Effects of Modern Forest Management on Winter Grazing Resources for Reindeer in Sweden

Boreal forests in Sweden are exploited in a number of ways, including forestry and reindeer husbandry. In the winter, reindeer feed mainly on lichens, and lichen-rich forests are a key resource in the herding system. Commercial forestry has mainly negative effects on reindeer husbandry, and conflicts between these two industries have escalated over the last century. This article reviews the effects of modern forest management practices on the winter resources available for reindeer husbandry. Forestry affects reindeer husbandry at both the stand level and the landscape level and over various time scales. Clear-cutting, site preparation, fertilization, short rotation times, and forest fragmentation have largely resulted in a reduced amount of ground growing and arboreal lichens and restricted access to resource. This article also discusses alternative forestry practices and approaches that could reduce the impacts of forestry on reindeer husbandry, both in the short and long term.     

藏猪扰动作用下的高寒草甸土壤退化特征及微生物群落结构变化

微生物作为土壤生态系统的重要组成部分,对环境干扰异常敏感,可以反映土壤的健康状况.人类活动导致高寒泥炭土壤面临退化风险,生产力下降、碳汇功能丧失,进而影响土壤微生物的群落结构及多样性.藏猪放牧是我国高海拔藏区一种特有的放牧方式,是导致高寒草甸土壤退化的重要干扰因素之一.应用16S rRNA高通量测序技术对比分析了藏猪放牧干扰和对照（无藏猪放牧）条件下的滇西北高寒草甸泥炭土壤微生物群落结构变化及其对干扰的响应特征.结果表明,藏猪放牧导致土壤微生物α多样性显著降低,且群落结构发生明显变化.高寒草甸泥炭土壤的主要优势菌为变形菌门（Proteobacteria）、酸杆菌门（Acidobacteria）和绿弯菌门（Chloroflexi）.与门水平相比,干扰前后土壤微生物在属水平上的差异更明显,其中鞘氨醇单胞菌属（Sphingomonas）和薄层菌属（Hymenobacter）的相对丰度在干扰后的土壤中显著增加,而硝化螺菌属（Nitrospira）和红游动菌属（Rhodoplanes）则显著降低.Venn图分析进一步发现,干扰与对照土壤样品中分别有71和136个核心OTU.干扰条件下的土壤特有微生物主要包括伯克霍德氏菌（Burkholderiales）、假单胞菌（Pseudomonadales）、鞘脂单胞菌（Sphingomonadales）等,这些微生物主要聚集在目水平,可以作为干扰条件下的指示微生物.CCA排序表明,硝化螺菌属和红游动菌属的微生物对含水率、速效磷、有机质等土壤环境变量的响应较为敏感.该研究结果为揭示高寒草甸泥炭土壤退化与微生物群落结构及多样性之间的关系提供了理论借鉴.     

Transfer parameter values in temperate forest ecosystems: a review

Compared to agricultural lands, forests are complex ecosystems as they can involve diverse plant species associations, several vegetative strata (overstorey, shrubs, herbaceous and other annual plant layer) and multi-layered soil profiles (forest floor, hemi-organic and mineral layers). A high degree of variability is thus generally observed in radionuclide transfers and redistribution patterns in contaminated forests. In the long term, the soil compartment represents the major reservoir of radionuclides which can give rise to long-term plant and hence food contamination. For practical reasons, the contamination of various specific forest products has commonly been quantified using the aggregated transfer factor (T_ag in m² kg⁻¹) which integrates various environmental parameters including soil and plant type, root distribution as well as nature and vertical distribution of the deposits. Long lasting availability of some radionuclides was shown to be the source of much higher transfer in forest ecosystems than in agricultural lands. This study aimed at reviewing the most relevant quantitative information on radionuclide transfers to forest biota including trees, understorey vegetation, mushrooms, berries and game animals. For both radiocaesium and radiostrontium in trees, the order of magnitude of mean T_ag values was 10⁻³ m² kg⁻¹ (dry weight). Tree foliage was usually 2–12 times more contaminated than trunk wood. Maximum contamination of tree components with radiocaesium was associated with (semi-)hydromorphic areas with thick humus layers. The transfer of radionuclides to mushrooms and berries is high, in comparison with foodstuffs grown in agricultural systems. Concerning caesium uptake by mushrooms, the transfer is characterized by a very large variability of T_ag, from 10⁻³ to 10¹ m² kg⁻¹ (dry weight). For berries, typical values are around 0.01–0.1 m² kg⁻¹ (dry weight). Transfer of radioactive caesium to game animals and reindeer and the rate of activity reduction, quantified as an ecological half-life, reflect the soil and pasture conditions at individual locations. Forests in temperate and boreal regions differ with respect to soil type and vegetation, and a faster decline of muscle activity concentrations in deer occurs in the temperate zone. However, in wild boar the caesium activity concentration shows no decline because of its special feeding habits. In the late phase, i.e. at least a few months since the external radionuclide contamination on feed plants has been removed, a T_ag value of 0.01 m² kg⁻¹ (fresh weight) is common for ¹³⁷Cs in the muscles of adult moose and terrestrial birds living in boreal forests, and 0.03 m² kg⁻¹ (fresh weight) for arctic hare. Radiocaesium concentrations in reindeer muscle in winter may exceed the summer content by a factor of more than two, the mean T_ag values for winter ranging from 0.02 to 0.8 m² kg⁻¹ (fresh weight), and in summer from 0.04 to 0.4 m² kg⁻¹. The highest values are found in the year of initial contamination, followed by a gradual reduction. In waterfowl a relatively fast decline in uptake of ¹³⁷Cs has been found, with T_ag values changing from 0.01 to 0.002 m² kg⁻¹ (fresh weight) in the three years after the contaminating event, the rate being determined by the dynamics of ¹³⁷Cs in aquatic ecosystems.     

Human use and conservation planning in Alpine areas of Northwestern Yunnan,China

Alpine areas in northwestern Yunnan, China possess globally significant levels of biodiversity and are important locally for livelihood activities such as livestock grazing and medicinal plant collection. Because local land use has important impacts on alpine conditions and communities have significant capacity to manage alpine resources, we emphasized local collaboration during the initial stages of conservation planning. Our collaboration with local communities investigated how livelihood strategies affect the condition of alpine resources in northwestern Yunnan and how future conservation efforts can be compatible with local livelihoods. We sampled three livestock herding sites, each within a different alpine sub-region, using open-ended interviews and maximum variation sampling. According to interviewees, livestock grazing within the alpine zone currently does not appear to be negatively impacting the availability of forage. Medicinal plant collection, however, is showing unsustainable trends. Tourism is as yet a nascent industry, but is seen as having great potential by those interviewed. It is clear that with increases in population, access to regional markets, and tourism, northwestern Yunnan’s rich alpine resources will require careful management. In addition to the data collected, we found that the methodology used may be widely applicable to organizations with limited resources that wish to engage local communities during the formative stages of regional-level conservation planning.