Foraging dynamics of muskoxen in Peary Land, northern Greenland

Muskoxen Ovibos moschatus in northern Greenland (79-83°N) are at the northern limit of their distribution and exist under seasonal extremes dominated by nearly 10 months of winter, much of which is without sunlight. The period of summer vegetative growth is less than two months. In the Kap København area (82°30'N), diversity of plant species is low (76 species of vascular plants) and forage biomass in major vegetation types in summer varies from over 40 g m^-2 in sedge-dominated fens to ≤5 g m^-2 in polar barrens. Nonetheless, 90-95% of the ice-free area consists of barren ground or sparcely vegetated polar desert. During summer, muskoxen apparently foraged opportunistically to maximize intake, with sedges the major food item in fens while willows were the major dietary component when on willow-dominated slopes. Quality of summer forage was high during its early phenological stages, with 21-28% crude protein and 60-75% in vitro digestibility. Microhistological analysis of winter feces indicated dominance by graminoids. Muskoxen spent > 50% of their daily activity feeding, which fits a cline of increasing feeding time with increasing latitude in summer. Increased feeding times at high latitudes appears to be a function of both reduced forage biomass and need to maximize forage intake during the brief summer period when forage quality is high. Movement rates in summer while foraging were inversely related to available forage biomass. Seasonal activity of muskoxen peaks during the rutting period (July-September) and then declines gradually through early winter to a low in late winter (March-April).     

Annual variation in the distribution of summer snowdrifts in the Kosciuszko alpine area,Australia, and its effect on the composition and structure of alpine vegetation

Abstract Australian alpine ecosystems are expected to diminish in extent as global warming intensifies. Alpine vegetation patterns are influenced by the duration of snow cover including the presence of snowdrifts in summer, but there is little quantitative information on landscape‐scale relationships between vegetation patterns and the frequency of occurrence of persistent summer snowdrifts in the Australian alps. We mapped annual changes in summer snowdrifts in the Kosciuszko alpine region, Australia, from Landsat TM images and modelled the frequency of occurrence of persistent summer snowdrifts from long‐term records (1954–2003) of winter snow depth. We then compared vegetation composition and structure among four classes that differed in the frequency of occurrence of persistent summer snowdrifts. We found a curvilinear relationship between annual winter snow depth and the area occupied by persistent snowdrifts in the following summer (r² = 0.9756). Only 21 ha (0.42% of study area) was predicted to have supported summer snowdrifts in 80% of the past 50 years, while 440 ha supported persistent summer snow in 10% of years. Mean cover and species richness of vascular plants declined significantly, and species composition varied significantly, as the frequency of summer snow persistence increased. Cushion plants and rushes were most abundant where summer snowdrifts occurred most frequently, and shrubs, grasses and sedges were most abundant in areas that did not support snowdrifts in summer. The results demonstrate strong regional relationships between vegetation composition and structure and the frequency of occurrence of persistent summer snowdrifts. Reductions in winter snow depth due to global warming are expected to lead to substantial reductions in the extent of persistent summer snowdrifts. As a consequence, shrubs, grasses and sedges are predicted to expand at the expense of cushion plants and rushes, reducing landscape vegetation diversity. Fortunately, few vascular plant species (e.g. Ranunculus niphophilus) appear to be totally restricted to areas where summer snow occurs most frequently. The results from this study highlight potential indicator species that could be monitored to assess the effects of global warming on Australian alpine environments.     

基于MODIS-EVI的重庆植被覆盖时空分异特征研究

利用MODIS-EVI数据,采用像元二分模型结合距平百分率、变异系数和分布指数对2000—2015年重庆植被覆盖度变化时空分异特征进行了分析,结果表明:(1)重庆植被年际、夏、秋季和2008—2015年春季以中覆盖度为主,冬季以及2000—2007年春季以低覆盖度为主。(2)植被覆盖年际变化不明显;劣覆盖度在2000、2002、2003年春季,2001、2006年秋季以及2011年冬季异常偏多;低覆盖度在2000、2001年秋季异常偏多;高覆盖度在2000、2008年秋季和2014年春季异常偏少。(3)植被的波动变化除了冬季以中度为主外,年际、春、夏、秋季均以轻度为主;稳定比例最高为夏季,轻度比例最高为秋季,中度和重度比例最高为冬季。(4)稳定和轻度波动类型主要分布在山地森林和草地区,中度和重度波动类型主要是城镇、水域及其周边区域。在400m以下,植被变化为重度波动;在400—800m,植被年际和夏季趋于稳定分布,而春、秋、冬季为轻度波动;在800—1300m,植被年际和夏季为中度波动,春、秋、冬季为稳定分布;在1300m以上,植被年际和夏季呈现轻度波动,春季为中度波动,秋、冬季为稳定分布。     

Seasonal hyperphagia does not reduce digestive efficiency in an Arctic grazer

Muskoxen (Ovibos moschatus) consume fibrous plants that grow rapidly over the short Arctic summer. We studied responses of eight castrated male muskoxen to a diet of grass hay and mineral supplements during spring, autumn, and winter. Animals gained body mass in spring (239+/-39 kg) as body fat content increased from 26% to 38% of ingesta-free mass in winter without changes in lean mass and protein. Intakes of dry matter (DM) increased by 74% between spring and autumn as digestible energy increased from 554 to 923 kJ kg(-0.75) d(-1) during mass gain. Digestibility of cellulose (72%-76%) was not affected by increasing food intake between spring and autumn but was reduced to 65% in winter. Digestibility of nitrogen compounds was 61%-66%, even though intake increased by 134% between spring and autumn. Excess dietary nitrogen from hay and supplements increased urea concentrations in plasma and urine. High loads of solutes such as potassium did not affect plasma or urinary osmolality but were associated with increased rates of glomerular filtration and urinary excretion. Low intakes of sodium from grasses may limit intake and digestion during summer, but high food intakes can support deposition of nitrogen, calcium, magnesium, copper, and zinc in body tissue even when dietary concentrations are low. Seasonal increases in digestive and metabolic functions allow muskoxen to rapidly accumulate energy and nutrients in body tissue during the short season of plant growth.     

Resource partitioning by mammalian herbivores in the high Arctic

Willow (Salix arctica) and sedges (Carex stans and Eriophorum triste) were the dominant plants available as forage for herbivores in the high Arctic of Greenland. Willow leaves were of high quality as forage in early stages, of phenology, but crude protein and digestibility declined markedly by late stages whereas sedges, remained high in forage quality throughout the growing season. Densities of fecal pellets indicated that muskoxen (Ovibos moschatus) made heaviest use of sedge-dominated vegetation types in both winter and summer, although increased use of willow communities was observed in early summer. Hares (Lepus arcticus) favored willow-dominated communities in both winter and summer. Evidence of collared lemming (Dicrostonyx groenlandicus) winter use was mainly in willow-dominated communities where snow had accumulated, whereas in summer they were present in drier habitas dominated by willows, but with greater plant diversity. Analyses of plant tissues in feces indicated that graminoids composed over 60% of the diet of muskoxen in winter and over 40% in summer. Willows were of nearly equal importance in the muskox diet in summer, and forbs, Dryas integrifolia, and moss collectively composed over 20% of the diet in both summer and winter. Grass accounted for nearly 50% of the diet of hares in both summer and winter, with willows, forbs, and moss accounting for most of the remainder. Willows and graminoids dominated the diet of lemmings, with willows being somewhat more important in summer and graminoids in winter. Moss was a noteworthy dietary component of lemmings. Differences in body and digestive-tract morphology among the three mammalian herbivores account for differences in locomotive efficiency, predator avoidance, and foraging efficiency which interact with vegetation quality, density, and patchiness. The resulting patterns of use of the landscape result in minimal overlap in use of forage resources and help to explain the distribution and co-existence of high Arctic herbivores.     

Resource partitioning between large herbivores in Hustai National Park, Mongolia

Re-introduced Przewalski horses in Hustai National Park, Mongolia could suffer from food competition with other herbivore species through food resource depletion. Diet composition of the Przewalski horse (Equus ferus przewalskii), red deer (Cervus elaphus) and four livestock species (sheep, goat, cattle and horse) were studied, using micro histological analysis of faecal samples in the summer of 2005 and winter of 2006 – 2007. We expected that herbivores become less selective in food choice in winter regarding to summer, resulting in a larger diet breadth, a larger similarity in diet and a larger dietary overlap in winter, potentially triggering exploitative competition by depletion of shared resources. Vegetation biomass decreased during winter, and the different herbivores species in HNP changed their diet from summer to winter. As expected diet breadth, diet similarity and dietary overlap were significantly larger in winter in comparison to summer. The existence of competition by resource depletion between the different species cannot be ruled out. Vegetation biomass was probably not a limiting factor according to the correlation between annual rainfall and herbivore species biomass, however the forage quality may be limiting, triggering competition.     

黄河流域植被时空变化及其对气候要素的响应

在气候变化和人类活动的双重作用下,黄河流域生态环境不断发生变化。探讨植被生长动态对于实施生态保护政策至关重要。利用Advanced Very High Resolution Radiometer(AVHRR) Leaf Area Index(LAI)遥感资料,结合气候要素数据,分析1981—2017年黄河流域植被覆盖的时空分布特征,探讨气候要素对其变化的影响及贡献率。研究结果表明：(1)时序上,黄河流域植被覆盖呈显著增长趋势,夏季植被覆盖的增长幅度和年际波动最大,冬季植被覆盖呈缓慢平稳增长,波动最小。(2)空间上,植被覆盖显著提高的区域占整个区域的52.1%,主要分布在中东部平原;显著降低的区域占4%,主要分布在北部和西部高原山地;生态脆弱的区域植被覆盖率大多有不同程度的提高,但生态环境良好的部分区域植被覆盖率降低。(3)时序上,黄河流域植被覆盖与气温具有显著的正相关关系。春夏冬三季的植被覆盖与气温呈显著正相关,与降水呈不显著关系;秋季的植被覆盖与气温和降水量均呈显著正相关;春秋冬三季的植被覆盖与太阳辐射呈不显著负相关,夏季的植被覆盖与太阳辐射呈不显著正相关。春夏秋冬四季的气温对植被覆...     

A test of the relationship between seasonal rainfall and saguaro cacti branching patterns

Reproductive output, as well as photosynthetically active radiation interception and CO₂ uptake, increase as saguaro cacti Carnegiea gigantea (Engelm.) Britt. and Rose branch, and branching increases with increasing moisture. The Sonoran Desert experiences distinct summer and winter precipitation regimes that vary in both geography and scale. Many aspects of saguaro ecology are known to depend on the summer rains, which has resulted in an emphasis on summer rains in the literature. Similarly, branching studies have been limited geographically to areas that receive relatively high amounts of summer rainfall. These studies, therefore, attribute branching patterns to the summer (or possibly annual) rains, and conclusions reflect the summer precipitation bias.
Environmental variability in space was explored in the present study to investigate saguaro branching patterns. I collected height and branching data in thirty saguaro populations across their American range. Stepwise regression was used to determine which climate, vegetation and soil variables best predict branching. Contrary to the literature, this study found that winter precipitation, particularly from January to April, was the best predictor of branching, not summer or annual rain. Surprisingly, the relationship between the summer monsoons (July and August precipitation) and branching was negative. This is likely due to the fact that summer and winter rainfall patterns are geographically distinct. Winter precipitation appears to play a key role in branching, and thus in seed production. This suggests that saguaros benefit from moisture during the winter, possibly utilizing cold-season rains for increasing their reproductive output through branching, and challenging the view that the summer rains dominate virtually every aspect of the saguaro life-cycle, and creating a more balanced view of saguaro ecology.     

陕北长城沿线风沙区植被指数变化及其与气候的关系

陕北长城沿线风沙区位于毛乌素沙漠东南部边沿,属毛乌素沙地向东南移动的最活跃地段,生态环境十分脆弱。使用1981～2003年23a长时间序列的NOAA/AHRR NDVI数据、气候资料,分析了陕北长城沿线风沙区植被覆盖的历史演变及其与气候因子的关系。结果表明:(1)陕北长城沿线风沙区植被覆盖状况23a来尽管有波动起伏,但是整体在持续转好,年平均NDVI增加了10.62%。低覆盖率植被面积在减少,高覆盖率植被面积在增加。夏季的NDVI值最高、波动起伏最大,其次是秋季;春、夏、秋三季的NDVI具有明显的上升趋势,季平均NDVI年增长率夏季最大,秋季次之;夏、秋季NDVI与年NDVI具有很高的相关性,这两个季节的植被状况基本决定了全年的植被分布状况。NDVI年变化曲线为单峰型,春季NDVI缓慢增加,秋季NDVI降低速度比较快。(2)年平均NDVI与温度的年际变化相关不明显,各季节NDVI与温度相关也不明显。近年来长城沿线风沙区的年降水量没有明显增加,而年平均NDVI线性增加趋势显著,降水量是引起NDVI年际波动的主要因子,非气候因素是年平均NDVI线性增加的主要原因。降水量与NDVI存在着明显的年相关和隔季相关。年降水量与年NDVI的相关,冬季降水量与春季NDVI的相关,春季降水量与夏季NDVI的相关,夏季降水量与秋季NDVI的相关性都非常高。(3)非气候因素中生态保护和环境建设等人为措施,如植树造林、草原围栏封育等是导致植被显著增加的重要原因。     

陕西吴起植被动态及其与气候变化的关系

使用归一化植被指数(normalized difference vegetation index,NDVI)资料,分析了陕西省吴起县1982-2003年NDVI的演变情况及其与气候变化的关系。结果表明,22年来植被覆盖状况尽管有波动起伏,但整体在持续转好,表现在低覆盖率植被面积在减少,高覆盖率植被面积在增加;年平均NDVI与降水量呈正相关,植被覆盖的改善有利于减小风速;从季节平均值来看,春季降水量与夏季NDVI、夏季降水量与秋季NDVI的相关性均极显著(P<0.01),并且夏秋两季的降水量与年NDVI相关性也显著,说明降水量是影响吴起县植被分布状况的关键性因子;春夏季蒸发量与夏季的NDVI均呈极显著的负相关(P<0.01);春夏季相对湿度与夏季的NDVI呈极显著的正相关(P<0.01),冬季相对湿度与冬季的NDVI呈极显著的负相关(P<0.01)。     

Changes in phenological events in response to a global warming scenario reveal greater adaptability of winter annual compared with summer annual arabidopsis ecotypes

Background and AimsThe impact of global warming on life cycle timing is uncertain. We investigated changes in life cycle timing in a global warming scenario. We compared Arabidopsis thaliana ecotypes adapted to the warm/dry Cape Verdi Islands (Cvi), Macaronesia, and the cool/wet climate of the Burren (Bur), Ireland, Northern Europe. These are obligate winter and summer annuals, respectively.MethodsUsing a global warming scenario predicting a 4 °C temperature rise from 2011 to approx. 2080, we produced F₁ seeds at each end of a thermogradient tunnel. Each F₁ cohort (cool and warm) then produced F₂ seeds at both ends of the thermal gradient in winter and summer annual life cycles. F₂ seeds from the winter life cycle were buried at three positions along the gradient to determine the impact of temperature on seedling emergence in a simulated winter life cycle.Key ResultsIn a winter life cycle, increasing temperatures advanced flowering time by 10.1 d °C^–1 in the winter annual and 4.9 d °C^–1 in the summer annual. Plant size and seed yield responded positively to global warming in both ecotypes. In a winter life cycle, the impact of increasing temperature on seedling emergence timing was positive in the winter annual, but negative in the summer annual. Global warming reduced summer annual plant size and seed yield in a summer life cycle.ConclusionsSeedling emergence timing observed in the north European summer annual ecotype may exacerbate the negative impact of predicted increased spring and summer temperatures on their establishment and reproductive performance. In contrast, seedling establishment of the Macaronesian winter annual may benefit from higher soil temperatures that will delay emergence until autumn, but which also facilitates earlier spring flowering and consequent avoidance of high summer temperatures. Such plasticity gives winter annual arabidopsis ecotypes a distinct advantage over summer annuals in expected global warming scenarios. This highlights the importance of variation in the timing of seedling establishment in understanding plant species responses to anthropogenic climate change.     

多尺度下宝鸡地区干旱动态格局演变及其与植被覆盖的关系

利用宝鸡地区11个气象站点1974—2013年逐月气温和降水量数据,基于标准化降水蒸散指数(SPEI),结合土地利用/覆盖数据,从干旱发生频率、发生强度及与植被NDVI相关性等角度,探讨了近40年来干旱时空变化格局及其对植被覆盖的响应。结果显示:宝鸡地区年均SPEI指数以-2.50%/a的速度下降,干旱趋势明显增强。自20世纪末以来,全区年均干旱指数呈明显的上升趋势,以2007—2010年增大趋势最为显著(超过0.05临界线);近40年来,春季干旱发生频率达60%及以上的有21 a,达90%以上的有9a。1981—1986年起伏变化最为剧烈。秋季平均干旱发生频率为46.29%,为春、夏、秋、冬4个季节中最低。从干旱发生强度来看,全区年际、四季及月6个时间尺度上干旱强度高、低值区域分布均比较集中;秋季强度最弱的区域面积表现最高,占总面积的75.47%。干旱发生最严重的是春季,占总面积的11.90%。全区干旱与植被覆盖相关性均表现较好(均通过0.05显著性水平检验),林地、草地负相关性最为显著(除夏季),夏季、秋季、月尺度上,耕地、水域、城乡地区干旱与植被覆盖的相关性与土地利用类型无关。     

Similarity between seed bank and vegetation in Mediterranean grassland: a predictive model

Abstract. The similarity in species composition between seed bank and vegetation was analysed in Mediterranean grasslands in relation to altitude, topography and grazing. Soil samples were collected in permanent plots in autumn at the end of the summer drought period and in spring, before the new seed fall and after the natural winter seed stratification. The seed bank composition was determined by greenhouse germination over a nine-month period. Presence/absence of species in the standing vegetation throughout the complete annual cycle, and the percentage area of bare ground in October, were recorded in the same plots. The species composition of the standing vegetation is clearly determined by altitude, topography and grazing, while the floristic composition of the seed banks is only related to altitude and topography in the case of autumn seed bank and with any of the three factors in the spring seed bank. Relative abundances of grasses, legumes and forbs also show different patterns in vegetation and seed bank data. Sørensen similarity between the autumn seed bank and the vegetation declines as altitude rises, but there are no significant differences for topography and grazing. This similarity decreases in the case of the spring seed bank and does not show any significant relationship with any of the factors. The perennial/ annual ratio and the proportion of bare soil in October are proposed as explanatory variables in a predictive model of similarity between the seed composition of the seed bank and vegetation.     

The effect of past changes in inter‐annual temperature variability on tree distribution limits

Aim The northern limits of temperate broadleaved species in Fennoscanndia are controlled by their requirements for summer warmth for successful regeneration and growth as well as by the detrimental effects of winter cold on plant tissue. However, occurrences of meteorological conditions with detrimental effects on individual species are rare events rather than a reflection of average conditions. We explore the effect of changes in inter‐annual temperature variability on the abundances of the tree species Tilia cordata, Quercus robur and Ulmus glabra near their distribution limits using a process‐based model of ecosystem dynamics. Location A site in central Sweden and a site in southern Finland were used as examples for the ecotone between boreal and temperate forests in Fennoscandia. The Finnish site was selected because of the availability of varve‐thickness data. Methods The dynamic vegetation model LPJ‐GUESS was run with four scenarios of inter‐annual temperature forcing for the last 10,000 years. In one scenario the variability in the thickness of summer and winter varves from the annually laminated lake in Finland was used as a proxy for past inter‐annual temperature variability. Two scenarios were devised to explore systematically the effect of stepwise changes in the variance and shape parameter of a probability distribution. All variability scenarios were run both with and without the long‐term trend in Holocene temperature change predicted by an atmospheric general circulation model. Results Directional changes in inter‐annual temperature variability have significant effects on simulated tree distribution limits through time. Variations in inter‐annual temperature variability alone are shown to alter vegetation composition by magnitudes similar to the magnitude of changes driven by variation in mean temperatures. Main conclusions The varve data indicate that inter‐annual climate variability has changed in the past. The model results show that past changes in species abundance can be explained by changes in the inter‐annual variability of climate parameters as well as by mean climate. Because inter‐annual climatic variability is predicted to change in the future, this component of climate change should be taken into account both when making projections of future plant distributions and when interpreting vegetation history.     

Temperature and substrate controls on intra-annual variation in ecosystem respiration in two subarctic vegetation types

Arctic ecosystems are important in the context of climate change because they are expected to undergo the most rapid temperature increases, and could provide a globally significant release of CO₂ to the atmosphere from their extensive bulk soil organic carbon reserves. Understanding the relative contributions of bulk soil organic matter and plant‐associated carbon pools to ecosystem respiration is critical to predicting the response of arctic ecosystem net carbon balance to climate change. In this study, we determined the variation in ecosystem respiration rates from birch forest understory and heath tundra vegetation types in northern Sweden through a full annual cycle. We used a plant biomass removal treatment to differentiate bulk soil organic matter respiration from total ecosystem respiration in each vegetation type. Plant‐associated and bulk soil organic matter carbon pools each contributed significantly to ecosystem respiration during most phases of winter and summer in the two vegetation types. Ecosystem respiration rates through the year did not differ significantly between vegetation types despite substantial differences in biomass pools, soil depth and temperature regime. Most (76–92%) of the intra‐annual variation in ecosystem respiration rates from these two common mesic subarctic ecosystems was explained using a first‐order exponential equation relating respiration to substrate chemical quality and soil temperature. Removal of plants and their current year's litter significantly reduced the sensitivity of ecosystem respiration to intra‐annual variations in soil temperature for both vegetation types, indicating that respiration derived from recent plant carbon fixation was more temperature sensitive than respiration from bulk soil organic matter carbon stores. Accurate assessment of the potential for positive feedbacks from high‐latitude ecosystems to CO₂‐induced climate change will require the development of ecosystem‐level physiological models of net carbon exchange that differentiate the responses of major C pools, that account for effects of vegetation type, and that integrate over summer and winter seasons.     

A Simple Model of Phosphorus Retention Evoked by Submerged Macrophytes in Lowland Rivers

This study was designed to quantify and model the effects of macrophytes on phosphorus retention in a lowland river. The seasonal course of phosphorus retention was calculated from the measured difference in TP between beginning and end of a 30-km river course and the estimated lateral P input. The coverage of submersed macrophytes was mapped and coincided with the difference between theoretical water level (without vegetation) and the observed one. Therefore, the increase in water level was used as measure of the macrophytes’ abundance. In years with rare vegetation (1991–1994), P was retained in winter and remobilized in summer. In years with dense stands of macrophytes (1995–2002), net P retention was highest in summer and amounted up to 20% of TP load, and was negative during winter. The annual P budget was close to zero in both periods. The found sinusoidal annual pattern of total phosphorus retention was used to create a retention model for vegetated lowland rivers.     

不同时间尺度小流域径流变化及其归因分析

流域径流的变化及其原因的研究,是森林水文领域的一个重要的科学问题。当前,大部分研究基于年尺度定量分析了流域径流变化及其影响因素的贡献率,而季节尺度上的研究较少。因此,季节尺度上径流变化的归因分析值得深入研究。基于彭冲涧小流域1983—2014年降水、径流等水文气象资料,通过Mann-Kendall检验法对降水、径流序列进行突变分析,采用累积量斜率变化率比较法计算季节及年尺度上降水变化、蒸发散和植被恢复对径流变化的贡献率。结果表明:2003年为降水与径流的一致突变点;春、夏、秋、冬季及年降水变化的贡献率分别为50.88%、42.60%、-10.39%、-3.28%和31.26%,蒸发散的贡献率分别为32.89%、40.71%、29.33%、47.43%和42.64%,植被恢复的贡献率分别为16.23%、16.69%、81.06%、55.85%和26.10%。季节尺度上,春、夏季,降水变化和蒸发散是径流深减少的主要原因,而秋、冬季,植被恢复居主导地位;年尺度上,蒸发散对径流深减少的贡献率最大。该研究揭示了彭冲涧小流域近30年来径流变化规律以及不同时间尺度上影响径流的主要驱动因子,为流域水资源合理配置和管理提供科学依据。     

基于NDVI的米仓山植被覆盖变化趋势分析

基于1998年4月至2009年12月的SPOT-VEGETATION逐旬NDVI数据,采用MVC(最大值合成法)获得月NDVI值,用均值法计算各季及年均NDVI值;对5种植被类型的年均NDVIy和生长季NDVIg进行一元线性回归,辅助以趋势线分析定量描述研究区植被覆盖动态变化,并采用R/S分析(重标极差法)动态预测米仓山植被覆盖未来变化趋势。结果表明:研究区12年间NDVI整体呈上升趋势,相对于前期(1999~2001年)、中期(2003~2005年)和后期(2007~2009年)的NDVI增加显著;年最大NDVI≥0.70的区域占总面积的98.95%,年均NDVI≥0.70的区域占93.69%,且植被覆盖增加的面积远大于减少的面积;划分的5种植被类型中,阔叶林类NDVI值最高,人工植被类NDVI值最低;R/S法计算结果显示,Hurst指数(H)为0.876 8,表现为很强的持续性,预示未来一定时限内米仓山植被覆盖将有稳定的增加趋势。