短期放牧对半干旱草地生态系统CO2和N2O排放的影响

通过在北方农牧带半干旱草地生态系统(山西右玉)设置不放牧、轻度放牧、中度放牧和重度放牧4个不同强度的放牧实验,运用静态-暗箱法测定放牧第一年生长季的温室气体通量,研究不同放牧强度对该地区温室气体通量的影响.结果表明:(1) CO_2和N_2O在生长季表现出随着温度和水分变化的明显季节动态变化,但是与不放牧相比,第一年不同放牧强度对CO_2和N_2O排放速率没有显著影响;(2)放牧显著降低了土壤含水量(P 0. 05),中度放牧降低了土壤微生物生物量碳(MBC,P 0. 05),中度和重度放牧降低了土壤微生物生物量氮(MBN,P 0. 05);(3) CO_2排放速率和土壤温度、土壤水分之间呈显著正相关关系,土壤温度、可溶性氮、微生物生物量氮以及CO_2排放速率之间呈显著正相关关系.放牧增加了温度与CO_2排放的相关性,但对N_2O排放相反.(4)虽然放牧降低了土壤含水量,但是没有发现不同放牧强度间CO_2和N_2O排放的差异,说明短期内不同的放牧强度尚未对土壤微生物结构与功能造成显著影响,需要继续进行长期深入地研究,揭示放牧强度对温室气体通量的影响机制.     

西藏退化高寒草原土壤团聚体有机碳的变化特征

为进一步了解高寒草原土壤碳动态变化特点与变化过程,采用湿筛法对藏北高原未退化、轻度退化和严重退化高寒草原表层（0~10 cm）、亚表层（>10~20 cm）不同粒级w（SAOC）（SAOC为土壤团聚体有机碳）进行研究.结果表明,与未退化草地相比,不同程度退化草地w（SAOC）均呈下降趋势,但严重退化草地表层、亚表层中w（SAOC）、>0.25 mm粒级w（SAOC）、 < 0.25 mm粒级w（SAOC）降幅均显著低于轻度退化草地;不同程度退化草地表层、亚表层中>0.25、 < 0.25 mm粒级w（SAOC）在总体上趋于下降,且亚表层的降幅明显高于表层的降幅,但退化草地亚表层中w（SAOC）仍高于表层（未退化草地、轻度和严重退化草地亚表层较表层分别增加51.84%、31.34%、6.83%）,w（SAOC）的土层差异随草地退化加剧而大幅缩小;轻度、严重退化草地不同粒级w（SAOC）的土层分布特征仍与未退化草地一致,其表层、亚表层中>0.25 mm粒级w（SAOC）均明显较高;与未退化草地相同,退化草地表层、亚表层w（SAOC）贡献率亦均呈|2~0.25 mm| > | < 0.25~0.053 mm| > | > 2 mm| > | < 0.053 mm|粒级;退化草地环境对团聚体与w（SAOC）,以及w（SOC）（SOC为土壤有机碳）与w（SAOC）间的关系具有重要影响.研究显示,高原冷干环境下不同粒级SAOC及其变化受草地退化程度、土层深度等的深刻影响,需要从影响土壤有机碳形成与转化的土壤机制等方面进行深入研究.      

Managed grassland alters soil N dynamics and N2O emissions in temperate steppe

Reclamation of degraded grasslands as managed grasslands has been increasingly accelerated in recent years in China. Land use change affects soil nitrogen(N) dynamics and nitrous oxide(N_2O) emissions. However, it remains unclear how large-scale grassland reclamation will impact the grassland ecosystem as a whole. Here, we investigated the effects of the conversion from native to managed grasslands on soil N dynamics and N_2O emissions by field experiments in Hulunber in northern China. Soil(0–10 cm), nitrate(NO_3~-),ammonium(NH_4~+), and microbial N were measured in plots in a temperate steppe(Leymus chinensis grassland) and two managed grasslands(Medicago sativa and Bromus inermis grasslands) in 2011 and 2012. The results showed conversion of L. chinensis grassland to M.sativa or B. inermis grasslands decreased concentrations of NO_3~–-N, but did not change NH_4~–N . Soil microbial N was slightly decreased by the conversion of L. chinensis grassland to M.sativa, but increased by the conversion to B. inermis. The conversion of L. chinensis grassland to M. sativa(i.e., a legume grass) increased N_2O emissions by 26.2%, while the conversion to the B. inermis(i.e., a non-legume grass) reduced N_2O emissions by 33.1%. The conversion from native to managed grasslands caused large created variations in soil NO?3~-+–N and NH_4~–N concentrations. Net N mineralization rates did not change significantly in growing season or vegetation type, but to net nitrification rate. These results provide evidence on how reclamation may impact the grassland ecosystem in terms of N dynamics and N_2O emissions.     

Rubber cultivation and sustainable development in Xishuangbanna,China

SUMMARY

Xishuangbanna in southwest China is a tropical and subtropical region with extraordinary traditional cultures and attractive landscapes. Rubber cultivation is a key production source undergoing rapid growth. It contributes substantially to improvement of the local economic situation and partially replaces traditional slash-and-burn agriculture in the uplands, but it also results in biodiversity loss and environmental degradation and disturbs the peaceful life of the indigenous people. We discuss the traditional ecological knowledge (TEK) preserved in daily practices and the present types of rubber plantations and suggest the application of TEK, in particular, the indigenous land-use experience to rubber cultivation, in order to promote sustainability in local economic development and ecological well-being.     

中国松嫩草原羊草植硅体对全球变暖和氮沉降模拟的响应研究

在松嫩草原应用红外线增温和人工施氮的方法对羊草群落模拟全球变暖和氮沉降,提取羊草中的植硅体,分析探讨植硅体的形态及数量变化规律.羊草中的植硅体可以划分为4个大类和12个亚类,以及较小的植硅体碎片,其中帽型植硅体含量高达70%.尖顶帽型和平顶帽型植硅体与刺帽型植硅体可能有不同的发育机制,并且尖型植硅体对施氮更为敏感;与对照相比,增温处理对羊草植硅体的发育有促进作用(长宽增加0.1～2.6μm),而施氮处理则有一定的抑制作用(长宽减小0.1～1.4μm),增温和施氮交叉作用,则施氮对羊草植硅体发育表现出的抑制作用明显减弱;施氮处理中出现其他处理中未见到的空心棒型(占棒型总量的46%),而且除棒型、帽型、尖型以外的植硅体含量增加到10%,从而推测,对于以羊草为优势植物的松嫩草原,施氮的影响可能要强于增温,如果两者同时作用,增温能在一定程度上缓解施氮的影响.实验中的羊草植硅体对模拟全球变化很敏感,说明植硅体对环境因子的改变很敏感,其作为古环境的代用指标应是可靠的.     

Emission characteristics of carbon dioxide in the semiarid Stipa grandis steppe in Inner Mongolia, China

Introduction The emission and absorption of greenhouse gases such as carbon dioxide (CO2), methane (CH4) and nitrous oxide (N2O) etc. by soil is one of the hot topics on global change research, more and more attention has been paid to the flux measurement…     

The threat of abandonment in socio-ecological landscapes: Farmers’ motivations and perspectives on high nature value grassland conservation

Future sustainability of the conservation management of socio-ecological landscapes is typically reliant on on-going agricultural management. Such management may be threatened by changes in the drivers of management and the fragility of the stakeholder networks that deliver management. This study examined evidence for the risk of abandonment in a series of case study high nature value (HNV) grassland sites. The work found that the motivation of farmers to participate in the conservation management was typically limited and often marginal. Landowners and conservation stakeholders who relied on partner farmers to manage such sites often struggled to recruit and retain their participation, leading to increased turnover among managing farmers and to some sites being under-managed. Primary reasons for difficulty of recruitment and farmer turnover included a lack of candidate farmers in the local landscape, and the marginal and fluctuating economics of grassland management. A trend towards greater financial incentivisation of farmers was evident, which policy-makers responsible for agri-environment schemes should note, and elsewhere some conservation organisations were seen to be bringing grassland management in-house. Farmers’ motivations to participate in conservation management of such systems may continue to weaken and abandonment may therefore become a significant risk to the successful conservation of such systems. Conservation stakeholders need to foster good relations with their farmer-manager partners and not further depress their limited motivations to participate, as well as consider carefully whether farmer stakeholders are being adequately compensated for their efforts.     

Swidden agriculture in a protected area: the Matsigenka native communities of Manu National Park, Peru

In this study, we investigate whether traditional swidden agriculture on nutrient-poor tropical soils can sustainably support a growing indigenous population within Manu National Park, Peru. Based on interviews with 50 Matsigenka farmers, as well as GPS mapping and field visits, we established the location and size of all 124 swidden gardens cultivated in 2000 and 2001. Using a GIS-based soil map of Manu Park, we identify the total extent of potential arable land (1) throughout the park zones currently available for Matsigenka habitation, and (2) within the vicinity of the two study communities. Taking into account current per capita garden size, cultivation and fallow practices, we calculate the maximum human carrying capacity of swidden agriculture for (1) all available park zones and (2) the immediate vicinity of the two current communities. Even given the second, highly limited scenario, the sustainable human carrying capacity is estimated to be 2,138 individuals, which is far higher than the current population of about 420 people. Thus, arable land does not appear to be a limiting factor for the growth of the indigenous population in Manu Park at the current time. Other possible limiting factors for population growth are identified and discussed. We conclude that a conservation policy of population stabilization around the current settlements is viable in that it will not result in reduced resource availability over the next few decades, and that the challenge is to identify and mitigate the forces causing population fissioning and spread. Readers should send their comments on this paper to BhaskarNath@aol.com within 3 months of publication of this issue.     

Land Management in the American Southwest: A State-and-Transition Approach to Ecosystem Complexity

State-and-transition models are increasingly being used to guide rangeland management. These models provide a relatively simple, management-oriented way to classify land condition (state) and to describe the factors that might cause a shift to another state (a transition). There are many formulations of state-and-transition models in the literature. The version we endorse does not adhere to any particular generalities about ecosystem dynamics, but it includes consideration of several kinds of dynamics and management response to them. In contrast to previous uses of state-and-transition models, we propose that models can, at present, be most effectively used to specify and qualitatively compare the relative benefits and potential risks of different management actions (e.g., fire and grazing) and other factors (e.g., invasive species and climate change) on specified areas of land. High spatial and temporal variability and complex interactions preclude the meaningful use of general quantitative models. Forecasts can be made on a case-by-case basis by interpreting qualitative and quantitative indicators, historical data, and spatially structured monitoring data based on conceptual models. We illustrate how science- based conceptual models are created using several rangeland examples that vary in complexity. In doing so, we illustrate the implications of designating plant communities and states in models, accounting for varying scales of pattern in vegetation and soils, interpreting the presence of plant communities on different soils and dealing with our uncertainty about how those communities were assembled and how they will change in the future. We conclude with observations about how models have helped to improve management decision-making.     

新疆草地退化及其治理

草地退化是新疆草地面临的突出问题。在分析新疆草地生态环境退化现状的基础上，提出了治理对策，指出只有合理的开发利用草地资源，才能使新疆的草地资源优势真正转化为经济优势，实现新疆畜牧业的可持续发展。