Influence of understory removal, thinning and P fertilization on N2fixation in a mature mesquite (Prosopis glandulosavar.glandulosa) stand

The natural abundance¹⁵N/¹⁴N method was used to estimate the influence of silvicultural and P fertilization treatments on N accretion, N₂fixation and N partitioning among tissues in a mature mesquiteProsopis glandulosavar.glandulosastand in Texas. The silvicultural treatments consisted of understory removal, herbicide treatment of brushy resprouts, thinning trees to single stems and 100 kg ha⁻¹P fertilization. The trees had a mean basal diameter of 17·8 cm with 8 to 35 cm range. The stand was slow growing with the increase in dry matter ranging from 0·465 Mg ha⁻¹year⁻¹to 0·701 Mg ha⁻¹year⁻¹for the 8 years after the treatments were applied. N accretion after 8 years ranged from 3·1 kg ha⁻¹year⁻¹to 4·4 kg ha⁻¹year⁻¹.Due to the range in δ¹⁵N of the leaves, twigs, branches and trunk, we used the weighted (by biomass) average δ¹⁵N per tree in calculations of the percent N derived from N₂fixation (%Ndfa). There was considerable variability in δ¹⁵N of the reference plants, i.e. from 3·3 to 5·9. In contrast there was low variability in the background δ¹⁵N of nearby soils (7·0±1·0). As the total above-ground biomass δ¹⁵N of a grass grown outside the influence of mesquite (7·8±0·58) had the same δ¹⁵N as the soil (7·5±1·0), we used the grass outside the influence of mesquite and the weighted tree mean δ¹⁵N to calculate % of N derived from N₂fixation.The decrease in intraspecific competition by thinning multistemed trees to single stemmed trees was the only treatment that significantly (p= 0·0001) increased growth. Interspecific competition, i.e. understory removal, did not increase growth. There were no significant differences in total N production or N fixation among treatment means. The most striking result was the highly positive correlation between tree δ¹⁵N and total N per tree and biomass per tree (R²= 0·90,F= 164·4, df. = 18, mean square error (MSE) = 0·155,p= 0·0001). This implies that the younger trees colonizing infertile soils relied more heavily on N₂fixation than larger trees which accumulated 1200 kg ha⁻¹more N under their canopies. The percentage N derived from N₂fixation ranged from 63 to 73% in the various treatments. Despite the high percentage of N derived from N₂fixation, the N₂fixation of the stand was very low, i.e. 1·98 to 2·80 kg N ha⁻¹year⁻¹, due to the low growth of the stand. We believe that comparisons of the whole tree weighted δ¹⁵N to background soil δ¹⁵N provides a more reasonable approach to estimate % N₂fixation than comparisons of leaves of fixers and reference plants.     

四川盆地中三叠统雷口坡组雷三、雷四段盐岩沉积环境与成因研究

四川盆地雷口坡组大量钻井资料揭示中三叠统雷口坡组主要成盐期分别为雷三2期和雷四2期。岩性组合特征、沉积环境研究表明,在川中的平昌—南充—遂宁一带发育雷三2期浓缩盐膏质蒸发泻湖微相,在川中-川西地区的南部—盐亭—成都—邛崃地区发育雷四2期盐膏湖盆微相。两期盐岩差异主要表现是,雷三2期时,盆地处于频繁的海进、海退过程中,沉积环境变化较快,成盐环境相对开放,盐盆往往多次蒸发浓缩、补给、淡化,海水表现出接近或者达到盐岩沉积浓度,其间往往夹杂石膏和云质团块沉积。雷四2期时,四川盆地处于持续的海退蒸发期,蒸发量远远大于补给量,海水以蒸发浓缩为主,海水表现为超过石盐沉积浓度,沉积石盐中夹杂卤石,局部地区钾含量极高。     

Display-sites selection by houbara bustard (Chlamydotis [undulata] macqueenii) in Mori, Xinjiang, People''s Republic of China

Display-site selection by houbara bustards was studied in Mori, Xinjiang, China during the breeding seasons from April to June 2000. Most of the habitats chosen for displaying were short sub-shrubby and open areas close to high shrub patches. The displaying males clearly prefer low covered areas and avoid densely covered and high vegetation sites. The vegetation density and number of plant species at display sites were significantly lower from that at randomly selected sites. The average distance to the closest shrub patch was significantly shorter at display sites than at random sites. Plant species richness, vegetative density, vegetative cover and distance to the shrub patches are possibly the most important factors that determined the display-sites selection of houbara bustard.     

The diet of the Long-eared Owls, Asio otus, in the desert of northwest China

The contents of regurgitated Long-eared Owls (Asio otus) pellets collected in Minqin Desert Experimental Research Station of northwestern China were analysed. A total of 303 individuals representing five species of rodents and one of bird were identified in the pellets. By frequency, the most common species taken by Long-eared Owls was Meriones meridianus, followed by Cricetulus barabensis and Phodopus roborovskii. By biomass, Meriones meridianus was the most important species taken, followed by C. barabensis and Rhombomys opimus. Our results suggest that the Long-eared Owls were nocturnal hunters and fed on a wide range of animals with respect to their habitats.     

Photosynthetic responses of Larrea tridentata to a step-increase in atmospheric CO2at the Nevada Desert FACE Facility

Of all terrestrial ecosystems, the productivity of deserts has been suggested to be the most responsive to increasing atmospheric CO₂. The extent to which this prediction holds will depend in part on plant responses to elevated CO₂under the highly variable conditions characteristic of arid regions. The photosynthetic responses ofLarrea tridentata , an evergreen shrub, to a step-increase in atmospheric CO₂(to 550 μmolmol⁻¹) were examined in the field using Free-Air CO₂Enrichment (FACE) under seasonally varying moisture conditions. Elevated CO₂substantially increased net assimilation rate (A_net) in Larrea during both moist and dry periods of the potential growing season, while stomatal conductance (g_s) did not differ between elevated and ambient CO₂treatments. Seasonal and diurnal gas exchange dynamics in elevated CO₂mirrored patterns in ambient CO₂, indicating that elevated CO₂did not extend photosynthetic activity longer into the dry season or during more stressful times of the day. Net assimilation vs. internal CO₂(A/C_i) responses showed no evidence of photosynthetic down-regulation during the dry season. In contrast, after significant autumn rains, A_max(the CO₂saturated rate of photosynthesis) and CE (carboxylation efficiency) were lower in Larrea under elevated CO₂. In situ chlorophyll fluorescence estimation ofLarrea Photosystem II efficiency (F_v/F_m) responded more to water limitation than to elevated CO₂. These findings suggest that predictions regarding desert plant responses to elevated CO₂should account for seasonal patterns of photosynthetic regulatory responses, which may vary across species and plant functional types.     

A large daylight geodesic dome for quantification of whole-ecosystem CO2 and water vapour fluxes in arid shrublands

We designed, constructed, calibrated and field-tested a lightweight (30 kg), 4.2 m diameter, 16.4 m³ polyethylene-covered dome static chamber ecosystem gas exchange cuvette that can quantify ecosystem CO₂ and water vapour fluxes as low as 0.1 μmol CO₂ m⁻² s⁻¹ and 0.1 mmol H₂O m⁻² s⁻¹ with little impact on environmental conditions. Fluxes measured in May 2001 in an intact Great Basin sagebrush ecosystem at midday were significantly higher than in an adjacent post-wildfire successional ecosystem, with observed ranges from –0.71 to 1.49 μmol CO₂ m⁻² s⁻¹ for CO₂ and from –0.09 to 0.53 mmol H₂O m⁻² s⁻¹ for water vapour.     

Adaptive evolution of rbcL in Reaumuria soongarica (Tamaricaceae)

In the field of phylogenetic analyses, the rbcL gene encoded large subunit Ribulose-1,5-biphosphate carboxylase/oxygenase (Rubisco, EC4.1.1.39), which plays a crucial role in the process of photosynthesis for most terrestrial plants, has been considered to be conserved; however, recent controversy regarding rbcL conservation has appeared since it was proposed to be under natural selection within all principal lineages of land plants. In this study, by examining the variation of DNA and protein sequences among 17 species in the family Tamaricaceae, three nonsynonymous mutations were identified to be under positive selection. The favored sites were located in the alph-helix domains of Rubisco, with decreased hydrophobicity and increased entropy, which could facilitate CO₂ penetration into the active site of Rubisco. We also found that the expression level of rbcL in different genotypes of Reaumuria soongarica shifted in response to various stresses such as drought, temperature, salt, and light. This study not only sheds light on the functional/structural features of Rubisco in the evolution scenarios from C₃-like into C₄ in Tamaricaceae but also provides useful information on directing genetic performance to enhance photosynthesis efficiency of desert plants for sustaining fragile desert ecosystems; furthermore, it promotes the ability to cope with desert aridification and global warming.     

Phenology ofMedicago minimaandErodium cicutariumin semi-arid Argentina

The phenology ofMedicago minimavar.minimaandErodium cicutariumwas studied at two different field sites in the Calden District (approx. 10 million ha), a temperate semi-arid phytogeographical region in central Argentina. One site had been protected from wild and domestic herbivores for the 6 previous years. The other adjacent site had been exposed to continuous grazing by cattle for several decades. A phenological key was made for each species in 1988, and this key was improved during the 1989 growing season when phenological observations were made every 1–3 weeks.The growth cycle ofM. minimaandE. cicutariumwas similar at the two studied sites. Initiation of the cycle occurred in autumn and appeared to be associated with soil water availability. Phenological patterns were very dynamic at the reproductive stage in both species. This stage started earlier and was faster inE. cicutariumthan inM. minima. The end of the growing season occurred during late spring, concomitant with high maximum air temperatures. Our results suggest that these species hasten their development when air temperature increases and soil water availability decreases. This could be an important strategy in these species which allows them to persist as seeds, and produce a new generation under favourable environmental conditions.     

Salinity-induced growth and some metabolic changes in three Salsola species

Three Salsola species, Salsola dendroides Pall., S. richteri (Moq.) Karel ex Litw. and S. orientalis S.C. Gmel., were compared for their salt tolerance, inorganic ionic accumulation and their biomass production in saline conditions. Seeds were grown on sterilized quartz under five salinity levels in a factorial experimental design, with four replications, in greenhouse conditions.With salinity, Na⁺ accumulation increased while K⁺ accumulation decreased. All three species showed positive shoot growth for low levels of salinity. Root growth showed almost the same trend as shoot growth, with minor exceptions. At low levels of salinity, proline accumulated more in S. dendroides plant tissues than in the tissues of the other two species. These results suggest that the proline accumulation is a good index for salinity tolerance. Soluble sugars also increased as a result of salinity.     

Climatic response of Pinus sylvestris var. mongolica tree-ring width and precipitation reconstruction for the northern Greater Higgnan Mountains, China, since 1720

August-June precipitation has been reconstructed back to AD 1720 for the northern Greater Higgnan Mountains, China, by use ofPinus sylvestris var. mongolica tree-ring width. The reconstruction explains the variance of 39% in observed precipitation from 1973 to 2008. Some extremely dry/wet signals in historical documents and other precipitation reconstructions in previous studies are precisely captured in our reconstruction. Wet periods occurred during the periods of 1730 to 1746, 1789 to 1812, 1844 to 1903, 1920 to 1930, 1942 to 1961, and 1985 to 1998; while periods of 1747 to 1788, 1813 to 1843, 1904 to 1919, 1931 to 1941, and 1962 to 1984 were relatively dry. Power spectral and wavelet analyses demon- strated the existence of significant 24-year, 12-year, and 2-year cycles of variability.     

Isotopic composition of carbon and oxygen in desert fauna: investigations into the effects of diet, physiology, and seasonality

Carbon and oxygen isotope ratios of bone apatite were measured in 14 endothermic and ectothermic vertebrates native to the Chihuahuan Desert and collected in June and July of 1999 and 2000. The δ⁸O values of most reptiles were very high, up to 44‰ (standard mean ocean water (SMOW), some of the highestδ¹⁸ O values ever measured for an animal. The δ¹⁸O values of rodents and birds were lower (32±5‰ vSMOW), and the earless lizard Holbrookia maculata were the lowest of all species analysed (25‰). Omnivorous grasshopper mice (Onychomys torridus) had lower δ¹⁸O values than granivorous rodents. Results from oxygen analysis likely reflect variation in diet and body water flux differences between endotherms and ectotherms. Carbon isotope analysis revealed a dramatic shift in diet from C₃ plants in 1999 to C₄ plants in 2000 in most rodents and birds. Kangaroo rats and reptiles did not change, having a constantδ¹³ C value indicative of a C₃-based diet in both years. This suggests reliance on winter annual plant seed caches for kangaroo rats, but not other rodents. The carbon isotope data can be explained in terms of seasonal differences within and between years in the timing and intensity of the seasonal rainfall events, and the productivity of summer and winter annual plants. This study illustrates that stable isotope analysis is a powerful method for tracking dietary change and feeding behavior in desert vertebrates.     

Biological and physical events involved in the origin,effects, and control of organic matter in solar saltworks

Aspects of communities and events in the concentrating ponds (S.G. 1.130 to 1.214) and salt crystallizing ponds (S.G. 1.215 to 1.264) of solar saltworks pertinent to salt manufacture are described. Communities that aid salt manufacture enable continuous and efficient production of high quality salt at a saltworks' design capacity, and they provide important controls on levels of organic matter in the brine. Fluctuating salinities, high concentrations of nutrients, and petroleum products are disturbances that causeAphanothece halophytica andDunaliella salina to release excessive quantities of organic matter, and that suppress or cause death to nutrient stripping organisms. Disturbances result in decreased quality and quantity of salt and increased costs for salt harvest, washing, and pond upkeep. Organic matter can be controlled by management techniques that keep nutrient stripping communities at proper levels and maintain a narrow and unchanging range of salinities in each pond, by constructing pond dikes able to withstand wind and water erosion, and by preventing spills of petroleum products in the ponds.     

Effects of separate and mutual application of Na and Si on drought resistance of Haloxylon ammodendron

We studied pot cultivated Haloxylon ammodendron’s growth, physiological changes and drought resistance under NaCl, H₂SiO₃, and NaCl+H₂SiO₃ treatments. Results show that 0.3 g/kg NaCl, 0.2 g/kg H₂SiO₃ or 0.3 g/kg NaCl+0.1 g/kg H₂SiO₃ treatments can effectively promote growth and improve the drought resistance of H. ammodendron. Compared with that without NaCl treatment, H. ammodendron’s height, crown diameter and fresh weight increased by 42%, 91% and 62% respectively under 0.3 g/kg NaCl treatment, and its main stem diameter, main root diameter and main root length increased by 40%, 39% and 23%, respectively. Compared with that without H₂SiO₃ treatments, H. ammodendron’s height, crown diameter and fresh weight increased by 36%, 45% and 27% respectively under 0.2 g/kg H₂SiO₃ treatment, and its main stem diameter, main root diameter and main root length increased by 23%, 23% and 20%, respectively. Compared with that under 0.3 g/kg NaCl treatment, H. ammodendron’s height, crown diameter and fresh weight and main root length increased by 9%, 10%, 17% and 12% respectively under 0.3 g/kg NaCl+0.1 g/kg H₂SiO₃ treatment. Compared with that under 0.1 g/kg H₂SiO₃ treatment, H. ammodendron’s height, crown diameter and fresh weight increased by 28%, 76% and 68% respectively under 0.3 g/kg NaCl+0.1 g/kg H₂SiO₃ treatment, and its main stem diameter, main root diameter and main root length increased by 30%, 32% and 27%, respectively. This suggests that moderate levels of NaCl+H₂SiO₃ interaction can effectively promote growth and improve drought resistance of H. ammodendron than separate applications of NaCl or H₂SiO₃.     

The influence of elevation, shrub species, and biological soil crust on fertile islands in the Mojave Desert, USA

We quantified soil nutrients and biological crust cover (bryophytes and lichens) under the canopies of three species of Mojave Desert shrubs and in interspaces between shrubs at three elevations to determine the effects of shrub species, soil crust, and elevation on islands of soil fertility. Means of pH, organic matter, total Kjeldahl nitrogen, nitrogen mineralization, and gravimetric soil moisture are significantly greater in soils under Ambrosia dumosa (Gray) Payne, Larrea tridentata Cov., and Coleogyne ramosissima Torr. than soils from adjacent interspace microhabitats. Although soil moisture and soil organic matter increase by a factor of 1.5 from the low elevation to the high elevation site, the ratio of shrub to interspace concentrations, or the difference in mean soil variables between shrubs and interspaces, is effectively constant and independent of elevation. Total bryophyte and lichen cover is relatively low (24.5%), however, there are 11 species of bryophytes and two species of lichens distributed across three elevations with the highest species richness and cover at the low-elevation site. Bryophyte and lichen cover is correlated with silt but is not related, consistently, to soil nutrients. Overall, the balance of processes controlling spatial aggregation of soil nutrients under shrubs is remarkably insensitive to potential differences in organic inputs among elevations, shrub species, and soil crust surfaces.     

210Pb ex示踪法技术原理及其在土壤侵蚀中的应用

土壤侵蚀是全球性的环境问题之一,严重威胁到资源、环境和社会经济的可持续发展。应用核素示踪技术研究土壤侵蚀已成为当前该领域研究热点,它体现出了很多的优越性,并在今后研究中有着广阔的应用前景。介绍了~(210)Pb_(ex)的示踪原理,概述了~(210)Pb_(ex)在土壤侵蚀示踪研究中存在的关键性问题及其应用,并对其研究进行了展望。     

Biomass production, evapotranspiration and water use efficiency of arid rangelands in the Northern Cape, South Africa

Annual above-ground net primary production (ANPP), evapotranspiration (ET) and water use efficiency (WUE) of rangeland have the potential to provide an objective basis for establishing pricing for ecosystem services. To provide estimates of ANPP, we surveyed the biomass, estimated ET and prepared a water use efficiency for dwarf shrublands and arid savanna in the Riemvasmaak Rural Area, Northern Cape, South Africa. The annual production fraction was surveyed in 33 MODIS 1 km² pixels and the results regressed against the MODIS f_PAR product. This regression model was used to predict the standing green biomass (kg DM ha⁻¹) for 2009 (dry year). Using an approach which combines potential evapotranspiration (ET₀) and the MODIS f_PAR product, we estimated actual evapotranspiration (ET_a). These two models (greening standing biomass and ET_a) were used to calculate the annual WUE for 2009. WUE was 1.6 kg DM mm⁻¹ ha⁻¹ yr⁻¹. This value may be used to provide an estimate of ANPP in the absence of direct measurements of biomass and to provide a comparison of the water use efficiency of this rangeland with other rangeland types.     

30种藜科C_4植物同化器官解剖结构及δ~(13)C值

观测了藜科滨藜族(Atripliceae)、樟味藜族(Camphorosmeae)、碱蓬族(Suaedeae)和猪毛菜族(Salsoleae)30种C4植物的同化器官的解剖结构和δ13 C值,共见到12种解剖结构类型。滨藜族包含2种类型,Atriplicoid-Ⅰ型和Atriplicoid-Ⅱ型,它们的差异仅在于结构中是否含有皮下组织。樟味藜族包括3种解剖结构类型,即含有皮下组织的Kochioid-Ⅰ型、叶肉细胞和维管束鞘细胞形成近似于环形的Kochioid-Ⅱ型和不含有皮下组织的Kochioid-Ⅲ型。碱蓬族包含3种类型,Kranz-Suaedoid-Ⅰ型和Kranz-Suaedoid-Ⅱ型结构中具有皮下组织,但是Kranz-Suaedoid-Ⅱ型结构中只具有一层叶肉细胞,这种结构存在于异子蓬属的异子蓬(Borszczowia aralocaspica),而Kranz-Suaedoid-Ⅲ型结构中不具有皮下组织。猪毛菜族植物叶片/同化枝的解剖结构类型有4种,它们的差异在于结构中是否含有皮下组织、次要的较小的维管束的位置以及环形的维管束鞘细胞是否被打断。30种植物的δ13 C值范围-11.1‰~-14.5‰,显示为C4植物,与其同化器官解剖结构相对应。     

Salt stress induced apoptotic-like changes in Thellungiella halophila

With a view of studying programmed cell death （PCD） in a halophytic plant at the molecular level, we report here that apop-totic-like changes are induced by NaCl stress in Thellungiella halophila. The dose of 300 mM NaCl induced some apoptotic-like features in Thellungiella halophila cells, including the retraction of the plasma membrane from the cell wall, nuclear condensation, DNA laddering and the release of cytochrome c accompanying the increase of caspase 3-like protease activity. This process re-sulted in ultrastructural changes of mitochondria and Golgi bodies, and the appearance of autophagic vacuoles. This suggests that T. halophila suspension cell culture is an ideal system for studying severe salt stress-induced plant PCD. The results indicate that 300 mM NaCl stress-induced programmed cell death in T. halophila cells is similar to apoptosis and mitochondria play an impor-tant role in the early stage of plant PCD.