极端干旱条件下锡林河流域羊草草原净生态系统碳交换特征

采用涡度相关法对2005年生长季内蒙古锡林河流域羊草(Leymus chinensis)草原净生态系统交换(Net ecosystem exchange, NEE)进行了观测。观测结果表明:作为生长季降雨量仅有126 mm的干旱年,锡林河流域羊草草原生态系统受到强烈的干旱胁迫,其净生态系统碳交换的日动态表现为具有两个吸收高峰,净吸收峰值出现在8∶00和18∶00左右。最大的CO₂吸收率为-0.38 mg CO₂·m^-2·s^-1,出现在6月底,与丰水年相比生态系统最大CO₂吸收率下降了1倍。就整个生长季而言,不管是白天还是晚上2005年都表现为净CO₂排放,整个生长季CO₂净排放量为372.56 g CO₂·m^-2,是一个明显的CO₂源。土壤含水量和土壤温度控制着生态系统CO₂通量的大小,尤其是在白天,CO₂通量和土壤含水量的变化呈现出显著的负相关关系,和土壤温度表现为正相关关系。     

新疆天山中段巴音布鲁克高山草地碳含量及其垂直分布

对新疆天山中段巴音布鲁克高山草地(高山草原和高山草甸)的生物量和土壤有机碳进行了测定。结果表明积分和分层两种估算方法得到的土壤有机碳含量没有显著差异,但积分算法的优势在于能推算不同深度的土壤有机碳含量,便于与以往的研究进行比较;高山草甸的生物量和土壤有机碳含量均大于高山草原;其地上生物量分别为71.4和94.9 g C·m^-2,地下生物量分别为1 033.5和1 285.2 g C·m^-2; 1 m深度的土壤有机碳含量分别为25.7和38.8 kg·m^-2;地上生物量呈现较为明显的垂直分布格局,即随着海拔的增加,地上生物量先呈增加趋势,但当海拔超过一定界限后生物量突然下降;土壤含水率是导致南坡(阳坡)土壤有机碳含量空间分异的重要因素,但北坡(阴坡) 土壤有机碳含量还可能与地形、土壤质地等其它因素有关;两种高山草地(高山草原和高山草甸)的根系集中分布在40 cm以内,0~20 cm根系分别占其总量的76%和80%;土壤有机碳集中分布在60 cm以内,0~20 cm土壤有机碳分别占其总量的55%和49%;高山草原根系分布比高山草甸深,但较低的地下/地上比使得其有机碳分布比高山草甸浅。     

The Relationship between Local Species Richness and Species Pool: A Case Study from the High Mountains of the Greater Caucasus

The causes of linear relationships between local species richness and the size of the actual species pool in closed subalpine meadow communities and open plant communities of the alpine stony substrate (the Greater Caucasus Mountains) were analyzed using a computer simulation model. The results demonstrated that this relationship is insufficient evidence for the variation of local species richness among communities is wholly or partly determined by regional processes (the species-pool hypothesis). A relatively proportional ratio between these variables can also arise where local species richness and the size of the species pool both depend on local processes, or where local species richness is determined by local factors alone while the size of the species pool is determined by both local and regional factors.     

Possible coding for recognition of sexes,individuals and species in anal gland volatiles of Mustela eversmanni and M. sibirica

With a combination of solvent extraction and gas chromatography-mass spectrometry, we found eight new compounds in the two sympatric Mustela species, M. eversmanni and M. sibirica. These compounds had not been detected by headspace sampling with solvent desorption. Two of the newly detected compounds are nitrogen-containing compounds, indole and o-aminoacetophenone and the remaining are sulfur-containing volatiles. By comparing same and opposite sexes between the two Mustela species, we found that qualitative differences in the anal gland secretion are most likely to be used to code for information about species, corresponding to the idea of digital coding. In the Siberian weasel (M. sibirica), both presence or absence of sex-specific compounds (Z-2-ethyl-3-methylthietane only in females) and relative abundance of some compounds between males and females could be used to code for information about sex, corresponding to the idea of digital and analog coding, respectively. In the steppe polecat (M. eversmanni), only quantitative differences provided the possibility for inter-sexual communication. Thus coding for information about sex appeared to be digital. Coding for individual information could also be either digital or analog or both through the presence or absence of certain compounds and/or the difference in the relative abundances of certain compounds among individuals. Comparing with other Mustela spp., we failed to find a congruence between the chemical composition of anal gland secretions and the phylogenetic relationship among the species in this genus.     

Plant Community Recovery Following Restoration in Semiarid Grasslands

The Conservation Reserve Program (CRP) is an extensive land use in the United States, which restores cultivated land to perennial vegetation through seeding. Low precipitation and high potential evapotranspiration are major limitations to the establishment and growth of seeded species in semiarid regions. We tested the rate of development of plant functional types across a chronosequence of restored fields using a model of plant succession. We also determined how the seeding of non‐native (introduced) relative to native perennial grasses influenced plant community recovery. In contrast to the native shortgrass steppe (SGS), recently seeded CRP fields had high cover of annuals, forbs, C₃, and introduced species. The seed mix determined which perennial grasses dominated the plant community within 18 years, but slow establishment prolonged early seral stages, allowed for the spread of colonizing perennial grasses, and limited recovery to less than half the canopy cover of undisturbed shortrass steppe. Species density declined in restored fields as seeded perennial grass cover increased and was lower in CRP fields seeded with introduced compared to native perennial grasses. Plant community composition transitioned to C₄ and native species, even if fields were not seeded with these species, and was modified by shifts in the amount and seasonality of precipitation. Thus, in semiarid CRP fields, we found that the potential for recovery depended on time since CRP enrollment, seed mix, and climatic variability. Full recovery, based on similarity to vegetation cover and composition of undisturbed SGS, requires greater than 20 years.     

降水与CO2浓度协同作用对短花针茅光合特性的影响

降水变化与CO2浓度升高将严重影响陆地生态系统尤其是草地生态系统,阐明干旱半干旱区草原优势植物对降水与CO2浓度变化的联合响应有助于理解和准确评估未来气候变化对草地生态系统的影响.基于开顶式生长箱(OTC),模拟研究了降水变化(-30％、-15％、0、+15％、+30％(以1978-2007年月降水平均值为基准))、CO2浓度变化(对照、450 μmol·mol-1、550 μmol·mol-1)及其协同作用对荒漠草原优势物种短花针茅(Stipa breviflora)光合特性的影响.结果表明:降水变化和CO2浓度升高对短花针茅光合参数影响显著,表现出显著的交互作用.随着CO2浓度升高,短花针茅叶片净光合速率(Pn)呈增加趋势,但随着时问延长(8月份)显示出光合适应现象;气孔导度(Gs)和蒸腾速率(Tr)则呈下降趋势,水分利用效率(WUE)显著增加.随着降水增加,短花针茅的Pn、Gs和Tr均呈增加趋势,Pn增加速率小于Tr,使得WUE降低.高浓度CO2和降水增加15％的协同作用可以显著提高短花针茅的Pn、Gs和Tr,但Pn增加速率接近于Tr,导致WUE变化不显著.这表明,在干旱半干旱地区,CO2浓度升高可在一定程度上提高短花针茅的抗旱能力,增强短花针茅对暖干化气候情景的适应性.     

内蒙古锡林河流域羊草草原主要建群植物热值及灰分动态变化

草地植物作为生物燃料供给料已经被人们所提及,而植物的热值和灰分含量作为评价生物燃料质量的重要指标,却很少被人们研究。本文通过对内蒙古锡林河流域羊草草原5种多年生禾本科植物(羊草、冰草、大针茅、羽茅和隐子草)的热值和灰分进行测定,探讨了植物热值和灰分的月变化及二者之间相关性。结果表明:5种植物干重热值及去灰分热值月变化均为单峰形变化曲线,干重热值的最大值出现在8月(19.2MJ·kg-1),去灰分热值最大值出现的月份因植物种类不同而表现一定的差异;灰分含量的月变化趋势表现为先降低后升高;冰草、大针茅和隐子草干重热值与灰分含量之间表现为极显著线性负相关(P<0.01),羽茅干重热值与灰分之间表现为显著线性负相关(P<0.05),而羊草干重热值与灰分含量之间的相关性不显著。     

围封条件下荒漠草原4种典型植物群落枯落物枯落量及其蓄积动态

以荒漠草原4种典型植物群落为研究对象,通过枯落物枯落量、组分及其影响因子的研究,探讨围封条件下荒漠草原枯落物枯落量及其蓄积动态。结果表明:围封内4种植物群落枯落物枯落量为:蒙古冰草群落(116.8g/m2)>甘草群落(101.6g/m2)>赖草群落(97.8g/m2)>沙蒿群落(88.1g/m2),分别是围封外的5.0、4.8、5.3和1.6倍;枯落物枯落动态具有一定的节律性,枯落物从6月开始出现,10月达到最大值,枯落量与降雨量、气温均呈对数负相关;枯落物的组分为:叶(59.25%)>枝(30.75%)>杂物(10.00%),其中立枯体占枯落物总量的60%以上;通过Birk模型对蓄积动态拟合以及与实测值比较分析,荒漠草原枯落物蓄积量随着蓄积年限的增加而增加,围封7—10a时,枯落物的蓄积量基本达到稳定状态,即输入量与输出量达到平衡。     

Decomposition and nutrient release of grass and tree fine roots along an environmental gradient in southern Patagonia

Decomposition of fine roots is a fundamental ecosystem process that relates to carbon (C) and nutrient cycling in terrestrial ecosystems. However, this important ecosystem process has been hardly studied in Patagonian ecosystems. The aim of this work was to study root decomposition and nutrient release from fine roots of grasses and trees (Nothofagus antarctica) across a range of Patagonian ecosystems that included steppe, primary forest and silvopastoral forests. After 2.2 years of decomposition in the field all roots retained 70–90% of their original mass, and decomposition rates were 0.09 and 0.15 year^?1 for grass roots in steppe and primary forest, respectively. For N. antarctica roots, no significant differences were found in rates of decay between primary and silvopastoral forests (k = 0.07 year^?1). Possibly low temperatures of these southern sites restricted decomposition by microorganisms. Nutrient release differed between sites and root types. Across all ecosystem categories, nitrogen (N) retention in decomposing biomass followed the order: tree roots > roots of forest grasses > roots of steppe grasses. Phosphorus (P) was retained in grass roots in forest plots but was released during decomposition of tree and steppe grass roots. Calcium (Ca) dynamics also was different between root types, since trees showed retention during the initial phase, whereas grass roots showed a slow and consistent Ca release during decomposition. Potassium (K) was the only nutrient that was rapidly released from both grass and tree roots in both grasslands and woodlands. We found that silvopastoral use of N. antarctica forests does not affect grass or tree root decomposition and/or nutrient release, since no significant differences were found for any nutrient according to ecosystem type. Information about tree and grass root decomposition found in this work could be useful to understand C and nutrient cycling in these southern ecosystems, which are characterized by extreme climatic conditions.