dual stable isotope approach to investigate the impact of elevated CO₂ and elevated temperature on these components of soil CO₂ efflux in Douglas-fir terracosms. We measured both soil CO₂ efflux rates and the ¹³C and ¹⁸O isotopic compositions of soil CO₂ efflux in 12 sun-lit and environmentally controlled terracosms with 4-year-old Douglas fir seedlings and reconstructed forest soils under two CO₂ concentrations (ambient and 200 ppmv above ambient) and two air temperature regimes (ambient and 4 °C above ambient). The stable isotope data were used to estimate the relative contributions of different components to the overall soil CO₂ efflux. In most cases, litter decomposition was the dominant component of soil CO₂ efflux in this system, followed by rhizosphere respiration and soil organic matter oxidation. Both elevated atmospheric CO₂ concentration and elevated temperature stimulated rhizosphere respiration and litter decomposition. The oxidation of soil organic matter was stimulated only by increasing temperature. Release of newly fixed carbon as root respiration was the most responsive to elevated CO₂, while soil organic matter decomposition was most responsive to increasing temperature. Although some assumptions associated with this new method need to be further validated, application of this dual-isotope approach can provide new insights into the responses of soil carbon dynamics in forest ecosystems to future climate changes.