Vegetation and Climate Variations at Taibai, Qinling Mountains in Central China for the Last 3 500 cal BP

Pollen records of two swamp sections, located at Taibai Mountain, the highest peak in the Qinling Mountains of central China, show variations of vegetation and climate for the last 3 500 cal BP. The pollen assemblage at the Foyechi and Sanqingchi sections and the surface soil pollen allowed us to reconstruct a high-altitude vegetation history at Taibai Mountain for the first time. The data indicated that there was a cold-dry climate interval between 3 500 and 3 080 cal BP and a relatively warm and wet period compared with the present from 3 080 to 1 860 cal BP. The warmest period in the late Holocene on Taibai Mountain was from 1 430 to 730 cal BP, with an approximate 2℃ increase in mean annual temperature compared with today.There was a relatively cool-dry climate interval from 730 to 310 cal BP. After 310 cal BP, a mountain tundra vegetation developed again and the position of the modern tree line was established.     

Genetic diversity of Hypericum perforatum collected from the Qinling Mountains of China

The genetic diversity among samples of Hypericum perforatum L. collected from the Qinling Mountains in China were studied using SRAP molecular markers and 12 SRAP primer combinations. A total of 183 bands and 153 polymorphic bands were obtained that accounted for 83.6% of the polymorphism. Analysis by the UPGMA method grouped the samples into three main clusters, with coefficients of similarity ranging from 0.57 to 0.97. Morphological traits were correlated with four of the contents of phenolic compounds, chlorogenic acid, rutin, hyperoside and quercitroside. Correlation analysis revealed that the hyperoside concentration was significantly and positively correlated with the density of black glands found along the vertical edges of the stem. The information generated by the SRAP markers was closely associated with some morphological variability. However, there was only a partial correlation between the chemistry and genetic data.     

秦岭川金丝猴的凝视行为研究

婴儿出生9个月就开始跟随母亲的视线接触外界社会活动,那么与人亲缘关系较近的灵长类,它们是否也拥有这种能力?凝视行为是否可以作为一种认知发育的行为指标?是否可以被测量并用于诊断?本研究选取秦岭川金丝猴Rhinopithecus roxellanae为观察对象,设置川金丝猴照片引导实验,运用焦点动物取样法对不同年龄组的凝视行为进行观察记录。结果发现秦岭川金丝猴存在凝视现象,不同年龄组的行为发生方式存在差异,表明凝视行为可能是灵长类在早期就出现的一种发育行为。此研究方法可以为不同成长环境儿童的行为测量和诊断提供参考。     

秦岭树花属地衣研究

从形态、解剖、化学等方面对采自陕西秦岭的树花属地衣进行了研究,共报道该属地衣8种。其中,美国树花R.americana和粗糙树花R.aspera为中国新记录种。从形态、解剖和化学方面对两个新记录种作了详细的描述,并提供了外部形态照片。     

秦岭山区植被春季物候的海拔敏感性

植被物候作为自然界规律性、周期性的现象,对自然环境尤其是气候变化有着重要的指示作用,研究其时空变化特征对陆地植被生态环境监测具有重要意义。本研究采用Savitzky-Golay滤波法重建秦岭山区2001—2018年MODIS增强植被指数时间序列影像,利用动态阈值法提取研究区春季物候信息(返青期),并对返青期多年平均值和年际变化与海拔、坡度进行相关分析。结果表明: 海拔每升高100 m,植被返青期推迟1.82 d;返青期的年际变化趋势主要集中在0~5 d·(10 a)^-1。其中,呈推迟趋势的像元主要分布在低海拔地区,呈提前趋势的像元主要分布在高海拔地区。高海拔地区返青期的年际变化比低海拔地区复杂;秦岭山区植被返青期存在南北差异。北坡植被返青期多年平均值较南坡早2.9 d,南坡植被返青期的推迟程度大于北坡。南北坡植被返青期的年际变化在低海拔地区呈推迟趋势,且南北坡相差不大,而提前趋势在中高海拔地区存在显著差异。     

中国陕西秦岭大孢蜈蚣衣属地衣的研究

对采自陕西秦岭地区的大孢蜈蚣衣属地衣从形态学、解剖学、化学方面进行了研究,共鉴定出本属地衣8种,其中P.lobulifera,P.elegantula为陕西新记录种,P.venusta又被列入中国名录。本文给出了分种检索表及种的简要讨论,并附有作者鉴定的标本。     

东秦岭卢氏盆地新发现的旧石器

2019年6-8月,在秦岭东部南洛河流域河南卢氏盆地开展古人类和旧石器考古遗址调查,在南洛河不同阶地之上的黄土堆积地层中新发现旧石器地点27处,采集石制品123件。部分石制品采自于阶地顶部暴露的黄土地层剖面上。石制品包括石核、石片、断块、碎屑、石器等类型,整体属于简单的石核-石片工业。原料为取自河滩砾石堆积的石英、砂岩和石英岩等。石核为简单剥片的单台面石核和转向剥片石核。石器组合中既有手镐、砍砸器等重型类型,也有以石片为毛坯的中小型刮削器等。根据黄土-古土壤地层序列初步判断,多数地点的石制品出自黄土L1-S2地层堆积,年代范围涵盖中更新世晚期至晚更新世;西庄村南（19LS35）和九寨山（19LS27）两个地点的2件石制品则出自更早的S9和S13古土壤地层堆积中,它们的发现为进一步探寻南洛河流域最早的古人类活动提供了关键性的考古学证据。本次调查扩大了卢氏盆地旧石器时代遗存的时空分布范围,为本区域旧石器遗址的保护和制订研究计划提供了更为全面的依据。     

秦岭华山松营养诊断与林地施肥

以陕西秦岭南坡华山松天然林为对象,采集华山松针叶、凋落物、土壤样品,测定全氮(TN)和全磷(TP)含量,开展华山松林木营养诊断,分析华山松林养分限制格局,研究促进华山松正常生长的施肥种类和施肥量,为林地精准施肥和科学培育华山松大径材提供支持。结果表明:华山松大径材率(胸径DBH>26 cm)为29.0%,具有成长为大径材潜力的华山松个体(18 cm-1,N∶P为10.24(<14的林木生长不受限阈值);N、P回收效率分别为33.8%和48.0%。在0~10 cm土层,土壤与华山松针叶的N、P含量呈显著负相关,凋落物与土壤的N、P含量呈显著正相关,土壤N储量与华山松针叶N∶P呈显著二次函数关系。华山松正常生长受土壤N限制,在林地补充0.42 t N·hm^-2可解除华山松生长限制。为快速培育大径材,宜向林地内具有成长为大径材潜力的个体施0.16 t N·hm^-2,按单位面积内林木个体生物量比例进行单株氮素分配。     

秦岭山地针叶树种树木生长对气候变化的响应

秦岭作为我国重要的地理分界线,其亚高山针叶林生态系统在区域乃至更大尺度范围的水源涵养、生物多样性维护、气候调节等方面具有重要价值。近几十年,秦岭地区大幅升温且存在空间异质性。研究秦岭针叶林带树木生长对气候变化的响应规律对于气候变化下山地森林保护与管理具有重要价值。本文综述了秦岭西部、中部和东部不同海拔针叶树种树木生长与气候的响应关系,从树木径向生长、NDVI、物候和物种分布范围等方面探讨了气候变化对针叶树种的影响,并对树木生长响应气候变化研究中可能存在的问题和研究前景进行了展望。     

Changing Exploitation of Terrestrial Vertebrates During the Past 3000 Years on Tobago, West Indies

On the southern Caribbean island of Tobago, we excavated two archaeological deposits, the preceramic (ca. 2900 years old) Milford 1 site (TOB-3) and the ceramic (ca. 1200 to 900 years old) Golden Grove site (TOB-13). The non-fish bone assemblages from these sites are very different, with an emphasis at TOB-3 on sea turtles (which seldom nest today on Tobago) and the collared peccary Tayassu tajacu, a large (17–30 kg) mammal extremely rare now on Tobago. TOB-3 also yielded bones of two somewhat smaller mammals that are extinct on Tobago, the red howler monkey Alouatta seniculus and paca Agouti paca. The non-fish species at TOB-3 comprise only four reptiles and seven mammals, whereas they are more diverse (29 species) at TOB-13 and mostly represent small- to medium-sized vertebrates (<10 kg, often <1 kg), such as a toad, lizards, snakes, birds, opossum, armadillo, and eight species of rodents, as well as sea turtle and peccary, although the latter is uncommon. We interpret these differences as possibly being due to a local or island-wide scarcity of big game (peccaries) in ceramic times, which would have promoted diversification of hunting practices. Related to this may have been a more sedentary way of life for Tobago's ceramic peoples, with increased agriculture leading to more hunting near the site and less time being devoted to longer distance big-game hunting. While prehistoric anthropogenic extinction or population reduction of vertebrates is well documented on Caribbean islands to the north, our data from Tobago show that such depletions probably occurred as well on continental, land-bridge islands with more diverse faunas. Models of post-Pleistocene faunal relaxation toward a lower value for species richness should not ignore human-caused losses, which may be impossible to distinguish from non-anthropogenic losses.     

秦岭火地塘真菌群落海拔分布格局

土壤真菌在自然生态系统的养分循环和土壤碳储存方面起重要作用.秦岭火地塘林区在不同海拔分布着不同的优势树种,但其相应的土壤特征及微生物群落的海拔分布格局仍不明晰.本研究分析了5个海拔处(1500、1700、1900、2100和2300 m)的土壤特征变化趋势,并在高通量测序基础上研究了真菌群落格局.结果表明:土壤有效磷含...     

Floral traits and isolation of three sympatric Aquilegia species in the Qinling Mountains, China

Floral isolation has been considered to be an important reproductive mechanism governing the species diversification in many genera. In a classic example Aquilegia, sympatric species from North America with diverse floral traits are generally associated with specialized pollinators that prohibit interspecific hybridization. It remains unclear whether species diversification in the genus from Eurasia is also maintained by floral isolation. We investigated floral phenology, floral characteristics and pollinators in three sympatric Aquilegia species (A. ecalcarata, A. incurvata and A. yabeana) in the Qinling Mountains, Shanxi Province, China from 2001 to 2005. The spurless A. ecalcarata flowers earlier than the other two species with nectar spurs but their floral phenology overlaps. Major pollinators of A. ecalcarata are syrphid flies while bumblebees are major for A. incurvata and A. yabeana. Therefore our observations confirm that mechanical isolation through differential pollinators could contribute reproductive isolation between spurless and spurred species, as demonstrated by studies from North America. Whether floral isolation plays a major role in the reproductive isolation between two spurred species (A. incurvata and A. yabeana), however, remains to be seen. Further studies are required to quantify the potential role of geographical isolation because they occupy different habitats.     

Disturbance history of an old-growth subalpine larch forest in the Qinling Mountains,north-central China

Knowledge on how historical disturbances shaped the long-term development of forests is essential for understanding the present forest structure and for predicting the future forest ecosystem dynamics. In this study, dendroecological methods were used to reconstruct the disturbance history of an old-growth subalpine larch (Larix chinensis) forest in the Qinling Mountains of north-central China. Growth patterns of 690 and 582 increment cores extracted respectively from two climatically and topographically different larch stands in the northern and southern slope of the Qinling Mountains were examined for abrupt increases in radial growth indicating formation of past canopy gaps and for rapid early growth rates indicating recruitment in former canopy gaps. The findings demonstrated that there were no large-scale, stand-replacing disturbances during the past more than two centuries. Low- and medium-severity disturbance events predominated, which were probably caused by windthrows due to strong winds. The stand was unevenly aged, and the recruitment pulses associated with disturbance peaks could be distinguished. There were considerable spatio-temporal differences in disturbance dynamics of the subalpine larch stand between the topographically and climatically different sites, manifesting that the larch stand in the northern slope experienced frequent moderate but rare major disturbance events, contrasting with frequent major and moderate disturbance events in the southern slope. This study provided strong evidences that there were substantial variations in the intensity and frequency of disturbance dynamics, leading to considerable differences in the size and age structures of the subalpine larch forest.     

Elevational distribution and morphological attributes of the entomopathogenic fungi from forests of the Qinling Mountains in China

Applied Microbiology and Biotechnology - Entomopathogenic fungi are considered to be a safe microbiological pesticide alternative to chemical control. Efforts are underway to understand precisely...     

Seasonal Altitudinal Movements of Golden Takin in the Qinling Mountains of China

Abstract: We studied seasonal movements of golden takin (Budorcas taxicolor bedfordi), a large, social, forest-dwelling ungulate, by radiotracking and field surveys during 1995–1996 and 2002–2005 at Foping National Nature Reserve on the southern slope of the Qinling Mountains, China. Takins inhabited forests and subalpine meadows at an altitudinal range from 1,360 m to 2,890 m. Our results showed that golden takins had a complicated seasonal movement pattern and underwent altitudinal migration 4 times each year. Takins occupied a high-altitude range during summer, stayed at low-altitude ranges for short periods during spring and autumn, and resided at an intermediate-altitude range during winter. Changes in plant phenology may have caused seasonal movements. Reserves for takin conservation should incorporate lower altitude habitats than those takins use in spring and autumn, and seasonal movements by takins should be protected from disturbance by human activities. (JOURNAL OF WILDLIFE MANAGEMENT 72(3):611–617; 2008)     

On the sustainability of a reintroduced Crested Ibis population in Qinling Mountains,Shaanxi, Central China

Reintroduction projects aim to reestablish a self‐sustaining population of an endangered species within its historical range. Adequate post‐release monitoring by gathering demographic data is important to evaluate the success of a reintroduction. Survival and reproduction rates of a reintroduced population can be compared with a self‐sustaining wild population to evaluate the success of a reintroduction. In early 2007, Nipponia nippon (Crested Ibis) was reintroduced into the Qinling Mountains (Shaanxi, Central China). In this study, we attempt to evaluate the demographic status of the reintroduced population. Age‐specific survival rates of 56 released adults and 77 wild‐born fledglings were estimated using mark‐recapture data obtained from 2007 to 2014. Survival rates for the yearlings (0.599, with 95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.467–0.719) were lower than the estimates from a wild population in Yangxian County, but the survival rates of the adults (0.678, with 95% CI: 0.603–0.745) were similar. The number of breeding pairs gradually increased since 2008, although breeding success (52.5%) was somewhat less than that of the wild population (67.6%). The stochastic estimation of population growth rate (1.084 with 95% CI: 1.069–1.098) and population size (5‐fold increase) estimated from an age‐classified Leslie matrix indicate that the reintroduced population of the Crested Ibis is more likely in regulation phase over the next 25 years. We conclude that the reintroduction of the Crested Ibis in Qinling Mountains has great promise, and progress toward a self‐sustaining population has been made under some interventions. Governments, local communities, and scientists need to facilitate habitat restoration for the long‐term survival of this endangered species.     

秦岭蕨类植物补遗

在研究秦岭蕨类植物的过程中,对秦岭地区的蕨类植物标本和有关文献作了进一步整理研究,发现秦岭植物志第二卷中有一些遗漏的科,属和种,其计3科,8属,21种,现给予补充记载,并报道了它们的名称和常误用的异名,分布和生境。     

秦岭鸡皮衣科地衣的初步研究

对采自陕西秦岭地区的鸡皮衣科Pertusariaceae地衣进行了形态学、解剖学、化学研究,鉴定出该科地衣3属23种,其中肉疣衣属Ochrolechia8种,鸡皮衣属Pertusaria14种,果疣衣属varicellaria1种。拟苍白肉疣衣Ochrolechiapseudopallescens和类斑点鸡皮衣Pertusariamultipunctoides为中国新记录种。     

Mother-cub relationships in giant pandas in the Qinling Mountains,China, with comment on rescuing abandoned cubs

Six cases of mother-cub relationships in wild giant pandas (Ailuropoda melanoleuca) were observed in the Qinling Mountains, China. It was found that panda cubs are normally left alone in the den for 4–8 h while mothers forage. The mother's absence during bouts of foraging should be considered when rescuing abandoned cubs in order to avoid adding to the decline of the wild population. © 1994 Wiley-Liss, Inc.     

Hopes and challenges for giant panda conservation under climate change in the Qinling Mountains of China

One way that climate change will impact animal distributions is by altering habitat suitability and habitat fragmentation. Understanding the impacts of climate change on currently threatened species is of immediate importance because complex conservation planning will be required. Here, we mapped changes to the distribution, suitability, and fragmentation of giant panda habitat under climate change and quantified the direction and elevation of habitat shift and fragmentation patterns. These data were used to develop a series of new conservation strategies for the giant panda. Qinling Mountains, Shaanxi, China. Data from the most recent giant panda census, habitat factors, anthropogenic disturbance, climate variables, and climate predictions for the year 2050 (averaged across four general circulation models) were used to project giant panda habitat in Maxent. Differences in habitat patches were compared between now and 2050. While climate change will cause a 9.1% increase in suitable habitat and 9% reduction in subsuitable habitat by 2050, no significant net variation in the proportion of suitable and subsuitable habitat was found. However, a distinct climate change‐induced habitat shift of 11 km eastward by 2050 is predicted firstly. Climate change will reduce the fragmentation of suitable habitat at high elevations and exacerbate the fragmentation of subsuitable habitat below 1,900 m above sea level. Reduced fragmentation at higher elevations and worsening fragmentation at lower elevations have the potential to cause overcrowding of giant pandas at higher altitudes, further exacerbating habitat shortage in the central Qinling Mountains. The habitat shift to the east due to climate change may provide new areas for giant pandas but poses severe challenges for future conservation.