Promotive Effects ofAlginate-Derived Oligosaccharides on the Inducing Drought Resistance of Tomato

In order to determine the role of alginate-derived oligosaccharides （ADO） in drought stress resistance of tomato （Lycopersicon esculentum Miller） seedlings, the leaves were exposed to different concentrations of ADO （0.05%, 0.10%, 0.20%, 0.30% and 0.50%） after drought stress was simulated by exposing the roots to 0.6molL^-1 PEG-6000 solution for 6h. Changes in biomass, electrolyte leakage and malondialdehyde （MDA）, free proline, total soluble sugars （TSS） and abscisic acid （ABA）, the enzyme activities of catalase （CAT）, superoxide dismutase （SOD）, peroxidase （POD） and phenylalanine ammonia-lyase （PAL） were measured to investigate the effects of ADO treatment. The results showed that the treatment with an ADO concentration of 0.20% exhibited the highest performance of drought stress resistance in the tomato seedlings by decreasing the electrolyte leakage and the concentration of MDA, increasing the contents of free proline, TSS and ABA, and increasing the activities of CAT, SOD, POD and PAL after treatment with ADO. It is suggested that changes in electrolyte leakage, MDA, osmotic solutes, ABA, anti-oxidative enzyme and PAL activities were responsible for the increased drought stress resistance in tomato seedlings. To our best knowledge, this is the first report of the effect of ADO treatment on enhancing the drought stress resistance of tomato seedlings.     

Inter-annual variation of streamflow,precipitation and evaporation in a small humid watershed (Chengcun Basin,China)

For sustainable water resource management,it is important to determine the relationship between streamfl ow and other variables that infl uence availability of water resources.However,many catchments do not have suffi cient data to allow for a more detailed study of these relationships.We faced a similar challenge in the Chengcun Basin(limited historical data: from 1986–1999); and therefore we used a new approach to overcome this.We found that,using nonparametric trend methods in conjunction with the climate elasticity analyses and the 2D visualization of hydrologic data,it is possible to assess the relationships between streamfl ow and other hydro-climatic variables.In the past,streamfl ow trends in the basin were more correlated with precipitation than with potential evapotranspiration(PET).In addition,there is a gradual shift in the hydrological regime of the catchment,which may affect the occurrence of available water resources and activities that depend on them.In addition,based on our climate sensitivity analyses,the streamfl ow is dependent and more sensitive to variations in precipitation than to PET(δQ=0.79δP+0.42δE; precipitation elasticity,ε P=1.32; PET elasticity,ε E=-2.10).Therefore pending more detailed studies,the use of our approach will provide a rapid means to assess the variation of water resources(streamfl ow)in a watershed.In the future,we hope to carry out related research in other watersheds and also perform a more detailed studies to improve upon the results of this study.     

Holocene Temperature Records from the East China Sea Mud Area Southwest of the Cheju Island Reconstructed by the U^K_37 and TEX86 Paleothermometers

As an important marginal sea under the influences of both the Changjiang River and the Kuroshio, the East China Sea （ECS） environment is sensitive to both continental and oceanic forcing. Paleoenvironmental records are essential for understanding the long-term environmental evolution of the ECS and adjacent areas. However, paleo-temperature records from the ECS shelf are currently very limited. In this study, the U^K_37 and TEX86 paleothermometers were used to reconstruct surface and subsurface temperature changes of the mud area southwest of the Cheju Island （Site F10B） in the ECS during the Holocene. The results indicate that temperature changes of F 10B during the early Holocene （11.6-6.2 kyr） are associated with global climate change. During the period of 6.2-2.5 kyr, the similar variability trends of smoothing average of AT （the difference between surface and subsurface temperature） of Site F10B and the strength of the Kuroshio suggest that the Kuroshio influence on the site started around 6.2kyr when the Kuroshio entered the Yellow Sea and continued to 2.5 kyr. During the late Holocene （2.5-1.45 kyr）, apparent decreases of U^K_37 sea surface temperature （SST） and AT imply that the direct influence of the Kuroshio was reduced while cold eddy induced by the Kuroshio gradually controlled hydrological conditions of this region around 2.5 kyr.     

A 2011 drought event affecting distribution of nutrients and chlorophyll in the Zhujiang River estuary

During the summer of 2011,a severe drought event occurred throughout the Zhujiang(Pearl)River Basin of South China.This decreased runoff into the river,resulting in increased salinity and reduced suspended substance.To examine the effects of this extreme drought on the distribution of nutrients and chlorophyll,we compared two surveys from 2006 and 2011.Results show that dissolved inorganic nitrogen concentration did not change from 2006 to 2011,whereas the proportions of NO 2 – and NH 4 + to DIN in 2011 increased.PO 4 3-concentration was lower in 2011 than in 2006,whereas there was no difference in SiO 3 2-concentration between these years.Correlation coeffi cients of salinity with levels of NO 3 –,NO 2 –,NH 4 +,PO 4 3-and SiO 3 2-in 2011 were all much higher than those in 2006,suggesting greater conservation of dissolved nutrients during the extreme drought event.Furthermore,calculated amounts of regenerated nitrate and phosphorus and their proportions to observed nutrients in 2011 were much lower than in 2006,indicating that nutrient regeneration decreased during the extreme drought period.Mean concentration of chlorophyll a(Chl-a)was considerably higher in 2011 than in 2006,and a harmful algal bloom of Cochlodinium geminatum was observed in the estuary,owing to water stagnancy and lower turbidity as a consequence of drought.Therefore,the extreme drought event in 2011 changed the composition ratio of nutrients,enhanced nutrient conservative behavior,and reduced nutrient regeneration.This affected some key ecological processes in the estuary.     

Optimization of Stocking Density for the Sea Cucumber,Apostichopusjaponicus Selenka,Under Feed-Supplement and Non-Feed-Supplement Regimes in Pond Culture

Optimal stocking densities were investigated for the sea cucumber Apostichopusjaponicus Selenka under feed-supplement and non-feed-supplement regimes in net enclosures for 333 d. Substantial weight loss occurred during the aestivation phase （AE）. Decreased growth rates were also observed during the winter phase （WT）. In contrast, sea cucumbers showed rapid growth during the spring （SP） and autumn （AU） phases. Feeding regimes considerably influenced the growtb performance, i.e., sea cucumbers grew faster under feed-supplement regime than under non-feed-supplement regime （P 〈 0.05）. The average survival rates of sea cucumbers under feed-supplement regime were higher than those under non-feed-supplement regime for both the autumn phase and spring phase, but the differences were only significant for the latter phase （P〈 0.05）. The fitted B-N curves showed that the optimal stocking densities, in terms of net production, were 22.3 ind. m^-2 for feed-supplement regime and 14.1 ind. m^-2 for non-feed-supplement regime.     

A Rapid Assessment of Scleractinian and Non-Scleractinian Coral Growth Forms Along the Saudi Arabian Coast,Red Sea

In this study we assessed the current status of coral reefs along the Saudi Arabian coast of the Red Sea. Among the three growth forms of Acroporid corals, the branching forms were found to dominate in the Farassan Islands （44.55%±11.10% cover） fol-lowed by tabular forms in the Doga Islands （ranging between 18%±6.47% and 18.30%±9.47% cover）. Digitate forms were rarely found along the coast except at Maqna. Among the five growth forms of non-Acroporid corals, we observed maximum cover of branching forms in the Yanbu offshore area （58.89%±15.11% cover） followed by the Jeddah coast （24.76%±14.04% cover）. The Millepora spp., a non-Scleractinian coral, was abundant at all the near-shore sites, such as Jeddah （10.70%±8.21%） and A1-Wajh （9.81%±6.69%）. The live coral cover （including both Scleractinian and non-Scleractinian corals） of Saudi Red Sea coast was seen to be higher in the north and gradually decrease towards the south. Principal Component analysis showed that the contribution of Acro- porid corals was greater in the southern region than in the northem and middle regions, but vice-versa in the case of non-Acroporid corals. Bray-Curtis cluster analysis categorized all the study sites into two major clusters with 60% similarity. Among them, one cluster-forming sites from Maqna to Masturah （Northem region） and the second one comprised the middle and southem regions （Jeddah to Farassan Islands）, and one outlier Rabigh.     

Response of Microbial Community to Petroleum Stress and Phosphate Dosage in Sediments of Jiaozhou Bay,China

The dynamic microcosms were used to evaluate the effect of oil spills on microbial ecological system in marine sedi- ment and the enhancement of nutrient on the oil removal. The function and structure of microbial community caused by the oil pollu-tion and phosphate dosage were simultaneously monitored by dehydrogenase activity assay and PCR-denaturing gradient gel elec- trophoresis （DGGE） techniques. The results indicated that the amount of total bacteria in all dynamic microcosms declined rapidly with incubation time. The number of petroleum-degrading bacteria and the activity of sediment dehydrogenase were gradually en-hanced by petroleum in the oil-treated microcosms, while they both showed no obvious response to phosphate dosage. In comparison, phosphate spiked heterotrophic bacteria and they showed a significant increase in amount. DGGE profiles indicated that petroleum dosage greatly changed community structure, and the bacteria belonged to class Deltaproteobacteria, and phyla Bacteroidetes and Chlorobi were enriched. This study demonstrated that petroleum input greatly impacted the microbial community structure and con- sequently the marine sediment petroleum-degrading activity was enhanced. Phosphate dosage would multiply heterotrophic bacteria but not significantly enhance the petroleum degradation.     

Effects of Calanoid Copepod Schmackeriapoplesia as a Live Food on the Growth,Survival and Fatty Acid Composition of Larvae and Juveniles of Japanese Flounder,Paralichthys olivaceus

Zooplankton constitutes a major part of the diet for fish larvae in the marine food web, and it is generally believed that copepods can meet the nutritional requirements of fish larvae. In this study, calanoid copepod Schmackeria poplesia, rotifer Brachionus plicatilis and anostraca crustacean Artemia sp. were analyzed for fatty acid contents, and were used as live food for cul- turing larval Japanese flounder, Paralichthys olivaceus. The total content of three types of HUFAs （DHA, EPA and ARA） in S. po- plesia was significantly higher than that in the other two live foods （P〈O.O1）. Three live organisms were used for raising larvae and juveniles of Paralichthys olivaceus respectively for 15 and 10 d. Then the growth, survival and fatty acid composition of the larvae and juveniles were investigated. The results showed that the larvae and juveniles fed with copepods （S. poplesia） had significantly higher growth rate than those fed with the other two organisms （P〈0.01）. The survival of the flounder larvae fed with copepods was significantly higher than that of the others （P〈0.01）, and the survival of the juvenile fish fed with copepods was higher than that fed with Artemia （P〈0.05）. The contents of three types of HUFAs （DHA, EPA and ARA） and the ratio of DHA/EPA in larval and juve- nile flounder P. olivaceus were analyzed. The results showed that the contents of DHA, EPA and ARA in the larvae and juveniles fed with S. poplesia were higher than those fed with a mixed diet orArtemia only, and the ratio of EPA/ARA in larvae and juveniles of P. olivaceus fed with S. poplesia was lower than that in the case of feeding with a mixed diet or Artemia only. The present data showed that copepod is the best choice for feeding the larvae and juveniles of fish considering its effects on the survival, growth and nutrition composition of the fish.     

Pyropia yezoensis can utilize CO2 in the air during moderate dehydration

Pyropia yezoensis,an intertidal seaweed,experiences regular dehydration and rehydration with the tides.In this study,the responses of P.yezoensis to dehydration and rehydration under high and low CO 2 concentrations((600–700)×10-6 and(40–80)×10-6,named Group I and Group II respectively)were investigated.The thalli of Group I had a signifi cantly higher effective photosystem II quantum yield than the thalli of Group II at 71% absolute water content(AWC).There was little difference between thalli morphology,total Rubisco activity and total protein content at 100% and 71% AWC,which might be the basis for the normal performance of photosynthesis during moderate dehydration.A higher effective photosystem I quantum yield was observed in the thalli subjected to a low CO 2 concentration during moderate dehydration,which might be caused by the enhancement of cyclic electron fl ow.These results suggested that P.yezoensis can directly utilize CO 2 in ambient air during moderate dehydration.     

Acoustic numerical simulation for VTI media

The generality to anisotropy of the earth media can be proved by a lot of research and observation, which is shown by the elastic parameters of the seismic wave changes with the direction of propagation. Actually, computational efficiency is very low, when simulating on the elastic anisotropie media, for the complicated and multi-parameters computation, which becomes a disadvantage to the succeeding migration and imaging pro-cedure. Using acoustic approximation in the VT[ media is an advisable simplification for the elastic wave simu-lation in that setting S-velocity into zero can greatly reduce the computational amount as well as get the same simulation effect. The authors get an acoustic approximation formula, then gain an anisotropic wave equation with 2-order in time and 4-order in space by inverse Fourier transformation, and dispel with the dispersion by adopting the high order finite difference operator in space and remove the edge reflection using the absorption attenuation boundary. Finally, the feasibility and effectiveness of this algorithm can be proved by the snaps and synthetic records.     

Nitrogen and Phosphorus Budget of a Polyculture System of Sea Cucumber （Apostichopus japonicus）, Jellyfish （Rhopilema esculenta） and Shrimp （Fenneropenaeus chinensis）

The nitrogen(N) and phosphorus(P) budget and the ecological efficiency of a polyculture system of sea cucumber(Apostichopus japonicus), jellyfish(Rhopilema esculenta) and shrimp(Fenneropenaeus chinensis) were studied in a cofferdam, 120.2 ha in size. The nutrients were supplied by spring tide inflow. In total, 139600 kg N yr-1 and 9730 kg P yr-1 input to the system; while 118900 kg N yr-1 and 2840 kg P yr-1 outflowed from the system concurrently, thus the outflow was 85.7%(N) and 29.2%(P) of inflow. The production of N and P was 889.5 kg yr-1 and 49.28 kg yr-1(sea cucumber) and 204 kg yr-1 and 18.03 kg yr-1(jellyfish and shrimp), respectively. The utilization rate of N and P by polycultured animals was 7.8‰ and 6.9‰, respectively, 21.9% and 38% higher than that of monocultured sea cucumber. Our results indicated that the polyculture system was an efficient culture system of animals and a remediation system of coastal environment as well; it scavenged 14.3% and 70.8% of N and P, respectively. Such an ecological efficiency may be improved further by increasing either the stocking density or the size of sea cucumber or both.     

Molecularly Imprinted Polymers for Selective Extraction of Crystal Violet from Natural Seawater coupled with High- Performance Liquid Chromatographic Determination

Molecularly imprinted polymers （MIPs） were prepared by the bulk polymerization using crystal violet as the template molecule, and the methacrylic acid and ethylene glycol dimetheacrylate as functional monomer and cross-linker, respectively. Sys- tematic investigations of synthetic conditions were conducted. The surface morphology and recognition mechanism of the obtained polymers were studied using scanning electron microscope and spectrophotometric analysis. MIPs showed high atTmity to template molecule and were successfully applied as special solid-phase extraction sorbent for selective extraction of crystal violet from natural seawater. An off-line molecularly imprinted solid-phase extraction （MISPE） method followed by high-performance liquid chroma- tography with diodearray detection for the analysis of crystal violet was also established. MISPE columns have good recoveries for crystal violet standard solutions and good linearity was obtained over the concentration range of 0-200 ~tg L-1 （R2 〉 0.99）. Finally, two natural seawater samples were investigated. The recoveries of spiked seawater on the MISPE columns were from 44.47% to 62.34%, the relative standard deviation （n=3） being in the range of 2.89%-5.96%.     

Optimization of Preparative Separation and Purification of Total PolyphenoJs from Sargassum tenerrimum by Column Chromatography

Polyphenols from the ethanol extracts of Sargassum tenerrimum （ST） with potent antiallergic effects were studied to optimize separation process through column chromatography. The adsorption and desorption characteristics of three widely used adsorbents： macroporous resin, silica gel, and polyvinylpolypyrrolidone （PVPP）, were critically evaluated respectively and studied for the optimization of preparative separation of polyphenols. Static operations on these adsorbents showed that macroporous resin had the best adsorption and desorption capability among the three adsorbents. Dynamic adsorption and desorption with macroporous resin packed column were also conducted to optimize the parameters such as： with the optimal values shown in brackets, the concen- tration of extract solution （4 times diluted）, pH value （6-7）, adsorption speed （3BVh-1, bed volumes/per hour）, concentration of ethanol （80%）, elution speed （3 BV ht） and elution volume （7 BV）. The chromatographic process so optimized gave a purity of 62.43% from the crude polyphenols, providing a promising basis for large scale preparation of bioactive polyphenols upon further scaling up tests.     

Development of 101 Novel EST-Derived Single Nucleotide Polymor- phism Markers for Zhikong Scallop （Chlamysfarren）

Zhikong scallop （Chlamys farreri） is an important maricultured species in China. Many researches on this species, such as population genetics and QTL fine-mapping, need a large number of molecular markers. In this study, based on the ex- pressed sequence tags （EST）, a total of 300 putative single nucleotide polymorphisms （SNPs） were selected and validated using high resolution melting （HRM） technology with unlabeled probe. Of them, 101 （33.7%） were found to be polymorphic in 48 indi- viduals from 4 populations. Further evaluation with 48 individuals from Qingdao population showed that all the polymorphic loci had two alleles with the minor allele frequency ranged from 0.046 to 0.500. The observed and expected heterozygosities ranged from 0.000 to 0.925 and from 0.089 to 0.505, respectively. Fifteen loci deviated significantly from Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium and significant linkage disequilibrate was detected in one pair of markers. BLASTx gave significant hits for 72 of the 101 poly- morphic SNP- containing ESTs. Thirty four polymorphic SNP loci were predicted to be non-synonymous substitutions as they caused either the change of codons （33 SNPs） or pretermination of translation （1 SNP）. The markers developed can be used for the population studies and genetic improvement on Zhikong scallop.     

Replacement of Dietary Fish Oil with Vegetable Oils Improves the Growth and Flesh Quality of Large Yellow Croaker （Larmichthys crocea）

We investigated the effect of the replacement of dietary fish oil with vegetable oils on the growth and flesh quality of large yellow croaker(Larmichthys crocea). The basal diet(FO) was formulated to contain 66.5% fish meal and 6.4% menhaden fish oil; whereas the other 3 experimental diets were formulated by replacing the fish oil with 50% soybean oil(SO50), 100% soybean oil(SO100) and 100% palm oil(PO100), respectively. The 4 diets were randomly assigned to 4 floating sea cages(3.0 m × 3.0 m × 3.0 m), and each was stocked with 250 fish individuals with an initial average weight of 245.29 g ± 7.45 g. The fish were fed to apparent satiation twice a day at 5:00 and 17:00, respectively, for 12 weeks. Experimental analysis showed that the specific growth rate of fish fed SO50 or PO100 were significantly higher than that of fish fed FO or SO100(P0.05), and crude lipid contents of ventral muscle and viscera were significantly lower in fish fed FO than in those fed the other 3 diets(P0.05). No significant differences in condition factor, viscerosomatic index, hepatosomatic index, gutted yield and colorimetric values of fish among the dietary treatments were observed(P0.05). Compared to FO diet, SO50, SO100 and PO100 diets led to substantial decreases in the liquid loss and water loss from fresh fillets(1 d, 4℃)(P0.05). Similarly, thiobarbituric acid reactive substance(TBARS) values of fillets under different storage conditions(1 d, 4℃; 7 d, 4℃; 4 weeks,-20℃; 8 weeks,-20℃) decreased significantly after partial or complete replacement of fish oil with vegetable oils. These findings indicated that the growth performance and selected flesh quality properties(liquid holding capacity and TBARS value) of large yellow croaker were substantially improved by replacing dietary fish oil with vegetable oils.     

Adsorption of Heavy Metal Ions, Dyes and Proteins by Chitosan Composites and Derivatives- A Review

Chitosan composites and derivatives have gained wide attentions as effective biosorbents due to their low costs and high contents of amino and hydroxyl functional groups. They have showed significant potentials of removing metal ions, dyes and pro- teins from various media. Chemical modifications that lead to the formation of the chitosan derivatives and chitosan composites have been extensively studied and widely reported in literatures. The aims of this review were to summarize the important information of the bioactivities of chitosan, highlight the various preparation methods of chitosan-based active biosorbents, and outline its potential applications in the adsorption of heavy metal ions, dyes and proteins from wastewater and aqueous solutions.     

Causes of rockfalls in AI-Huwayshah area, Yemen

According to topography of Yemen, most areas and villages are located at obligated crest, toe of mountain and under cliffs. Therefore Al-Huwayshah consisting of Tawilah sandstone group is characterized by steep slope reach to 90℃ in some areas. This area is affected by strong tectonic movements and faults that occurred during the geological epochs. This effect enhances to find out fractures and joints as well as the rocks become brittle and ready to slide depending on the position of area. And there are some fractures and joints on the surface of the areas due to tectonic movement associated with opening the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden. The rainfalls, fractures, joints, earthquakes, gravity, vegetations, temperatures and human activities play a big role in the processes of rockfalls and landslides in this area. All those factors are considered as the basic causes and catalyzed factors for occurrence of rockfall in the studide area. In addition, the authors carried out laboratory test for many rock samples to get the physical properties of the rocks.     

Effect of sodium chloride and cadmium on the growth,oxidative stress and antioxidant enzyme activities of Zygosaccharomyces rouxii

Zygosaccharomyces rouxii is a salt-tolerant yeast species capable of removing cadmium(Cd) pollutant from aqueous solution. Presently, the physiological characteristics of Z. rouxii under the stress of sodium chloride(NaCl) and Cd are poorly understood. This study investigated the effects of NaCl and Cd on the growth, oxidative stress and antioxidant enzyme activities of Z. rouxii after stress treatment for 24 h. Results showed that NaCl or Cd alone negatively affected the growth of Z. rouxii, but the growth-inhibiting effect of Cd on Z. rouxii was reduced in the presence of NaCl. Flow cytometry assay showed that under Cd stress, NaCl significantly reduced the production of reactive oxygen species(ROS) and cell death of Z. rouxii compared with those in the absence of NaCl. The activities of superoxide dismutase(SOD), catalase(CAT), and peroxidase(POD) of Z. rouxii were significantly enhanced by 2%–6% NaCl, which likely contributed to the high salt tolerance of Z. rouxii. The POD activity was inhibited by 20 mg L-1Cd while the SOD and CAT activities were enhanced by 8 mg L-1 Cd and inhibited by 20 mg L-1 or 50 mg L-1 Cd. The inhibitory effect of high-level Cd on the antioxidant enzyme activities of Z. rouxii was counteracted by the combined use of NaCl, especially at 6%. This probably accounted for the decrease in Cd-induced ROS production and cell death of Z. rouxii after incubation with NaCl and Cd. Our work provided physiological clues as to the use of Z. rouxii as a biosorbent for Cd removal from seawater and liquid highly salty food.     

Effect of Fe3+ on the growth and lipid content of Isochrysis galbana

Inducing lipid accumulation in microalgae cells without suppressing cell growth is vital to the economical production of biodiesel from microalgae. In two experiments, we demonstrate that the cell concentration and lipid content of marine microalgae Isochrysis galbana depend upon the iron concentration in the growth media. In Experiment I, adding chelated FeCl 3 to the medium at the late exponential growth phase prolonged this phase and increased the lipid content in I. galbana cells. The fi nal cell density and lipid content of I. galbana supplemented with chelated FeCl 3 was approximately 2 and 1.65 times higher than that of non-supplemented cultures, respectively. In Experiment II, I. galbana cells in the late exponential phase were collected and re-inoculated into new media containing Fe 3+ at various concentrations. The fi nal cell concentration and lipid content were maximized at the highest iron concentration(38% biomass by dry weight at 1.2×10-5 mol/L Fe 3+). In this study, intracellular neutral lipid storage was evaluated by fl uorescent spectrophotometry using fl uorochrome Nile red, and the measurement conditions were optimized.     

Soil organic carbon stock as affected by land use/cover changes in the humid region of northern Iran

This study was conducted to determine the changes in the soil carbon stocks as influenced by land use in a humid zone of Deylaman district(10,876 ha), a mountainous region of northern Iran. For this, land use maps were produced from TM and ETM+ images for 1985, 2000 and 2010 years; and this was supplemented by field measurement of soil carbon in 2010. The results showed that the mean soil organic carbon(SOC) density was 6.7±1.8 kg C m-2, 5.2±3.4 kg C m-2 and 3.2±1.8 kg C m-2 for 0-20 cm soil layer and 4.8±1.9 kg C m-2, 3.1±2 kg C m-2 and 2.7±1.8 kg C m-2 for 20-40 cm soil layer in forest, rangeland and cultivated land, respectively. During the past 25 years, 14.4% of the forest area had been converted to rangeland; and 28.4% of rangelands had been converted to cultivated land. According to the historical land use changes in the study area, the highest loss of SOC stocks resulted from the conversion of the forest to rangeland(0.45×104 Mg C in 0-40 cm depth layer); and the conversion of rangeland to cultivated land(0.37×104 Mg C in 0-40 cm), which typically led to the loss of soil carbon in the area studied. The knowledge on the historical land use changes and its influence on overall SOC stocks could be helpful for making management decision for farmers and policy managers in the future, for enhancing the potential of C sequestration in northern Iran.