Application of a coupled ecosystem-chemical equilibrium model, DayCent-Chem, to stream and soil chemistry in a Rocky Mountain watershed

Atmospheric deposition of sulfur and nitrogen species have the potential to acidify terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems, but nitrate and ammonium are also critical nutrients for plant and microbial productivity. Both the ecological response and the hydrochemical response to atmospheric deposition are of interest to regulatory and land management agencies. We developed a non-spatial biogeochemical model to simulate soil and surface water chemistry by linking the daily version of the CENTURY ecosystem model (DayCent) with a low temperature aqueous geochemical model, PHREEQC. The coupled model, DayCent-Chem, simulates the daily dynamics of plant production, soil organic matter, cation exchange, mineral weathering, elution, stream discharge, and solute concentrations in soil water and stream flow. By aerially weighting the contributions of separate bedrock/talus and tundra simulations, the model was able to replicate the measured seasonal and annual stream chemistry for most solutes for Andrews Creek in Loch Vale watershed, Rocky Mountain National Park. Simulated soil chemistry, net primary production, live biomass, and soil organic matter for forest and tundra matched well with measurements. This model is appropriate for accurately describing ecosystem and surface water chemical response to atmospheric deposition and climate change.     

新疆巴音布鲁克天鹅湖高寒湿地土壤呼吸对水分条件的响应

为了揭示干旱半干旱区高寒湿地不同水分梯度对土壤呼吸规律的影响,以及土壤温度与含水量对土壤呼吸影响的差异性,以新疆巴音布鲁克天鹅湖高寒湿地为研究对象,在2014年植物生长季利用LI-8100土壤碳通量自动测量系统对不同水分条件(常年积水区、季节性积水区、常年干燥区)下的土壤呼吸速率进行测定,分析土壤呼吸日变化、季节性变化特征及其与土壤温度、土壤体积含水量的关系. 结果表明:①不同水分条件下巴音布鲁克天鹅湖高寒湿地土壤呼吸速率日变化均呈明显的单峰曲线,常年积水区、季节性积水区、常年干燥区土壤呼吸速率最大值分别为1.97、7.39、8.83 μmol/(m2·s),均出现在13:00—15:00;土壤CO₂日累积排放量季节性变化明显,差异性达到极显著水平(P<0.01),三者的最大值分别为0.12、0.45、0.40 mol/m2,地表积水显著抑制了土壤呼吸,提高了土壤碳稳定性. ②不同水分条件下土壤呼吸速率与土壤温度、土壤体积含水量之间均呈极显著正相关(P<0.01),常年积水区、季节性积水区和常年干燥区的Q₁₀(土壤呼吸温度敏感性)差异性极显著(P<0.01),其大小表现为常年干燥区(1.54)<常年积水区(2.22)<季节性积水区(3.36),各水分区域6月典型日的Q₁₀最大,表现为常年干燥区(2.56)<季节性积水区(4.30)<常年积水区(4.75),说明水分条件显著影响Q₁₀. ③巴音布鲁克天鹅湖高寒湿地土壤呼吸受地下5 cm处土壤温度(T)与0~5 cm土壤体积含水量(W)的综合影响,季节性积水区土壤呼吸速率与二者之间满足最佳拟合模型R_s=-1.113+0.041W-0.366T+0.008WT,常年干燥区则满足最佳拟合模型R_s=1.470+0.023W-0.027T+0.002WT.      

Spatial heterogeneity of vegetation under different grazing intensities in the Northwest Heilongjiang Steppe of China

In northern China, recent degradation of semi-arid grasslands caused by overgrazing is serious. At Green Grassland Village, west of Daqing City in Heilongjiang Province, three grasslands with different degrees of degradation were surveyed. In the survey, a new method of vegetation analysis based on the beta-binomial distribution, was adopted to describe the frequency of occurrence and spatial heterogeneity for each plant species.Chenopodium centrorubrum, Cleistogenes squarrosa and a Carex species were commonly found in the three grasslands. Non-degraded grassland with light grazing was dominated by Arundinella hirta, Filifolium sibiricium, Lespedeza hedysaroides, Potentilla verticillaris, Stipa baicalensis and Thymus serpyllum. These species belong to the erect-type or do not develop large clones under light grazing. These species can be used as indicators of a well-managed grassland in this area. On the other hand, the degraded grassland with heavy grazing was dominated by Artemisia spp. and Euphorbia humifusa var. pilosa. Artemisia spp., E. humifusa var. pilosa, Eragrostis pilosa and Setaria viridis belong to the creeping-type or develop rather large stocks or stolons under heavy utilization. These species increased the spatial heterogeneity in the degraded grassland with heavy grazing.Under degraded conditions, species diversity decreased and spatial heterogeneity of the communities tended to increase.     

Social actors’ perceptions of wildlife: Insights for the conservation of species in Mediterranean protected areas

AbstractIn the current Anthropocene Era, with numerous escalating challenges for biodiversity conservation, the inclusion of the social dimension into management decisions regarding wildlife and protected areas is critical to their success. By conducting 354 questionnaires in a Mediterranean protected area (the Biosphere Reserve of Bardenas Reales, Northern Spain), we aim to determine sociodemographic factors influencing knowledge levels and perceptions of species and functional groups as, emblematic and threatened. We found that hunters and animal husbandry workers knew more species than other social actors. Additionally, the perception of functional groups as threatened or emblematic differed between social actor groups, with statistically significant associations between perceptions and the characteristics of respondents. Interestingly, we found that although elusive steppe species are globally considered as endangered, these species were the least known by all social actor groups and rarely perceived as emblematic. This research is a novel approach and provides a better understanding of how perceptions can facilitate conservation decisions, particularly regarding endangered speciesGraphic abstract Supplementary InformationThe online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s13280-021-01546-6.     

围栏封育对巴音布鲁克草原土壤理化性质的影响

为明确长期围栏封育对新疆亚高山草原土壤理化性质的影响,本研究以巴音布鲁克草原围封26年的高寒草甸、高寒草甸草原和高寒草原为研究对象,对三种类型草地围栏内外土壤理化性质进行对比分析,结果表明:(1)高寒草甸和高寒草原围栏内表层土壤饱和含水量、田间持水量和土壤含水量均高于围栏外样地,而土壤容重均低于围栏外,其中高寒草甸围栏内外的田间持水量、土壤含水量和土壤容重的差异达到显著水平;(2)高寒草甸围栏内表层土壤有机质含量显著高于围栏外,全氮则显著低于围栏外;三种类型草地围栏内表层土壤全磷含量均低于围栏外;(3)相关性分析表明,土壤含水量高的草地,其饱和含水量和田间持水量也较高,土壤容重较小;土壤容重高的草地其有机质含量较低;速效钾含量高的草地,其全磷含量也较高。围栏封育有利于草地土壤理化性质的恢复,但长时间围封会降低土壤磷素含量,需要通过施肥等管理措施补充以促进草地生态系统保持良性状态,本研究对草地土壤质量调控和退化草地恢复研究具有参考意义。     

The Effects of Long-Term Grazing Exclosures on Range Plants in the Central Anatolian Region of Turkey

Over the last fifty years, almost half of the steppe rangeland in the Central Anatolian Region of Turkey (CAR) has been converted to cropland without an equivalent reduction in grazing animals. This shift has led to heavy grazing pressure on rangeland vegetation. A study was initiated in June 2003 using 6 multiscale Modified-Whittaker plots to determine differences in plant composition between areas that have not been grazed in 27 years with neighboring grazed plant communities. A total of 113 plant species were identified in the study area with the ungrazed plots containing 32 plants more than the grazed plots. The major species were Astragalus acicularis, Bromus tomentellus, Festuca valesiaca, Genista albida, Globularia orientalis, Poa bulbosa, and Thymus spyleus ssp rosulans. Grazing impacts on forbs were more pronounced than for grasses and shrubs. Based on Jaccard’s index, there was only a 37% similarity of plant species between the two treatments. Our study led to four generalizations about the current grazing regime and long-term exclosures in the steppe rangeland around the study area: (1) exclosures will increase species richness, (2) heavy grazing may have removed some plant species, (3) complete protection from grazing for a prolonged period of time after a long history of grazing disturbance may not lead to an increase in desirable plant species with a concomitant improvement in range condition, and (4) research needs to be conducted to determine how these rangelands can be improved.     

川西亚高山、高山森林土壤微生物生物量和酶活性动态特征

为深入了解川西亚高山/高山森林冬季生态学过程,于2008年11月─2009年10月,在土壤冻结初期、冻结期和融化期及植被生长季节,研究了不同海拔岷江冷杉林（Abies faxoniana）土壤微生物生物量和酶活性动态。各海拔森林土壤在冬季维持着较高的微生物生物量含量和酶活性,并随土壤冻融过程不断变化。土壤有机层和矿质土壤层冬季微生物生物量碳和氮含量及转化酶和尿酶活性均表现出受冻结初期土壤冻融循环影响显著降低,在冻结期变化不明显,在融化期急剧增加至融化后显著降低的趋势,且土壤有机层微生物生物量含量和酶活性在融化期具有一个明显的年高峰值。海拔变化显著影响了土壤酶活性,但对土壤微生物生物量不显著。土壤温度与土壤微生物生物量含量相关显著。这表明季节性冻融期是土壤生态过程的重要时期,土壤冻融格局显著影响川西亚高山/高山森林土壤微生物生物量和酶活性动态。     

Effects of Recreational Impacts on Soil Microbial Communities

/ The functional diversity of soil microbial communities in heavilyimpacted subalpine campsites and adjacent undisturbed areas was comparedusing the Biolog method of carbon utilization profiles. Principal componentsanalysis of patterns and level of microbial activity indicate that microbialcommunities differentiate in response to disturbance in the top 6 cm of soil,while below 6 cm there were no recognizable differences between disturbed andundisturbed soil communities. Analysis of the factors that differentiate theupper microbial communities between disturbed and undisturbed sites revealedthat the percent of total carbon sources utilized was significantly less inthe disturbed (54%) than in undisturbed areas (95%). Carbonsubstrates important in the discrimination between soil communities includeplant, invertebrate, and microbial derivatives that could not be metabolizedby microbial communities from disturbed sites. Comparisons of totalculturable actinomycetes, bacteria, and fungi reveal no difference in overallnumber of colony forming units (CFU) on disturbed and undisturbed sites, buta marked decrease in actinomycetes on disturbed sites. Biolog andspread-plate data combined indicate a shift in the structure and function ofthe microbial community in campsite soils, which may be a useful indicator ofsoil community disturbance.KEY WORDS: Microbial functional diversity; Anthropogenic disturbance;Recreational impacts; Carbon source profile; Subalpine     

Effects of herbage removal on productivity of selected high-sierra meadow community types

We investigated the effects of herbage removal on three subalpine meadow plant communities in the Rock Creek drainage of Sequoia National Park, California, USA. In the xericCarex exserta Mkze. (short-hair sedge) type, annual aboveground productivity averaged 19 g/m² in control plots (clipped once after plant senescence in late September) over a five-year period. Annual aboveground productivity was enhanced about 30%–35% when plots in this community type were clipped more frequently (i.e., additional herbage removal in the early, mid, and late seasons) during each of four treatment years but was reduced by 13%–19% during a fifth (recovery) year in which all but late September clipping was suspended. In a moderately mesicEleocharis pauciflora (Lightf.) Link. (few-flowered spike rush)-Calamagrostis breweri Thurb. (short-hair grass) type, control plot productivity averaged 115 g/m²/yr and was reduced by 20–30% by the additional herbage removal. A more mesicDeschampsia caespitosa (L.) Beauv. (tufted hairgrass)-Carex rostrata Stokes, (beaked sedge) type had the greatest mean above-ground productivity (169 g/m²/yr) but also showed damage (i.e., decrease in productivity by 15%–20%) caused by the additional herbage removal. These data suggest that longterm, intensive herbage removal may be more detrimental to moderately mesic and mesic subalpine meadow community types than to xeric types.     

草原牧区可持续发展的生态经济路径

草原牧区面临加快经济发展和保障生态安全的双重重任,本文探讨了牧区可持续发展的生态经济路径,提出草畜平衡政策要以压缩牧民数量为核心,积极引导过剩牧民进行产业转移,鼓励牧区牧民进行联合经营,提高生产效率,同时要建立生态补偿基金,为生态恢复和保护提供长效资金保障。