Rangeland management impacts on the properties of clayey soils along grazing gradients in the semi-arid grassland biome of South Africa

The grassland biome of South Africa is a major resource for livestock farming; yet the soils of these rangelands are stressed differently by various management systems. The aim of this study was to investigate how basic soil properties respond to different management systems. For this purpose we sampled rangeland management systems under communal (continuous grazing), commercial (rotational grazing) and land reform (mixture of grazing systems) farming. Within each of these systems a grazing gradient was identified with decreasing grazing pressure with increasing distance to the water points. Results showed that communal farms with continuous grazing were generally depleted in the respective nutrient stocks. The depletion increased with rising grazing pressure. Along that line there was a breakdown of macroaggregates with losses of the C and N stored therein. However, the commercial farms also exhibited a decline of macroaggregates and their associated C content nearby the water points. Aggregate fractionation is a sensitive indicator for detecting the beginning of soil degradation in this biome; yet, degradation was less pronounced under the rotational grazing of the commercial farms than under communal property right conditions. Hence, soil analyses confirm that fences and appropriate grazing periods are needed to manage these rangelands sustainably.     

Soil and plant responses to degradation of alpine grassland in source region of the Yellow River

Land degradation has been rapidly taking place in source region of the Yellow River in China. This study was conducted during 2008 in Maduo County to investigate soil and plant changes in relation to land degradation. Several results were derived from this work. First, the soil organic carbon (SOC) and total nitrogen (TN) decreased significantly on the extremely degraded land comparing with the natural grassland. Second, soil bulk density increased as land degradation worsened. Soil bulk density of the extremely degraded land was significantly greater than that of the grassland. Third, pH showed no obvious variation pattern. Finally, aboveground biomass decreased from grassland to the moderately degraded land. But aboveground biomass increased on the extremely degraded land and very extremely degraded land with most aboveground biomass inedible for livestock.     

长江口外海域沉积物中有机物的来源及分布

The spatial distribution patterns of total organic carbon and total nitrogen show significant correlations with currents of the East China Sea Shelf. Corresponding to distributions of these currents, the study area could be divided into four different parts. Total organic carbon, total nitrogen, and organic carbon and nitrogen stable isotopes in sediments show linear correlations with mean grain size, respectively, thus ＂grain size effect＂ is an important factor that influences their distributions. C/N ratios can reflect source information of organic matter to a certain degree. In contrast, nitrogen stable isotope shows different spatial distribution patterns with C/N and organic carbon stable isotope, according to their relationships and regional distributions. The highest contribution （up to 50%） of terrestrial organic carbon appears near the Changjiang Estuary with isolines projecting towards northeast, indicating the influence of the Changjiang dilution water. Terrestrial particulate organic matter suffers from effects of diagenesis, benthos and incessant inputting of dead organic matter of plankton, after depositing in seabed. Therefore, the contribution of terrestrial organic carbon to particulate organic matter is obviously greater than that to organic matter in sediments in the same place.     

Spatial distributions of organic carbon and nitro-gen and their isotopic compositions in sediments of the Changjiang Estuary and its adjacent sea area

The spatial distribution patterns of total organic carbon and total nitrogen show significant correlations with currents of the East China Sea Shelf. Corresponding to distribu-tions of these currents, the study area could be divided into four different parts. Total organic carbon, total nitrogen, and organic carbon and nitrogen stable isotopes in sediments show linear correlations with mean grain size, respectively, thus “grain size effect” is an important factor that influences their distributions. C/N ratios can reflect source information of organic matter to a certain degree. In contrast, nitrogen stable isotope shows different spatial distri-bution patterns with C/N and organic carbon stable isotope, according to their relationships and regional distributions. The highest contribution (up to 50%) of terrestrial organic carbon appears near the Changjiang Estuary with isolines projecting towards northeast, indicating the influence of the Changjiang dilution water. Terrestrial particulate organic matter suffers from effects of diagenesis, benthos and incessant inputting of dead organic matter of plankton, after depositing in seabed. Therefore, the contribution of terrestrial organic carbon to par-ticulate organic matter is obviously greater than that to organic matter in sediments in the same place.     

长江口外海域沉积物中有机物的来源及分布

通过分析长江口外海域不同区域有机碳和氮的分布特征及其影响因素,了解了底部沉 积物中有机碳和氮同位素的生物地球化学特征,探讨二者对长江口外海域底部沉积物中有机 物来源的指示意义。运用质量混合模型,计算了长江输入的陆源有机物的贡献及其空间变化。结果表明,长江口外海域沉积物中TOC 和TN 的分布和东海陆架的环流体系有着密切关系, 与环流的分布相对应,如果大致沿31^oN 和123^oE 作为分界线, 整个研究区的TOC 和TN 的分布可划分为4 个具有不同分布特征的区域。TOC、TN、δ¹³C 和δ¹⁵N 分别与沉积物的平均粒 径呈线性相关关系,因此,粒度效应是控制长江口外海域沉积物中有机物分布和稳定同位素 碳、氮的一个重要因素。研究区内的C/N 比值能够在一定程度上体现有机物的来源信息,但δ¹⁵N 表现出了与C/N 和δ¹³C 不同的区域分布和变化特征。陆源有机物来源比重较高的区域与 长江口外海域赤潮突发频率最高的地区相对应。长江口附近沉积物中的陆源有机物来源最高, 超过了50%,且等值线呈舌状向东北方向凸出,表明了长江冲淡水的影响。陆源颗粒态有机物沉海底后,要不断经历早期成岩作用和生物作用,因此在在相同地点,陆源有机物对沉积物中有机物的贡献,要明显小于对悬浮颗粒态有机物的贡献。     

A brief introduction to recent applications of several sediment-analysis techniques in palaeolimnological studies-dry bulk density and water content, mineral magnetism, carbonate content, and content of total organic carbon, nitrogen content and c

ChalacteriStics of lacustrine sediments are often capable of ~ring the hydrological regales of the lakeand its environment and human achvihes in itS catclunent during the sedimentahon of these sedimentS.Therefore, by identifying these characteristics of sedimentS, it is likely to postUlate the physicalconditions in and around the lake during geological periods. Such reconstrUction of palaeoenvironmentshas become an increasingly important branch of ear sciences as there has been an expanded n…