Impact of Land Use on Soluble Organic Nitrogen in Soil

Although it has been hypothesized that soluble organic nitrogen (SON) plays a central role in regulating productivity in some terrestrial ecosystems, the factors controlling the size of the SON pool in soil remain poorly understood. Therefore our principal aim in this work was to assess the impact of seven different land use systems (rough and managed grassland, deciduous and coniferous woodland, heathland, wetland and tilled land) on the size of the SON and inorganic N (NO ₃ ^– , NH ₄ ⁺ ) pools in the surface soil layer (0–15 cm). After extraction with deionised water, we found that in most cases the size of the water extractable organic N (WEON) pool was similar in size to the inorganic N pool. In contrast, the KCl extractable organic N (KClEON) pool constituted the dominant form of soluble N in soils under all land uses, perhaps indicating that significant amounts were held on the soil exchange phase. In contrast to inorganic N, which varied significantly with land use, the size of the KClEON and WEON pool was similar for all land uses with the exception of KClEON in tilled land, where significantly lower amounts were observed. We conclude that SON constitutes an important soil N pool in a broad range of land uses, and that its role in microbial N assimilation, plant nutrition and ecosystem responses to atmospheric N deposition warrants further attention. SAFRD, University of Newcastle, Newcastle-upon-Tyne, NE1 7RU, U.K.     

Systematic Temporal Patterns in the Relationship Between Housing Development and Forest Bird Biodiversity

As people encroach increasingly on natural areas, one question is how this affects avian biodiversity. The answer to this is partly scale‐dependent. At broad scales, human populations and biodiversity concentrate in the same areas and are positively associated, but at local scales people and biodiversity are negatively associated with biodiversity. We investigated whether there is also a systematic temporal trend in the relationship between bird biodiversity and housing development. We used linear regression to examine associations between forest bird species richness and housing growth in the conterminous United States over 30 years. Our data sources were the North American Breeding Bird Survey and the 2000 decennial U.S. Census. In the 9 largest forested ecoregions, housing density increased continually over time. Across the conterminous United States, the association between bird species richness and housing density was positive for virtually all guilds except ground nesting birds. We found a systematic trajectory of declining bird species richness as housing increased through time. In more recently developed ecoregions, where housing density was still low, the association with bird species richness was neutral or positive. In ecoregions that were developed earlier and where housing density was highest, the association of housing density with bird species richness for most guilds was negative and grew stronger with advancing decades. We propose that in general the relationship between human settlement and biodiversity over time unfolds as a 2‐phase process. The first phase is apparently innocuous; associations are positive due to coincidence of low‐density housing with high biodiversity. The second phase is highly detrimental to biodiversity, and increases in housing density are associated with biodiversity losses. The long‐term effect on biodiversity depends on the final housing density. This general pattern can help unify our understanding of the relationship of human encroachment and biodiversity response. Patrones Sistemáticos Temporales en la Relación entre Desarrollos Urbanos y la Biodiversidad de Aves de Bosque     

应用铅锶同位素示踪研究泉州某林地垂直剖面土壤中重金属污染及来源解析

分别用原子吸收光谱仪(AAS)和电感耦合等离子体质谱仪(ICP-MS)分析了泉州市某林地垂直剖面土壤中8种重金属元素(Sr、Ni、Fe、Cr、Cu、Mn、Pb、Zn)的含量及垂直剖面土壤的铅锶同位素组成,并采用BCR四步提取法对重金属形态进行了分析.重金属总量及形态分析结果表明,泉州市林地土壤重金属污染较轻,主要污染因子为Sr.Pb的非残渣态含量最高,活性最大.内梅罗综合污染指数的评价结果表明,Sr在0~60 cm深度处达到重度污染.次生相与原生相比值法评价结果表明,Pb活性最强,对土壤的潜在危害最大;富集因子计算结果表明,Pb、Sr、Mn、Zn受到外源的影响;因子分析结果表明,重金属主要受到交通源、自然源和农业生产的影响.根据垂直剖面土壤样品与泉州市潜在污染源在~(206)Pb/~(207)Pb-~(207)Pb/~(204)Pb图中的分布特征,Pb主要来源于汽车尾气尘和土壤母质层,利用铅同位素二元混合模型计算出土壤母质层对垂直剖面土壤中铅的贡献率为85.14%(62.53%~98.36%),汽车尾气尘的贡献率平均值为14.86%(1.640%~37.47%).锶同位素示踪结果表明,锶主要来源于汽车尾气尘和土壤母质.铅锶同位素联合示踪结果与前述研究一致.     

红壤坡地水土保持植物措施下柑橘林地水文生态效应

根据江西水土保持生态科技园2001～2008年不同处理措施柑橘林地径流小区的降雨产流产沙的定位观测资料及2010年土壤含水量测试数据,分析了坡面尺度水土保持植物措施下柑橘林地的产流产沙及土壤水分的特征,研究了狗牙根带状覆盖、狗牙根全园覆盖、果园清耕3种措施下的蓄水保土效应。结果表明：有草被覆盖的柑橘林小区的产流产沙量明显小于柑橘清耕小区,狗牙根带状覆盖小区减流减沙效果最好,减流率为98.21%,减沙率为99.84%。在大部分土层深度,草被带状覆盖下的土壤水分含量最高,均大于清耕措施,而全园覆盖由于植物蒸腾耗水量大水分含量反而低于带状覆盖。条带植草是防治柑橘林地水土流失的有效措施,具有明显的减流减沙效应和蓄积水分作用     

Habitat type-based bioaccumulation and risk assessment of metal and As contamination in earthworms, beetles and woodlice

The present study investigated the contribution of environmental factors to the accumulation of As, Cd, Cu, Pb and Zn in earthworms, beetles and woodlice, and framed within an exposure assessment of the European hedgehog. Soil and invertebrate samples were collected in three distinct habitat types. Results showed habitat-specific differences in soil and invertebrate metal concentrations and bioaccumulation factors when normalized to soil metal concentration. Further multiple regression analysis showed residual variability (habitat differences) in bioaccumulation that could not be fully explained by differences in soil metal contamination, pH or organic carbon (OC). Therefore, the study demonstrated that in bioaccumulation studies involving terrestrial invertebrates or in risk assessment of metals, it is not sufficient to differentiate habitat types on general soil characteristics such as pH and/or OC alone. Furthermore, simple generic soil risk assessments for Cd and Cu showed that risk characterization was more accurate when performed in a habitat-specific way.     

Lichen Conservation in Heavily Managed Boreal Forests

Lichens are an important component of the boreal forest, where they are long lived, tend to accumulate in older stands, and are a major food source for the threatened woodland caribou (Rangifer tarandus caribou). To be fully sustainable, silvicultural practices in the boreal forest must include the conservation of ecological integrity. Dominant forest management practices, however, have short‐term negative effects on lichen diversity, particularly the application of herbicides. To better understand the long‐term effects of forest management, we examined lichen regeneration in 35 mixed black spruce (Picea mariana) and jack pine (Pinus banksiana) forest stands across northern Ontario to determine recovery following logging and postharvest silvicultural practices. Our forest stands were 25–40 years old and had undergone 3 common sivilcultural treatments that included harvested and planted; harvested, planted, and treated with N‐[phosphonomethyl] glycine (glyphosate); and harvested, planted, and treated with 2,4‐dichlorophenoxyacetic acid (2,4‐D). Forest stands with herbicide treatments had lower lichen biomass and higher beta and gamma diversity than planted stands that were not treated chemically or control stands. In northwestern Ontario, planted stands that were not treated chemically had significantly greater (p < 0.05) alpha diversity than stands treated with herbicides or control stands. Our results show that common silvicultural practices do not emulate natural disturbances caused by wildfires in the boreal forest for the lichen community. We suggest a reduction in the amount of chemical application be considered in areas where lichen biomass is likely to be high and where the recovery of woodland caribou is an objective. Conservación de Líquenes en Bosques Boreales Manejados Intensivamente     

Lichens as indicators of a perturbation/stability gradient in the Asperillo dunes, SW spain

In the asperillo dune system, Southwest Spain, lichen vegetation covering the dune sand, has a low species diversity but is an important component of the perennial vegetation, providing stability, nutrients, and moisture to the soil layer. The Asperillo dunes harbour (1) natural ecosystems, (2) disturbed systems affected by forestry activities where the natural vegetation is eliminated, and (3) pine forest resulting from afforestation withPinus pinea since the end of the 1940s where the composition and abundance of the lichen flora has been drastically changed. Our hypothesis was that the lichen species composition and distribution are influenced by the type and period of human intervention. To test this hypothesis a 1.2 km × 1.1 km area, which includes zones with different degrees of conservation and perturbation, consisting of five different habitats, was selected: well preservedJuniperus woodland,Pinus pinea plantations with dense scrub, dense scrub,P. pinea plantations cleared from scrub, and pioneer scrub in recent pine afforestation. In each area, randomly located 5m × 5 m homogeneous plots were sampled. In each plot the cover of shrub and lichen species was recorded. The first results show that lichen cover is higher in the most preserved areas,Cladonia mediterranea being the dominant species under theJuniperus phoenicea canopy. The lichen community changes in composition and abundance depending on the time elapsed since the last perturbation.     

池杉在三峡水库消落带生态修复中的适应性

冬季淹没和夏季干旱的交替作用会导致三峡水库消落带生态系统质量下降. 为了探索有效的生态系统修复方式,选用池杉树种开展了消落带林泽工程试验,并采用统计分析和RDA(冗余分析)排序对水淹胁迫下池杉的生长响应进行了研究. 结果表明:种植在海拔169 m以上的池杉经历两轮冬季淹水后成活率约为84.52%;树高、冠幅和枝叶密度平均变化量较小,分别为0.10 m、0.04 m和-0.11%,而胸径和枝下高变化明显,平均改变量分别为0.78 cm和-0.64 m;树高、胸径、冠幅和枝叶密度等指标变化率在没顶和部分淹水情况下存在显著差异. 部分淹水时,池杉对水淹胁迫的适应能力较强,随着淹水深度的增加,各生长指标变化量均呈下降趋势,部分植株有枯梢,没顶和部分淹水情况下枯梢率分别为43.56%和11.76%. RDA结果表明,水力条件和初始生长特征共同对淹水后池杉生长变化产生影响,二者对池杉生长指标变化的总体解释率为31.20%,独立解释率分别为11.90%、14.40%,共同解释率为4.90%. 池杉作为适应三峡水库消落带水位变动的本土耐淹树种,其经历水淹后的生长变化不仅与水位变动有关,同时也与其淹水前的生长状态有关. 研究结果有助于三峡水库消落带类似生态修复工程的进一步深入开展.      

林地评估探讨——以白云林场林地评估为例

以白云林场林地评估为例,作者了林地评估中的几个特殊问题,并结合当前实际,提出了相应建议。     

Impacts of Livestock Grazing and Tree Clearing on Birds of Woodland and Riparian Habitats

Abstract:  We investigated the impact of pastoral management on birds in subtropical grassy eucalypt woodland in southeastern Queensland, Australia, where the patterns of land management have made it possible to disentangle the effects of livestock grazing from those of tree clearing. We recorded changes in bird species composition, density, and relative abundance across two woodland habitat types (riparian and nonriparian) and two levels of clearing (wooded and nonwooded) and three levels of livestock grazing (low, moderate, and high) replicated over space (1000 km²) and time (2001–2002). We predicted that species that depend on understory vegetation would be most negatively affected by livestock grazing. A Bayesian generalized linear model showed that the level of grazing had the greatest effect when trees were present. When trees were absent, the impact of grazing was overshadowed by the effects of a lack of trees. Over 65% of species responded to different levels of grazing, and the abundance of 42% of species varied markedly with habitat and grazing. The most common response to grazing was high species relative abundance under low levels of grazing (28% of species), species absence at high levels of grazing (20%), and an increase in abundance with increasing grazing (18%). Despite having similar bird assemblages, the effect of grazing was stronger in riparian habitat than in adjacent woodland habitat. Our results suggest that any level of commercial livestock grazing is detrimental to some woodland birds, particularly the understory-dependant species, as predicted. Nevertheless, provided trees are not cleared, a rich and abundant bird fauna can coexist with moderate levels of grazing. Habitats with high levels of grazing, on the other hand, resulted in a species-poor bird assemblage dominated by birds that are increasing in abundance nationally .