Flood hazard assessment for land-use planning near desert mountains

Metropolitan areas located in arid and semiarid environments are rapidly expanding onto the piedmonts of nearby desert mountains. Hazards to urban development are posed by the complex fluvial systems that characterize these environments, yet no generally accepted methodology exists for evaluating flood hazards on desert piedmonts. An approach to flood hazard assessment is presented that involves the hydrogeomorphic analysis of land surfaces. Five flood hazard zones are identified for an area in central Arizona by analyzing the spatial variation of landforms and their associated fluvial processes. The methodology is applicable to similar environments elsewhere because it is based on the identification of forms and processes common to arid regions. The information provided by the analysis can form the basis for a comprehensive flood hazard management plan.     

Benefits of protective fencing to plant and rodent communities of the western Mojave Desert,California

Human disturbance in the western Mojave Desert takes many forms. The most pervasive are livestock grazing and off-highway vehicle use. Over the past few decades several areas within this region have been fenced to preclude human disturbance. These areas provide opportunities to study the impact of human activities in a desert ecosystem. This paper documents the response of plant and small mammal populations to fencing constructed between 1978 and 1979 at the Desert Tortoise Research Natural Area, Kern County, California. Aboveground live annual plant biomass was generally greater inside than outside the fenced plots during April 1990, 1991, and 1992. The alien grassSchismus barbatus was a notable exception, producing more biomass in the unprotected area. Forb biomass was greater than that of alien annual grasses inside the fence during all three years of the study. Outside the fence, forb biomass was significantly higher than that of alien grasses only during spring 1992. Percent cover of perennial shrubs was higher inside the fence than outside, while no significant trend was detected in density. There was als more seed biomass inside the fence; this may have contributed to the greater diversity and density of Merriam's kangaroo rats (Dipodomys merriami), long-tailed pocket mice (Chaetodipus formosus), and southern grasshopper mice (Onychomys torridus) in the protected area. These results show that protection from human disturbance has many benefits, including greater overall community biomass and diversity. The significance and generality of these results can be further tested by studying other exclosures of varying age and configurations in different desert regions of the southwestern United States.     

Desert ants adjust their approach to a foraging site according to experience

In the habitat of desert ants, Cataglyphis fortis, a constant wind is usually blowing during the daytime. When visiting a familiar food source, the ants steer some distance downwind of the feeder, rather than attempting a direct approach that might miss small food sources, in particular. In the downwind area, the ants pick up the odor plume emanating from the food and follow it upwind to the prey. This strategy saves considerable walking distance and time. The additional path necessitated by the downwind strategy is only about 0.75 to 2 m, depending on nest–feeder distance, while missing the food on the upwind side results in much longer search trajectories. During the initial three to five visits to a feeding site, downwind distance and length of the approach path are shortened notably, and the approach trajectory is straightened. Desert ants further exhibit considerable short-term flexibility in their approach. Experienced individuals are evidently able to decide upon leaving the nest which direction to choose toward the feeder, depending on current wind direction (that fluctuates slightly during the day). Notable changes in wind direction occur primarily overnight. For larger nest–feeder distances, the animals adjust their approach en route to the altered wind direction during their first foraging trip in the morning.     

氮添加对油蒿群落植物叶片生态化学计量特征的影响

为了深入认识荒漠植物对氮沉降的适应和反馈能力,研究了宁夏盐池毛乌素沙地油蒿(Artemisia ordosica)群落内5种优势植物〔油蒿、披针叶黄华(Thermopsis lanceolata)、糙隐子草(Cleistogenes squarrosa)、赖草(Leymus secalinus)、刺藜(Chenopodium aristatum)〕在N₀、N₁、N₂、N₃、N₄、N₅〔氮添加水平依次为0、0.5、1.0、2.0、3.0、6.0 g/(m2·a),以N计〕6个氮添加处理下叶片w(TC)、w(TN)、w(TP)及其化学计量比——C/N〔w(TC)/w(TN)〕、N/P〔w(TN)/w(TP)〕、C/P〔w(TC)/w(TP)〕的变化. 结果表明:①氮添加对油蒿、披针叶黄华叶片w(TC)、w(TN)、w(TP)及其化学计量比无显著影响. ②高氮添加(N₅处理)显著增加了糙隐子草、赖草和刺藜叶片w(TN),相对于N₀处理时增幅分别约为26%、81%和60%. ③高氮添加显著增加了赖草、刺藜叶片N/P,但显著降低了其叶片C/N,其中,赖草和刺藜叶片N/P相对于N₀处理时的增幅分别约为86%和61%,C/N的降幅则分别约为45%和37%. 研究显示,油蒿群落中不同植物种对氮添加的响应存在差异,持续增加的氮沉降很可能会引起油蒿群落物种组成的变化,从而影响油蒿群落的演替.      

人工生物结皮的发育演替及表土持水特性研究

为了解接种蓝藻对荒漠地区表土持水特性的改善作用,对库布齐沙漠东缘达拉特旗地区人工接种蓝藻后形成的生物结皮进行了发育演替及持水特性研究.结果表明,在人工接种荒漠蓝藻之后,藻结皮能够很快形成,并在一些微环境下藻结皮直接演替为藓结皮(接种2~3 a后).随着结皮的发育演替,表土生物量、多糖含量、厚度以及孔隙度增加,而土壤容重减小;同时,形成结皮之后表土质地也发生了明显的变化,其中沙粒含量逐渐减少,粉粒、黏粒含量增加.实验还发现随着结皮的发育演替,表土含水量与饱和持水量都呈增加的趋势,即:藓结皮>藻结皮>流沙,藻结皮中的含水量(饱和持水量)为流沙中的1.1~1.3倍,藓结皮中的含水量(饱和持水量)为流沙中的1.8~2.2倍.相关分析表明表土含水量及饱和持水量与表土生物量、多糖含量、厚度、容重、粉粒和黏粒含量呈正相关,与表土孔隙度和沙粒含量呈负相关.通过逐步回归分析发现影响含水量的主要因素为表土黏粒的含量,而影响饱和持水量的主要因素为表土孔隙度.     

科尔沁沙地及其周围地区土地利用变化的情景分析

根据科尔沁沙地及其周围地区过去15年(1985～2000年)土地利用的时空动态变化、2000年的土地利用格局以及2010年的土地利用规划数据,构建了模拟研究地区土地利用变化的CLUE-S模型。在该模型的支持下,论文分别对研究地区未来10年(2000～2010年)土地利用变化格局的马尔柯夫情景和规划情景进行了模拟,然后,通过2000年土地利用现状图与2010年情景模拟图的叠加,分析了在以上两种情景下土地利用变化的共同之处及差异。研究结果对完善科尔沁沙地及其周围地区土地利用变化的动态管理具有重要意义。     

可培养细菌多样性及抗辐射-抗氧化相关性特征——以库姆塔格沙漠东缘为例

对库姆塔格沙漠东缘可培养细菌进行系统发育学多样性研究的基础上,对菌株的抗辐射和抗氧化能力进行筛选,利用辐射或氧化胁迫后细菌的存活率进行二者耦联关系的研究.研究表明,pH值、TOC和TN是影响库姆塔格沙漠东缘中可培养细菌群落结构的主要因素;分离出的105株细菌分别归属于放线菌门（Actinobacteria）、拟杆菌门（Bacteroidetes）、厚壁菌门（Firmicutes）和变形菌门（Proteobacteria）,在可培养细菌数量（9.96×10⁵CFU/g）和物种丰富度（9个属共72株菌）方面放线菌门均为最优势的门;除拟杆菌门以外,归属于放线菌门、厚壁菌门和变形菌门的可培养细菌中都筛选出了兼具抗辐射-抗氧化的菌株.通过抗辐射抗氧化性能研究表明可培养细菌的抗辐射能力与抗氧化能力具有一定的正相关性;UV-C辐照强度的D₁₀（致死率为10%）剂量高于100J/m²的菌株占可培养细菌总数的21.3%,过氧化氢耐受浓度的D₁₀剂量高于10mmol/L的菌株占70.2%,其中放线菌门的3株细菌K4-10、K5-3和K2-40兼具有很强的抗辐射和抗氧化能力.     

基于半荒漠脆弱生态环境下煤矿开采环境综合治理研究

煤矿开发对周围环境产生的破坏及衍生、次生灾害不断增加。人类对此的认识和对相关领域的研究不断全面和深入。结合煤矿开采对环境的直接及间接影响,本文从根本上对半荒漠环境下的煤矿开采环境保护提出了一些针对性的措施,对于内蒙、新疆等类似地区的煤矿开采提供参考。     

Indirect effects of African megaherbivore conservation on bat diversity in the world's oldest desert

In extreme environments, temperature and precipitation are often the main forces responsible for structuring ecological communities and species distributions. The role of biotic interactions is typically thought to be minimal. By clustering around rare and isolated features, like surface water, however, effects of herbivory by desert-dwelling wildlife can be amplified. Understanding how species interact in these environments is critical to safeguarding vulnerable or data-deficient species. We examined whether African elephants (Loxodonta africana), black rhinoceros (Diceros bicornis), and southern giraffe (Giraffa giraffa) modulate insectivorous bat communities around permanent waterholes in the Namib Desert. We estimated megaherbivore use of sites based on dung transects, summarized vegetation productivity from satellite measurements of the normalized difference vegetation index, and surveyed local bat communities acoustically. We used structural equation models to identify relationships among megaherbivores and bat species richness and dry- (November 2016–January 2017) and wet- (February–May 2017) season bat activity. Site-level megaherbivore use in the dry season was positively associated with bat activity—particularly that of open-air foragers—and species richness through indirect pathways. When resources were more abundant (wet season), however, these relationships were weakened. Our results indicate that biotic interactions contribute to species distributions in desert areas and suggest the conservation of megaherbivores in this ecosystem may indirectly benefit insectivorous bat abundance and diversity. Given that how misunderstood and understudied most bats are relative to other mammals, such findings suggest that managers pursue short-term solutions (e.g., community game guard programs, water-point protection near human settlements, and ecotourism) to indirectly promote bat conservation and that research includes megaherbivores’ effects on biodiversity at other trophic levels.     

Vegetation monitoring using diferent scale of remote sensing data

１ＩｎｔｒｏｄｕｃｔｉｏｎＬａｎｄｓｃａｐｅｓｔｒｕｃｔｕｒｅｗｉｔｈｉｎｔｈｅＭｕＵｓＤｅｓｅｒｔ，ａｓｅｍｉａｒｉｄｒｅｇｉｏｎｏｆｎｏｒｔｈｅａｓｔｅｒｎＣｈｉｎａ，ｉｓｔｈｅｂａｓｉｃｆｏｃｕｓｏｆｔｈｉｓｓｔｕｄｙｃｏｎｃｅｒｎｉｎｇｌａ...