Water‐Yield Reduction After Afforestation and Related Processes in the Semiarid Liupan Mountains,Northwest China1

Abstract: The increase of coverage of forest/vegetation is imperative to improve the environment in dry‐land areas of China, especially for protecting soil against serious erosion and sandstorms. However, inherent severe water shortages, drought stresses, and increasing water use competition greatly restrict the reforestation. Notably, the water‐yield reduction after afforestation generates intense debate about the correct approach to afforestation and forest management in dry‐land areas. However, most studies on water‐yield reduction of forests have been at catchment scales, and there are few studies of the response of total evapotranspiration (ET) and its partitioning to vegetation structure change. This motivates us to learn the linkage between hydrological processes and vegetation structure in slope ecosystems. Therefore, an ecohydrological study was carried out by measuring the individual items of water balance on sloping plots covered by different vegetation types in the semiarid Liupan Mountains of northwest China. The ratio of precipitation consumed as ET was about 60% for grassland, 93% for shrubs, and >95% for forestland. Thus, the water yield was very low, site‐specific, and sensitive to vegetation change. Conversion of grassland to forest decreased the annual water yield from slope by 50‐100 mm. In certain periods, the plantations at lower slopes even consumed the runon from upper slopes. Reducing the density of forests and shrubs by thinning was not an efficient approach to minimize water use. Leaf area index was a better indicator than plant density to relate ET to vegetation structure and to evaluate the soil water carrying capacity for vegetation (i.e., the maximum amount of vegetation that can be supported by the available soil water for an extended time). Selecting proper vegetation types and plant species, based on site soil water condition, may be more effective than the forest density regulation to minimize water‐yield reduction by vegetation coverage increase and notably by reforestation. Finally, the focuses in future research to improve the forest‐water relations in dry‐land areas are recommended as follows: vegetation growth dynamics driven by environment especially water conditions, coupling of ecological and hydrological processes, further development of distributed ecohydrological models, quantitative relation of eco‐water quota of ecosystems with vegetation structures, multi‐scaled evaluation of soil water carrying capacity for vegetation, and the development of widely applicable decision support tools.     

Spatial Distribution of Water Supply in the Coterminous United States1

Abstract: Available water supply across the contiguous 48 states was estimated as precipitation minus evapotranspiration using data for the period 1953‐1994. Precipitation estimates were taken from the Parameter‐Elevation Regressions on Independent Slopes Model (PRISM). Evapotranspiration was estimated using two models, the Advection‐Aridity model and the Zhang model. The evapotranspiration models were calibrated using precipitation and runoff data for 655 hydrologically undisturbed basins, and then tested using estimates of natural runoff for the 18 water resource regions (WRR) of the 48 contiguous states. The final water supply coverage reflects a mixture of outputs from the two evapotranspiration models. Political, administrative, and land cover boundaries were mapped over the coverage of mean annual water supply. Across the entire study area, we find that 53% of the water supply originates on forested land, which covers only 29% of the surface area, and that 24% originates on federal lands, including 18% on national forests and grasslands alone. Forests and federal lands are even more important in the West (the 11 western contiguous states), where 65% of the water supply originates on forested land and 66% on federal lands, with national forests and grasslands contributing 51%.     

Using historical spy satellite photographs and recent remote sensing data to identify high-conservation-value forests

High-conservation-value forests (HCVFs) are critically important for biodiversity and ecosystem service provisioning, but they face many threats. Where systematic HCVF inventories are missing, such as in parts of Eastern Europe, these forests remain largely unacknowledged and therefore often unprotected. We devised a novel, transferable approach for detecting HCVFs based on integrating historical spy satellite images, contemporary remote sensing data (Landsat), and information on current potential anthropogenic pressures (e.g., road infrastructure, population density, demand for fire wood, terrain). We applied the method to the Romanian Carpathians, for which we mapped forest continuity (1955–2019), canopy structural complexity, and anthropogenic pressures. We identified 738,000 ha of HCVF. More than half of this area was identified as susceptible to current anthropogenic pressures and lacked formal protection. By providing a framework for broad-scale HCVF monitoring, our approach facilitates integration of HCVF into forest conservation and management. This is urgently needed to achieve the goals of the European Union's Biodiversity Strategy to maintain valuable forest ecosystems.     

云南省玉龙县碳减排效应估算

玉龙县碳减排效应估算主要包括退耕还林、造林、小水电、替代能源(包括沼气池和太阳能)使用等方面. 其中,造林具有较长期的碳汇功能,会持续提供碳增汇服务功能;替代能源的使用可以有效减少薪柴燃烧,在以农村人口为主的玉龙县,薪柴是主要的取暖和生活能源,故替代能源的使用颇具意义. 以2005年为基准年,小水电和替代能源总的碳减排效应为22.24×103 t,其中小水电碳减排效应为14.43 ×103 t,太阳能碳减排效应为66.24 t,沼气池碳减排效应为7.74×103 t;设定了基准年后林木生长过程以及替代能源使用状况的情景,并进行情景模拟,估算了玉龙县造林在5年内会产生碳汇21.07×103 t,10年内会产生碳汇24.92×103 t. 在研究区总的碳减排效应中,小水电、沼气池以及生态林地都有较大贡献,而经济林和草地的贡献相对较小;与5年情景相比,20年情景中小水电和沼气池的贡献有所上升,而生态林地等的贡献相对下降.      

地表臭氧污染与其他环境因子复合胁迫对中国城市森林的影响研究进展

地表臭氧污染（O₃）和气候变化加剧成为当今威胁城市森林可持续发展的关键环境要素.目前对于O₃单一因子对城市树木的影响研究已很难用于准确评估自然城市环境条件下由多种环境因子交互作用而产生的复杂生态效应.本文综述了O₃与二氧化碳（CO₂）、干旱、氮（N）沉降和升温的两两交互以及三因子交互作用对中国城市树木生理生化和生长的影响,探讨了O₃与其他环境因子对树木的交互作用机制过程.CO₂升高在光合代谢、抗氧化系统以及生长发育等方面能一定程度缓解O₃升高对树木的负效应.O₃和干旱的交互影响存在复杂的作用过程,可能协同加重植物损伤,也可能拮抗减轻植物伤害,或者无交互效应.O₃和N沉降对树木无交互效应.增温和O₃对树木存在显著的交互作用,增温减缓了O₃对树木生长和光合作用的不利影响.最后,还提出了未来研究的发展方向,为我国应对未来气候变化和空气污染下的城市森林管理及可持续发展提供科学指导.     

克州退耕还林工作的现状、问题及对策

干旱区的生态环境,特别是绿洲的开发,改变了地-气系统的能量交换。几年来对绿洲气候的研究、气候资料的分析和实地考察表明,新疆南部干旱区最近几年的戈壁绿洲开发已改变了整个地州的气候变化,使其变为有利于人类的生存和发展。在戈壁绿洲的开发利用与环境变化之间,存在着2种截然相反的反馈作用：环境变好→绿洲发展→环境更好→绿洲再发展;环境恶化→绿洲退化→环境更坏→绿洲再退化,甚至消失。决定这2种反馈作用的是大环境的变迁和绿洲开发利用中是否合理利用资源和按自然规律办事。本文针对此问题进行了论述。     

Psychological stress and marginalization as indicators of human carrying capacity in deforesting areas

SUMMARY

A scheme in which psychological factors are considered in effective forest management planning is proposed. A central role is played by human carrying capacity, the resilience of people to deal with the consequences of environmental degradation. Stress and marginalization are taken as indicators of human carrying capacity. A study in Côte d'Ivoire is described in which psychological stress and marginalization were studied in individuals from environments which show different degrees of degradation. Three related hypotheses are proposed: first that individuals living in or near a degrading forest are more stressed and marginalized than individuals in a reference group living in Abidjan; second that people living near the forest with the most sustained and severe degradation would be more stressed and marginalized; finally, that members of autochthonous cultural groups show higher stress and marginalization levels than members of migrant groups. The results of our study showed that people living near the degraded forest were more stressed but not marginalized unless the degradation was severe and sustained. Females were more stressed than males and members of both sexes from autochthonous cultural groups were more prone to stress and marginalization than members of migrant groups.     

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.     

Historical perspectives on contemporary human–environment dynamics in southeast Africa

The human communities and ecosystems of island and coastal southeast Africa face significant and linked ecological threats. Socioecological conditions of concern to communities, governments, nongovernmental organizations, and researchers include declining agricultural productivity, deforestation, introductions of non-native flora and fauna, coastal erosion and sedimentation, damage to marine environments, illegal fishing, overfishing, waste pollution, salinization of freshwater supplies, and rising energy demands, among others. Human–environment challenges are connected to longer, often ignored, histories of social and ecological dynamics in the region. We argue that these challenges are more effectively understood and addressed within a longer-term historical ecology framework. We reviewed cases from Madagascar, coastal Kenya, and the Zanzibar Archipelago of fisheries, deforestation, and management of human waste to encourage increased engagement among historical ecologists, conservation scientists, and policy makers. These case studies demonstrate that by widening the types and time depths of data sets we used to investigate and address current socioecological challenges, our interpretations of their causes and strategies for their mitigation varied significantly.     

渝北不同模式水源涵养林植物多样性及其与土壤特征的关系

以重庆缙云山8种不同构建模式的水源涵养林及林地土壤为研究对象,用物种多样性指数(simpson指数、Shannon-Wiener指数)、均匀度指数(Pieiou指数)和物种丰富度指数(Margalef指数)以及用土壤容重、毛管孔隙度、非毛管孔隙度、pH值、有机质、全氮、全磷、全钾、速效氮、有效磷、速效钾和阳离子交换量12个指标表征土壤的物理性状和养分特征,分析了8种群落的植物多样性、土壤特征及二者的相互关系.结果表明:物种多样性以广东山胡椒(Lindera kwangtungensis)×杉木((7unninghamia anceolata)混交林最高.马尾松(Pinus massoniana)×广东山胡椒混交林次之,马尾松×柳杉(Cryptomeria fortunei Hooibrenk)混交林和毛竹(Phyllostachys pubescens)纯林最低.各模式林地土壤特征差异显著,以毛竹纯林土壤质量最差.在该地区针阔混交林对提高物种多样性和改良土壤作用显著,针叶林及纯林则较差.物种多样性指数与土壤特征因子的相关性分析表明,不同模式水源林群落植物多样性与土壤特征因子存在一定相关性,其中与土壤物理性状特征关系不显著,与养分特征关系显著.全N与全K与四个多样性指数呈显著或极显著的正相关,Shannon-Wiener指数、Simpson指数和有机质、阳离子交换量、速效P呈显著的正相关,特别是有机质和全N两因子与物种多样性关系最密切.