Vegetation traits and soil properties in response to utilization patterns of grassland in Hulun Buir City,Inner Mongolia,China

Numerous studies have focused on vegetation traits and soil properties in grassland, few of which concerned about effects of human utilization patterns on grassland yet. Thus, this study hypothesized that human disturbance （e.g., grazing, mowing and fencing） triggered significant variation of biomass partitioning and carbon reallocation. Besides, there existed some differences of species diversity and soil fertility. To address these hypotheses of grassland with diverse utilization patterns in Hulun Buir City, Inner Mongolia, China, we sampled in situ about aboveground biomass （AGB） and belowground biomass （BGB） to evaluate their biomass allocation. Species diversity and soil properties were also investigated. Subsequently, we discussed the relationship of species diversity with environmental conditions, using data collected from 23 sites during the ecological project period of Returning Grazing Lands to Grasslands （RGLG） program. The results were as follows： 1） both AGB and BGB were lower on grazing regime than those on fencing and mowing, but the ratio of root-to-shoot （R/S） was higher on grazing regime than the other two utilization patterns; 2） neither of evenness and Simpson Index was different significantly among all grassland utilization patterns in desert, typical, and meadow grassland at 0.05. In meadow grassland, species richness of fencing pattern was significantly higher than that of grazing pattern （p 〈 0.05）; 3） both of soil organic carbon content and soil available phosphorous content were increased significantly on fencing pattern than grazing pattern （p 〈 0.05） in desert grassland, and mowing patterns increased the soil nutrients （soil organic carbon, soil total phosphorous, soil available phosphorous, and soil total nitrogen） significantly compared with grazing patterns （p 〈 0.05） in typical grassland. However, there were no significant differences among utilization patterns in meadow grassland. In conclusion, both of AGB and BGB were increased s     

Effects of grazing exclusion on plant productivity and soil carbon,nitrogen storage in alpine meadows in northern Tibet,China

Grazing exclusion is widely adopted in restoring degraded alpine grasslands on the Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau. However, its effectiveness remains poorly understood. In this study, we investigated the effects of grazing exclusion on plant productivity, species diversity and soil organic carbon （SOC） and soil total nitrogen （STN） storage along a transect spanning from east to west of alpine meadows in northern Tibet, China. After six years of grazing exclusion, plant cover, aboveground biomass （AGB）, belowground biomass （BGB）, SOC and STN were increased, but species diversity indices declined. The enhancement of AGB and SOC caused by grazing exclusion was correlated positively with mean annual precipitation （MAP）. Grazing exclusion led to remarkable biomass increase of sedge species, especially Kobresia pygmaea, whereas decrease of biomass in forbs and no obvious change in grass, leguminous and noxious species. Root biomass was concentrated in the near surface layer （10 cm） after grazing exclusion. The effects of grazing exclusion on SOC storage were confined to shallow soil layer in sites with lower MAP. It is indicated that grazing exclusion is an effective measure to increase forage production and enhance soil carbon sequestration in the studied region. The effect is more efficient in sites with higher precipitation. However, the results revealed a tradeoff between vegetation restoration and ecological biodiversity. Therefore, carbon pools recover more quickly than plant biodiversity in the alpine meadows. We suggest that grazing exclusion should be combined with other measures to reconcile grassland restoration and biodiversitv conservation.     

三北工程区植被恢复对土壤风蚀的影响及植被恢复潜力研究

三北地区是我国重要的生态屏障,分析2000—2019年三北防护林体系建设工程（简称：三北工程）区植被恢复时空变化状况,厘定人类活动与气候要素对植被恢复的贡献,探究植被恢复对土壤风蚀影响,评估植被恢复潜力空间,可为三北防护林体系建设工程未来规划管理和科学施策提供参考。本文在选取植被覆盖度和植被净初级生产力表征植被恢复状况基础上,利用地面数据,结合模型模拟,定量评估了2000—2019年三北防护林体系建设工程区植被恢复程度及其对土壤风蚀的影响,并对植被恢复潜力进行探究。研究结果表明：① 2000—2019年植被恢复程度高、较高的面积,占总面积的35.29%和13.16%,主要分布在黄土高原区及北部区域和风沙区与东北华北平原农区的部分地区。人类活动与气候因素对植被恢复贡献率为10.45%和89.55%;② 土壤风蚀以轻度侵蚀和微度侵蚀为主,呈逐年下降趋势,剧烈侵蚀面积减少了66.45%,防风固沙服务得到进一步提升。植被恢复程度与土壤风蚀模数呈负相关关系,植被恢复程度较好有助于降低土壤风蚀模数;③ 三北工程区森林、草地和荒漠生态系统仍有8.16%的恢复潜力,内蒙古高原北部部分地区、哈顺戈壁北部和准噶尔盆地西北部及周边区域、黄土高原南部部分区域存在较大恢复潜力。     

草地覆盖度变化对生态系统防风固沙服务的影响分析——以内蒙古典型草原区为例

锡林郭勒盟为我国北方典型草原区,草地的退化与恢复影响生态系统的防风固沙服务功能。为了便于制定区域生态恢复的防治措施,实现草地生态系统的可持续发展与防治土壤风蚀危害,本文基于气象、遥感数据,运用RWEQ(Revised Wind Erosion Equation)模型,结合锡林郭勒盟的草地覆盖度变化对20世纪90年代以来的防风固沙服务功能的时空变化趋势进行了定量评估,并分析了草地覆盖度变化对防风固沙服务功能的影响。研究表明:锡林郭勒盟土壤风蚀以微度和轻度侵蚀为主,主要集中在植被盖度较高、降水相对较多,风场强度相对较低的东部、中部和南部地区;中度以上区域主要集中在西部的荒漠草原区与浑善达克沙地区,且侵蚀面积随侵蚀强度的增加而递减;防风固沙服务功能量的分布趋势与土壤风蚀模数的分布趋势基本一致;防风固沙服务功能保有率的分布特征与植被盖度的分布特征基本一致,表现为由西北到东南逐渐增加的趋势;在气候暖干化背景下,受京津风沙源治理工程实施的影响,以微度和轻度侵蚀为主的草地覆盖度减小区转为以微度和轻度为主的覆盖度增加区,轻度和中度以上侵蚀为主的草地覆盖度减小区转为基本持衡区;草地覆盖度的降低与增加对土壤风蚀的加剧和抑制作用明显,大部分地区的防风固沙服务功能保有率的下降(提升)与风蚀季节草地覆盖度的减小与提升呈显著正相关(r0.6,p0.05)。     

Effect of mixture sowing on biomass allocation in the artificially-planted pastures,Southeastern Tibetan

Artificial planting is an important measure to promote the restoration of degraded grassland and protect the ecological environment. The objectives of the current study were to investigate the allocation pattern between aboveground biomass(AGB) and belowground biomass(BGB) in different seeding types of artificially-planted pastures. We explored the variation in biomass and the relationship between above-and belowground biomass in four artificiallyplanted pastures with one species from Elymus nutans Griseb(EN, perennial), Elymus sibiricus Linn(ES, perennial), Medicago sativa Linn(MS, perennial), and Avena sativa Linn(AS, annual) and in six artificially-planted communities with mixtures of two species by seeding ratio 1:1 from the abovementioned grasses(EN + AS, MS + AS, EN + ES, MS + EN, MS + ES, AS + ES) in 2015 and 2016. The results showed that E. nutans is the most productive species with the highest biomass production among the single crops. MS + ES was the most productive group in 2015, while the group with the highest biomass production changed to AS + ES in 2016. AGB was positively correlated to BGB in the surface soil layer in the first year, but positively related to BGB in the subsoil layer in the second year. In the early stageof artificial grassland succession, plants allocated more biomass to aboveground parts, with a root to shoot(R/S) ratio of 1.98. The slope of the log-log relationship between AGB and BGB was 1.07 in 2016, which is consistent with the isometric theory. Different sowing patterns strongly affected the accumulation and allocation of biomass in artificiallyplanted grassland, E. sibiricus was the suitable plant in the alpine regions, which will be conducive to understanding vegetation restoration and plant interactions in the future.     

Effects of plant types on physico-chemical properties of reclaimed mining soil in Inner Mongolia,China

A field experiment was conducted in Jungar Banner, Inner Mongolia, China to study the effects of plant types on the physical structure and chemical properties of open-cast mining soils reclaimed for 15 years, and to analyze the triggering factors of the soil formation. Results indicate that plant types affect soil-forming process especially in the upper layer (0–20 cm), and the spatial structure of reclaimed plant is the main reason for variability of the soil-forming process. In the upper soil layer at the site reclaimed with mixed plants, the concentrations of soil organic matter (SOM) and soil organic carbon (SOC) are the highest, and they were significantly higher at the sites reclaimed with Leymus chinensis, Caragana sinica, which is mainly due to a large amount of litter fall and root exudation in herbages and shrubs. However, the concentrations of SOM and SOC in the soils at the reclaimed sites are quite low comparing with those in local primary soil, which indicates the importance of using organic amendments during the ecological restoration in the study area.     

1990-2010年中国土地覆盖时空变化特征

本文基于CG-LTDR土地覆盖数据产品,利用GIS空间统计等方法分析了中国1990-2010年土地覆盖的变化特点。与参考数据的比较检验表明,CG-LTDR土地覆盖数据在中国具有与其他同类数据相当甚至更高的分类精度。经逐年的长时间地表覆盖数据分析发现,由于受气候与人为因素影响,土地覆盖类型有明显的年际变化波动,尤其是云南-内蒙一线的干旱区与湿润区的过渡带。1990-2010年中国的林地和荒漠呈增加趋势,而草地和耕地呈减少趋势。利用5年的合成数据分析其年际变化,结果显示1990-2000年土地覆盖类型变化大,2000-2010年的变化较为平缓。在几种主要覆盖类型中,林地增加最明显,这主要与东南地区大部分耕地、西南和东北地区大面积草地转变为林地有关,但也有部分省份由于树木砍伐和农耕区扩张导致林地面积减小。耕地面积占比最高,其减少趋势主要与耕地变为林地和草地有关。南部的耕地减少最明显,北部略有增加,新增耕地的重心从东南向北转移。林地的增加趋势与耕地的减少趋势主要与全国大范围的退耕还林工程和生态保护政策有关。草地主要分布在生态脆弱区,其面积减少最显著,在西南及东北部分地区主要是草地变为林地,在内蒙中东部-陕西北部一线发生草地与耕地相互转换,而在内蒙北部-青藏高原一线有草地与荒漠的互相转换,在土地覆盖类型交错区,其利用类型容易发生改变。荒漠主要分布于西北地区,由于受到草地退化等因素影响,荒漠化趋势在进一步加剧。     

基于稀疏样点的蒙古国产草量估算方法研究

产草量是衡量草原生产力和诊断草原健康状况的指标,是草地资源管理的重要依据。近年来,遥感数据结合地面实测数据建模已成为产草量估算的重要手段。充足的实测样点信息是产草量遥感建模估算的基础。受境外采样多重因素的制约,蒙古国产草量估算研究中无法获取足够且分布均匀的实测样点,估产模型的精度受到影响,这一问题目前尚未发现有好的解决方法。本研究选取中蒙铁路沿线（蒙古段）两侧200 km缓冲区作为研究区,针对产草量遥感估算中野外样点稀少且分布不均的问题,引入P-BSHADE方法,基于多年NDVI数据和获取的少量地面实测样点数据,考虑草地分布的非均匀性以及样点之间的相关性,对均匀分布的模拟样点处的产草量数据进行插值实验。结果显示,P-BSHADE法的插值效果优于Kriging法,可得到均匀分布于研究区的样点。基于以上实测样点和插值样点,结合NDVI、EVI、PsnNet 3种植被指数进行遥感建模,最优模型精度达到80%,精度优于已有相关研究。选取其中最优的基于NDVI的指数模型对研究区2000—2019年产草量进行反演,获得的产草量空间格局与年际变化与已有研究结果趋势吻合,进一步印证了结果的可靠性和插值方法的可行性。本研究通过插值的方式改善数据源从而提高估算模型精度是一种全新的思路与尝试,对于“一带一路”等境外区域资源环境监测具有借鉴意义。     

Carbon sequestration of plantation in Beijing-Tianjin sand source areas

The Beijing-Tianjin Sand Source Control Project(BTSSCP), a national ecological restoration project, was launched to construct an ecological protection system in the Beijing-Tianjin sand source areas to reduce dust hazards. The carbon sequestration dynamics can be used to assess the ecological effects of an ecological restoration project. Here, we conducted vegetation and soil study to assess the carbon sequestration in the plantations with 10 years old stands in Beijing-Tianjin sand source areas. The results at the site scales indicated that the average net increase of plantation ecosystem carbon stock was 33.8 Mg C ha~(-1), with an annual increase rate of 3.38 Mg C ha~(-1) yr~(-1). The average net increase of carbon varied among regions, vegetation types, and forest management activities. Soil bulk density in the top soil decreased slightly after 10-year implementation of the project. Coniferous forests and shrubs are suitable plant species for sand source areas.Natural restoration in the plantations is a practical and feasible and promising approach for enhancing ecosystem carbon sequestration potential.     

内蒙古中部MODIS植被动态监测分析

对中分辨率成像光谱仪(MODIS)250m空间分辨率的每8天NDVI卫星遥感数据,利用年平均NDVI及一元线性回归方法,分析了2000-2008年内蒙古中部地区植被变化趋势。结果表明,近9年内蒙古中部地区79.60%地区的植被总体上保持稳定,17.33%的地区得到了明显改善,3.06%的地区仍存在较强的退化或沙化趋势。退化或沙化地区主要分布在内蒙古农牧交错带北部边缘,成条带状分布,反映了农牧交错带地区生态仍然较为脆弱,需要进一步关注和保护,东南部地区的植被恢复明显。植被年际动态主要受该地区暖干化气候影响,气候变暖造成植被NDVI增加,而降水波动导致NDVI随之变化,降水的作用是气温的2.8倍,有些地区可达到11倍之多。     

Seasonal variations in the influence of vegetation cover on soil water on the loess hillslope

Soil water is the key factor that restricts the restoration of the local ecological systems in the Loess Plateau of China. Studying the effects of vegetation types on soil water and its seasonal variation helps to understand hydrological characteristics and provides insights into the sustainable restoration of vegetation. Therefore, the Caijiachuan watershed was chosen as the research object to investigate the water status of a 0-10 m soil layer under different vegetation types including Pinus tabulaeformis, Robinia pseudoacacia, Platycladus orientalis, apple orchard, natural forestland,farmland and grassland. By comparing the difference between soil water of different land use types and that of grassland during the same period, the seasonal changes of soil water status of different types were judged. The results show that(1) in the 0-10 m soil layer, the largest value of soil water content was in the0.3-0.4 m layer, and the lowest was in the 5.6-5.8 m layer. The depths at which the vegetation cover influenced the soil water were up to 10 m;(2) among summer, fall and spring, the soil water storage wasthe highest in the fall. In addition, the lowest value of relative accumulation was in the fall, which was the period in which the soil water recovered;(3) the soil water in the 0-10 m layer was in a relatively deficient state in the artificial forestlands, apple orchards and native forestlands, while the relative accumulation was in the farmland. In addition, the relative deep soil layers(8-10 m) had more serious deficits in the areas in which P. tabulaeformis, R. pseudoacacia and the apple orchard grew;(4) during the study period, the farmland in the summer had the largest relative accumulation(182.71 mm), and the land under R.pseudoacacia in the fall had the lowest relative deficit(512.20 mm). In the Loess Plateau, vegetation cover will affect the change of deep soil moisture and artificial forest will cause soil water loss in different degrees.     

Impact of anthropogenic activities on vegetation dynamics in a reservoir area: model establishment and a case study of Longkaikou Reservoir in China

Vegetation in hot and arid valleys is a crucial indicator of ecosystem health, but is vulnerable to human activities and environmental change. Using the Longkaikou Reservoir in the Jinsha River in southwestern China as a case study, we developed a spatially explicit model that combined the plant growth, fruiting, seed dispersal, and seed germination stages to reveal the potential impact of multiple human activities(reservoir construction, logging, grazing, and aerial seeding) on the vegetation dynamics of Dodonaea viscosa and Pinus yunnanensis. After reservoir construction, the grassland area of 68 km~2 in 2003 decreased to 24 km~2 in 2018, replaced by forest, shrubland, and bodies of water, and the precipitation increased during the dry season, which indicated the improvement of the local plant and soil environment. Our model predicted that when soil moisture decreased by more than 20% compared to current levels, the area of D. viscosa increased greatly at low elevations; however, when at higher soil moisture, P. yunnanensis would occupy more of the study area. Logging and grazing would slightly change the spatial pattern of vegetation and delay P. yunnanensis communities from achieving stability by directly reducing plant biomass. Countermeasures such as aerial seeding would increase the total area by 13.13 km~2 and 8.09 km~2 of two plants, respectively, and accelerate the stabilization of plant communities. The effects of multiple human activities on vegetation may counteract each other; for example, logging decreased the P. yunnanensis area whereas aerial seeding increased it, and plant biomass changed in response to this pressure. Given the complex relationships between vegetation and human impacts, our study provides a scientific basis for vegetation restoration and ecological security in this hot and arid valley.     

Impact of grazing on soil,vegetation and ewe production performances in a semi-arid rangeland

Controlled grazing is considered a good management strategy to maintain or increase the live weight of livestock and to reduce vegetation degradation of rangelands. The present study investigated soil characteristics, aboveground vegetation biomass dynamics and controlled grazinginduced changes in the live weight of local ewes in the semi-arid rangeland of Ahmadun, Ziarat, Balochistan province of Pakistan. An area of 115 ha was protected from livestock grazing in April 2014. In June 2015, soil characteristics within 0-30 cm depth i.e. soil organic matter (SOM), mineral nitrogen, pH and texture in controlled and uncontrolled grazing sites were assessed. Aboveground vegetation biomass measured in early (June) and late summer (August) in 2015 and 2016. The nutritional value i.e. crude protein, phosphorus (P), neutral detergent fiber (NDF), acid detergent fiber (ADF), calcium (Ca), magnesium (Mg) and potassium (K) of dominant plant species were assessed at the beginning of experiment in 2015. Vegetation cover of controlled and uncontrolled grazing sites was also measured during the two years of the study period using the VegMeasure software. From June to November in 2015 and 2016, controlled and uncontrolled livestock grazing sites were grazed on a daily basis by local ewes with a stocking rate of 2 and 1 head ha-1 respectively. Results reveal that the organic matter contents of coarse-textured, slightly alkaline soil of the study site were in the range of 9.4 - 17.6 g kg-1 soil and showed a strong positive correlation with aboveground vegetation biomass. The biomass of plants was 56.5% and 33% greater at controlled than uncontrolled grazing site in 2015 and 2016 respectively and plant cover was also higher at controlled than uncontrolled grazing site in both years. The nutrient contents were significantly (P<0.05) lower in grasses than shrubs. In both years, the controlled grazing increased the weight gain of ewes about two folds compared to the uncontrolled grazing. The results indicate that controlled grazing improved the vegetation biomass production and small ruminant productivity.     

A time-dependent stochastic grassland fire ignition probability model for Hulun Buir Grassland of China

Grassland fire is one of the most important disturbance factors in the natural ecosystems.This paper focuses on the spatial distribution of long-term grassland fire patterns in the Hulun Buir Grassland located in the northeast of Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region in China.The density or ratio of ignition can reflect the relationship between grassland fire and different ignition factors.Based on the relationship between the density or ratio of ignition in different range of each ignition factor and grassland fire events,an ignition probability model was developed by using binary logistic regression function and its overall accuracy averaged up to 81.7%.Meanwhile it was found that daily relative humidity,daily temperature,elevation,vegetation type,distance to county-level road,distance to town are more important determinants of spatial distribution of fire ignitions.Using Monte Carlo method,we developed a time-dependent stochastic ignition probability model based on the distribution of inter-annual daily relative humidity and daily temperature.Through this model,it is possible to estimate the spatial patterns of ignition probability for grassland fire,which will be helpful to the quantitative evaluation of grassland fire risk and its management in the future.     

Responses of soil moisture to vegetation restoration type and slope length on the loess hillslope

Soil moisture, a critical variable in the hydrologic cycle, is highly influenced by vegetation restoration type. However, the relationship between spatial variation of soil moisture, vegetation restoration type and slope length is controversial. Therefore, soil moisture across soil layers (0-400 cm depth) was measured before and after the rainy season in severe drought (2015) and normal hydrological year (2016) in three vegetation restoration areas (artificial forestland, natural forestland and grassland), on the hillslopes of the Caijiachuan Catchment in the Loess area, China. The results showed that artificial forestland had the lowest soil moisture and most severe water deficit in 100-200 cm soil layers. Water depletion was higher in artificial and natural forestlands than in natural grassland. Moreover, soil moisture in the shallow soil layers (0-100 cm) under the three vegetation restoration types did not significantly vary with slope length, but a significant increase with slope length was observed in deep soil layers (below 100 cm). In 2015, a severe drought hydrological year, higher water depletion was observed at lower slope positions under three vegetation restoration types due to higher transpiration and evapotranspiration and unlikely recharge from upslope runoff. However, in 2016, a normal hydrological year, there was lower water depletion, even infiltration recharge at lower slope positions, indicating receiving a large amount of water from upslope. Vegetation restoration type, precipitation, slope length and soil depth during a rainy season, in descending order of influence, had significant effects on soil moisture. Generally, natural grassland is more beneficial for vegetation restoration than natural and artificial forestlands, and the results can provide useful information for understanding hydrological processes and improving vegetation restoration practices on the Loess Plateau     

Changes in microbial community composition in the leaf litter of successional communities after volcanic eruptions of Mount Usu,northern Japan

Changes in the fungal and bacterial biomass and community structure in litter after the volcanic eruptions of Mount Usu, northern Japan were investigated using a chronosequence approach, which is widely used for analyzing vegetation succession. The vegetation changed from bare ground(10 years after the eruptions) with little plant cover and poor soil to monotonic grassland dominated by Polygonum sachalinense with undeveloped soil(33 years) and then to deciduous broad-leaved forest dominated by Populus maximowiczii with diverse species composition and well-developed soil(100 years). At three chronosequential sites, we evaluated the compositions of phospholipid fatty acids(PLFAs), carbon(C) and nitrogen(N) contents and the isotope ratios of C(δ13C) and N(δ15N) in the litter of two dominant species, Polygonum sachalinense and Populus maximowiczii. The C/N ratio, δ13C and δ15N in the litter of these two species were higher in the forest than that in the bare ground and grassland. The PLFAs gradually increased from the bare ground to the forest, showing that microbial biomass increased with the development of the soil and/or vegetation. The fungi-to-bacteria ratio of PLFA was constant at 5.3 ± 1.4 in all three sites, suggesting that fungi were predominant. A canonical correspondence analysis suggested that the PLFA composition was related tothe successional ages and the developing soil properties(P 0.05, ANOSIM). The chronosequential analysis effectively detected the successional changes in both microbial and plant communities.     

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.     

全球土地覆被数据集中哈萨克斯坦草地分布的异同及其成因

受社会制度变迁和气候变化的影响,哈萨克斯坦是中亚地区生态退化和草畜矛盾问题最为突出的国家。近百年来,放牧方式的改变、农业开垦的占用、加之暖干化的气候变化影响,使得哈萨克斯坦各类草地生态系统变化的时空格局具有鲜明的特点。因此,研究哈萨克斯坦草地退化的过程与机制对认识中亚地区草地生态系统对气候变化和人类活动的响应尤为重要,也是对绿色丝路建设过程中区域生态可持续发展的科学支撑。土地覆被数据是生态变化研究的基础数据,但目前广泛使用的各套全球数据集间往往存在很大的差异,这会导致对生态变化成因的认知以及对未来变化的模型模拟产生更大的不确定性。本研究从对草地类型识别的定义、空间分布的一致性和空间分布差异的原因3方面对比5类全球土地覆被数据（UMD 1992-1993、MCD12Q1 2001、GLC 2000、CCI-LC 2000、Glob Cover 2005）中哈萨克斯坦草地分布的异同,以期为哈萨克斯坦的相关研究中土地覆被数据集的选择提供依据。研究结果表明：① 分类系统中对草地类型的界定、遥感数据源、辅助分类数据、分类方法、验证数据和方法的不同是5套数据草地资源分布差异的主要原因,其中MCD12Q1数据与其他4套数据的草地分布面积相差最大;② 5套数据中草地分布都重叠（完全一致）或四套数据重叠（高度一致）的区域仅占39.66%,主要位于哈萨克斯坦典型草原带和部分半荒漠草原带;围绕典型草地分布区,空间一致性由内向外逐渐降低。5套数据完全不一致区域占26.78%,主要位于荒漠草原带;③ CCI-LC2000数据与其他几类数据的重叠区域最高,有76%的草地与5套数据的完全一致以及高度一致区重叠;在分布不一致区域中,极易造成混淆的土地覆被类型主要为旱作耕地、灌溉耕地、耕地与自然植被镶嵌体、裸地以及灌丛。     

Soil carbon stock and flux in plantation forest and grassland ecosystems in Loess Plateau,China

Carbon sequestration occurs when cultivated soils are re-vegetated. In the hilly area of the Loess Plateau, China, black locust(Robinia pseudoacacia) plantation forest and grassland were the two main vegetation types used to mitigate soil and water loss after cultivation abandonment. The purpose of this study was to compare the soil carbon stock and flux of these two types of vegetation which restored for 25 years. The experiment was conducted in Yangjuangou catchment in Yan′an City, Shaanxi Province, China. Two adjacent slopes were chosen for this study. Six sample sites were spaced every 35–45 m from summit to toe slope along the hill slope, and each sample site contained three sampling plots. Soil organic carbon and related physicochemical properties in the surface soil layer(0–10 cm and 10–20 cm) were measured based on soil sampling and laboratory analysis, and the soil carbon dioxide(CO2) emissions and environmental factors were measured in the same sample sites simultaneously. Results indicated that in general, a higher soil carbon stock was found in the black locust plantation forest than that in grassland throughout the hill slope. Meanwhile, significant differences in the soil carbon stock were observed between these two vegetation types in the upper slope at soil depth 0–10 cm and lower slope at soil depth 10–20 cm. The average daily values of the soil CO2 emissions were 1.27 μmol/(m2·s) and 1.39 μmol/(m2·s) for forest and grassland, respectively. The soil carbon flux in forest covered areas was higher in spring and less variation was detected between different seasons, while the highest carbon flux was found in grassland in summer, which was about three times higher than that in autumn and spring. From the carbon sequestration point of view, black locust plantation forest on hill slopes might be better than grassland because of a higher soil carbon stock and lower carbon flux.     

Impacts of Drought and Human Activity on Vegetation Growth in the Grain for Green Program Region,China

The Chinese government adopted six ecological restoration programs to improve its natural environments. Although these programs have proven successful in improving local environments, some studies have questioned their performance when regions suffer from drought. Whether we should consider the effects of drought on vegetation change in assessments of the benefits of ecological restoration programs is unclear. Therefore, taking the Grain for Green Program(GGP) region as a study area, we estimated vegetation growth in the region from 2000–2010 to clarify the trends in vegetation and their driving forces. Results showed that: 1) vegetation growth increased in the GGP region during 2000–2010, with 59.4% of the area showing an increase in the Normalized Difference Vegetation Index(NDVI). This confirmed the benefits of the ecological restoration program. 2) Drought can affect the vegetation change trend, but human activity plays a significant role in altering vegetation growth, and the slight downward trend in the NDVI was not consistent with the severity of the drought. Positive human activity led to increased NDVI in 89.13% of areas. Of these, 22.52% suffered drought, but positive human activity offset the damage in part. 3) Results of this research suggest that appropriate human activity can maximize the benefits of ecological restoration programs and minimize the effects of extreme weather. We therefore recommend incorporating eco-risk assessment and scientific management mechanisms in the design and management of ecosystem restoration programs.