Nitrogen to phosphorus ratios of two understory plant species in response to nitrogen and phosphorus addition in tropical forest of southern China北大核心CSCD

The secondary tropical forests in southern China have suffered from frequent human disturbance and increasing high N deposition. In order to explore the nutrient limitation status in secondary tropical forests of South China, this 3-year field experiment of nitrogen (+N) and phosphorus (+P) addition investigated nitrogen (N) and phosphorus (P) concentrations of the aboveground tissue (leaf and branch) of two widely distributed understory native species Clerodendrum cyrtophyllum and Uvaria microcarpa in a secondary tropical forest of South China. The results showed that: 1) the N and P concentrations of the two species were significantly different (P < 0.001); N and P concentrations of different tissues in the same species were different; N&P addition greatly affected N and P concentrations in branch rather than new leaf and older leaf. 2) +N treatment had no significant effect on N or P concentrations of either species, but significantly decreased N:P ratios (P = 0.001), at the level of 9% for C. cyrtophyllum and 50% for U. microcarpa, respectively. 3) +P treatment had no significant effect on tissue N concentrations, but significantly increased plant P concentrations (P < 0.001), at 54% for C. cyrtophyllum and 88% for U. microcarpa, respectively; +P treatment significantly decreased plant N:P ratios (P < 0.001), at 28% and 60%, respectively. 4) The alterations of P concentrations of two species had significantly negative correlations with N:P alterations under +N/+P treatment (P < 0.001), suggesting that the alteration of P concentrations in plant tissue was the major driver for N:P alteration. Our results show that N and P addition would affect tissue N and P concentrations of the two species, with +P treatment having relatively greater effect on nutrient concentrations than +N treatment; the branch is more sensitive than new or older leaf in response to nutrient addition. Therefore, P availability may be the limiting factor for plant growth in the tropical forests.     

Dynamics of bacterial community of Suillus granulatus mushroom shiro in Pine (Pinus tabuliformis) forests北大核心CSCD

To evaluate bacterial community variation in the mushroom shiro of Suillus granulatus during fruiting, we collected soil samples from the mushroom shiro in the pine (Pinus tabuliformis) forest of mountainous area in Beijing from May to November and evaluated the bacterial community using polymerase chain reaction - denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis (PCR-DGGE). Total soil DNA was extracted using a commercial soil DNA isolation kit. PCR amplification and DGGE were performed using bacterial universal primers 338F and 518R. The specific bands were excised from the gel and sequenced. The results revealed that soil bacterial community maintained considerably high level and changed seasonally with the mushroom fruiting. In total, 53 bands of DGGE profiles were sequenced and divided into 5 phyla (Acidobacteria, Actinobacteria, Bacteroidetes, Firmicutes, and Proteobacteria and 22 genera (Acidobacterium, Aminobacter, et al). Species from Proteobacteria and Acidobacteria were the dominant bacterial groups sharing considerably high relative abundance, while class a-Proteobacteria was the most abundant group. The variation of the relative abundance of γ-Proteobacteria species was consistent with the mushroom fruiting season. The relative abundance of Acidobacteria species obviously increased before mushroom flush (in July). The fruiting of S. granulatus and the relative abundance of γ-Proteobacteria were correlated with each other. The present study provided a basis for conservation and domestication of mushroom S. granulatus.     

Measurements and simulation of forest leaf area index and net primary productivity in Northern China

Large scale process-based modeling is a useful approach to estimate distributions of global net primary productivity (NPP). In this paper, in order to validate an existing NPP model with observed data at site level, field experiments were conducted at three sites in northern China. One site is located in Qilian Mountain in Gansu Province, and the other two sites are in Changbaishan Natural Reserve and Dunhua County in Jilin Province. Detailed field experiments are discussed and field data are used to validate the simulated NPP. Remotely sensed images including Landsat Enhanced Thematic Mapper plus (ETM+, 30 m spatial resolution in visible and near infrared bands) and Advanced Spaceborne Thermal Emission and Reflection Radiometer (ASTER, 15m spatial resolution in visible and near infrared bands) are used to derive maps of land cover, leaf area index, and biomass. Based on these maps, field measured data, soil texture and daily meteorological data, NPP of these sites are simulated for year 2001 with the boreal ecosystem productivity simulator (BEPS). The NPP in these sites ranges from 80 to 800 gCm(-2)a(-1). The observed NPP agrees well with the modeled NPP. This study suggests that BEPS can be used to estimate NPP in northern China if remotely sensed images of high spatial resolution are available.     

LAI inversion algorithm based on directional reflectance kernels

Leaf area index (LAI) is an important ecological and environmental parameter. A new LAI algorithm is developed using the principles of ground LAI measurements based on canopy gap fraction. First, the relationship between LAI and gap fraction at various zenith angles is derived from the definition of LAI. Then, the directional gap fraction is acquired from a remote sensing bidirectional reflectance distribution function (BRDF) product. This acquisition is obtained by using a kernel driven model and a large-scale directional gap fraction algorithm. The algorithm has been applied to estimate a LAI distribution in China in mid-July 2002. The ground data acquired from two field experiments in Changbai Mountain and Qilian Mountain were used to validate the algorithm. To resolve the scale discrepancy between high resolution ground observations and low resolution remote sensing data, two TM images with a resolution approaching the size of ground plots were used to relate the coarse resolution LAI map to ground measurements. First, an empirical relationship between the measured LAI and a vegetation index was established. Next, a high resolution LAI map was generated using the relationship. The LAI value of a low resolution pixel was calculated from the area-weighted sum of high resolution LAIs composing the low resolution pixel. The results of this comparison showed that the inversion algorithm has an accuracy of 82%. Factors that may influence the accuracy are also discussed in this paper.     

Residues of organochlorine pesticides in Hong Kong soils

It was short of research on the organochlorine pesticides (OCPs) residues in the soils of Hong Kong. Sixty-six representative soil samples were collected from the 46 sites covering five types of land uses in Hong Kong. Hexachlorohexanes (HCH) and 7 Stockholm Convention OCPs were analyzed by gas chromatograph (GC) equipped with a Nickel 63 electronic capture detector (muECD). The results presented that HCH and 5 Stockholm Convention pesticides were detected in Hong Kong soils although the detectable ratio varies to a great extent. The concentration sequence of the five detectable OCPs was HCH > dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane (DDT) > hexachlorobenzene (HCB) approximately = Endrin > alpha-endosulfan. Among the OCPs and their homologues or isomers, beta-HCH and p,p'-DDE were the two predominant substances according to the concentrations and detectable ratios, concentrations of which in soils were averagely 6.12 microg kg(-1) and 0.41 microg kg(-1) respectively. Soil horizon samples of 0-10 cm, 10-30 cm and >30 cm depth were selected from nine soil profiles to demonstrate the depth distributions of DDT and HCH in soil profiles. Concentrations of HCH tended to increase gradually from the topsoil to bottom layer while the lowest concentration of DDT is usually found in the subsoil (10-30 cm) in most sampling sites. In addition, close correlations of pH(KCl) and total organic carbon (TOC) with HCH indicated an effect on the residues of HCH caused by these two soils properties, but such relationships were not found with DDT or other OCPs.     

Distributions and concentrations of PAHs in Hong Kong soils

Surface soil (0-10 cm) samples from 53 sampling sites including rural and urban areas of Hong Kong were collected and analyzed for 16 EPA priority polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs). Total PAH concentrations were in the range of 7.0-410 microg kg(-1) (dry wt), with higher concentrations in urban soils than that in rural soils. The three predominant PAHs were Fluoranthene, Naphthalene and Pyrene in rural soils, while Fluoranthene, Naphthalene and Benzo(b + k)fluoranthene dominated the PAHs of urban soils. The values of PAHs isomer indicated that biomass burning might be the major origin of PAHs in rural soils, but vehicular emission around the heavy traffic roads might contribute to the soil PAHs in urban areas. A cluster analysis was performed and grouped the detectable PAHs under 4 clusters, which could be indicative of the PAHs with different origins and PAHs affected by soil organic carbon contents respectively.     

137Cs budget during the period of 1960s in a small drainage basin on the Loess Plateau of China

A sediment profile with a thickness of 28.12 m in a failed reservoir in a small catchment of the Yuntaishan Gully in the Loess Plateau of China consisted of 44 flood couplets deposited during the period from 1960 to 1970 with total volume of 2.36 x 10(6)m(3). Specific sediment yields for a flood event varied from 300 t km(-2) to 14,400 t km(-2) and annual sediment yields varied from 2500 t km(-2) in 1966 to 40,000 t km(-2) in 1964 with a mean value of 12,700 t km(-2)a(-1) for the period. Average annual (137)Cs concentrations of the sediments increased from 0.92 Bq kg(-1) in 1960 to 4.82 Bq kg(-1) in 1963, then decreased to 1.53 Bq kg(-1) in 1970. The total (137)Cs activity in the reservoir sediments was 9.22 x 10(9) Bq, which accounted for 31.9% of the total (137)Cs fallout precipitation of 2.89 x 10(10) Bq within the catchment during the period. The proportion of the (137)Cs loss from the catchment to the (137)Cs fallout precipitation within the catchment in a year varied between 8.01% and 66.8%, and it was 20.9% for the peak (137)Cs deposition year of 1963 and 52.0% in 1964. By analysis of the (137)Cs budget in the catchment for the (137)Cs peak precipitation period from 1962 to 1964, the (137)Cs surface enrichment coefficient Gamma should be much less than 0.23. And for calculation of soil losses on the cultivated land in the inter-gully area by using the Mass Balance Model II, the value of Gamma should be 0.05-0.1.