Changes in vegetation structure induced by domestic grazing in Patagonia (Southern Argentina)

We analyzed the structural differences associated with grazing exclusion on vegetation by studying 24 grazed-ungrazed paired sites in Patagonia (Argentina). Our objectives were to evaluate the effect of grazing on plant species composition, plant diversity, the relative abundance of plant functional types, and the vertical and horizontal structure of the plant community. This study across the shrub-grass steppes of Patagonia highlights some important characteristics of the vegetation response to a major disturbance factor we show that shrub encroachment is not a generalized response of the steppe to grazing. Grazed areas presented lower richness and diversity than exclosures. Physiognomic changes (as describe by relative abundance of plant functional types) were less important than those observed at the species level. These results shown that the status of the shrub-grass steppes of the Occidental district of Patagonia can not be characterized in terms of contrasting physiognomic states as in the case of the grass steppes of the Subandean district. Forbs and a few mesophytic and xerophytic grasses are the key elements to identify the condition of the steppe. Monitoring programs should focus on the relative abundance of these components.     

Building participatory landscape-based conservation alternatives: A case study of Michoacán, Mexico

Michoacán, as one of the most species-rich provinces of Mexico and with high levels of endemism, was used for testing the potential of a conservation approach based on biodiversity as determined by scientists and local stakeholder's preferences. The resulting zones covered over 17% of the area of Michoacán in 18 zones. As a result of this study the first “large” tropical dry forest biosphere reserve in Mexico is currently being established. In conclusion, landscape-based conservation zoning based on local stakeholders' perspectives as well as on critical biodiversity indicators, proved to be effective for achieving science-based and politically acceptable nature conservation schemes.     

Comparison of traditional wild plant knowledge between aboriginal communities inhabiting arid and forest environments in Patagonia, Argentina

The Mapuche people have a deeply rooted tradition of wild plant use for their subsistence. In this study we evaluated whether plant selection by the Mapuche is influenced by environmental constraints. Selection patterns of wild plant richness were compared in two Mapuche communities sharing the same traditions and beliefs but inhabiting different environments. Similarities and differences in the use patterns of wild medicinal and edible plants were quantitatively analyzed by using concepts derived from ecological theory. The Cayulef community is settled in the NW Patagonian (herbaceous) steppe while the Curruhuinca community is established near the Andean temperate forest, 100 km away from each other. Free-listing and semi-structured interviews were conducted with 32 families in Cayulef and 39 in Curruhuinca corresponding to 80% and 40% of each population, respectively. Data were analyzed by means of the Jaccard similarity index and statistical tests. The main results of this study showed that the home environment is a determinant factor that influences which plant species are utilized, as is the anthropic environment (with its high exotic species richness) in each community. However, similar patterns were found with respect to plant families, ways of utilization, plant parts and life forms utilized irrespective of where the communities are settled. In addition, in both populations, wild plant richness was significantly higher for medicinal than for edible species. Our results showed that the use of wild plants is primarily based on the utilization of species belonging to the nearest ecological environments that have both therapeutic and dietary functions.     

Outside the boundary - Land use changes in the surroundings of urban nature reserves

The importance of the landscape surrounding a protected area for sustaining its values is frequently discussed in conservation literature. Studies on the interactions of urbanisation and nature conservation at the global scale suggest that protected nature attracts urbanisation, and that this in turn might negatively impact the area. However, studies specifically addressing such land use dynamics at city scale are largely missing. In this study we examine the change in proportion of built up area in two zones (500 m and 1000 m) surrounding 15 urban nature reserves in southern Sweden. By using comprehensive maps from the last 50 years, we compared the zones to the overall urbanisation in the cities to reveal discrepancies in land use surrounding the nature reserves. We found that the amount of built up area in the buffer zones surrounding nature reserves followed the same trend as the corresponding cities and this relation was stable over time, although the positive relationship was not significant. The establishment of nature reserves had no detectable effect on surrounding land use, however two distinguished groups of reserves were identified with either more or less built up area in buffers zones compared to cities. These differences were related to specific local drivers such as land ownership, land use history and nature reserve location. In contrast to earlier studies at global scale, our study did not show that nature reserves attract urbanisation. Instead, we stress that the great variety of contextual factors at the city scale makes quantitative analysis of this kind extremely difficult. However, a general neglect from planning and nature conservation agencies to recognise nature reserves’ dependence on the surrounding landscape configuration could be detrimental to sustain their values in the long-term. Hence we suggest that zones surrounding nature-protected areas should be planned and managed according to local land use history and current landscape conditions to enable and enhance necessary cross-boundary interactions.     

玉龙雪山植物物种多样性和群落结构沿海拔梯度的分布格局

生物多样性沿海拔梯度的变化是多样性环境梯度格局研究中的一个热点问题。在对滇西北玉龙雪山2 900 m~4 200 m间沿海拔梯度进行的群落调查基础上,对植物物种多样性和群落结构的垂直分异格局进行了分析。结果表明:1)在16个样地中共记录植物物种261种,分属78科,158属,其中木本植物36种,灌木植物71种,草本154种。2)沿海拔梯度,森林群落的最大树高、最大胸径、平均树高和平均胸径等群落结构指标均呈单峰分布格局。3)随着海拔的升高。木本和草本的物种丰富度,先增加后下降;而灌木层的物种丰富度随着海拔的上升呈明显下降格局。4)木本层和灌木层的β多样性(Cody指数)随海拔升高,总体呈减小趋势,而草本层β多样性显示出单峰分布的垂直格局。     

Temporal and spatial patterns of tenebrionid beetle diversity in NW Patagonia, Argentina

Spatial and temporal variation in abundance, richness and composition of Tenebrionidae beetle assemblages were described for north-western Patagonia. Beetles were collected using 450 pitfall traps arranged in 50 plots across an area of about 22,500 km² representative of the Subantarctic-Patagonian transition of Argentina. The study area included three different habitats: forest, scrub, and steppe. Beetles were trapped at five, eight day sampling periods in spring-summer between November 2004 and March 2006. A total of 30 species and 938 individuals were collected. Total abundance was higher in November and January than in March, and species richness did not change among samplings. Species richness was greater in the steppe than scrub. Assemblages differed between the northern and southern transects. There was little correlation between the measured environmental variables and species composition. Historical factors might explain the observed patterns, but other environmental variables such as soil characteristics may be more informative in explaining the present distribution of tenebrionid species.     

山地森林群落物种多样性垂直格局研究进展

山地森林群落物种多样性垂直格局研究是揭示植被地带性分布式样的重要手段,其研究内容主要包括山地森林群落物种多样性的垂直变化模式、山地森林群落物种多样性垂直带谱和山地森林群落物种多样性及其环境解释等。目前对于山地森林群落物种多样性沿海拔梯度的格局变化模式尚无统一认识,但大致可概括为5类变化模式。垂直带谱研究从最初的单因子单目标已逐步过渡到单因子多目标,最后到多因子多目标。研究深度也从根据样地资料的简单描述和分析,发展为山地森林群落物种多样性机理假说的提出与证实,尚未见有关山地森林群落物种多样性垂直格局机理的报道。山地森林群落物种多样性垂直格局研究方法可分为取样方法和测度方法两大类。常用的取样方法有梯度格局法（或连续样带取样法）和典型群落随机取样法,其中最小取样面积的确定尤为关键。就山地森林群落物种多样性垂直格局测度和分析而言,物种多样性指数的测度和单元统计分析（回归、假设检验、方差分析、相关分析等）较为常见,随着分析手段的不断创新,植被数量分类和排序等多元统计学分析方法得到了日益广泛的应用。     

基于NPWP的云南植物保护优先区分析

本研究以国家重点保护野生植物（NPWP-National Protected Wild Plants）为指示物种,基于云南各县（市、区）的NPWP信息统计,应用Dobson 算法系统筛选出云南植物保护优先区,并利用已建自然保护区信息评价所筛选的植物保护优先区及其关联生态（亚）区的保护现状。结果表明：在75%和100%的NPWP保护水平上,分别筛选确定了河口县等7 个和24 个县/市/区为植物保护优先区,其中75%保护水平上的7 个植物保护优先区是云南植物多样性保护最关键地区;在75%和100%保护水平上,分别有4 个和8 个植物保护优先区的自然保护区面积百分比低于5%,亟待加强建设;2 个生态区和7 个生态亚区的自然保护面积百分比都明显低于10%,未达到全球植物保护战略2010 年的基本目标;应将I-25-03、I-25-04、I-28-07 生态亚区纳入云南植物保护地体系优化之中。     

Landsat,aerial photography and state factors in soil survey of arid and humid Patagonia,Argentina

Frederiksen, Peter: LANDSAT, aerial photography and state factors in soil survey of arid and humid Patagonia, Argentina. Geografisk Tidsskrift 81: 39–48. Copenhagen, June, 1981

The applicability of LANDSAT, aerial photography, and topographical maps was tested in relation to soil survey of humid and arid Patagonia, Argentina. Fieldwork was carried out as toposequence-studies in five vegetation zones and observations of roadcuts. These data were compared with LANDSAT and aerial photography. Only observations on state factors of soil formation were obtained. These showed as a first rough approximation a consistent relationship between observed state factors as expressed in land systems and stage of soil development.     

Effect of cattle breeding on habitat use of Pampas deer Ozotoceros bezoarticus celer in semiarid grasslands of San Luis, Argentina

The largest population of the Argentinean Pampas deer Ozotoceros bezoarticus celer is found in the semiarid grasslands of the San Luis province. Despite relatively high deer numbers in the region, there has been concern that expansion of farming practices could displace the species. Since the 1990’s, cattle breeding has intensified especially as a result of the replacement of natural grassland with South African digit grass (Digitaria eriantha) and African lovegrass (Eragrostis curvula). In this study, we studied how deer in “El Centenario” ranch used available habitat types, especially to assess whether it preferentially used natural over exotic pastures. We employed 8 fixed line transects to record deer numbers and habitat use during the dry season, early rainy and late rainy seasons. We estimated a mean population size of 731 ± 121 individuals, a density of 1.95 ± 0.25 deer/km². Our results also showed that deer did not appear to select natural pastures over exotic ones, though D. eriantha grasslands with cattle were used less during the late rainy season. Grazed pastures with D. eriantha without cattle were used significantly more during all time periods. Our results therefore suggest that Pampas deer are not shifted by exotic pastures but we caution that it is important to manage these habitats sustainably (e.g. cattle load adjusted to grassland nutritional supply, rotational crops with parcel rest period), to ensure the conservation of the species within agricultural areas.     

Effects of soil degradation on infiltration rates in grazed semiarid rangelands of northeastern Patagonia, Argentina

In grazed semiarid ecosystems, considerable spatial variability in soil infiltration exists as a result of vegetation and soil patchiness. Despite widespread recognition that important interactions and feedbacks occur between vegetation, runoff and erosion, currently there is only limited quantitative information on the control mechanisms that lead to differences in infiltration from different vegetation types. In this paper, we determine (i) the relationship between vegetation and soil surface characteristics and (ii) the soil infiltration rate by using rainfall simulations on runoff plots (0.60 × 1.67 m) in three plant communities of northeastern Patagonia: grass (GS), degraded grass with scattered shrubs (DGS), and degraded shrub steppes (DSS). Our results clearly indicate that vegetation and soil infiltration are closely coupled. Total infiltration was significantly higher in the GS (69.6 mm) compared with the DGS and DSS (42.9 and 28.5 mm, respectively). In the GS, soil infiltration rate declined more slowly than the others communities, reaching a terminal infiltration rate significantly greater (57.7 mm) than those of DGS and DSS (25.7 and 12.9 mm, respectively). The high rate of water losses via overland-flow may limit the possibilities for grass seedling emergence and establishment and favor the persistent dominance of shrubs.     

A basic assessment of residential plant diversity and its ecosystem services and disservices in Beijing,China

About 52% of the world's population now lives in urban areas, and 41% of urban land in developed countries is used for residential areas. The amount and quality of residential green space, an important element in urban residential infrastructure, is closely correlated to city dwellers' quality of life. The quality of green spaces is not only closely correlated to the ecosystem services they provide, but also to their disservices. In order to (i) examine how plant diversity and plant traits vary in different residential areas, (ii) determine the main socio-economic factors driving plant trait variations across different residential areas, and (iii) provide an overview on selected ecosystem services and disservices related to plant diversity, we investigated the flora and socio-economic properties of 83 residential areas in Beijing, China. We found a total of 369 plant species belonging to 99 families and 150 genera. With respect to plant traits, there were 90 annual species, 174 alien species, 169 pollen allergenic species, and 133 species with edible or pharmaceutical value. The number of perennial, alien, ornamental and edible plant species was largest in residential areas completed in the 1990s. The number of allergenic species was highest in residential areas completed prior to 1980. The Simpson, Shannon and Pielou indices for trees and shrubs were highest in areas completed in the 1990s, while those same indices for herbs were highest in residential areas completed prior to 1980. General Linear Model analyses revealed that richness increased with increasing housing price across all groups of species. Principal Component Analysis indicated that housing price and floor-area ratio are the variables that positively correlate with species richness for all groups of species.     

Differences in production and mortality of reproductive structures in two Prosopis L. (Mimosaceae) shrub species from Patagonia, Argentina

Prosopis L. pods have been proposed as a source of gum (galactomannans), with potential applications as a thickening agent in the food industry. The objective of this work was to compare, under field conditions, the production and mortality of reproductive structures in two sympatric shrub species of Prosopis: P. alpataco Phillipi and P. denudans Bentham. Our results indicate that fruit production in Prosopis denudans and P. alpataco is very low and erratic in non-irrigated lands. Although large quantities of flowers (15,000–25,000 flowers*0.40 m⁻²) can be found in one flowering season, 70–80% are shed before they reach anthesis and 20–28% are aborted between anthesis and fruit set. We conclude that the utilization of native populations of Prosopis denudans and P. alpataco for fruit production in Patagonian steppe, could not guarantee a consistent supply for the food industry.     

Climatically induced lake level changes during the last two millennia as reflected in sediments of Laguna Potrok Aike,southern Patagonia (Santa Cruz,Argentina)

The volcanogenic lake Laguna Potrok Aike, Santa Cruz, Argentina, reveals an unprecedented continuous high resolution climatic record for the steppe regions of southern Patagonia. With the applied multi-proxy approach rapid climatic changes before the turn of the first millennium were detected followed by medieval droughts which are intersected by moist and/or cold periods of varying durations and intensities. The total inorganic carbon content was identified as a sensitive lake level indicator. This proxy suggests that during the late Middle Ages (ca. AD 1230–1410) the lake level was rather low representing a signal of the Medieval Climate Anomaly in southeastern Patagonia. At the beginning of the Little Ice Age the lake level rose considerably staying on a high level during the whole period. Subsequently, the lake level lowered again in the course of the 20th century.     

甘肃河西山地土壤有机碳储量及分布特征

山地土壤具有强异质性和较高的碳密度,研究山地土壤有机碳的储量、空间分布特征和影响因素,对理解未来气候变化情景下该区土壤碳-大气反馈具有重要意义。河西山地地形复杂,水热梯度明显,是研究土壤有机碳空间格局的理想区域。利用河西山地126个土壤剖面数据,分析了0~100 cm土壤有机碳的储量、空间分布特征及其与环境因素的关系。结果表明:河西山地0~100 cm土壤有机碳密度均值15.04±7.24 kg·m^-2,区域土壤有机碳储量1.37±0.66 Pg,其中50%储存在高寒草甸和亚高山灌丛草甸。研究区土壤有机碳密度从高到低依次为亚高山灌丛草甸(41.15±18.47 kg·m^-2)、山地草甸草原(40.26±9.59 kg·m^-2)、山地森林(34.57±14.52 kg·m^-2)、高寒草甸(29.19±14.58 kg·m^-2)、山地草原(19.28±11.33 kg·m^-2)、荒漠草原(9.83±4.14 kg·m^-2)、高寒草原(8.59±2.47 kg·m^-2)、高寒荒漠(5.89±3.18 kg·m^-2)、草原化荒漠(5.16±3.06 kg·m^-2)、温带荒漠(5.00±3.35 kg·m^-2)。土壤有机碳的空间分布与地形和气候因子显著相关。土壤有机碳密度随着海拔的升高呈现出先增加后减少的趋势,阴坡土壤有机碳密度显著高于阳坡和半阴坡。土壤有机碳密度随年平均降水量增多而增多,随年平均温度的升高呈现出先增加后减少的趋势。     

Distribution of plant species and species-soil relationship in the east central Gurbantunggut Desert,China

The distribution of plant species and relationships between species and soil factors in the east central part of Gurbantunggut Desert was studied to provide more insight into the flora and determine differences in vegetation across various parts of the desert. Two-way Cluster Analysis showed that the vegetation in the area could be divided into three groups, the first group was dominated by the shrub species, Ephedra przewalskii and the grass species, Carex physodes mainly in areas of flat grounds and gentle slopes; the second group was dominated by C. physodes, Artemisia songorica and A. xerophytica mainly on the slope of sand dunes and the third group was dominated by the shrub species, Haloxylon persicum mainly on the top of sand dunes. There was no difference in plant density between Groups 1 and 2 but there was a significant decrease in Group 3. Soil water under vegetation Group 3 was much lower than that in the other two groups at all soil depths. The EC, organic matter, total P and soluble Na, Ca and Mg varied very similarly with soil water. Canonical correspondence analysis (CCA) satisfactorily assessed the species-soil relations in the area. The distribution of plant species was strongly correlated with the soil factors of water content, organic matter, EC and nutrients. The variations in species occurrence explained by the three CCA axes were about 70%, indicating that some explanatory site variables may exist outside our studied parameters. Soil texture is suggested to be included in future studies to improve the explanation of CCA.     

中国城市群结构体系的组成与空间分异格局

中国城市群结构体系是由不同发育程度、不同等级、不同行政隶属关系、不同成因和空间区位的城市群,通过各种物质流、能量流、信息流和知识流有机耦合而成的空间聚合体和综合集群体。通过对国内外有关城市群结构体系的综合分析,得知世界城市群结构体系正在形成,城市群间的等级职能正在参与新的国际劳动地域分工进行重组,中国城市群结构体系由28个大小不同、规模不等、发育程度不一的城市群组成,目前尚处总体发育雏形阶段,但却是中国未来经济发展格局中最具活力和潜力的战略支撑点和增长极点,主宰着国家经济发展的命脉。根据城市群发育程度指数模型计算结果,将中国城市群划分为三个等级,其中一级城市群包括长江三角洲城市群、珠江三角洲城市群和京津冀都市圈3个城市群,二级城市群包括山东半岛城市群、成都城市群、武汉城市群等11个城市群,三级城市群包括滇中城市群、天山北坡城市群等14个城市群。进一步分析发现,中国城市群总体发育程度低且差异很大,这种差异具有一定程度的合理性,并呈现出发育的阶段性、总体分布的不平衡性、空间分异的规律性、内部集聚的异质性和明显的分化性等空间分异特征。在未来的发展中,应加强对中国城市群结构体系理论的多维性、规律性和阶段性研究,加强对中国城市群结构体系形成发育的差异性、异质性和竞争性研究,加强对中国城市群结构体系的国际化、全球化与动态监测研究。     

大沙鼠掘洞对准噶尔荒漠植物群落的小尺度影响

通过比较大沙鼠洞区和对照区植物种类组成、盖度和密度的差异,研究了大沙鼠掘洞对准噶尔荒漠植物群落物种组成和植被结构的小尺度影响。使用Mann-Whitney U检验表明,洞区植物种数(n=6.47)显著高于对照区(n=4.32)(z=5.55,p<0.01);洞区半灌木种数(n=0.89)显著低于对照区(n=1.21)(z=2.70,p<0.01)。由于大沙鼠的采食,建群种盐生假木贼(Anabasis salsa)在洞群区的出现频率,密度以及高度均显著低于对照区;洞区草本植物种数(n=5.55)显著高于对照区(n=3.11)(z=6.65,p<0.01)。3种多年生草本植物在洞区的密度均显著高于其在对照区的密度。在大沙鼠洞区,由于废弃的鼠洞入口塌陷而形成的坑洼中沉积的疏松粗质沙土促进了沙生针茅(Stipa glareosa)和细叶鸢尾(Iris tenuifolia)的生长发育。8种一年生植物中,盐生草(Halogeton glomeratus)、对叶盐蓬(Girgensohnia oppositiflora)、小车前(Plantagominuta)、鹤虱(Lappula semiglabra)和黄芪(Astragalussp.)的出现频率和密度在洞区均显著增加。尽管受到大沙鼠的采食,盐生草在洞区的出现频率和密度不仅没有减小,反而显著增加。这可能是由于大沙鼠对土壤的扰动,在洞区形成的裸地促进了盐生草等一年生植物的生长发育。     

中国古尔班通古特沙漠东部中心地区植物分布与植物—土壤关系(英文)

The distribution of plant species and relationships between species and soil factors in the east central part of Gurbantunggut Desert was studied to provide more insight into the flora and determine differences in vegetation across various parts of the desert. Two-way Cluster Analysis showed that the vegetation in the area could be divided into three groups, the first group was dominated by the shrub species, Ephedra przewalskii and the grass species, Carex physodes mainly in areas of flat grounds and gentle slopes; the second group was dominated by C. physodes, Artemisia songorica and A. xerophytica mainly on the slope of sand dunes and the third group was dominated by the shrub species, Haloxylon persicum mainly on the top of sand dunes. There was no difference in plant density between Groups 1 and 2 but there was a significant decrease in Group 3. Soil water under vegetation Group 3 was much lower than that in the other two groups at all soil depths. The EC, organic matter, total P and soluble Na, Ca and Mg varied very similarly with soil water. Canonical correspondence analysis(CCA) satisfactorily assessed the species-soil relations in the area. The distribution of plant species was strongly correlated with the soil factors of water content, organic matter, EC and nutrients. The variations in species occurrence explained by the three CCA axes were about 70%, indicating that some explanatory site variables may exist outside our studied parameters. Soil texture is suggested to be included in future studies to improve the explanation of CCA.     

广东连州田心南方红豆杉种群的空间分布格局

应用样方法和方差v/均值m比的t检验、聚块指数等研究了广东连州田心自然保护区南方红豆杉(Taxus wallichiana var.mairei)种群的空间分布格局。结果表明其种群为聚集分布,但聚集程度不高;采用方差比率法(VR)检验分析红豆杉群落的种间相互关系,结果为VR1,χ20.95(N)Wχ20.05(N),表明群落总体是正关联,但不显著;采用Simpson物种多样性指数和Shannon-Wiener指数分析南方红豆杉群落的丰富度,得到的物种多样性指数整个群落草本层灌木层乔木层的结果,表明群落处于相对稳定状态。结果提示,田心保护区的南方红豆杉现状为增长种群,受2008年初冰冻灾害影响后的自然恢复正朝着良好的方向发展。