Effects of Enclosure on Plant and Soil Nutrients in Different Types of Alpine Grassland

Enclosure is one of the most widely used management tools for degraded alpine grassland on the northern Tibetan Plateau, but the responses of different types of grassland to enclosure may vary, and research on these responses can provide a scientific basis for improving ecological conservation. This study took one site for each of three grassland types (alpine meadow, alpine steppe and alpine desert) on the northern Tibetan Plateau as examples, and explored the effects of enclosure on plant and soil nutrients by comparing differences in plant community biomass, leaf-soil nutrient content and their stoichiometry between samples from inside and outside the fence. The results showed that enclosure can significantly increase all aboveground biomass in these three grassland types, but it only increased the 10-20 cm underground biomass in the alpine desert. Enclosure also significantly increased the leaf nutrient content of the dominant plants and contents of total nitrogen (N), total potassium (K), and organic carbon (C) in 10-20 cm soil in alpine desert, thus changing the stoichiometry between C, N and P (phosphorus). However, enclosure significantly increased only the N content of dominant plant leaves in alpine steppe, while other nutrients and stoichiometries of both plant leaves and soil did not show significant differences in alpine meadow and alpine steppe. These results suggested that enclosure has differential effects on these three types of alpine grasslands on the northern Tibetan Plateau, and the alpine desert showed the most active ecological conservation in the responses of its soil and plant nutrients.     

Changes in soil nutrients, vegetation structure and herbaceous biomass in response to grazing in a semi-arid savanna of Ethiopia

The effect of grazing was studied on vegetation structure, herbaceous biomass, basal and bare ground covers, together with soil nutrient concentrations in two locations in an Ethiopian semi-arid savanna. The lightly grazed sites had significantly higher herbaceous diversity, total abundance, basal cover and aboveground biomass, and a lower percentage of bare ground compared with the heavy grazed sites. Grazing pressure had no effect on the density and number of woody species as well as on the proportion of encroaching woody species. The light grazing sites had higher organic carbon, phosphorus and exchangeable bases, and therefore a higher pH and higher electrical conductance, indicating an improved soil nutrient status compared with heavy grazing sites, mainly attributed to the higher basal cover and standing biomass at light grazed sites, and the export of nutrients through grazing and dung collection from the heavily grazed sites. There were significantly higher soil nutrients, species diversity, aboveground biomass and basal cover in the light grazing sites compared with heavy grazing sites. We concluded that changes in herbaceous vegetation, standing biomass and soil compositions are caused by interactions between grazing, soil and vegetation, and these interactions determine the transitions of semi-arid savannas.     

黄土高原西部弃耕地植被恢复与土壤水分调控研究

选择黄土高原半干旱偏旱区2 a、3 a、4 a、5 a、7 a、9 a、12 a、20 a的弃耕台地和天然台地,调查各弃耕地和天然台地的植物种类、数量、盖度、频度和地上生物量,定期采样分析各样地0~100 cm土层土壤水分。结果表明：农田弃耕后植被沿天然植被方向演替,在演替过程中,植物种类数量逐渐增加,但在弃耕9 a后开始减少,20 a后接近于天然台地;更耐旱的多年生草本和小灌木种增加;除7~9 a波状变化外,植被盖度和地上生物量呈逐渐减少趋势,弃耕初期的植被盖度和地上生物量显著大于弃耕12 a后和天然台地;12 a和20 a弃耕地0~100 cm土层含水量高于其他弃耕地和天然台地,弃耕初期表层土壤含水量较高,天然台地含水量居中,但其植被对水分利用的时间延长,范围扩大,表明天然台地植被的水分利用率提高,植被群落更加稳定。     

Effects of soil nitrate：ammonium ratio on plant carbon：nitrogen ratio and growth rate of Artemisia sphaerocephala seedlings

Can soil nitrate： ammonium ratios influence plant carbon： nitrogen ratios of the early succession plant？ Can plant carbon： nitrogen ratios limit the plant growth in early succession？ To address these two questions, we performed a two-factor （soil nitrate： ammonium ratio and plant density） randomized block design and a uniform-precision rotatable central composite design pot experiments to examine the relationships between soil nitrate： ammonium ratios, the carbon： nitrogen ratios and growth rate of Artemisia sphaerocephala seedlings. Under adequate nutrient status, both soil nitrate： ammonium ratios and plant density influenced the carbon： nitrogen ratios and growth rate of A. sphaerocephala seedlings. Under the lower soil nitrate： ammonium ratios, with the increase of soil nitrate： ammonium ratios, the growth rates of plant height and shoot biomass of A. sphaerocephala seedlings decreased significantly; with the increase of plant carbon： nitrogen ratios, the growth rates of shoot biomass of A. sphaerocephala seedlings decreased significantly. Soil nitrate： ammonium ratios affected the carbon： nitrogen ratios of A. sphaerocephala seedlings by plant nitrogen but not by plant carbon. Thus, soil nitrate： ammonium ratios influenced the carbon： nitrogen ratios of A. sphaerocephala seedlings, and hence influenced its growth rates. Our results suggest that under adequate nutrient environment, soil nitrate： ammonium ratios can be a limiting factor for the growth of the early succession plant.     

The role of shoreland development and commercial cranberry farming in a lake in Wisconsin,USA

Musky Bay in Lac Courte Oreilles, Wisconsin, USA, is currently eutrophic. This large, shallow bay of an oligotrophic lake possesses the densest aquatic plant growth and a floating algal mat. Paleoecological reconstructions encompassing the last 130 years, were based on multiproxy analyses of sediment cores from three coring sites, two within the bay and one in the lake itself. These data were compared to historical records of the construction and expansion of two commercial cranberry bogs and shoreline residential homes to identify temporal and causal relations of eutrophication. The proxies investigated included: minor and trace elements; biogenic silica; and the diatom community. Post-depositional diagenesis of organic carbon, nitrogen, and phosphorus in the upper 30 cm of the core obscured records of historical ambient nutrient concentrations in the bay obviating their usefulness for this purpose. In contrast, calcium, magnesium, and potassium concentration profiles appeared to reflect runoff of soil amendments applied to the cranberry bogs and aerial fertilizer spraying over the eastern bog adjacent to Musky Bay. The increase in aluminum content since about 1930 coincided with the historical trend in shoreland development and construction of the original commercial cranberry farm. The biogenic silica profile recorded a steady increase of nutrients to Musky Bay over the last several decades. Stratigraphic changes in the diatom community indicated that nutrient input began to increase in the 1940s and accelerated in the mid-1990s with the onset of a noxious floating algal mat. The diatom community indicates the bay has possessed a significant macrophyte community for at least the last 200 years, but increased nutrient input was manifested by a change in the composition, and an increase in the density of the epiphytic diatom community. Cranberry farming appeared to be the major source of nutrients because the diatom community changes occurred prior to the significant increase in residential housing.     

Persistence of alpine grass-dominated vegetation on abandoned mountain summer farms in Western Norway

Centuries of seasonal farming in the Norwegian mountains led to a decrease in forested areas, a lowering of the alpine tree- and forest lines, and an increase in grassland coverage in the subalpine zone. Since the mid-19th century seasonal farming has declined significantly. In the sub-alpine belt, this has resulted in woodland succession on former hay meadows and open grasslands and heathlands. In contrast, vegetation changes caused by seasonal farming and its decline in alpine environments may be comparatively subtle because of unsuitable conditions for tree growth. The study examines vegetation changes in a former mountain summer farming area in the alpine zone of Western Norway using data on present and previous vegetation and old photographs. On curtilages high levels of defoliation, trampling and nutrient accumulation resulted in grass- and herb-dominated vegetation that differs significantly from that of surrounding areas. This curtilage-specific vegetation is persistent and occurs even at locations that have been grazed with only low intensity for several decades. Local concentrations of nutrients are probably a key factor that maintains the grass-dominated vegetation and strongly delays or even prevents regrowth of shrub heath.     

养分和水分添加后沙质草地不同功能群植物地上生物量变化对群落生产力的影响

以典型沙质草地为研究区域,通过养分和水分添加控制试验,研究了群落尺度上生产力的变化及其对不同养分和水分处理响应的差异。从不同功能群植物地上生物量对养分和水分响应分异的角度揭示群落尺度初级生产力的变化机理。结果显示:(1)单纯的氮素、磷素、水分添加对群落生产力的影响不明显,只有养分和水分交互作用才能显著增加群落生产力。氮素添加×冬季增雪、氮素添加×夏季增雨、磷素添加×夏季增雨处理使得群落生产力比对照分别提高了85.1%、107.9%、57.2%。(2)氮素添加×冬季增雪处理后群落生产力比磷素×冬季增雪处理高出86.7%,表明虽然水分添加提高了植物对氮素与磷素的利用效率,但水分添加后植物对氮素的利用效率更高。(3)不同功能群植物地上生物量对养分和水分添加的响应程度不一致。总体而言,养分和水分添加对禾本科植物生物量的影响最明显,对杂类草植物生物量的影响不明显。单纯磷素添加明显降低了群落中禾本科植物的生物量,比对照低61.9%;冬季增雪、夏季增雨增加了群落中豆科植物的生物量,与对照相比分别增加了193.3%、220.5%;氮素添加×冬季增雪、氮素×夏季增雨显著增加了禾本科植物的生物量,分别比对照增加了80.4%、91.6%。     

The influence of flood frequency, geomorphic setting and grazing on plant communities and plant biomass on a large dryland floodplain

Plant communities on semi-arid floodplains are ecologically important and support a diverse local and regional fauna and often pastoral economies. Water resource development may affect these communities and economies by decreasing water supply; determining the nature of these relationships is not straightforward because of the complex nature of plant responses to wetting and possible interactions with other drivers. We investigate the effects of reduced wetting on vegetation by examining spatial patterns in plant communities and above-ground herbaceous plant biomass across a flood frequency gradient, geomorphic settings and grazing exclosures. Community and biomass changes were also examined over time in relation to wetting events. The results demonstrate the importance of wetting on plant communities across timescales. At longer timescales, flood frequency influences community composition; at shorter timescales, wetting increase plant biomass and has a secondary influence on community composition. Plant biomass is also influenced in the short-term by grazing, but there is little influence of grazing on community composition. Soil nutrients do not vary systematically across the floodplain and have little influence on species distributions. We conclude that reduced water availability due to water resource development will result in reduced productivity in the short-term and community composition changes in the long-term.     

Isotope composition and anion chemistry of soil profiles along the Kalahari Transect

Savannas cover about 20% of the Earth's land area across a wide range of climatic conditions. As an important and distinct biome, savannas produce approximately 29% of global terrestrial net primary productivity. In these ecosystems the distribution of belowground resources remains poorly investigated and the relationship to the climatic conditions remains unclear. In the present study, vertical profiles of soil nutrients (chloride, nitrate, phosphate and sulfate) and nitrogen stable isotopes were analyzed at four sites along the Kalahari mega-transect, where a distinct rainfall gradient exists on a homogeneous soil substrate. The results show clear differences in nutrients and δ¹⁵N vertical distributions between wet and dry seasons. The results also show how the formation of “fertility islands” (i.e., the concentration of soil nutrients in the soils beneath tree canopies) is not necessarily coupled with belowground processes in that the distribution of soil nutrients at the surface does not match belowground patterns. The results also indicate that phosphorus may be a limiting nutrient in these savanna ecosystems with seasonal dynamics in its cycling.     

A multi-proxy trophic state reconstruction for shallow Orange Lake, Florida, USA: possible influence of macrophytes on limnetic nutrient concentrations

We retrieved four sediment cores from shallow, eutrophic, macrophyte-dominated Orange Lake (A = 51.4 km2, zmax <5 m, zmean < 2 m), north-central Florida, USA. The 210Pb-dated profiles were used to evaluate spatial and temporal patterns of bulk sediment and nutrient accumulation in the limnetic zone and to infer historical changes in lake trophic state. Bulk density, organic matter, total carbon, total nitrogen, total phosphorus and non-apatite inorganic phosphorus (NAIP) concentrations displayed stratigraphic similarities among three of four cores, as did accumulation rates of bulk sediment, organic matter and nutrients. Accumulation rates were slower at the fourth site. Nutrients showed generally increasing rates of accumulation since the turn of the century. Percentages of periphytic diatom taxa increased progressively in the cores after ~ 1930. Diatom-inferred limnetic total P trends were similar among profiles. Eutrophic conditions were inferred for the period prior to the turn of the century. The lake was hypereutrophic in the early decades of the 1900s, but inferred limnetic total P values declined after ~ 1930. Declining inferred limnetic total P trends for the last 60--70 years were accompanied by concomitant increases in accumulation rates of total P and NAIP on the lake bottom. Several lines of evidence suggest that after ~ 1930, phosphorus entering Orange Lake was increasingly utilized by submersed macrophytes. Paleolimnological records from Orange Lake highlight the importance of using multiple sediment variables to infer past trophic state and suggest that aquatic macrophytes can play a role in regulating water-column nutrient concentrations in shallow, warm-temperate lakes.     

放牧对呼伦贝尔典型草原植物生物量分配及土壤养分含量的影响

在内蒙古呼伦贝尔草原克鲁伦河流域选取轻度、中度和重度3个放牧区研究植物地上和地下生物量、根冠比及土壤有机质、氮、磷等养分含量对放牧强度的响应。结果表明:重度放牧区的地上生物量(89.73 g·m^-2)显著低于轻度(565. 61 g·m^-2)和中度放牧区(488. 92 g·m^-2),地下生物量(1 029. 90 g·m^-2)则显著高于轻度(604.92 g·m^-2)和中度放牧区(418.38 g·m^-2)。重度放牧区的根冠比为11.54,显著高于轻度(1.11)和中度放牧区(0.89)。土壤有机质及各养分含量随着放牧强度的增加先显著降低而后显著增大,中度放牧区的养分含量最低。     

Response of Arctic ecosystems to climate change: results of long-term field experiments in Sweden and Alaska

Long-term field experiments at Abisko, Sweden, and Toolik Lake, Alaska, reveal both similarities and differences in response of contrasting Arctic ecosystems to changes in temperature, light, and nutrient availability. Five different ecosystems were manipulated for 5–15 years by increasing air temperature with greenhouses, by decreasing light with shading, and by increasing available N and P with fertilizers. The ecosystems at Abisko included evergreen-dominated heath and fellfield sites; at Toolik Lake they included wet sedge tundra, moist tussock tundra, and dry heath tundra. In all ecosystems, fertilizer treatment increased plant growth, production, and/or biomass. Plant responses to warming were smaller and occasionally nonsignificant, Responses to shading were generally nonsignificant after 3–6 years, although after 9 years the tussock tundra showed significant decreases in biomass. In general, the ecosystems at Abisko were less responsive to nutrients and more responsive to temperature than the ecosystems at Toolik Lake. Overall, though, the sites were quite similar in their responses to the perturbations, increasing our confidence in predictions of response to climate change over large areas based on small-area studies.     

Reindeer in tundra ecosystems: the challenges of understanding system complexity

The resilience of tundra ecosystems is limited, with relatively few key biotic components determining the general pattern of the dynamics of these systems. Sustainable use of reindeer pastures, which are natural tundra ecosystems, should take into account interactions within the whole complex of key components. Among the most important are the small herbivorous rodents. For example, during peak densities lemmings may reduce above-ground plant biomass by 50-70%. At the same time, rapid turnover of nutrients in the form of significant amounts of potassium, phosphorus and nitrogen that lemmings excrete in urine promotes vascular plant growth. It is concluded that these kinds of studies are essential for the sustainable management of Russia's grazing lands: 1) comparative studies of productivity, biological diversity and structure of plant communities under the different pressures exerted by the main groups of herbivorous animals (reindeer and small rodents), as well as under varying levels of industrial development; 2) studies of the direct and indirect effects of herbivorous mammals on biological turnover and energy flow within the system; 3) studies of the role of industrial contamination on the turnover of nutrients in tundra ecosystems.     

施氮对高寒草甸草原植物群落和土壤养分的影响

于2013-2014年在青藏高原东缘测定了不同梯度施氮后植物群落特征、牧草营养和土壤质量的变化,并分析了施氮后的经济效益。结果表明:(1)施氮显著增加了各功能群植物的高度和禾本科功能群植物盖度,而对莎草科和豆科植物盖度无显著影响;施氮显著增加了禾本科、莎草科、豆科和植物群落生物量,降低了杂类草盖度和生物量,其中施肥量为30.86～38.58 g·m^-2时效果最为显著。(2)施氮显著增加了0～20 cm土层根系生物量;施氮当年显著增加了根冠比,施氮第2年根冠比无显著变化。(3)施氮不同程度降低了高寒草甸草原植物群落多样性,其中,施肥量在30.86～38.58 g·m^-2时最低。(4)施氮不同程度地提高了禾本科、莎草科和杂类草植物的粗蛋白含量,降低了各功能群植物纤维含量;施氮不同程度提高了高寒草甸草原土壤养分和有机碳含量,其中在施肥量为30.86～38.58 g·m^-2时最高。(5)施氮当年和第二年净收益均在施肥量为30.86 g·m^-2时最大,分别为1 860元·hm^-2和878元·hm^-2。施氮缓解了青藏高原东缘高寒草甸草原植物生长的营养限制,提高了可食牧草产量,30.86～38.58 g·m^-2可作为该区最佳施氮水平。     

煤矸石山不同植被恢复模式对土壤养分的影响——以山西省河东矿区1号煤矸石山为例

对2009-2011 年山西省河东矿区不同植被恢复模式下土壤养分进行了检测分析,并对其环境影响因子进行了研究.结果显示：(1) 随着矸石山植被恢复年限的增加,煤矸石山地温显著降低,植物多样性增加,盖度和生物量不同程度提高.(2) 经过3 年植被恢复的矸石山土壤速效磷和速效钾的改良效果达到全国土壤普查3 级水平;恢复土壤碱解氮和有机质含量为11.94 mg·kg^-1和7.69 g·kg^-1,改良效果不显著.紫穗槐模式对土壤速效磷的改良效果较好;紫穗槐-高羊茅-紫花苜蓿模式有利于碱解氮的积累;高羊茅-紫花苜蓿模式对速效钾和有机质的改良效果最佳.(3) 矸石山坡度和地温与土壤养分呈显著负相关;紫花苜蓿盖度与碱解氮、速效钾和有机质含量呈显著正相关;植被平均生物量和高羊茅盖度的提高有助于土壤养分的改良效果.煤矸石山植被恢复宜采取以草开路,在生态环境条件有所改善基础上,走草、灌、乔相结合的构建模式.     

The significance of atmospheric nutrient inputs and canopy interception of precipitation during ecosystem development in piñon–juniper woodlands of the southwestern USA

In arid ecosystems, widely spaced vegetation and prolonged dry periods may enhance canopy capture of nutrients from dry deposition. Additionally, differences in precipitation type, plant canopy architecture, and soil nutrient limitation could affect canopy exchange of atmospherically derived nutrients. We collected bulk precipitation and throughfall underneath piñon pine (Pinus edulis) and one-seed juniper (Juniperus monosperma) along a substrate age gradient to determine if canopy interception or throughfall chemistry differed among tree species, season, or substrate age. The Substrate Age Gradient of Arizona consists of four sites with substrate ages ranging from 1 ky to 3000 ky-old, which exhibit classic variations in soil nitrogen (N) and phosphorus (P) availability with substrate age. Greater nutrient inputs below canopies than in intercanopy areas suggest throughfall contributes to the “islands of fertility” effect. Canopy interception of precipitation did not differ between tree species, but was greater in the summer/fall than winter/spring. We found that net canopy retention of atmospherically derived N was generally greater when N availability in the soil was low, but retention also occurred when N availability was relatively high. Taken together, our results were inconclusive in determining whether the degree of soil nutrient limitation alters canopy exchange of plant growth-limiting nutrients.     

19th century eutrophication of a remote boreal lake: a consequence of climate warming?

To investigate the response of a remote boreal lake to recent climate warming, a 200-year varved sediment record from Rainbow Lake A (RLA), located in the northern boreal forest of Wood Buffalo National Park, straddling northern Alberta and the Northwest Territories (Canada), was investigated using diatom assemblages and biogenic silica concentrations. Diatom community composition, trends in diatom-inferred total phosphorus (TP) and biogenic silica levels all showed significant changes beginning between circa 1830 and 1840, coincident with the onset of increasingly warm June/July temperatures in northern Canada. We evaluated several hypotheses which may have caused these nutrient changes, including local anthropogenic disturbances, forest fires, increased atmospheric deposition of nutrients or pollen, and internal sources of nutrient regeneration. We concluded that TP is likely increasing as a result of enhanced internal cycling of phosphorus due to either increased thermal stratification in response to warmer summer temperatures and/or decreased meromictic stability. The results presented here, in combination with other recent paleolimnological research in northern latitude regions, suggest widespread aquatic response to increasing temperatures beginning in the 19th century.     

干旱荒漠区退耕地植被演替及土壤水分变化

采用时空互代法,以不同退耕年限退耕地为研究对象,对27个样方植被群落特征和土壤含水量变化特征进行描述性统计分析,使用多元线性回归探究植物演替和土壤水分之间的关系。结果表明：（1）退耕18a间,退耕地植被群落自然演替经历了一年生草本为绝对优势种一年生和多年生草本竞争存在灌木开始出现并逐渐成为优势种的演替过程,物种Margalef指数和Shannon-Wiener指数均出现增大的趋势。（2）土壤水分随着退耕年限的增加也有所增加,且同一退耕年限内,随着土壤深度增加,土壤水分亦逐渐增加。（3）土壤水分对物种Margalef指数、Shannon-Wiener指数具有极显著影响,相比于其他土层,深度为40～50cm的土层对植被生长和演替的贡献最为显著。     

The effects of loess erosion on soil nutrients, plant diversity and plant quality in Negev desert wadis

Severe erosion, initiated by climatic changes during the Late Pleistocene-Early Holocene period and resultant declines in dust deposition, causes the formation of waterfalls during the winter floods in many wadi systems in the central Negev desert of Israel. In some areas, erosion of the original loess substrate has been complete, so that the underlying rock has been exposed. We examined the effects of this erosion in four wadis in the central Negev desert on soil nutrients, plant community structure and plant quality. We predicted that erosion has caused reductions in soil nutrients. Reductions in soil nutrients should result in reductions in plant cover. Furthermore, reduced soil nutrient availability should cause reductions in the nutrient status and quality of the plants growing there. In addition to the loss of biodiversity that may result, this erosion may result in economic hardship for the Bedouin peoples whose herds depend on these resources. In this study, there were significant negative effects of erosion on soil organic carbon, nitrate nitrogen and water-holding capacity, but not on soil phosphorus, conductivity or pH. Furthermore, there was a negative effect of soil erosion on an overall measure of soil quality derived from a principal components analysis in three of the four wadis we studied. Erosion resulted in an increase in plant species richness and significantly altered plant community structure in eroded areas of wadis. Increased plant species richness in eroded sites is consistent with the intermediate disturbance hypothesis of plant community structure. Plants growing in eroded areas did not differ in two quality indices (nitrogen content and digestibility), although plants typical of eroded areas had significantly lower levels of common digestion inhibitors (total polyphenols) and toxins (alkaloids) than plants from undisturbed sites. These last-mentioned results are contrary to our prediction and are consistent with the notion that plants growing in disturbed (e.g. eroded) sites maximize growth at the expense of investments in defense.     

3种藜科植物叶特性因子对土壤养分、水分及种群密度的响应

 以科尔沁沙地3种主要的藜科植物为实验材料,通过控制土壤养分、土壤水分以及种群密度,研究植物比叶面积（SLA）和叶干物质含量（LDMC）对土壤养分、土壤水分和种群密度及三者交互作用的响应。结果表明：养分和水分对这3种植物的SLA和LDMC的影响均为显著,其中养分为最大的变异源。3种藜科植物的SLA和LDMC对密度处理响应均为不显著。交互作用对3种藜科植物SLA和LDMC的影响则要弱于单因素（密度、水分）处理;养分的增加导致沙蓬、大果虫实的SLA增大,LDMC减小;水分对SLA、LDMC的影响和养分相似;尖头叶藜的响应方式与沙蓬、大果虫实相异,随养分的增加其SLA有减小的趋势,LDMC反而有增大的趋势; 土壤养分、水分的改变对尖头叶藜SLA和LDMC的影响较弱。