Coastal vegetation structures and their functions in tsunami protection: experience of the recent Indian Ocean tsunami

This study explored the effects of coastal vegetation on tsunami damage based on field observations carried out after the Indian Ocean tsunami on 26 December 2004. Study locations covered about 250 km (19 locations) on the southern coast of Sri Lanka and about 200 km (29 locations) on the Andaman coast of Thailand. The representative vegetation was classified into six types according to their habitat and the stand structures of the trees. The impact of vegetation structure on drag forces was analyzed using the observed characteristics of the tree species. The drag coefficient, including the vertical stand structures of trees, C _d-all, and the vegetation thickness (cumulative trunk diameter of vegetation in the tsunami direction) per unit area, dN _u (d: reference diameter of trees, N _u : number of trees per unit area), varied greatly with the species classification. Based on the field survey and data analysis, Rhizophora apiculata and Rhizophora mucronata (hereafter R. apiculata-type), kinds of mangroves, and Pandanus odoratissimus, a representative tree that grows in beach sand, were found to be especially effective in providing protection from tsunami damage due to their complex aerial root structure. Two layers of vegetation in the vertical direction with P. odoratissimus and Casuarina equisetifolia and a horizontal vegetation structure of small and large diameter trees were also important for increasing drag and trapping floating objects, broken branches, houses, and people. The vertical structure also provided an effective soft landing for people washed up by the tsunami or for escaping when the tsunami waves hit, although its dN _u is not large compared with R. apiculata-type and P. odoratissimus. In addition, the creeks inside mangroves and the gaps inside C. equisetifolia vegetation are assumed to be effective for retarding tsunami waves. This information should be considered in future coastal landscape planning, rehabilitation, and coastal resource management.     

Exclusion effects on vegetation characteristics and their correlation to soil factors in the semi-arid rangeland of Mu Us Sandland, China

Exclusion has been applied as a main measure for re-vegetation all over the world. This paper, by comparing the results of year-round exclusion, seasonal exclusion, and non-exclusion, quantified the vegetation variations under three different exclusion measures and their correlation to soil factors. The analysis results for community species component and plant diversity using multi-response permutation procedures (MRPPs) showed that exclusion did change the species component and increase plant diversity remarkably, while the period of exclusion had no significant influence on these two community features. The indicator species analysis and calculation of similarity indices indicated that community for year-round exclusion were becoming xerophytization and unpalatability, and showed highly spatial heterogeneity of plant species distribution, whereas community for seasonal exclusion was under stable non-equilibrium condition. Detrended correspondence analysis (DCA) and detrend canonical correspondence analysis (DCCA) results of relationship between plant species and soil variables demonstrated that soil moisture was a controlling factor for plant species component, microbiotic soil crust cover, soil organic matter, and soil bulk density had significant effects on soil moisture, among which microbiotic soil crust was a leading factor owing to its limitation to rainfall infiltration on the one hand, and its constraints to entrance of herbaceous seeds into soil or to germination of soil seeds on the other hand. As a result of long-term removal of animal grazing, crust kept intact in year-round exclusion community, which was a main reason of community xerophytization. It was also obvious from ordination results that some important environmental factors, such as tempo-spatial change of rainfall and corresponding tempo-spatial change of soil moisture, were neglected during direct gradient analysis. In addition, biodiversity was close related to soil nutrients as well as to soil moisture condition (soil water content and crust cover), and it had positive relation to available N, and negative relation to available P. Higher soil N had advantage to non-leguminous plants growth on nutrition-poor sand land definitely. The impact of P to community component was unclear and should be studied from plant physiology. Further researches on non-equilibrium theory in semi-arid rangeland will provide a scientific and flexible animal development paradigm for being implementing livestock fen-raising and grazing-forbidden policies in China. __________ Translated from Acta Ecologica Sinica, 2005, 25(12): 3212–3219 [译自: 生态学报]     

Exclusion effects on vegetation characteristics and their correlation to soil factors in the semi-arid rangeland of Mu Us Sandland,China

Exclusion has been applied as a main measure for re-vegetation all over the world.This paper,by comparing the results of year-round exclusion,seasonal exclusion,and non-exclusion,quantified the vegetation variations under three different exclusion measures and their correlation to soil factors.The analysis results for community species component and plant diversity using multi-response permutation procedures (MRPPs)showed that exclusion did change the species component and increase plant diversity remarkably,while the period of exclusion had no significant influence on these two community features.The indicator species analysis and calculation of similarity indices indicated that community for year-round exclusion were becoming xerophytization and unpalatability,and showed highly spatial heterogeneity of plant species distribution,whereas community for seasonal exclusion was under stable non-equilibrium condition.Detrended correspondence analysis (DCA)and detrend canonical correspondence analysis (DCCA)results of relationship between plant species and soil variables demonstrated that soil moisture was a controlling factor for plant species component,microbiotic soil crust cover,soil organic matter,and soil bulk density had significant effects on soil moisture,among which microbiotic soil crust was a leading factor owing to its limitation to rainfall infiltration on the one hand,and its constraints to entrance of herbaceous seeds into soil or to germination of soil seeds on the other hand.As a result of long-term removal of animal grazing,crust kept intact in year-round exclusion community,which was a main reason of community xerophytization.It was also obvious from ordination results that some important environmental factors,such as tempo-spatial change of rainfall and corresponding tempo-spatial change of soil moisture,were neglected during direct gradient analysis.In addition,biodiversity was close related to soil nutrients as well as to soil moisture condition (soil water content and crust cover),and it had positive relation to available N,and negative relation to available P.Higher soil N had advantage to non-leguminous plants growth on nutrition-poor sand land definitely.The impact of P to community component was unclear and should be studied from plant physiology.Further researches on nonequilibrium theory in semi-arid rangeland will provide a scientific and flexible animal development paradigm for being implementing livestock fen-raising and grazing-forbidden policies in China.     

Relations between carbon dioxide fluxes and environmental factors of Kobresia humilis meadows and Potentilla fruticosa meadows

Carbon dioxide fluxes of Kobresia humilis and Potentillafruticosa shrub meadows,two typical ecosystems in the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau,were measured by eddy covariance technology and the data collected in August 2003 were employed to analyze the relations between carbon dioxide fluxes and environmental factors of the ecosystems.August is the time when the two ecosystems reach their peak leaf area indexes and stay stable,and also the period when the net carbon absorptions of Kobresia humilis and Potentilla photo flux densities (PPFD),the carbon dioxide-uptake rate of the Kobresia humilis meadow is higher than that of the Potentilla fruticosa shrub meadow;where the PPFD are rates of the two ecosystems declined as air temperature increased,but the carbon dioxide uptake rate of the Kobresia humilis meadow decreased more quickly (-0.086) than that of the Potentilla fruticosa shrub meadow (-0.016).Soil moistures exert influence on the soil respirations and this varies with the vegetation type.The daily carbon dioxide absorptions of the ecosystems increase with increased diurnal temperature differences and higher diurnal temperature differences result in higher carbon dioxide exchanges.There exists a negative correlation between the vegetation albedos and the carbon dioxide fluxes.     

Response of Amazonian forests to mid-Holocene drought: A model-data comparison

There is a major concern for the fate of Amazonia over the coming century in the face of anthropogenic climate change. A key area of uncertainty is the scale of rainforest dieback to be expected under a future, drier climate. In this study, we use the middle Holocene (ca. 6000 years before present) as an approximate analogue for a drier future, given that palaeoclimate data show much of Amazonia was significantly drier than present at this time. Here, we use an ensemble of climate and vegetation models to explore the sensitivity of Amazonian biomes to mid-Holocene climate change. For this, we employ three dynamic vegetation models (JULES, IBIS, and SDGVM) forced by the bias-corrected mid-Holocene climate simulations from seven models that participated in the Palaeoclimate Modelling Intercomparison Project 3 (PMIP3). These model outputs are compared with a multi-proxy palaeoecological dataset to gain a better understanding of where in Amazonia we have most confidence in the mid-Holocene vegetation simulations. A robust feature of all simulations and palaeodata is that the central Amazonian rainforest biome is unaffected by mid-Holocene drought. Greater divergence in mid-Holocene simulations exists in ecotonal eastern and southern Amazonia. Vegetation models driven with climate models that simulate a drier mid-Holocene (100–150 mm per year decrease) better capture the observed (palaeodata) tropical forest dieback in these areas. Based on the relationship between simulated rainfall decrease and vegetation change, we find indications that in southern Amazonia the rate of tropical forest dieback was ~125,000 km² per 100 mm rainfall decrease in the mid-Holocene. This provides a baseline sensitivity of tropical forests to drought for this region (without human-driven changes to greenhouse gases, fire, and deforestation). We highlight the need for more palaeoecological and palaeoclimate data across lowland Amazonia to constrain model responses.     

基于背包式激光雷达测量系统的城市绿地树木三维绿量估算方法

三维绿量能够客观、准确描述城市绿化水平,可为定量研究城市绿地生态功能的机理提供可靠的数据基础。针对单位附属绿地分布分散、规模较小等特点,本研究提出一种面向该类城市绿地的三维绿量估算方案,该方案包括数据获取、处理、实体分割、分类和单木冠层提取以及三维绿量计算的环节。首先,利用背包式激光雷达测量系统获取三维点云数据,利用变尺度地面点滤波算法剔除地面点云;然后,利用基于密度的聚类算法对非地面点云进行聚类,且基于密度特征的竞争算法对重叠区域进行二次分割,形成独立对象;接着,利用PointNet++模型提取植物点云,根据枝叶点云主方向差异性以及轴向分布密度提取冠层点云;最后,使用凸包法计算单木冠层三维绿量,累计每株木的三维绿量得到区域三维绿量。以某科技园区为例,估算其总三维绿量为21034.95 m³,其中,芒果树株数最多,三维绿量总量最大,为4868.64 m³,占23.2%;单株三维绿量最大的树种为小叶榄仁,平均每株为120.37 m³。本研究方案估算的树木三维绿量与传统方法的相对误差在10.7%～33.7%,平均相对误差为20.9%;与台积法的相对误差在2.7%～16.0%,平均相对误差为8.7%。本研究方案充分利用三维点云数据特性,所用凸多面体逼近树冠的原始形态,更符合树木的实际情况。该三维绿量测量和估算方案可为城市三维绿量快速、精确估算提供新思路。     

2001—2020年川西北高原归一化植被指数演变特征及其对极端气候的响应

川西北高原是典型的生态气候敏感区,其植被状况与气候变化密切相关。本研究基于2001—2020年MODIS-NDVI数据集和气象数据,采用最大值合成、地理探测器模型、线性趋势分析、相关分析等方法,研究川西北高原生长季归一化植被指数(NDVI)的变化趋势及其对气候因子的响应机制。结果表明: 研究期间,川西北高原植被覆盖度整体状况良好,86.8%的区域植被稳定,12.6%的区域NDVI呈弱持续性上升趋势,0.6%的区域NDVI呈下降趋势,全区生态环境呈稳中向好的发展趋势。研究区植被覆盖度空间差异大,总体呈由西南向东北上升的趋势,并有显著的立体变化。海拔1350 m以下,NDVI随海拔升高而上升;海拔1350～3650 m,NDVI无显著变化;海拔3650～5900 m,NDVI随海拔升高而下降,在4750～5900 m快速下降;海拔5900 m以上,几乎无植被。川西北高原的NDVI受多种自然因子交互作用影响,热量因子(月最高气温极大值、月最低气温极小值、植物生长期、年均温、生长期均温)是主导气候因子,除月最高气温极大值外,其余温度因子对NDVI均以正贡献为主。NDVI对气温指数的响应高于降水指数。在气候变暖背景下,极端气温暖指数对川西北高原植被生长尤其是高海拔地区植被生长及改善以促进作用为主。     

基于地理探测器的宁夏贺兰山植被覆盖度时空分异及驱动因子

监测区域植被覆盖变化并分析其驱动因子,有利于实现生态环境的可持续发展。本研究以1989—2021年Landsat 5/8遥感影像为数据源,利用像元二分模型获取宁夏贺兰山植被覆盖度,基于地理探测器量化了环境和人为等10个因子对其时空分布的影响。结果表明: 1989—2021年间,宁夏贺兰山平均植被覆盖度为35.8%,时间尺度上总体呈增加趋势,平均增幅为0.043·(10 a)^-1,空间尺度上呈现从西南向东北递减的分布特征;研究区58.1%的区域植被覆盖度未来将持续性改善,但仍有30.7%的植被存在退化的潜在风险。降水是影响植被分布的主要环境因子,与单因子相比,环境因子和人为因子的交互作用对植被覆盖度的解释力更强,降水与其他因子的交互作用处于主导作用。     

一种基于数码相机图像和群落冠层结构调查的草地地上生物量估算方法

草地地上生物量是影响其生态系统功能最重要的因素之一, 也是草地生态学研究中不可或缺的监测指标。草地地上生物量监测多采用收割法进行, 但这种破坏性取样方法会对研究区域带来巨大干扰, 尤其是面积较小的长期定位监测或者控制实验研究样地, 从而使得地上生物量监测的频次受到很大限制。因此, 通过获取某些原位易测变量, 建立地上生物量的估算方法具有重要意义。该研究依托内蒙古典型草地刈割控制实验平台, 通过数码照片获取不同土地利用方式下的植被覆盖度, 并对样方内的叶面积指数、植被高度、物种多样性等参数进行了测定, 最后利用一元回归模型、逐步回归模型和随机森林模型对地上生物量进行估算。结果表明, 植被覆盖度、叶面积指数、植被平均高度、植被最大高度和物种丰富度是影响地上生物量的主要驱动因素。通过构建适宜于本地的逐步回归模型, 可以实现草地地上生物量的准确预测。在该研究区域中, 预测模型的决定系数(R²) = 0.91, 均方根误差(RMSE) = 35.60 g·m^-2。该研究提供了一种快速、准确且非破坏性测定草地地上生物量的方法, 可作为传统收割法的有效补充。