Does microclimate affect grasshopper populations after cutting of hay in improved grassland?

The microclimate of an improved hay meadow was studied using Tinytag dataloggers to record sward temperature after cutting. Temperatures in the sward were then compared to grasshopper abundances to see if mowing created an excessively hot microclimate unfavourable for sustained grasshopper activity in mid summer. The abundance of Chorthippus albomarginatus and Chorthippus parallelus was significantly reduced on the hay plots compared to the unmanaged control swards, which may have been due to high sward temperatures created by the absence of tall, shady vegetation in which grasshoppers may take refuge to avoid overheating. This study suggests that a combination of mortality caused by the physical process of mowing, and high sward temperatures created by removal of the standing crop by cutting may cause the low abundance of grasshoppers in improved grassland in eastern England. This research is particularly important when considering the orthopteran assemblages of Environmental Stewardship Scheme field margins where mowing for hay in July and August may seriously reduce grasshopper populations. If mowing of grassland has to occur during the grasshopper season, we suggest a later cut in September or a system of rotational mowing, leaving areas of uncut grassland as shelter.     

Succession during the re‐creation of a flood‐meadow 1985‐1999

Abstract. The study site, Somerford Mead, is located on the river Thames floodplain and was a species‐rich flood‐meadow in the 1950s. In the 1960s and 1970s it was subjected to intensive grassland management with regular NPK additions and occasional herbicide treatment. In 1981 Somerford Mead was ploughed for the first time and converted to arable land. Seeds of an Alopecuruspratensis‐Sanguisorba officinalis flood‐meadow community (MG4; Rodwell 1992) were sown onto prepared soil in the autumn of 1986, and botanical records were made from 1985 to 1999. From 1989 to 1999, three replicates of three treatments: cow‐grazing, sheep‐grazing and no‐grazing were introduced after hay‐cutting. Analysis successfully separated the establishment phase from the experimental phase and showed a significant difference between the grazed and ungrazed treatments. Abiotic and biotic factors which might contribute to successional trends are discussed. A convoluted pattern for each treatment could be attributed in part to intrinsic‘cycles’of perennial hemicryptophytes behaving as short‐lived species and in part to the percentage frequency of many species which was reduced in 1990 and 1995/1996, years of drought. After the initial inoculation of MG4 seed and the disappearance of arable therophytes, recruitment of new species was very slow. Coefficients for Somerford Mead matched against MG4 (Rodwell 1992) produced an equilibrium within three years. It subsequently fluctuated over a 10‐yr period well below the level of Oxey Mead, the donor site. Land managers should ensure that their proposed site has the right soils and hydrology for MG4 grassland and that traditional management of hay‐cutting and aftermath grazing is practised. Only one cut a year in July could lead to a reduction in percentage frequency of most species except Arrhenatherum elatius.     

Field evidence for earlier leaf-out dates in alpine grassland on the eastern Tibetan Plateau from 1990 to 2006

Worldwide, many plant species are experiencing an earlier onset of spring phenophases due to climate warming. Rapid recent temperature increases on the Tibetan Plateau (TP) have triggered changes in the spring phenology of the local vegetation. However, remote sensing studies of the land surface phenology have reached conflicting interpretations about green-up patterns observed on the TP since the mid-1990s. We investigated this issue using field phenological observations from 1990 to 2006, for 11 dominant plants on the TP at the levels of species, families (Gramineae—grasses and Cyperaceae—sedges) and vegetation communities (alpine meadow and alpine steppe). We found a significant trend of earlier leaf-out dates for one species (Koeleria cristata). The leaf-out dates of both Gramineae and Cyperaceae had advanced (the latter significantly, starting an average of 9 days later per year than the former), but the correlation between them was significant. The leaf-out dates of both vegetation communities also advanced, but the pattern was only significant in the alpine meadow. This study provides the first field evidence of advancement in spring leaf phenology on the TP and suggests that the phenology of the alpine steppe can differ from that of the alpine meadow. These findings will be useful for understanding ecosystem responses to climate change and for grassland management on the TP.     

Reintroduction of a Rare Plant (Gladiolus imbricatus) Population to a River Floodplain—How Important is Meadow Management?

In seminatural grasslands, the success of reintroduction of locally extinct rare plant species may depend on the ambient management regime. We aimed to study to what extent the success of the restoration of a rare species (Gladiolus imbricatus) depends on management conditions. A management experiment with traditional cutting by scythe and hay removal, mowing (machine cutting and hay removal), mulching (machine cutting without hay removal), spring burning, and unmanaged control, combined with reintroduction of seeds of Gladiolus, was conducted in an Estonian flooded meadow in which the species had become extinct. Seeds were reintroduced in 2003 in all management treatments and populations monitored until 2006. Mulching, mowing, and traditional management resulted in the greatest establishment, whereas the subsequent mortality was not influenced greatly by management regime. The population started to increase in mulching treatment in the third season due to vegetative growth. The results indicate that the establishment of G. imbricatus is primarily seed limited under current conditions, whereas favorable management significantly enhances establishment in a river floodplain meadow. Successful restoration depends on seed addition and proper grassland management—mowing to a height of approximately 15 cm and mulching.     

Seed bank diversity in mesic grasslands in relation to vegetation type,management and site conditions

Questions: 1. Do different management types (i.e. hay meadow, silage meadow, meadow‐pasture, pasture) have different impact on the size and composition of the seed bank of mesic grassland (Arrhenatheretalia)? 2. How strong is the effect of management on the seed bank in relation to above‐ground vegetation, edaphic factors and land‐use history? 3. Are there differences in C‐S‐R plant strategy types and seed longevity under different management regimes? Location: Lahn‐Dill Highlands in central‐western Germany. Methods: Above‐ground vegetation and the soil seed bank of 63 plots (at 21 sites) in mesic grasslands were studied. Differences between management types in quantitative seed bank traits and functional characteristics were tested by ANOVA. The impact of management, above‐ground vegetation, site conditions and land‐use history on seed bank composition were analysed by partial CCA. Results: Management had no significant impact on species richness and density of the seed bank but significantly influenced their floristic composition and functional characteristics. CCA revealed that even after adjustment for soil chemical parameters and above‐ground vegetation management still had significant impact on seed bank composition. ANOVA revealed that silage meadows contained higher proportions of R‐strategy compared to hay meadows. In contrast, in hay meadows and meadow‐pastures proportions of S‐strategy were higher than in silage meadows. Conclusions: The type of grassland management has little impact on quantitative seed bank traits. Management types with a high degree of disturbance lead to an increase of species following a ruderal strategy in the seed bank. Irrespective of management type only a limited proportion of characteristic grassland species is likely to re‐establish from the seed bank after disappearance from above‐ground vegetation.     

气候变化对内蒙古鄂温克旗典型草原植物物候的影响

植物物候作为气候变化敏感的指示指标,已成为全球气候变化研究的焦点。利用内蒙古典型草原区鄂温克牧业气象试验站1959—2017年的气候资料和1983—2017年的植物物候观测资料,采用趋势倾向率和逐步回归等方法,分析了鄂温克旗气候变化特征,代表性牧草大针茅和羊草返青期、开花期、黄枯期及生长季的变化趋势,并通过偏相关分析探讨了气温、降水和日照时数与牧草生育期的关系,建立了主要牧草物候期的气候模型。结果表明:(1)鄂温克旗近60年平均气温呈极显著波动增加趋势,年降水量和年日照时数的变化很小;(2)30多年来,鄂温克旗大针茅和羊草返青期总体呈推迟趋势,倾向率分别为2.2 d/10a和1.4 d/10a;开花期的变化趋势不明显;黄枯期分别以2.8 d/10a和1.5 d/10a的趋势提前;生长季长度呈明显缩短趋势;(3)3月和4月气温是影响研究区牧草返青最主要的气候因子,气温升高返青期提前;前2个月降水量对大针茅开花期的影响较大;气温升高使得黄枯期提前,而降水量增加则使得黄枯期推迟。     

增温对青藏高原高寒草甸呼吸作用的影响

生态系统呼吸(ER)和土壤呼吸(SR)是草地生态系统碳排放的关键环节,其对气候变化极为敏感。高寒草甸是青藏高原典型的草地生态系统,其呼吸作用对气候变化的响应对区域碳排放具有重要的影响。以高寒草甸生态系统为对象,于2012—2016年采用模拟增温的方法研究呼吸作用对增温的响应。结果表明:增温对高寒草甸ER的影响存在年际差异,2013年和2014年增温对ER无显著影响,其他年份显著增加ER(P<0.05),综合5年结果,平均增幅达22.3%。增温显著促进了高寒草甸SR(P<0.05),较对照处理5年平均增幅高达67.1%;增温总体上提高了SR在ER中的比例(P<0.05),最高增幅达到59.9%。ER和SR与土壤温度有显著的正相关关系(P<0.05),与土壤水分没有显著的相关关系(P>0.05)。对照样地中,土壤温度分别能解释33.0%和18.5%的ER和SR变化。在增温条件下,土壤温度可以解释20.5%和13.0%的ER和SR变化。在增温条件下,SR的温度敏感性显著增加,而ER的温度敏感性变化较小,导致SR的比重进一步增加。因此,在未来气候变暖条件下,青藏高...     

Climate change and bird phenology: a long-term study in the Iberian Peninsula

Many studies in recent years have demonstrated long‐term temporal trends in biological parameters that can only be explained by climate change. Bird phenology has received great attention, as it studies one of the most conspicuous, popular, and easily observable phenomena in nature. There are many studies of long‐term changes in spring arrival dates, most of which concur with earlier records from the last few decades. However, few data are available for autumn departures or length of stays. Furthermore, existing data offer an equivocal picture. In this study, we analysed a huge database of about 44 000 records for five trans‐Saharan bird species (Ciconia ciconia, Cuculus canorus, Apus apus, Hirundo rustica and Luscinia megarhynchos). Data were collected from over 1300 sites around Spain during the period 1944–2004. Common spring arrival patterns were found in all species. Spring arrival dates have tended to advance since the mid‐1970s. Current dates are similar to those from the 1940s (except for C. ciconia). Thus, the advance of spring migration over the last three decades could be seen as a return to the initial timing of arrival dates, after abnormally delayed arrivals during the 1970s. A strong negative relationship with temperature in Spain at arrival time was observed in all species. A negative relationship with the Sahel Index (a measurement of precipitation in the African Sahel area during the rainy season) for the previous year was also found in C. canorus, A. apus and H. rustica. Regarding autumn departures, all species showed common interdecadal fluctuations, but only H. rustica is leaving earlier Spain at present. All species departed earlier in years that had higher temperatures during their reproductive period. However, only for H. rustica the relation between Spanish temperatures at departure time and the last sightings of individuals was significant. A heterogeneous temporal response for the length of stay was also found: C. ciconia increased, A. apus did not change and H. rustica decreased its stay. This is the first study, based on an extensive bird phenology observational network covering a large region, that shows the most complete and thorough analysis available for the Mediterranean region.     

Effect of different manuring and defoliation patterns on broad-leaved dock (Rumex obtusifolius) in grassland

The effects of cutting frequency and cutting height on broad‐leaved dock (Rumex obtusifolius) in Lolium perenne‐based agricultural grassland at two levels of fertiliser input were investigated at North Wyke, Devon, UK. Two micro‐plot field experiments, containing immature dock plants at uniform densities, with a factorial design, were used to compare: (a) ‘organic’ and ‘low‐input’ fertilisation, i.e. cattle slurry only vs slurry plus mineral fertiliser (NPK at 100‐0‐64 kg ha^?1 yr^?1), (b) cutting heights of 5–6 cm vs 10–12 cm, and (c) four harvesting frequencies representative of different grassland management practices (regular 4‐weekly cutting, a ‘hay‐stage’ cutting, and two treatments with ‘silage‐stage’ cutting). Expt 1 was established in 1995 with 13 dock plants m^?2 (from excised dock‐root sections) and Expt 2 established in 1996 with 25 plants m^?2 (as seed‐grown plug plants). Treatments were assessed over the 2 subsequent years to determine treatment effects on total herbage dry matter (DM) yield and dock DM yield, and on in‐situ measures of dock ramets. In both experiments, total DM yield was increased by 1.0–2.01 ha^?1 yr^?1 for treatments receiving NK fertiliser; the proportion of dock was also higher than from slurry‐only treatments. In Expt 1, the dock ramet density, mean dock ramet height, mean leaf length and numbers of dock leaves per m² were also greater on NK fertilised treatments in autumn of yr 1. Height of cut had no consistent effect on dock yield, but dock ramet density and leaf density in autumn were greater on the 5–6 cm than the 10–12 cm cutting treatment, Expt 2 only. In yr 2 of both experiments cutting at 4‐weekly intervals resulted in less dock in the herbage than hay‐stage cutting and, particularly in Expt 1, there were associated differences in leaf density and ramet height in autumn; silage‐stage treatments were intermediate. Results are discussed in relation to requirements for management options where there is a need to avoid or reduce herbicides.     

Effects of changes in farming of subalpine meadows on a grassland bird, the whinchat ( Saxicola rubetra)

The increasing intensity of farming of meadows is supposed to be the major cause for strong declines of many meadow breeding birds. The whinchat, Saxicola rubetra, a Palaearctic migratory bird, is an indicator species of open grassland farmed at a low intensity. Originally widespread throughout Switzerland, it is now restricted to mountain and subalpine grassland. We document the changes in meadow cultivation in subalpine farmland from 1988 to 2002, and the breeding performance and density of the whinchat. We explored the impact of habitat degradation on the population dynamics of this meadow bird. The cultivation of hay meadows changed markedly within the 15 years: the onset of mowing was shifted forward by about 20 days, and farmers applied new techniques such as silage and irrigation. This shift was more pronounced in the favourable farmland in the valley bottom (Pradellas) than on the slopes (Vnà). The percentage of successful whinchat broods, ranging from 5% to 78% in different years, strongly depended on mowing date on both sites. In spite of earlier mowing, birds did not change their time schedule of breeding. Breeding success in Pradellas was too low to compensate for mortality (sink population), but because of immigration the number of breeding pairs did not decrease untill 2000. Population size may therefore be a misleading indicator of local population viability. Based on the breeding schedule of whinchats at different altitudes, we recommend mowing dates in agreement with the reproductive cycle of ground nesting meadow birds.     

Observed trends in winegrape maturity in Australia

An extensive assessment of historical trends in winegrape maturity dates from vineyards located in geographically diverse winegrape growing regions in Australia has been undertaken. Records from 44 vineyard blocks, representing a range of varieties of Vitis vinifera L., were accessed. These comprise 33 short‐term datasets (average 17 years in length) and 11 long‐term datasets, ranging from 25 to 115 years in length (average 50 years). Time series of the day of the year grapes attain maturity were assessed. A trend to earlier maturity of winegrapes was observed in 43 of the 44 vineyard blocks. This trend was significant for six out of the 11 long‐term blocks for the complete time period for which records were available. For the period 1993–2009, 35 of the 44 vineyard blocks assessed displayed a statistically significant trend to earlier maturity. The average advance in the phenology was dependent on the time period of observation, with a more rapid advance over more recent decades. Over the more recent 1993–2009 period, the average advance was 1.7 days year, whereas for the period 1985–2009 the rate of advance was 0.8 days yr^?1 on average in the 10 long‐term vineyard blocks assessed for cross‐regional comparison. The trend to earlier maturity was associated with warming temperature trends for all of the blocks assessed in the study.     

Species introduction through seeds from an old,species‐rich hay meadow: Effects of management

Abstract. A local seed mixture from plants growing in a species‐rich, traditionally managed hay meadow site at Varaldsoy, Hardanger, western Norway, where many endangered hay meadow species of the region are growing, was sown in a newly harrowed experimental field 1 km from the source meadow in order to increase the habitat area for the endangered species. Of 25 endangered species recorded in the source meadow, only one (Holcus lanatus) was present in the target meadow. After sowing, 16 of the endangered species in addition to Holcus lanatus were recorded in the new site. Six species were only present in sown plots and seven others were more frequent there, while three species might have arrived by chance or originated from the seed bank. Replacing the traditional management regime, including one late cut and grazing in spring and in autumn, with three cutting times and the creation of gaps in the sward, resulted in a higher number of endangered species in plots which were only cut, possibly because the grazing was too intensive in the small enclosures.     

Apple (Malus pumila var. domestica) phenology is advancing due to rising air temperature in northern Japan

Recent studies show advancing onset of plant growing season in many regions for the last several decades. With the well‐established dependence of plant phenology on temperature, these trends are interpreted as an indication of global warming. For several decades, however, other determinants of plant phenology, e.g. varieties and trends in managed systems, may have changed and confounded the phenological trends. In this study, we tested if long‐term changes in phenology of apple (Malus pumila var. domestica) are attributable to long‐term changes in temperature by comparing the phenological response to long‐term trend in air temperature, which is of our interest, with that to year‐to‐year fluctuation in air temperature, which should represent the real effect of temperature on phenology. We collected records of air temperature and phenological events (budding and flowering) in apple from 1977 to 2004 at six locations in Japan. Linear trends in flowering showed advancing rate in the range from 0.21 to 0.35 day yr^?1, statistically significant at three locations (P<0.05). We also found a warming trend in mean air temperature throughout March and April, with which flowering was closely correlated, in the range from 0.047 to 0.077 °C yr^?1, statistically significant at five locations (P<0.05). We separated the temperature time‐series into two components: a long‐term trend and a year‐to‐year fluctuation, by fitting smoothing spline to the trend and taking the residuals as the anomaly. We then fit a multiple regression model of phenological response to air temperature with separate coefficients for long‐term trend and anomaly. Flowering date responded to the long‐term trend at ?3.8 day °C^?1 and to the anomaly at ?4.6 day °C^?1. The temperature coefficients were not statistically different from each other or among locations, suggesting that the advance of apple phenology has predominantly been caused by the temperature increase across the locations studied. The same result was also observed with budding.     

Simulating phenological characteristics of two dominant grass species in a semi-arid steppe ecosystem

Vegetation phenology has a strong effect on terrestrial carbon cycles, local weather, and global radiation partitioning between sensible and latent heat fluxes. Based on phenological data that were collected from a typical steppe ecosystem at Xilingol Grazing and Meteorological Station from 1985 to 2003, we studied the phenological characteristics of Leymus chinensis and Stipa krylovii. We found that the dates for budburst of L. chinensis and S. krylovii were delayed with increasing temperature during winter and spring seasons; these results differed from existing research in which earlier spring events were attributed to the changes in increasing air temperature in winter and spring. The results also suggested that water availability was an important controlling factor for phenology in addition to temperature in grassland plants. The classical cumulative temperature model simulated the phenology well in wet years, but not in the beginning of growing season in all years from 1985 to 2003. The disparity between the simulation and the observation appeared to be related to soil water. Based on our research findings, a water-heat-based phenological model was developed for simulating the beginning of growing season for these two grass species. The simulated results of the new model showed a significant correlation with the observation of beginning date of the growing season, and both mean values of the absolute error were less than 6 days.     

围栏对青藏高原不同类型草地土壤原核微生物多样性的影响

草地退化是草地植被的倒退演替,导致生物多样性丧失和生态系统功能退化,围栏是恢复退化草地生态系统功能的有效管理措施。微生物是土壤中的重要组成部分,在维持草地生态系统稳定性和功能方面发挥着重要作用。然而,目前尚不清楚围栏如何影响不同类型草地土壤微生物群落。以青藏高原草甸、草原和荒漠草地三种草地类型的退化草地为研究对象,设置围栏和放牧两种处理,采用Illumina HiSeq高通量测序技术研究了围栏对土壤原核微生物群落多样性和群落结构的影响。结果表明：围栏未显著影响草甸土壤原核微生物的丰富度、Shannon多样性和均匀度,但显著增加了草原土壤的原核微生物的丰富度、Shannon多样性和均匀度（P<0.05）,稍降低了荒漠草地土壤原核微生物的丰富度、Shannon多样性和均匀度（P=0.086、0.072和0.099）。在围栏处理的草地中,土壤原核微生物丰富度、Shannon多样性和均匀度与年均温、干旱度和pH显著负相关（P<0.01）,与年平均降水量、溶解性有机碳、地上生物量和植物多样性显著正相关（P<0.01）。在放牧处理的草地中,土壤原核微生物丰富度、Shannon多样性和均匀度与年均温和干旱度显著负相关（P<0.05）,但原核微生物丰富度和Shannon多样性与所有土壤理化和植被因素均无显著相关性。冗余分析（RDA）表明,不同类型草地土壤原核微生物群落结构发生了显著的变化,并沿草甸、草原和荒漠草地的过渡逐渐转变（P<0.001）。方差分解分析（VPA）进一步表明,原核微生物群落结构变化主要受年均温、年平均降水量、干旱度和pH的驱动。围栏显著改变了不同类型草地中部分样点土壤原核微生物群落结构。三种草地类型的主要原核微生物优势门均为放线菌门（Actinobacteria）、变形菌门（Proteobacteria）和酸杆菌门（Acidobacteria）。放线菌门（Actinobacteria）的相对丰度在荒漠草地土壤中最高,而变形菌门（Proteobacteria）和酸杆菌门（Acidobacteria）的相对丰度在草甸土壤中最高。此外,不同类型围栏和放牧草地土壤原核微生物类群的相对丰度均无显著差异。研究表明不同类型草地土壤原核微生物群落对围栏的响应不同,这为因地制宜制定草地管理措施提供了数据支持,为草地退化的防治提供了理论支持。     

No detrimental effects of delayed mowing or uncut grass refuges on plant and bryophyte community structure and phytomass production in low-intensity hay meadows

To maintain European semi-natural grasslands, agri-environment schemes (AES) have been established in many countries but their biodiversity benefits have remained limited. We tested the effects of three new mowing regimes designed to benefit biodiversity in extensively managed meadows across the Swiss lowlands. Our experimental treatments mimicked easily implementable farming practices. We previously showed that invertebrates benefit from delayed mowing and leaving an uncut grass refuge. Here we focus on the effects on plant and bryophyte communities.We compared the standard AES practice (earliest mowing on June 15, no fertilizer input, but no restriction on number of cuts) to three alternative mowing regimes: (i) earliest mowing delayed by one month, (ii) maximum of two cuts per year with at least eight weeks in between, and (iii) leaving an uncut refuge on 10–20% of the meadow area in 12 study areas in the Swiss lowlands. We also tested for the interactive effects of ambient temperature, precipitation, elevation, meadow size, local forest cover, time since AES registration, and phytomass production.After five years of application, we found no difference in the effects of mowing regimes on vascular plant or bryophyte species richness, community composition, phytomass, flowering phenology or average plant height (the latter two indices were derived from the literature). However, cutting frequency and hay nutritional quality (C:N and Ca:P ratios) were lower under delayed mowing. Vascular plant and bryophyte species richness as well as forage quality were negatively related to phytomass, while the latter was positively related to mean summer temperature and negatively to time since AES registration.We conclude that supporting invertebrate biodiversity with alternative mowing regimes has no detrimental effects on the vascular plants and mosses, while the reduced forage quality calls for additional financial compensation of the farmers adopting these agri-environment schemes.     

1982-2015年中国温带不同草地植被枯黄期对极端气候事件的响应

随着极端气候事件频率和强度的增加,植被物候正在发生深刻的变化。然而,植被枯黄期(EGS)对极端气候的响应机制目前尚未厘清,特别是对于干旱半干旱地区的草地而言。因此,聚焦我国温带草地,基于1982—2015年全球监测与模型研究工作组归一化植被指数(GIMMS NDVI3g)长时间序列数据提取草地物候参数,并分析其时空变化规律;运用随机森林模型等方法探究温带草地EGS对极端气候变化的响应特征。结果表明：(1)全区多年平均EGS主要发生于270—290儒略日(DOY),59.8%的区域呈延迟趋势,其中显著延迟(P<0.05)的区域分布在新疆天山、阿尔泰山一带和准噶尔盆地西部、黄土高原北部、呼伦贝尔高原的西部和东北小兴安岭。(2)EGS与极端气温暖极值(日最低气温的最大值、日最高气温的最大值、暖夜日数、暖昼日数)之间均以广泛的正相关关系为主;相比之下,极端降水事件与EGS之间的关系相对比较复杂,这与各草地类型自身的生理策略和所处环境密切相关。(3)整体而言,持续干旱日数、气温日较差和暖夜日数对全域草地EGS动态变化具有极大的重要性。就不同草地类型而言,温带草甸草原主要受到气温日较差的影响...     

近20年青藏高原东北部禾本科牧草生育期变化特征

利用1988—2010年青藏高原东北部地区5个站点牧草生育期地面观测数据,分析了近20年代表性牧草返青、开花、黄枯期及生长季的变化趋势,并通过偏相关分析探讨了气温和降水对牧草生育期的关系。结果表明,近20年青藏高原东北部牧草生育期北部推迟南部提前的特征明显。南部的三江源区域返青、开花与黄枯期总体呈显著提前趋势,其中曲麻莱羊茅返青期提前的倾向率达到-4 d/10 a,开花期为-13 d/10 a,黄枯期达到-9 d/10 a,且均通过0.01的显著性检验水平。北部环青海湖区域的海北西北针茅生育期则表现出一定的推迟趋势。生长季长度北部地区延长,而南部除甘德(垂穗披碱草)外均呈明显缩短趋势。近20 a黄枯期的变化幅度明显大于返青期,使得生长季长度的变化更多地受黄枯期变化的影响。1月和3月气温是影响研究区牧草返青最主要的气候因子,气温增高返青提前。开花期南北差异明显,北部与同期气温呈明显负相关关系,南部则主要与开花前2—3个月的降水量密切相关,降水增多大部地区开花期提前。此外,降水也是各地牧草黄枯的主要影响因子。     

高寒草甸植物群落生长发育特征与气候因子的关系

为合理利用高寒草甸资源,探讨近年来气候变化对高寒草甸的影响,以青海省甘德县高寒草甸为例,基于牧业气象站1976-2006年的气象资料和1994-2006年的牧草观测资料,分析了草地植被地上生物量、高度、盖度和物候期等群落特征以及当地气温、降雨等气象因素的年际变化趋势,采用典型相关分析法和逐步回归分析法对草地植物群落特征变化与气象因子的关系进行了研究,综合分析了影响植被生长状况的关键因子,结果表明：（1）青藏高原高寒草甸总体呈年均气温和平均地温上升、年降水量下降的"暖干化"趋势,牧草盖度高度增大,产量减少,整体观测水平下的牧草物候期推迟。（2）牧草的高度、盖度及产量对不同气候因子的响应程度不同。牧草高度与盖度对温度因子的变化更敏感,牧草产量对水分因子的变化更敏感。平均地温和相对湿度越高,牧草高度越高,产量越多。（3）不同牧草的物候期受不同气象因子的影响,变化趋势也不相同。从整体水平上看,牧草物候期对温度因子更敏感,温度越高,物候期越提前。     

Consistent shifts in spring vegetation green‐up date across temperate biomes in China, 1982–2006

Understanding spring phenology changes in response to the rapid climate change at biome‐level is crucial for projecting regional ecosystem carbon exchange and climate–biosphere interactions. In this study, we assessed the long‐term changes and responses to changing climate of the spring phenology in six temperate biomes of China by analyzing the global inventory monitoring and modeling studies (GIMMS) NOAA/AVHRR Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI) and concurrent mean temperature and precipitation data for 1982–2006. Results show that the spring phenology trends in the six temperate biomes are not continuous throughout the 25 year period. The spring phenology in most areas of the six biomes showed obvious advancing trends (ranging from ?0.09 to ?0.65 day/yr) during the 1980s and early 1990s, but has subsequently suffered consistently delaying trends (ranging from 0.22 to 1.22 day/yr). Changes in spring (February–April) temperature are the dominating factor governing the pattern of spring vegetation phenology in the temperate biomes of China. The recently delayed spring phenology in these temperate biomes has been mainly triggered by the stalling or reversal of the warming trend in spring temperatures. Results in this study also reveal that precipitation during November–January can explain 16.1% (P < 0.05), 20.9% (P < 0.05) and 14.2% (P < 0.05) of the variations in temperate deciduous forest (TDF), temperate steppe (TS), temperate desert (TD) respectively, highlighting the important role of winter precipitation in regulating changes in the spring vegetation phenology of water–limited biomes.