Succession Features and Dynamic Simulation of Subalpine Forest in the Gongga Mountain, China

The Gongga Mountain of eastern Tibet Plateau is a representative of the alpine regions with high peaks and deep valleys. Climate change over the last thousand years has controlled the dynamics of glacier and debris flow occurrence, which resulted in substantial changes in the mountainous environment. The authors surveyed the community structure of primary forests in Gongga Mountain and forest successign processes in woodland plots. The changing features in the subalpine environment are discussed in this paper. Tree species and sizes between the glacier shrinking areas and debris flow fans in Hailuogou Valley are compared. The pioneer species that settle in debris flow fans and the glacier shrinking areas are Salix spp. and Populus purdomii. Abies fabri and Picea brachytyla are the climax tree species. The succession process of primary vegetation in Hailuogou (2700 ～ 3200 m) can be divided into four stages:     

Assessment of causes and future deforestation in the mountainous tropical forest of Timor Island,Indonesia

The Mutis-Timau Forest Complex,one of the remaining mountainous tropical forest areas in Timor Island,eastern Indonesia that covers an area of 31,984 ha,tends to decrease gradually.Efforts to secure mountain forest functions and counteract the negative impact of declining forest areas are often constrained by data uncertainty on factors contributing to deforestation.For this reason,this study attempts to develop models of deforestation and predict future deforestation in the Mutis-Timau Forest Complex.We constructed models of deforestation that describe the relationship between deforestation and factors contributing to deforestation using spatial statistical models.In this model,we used the deforestation data for the 1987-2017 period obtained from a previous study as dependent variables and the potential causes of deforestation generated from Geographic Information System spatial analysis as independent variables.Using the probability of deforestation derived from the model,we predicted future deforestation under two different scenarios,namely,business-as-usual(as the reference scenario)and reducing emission fromdeforestation and forest degradation.Our findings showed that a positive relationship exists between probability of deforestation,distance to the settlement,and population density variables,whereas a negative relationship exists between likelihood of deforestation,elevation,slope,distance to the road,distance to the savanna,and forest management unit variables.During the 2017-2030 period,under the business-as-usual scenario,the Mutis-Timau Forest Complex will lose 1327.65 ha in forest area with an annual deforestation rate of 0.54%.Meanwhile,under the reducing emission from deforestation and forest degradation scenario,the overall forest loss was estimated to be 1237.11 ha with an annual deforestation rate of 0.50%.The predicted area of avoided deforestation in 2017-2030 under the reducing emission from deforestation and forest degradation scenario was 90.54 ha.Such data and information are important for the Mutis-Timau Forest Complex authority in prioritizing actions for combating deforestation and designing appropriate forest-related policies and supporting data for reducing emission from deforestation and forest degradation programme or other incentive schemes in reducing deforestation.     

Multi-temporal forest cover dynamics in Kashmir Himalayan region for assessing deforestation and forest degradation in the context of REDD+ policy

The role of forests is being actively considered under the agenda of REDD+ (Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Forest Degradation plus) aimed at reducing emissions related to changes in forest cover and forest quality. Forests in general have undergone negative changes in the past in the form of deforestation and degradation, while in some countries positive changes are reported in the form of conservation, sustainable management of forests and enhancement of carbon stock. The present study in the Kashmir Himalayan forests is an effort to assess historical forest cover changes that took place from 1980 to 2009 and to predict the same for 2030 on the basis of past trend using geospatial modeling approach. Landsat data (Multispectral Scanner (MSS), Thematic Mapper (TM) and Enhanced Thematic Mapper (ETM+)) was used for the years 1980, 1990 and (2001, 2009) respectively and change detection analysis between the dates was performed. The maps generated were validated through ground truthing. The study area (3375.62 km²) from 1980-2009 has uffered deforestation and forest degradation of about 126 km² and 139.02 km² respectively which can be claimed under negative options of REDD+, while as the area that experienced no change (1514 km²) can be claimed under conservation. A small area (23.31 km2) observed as positive change can be claimed under positive options. The projected estimates of forest cover for 2030 showed increased deforestation and forest degradation on the basis of trend analysis using Cellular Automata (CA) Markov modeling. Despite the fact that country as a whole has registered a net positive change in the past few decades, but there are regions like Kashmir region of western Himalaya which have constantly undergoing deforestation as well as degradation in the past few decades.     

Effects of experimental warming on soil microbial communities in two contrasting subalpine forest ecosystems,eastern Tibetan Plateau,China

Soil microbial communities are primarily regulated by environmental temperature. Our study investigated the effects of global warming on soil microbial community composition as measured via phospholipid fatty acid (PLFA) analysis and soil chemical characteristics in relation to soil depth in a dragon spruce plantation and a spruce-fir-dominated natural forestin the Eastern Tibetan Plateau. Open-top chambers were utilized to increase the soil and air temperature. Soil samples were collected from the 0-10 cm, 10-20 cm, and 20-30 cm layers after a 4-year warming. Our results showed that the soil microbial community and the contents of TC (Total carbon), TN (Total nitrogen), NO ₃ ^- , and NH ₄ ⁺ responded differently to warming in the two contrasting forests, especially at the 0-10 cm soil depth. Warming increased soil microbial biomass at the 0-20 cm depth of soil in natural forest but reduced it at the 0-10 cm depth ofsoil in the plantation. In contrast, the TC and TN contents were reduced in most soil layers of a natural forest but increased in all of the soil layers of the plantation under warming conditions. This result suggested that the effects of warming on soil microbial community and soil C and N pools would differ according to soil depth and forest types; thus, the two contrasting forests would under go differing changes following the future climate warming in this region.     

Potential effects of future adoption of the REDD mechanism as a preventive measure against deforestation and forest degradation in North Korea

This study assesses potential effects of adaption to climate change in the future as a carbon related value using a baseline and credit approach, considering the implementation of the Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and forest Degradation(REDD) mechanism. Basic data were obtained for implementing the REDD mechanism in the Democratic People's Republic of Korea(DPRK) for scientific decision-making to prevent deforestation and forest degradation. The potential effects according to the implementation of the REDD mechanism in the DPRK based on forest status data(the latest) are as follows. If the deforestation rate is reduced to a level below 6% through a 20-year REDD mechanism beginning in 2011, 0.01–11.64 C-tons of carbon credit per ha could be issued for DPRK. Converted into CO?-tons per ha, this amounts to 0.03–42.68 CO?-tons, which translates to a minimum of 226,000 CO?-tons and a maximum of 289,082,000 CO?-tons overall for forests in DPRK. In terms of carbon price, this measures up to 1.10 million USD–1.4 billion USD, considering that the REDD carbon price in voluntary carbon markets in 2010 was around 5 USD.     

Diurnal and seasonal variation of the elevation gradient of air temperature in the northern flank of the western Qinling Mountain range,China

The typically sparse or lacking distribution of meteorological stations in mountainous areas inadequately resolves temperature elevation variability. This study presented the diurnal and seasonal variations of the elevation gradient of air temperature in the northern flank of the western Qinling Mountain range,which has not been thoroughly evaluated. The measurements were conducted at 9 different elevations between 1710 and 2500 m from August 2014 to August 2015 with HOBO Data loggers. The results showed that the annual temperature lapse rates(TLRs) for Tmean,Tmin and Tmax were 0.45?C/100 m,0.44?C/100 m and 0.40?C/100 m,respectively,which are substantially smaller than the often used value of 0.60°C/100 m to 0.65°C/100 m. The TLRs showed no obvious seasonal variations,except for the maximum temperature lapse rate,which was steeper in winter and shallower in spring. Additionally,the TLRs showed significant diurnal variations,with the steepest TLR in forenoon and the shallowest in early morning or late-afternoon,and the TLRs changed more severely during the daytime than night time. The accumulated temperature above 0°C,5°C and 10°C(AT0,AT5 and AT10) decreased at a lapse rate of 112.8?C days/100 m,104.5?C days/100 m and 137.0?C days/100 m,respectively. The monthly and annual mean diurnal range of temperatures(MDRT and ADRT) demonstrated unimodal curves along the elevation gradients,while the annual range of temperature(ART) showed no significant elevation differences. Our results strongly suggest that the extrapolated regional TLR may not be a good representative for an individual mountainside,in particular,where there are only sparse meteorological stations at high elevations.     

Spatial assessment of forest cover and land-use changes in the Hindu-Kush mountain ranges of northern Pakistan

Anthropogenic activities and natural processes are continuously altering the mountainous environment through deforestation, forest degradation and other land-use changes. It is highly important to assess, monitor and forecast forest cover and other land-use changes for the protection and conservation of mountainous environment. The present study deals with the assessment of forest cover and other land-use changes in the mountain ranges of Dir Kohistan in northern Pakistan, using high resolution multi-temporal SPOT-5 satellite images. The SPOT-5 satellite images of years 2004, 2007, 2010 and 2013 were acquired and classified into land-cover units. In addition, forest cover and land-use change detection map was developed using the classified maps of 2004 and 2013. The classified maps were verified through random field samples and Google Earth imagery (Quick birds and SPOT-5). The results showed that during the period 2004 to 2013 the area of forest land decreased by 6.4%, however, area of range land and agriculture land have increased by 22.1% and 2.9%, respectively. Similarly, barren land increased by 1.1%, whereas, area of snow cover/glacier is significantly decreased by 21.3%. The findings from the study will be useful for forestry and landscape planning and can be utilized by the local, provincial and national forest departments; and REDD+ policy makers in Pakistan.     

Vegetation-environment relationship in conifer dominating forests of the mountainous range of Indus Kohistan in northern Pakistan

Environmental variables play a crucial role in shaping vegetation structure,mainly in mountainous ecosystems.Different studies have attempted to identify the environment-vegetation relationship of Conifer Dominating Forests(CDF) worldwide.However,due to differences in local climate and soil composition,different environmental drivers can be found.By applying multivariate analysis techniques,this study investigated the vegetation-environment relationship of CDF of Indus Kohistan in northern Pakistan.Our results showed that CDF of Indus Kohistan are distributed in five distinct ecological groups,which are dominated by different trees and understory species.A total of 7 trees and 71 understory species were recorded from the sampling sites.Cedrus deodara was the leading species among four groups,having the highest importance value(IV),density and basal area.Group I was dominated by Pinus wallichiana with the second highest importance value,density and basal area.In addition,elevation,slope,maximum water holding capacity(MWHC),soil moisture(SM),total organic matter(TOM),sodium,phosphorus and nickel showed highly significant influence on composition and distribution pattern of Indus Kohistan vegetation.Therefore,this study shows a new evidence of vegetation-environment relationship,pointing out specific drivers of vegetation structure in CDF of Indus Kohistan region in northern Pakistan.     

Comparison and analysis of agricultural and forest land changes in typical agricultural regions of northern mid-latitudes

The northeastern China, the United States, and the western Europe are important agricultural regions both on the global and regional scales. The western Europe has a longer history of agricultural land development than the eastern United States. These two regions have changed from the deforestation and reclamation phase in the past to the current land abandonment and reforestation phase. Compared with the two regions, large-scale land exploitation has only been practiced in the northeastern China during the last century. After a short high-intensity deforestation and reclamation period, agricultural and forest lands are basically in a dynamic steady state. By comparing domestic and international agro-forestry development and considering the ecological environment and socio-economic benefits that can be derived from agro-forestry, this paper suggests that large area of reforestation would be inevitable in future though persistent and large agricultural demand in coming decades even more. And local reforestation at slope farmland with ecological vulnerability should be imperative at present to avoid severer damage. At the same time, from the perspective of Land Change Science, the results demonstrate that the research on land use change in the agro-forestry ecotone is typical and critical, particularly those dealing with the analysis of spatial and temporal characteristics and the simulation of climate, hydrology, and other environmental effects.     

Characteristics of rock fragments in different forest stony soil and its relationship with macropore characteristics in mountain area,northern China

Rock fragments have major effect on soil macropores and water movement. However, the characteristics of rock fragments and their relationship with macropore characteristics remain elusive in forest stony soils in northern mountainous area of China. The objectives of this study are to (1) use Industrial Computed Tomography (CT) scanning to quantitatively analyze rock fragment characteristics in intact soil columns in different forest lands and (2) identify the relationship between characteristics of rock fragments and that of the macropores. Intact soil columns that were 100 mm in diameter and 300 mm long were randomly taken from six local forest stony soils in Wuzuolou Forest Station in Miyun, Beijing. Industrial CT was used to scan all soil column samples, and then the scanned images were utilized to obtain the three-dimensional (3D) images of rock fragments and macropore structures. Next, the parameters of the rock fragments and macropore structure were measured, including the volume, diameter, surface area, and number of rock fragments, as well as the volume, diameter, surface area, length, angle, tortuosity and number of macropores. The results showed that no significant difference was found in soil rock fragments content in the 10-30 cm layer between mixed forest and pure forest, but in the 0-10 cm soil layer, the rock fragments in mixed forest were significantly less than in pure forest. The number density of macropores has significant negative correlation with the number of rock fragments in the 0-10 cm soil layer, whereas this correlation is not significant in 10-20 cm and 20-30 cm soil layers. The volume density of macropore was not correlated with the volume density of rock fragments, and there is no correlation between the density of macropore surface area and the density of rock fragment surface area. Industrial CT scanning combined with image processing technology can provide a better way to explore 3D distribution of rock fragments in soil. The content of rock fragments in soil is mainly determined by parent rocks. The surface soil (0-10 cm) of forest contains fewer rock fragments and more macropores, which may be caused by bioturbation, root systems, gravitational settling and faunal undermining.     

Modeling of forest soil and litter health using disturbance and landscape heterogeneity indicators in northern Iran

This paper focuses on the indicators of soil and litter health, disturbance, and landscape heterogeneity as a tool for prediction of ecosystem sustainability in the northern forests of Iran. The study area was divided into spatial homogenous sites using slope, aspect, and soil humidity classes. Then a range of sites along the disturbance gradient was selected for sampling. Chemical and physical indicators of soil and litter health were measured at random points within these sites. Structural equation modeling (SEM) was applied to link six constructs of landscape heterogeneity, three constructs of disturbance (harvest, livestock, and human accessibility), and soil and litter health. The results showed that with decreasing accessibility, the total N and organic matter content of soil increased and effective bulk density decreased. Harvesting activities increased soil organic matter. Therefore, it is concluded that disturbances through harvesting and accessibility inversely affect the soil health. Unexpectedly, it was found that the litter total C and C:N ratio improved with an increase in the harvest and accessibility disturbances, whereas litter bulk density decreased. Investigation of tree composition revealed that in the climax communities, which are normally affected more by harvesting activities, some species like Fagus orientalis Lipsky with low decomposition rate are dominant. The research results showed that changes in disturbance intensity are reflected in litter and soil indicators, whereas the SEM indicated that landscape heterogeneity has a moderator effect on the disturbance to both litter and soil paths.     

Development and magnetic properties of loess-derived forest soils along a precipitation gradient in northern Iran

In order to investigate the development of forest soils formed on loess, six representative modern soil pedons were selected along a precipitation gradient extending from eastern Golestan(mean annual precipitation, MAP = 500 mm)to eastern Mazandaran Provinces(MAP = 800 mm).Physiochemical, micromorphological and magnetic properties, as well as clay mineralogy of soils were studied using standard methods. Soils are mainly classified as Alfisols and Mollisols. Downward decalcification and the subsequent clay illuviation were the main criteria of soil development in all study areas. Pedogenic magnetic susceptibility of pedons studied varied systematically across the precipitation gradient in Northern Iran, increasing from 14.66 ×10~(-8) m~3 kg~(-1) at the eastern part to 83.75 × 10~(-8) m~3 kg~(-1) at the western margin of this transect. The frequencydependent magnetic susceptibility showed an increasing trend with rainfall as well. The micromorphological study of soils indicated that there is a positive relationship between climate gradient (increasing rainfall) and the micromorphological index of soil development(MISECA). The area and thickness of clay coatings showed an increasing trend with rainfall. Grain size analysis indicates that pedogenic processes are responsible for changing original grain size distribution of loess in our soils.The correlation achieved among modern soil properties and precipitation could be applied to the buried paleosols in the whole study area to refer degree of paleosol development and to reconstruct the paleoclimate.     

Differences in tree species diversity and soil nutrient status in a tropical sacred forest ecosystem on Niyamgiri hill range, Eastern Ghats, India

We have quantitatively analyzed the tree species diversity with respect to soil nutrient status in three sites of a sacred forest ecosystem of Niyamgiri hill range,Eastern Ghats,India.Extensive field surveys and sampling were conducted in 3 sites of the hill range:Site 1 Pterocarpus dominated forest(PTF)(19°40’02.2" N and 83°21’23.1" E),Site 2 Mangifera dominated forest(MAF)(19°40’02.8" N and 83°21’40.8" E) and Site 3 Mixed forest(MIF)(19°36’47.1" N and 83°21’02.7" E).A total of 28 families,42 genera,46 tree species,and 286 individual trees were recorded on an area of 0.6 ha.Tree density varied between 470 and 490 individuals ha-1 and average basal area between 3.16 and 10.04 m2 ha-1.Shannon Index(H’) ranged from 2.34 to 4.53,Simpson’s Index ranged from 0.07 to 0.09,and equitability Index ranged from 0.7 to 1.34.The number of individuals was highest in the girth at breast height(GBH) class of 50-70 cm.The soil nutrient status of the three forest types was related to tree species diversity.The soil pH value of the three sites reflected the slightly acidic nature of the area.Species diversity was positively correlated with organic carbon and phosphorus and negatively with nitrogen,EC and pH.The results of the current study may be helpful to further develop a conservation planfor tree species in tropical sacred forest ecosystems.     

The Role of Aga Khan Rural Support Programme in Rural Development in the Karakorum, Hindu Kush ＆ Himalayan Region： Examples from the Northern Mountainous Belt of Pakistan

Pakistan is predominantly a mountainous country where rural development activities are characterised by inconsistency, politically motivated short-term projects without proper feedback. Since the inception of the country, the top-down approach has been followed, and the same development plans that were formulated for the plain areas have been extended to the mountains without any modification. In doing so, neither the participation of the local communities was cared for, nor the mountain specificities were considered in the planning process. Moreover, the representation of the local inhabitants was improper and contradictory to the facts. This biased approach has been one of the main causes for the failure of development projects carried out by different agencies of the Government. Contrary to the perception of the state authorities, the mountain communities proved to be more open to accept new approaches and demonstrated the capacity and capability of being a dependable development partner. In this paper, a detailed account of the Aga Khan Rural Support Programme （AKRSP） has been presented to assess and evaluate the approach followed by this non-governmental organisation （NGO）, and the response of the local inhabitants as collaborators in the development process. The achievements of the AKRSP from project planning, implementation and monitoring can be adopted as a model for rural development not only in the plains, but also in the mountainous areas of the developing countries in the world.     

Comparative study on isolation forest,extended isolation forest and generalized isolation forest in detection of multivariate geochemical anomalies

It is not easy to construct a model to describe the geochemical background in geochemical anomaly detection due to the complexity of the geological setting. Isolation forest and its improved algorithms can detect geochemical anomalies without modeling the complex geochemical background. These methods can effectively extract multivariate anomalies from large volume of high-dimensional geochemical data with unknown population distribution. To test the performance of these algorithms in the detecti...     

陕西榆林风沙滩区全新世气候和环境变迁

榆林长城沿线处于环境变化敏感带,其风沙滩区沉积剖面的磁化率和粒度分析结果显示,该区全新世早期11 500~10 000 a BP随着全球气候的逐渐转暖,磁化率、黏粒和粉沙含量逐渐增高;全新世中期的10 000~4 500 a BP气候相对比较湿润,植被覆盖度增大,风沙活动减弱,地表沉积物当中粉沙和黏土成分含量显著增大,风化成壤作用增强,地表发育沙质弱古土壤;全新世中期后段的4 500~3 000 a BP期间,气候以比较温和湿润为主,但在4 200~4 000 a BP出现一个气候干旱事件,风沙活动强烈;近3 000 a以来,气候显著干旱化,波动频繁,地表风沙沉积物显著变粗,表现出有5次沙漠扩张。该区生态环境演化、人文历史变迁基本上是自然因素与人为活动综合作用的结果,以自然演化为主,近代人为因素对环境变化起着加强和放大作用。     

Palaeoenvironmental Evolution During the Holocene in Itapeva Lake, RS, Brazil:Palynological and Geochemical Records

Based on palynological and geochemical data (Organic Carbon-Corg and Sulphur-S) of sedimentary samples from a vibrocore, considerations about the palaeoenvironmental evolution of Itapeva Lake region during the Holocene are made. The analysed core (BOXVI) consists in its lowermost part of a fine to medium sand packet, rich in glauconitic minerals, whose upper limit is considered to be the Holocene-Pleistocene contact. Using Cluster analysis on palynomorphs combined with Corg and S data, it was possible to distinguish four zones related to the Holocene transgression-regression cycle. Variations in Corg and S data permitted the recognition of changes in palaeosalinity. Zone 1 represents the beginning of the Holocene sedimentation; palynomorphs composition reveals a marsh environment under predominating freshwater conditions. In Zone 2, the occurrence of dinoflagellate cysts and high S values, indicating brackish water, reflects Holocene sea level highstand around 5100yrs. B.P. High concentration of Cyperaceae associated with a significant increase in Corg in Zone 3 indicates a typical marsh environment influenced at least sometimes by higher saline water, reflecting a regression phase. Salvinia natans (L)All. and Cyperaceae grains are considered to be the most significant palynomorpha in Zone 4, characterising a freshwater marsh. Based on the occurrence of dinoflagellates sample 2, Operculodinium sp., related to marine to estuarine environments, a question arises regarding about the time at which Barrier Ⅳ became completely closed.     

巴布亚新几内亚奥雷褶皱冲断带构造几何学与运动学特征

奥雷褶皱冲断带是巴布亚新几内亚油气勘探的重要区域,但对褶皱冲断带的构造变形样式与演化认识不清。利用覆盖全区的2D和3D地震资料、钻井和地质信息,结合前人在该地区的地质研究成果,以断层相关褶皱理论为指导,对地震资料进行了闭合解释,系统分析了该区褶皱冲断带的构造几何学与运动学特征。研究结果表明:奥雷褶皱冲断带沿走向可以分为东段、中段和西段3段,其构造变形具有明显的差异性:①沿倾向从NE向SW具有变形层次渐浅、卷入层系渐新、变形程度渐弱的变化特征;②沿走向从NW向SE表现为扩展范围渐小、前陆沉积层系渐新、构造变形时间渐晚、缩短率渐大、缩短量渐小的特征;③西段和中段垂向上分层解体,东段为继承性变形。本次研究将助力巴布亚新几内亚的油气勘探,并为澳大利亚北缘区域构造演化研究提供盆内证据。      

Carbon storage of the forest and its spatial pattern in Tibet,China

The raising concentration of atmospheric CO_2 resulted in global warming. The forest ecosystem in Tibet played an irreplaceable role in maintaining global carbon balance and mitigating climate change for its abundant original forest resources with powerful action of carbon sink. In the present study, the samples of soil and vegetation were collected at a total of 137 sites from 2001 to 2018 in Tibet. Based on the field survey of Tibet's forest resources and 8~(th) forest inventory data, we estimated the carbon storage and carbon density of forest vegetation(tree layer, shrub, grass, litter and dead wood) and soil(0-50 cm) in Tibet. Geostatistical methods combined with Kriging spatial interpolation and Moran's I were applied to reveal their spatial distribution patterns and variation characteristics. The carbon density of forest vegetation and soil in Tibet were 74.57 t ha~(-1) and 96.24 t ha~(-1), respectively. The carbon storage of forest vegetation and soil in Tibet were 344.35 Tg C and 440.53 Tg C, respectively. Carbon density of fir(Abies forest) was 144.80 t ha~(-1) with the highest value among all the forest types. Carbon storage of spruce(Picea forest) was the highest with 99.09 Tg C compared with other forest types. The carbon density of fir forest and spruce forest both increased with the rising temperature and precipitation. Temperature was the main influential factor. The spatial distribution of carbon density of forest vegetation, soil, and ecosystem in Tibet generally showed declining trends from western Tibet to eastern Tibet. Our results facilitated the understanding of the carbon sequestration role of forest ecosystem in the Tibet. It also implied that as the carbon storage potential of Tibet's forests are expected to increase, these forests are likely to serve as huge carbon sinks in the current era of global warming and climate change.