The role of agri‐environment schemes in conservation and environmental management

Over half of the European landscape is under agricultural management and has been for millennia. Many species and ecosystems of conservation concern in Europe depend on agricultural management and are showing ongoing declines. Agri‐environment schemes (AES) are designed partly to address this. They are a major source of nature conservation funding within the European Union (EU) and the highest conservation expenditure in Europe. We reviewed the structure of current AES across Europe. Since a 2003 review questioned the overall effectiveness of AES for biodiversity, there has been a plethora of case studies and meta‐analyses examining their effectiveness. Most syntheses demonstrate general increases in farmland biodiversity in response to AES, with the size of the effect depending on the structure and management of the surrounding landscape. This is important in the light of successive EU enlargement and ongoing reforms of AES. We examined the change in effect size over time by merging the data sets of 3 recent meta‐analyses and found that schemes implemented after revision of the EU's agri‐environmental programs in 2007 were not more effective than schemes implemented before revision. Furthermore, schemes aimed at areas out of production (such as field margins and hedgerows) are more effective at enhancing species richness than those aimed at productive areas (such as arable crops or grasslands). Outstanding research questions include whether AES enhance ecosystem services, whether they are more effective in agriculturally marginal areas than in intensively farmed areas, whether they are more or less cost‐effective for farmland biodiversity than protected areas, and how much their effectiveness is influenced by farmer training and advice? The general lesson from the European experience is that AES can be effective for conserving wildlife on farmland, but they are expensive and need to be carefully designed and targeted.     

施肥对不同农田土壤微生物活性的影响

采用室内恒温培养研究了施肥对不同农田土壤微生物活性的影响。结果表明，在红壤、水稻土和潮土中，土壤微生物量、土壤酶活性大小顺序均为有机肥配施无机肥处理＞单施有机肥处理＞单施无机肥处理，但对脲酶来说，其活性大小顺序为有机肥配施无机肥处理＞单施无机肥处理＞单施有机肥处理。从土壤类型来看，土壤微生物量碳、氮和土壤酶活性大小以水稻土最大，潮土次之，红壤最小。３种土壤的微生物量、土壤酶活性在培养的４５～６０ｄ之间分别达到最大值，以后逐渐下降。部分单施无机肥处理的土壤微生物量、土壤酶活性最大值比单施有机肥处理、有机肥配施无机肥处理提前１５ｄ。相关分析表明，有机肥配施无机肥处理及单施有机肥处理，３种土壤的土壤微生物量碳、氮与土壤过氧化氢酶、转化酶、蛋白酶、脲酶及速效养分呈显著或极显著的相关性；单施无机肥处理中，土壤微生物量碳、氮与土壤过氧化氢酶、蔗糖转化酶、蛋白酶、脲酶显著或极显著相关，与部分速效养分相关不显著。     

刈割对香港草地干物质生产的影响

研究了刈割频率对香港草地于物质生产的影响。结果表明，刈割使干物质生产量下降，刈割频率越高生产量下降越大。禾本科植物受刈割影响比木本和非禾本科草本植物大，且停止刚割一年后生物量仍低于对照点。认为常年刈割是华南草地生产力下降的重要原因之一。     

风蚀条件下人类活动对高寒草地水分保持功能影响的定量模拟

青藏高原是我国重要的生态屏障,具有重要的水源涵养功能。高寒草地生态系统退化将严重地影响高原的水源涵养功能。为了定量研究人类活动对青藏高原高寒草地水分保持功能的影响,采用大型风洞实验,模拟人类不同的干扰方式和干扰程度对高寒草地土壤水分保持功能的影响。实验样品采自青藏高原三个草地类型:高寒草甸、草原化草甸和高寒草原。干扰方式包括破坏草地地上部分和根系,干扰程度包括轻干扰、中度干扰、重度干扰和全部破坏。实验结果表明,地上部分破坏后,土壤含水率均有下降,降幅分别为:QZ1为6.9%～9.2%、QZ2为6.8%～10.1%、QZ3为9%～10%;当根系遭到破坏后土壤含水率的降幅则分别为:QZ1为16%～30%,QZ2为17.25～32.1%,QZ3为22%～50%,显然,根系破坏后土壤含水率降幅远大于地表植被破坏后的情形。因此,植被根系是高寒草地水分保持功能的关键。随着干扰程度的加剧,土壤含水率在迅速下降。从试验模拟结果看,三个草地类型中土壤水分保持功能分别是高寒草甸>草原化草甸>高寒草原。     

Nitrogen availability in relation to vegetation changes resulting from grass encroachment in Dutch dry dunes

The encroachment of some tall grass species in open dune vegetation, as observed in a Dutch dry dune area, is considered unfavourable from a conservation viewpoint. This paper investigates differences in vegetation and soil properties between grass-dominated and still existing open dune grassland plots at four locations along the coast. Soil properties studied include nitrogen and phosphorus pools and nitrogen availability by mineralization. Vegetation properties included are above and below-ground biomass and nitrogen and phosphorus concentrations in above-ground biomass. Systematic differences in N-pools between grass-dominated and open dune grassland plots were not observed. However, N-availability by mineralization and its turnover rates are higher in grass-dominated plots than in open dune grassland plots, as well as above and below-ground biomass. In open dune grassland plots, atmospheric N-input is an important source of N, whereas in grass-dominated plots mineralization largely exceeds atmospheric N-input. However, these observations do not explain the mosaic-like vegetation pattern. Grazing intensity is most likely the determinant factor in the dry dune system. It is concluded, that grass encroachment is probably triggered by atmospheric deposition and is enhanced by positive feedbacks in the N-cycle. The relevance of these results for restoration management is briefly discussed.     

围栏禁牧对川西北亚高山高寒草甸群落结构的影响

围栏禁牧4a后,与放牧草地相比较:1)围栏草地物种数量有所下降,群落内出现物种27种,而长期放牧草地为33种.2)围栏草地物种平均高度较高,为20.23cm,群落分层现象明显;放牧草地物种平均高度仅为8.14cm,群落无分层现象.3)围栏草地内,杂草类的盖度(98%)大于禾草类的盖度(14%);放牧草地上,杂草类的盖度(53%)小于禾草类的盖度(56%)。4)围栏草地以禾草为主的优良牧草的生产能力(35.24g/m2)低于放牧草地的生产能力(75.47g/m2).5)围栏草地的地上生物量(272.64g/m2)和地下0～30cm生物量(801.61g/m3)都高于放牧草地的地上生物量(184.84g/m2)和地下0～30cm生物量(683.82g/m3).研究结果表明,围栏草地具有比放牧草地更复杂的群落结构,但其物种组成和优良牧草的生产能力,都低于放牧草地.     

植物对沼泽湿地生态系统N2O排放的影响

利用静态暗箱/气相色谱法连续3个生长季(2003-2005年)对三江平原小叶章草甸和毛果苔草沼泽N2O排放通量进行野外对比观测试验.结果表明,植物不同生长阶段对湿地生态系统N2O排放通量的影响不尽相同.植物的参与促进了湿地生态系统N2O的排放,2003-2005年生长季小叶章草甸土壤-植物系统N2O排放通量分别是土壤表观N2O排放通量的1.58倍、2.09倍和2.34倍,同期毛果苔草沼泽土壤-植物系统N2O排放通量分别是土壤表观N2O排放通量的1.86倍、1.50倍和1.33倍.3个生长季小叶章草甸N2O排放通量均大于毛果苔草沼泽,这主要是由土壤理化性质的空间变异性以及水文情况的差异造成的.     

不同有机物料在潮棕壤中有机碳分解进程

用尼龙网袋法研究了特定年度中，不同月份间有机物料在潮棕壤旱田、水田中有机碳分解速率及C／N变化。结果表明，4种物料(玉米秸和玉米根，水稻秸和水稻根)在潮棕壤地区温度、湿度适宜的前3个月(1999年7—月)迅速分解，之后进入缓慢分解阶段，其中根的分解残留率始终高于秸秆。经计算约有2／3的玉米根和稻根腐解产物残留在土壤里；分解至试验结束。所有物料的C/N比都趋于一致，约在10—13之间，与土壤腐殖质的洲比非常相近，说明这些物料已基本完成其腐殖化过程，而成为较稳定的有机组分、这对增加土壤有机质、培肥土壤非常重要。     

草坪绿地对土壤温度的调节作用

在冬半年,对南宁市郊草坪绿地和空旷裸地土壤温度的对比观测表明,０、５、１０、１５、２０ｃｍ土层中的温度日较差、草坪绿地依次为９．６、２．７、１．６、ｌ．０、０．６℃,相应比空旷裸地(１２．８、５．７、３．２、１．９、１．３℃)分别低３．２、３．０、１．６、０．９、０．７℃,并随土层深度的增加,日较差逐渐减少。研究结果显示草坪绿地缓热降温、降低土温日较差的效果比空旷裸地更为显著。     

若尔盖西部草甸的基本类型、特点及近几十年来的变化

2000年8月对若尔盖西部草地的调查，确定了该地18个草丛类型（不包括典型的沼泽植被）。经群丛间Pearson最大相关系数配合生境作图，将该地区的草地群丛分成3大类，即沼生草地，中生性草甸和旱生性草地。各群丛的SW指数，物种丰富度，地上生物量，裸地面积按照生境序列作图，显示中性草甸具有最高的物种丰富度和地上生物量。群丛C和J分别是沼生和旱生植被与中生性草甸之间的拐点式过渡类型，其物种丰富度明显比周期的群丛低，生境转换关键种分别为鹅绒委陵菜和垂穗披碱草。在草地物种组成上，杂类草占81．3％，莎草类仅占6．8％；群丛建群种方面，杂类草占61％，莎草类占28％；在次优势种方面，杂类草和禾草所占比重都有所增加。草原成分出现在丛中生至旱生的群丛中，在有些群丛中甚至成为次优势种。沼泽消退，黄河河道附近沙化以及过牧的阳坡山地生长带刺的旱生化植被，说明当地正经历着干旱化的过程，原因不仅有自然的还有人为的，特别是草地的过度使用。最后对当地草场的管理及发展提出了一些建议。图3表2参20