干旱半干旱地区草原灌丛荒漠化及其 生物地球化学循环

干旱和半干旱地区草地生态系统木本植物入侵及其导致的草原灌丛化已经成为全球范 围普遍发生的现象, 是草地沙化和荒漠化的一个重要标志。干旱生态系统中, 此种类型的植被变 化将对区域和全球生物地球化学循环产生显著影响。过度放牧、区域气候干旱化和自然火过程是 导致灌丛入侵和发展的主要控制因子。草原灌丛化过程中, 草地生态系统分布较为均匀的土壤养 分及相关元素在水平和垂直方向发生分异, 关键生命元素C、N、P 、S 生物地球化学循环的变化 将对全球气候变化产生显著作用。全球气候变化与草原灌丛荒漠化之间存在潜在的反馈机制, 人 类扰动的影响将使这种反馈作用变得更加迅速和灵敏。     

干旱半干旱地区草原灌丛荒漠化及其生物地球化学循环

干旱和半干旱地区草地生态系统木本植物入侵及其导致的草原灌丛化已经成为全球范 围普遍发生的现象, 是草地沙化和荒漠化的一个重要标志。干旱生态系统中, 此种类型的植被变 化将对区域和全球生物地球化学循环产生显著影响。过度放牧、区域气候干旱化和自然火过程是 导致灌丛入侵和发展的主要控制因子。草原灌丛化过程中, 草地生态系统分布较为均匀的土壤养 分及相关元素在水平和垂直方向发生分异, 关键生命元素C、N、P 、S 生物地球化学循环的变化 将对全球气候变化产生显著作用。全球气候变化与草原灌丛荒漠化之间存在潜在的反馈机制, 人 类扰动的影响将使这种反馈作用变得更加迅速和灵敏。     

干旱、半干旱地区乔灌木树种耐旱性及林地水分动态研究进展

干旱、半干时地区人工植被恢复生态学伴随着沙漠科学恙发展而不断进步,为国民经济建设和干旱、半干旱地区沙漠化防治而起重要作用,近年来有关树木耐旱性生理,耐旱性评价指标筛选、蒸腾耗水、土壤水分动态、林地水量平衡、人工植被演替等方面研究取得了重大进展,未来乔灌木树种耐旱性及林地水分研究的重点领域是：树木抗旱性生理基础,良种培育、沙地植被恢复生态学、人工林地研究的系统化和人工造楚的模式化等方面。     

Spatial and temporal variability of soil properties under Caragana microphylla shrubs in the northwestern Shanxi Loess Plateau, China

Shrub-induced spatial and temporal heterogeneity of soil properties is common in arid and semiarid ecosystems, and it facilitates the development of plant species diversity. We selected 5-, 10-, 20-, 30-, and 40-year-old Caragana microphylla shrubs in the Shanxi Loess Plateau to evaluate the spatial and temporal heterogeneity of soil properties under and outside the shrub canopy. In addition, the presence of adventitious plant species was investigated to assess the development of herbaceous species diversity. Soil samples were collected from two depths (0-5 cm and 5-10 cm). The establishment and development of shrubs promoted temporal variation, improved soil texture, enhanced soil organic matter (SOM), total nitrogen (TN), and cation exchange capacity (CEC), and decreased pH, bulk density (BD), and soil water content (SWC). The results further confirmed that SOM, TN, and CEC were significantly higher at the center than at the outside of the shrub canopies (P < 0.05) and were higher at the 0-5 cm depth than at the 5-10 cm depth. Moreover, the differences in SOM, TN, and CEC from the center to the outside of shrub canopies were greater under 30- and 40-year-old shrubs than under 10- and 5-year-old shrubs. Furthermore, the spatiotemporal heterogeneity of the soil properties facilitated the development of herbaceous species diversity.     

我国半干旱地区土壤的特性与可持续发展

我国年降水量250~ 450mm的半干旱地区,主要发育有栗钙土、淡黑垆土、黑麻土、黄绵土和灰钙土。前四者具有半干润土壤水分状况,后者存在干旱土壤水分状况。贫乏的土壤水分状况与区内的光热资源匹配不协调,限制了天然乔木林的正常生存,制约了农业的不稳定,但却适宜耐旱灌木和耐旱禾草植物生长。因此,区内可持续发展:一要发展水利,二要建造水平梯田,三要根据土壤适生耐旱草灌植物的特性,在发展农业的同时,扩大发展草业、饲养业、畜产品深加工业。     

Nitrogen mineralization across an atmospheric nitrogen deposition gradient in Southern California deserts

Dry nitrogen deposition is common in arid ecosystems near urban and agricultural centers, yet its impacts on natural environments are relatively understudied. We examined the effects of N deposition on soil N mineralization across a depositional gradient at Joshua Tree National Park. We hypothesized that N deposition affects N mineralization by promoting exotic grass invasion and increasing soil carbon and nitrogen. These relationships were tested through a laboratory incubation on soils collected from sixteen sites where atmospheric N, soil characteristics, and annual vegetation were measured. Mineralization parameters modeled using the Gompertz model were compared to soil C, soil N, estimated soil N from deposition, and percent cover of exotic and native annuals. Calculated soil N from deposition was directly correlated with measured soil C and N and decreasing C:N ratios, which were associated with increased total amounts of mineralized N. However, no effects of soil C or N, and thus N deposition, were observed on mineralization rates. Exotic grasses, but not native forbs or total annual cover, increased with soil C, soil N, and total mineralized N, suggesting that exotic grasses and N deposition are correlated and associated with increasing total C and N in the interspace soils at polluted locations.     

阿拉善高原荒漠植被组成分布特征及其环境解释 Ⅳ.土壤种子库特征研究

阿拉善荒漠土壤种子库种子密度主要受到水、热变化梯度的影响而呈现水平地带性分布规律。土壤种子库的分布主要集中在0～5cm的土层中,深层土壤很少有种子库的存在。阿拉善土壤种子库共统计到26种植物种子,分属9科22属,以禾本科最多;生活型以一年生草本植物种子的比例最高,达到51.36%。极端干旱环境条件下不存在有效的土壤种子库。土壤种子库多样性(Simpson指数)在东阿拉善草原化荒漠区为最高,在0.546～0.917之间;西阿拉善荒漠区次之为0.417～0.915;额济纳绿洲区为0.855,说明阿拉善荒漠区从东到西,土壤种子库物种多样性指数呈现下降的趋势。土壤种子库相似性研究表明,阿拉善荒漠不同区域的土壤种子库相似性差异较大,东阿拉善荒漠化草原植被区,相似性系数范围为0.17～0.67,西阿拉善典型荒漠区为0～0.75,额济纳戈壁荒漠区和东、西阿拉善土壤种子库的相似性系数范围是0～0.4。说明阿拉善荒漠区,由于生境和植被的异质性程度高,导致土壤种子库之间的差异性显著。阿拉善荒漠的土壤种子库和地上植被组成上差异显著,地上植被的优势种以旱生、中生灌木、半灌木为主,土壤种子库中以一年生、多年生草本为主,没有统计到灌木种子的存在,表明土壤种子库对于灌木层片更新和演替的贡献非常小。这些发现对了解干旱荒漠植被自然修复特点具有重要的潜在贡献。     

Effects of shrub removal and nitrogen addition on soil moisture in sagebrush steppe

I monitored soil moisture profiles in sagebrush steppe in SE Idaho, USA, for 6 years, a period that included four consecutive years of drought. Recharge of soil moisture was primarily the result of winter and early spring precipitation, and soil moisture declined during the spring and summer growing season. Recharge was substantially lower during drought years, and a single year of average precipitation did not restore soil moisture to pre-drought levels. Relative to control plots, there was more soil moisture on shrub removal plots and less soil moisture on nitrogen addition plots, particularly at depths of 100–180 cm. These differences suggest that in this ecosystem shrubs extract more moisture from deeper in the soil profile than perennial grasses, and that increased nitrogen availability can significantly affect soil water balance.     

Soil water deficit and vegetation restoration in the refuse dumps of the Heidaigou open-pit coal mine, Inner Mongolia, China

The sustainability of ecosystem restoration of refuse dumps in open-pit coal mines depends on plant species selection, their configuration, and the optimal usage of water resources. This study is based on field experiments in the northern refuse dump of the Heidaigou open-pit coal mine in Inner Mongolia of China established in 1995. Eight plant configurations, including trees, shrubs, grasses, and their combinations, as well as the adjacent community of natural vegetation, were selected. The succession of the revegetated plants, soil water storage, the spatiotemporal distribution of plant water deficits degree and its compensation degree were also studied. Results indicated that the vegetation cover (shrubs and herbaceous cover), richness, abundance, soil nutrients (soil organic matter, N and P), and biological soil crust coverage on the soil surface are significantly influenced by the vegetation configurations. The average soil water storage values in the shrub+grass and grass communities throughout the growing season are 208.69 mm and 206.55 mm, which are the closest to that of in the natural vegetation community (215.87 mm). Plant water deficits degree in the grass and shrub+grass communities were the lowest, but the degrees of water deficit compensation in these configuration were larger than those of the other vegetation configurations. Differences in plant water deficit degree and water compensation among the different configurations were significant (P<0.05). Plant water deficit degrees were predominantly minimal on the surface, increased with increasing soil depth, and remained stable at 80 cm soil depth. The soil moisture compensation in the natural vegetation, shrub+grass, and grass communities changed at 10%, while that in other vegetation communities changed between 20% and 40%. Overall, we conclude that the shrub+grass and grass configuration modes are the optimal vegetation restoration models in terms of ecohydrology for future ecological engineering projects.     

Shrubs proliferated within a six-year exclosure in a temperate grassland—Spatiotemporal relationships between vegetation and soil variables

Overgrazing has been considered one of the maj or causes that trigger shrub encroachment of grassland. Proliferation of shrubs in grassland is recognized as an important indicator of grassland degradation and desertification. In China, various conservation measures, including enclosures to reduce livestock grazing, have been taken to reverse the trend of grassland desertification, yet shrubs have been reported to increase in the grasslands over the past decades. In late 2007, we set up a 400-m-by-50-m exclosure in a long-term overgrazed temperate grassland in Inner Mongolia, with the ob- jective to quantify the spatiotemporal relationship between vegetation dynamics, soil variables, and grazing exclusion. Soil moisture was continuously monitored within the exclosure, and cover and aboveground biomass of the shrubs were measured inside the exclosure in 2007, 2009, 2010, 2012, and 2013, and outside the exclosure in 2012 and 2013. We found the average shrub cover and biomass significantly increased in the six years by 103 % and 120%, respectively. The result supported the hypothesis that releasing grazing pressure following long-term overgrazing tends to trigger shrub invasion into grassland. Our results, limited to a single gradient, suggest that any conservation measures with quick release of overgrazing pressure by enclosure or other similar means might do just the opposite to accelerate shrub en- croachment in grassland. The changes in vegetation cover and biomass were regressed on the temporal average of the soil moisture content by means of the generalized least square technique to quantify the effect of the spatial autocor- relation. The result indicates that the grass cover and biomass significantly increased with the top, but decreased with the bottom layer soil moisture. The shrub cover and biomass, on the other hand, decreased with the top, but increased with bottom soil moisture, although the regression coefficients for the shrubs were not statistically significant. Hence this study supports the two-layered soil model which assumes grasses and shrubs use belowground resources in dif- ferent depths.     

干旱区防护林营造方式对沙漠化土地恢复能力的影响研究

通过对防护林体系营造方式对沙漠化土地的恢复和重建能力的研究,发现固氮灌木树种对沙漠化土地肥力恢复的作用十分显著。采用工程措施与生物措施相结合的组合造林技术是恢复沙漠化土地肥力最有效的方法。在沙漠化土地上营造乔、灌混交防沙阻沙林带,可以明显地提高土壤的有机质和氮素水平。建立农田防护林网可以有效地改善土壤水环境和物理性质,并能增加土壤微生物,使土壤微生物的种群数量较荒漠化土地有较大幅度提高。土壤微生物的数量分布与种植植物的种类和人为经营强度有关。草田轮作是干旱区改土培肥的好形式,新开发荒漠地以第一年农作物+第二年牧草+第三年农作物的轮作制度较好。     

干旱半干旱区草原灌丛化的原因及影响-争议与进展

灌丛化作为全球干旱半干旱区草原普遍发生的现象,其定义为草原生态系统中灌木/木本的生物量、密度、盖度的增加以及草本的生物量、密度、盖度的减少。草原灌丛化是气候变化和人类活动多种因素综合作用的结果。过度放牧被认为是引发草原灌丛化的主要原因之一。最新的研究结果表明过度放牧并不能导致草原灌丛化,但过度放牧后实施休牧却改变了草本与灌木的种间作用,有可能导致灌木的扩张。灌木入侵草原长期以来被认为是草原的退化,结论来源于干旱区土壤沙化的情形,在沙化的灌木林中,土壤碳库被局限于灌木株丛及其周边,使草原的碳截留和储存降低。但最近的全球性集成研究表明草原中灌木覆盖率盖度增加对生态系统可以产生积极作用,灌木可以增加土壤水分的下渗,有利于生态系统的水分储存和和养分的转化(如加强氮的矿化过程)。草原灌丛化对生态系统结构和功能影响存在景观尺度和斑块尺度上的差异。进一步研究适应灌丛化过程的管理机制,综合不断变化的气候条件因素和地域因素,采取合理的草原管理策略,对于全球草原区生产具有极其重要的意义。     

Hydraulic redistribution by two semi-arid shrub species: Implications for Sahelian agro-ecosystems

Hydraulic redistribution is the process of passive water movement from deeper moist soil to shallower dry soil layers using plant roots as conduits. Results from this study indicate that this phenomenon exists among two shrub species (Guiera senegalensis and Piliostigma reticulatum) that co-exist with annual food crops in Sahelian agro-ecosystems. Real-time measurements were conducted for soil water content, soil water potential and microclimate variables notably; air temperature, relative humidity, wind speed, precipitation and solar irradiance. Additionally, sap flow measurements were conducted in shrub roots using the thermal dissipation technique on intact and coppiced shrubs. Monthly predawn leaf water potential was measured using a portable pressure chamber. Soil water potential (Ψ_s) at the 20 cm depth declined significantly during the dry season with diel changes in Ψ_s of −0.6 to −1.1 MPa. These variations were attributed to passive water release from shrub roots resulting in overnight rewetting of drier upper soil layers. Sap flow measurements on tap and lateral shrub roots indicated daily reversals in the direction of flow. During the peak of the dry season, both positive (toward shrub) and negative (toward soil) flows were observed in lateral shrub roots with sap flow in the lateral roots frequently negative at night and rapidly becoming positive soon after sunrise. The negative sap flow at night in superficial lateral roots and the periodic positive flow in the descending tap roots were indicative of hydraulic redistribution. Hydraulic redistribution may be an important mechanism for drought stress avoidance while maintaining plant physiological functions in both shrubs and neighboring annuals in water-limited environments.     

荒漠灌木树干茎流及其生态水文效应研究进展

树干茎流作为林冠层降雨截留再分配过程中的重要组成部分,影响着土壤-植物-大气连续体（SPAC）中不同尺度和圈层间的水分和养分循环的速度与方向,对荒漠地区灌木的生存和生长具有深远影响,对于土壤养分的溶解、利用,土壤水、地下水的循环与补给,土壤侵蚀过程等方面都有重要意义。本文系统总结了近年来荒漠地区灌木树干茎流研究的主要手段与方法,对影响树干茎流形成的主要因素、形成过程、变化趋势进行了具体论述,对主要的荒漠灌木树种树干茎流经验模型进行了归纳,并具体分析了树干茎流在生态水文学方面研究意义及主要进展。针对荒漠树干茎流尚有以下方面的问题需要进一步深入研究:(1）不同灌木树干茎流的形成过程、主要影响因素及其相互作用机制;(2）树干茎流集水系统的空间结构配置特征和降雨径流作用机制;(3)树干茎流补给在荒漠地区群落格局形成以及演替中的作用机理、荒漠植被特征与动态对截留、树干茎流、蒸散发以及入渗过程的反馈机制等。     

The role of facilitation in seedling recruitment and survival patterns, in the Strandveld Succulent Karoo, South Africa

Several studies in arid ecosystems have demonstrated that seedling establishment and survival were greater underneath the canopies of shrubs than in the open spaces between shrubs. These results led to the formulation of the hypothesis that seedling recruitment and survival were dependent on the shelter provided by shrub species (nurse-plant hypothesis). Seedling emergence and survival beneath and between the canopies of selected perennial shrub species were investigated at five localities in the Strandveld Succulent Karoo, each dominated by a different shrub species. Seedling emergence and survival were also examined at three localities dominated by annual species. In general, species richness and seedling densities were significantly higher in open areas than underneath shrubs, while seedling survival percentages did not differ significantly between microsites. Therefore, no evidence could be found to support the hypothesis that seedling recruitment and survival were facilitated by the presence of shrub species. Although most species will be able to establish in the absence of shrubs, the presence of woody species may have other advantages when restoring vegetation in mined areas.     

Effect of plant species on shrub fertile island at an oasis–desert ecotone in the South Junggar Basin, China

Shrub fertile islands are a common feature in arid ecosystems. To examine the effect of plant species on the spatial patterns of soil chemical and physical properties surrounding individual shrubs, two deciduous shrub species with different morphologies (Tamarix spp. and Haloxylon ammodendron Bge.) were studied at an oasis–desert ecotone in South Junggar Basin. Soil samples were collected under the shrub crown (canopy), at the vertically projected limit of shrub crown margin (periphery), and in the space between shrub crowns (interspace) at two depths, 0–10 and 10–20 cm, to analyze their physical and chemical properties. The results show that the fertile islands of Tamarix spp. are enriched with more soil nutrients (significantly higher, P<0.05; soil organic matter (SOM); total nitrogen (TN) and available nitrogen (AN); to a deeper depth (>20 cm) and in a larger area (beyond the canopied area) compared to that of H. ammodendron (significantly higher, P<0.05, soil nutrients detected only for AN; <20 cm in depth; smaller than the canopied area). Soil texture patterns surrounding the shrubs of the two species are even more different, with more coarse particles under the Tamarix spp. canopies compared to the interspace between shrubs but fewer under the H. ammodendron canopies compared to the interspaces. These variations are attributed to the difference in morphology of the two studied species: the Y-shaped crowns of H. ammodendron are less capable of capturing and maintaining litter under them than the hemispheroidal crowns of Tamarix spp., which leads to the less well developed fertile islands surrounding H. ammodendron shrubs.     

Effects of overgrazing and rainfall variability on the dynamics of semiarid banded vegetation patterns: A simulation study with cellular automata

The effects of factors acting at small scale (grass/grass and grass/shrub biological interactions) and landscape scale (overgrazing and rainfall changes) on the development and permanence of banded vegetation patterns (VB) are assessed with a spatially explicit cellular automaton model. In particular, the influence of two environmental factors that are changing in many VB arid lands (rainfall and grazing pressures) is studied. Three rainfall regimes (representing 0.5, 1.0, and 2.0 times the long-term rainfall average), five grazing intensities, two types (reversible and irreversible) of grazing disturbance, two grazing periodicities (chronic and pulse), two levels of grass colonization ability, positive and negative interactions between shrubs and grasses, and the efficiency of endozoochorous seed dispersal are simulated.The results show that the permanence of undisturbed VB depends on the interaction of two factors, rainfall regime and grass colonization ability. Type and intensity of grazing also modify VB cover and permanence; furthermore, long-term overgrazing may convert mixed grass/shrub plant communities to pure scrublands dominated by endozoochorous-dispersed shrubs due to competitive interactions between shrubs and grasses.Besides providing an adequate representation of the system’s dynamics, the model is a useful tool that may be used to explore the consequences of climate change on management scenarios.     

黄土高原半干旱区天然锦鸡儿灌丛对土壤水分的影响

本文选择黄土高原半干旱区定西地区的一种地带性植被,天然甘蒙锦鸡儿灌丛,将其0～99m深的土壤水分含量与人工柠条锦鸡儿灌丛、人工杏树林、天然草地、放牧荒坡和农地的土壤水分含量进行了比较。结果发现,天然锦鸡儿灌丛在1m以下土壤各层的水分含量均高于人工柠条灌丛和人工杏树林,而与放牧荒坡和农地的土壤湿度接近,略低于农地。天然锦鸡儿灌丛4m以上土层的土壤湿度还明显高于天然草地;天然锦鸡儿灌丛形成的难效—无效水层深度在2m土层以上,而人工柠条灌丛形成的难效无效水层则深达56m,人工杏树林42m,天然草地、放牧荒坡分别为36m和33m,农地1m。     

黄土高原西部人工灌木生长季土壤水分变异特征

以兰州干旱地区生态植被恢复技术研究与示范基地灌木品种研究小区为试验点,研究了黄土高原西部丘陵区坡面不同灌木下0～200 cm土层土壤水分特征,采用Brown-Forsythe检验方法和变异系数比较不同灌木覆盖下土壤水分含量的差异。结果表明:土壤水分的变化受到坡位、坡向、灌木种类的影响较大。相同土层的土壤水分变异系数基本为阴坡>半阴坡>半阳坡>阳坡。坡上部的土壤水分变化较大,坡中部和坡下部相对较稳定。多数灌木的土壤水分变异系数随着土壤深度的增加而减小,变异系数较大值相对集中在20～80 cm土层。从土壤水分的亏缺量、植物水分亏缺度来看,在植被恢复的过程中,选择荒漠锦鸡儿(Caragana roborovskyi)、甘蒙锦鸡儿(Caragana opulens)、枸杞(Lycium chinense)等耗水量相对较低的植被更加合理。     

Mesquite (Prosopis juliflora (Sw.) DC.), huisache (Acacia farnesiana (L.) Willd.) and catclaw (Mimosa biuncifera Benth.) and their effect on dynamics of carbon and nitrogen in soils of the semi-arid highlands of Durango Mexico

In the northern semiarid and arid part of Mexico, mesquite (Prosopis juliflora (SW.) DC.), huisache (Acacia farnesiana (L.) Willd.) and catclaw (Mimosa biuncifera Benth.), N₂-fixing trees or shrubs, dominate the landscape. It is unknown, however, how much the leaves of those shrubs contribute to dynamics of carbon (C) and nitrogen (N) in soil. We investigated this by adding leaves of each species to soil sampled under the canopy of mesquite, huisache, and catclaw and outside their canopy while monitoring production of carbon dioxide (CO₂), and dynamics of inorganic N (ammonium (NH₄⁺) and nitrate (NO₃⁻)) in an aerobic incubation. The (hemi)cellulose and N content of the catclaw leaves was lower and the lignin and polyphenol content was larger than in the mesquite and huisache leaves. If we considered no priming effect, then 41% of the C added with catclaw leaves, 47% with huisache leaves and 49% with mesquite leaves mineralized within 42 days. The addition of the leaves had little or no effect on N mineralized, and only 6% of organic N of the mesquite leaves was mineralized. It was found that catclaw, huisache and mesquite have a positive effect on the arid and semi-arid ecosystems as they increased soil organic matter and soil N content.