黑河中上游典型地区草地植被变化及其生态功能损失分析--以山丹县为例

以黑河流域山丹县1986年和2000年TM影像资料为主要数据源,运用遥感信息解译与地理信息系统技术,分析了研究区10多年来草地植被覆盖的时空变化。并参照Costanza等的生态系统服务功能的单位价值和谢高地等人的中国自然草地生态系统服务价值,初步估算退化型草地植被覆盖变化的生态损失价值,对草地植被覆盖变化给研究区生态系统宏观经济所造成的影响进行了分析研究。结果表明:在1986～2000年间,该区域草地植被覆盖总的变化趋势是草地、林地向其它类型转化,即草地植被覆盖总量在逐年减少。高、中、低覆盖度各类草地,分别减少达35％、9．9％和13．8％。草地植被覆盖类型也呈减少趋势,其中高覆盖度草地减幅最大,其次是低覆盖度草地和中覆盖度草地。草地植被利用过度或退化较为严重,生态环境将趋于恶化。由此导致草地生态系统宏观经济价值损失约9 466．8×104CNY／(km2·a)。     

青藏高原高寒灌丛非生长季节CO2通量特征

利用2003年和2004年涡度相关系统通量观测资料,对青藏高原高寒灌丛非生长季节CO2通量特征及其主要影响因子进行了分析。(1)从净生态系统CO2交换(NEE)日变化特征看,除13:00~19:00时有较小的CO2净释放以外,其余时段NEE均很小;(2)高寒灌丛非生长季月份间NEE差异明显,4月和10月是CO2净释放量较大,1月和12月CO2净释放量较小;(3)相对温带草原(高杆草大草原)草地类型,低温抑制下的青藏高原高寒灌丛生态系统非生长季节日平均CO2释放率较低;(4)高寒灌丛非生长季NEE日变化模式与5 cm土壤温度变化呈显著正相关,土壤温度是影响非生长季节青藏高原高寒灌丛NEE变化的主导气候因子,同时NEE变化还受降水的影响。     

青海湖流域具鳞水柏枝植物水分利用氢同位素示踪研究

具鳞水柏枝(Myricaria squamosa)是我国高寒地区广泛分布的优势河谷灌木, 具有维持河谷湿地系统稳定的功能。然而, 目前国内外有关具鳞水柏枝水分利用来源的定量研究很少。该文运用氢稳定同位素示踪方法, 分析了青海湖流域具鳞水柏枝茎(木质部)水和潜在水源(地下水、河水和土壤水)的氢稳定同位素比率(δD)的季节变化, 发现具鳞水柏枝在不同水文环境下的植物水分利用来源有明显差异。研究结果表明, 生长在河岸边的具鳞水柏枝在6、7月主要利用地下水与河水, 分别占其所利用水分的89%、86%和55%、65%, 8月主要利用0-20 cm土层的土壤水, 9月水源不详。生长在离河岸约100 m处的具鳞水柏枝在6月主要利用地下水与河水(91%、70%), 在7-9月以0-60 cm土层的土壤水为主要水源。这表明生长在河岸边的具鳞水柏枝对地下水和河水的依赖程度较高, 而距离河岸约100 m时对土壤水的利用量较多, 反映出生长在不同生境中的具鳞水柏枝对特定水分条件的特殊适应结果。     

Satellite-based Studies on Large-Scale Vegetation Changes in China

Remotely-sensed vegetation indices, which indicate the density and photosynthetic capacity of vegetation, have been widely used to monitor vegetation dynamics over broad areas. In this paper, we reviewed satellite-based studies on vegetation cover changes, biomass and productivity variations, phenological dynamics, desertification, and grassland degradation in China that occurred over the past 2–3 decades. Our review shows that the satellite-derived index (Normalized Difference Vegetation Index, NDVI) during growing season and the vegetation net primary productivity in major terrestrial ecosystems (for example forests, grasslands, shrubs, and croplands) have significantly increased, while the number of fresh lakes and vegetation coverage in urban regions have experienced a substantial decline. The start of the growing season continually advanced in China's temperate regions until the 1990s, with a large spatial heterogeneity. We also found that the coverage of sparsely-vegetated areas declined, and the NDVI per unit in vegetated areas increased in arid and semi-arid regions because of increased vegetation activity in grassland and oasis areas. However, these results depend strongly not only on the periods chosen for investigation, but also on factors such as data sources, changes in detection methods, and geospatial heterogeneity. Therefore, we should be cautious when applying remote sensing techniques to monitor vegetation structures, functions, and changes.     

High N,dry: Experimental nitrogen deposition exacerbates native shrub loss and nonnative plant invasion during extreme drought

Hotter, longer, and more frequent global change‐type drought events may profoundly impact terrestrial ecosystems by triggering widespread vegetation mortality. However, severe drought is only one component of global change, and ecological effects of drought may be compounded by other drivers, such as anthropogenic nitrogen (N) deposition and nonnative plant invasion. Elevated N deposition, for example, may reduce drought tolerance through increased plant productivity, thereby contributing to drought‐induced mortality. High N availability also often favors invasive, nonnative plant species, and the loss of woody vegetation due to drought may create a window of opportunity for these invaders. We investigated the effects of multiple levels of simulated N deposition on a Mediterranean‐type shrubland plant community in southern California from 2011 to 2016, a period coinciding with an extreme, multiyear drought in the region. We hypothesized that N addition would increase native shrub productivity, but that this would increase susceptibility to drought and result in increased shrub loss over time. We also predicted that N addition would favor nonnatives, especially annual grasses, leading to higher biomass and cover of these species. Consistent with these hypotheses, we found that high N availability increased native shrub canopy loss and mortality, likely due to the higher productivity and leaf area and reduced water‐use efficiency we observed in shrubs subject to N addition. As native shrub cover declined, we also observed a concomitant increase in cover and biomass of nonnative annuals, particularly under high levels of experimental N deposition. Together, these results suggest that the impacts of extended drought on shrubland ecosystems may be more severe under elevated N deposition, potentially contributing to the widespread loss of native woody species and vegetation‐type conversion.     

Vegetation cover change and driving factors in Fujian Province between 1975 and 2014北大核心CSCD

Aims Fujian Province has been one of the most severe soil erosion regions since Ming and Qing Dynasty in China. Recently, several ecological restoration projects have been implemented and they have significantly changed vegetation cover in this region. Methods We analyzed the four-decade vegetation cover change in Fujian Province using seven time-series data of Landsat Multispectral Scanner (MSS), Thematic Mapper (TM), and Operational Land Imager (OLI) between 1975 and 2014. We further explored the possible drivers on vegetation cover change by incorporating statistical data of plantation, cropland and urbanized area. Important findings Vegetation coverage in Fujian Province has increased from 69.0% to 77.8% between 1975 and 2014. However, a slight decrease was observed between 1995 and 2005. Spatially, forest was the primary vegetation type in the northwest, where croplands and human settlements were scattered along rivers or oceans. Shrubs and bare lands were also scattered across the northwest. In southwest, the areas of bare land, shrub land and cropland decreased, while areas of forest and human settlements expanded. The vegetation coverage and urbanized area increased at the cost of cropland and bare land.     

Temporal and spatial variation characteristics of China shrubland net primary production and its response to climate change from 2001 to 2013

Aims Net primary production (NPP) is the input to terrestrial ecosystem carbon pool. Climate and land use change affect NPP significantly. Shrublands occupy more than 20% of the terrestrial area of China, and their NPP is comparable to those of the forests. Our objective was to estimate China shrubland NPP from 2001 to 2013, and to analyze its variation and response to climate change.Methods We used a Carnegie-Ames-Stanford Approach (CASA) model to estimate the NPP of six shrubland types in China from 2001 to 2013. Furthermore, we used Theil-Sen slope combined with Mann-kendall test to analyze its spatial variation and a linear regression of one-variable model to analyze its inter- and intra-annual variation. Finally, a multi-factor linear regression model was used to analyze its response to climate change.Important findings We found the annual mean NPP of China shrubland was 281.82 g•m^-2•a^-1. The subtropical evergreen shrubland has the maximum NPP of 420.47 g•m^-2•a^-1, while the high cold desert shrubland has the minimum NPP of 52.65 g•m^-2•a^-1. The countrywide shrublands NPP increased at the rate of 1.23 g•m^-2•a^-1, the relative change rate was 5.99%. The temperate deciduous shrubland NPP increased the fastest with a speed of 3.05 g•m^-2•a^-1 and subalpine evergreen shrubland had a decreasing trend with a speed of -0.73 g•m^-2•a^-1. Moreover, the other four shrublands NPP had a growing trend, only subalpine deciduous shrubland NPP did not change significantly. The response of NPP to climate change of different seasons varies to different shrubland types. In general, the NPP variation was mainly affected by precipitation, and the spring warming also contributed to it. The increase of countrywide shrubland NPP may promote its contribution to the regional ecosystem function.     

Vegetation cover change and driving factors in Fujian Province between 1975 and 2014

Aims Fujian Province has been one of the most severe soil erosion regions since Ming and Qing Dynasty in China. Recently, several ecological restoration projects have been implemented and they have significantly changed vegetation cover in this region.
Methods We analyzed the four-decade vegetation cover change in Fujian Province using seven time-series data of Landsat Multispectral Scanner (MSS), Thematic Mapper (TM), and Operational Land Imager (OLI) between 1975 and 2014. We further explored the possible drivers on vegetation cover change by incorporating statistical data of plantation, cropland and urbanized area.
Important findings Vegetation coverage in Fujian Province has increased from 69.0% to 77.8% between 1975 and 2014. However, a slight decrease was observed between 1995 and 2005. Spatially, forest was the primary vegetation type in the northwest, where croplands and human settlements were scattered along rivers or oceans. Shrubs and bare lands were also scattered across the northwest. In southwest, the areas of bare land, shrub land and cropland decreased, while areas of forest and human settlements expanded. The vegetation coverage and urbanized area increased at the cost of cropland and bare land.     

Shrub encroachment effect on the evapotranspiration and its component—A numerical simulation study of a shrub encroachment grassland in Nei Mongol,China

Aims Shrub encroachment is a common global change phenomenon occurring in arid and semi-arid regions. Due to the difficulty of partitioning evapotranspiration into shrub plants, grass plants and soil in the field, there are few studies focusing on shrub encroachment effect on the evapotranspiration and its component in China. This study aims to illustrate shrub encroachment effect on evapotranspiration by the numerical modeling method. Methods A two-source model was applied and calibrated with the measured evapotranspiration (ET) by the Bowen ratio system to simulate evapotranspiration and its component in a shrub encroachment grassland in Nei Mongol, China. Based on the calibrated model and previous shrub encroachment investigation, we set three scenarios of shrub encroachment characterized by relative shrub coverage of 5%, 15% and 30%, respectively, and quantified their effects caused by shrub encroachment through localized and calibrated two-source model.Important findings The two-source model can well reconstruct the evapotranspiration characteristics of a shrub encroachment grassland. Sensitivity analysis of the model shows that errors for the input variables and parameters have small influence on the result of partitioning evapotranspiration. The result shows that shrub encroachment has relatively small influence on the total amount of ET, but it has clear influence on the proportion of the components of evapotranspiration (E/ET). With shrub coverage increasing from 5% to 15% and then 30%, the evapotranspiration decreased from 182.97 to 180.38 and 176.72 W·m^-2, decreasing amplitude values of 0.34% and 0.44%, respectively. On average, E/ET rises from 52.9% to 53.9% and 55.5%, increasing amplitude values to 2.04% and 3.25%. Data analysis indicates that shrub encroachment results in smaller soil moisture changes, but clear changes of ecosystem structure (decreasing ecosystem leaf area index while increasing vegetation height) which lead to the decrease of transpiration fraction through decreasing canopy conductance. The research highlights that, with the shrub encroachment, more water will be consumed as soil evaporation which is often regarded as invalid part of evapotranspiration and thus resulting in the decrease of water use efficiency.     

Biomass estimation models and allocation patterns of 14 shrub species in Mountain Luya,Shanxi, China

Aims Shrub species have evolved specific strategies to regulate biomass allocation among various organs or between above- and belowground biomass and shrub biomass model is an important approach to estimate biomass allocation among different shrub species. This study was designed to establish the optimal estimation models for each organ (leaf, stem, and root), aboveground and total biomass of 14 common shrub species in Mountain Luya, Shanxi Province, China. Furthermore, we explored biomass allocation characteristics of these shrub species by using the index of leaf biomass fraction (leaf to total biomass), stem biomass fraction (stem to total biomass), root biomass fraction (root to total biomass), and root to shoot mass ratio (R/S) (belowground to aboveground biomass).
Methods We used plant height, basal diameter, canopy diameter and their combination as variables to establish the optimal biomass estimation models for each shrub species. In addition, we used the ratios of leaf, stem, root to total biomass, and belowground to aboveground biomass to explore the difference of biomass allocation patterns of 14 shrub species.
Important findings Most of biomass estimation models could be well expressed by the exponential and linear functions. Biomass for shorter shrub species with more stems could be better estimated by canopy area; biomass for taller shrub species with less stems could be better estimated by the sum of the square of total base diameter multiply stem height; and biomass for the rest shrub species could be better estimated by canopy volume. The averaged value for these shrub species was 0.61, 0.17, 0.48, and 0.35 for R/S, leaf biomass fraction, stem biomass fraction, and root biomass fraction, respectively. Except for leaf biomass fraction, R/S, stem biomass fraction, and root biomass fraction for shrubs with thorn was significantly greater than that for shrubs without thorn.