Palynological and algal assemblages from the sediments of Okinawa Trough

According to the distribution of spores, pollen and algae in the surface sediments, Okinawa Trough may be divided into three palynological regions: 1)Pinus-Quercus-Pteridium palynological region lying between the two slopes of Okinawa Trough, 2)Pinus-Castanopsis-Quercus palynological region lying north of the trough and 3)Pinus-Quercus-Polypodiaceae palynological region lying south of the trough. Comparing the sporo-pollen assemblages of the column sections with each other, five sporo-pollen zones have been distinguished and their ages determined. Four problems about the palynology of the trough sediments have been discussed. This paper was published in Chinese inOceanologia et Limnologia Sinica 13(5): 440–450, 1982.     

鄂尔多斯盆地宜川地区二叠纪孢粉化石组合特征

通过对延长油矿延223井晚古生代孢粉组合研究以及古植被的恢复,探讨了该区晚古生代孢粉植物化石组合的地层学和古气候意义。根据孢粉化石主要属种的时代分布及其在各样品中百分含量的规律性变化,自下而上建立了3个孢粉组合:Gulisporites cochlearius-Laevigatosporites minimus组合、Sinulatisporites-Florinites组合和Lueckeisporites permianus-Platysaccus radialis组合。根据对划分孢粉组合的特征分析,通过与邻区及华北地区晚古生代孢粉组合的对比,探讨了孢粉组合的时代意义。通过孢粉组合,推测了相应时期的古植被类型,并与前人在相同地质时期所建立的大植物化石带进行了对比,分析了各地质时期植被的兴起、发展、繁盛以及衰退绝灭的历史过程,研究区二叠纪植物群属于典型的华夏植物群,反映了一种温暖潮湿的热带雨林气候,二叠纪晚期随着松柏类植物所占比例的增加,气候有变干旱的趋势。     

Soil and vegetation seasonal changes in the grazing Andean Mountain grasslands

Andean grasslands ecosystems are fragile environments with rigorous climatologic conditions and low and variable food for the grazing. The Apolobamba area is located in the Bolivian Andean Mountains. Its high grasslands provide a natural habitat for wild and domestic camelids such as vicuna（Vicugna vicugna） and alpaca（Lama pacos）. The botanical diversity plays an essential role in maintaining vital ecosystem functions. The objectives of this research were to determine the seasonal changes in soil properties, to study the vegetation changes during the wet and dry seasons and the influence of soil properties and camelid densities on the vegetation in the Apolobamba grasslands. Four zones with different vicuna populations were selected to be studied. The following soil parameters were determined： total organic carbon, total nitrogen, available phosphorous, cation exchange capacity, exchangeable cations, pH and texture. The vegetation season changes were studied through botanical identification, above-ground biomass, plant cover and species richness. Results showed that some soil properties such as C/N ratio, CEC, silt and clay percentages kept stable against the seasonal changes. Generally, soil nutrients were relatively higher during the dry season in the surface and subsurface. The results did not point out the predominant vegetation growth during the wet season. The seasonal vegetation growth depended on each species. Thegood soil fertility corresponded to the highest plant cover. Soil fertility presented no influence on the above-ground biomass of the collected species. The negative influence of camelid grazing on soil properties could not be assessed. However, overgrazing could affect some plant species. Therefore, protection is needed in order to preserve the biodiversity in the Andean mountain grasslands.     

Quantitative simulation on soil moisture contents of two typical vegetation communities in Sanjiang Plain,China

Different types of vegetation occupy different geomorphology and water gradient environments in the San-jiang Plain,indicating that the soil moisture dynamics and water balance patterns of the different vegetation communi-ties might differ from each other.In this paper,a lowland system,perpendicular to the Nongjiang River in the Honghe National Nature Reserve(HNNR),was selected as the study area.The area was occupied by the non-wetland plant forest and the typical wetland plant meadow.The Microsoft Windows-based finite element analysis software package for simulating water,heat,and solute transport in variably saturated porous media(HYDRUS),which can quantita-tively simulate water,heat,and/or solute movement in variably-saturated porous media,was used to simulate soil moisture dynamics in the root zone(20-40 cm) of those two plant communities during the growing season in 2005.The simulation results for soil moisture were in a good agreement with measured data,with the coefficient of determi-nation(R2) of 0.44-0.69 and root mean square error(RMSE) ranging between 0.0291 cm3/cm3 and 0.0457 cm3/cm3,and index of agreement(d) being from 0.612 to 0.968.During the study period,the volumetric soil moisture content of meadow increased with the depth and its coefficient of variation decreased with the depth(from 20 cm to 40 cm),while under the forest the soil moisture content at different depths varied irregularly.The calculated result of water budget showed that the water budget deficit of the meadow was higher than that of the forest,suggesting that the meadow is more likely to suffer from water stress than the forest.The quantitative simulation by HYDRUS in this study did not take surface runoff and plant growth processes into account.Improved root water uptake and surface runoff models will be needed for higher accuracy in further researches.     

Spatial distribution of land cover and vegetation activity along topographic gradient in an arid river valley, SW China

Anthropogenic activities have become more and more important in characterizing the landscape, but their impacts are still restricted by natural environments. This paper discusses the interactions of anthropogenic activity, vegetation activity and topography through describing the spatial distribution of land cover and vegetation activity （represented by Normalized Difference Vegetation Index, NDVI） along topographic gradient in a mountainous area of southwestern China. Our results indicate that the existing landscape pattern is controlled by anthropogenic activities as well as topographic factors. Intensive anthropogenic activities mainly occur in areas with relatively low elevation, gentle and concave slopes, as these areas are easy and convenient to attain for human. Because of the destruction by human, some land cover types （mainly grassland and shrub） are only found in relatively harsher environments. This study also finds that topographic wetness index （W） used in other places only reflects runoff generation capacity, but not indicate the real spatial pattern of soil water content in this area. The relationships between NDVI and W, and NDVI and length slope factor （LSF） show that runoff and erosion have complex effects on vegetation activity. Greater values of W and LSF will lead to stronger capacity to produce runoff and transport sediment, and thereby increase soil water content and soil deposition, whereas beyond a certain threshold runoff and erosion are so strong that they would destruct vegetation growth. This study provides information needed to successfully restore native vegetation, improve land management, and promote sustainable development in mountainous areas, especially for developing regions.     

Plant functional type approach for a functional interpretation of altitudinal vegetation zones in the Alborz Mts., Iran

Mountains are an excellent system for evaluating ecological and biogeographical patterns. The obvious variations of the environmental factors along the altitude create different zones with adapted plant assemblages. However, few studies make use of plant functional type(PFT) for describing the variation of vegetation along altitudinal gradients. A PFT is a group of taxa with similar traits which respond similarly to the environmental gradients. In this study, we used PFTs as indicators describing five vegetation zones in the western Alborz Mt, Iran from 2000 – 4500 m. The plant trait data presented here covers six plant traits including growth form, stemleaf ratio, spinescence, hairiness, leaf consistency and plant height of 297 species. We considered altitude and soil factors to test the importance of environmental variables. We applied a multivariate analysis of three table ordination, i.e. environmental, species, and traits data to identify the PFTs. We further applied fourth-corner statistic to quantify trait-environment relationships. A constrained hierarchical clustering was used to detect five altitudinal zones and two zones of low and high nitrogen concentration. With regard to altitude wediscuss the distribution of species, traits and PFTs. Growth form, plant height and stem-leaf ratio were significantly related to altitude and nitrogen. We identified 19 PFTs from which 18 were significantly associated to one or more altitudinal zones. While the lower altitudinal zones contain a variety of PFTs higher altitudes contain less PFTs with the highest altitude containing only one single PFT, tiny rosette plants with soft mesomorphic leaves. We identified grazing and climatic harshness as well as rockiness as the most important drivers of the distribution of plant functional traits and types across the studied gradient.     

Iron Regulation of Wetland Vegetation Performance Through Synchronous Effects on Phosphorus Acquisition Efficiency

Iron-rich groundwater flowing into wetlands is a worldwide environmental pollution phenomenon that is closely associated with the stability of wetland ecosystems. Combined with high phosphorus(P) loading from agricultural runoff, the prediction of the evolution of wetland vegetation affected by compound contamination is particularly urgent. We tested the effects of anaerobic iron-rich groundwater discharge in a freshwater marsh by simulating the effect of three levels of eutrophic water on native plants(Glyceria spiculosa(Fr. Schmidt.) Rosh.). The management of wetland vegetation with 1–20 mg/L Fe input is an efficient method to promote the growth of plants, which showed an optimum response under a 0.10 mg/L P surface water environment. Iron-rich groundwater strongly affects the changes in ecological niches of some wetland plant species and the dominant species. In addition, when the P concentration in a natural body of water is too high, the governance effect of eutrophication might not be as expected. Under iron-rich groundwater conditions, the δ~(13)C values of organs were more depleted, which can partially explain the differences in δ~(13)C in the soil profile. Conversely, the carbon isotope composition of soil organic carbon is indicative of past changes in vegetation. The results of our experiments confirm that iron-rich groundwater discharge has the potential to affect vegetation composition through toxicity modification in eutrophic environments.     

Effects of wetland vegetation on soil microbial composition: A case study in Tumen River Basin,Northeast China

Hydrology plays a dominant role in wetland plant distribution and microbial composition, but few studies explicitly attempted to relate the linkage between wetland vegetation and microbial community. The present study consisted of five wetland plant communities along three adjacent flood gradients zones (zone 1 dominated by Carex appendiculat, zone 2 dominated by Eleocharis ovate, and zone 3 dominated by Phragmites australis/Bidens pilosa/Calamagrostis angustifolia, which formed separate, monoculture patches). Gram negative and arbuscular mycorrhizal fungal phospholipid fatty acid (PLFA) are more abundant in the site with short flooding period (zone 3) than in the site with long flooding period (zone 1), and they are also different in the P. australis, B. spilosa and C. angustifolia of zone 3. Principle Component Analysis (PCA) showed that the flooding period could explain 92.4% of variance in microbial composition. Redundancy Analysis (RDA) showed that available nitrogen (AN), total nitrogen (TN) and soil organic matter (SOM) could explain the 79.5% of variance in microbial composition among E. ovata, P. australis, B. pilosa and C. angustifolia. Results demonstrated that flooding period was the main factor in driving the microbial composition and plant-derived resources could influence soil microbial composition in the seasonally flooded zones.     

Alterations to biological soil crusts with alpine meadow retrogressive succession affect seeds germination of three plant species

Biological soil crusts (BSCs) are the important components of alpine meadow ecosystems. The extent and morphology of BSCs vary greatly with alpine meadow retrogressive succession due to grazing pressure. There is significant interest in impacts of crust composition on plant seed germination, especially in (semi-) arid environments. However, little is known about the influences of BSCs, and their associations with alpine meadow succession, on germination of typical alpine meadow vascular plant species. In a full factorial common-garden experiment, we studied effects of: (1) crust type, (2) seed position, and (3) surface texture on seed germination. We chose three typical alpine meadow plant species (i.e. Poa pratensis, Tibetia himalaica and Potentillen nivea), which belonged to different functional groups (graminoids, legumes, and forbs) and play important roles in all alpine meadow succession stages. Crust type and seed position influenced seed germination, and the inhibitory effects of BSCs depended on the crust type and seed species tested. The major factors influencing seed germination were BSC type, seed position, soil texture, and the interactions between BSC type and seed position; species and seed position; species and surface texture; and species, crust type, and surface texture. Cyanobacteria crust significantly inhibited germination of all seeds. Seed position also had a significant effect on seed germination (p < 0.001). Fewer seedlings germinated on the surface than below the surface, this was especially true for P. nivea. seeds within cyanobacteria and lichen crusts. Only germination rates of T. himalaica on the soil surface were significantly correlated with plant occurrence frequency within the alpine meadow community. The poor correlation for the other two species is possibly that they are perennials. Our results clearly demonstrated that BSCs can be biological filters during seed germination, depending on the BSC succession stage. Through their influences on seed germination, BSCs can strongly influence community assemblages throughout alpine meadow retrogressive succession.     

ECOLOGICAL DISTRIBUTION OF SOIL ANIMALS IN BROAD-LEAVED PINE FORESTS IN SOUTHERN SLOPE OF XIAO HINGGAN MOUNTAINS

Broad leaved pine forests are the typical zonal vegetation and its central distribution zone is in the Changbai Mountains in northeast China. However, because of man's disturbance and destruction, primitive broad leaved pine forests exist now only in a few areas such as the Changbai Mountains of Jilin Province and Wuying, Liangshui Natural Reserves of Heilongjiang Province, and the forests in other places are substituted by natural secondary forests (WANG, 1994). Broad leaved pine …     

黄土高原晚更新世的植被与气候环境

在被认为孢粉贫乏的黄土中分析出了大量孢粉,首次作出了黄土地层的孢粉浓度图式。根据１０余个剖面上孢粉组合的变化,阐明了晚更新世的植被与气候在时间上演替与空间上分布的规律,证明了各地植被在时间上的演变韵律十分相似,说明它们同受全球气候变化的控制,但同一时期在空间上各地植被不尽相同,此乃局地自然环境差异所致。根据植被变化重建了古气温曲线。     

The Relationship between Normalized Difference Vegetation Index （NDVI） and Climate Factors in the Semiarid Region： A Case Study in Yalu Tsangpo River Basin of Qinghai-Tibet Plateau

The Yalu Tsangpo River basin is a typical semi-arid and cold region in the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau, where significant climate change has been detected in the past decades. The objective of this paper is to demonstrate how the regional vegetation, especially the typical plant types, responds to the climate changes. In this study, the model of gravity center has been firstly introduced to analyze the spatial-temporal relationship between NDVI and climate factors considering the time-lag effect. The results show that the vegetation grown has been positively influenced by the rainfall and precipitation both in moving tracks of gravity center and time-lag effect especially for the growing season during the past thirteen years. The herbs and shrubs are inclined to be influenced by the change of rainfall and temperature, which is indicated by larger positive correlation coefficients at the 0.05 confidence level and shorter lagging time. For the soil moisture, the significantly negative relationship of NDV-PDI indicates that the growth and productivity of the vegetation are closely related to the short-term soil water, with the correlation coefficients reaching the maximum value of o.81 at Lag 0-1. Among the typicalvegetation types of plateau, the shrubs of low mountain, steppe and meadow are more sensitive to the change of soil moisture with coefficients of -0.95, -0.93, -0.92, respectively. These findings reveal that the spatial and temporal heterogeneity between NDVI and climatic factors are of great ecological significance and practical value for the protection of eco-environment in Qinghai-Tibet Plateau.     

Effects of geomorphology and soil conditions on vegetation structure in conserved desert wadis: A case study of Jal AlZor escarpment,Kuwait

Variations in phytogeography of Jal Al-Zor wadi system in Sabah Al Ahmad Nature Reserve, an arid national park in Kuwait, in relation to physiographic and edaphic conditions were investigated using alpha diversity and multivariate analyses. A total of 66 plant species were recorded at low-relief and high-relief wadis. Altitude and slope gradients, grain size distribution and soil texture properties had a significant relationship with plant cover and plant diversity. There was a high diversity of life-forms along the wadi system with a dominant of therophytes(annuals) particularly in spring after winter rainfalls. Chamaephytes and hemicryptophytes were the dominant perennial life-forms. A chorological analysis documents the strong effect of Saharo-Arabian chorotype on the vegetation of the study area. Cluster analysis clarified eight vegetation assemblages along altitude and slope gradients within the wadi system. Alpha diversity of plant species was greater in plant assemblages at low-relief wadis than at high-relief wadis. Vegetation structure in this study showed that phytogeographically, wadis of Jal Al-Zor were closely related to the wadis in the Arabian deserts. The slope gradient pattern and edaphic conditions of plant assemblages and plant diversity in the conserved wadis of Jal Al-Zor may be suggested as a reference model for restoration strategy of disturbed low elevated wadis in the surrounding desert regions.Restoration would include propagation of suitable plants such as Stipagrostis plumosa-Haloxylon salicornicum-Rhanterium epapposum.     

Palynological assemblages from the holocene sediments of the Changjiang (Yangtze) River Delta and its implications

The palynolpgical study on the Quaternary sediments of 42 cores in the region of the Yangtze River Delta and the sections of 4 relics had been done since 1960. Palynological assemblages from the region of the Yangtze River Delta, showing obviously .common characteristics but with slight differences because of the vast areas covered, can be divided into five spores and pollen zones and three subzones in ascendant order:I.Quercus alienc-Pinus-Cupressaceae-Chenopodiaceae spores and pollen zone reflecting the cool, then cold and dry climate--Preboreal.II.Quercus dentata-Quefcus acutissima-Pinus-Castanea-Artemisia spores and pollen zone reflecting the temperate and cool, but a little dry climate--Boreal.III.Quercus glauca-Caslanopsis-Myrica-Caslanea spores and pollen zone reflecting the hot and moist climate--Atlantic.IV.Quercus acutissima-Pinus-Castanea-Quercus glauca- Chenopodiaceae spores and pollen zone reflecting the warm, and a little dry climate--Subboreal.V.Quercus acutissima-Costarica-Quercus glauca     

Community structure and seasonal variation of soil arthropods in the forest-steppe ecotone of the mountainous region in Northern Hebei,China

Soil fauna have been receiving more and more attention because they play an important role in nutrient cycling. However, there is a lack of information on soil arthropods in the forest-steppe ecotone in the mountainous region of northern Hebei, which makes it difficult to meet the need of protecting biodiversity in this area. Soil arthropod communities were investigated in the forest-steppe ecotone in northern Hebei province to provide basic information on changes in mountain soil fertility, which could promote the development of soil arthropod communities in mountain ecotones. From the preliminary identification, a total of 7994 individual soil arthropods were collected, which belonged to 25 groups, 6 classes and 24 orders. Acarina, Hymenoptera and Collembola were the dominant groups in the ecotone. The number of Acarina was higher than Collembola, and this phenomenon was obviously different from other areas in the same climate zone. The increased abundance of rare groups in the Forest zone with the richer vegetation, higher arthropod abundance and more substantial litter depth, could be interpreted as a reaction to the suitable soil environment and food supply. And these rare groups were sensitive to environmental changes, which could be regarded as biotic indicators for evaluating soil quality. The analysis of community diversity showed that the abundance index (d), the Shannon-Wiener index (H′), the evenness index (J) and the density-group index (DG) were significantly higher in the forest zone, lower in the forest-steppe zone, and lowest in the meadow-steppe zone. Seasonal variations in community composition correlated with changes in average air temperature and precipitation in this ecotone. Groups and individuals of soil arthropod communities in the three zones were present in greater numbers in the middle of the rainy season than in the early or late periods of the rainy season as a whole. At the same time, seasonal changes in soil arthropod communities from different plots were also influenced by habitat condition.     

ECOLOGICAL SERIES OF SOIL ANIMALS IN DARLIDAI MOUNTAIN

The ecological series of soil animals under the broad-leaved and pine mixed forest in Darlidai Mountainwas studied. Seven sample plots were selected according to different altitude gradients, which belong to different vegeta-tion types. By investigating and analyzing soil animals in every sample plot it is found that there are 45 groups and 1956individuals, which axe involved in 3 phylums, 7 classes, 16 orders, respectively. The altitude is a key factor which af-fects ecological series of soil animals. Both the groups and individuals of soil animals increase with altitude increasingunder certain conditions, which contrastes with ordinary cases, resulting from special micro-climate in studied area. Thegroups and individuls of soil animals are the most under the broad-leaved and pine forest on the top of the mountain, andthe least under Picea-Abies forest in the foot of the mountain.     

Vascular plants distribution in relation to topography and environmental variables in alpine zone of Kedarnath Wild Life Sanctuary,West Himalaya

The present study was carried out in Tungnath alpine meadows of Kedarnath Wild Life Sanctuary, Western Himalaya from subalpine to upper alpine zone. A total of four summits were selected along an altitudinal gradient and sampled for detailed vegetation analysis using multi summit approach as per Global observation research initiative in alpine environments(GLORIA). Species richness, diversity, and evenness among four summits as well as the interaction between environmental variables with plant communities were assessed. Monthly mean soil temperature was calculated using data retrieved from geo-precision temperature logger in order to identify the trend of soil temperature among different season and altitudinal gradient and its implications to plant communities. Soil samples were analyzed fromeach summit by collecting randomized composite soil samples. The indirect non-metric multidimensional scaling(NMDS) and direct canonical correspondence analysis(CCA) tools of ordination techniques to determine the linkage between plant species from various sample summits and biotic/abiotic environmental gradients were used in the present study. The results of the study demonstrated increase in species richness as soil temperature increases, the ecotone representing summits were found most warm summits followed by highest species richness. Annual soil temperature increased by 1.43°C at timberline ecotone. Whereas, at upper alpine zone the soil temperature increased by 0.810 C from year 2015 to 2016. S?rensen's similarity index was found to be increased between subalpine and upper alpine zone with increase in the presence of subalpine plant species at upper alpine zone. Both the ordination tools separate the subalpine summit and their respective vegetation from summits representingtimberline ecotone and upper alpine zone. Soil p H, altitude, soil cation exchange capacity were found as the key abiotic drivers for distribution of plant species.     

Current Vegetation Pattern along Glacial Landscape in Central （Garhwal） Himalaya, India

Introduction High mountain ecosystems are comparatively thrilling and sensitive at least at the upper elevation levels, and are determined by abiotic climate related ecological factors. Therefore, the ecosystems at the low temperature limits of plant life are generally considered to be particularly sensitive to climate changes (Koerner 1999). As temperature is a key factor for high mountain plants (Koerner and Larcher 1988, Gottfried et al. 1998), an upward migration of species must be conse…     

Regenerative Role of Soil Seed Banks of Different Successional Stages in A Saline-alkaline Grassland in Northeast China

Soil seed banks can act as a potential seed source for natural revegetation and restoration. However, in a saline-alkaline grassland, it remains unclear how the stages of vegetation succession affect the characteristics of soil seed banks and the potential of soil seed banks of different successional stages for vegetation restoration. In this study, seasonal changes of the soil seed bank, and seed production and dispersal dynamics along degradation successional gradients were investigated in a saline-alkaline grassland in Northeast China, where the dominant grass during the 1960 s, Leymus chinensis was replaced with the secondary successional order of Puccinellia chinampoensis, Chloris virgata, and Suaeda salsa, together with bare patches. It was found that the soil seed bank composition varied according to the changing vegetation and had the highest species richness(7–16) in the climax successional stage, but had a low S?rensen similarity(0.22–0.37) with the aboveground vegetation. There was a high seed density of the soil seed bank(21 062–62 166/m2 in August and December) and also high S?rensen similarity index values(0.47–0.60) in the secondary successional stages of P. chinampoensis, C. virgata, and S. salsa. In bare patches, there were many seeds in the soil seed bank and some seedlings also appeared in the aboveground vegetation, indicating the existence of a persistent soil seed bank. Seed density and species richness differed substantially among the different successional stages, which was related to the reproductive characteristics of the standing plants in vegetation communities. Due to the lack of propagules of perennial species, especially the climax species of L. chinensis, in the soil, the successful restoration of the degraded saline-alkaline grassland was not possible. The study proved that in a degraded saline-alkaline grassland dominated by biennial or annual species, the soil seed bank was important for the revegetation of the current dominant plants, but not for the restoration of the original target species. Therefore, it is necessary to induce seeds or other propagules of the target perennial species.     

Factors affecting soil respiration in reference with temperature’s role in the global scale

Soil respiration is CO₂ evolution process from soil to atmosphere, mainly produced by soil micro-organism and plant roots. It is affected not only by biological factors (vegetation, micro-organism, etc.) and environmental factors (temperature, moisture, pH, etc.), but also more and more strongly by man-made factors. Based on literature survey, main factors affecting soil respiration were reviewed. The relationship of soil respiration to latitude and to mean annual temperature were analyzed by using the data measured from forest vegetation in the world. As a result, soil respiration rate decreased exponentially with an increase of latitude, and increased with increasing temperature. Following the relationship between soil respiration and temperature, Q₁₀ value (law of Van Hoff) was obtained as 1.57 in the global scale. This project was supported by National Natural Science Foundation of China to FJY (No. 3940003).