Loss of preferred habitat and pollen limitation threatens reproduction in a rare mountain <Emphasis Type="Italic">Paeonia delavayi</Emphasis>

Paeonia delavayi is a wild tree peony species endemic to high-altitude regions in southwestern China. Recent agricultural land expansion, however, not only causes its dwindling population size, but also poses a severe threat to its long-term persistence. Since our knowledge of the reproductive biology of P. delavayi is very limited, and some management misconceptions have further exacerbated the already worrisome situation, the aim of the present study is to provide some scientific evidence regarding habitat preference and breeding system of P. delavayi, and to help correct some management misconceptions. Specifically, morphological traits of P. delavayi populations growing in two different habitats (i.e., the open area versus forest understory), including basal stem diameter, plant height and flower numbers per plant, were measured and compared with each other. A range of floral manipulation experiments was further conducted to study the extent of self-compatibility and pollen limitation. The results showed that P. delavayi preferred the open habitat over forest understory as it generally grew bigger with thicker stems, and produced a higher number of flowers in the former habitat. Therefore, the open habitat should receive immediate priority for conservation action instead of being converted to agricultural land; also, P. delavayi is pollen limited, as evidenced by the fact that experimental flowers receiving supplemental non-self pollen generally displayed elevated seed production than flowers subjected to other treatments (e.g., non-supplemental self pollen, non-supplemental non-self pollen and supplemental self pollen), which is consistent with reported observations that alpine plants are more likely to be pollen-limited than lowland plants. We suggest that human intervention might be necessary to guarantee the long-term persistence of P. delavayi as harsh alpine environment, intense competition for pollinators and different anthropogenic perturbations co-limit its reproductive success.     

Pollen-based reconstructions of Holocene vegetation and climatic change of Tibetan Plateau

A synthesis of Holocene pollen records from the Tibetan Plateau shows the history of vegetation and climatic changes during the Holocene. Palynological evidences from 24 cores/sections have been compiled and show that the vegetation shifted from subalpine/alpine conifer forest to subalpine/alpine evergreen sclerophyllous forest in the southeastern part of the plateau; from alpine steppe to alpine desert in the central, western and northern part; and from alpine meadow to alpine steppe in the eastern and southern plateau regions during the Holocene. These records show that increases in precipitation began about 9 ka from the southeast, and a wide ranging level of increased humidity developed over the entire of the plateau around 8-7 ka, followed by aridity from 6 ka and a continuous drying over the plateau after 4-3 ka. The changes in Holocene climates of the plateau can be interpreted qualitatively as a response to orbital forcing and its secondary effects on the Indian Monsoon which expanded northwards     

林下植被遥感反演研究进展

林下植被在森林生态系统碳、水和营养元素的累积和循环方面有着重要作用与科学意义。多角度、高光谱和激光雷达遥感系统凭借对森林分层结构的敏感性,成为量化林下植被的重要手段。本文综述了森林林下植被的遥感反演研究进展：首先讨论了林下植被的定义,其次对当前林下植被的遥感反演现状作了深入分析,总结了多角度、高光谱和激光雷达遥感观测的森林背景的反射率、林下植被的叶面积指数、高度和覆盖度的遥感反演原理和方法。基于不同卫星观测角度下森林冠层和森林背景对总反射的贡献差异,林下反射率可通过多个角度的观测数据进行反演。此外,借助激光雷达穿透冠层直接观测林下植被的优势,总结了激光点云数据和回波波形信息反演林下植被的覆盖度和高度的方法,以及今后使用遥感技术反演的难点和获取林下植被信息的主要发展方向。     

Integrated Analysis of the Trees and Associated UnderCanopy Species in a Subalpine Forest of Western Himalaya,Uttarakhand, India

Subalpine forests are known as outstanding habitats due to co-existence of both temperate and alpine vegetation and are classic example of ecotonal zones. Limited but diverse physiognomy of trees inhabiting in subalpine forest results in variability within under-canopy habitat conditions. Studies were undertaken to assess population status, habitat preference and interferences to the trees and associated undercanopy herbs in a subalpine forest of western Himalaya. A total of 10 woody and 23 under-canopy herbs were recorded in the selected subalpine forest area. At each stand, the number of tree species and under-canopy herbs ranged from 2 to 4 and 8 to 10 respectively. Abies spectabilis, Acer caesium, Quercus floribunda, Q. semecarpifolia and Rhododendron arboreum were key tree species in this area. The density of main woody species was 280 to 1190 individuals ha-1 at different stands. Herbaceous plants with rosette and clump growth habits were observed to have higher values for total basal cover and importance value index. Presence of some undercanopy herbs like; Dactylorhiza hatagirea, Malaxis muscifera, Picrorhiza kurrooa, Polygonatumcirrhifolium and Skimmia laureola in the specific habitats also showed that they are habitat specific.However, the presence of Frageria nubicola and Viola sp. was common in the selected stands. Felling of trees for timber, construction of temporary huts,fuel wood and lopping for fodder were main interferences for trees. On the other hand, trampling driven damage due to grazing, habitats degradation and overexploitation were observed key threats for under-canopy herbs. Integrated analysis including population studies, habitats preference and interferences to the trees and under-canopy herbs in this sensitive and important ecosystem will be useful for determining the conservation plans and ecosystem management.     

C:N:P stoichiometry of perennial herbs' organs in the alpine steppe of the northern Tibetan Plateau

The patterns of C:N:P stoichiometry across ecosystems are important in understanding biogeochemical processes. The stoichiometry of nutrients at the leaf and root level have been reported previously, but relationships of other plant organs, such as stems and the reproductive organs, remain unclear. We collected 228 samples of leaves, roots, stems and reproductive organs from 11 common plant species at 25 sites on the Tibetan Plateau to explore the relationships of C:N:P stoichiometry both within and across plant organs. The average C concentrations in the roots, leaves, stems and reproductive organs were 427.32, 410.51, 421.11 and 416.72 mg g~(-1), respectively. The shoot tissues(leaves, stems and reproductive organs) had significantly higher N and P concentrations than the roots. The N and P concentrations had a significant positive correlation within the same organ. The nutrient concentrations(N and P) and nutrient ratios(C:N, C:P and N:P) were significantly correlated across all pairwise organ combinations. Our data suggest that alpine perennial herbs share similar evolutionary histories and have constrained patterns of covariation for C concentrations, with differential patterns for N and P stoichiometry across organs. Our data also indicate that covarying sets of nutrient traits are consistent across environments and biogeographical regions and demonstrate convergent evolution in plant nutritional characteristics in extreme alpine environments.     

Paradigm and ecological implication of changing agricultural land-use: A case study from Govind Wildlife Sanctuary, Central Himalaya, India

The paper scrutinizes that the changes in any sub-system(i.e.agriculture,livestock and forest) have direct impact on biophysical and social processes in village ecosystem of the central Himalayan region.In view of this,we studied the changes in spatial patterns of agricultural land use and dependency of agroecosystem on forest and animal husbandry over a period of two decades.Based on data analysis it was found that the cultivation of some traditional crops has either been abandoned in the area or declined by 25%-85% due to introduction of cash crops viz.,potato,kidney bean and apple farming with acreage increased up to 51%-72% in the last three decades.Livestock population of different categories has declined drastically by 17%-75%,and has resulted shortage of farmyard manure,deterioration of soil quality and fertility which leads to un-sustainability of agriculture system.The changes in agrobiodiversity have led to the dramatic increase in soil loss and runoff from the croplands together with the increase pressure on forests.The economic evaluation of each crop showed higher monetary benefit from cash crops as compared to traditional crops.Among all the evaluated crops,the monetary output/input ratio was found highest(3.04) for kidney bean and lowest(1.26) for paddy.Changes in land use and management have improved household income but at the cost of forest degradation,less productive animal husbandry and loss of agrodiversity in the region.Therefore,there is an urgent need to bring desirable changes in agricultural policy,research,land use and efficient management of the resources for maintaining sustainability in agro and Himalayan forest ecosystem.     

基于土地利用格局变化的胶东半岛生境质量时空演变特征研究

生境质量受人类活动引起的土地利用变化影响日益严重,因此,对于生境质量的监测与评估具有重要意义。基于2000、2005、2010、2015和2020年土地利用数据,利用GIS空间分析技术和InVEST-Habitat Quality模型,对胶东半岛土地利用和生境质量时空特征进行定量化描述,甄别生境质量变化的热点区域,探究胶东半岛土地利用格局变化对生境质量的影响。结果表明：耕地一直是胶东半岛的主要土地利用类型,该地区整体土地转移的速率呈缓慢上升趋势,建设用地的转入和耕地的转出尤为突出;胶东半岛5个年份的生境质量平均值分别为0.565、0.560、0.552、0.548、0.545,总体上呈下降趋势;不同等级区域的面积占比大小依次为：中等、高、低、较高、较低;中等生境质量区域面积减少最多,而低等生境质量区域面积增加最多,内陆区域生境质量高值区面积小且分散,而生境质量低值区分布相对集中且呈块状、片状;生境质量指数变化速率在减缓;不同区域中,生境质量对于土地利用变化的响应不同,建设用地增加是胶东半岛地区生境质量整体下降的主要原因,而滨海湿地增加提高了局部区域的生境质量。本研究将为胶东半岛地区土地的规划管理和生态环境保护提供相关科学参考。     

Estimation of regional evapotranspiration in alpine area and its response to land use change: A case study in Three-River Headwaters region of Qinghai-Tibet Plateau, China

Three-River Headwaters(TRH) region involved in this paper refers to the source region of the Changjiang(Yangtze) River,the Huanghe(Yellow) River and the Lancang River in China.Taking the TRH region of the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau as a case,the annual evapotranspiration(ET) model developed by Zhang et al.(2001) was applied to evaluate mean annual ET in the alpine area,and the response of annual ET to land use change was analyzed.The plant-available water coefficient(w) of Zhang’s model was revised by using vegetation-temperature condition index(VTCI) before annual ET was calculated in alpine area.The future land use scenario,an input of ET model,was spatially simulated by using the conversion of land use and its effects at small regional extent(CLUE-S) to study the response of ET to land use change.Results show that the relative errors between the simulated ET and that calculated by using water balance equation were 3.81% and the index of agreement was 0.69.This indicates that Zhang’s ET model based on revised plant-available water coefficient is a scientific and practical tool to estimate the annual ET in the alpine area.The annual ET in 2000 in the study area was 221.2 mm,11.6 mm more than that in 1980.Average annual ET decreased from southeast to northwest,but the change of annual ET between 1980 and 2000 increased from southeast to northwest.As a vast and sparsely populated area,the population in the TRH region was extremely unbalanced and land use change was concentrated in very small regions.Thus,land use change had little effect on total annual ET in the study area but a great impact on its spatial distribution,and the effect of land use change on ET decreased with increasing precipitation.ET was most sensitive to the interconversion between forest and unused land,and was least sensitive to the interconversion between cropland and low-covered grassland.     

Habitat range of two alpine medicinal plants in a trans-Himalayan dry valley, Central Nepal

Understanding of the habitat range of threatened Himalayan medicinal plants which are declining in their abundance due to high anthropogenic disturbances is essential for developing conservation strategies and agrotechnologies for cultivation. In this communication, we have discussed the habitat range of two alpine medicinal plants, Aconitum naviculare （Bruehl） Stapf and Neopicrorhiza scrophulariiflora （Pennel） Hong in a trans-Himalayan dry valley of central Nepal, Manang district. They are the most prioritized medicinal plants of the study area in terms of ethnomedicinal uses. A. naviculare occurs on warm and dry south facing slopes between 4090-4650 m asl along with sclerophyllous and thorny alpine scrubs, while N. scrophulariiflora is exclusively found on cool and moist north facing slope between 4000 and 4400 m asl where adequate water is available from snow melt to create a suitable habitat for this wetland dependent species. The soil in rooting zone of the two plants differs significantly in organic carbon （OC）, organic matter （OM）, total nitrogen （N） and carbon to nitrogen （C/N） ratio. Due to cool and moist condition of N. scrophulariiflora habitat, accumulation of soil OC is higher, but soil N content is lower probably due to slow release from litter, higher leaching loss and greater retention in perennial live biomass of the plant. The C/N ratio of soil is more suitable in A. navuculare habitat than that of N scrophulariiflora for N supply. Warm and sunny site with N rich soil can be suitable for cultivation ofA. naviculare, while moist and cool site with organic soil for N. scrophulariiflora. The populations of both the plants are fragmented and small. Due to collection by human and trampling damage by livestock, the population of A. naviculare was found absent in open areas in five of the six sampling sites and it was confined only within the bushes of alpine scrubs. For N. serophulariiflora, high probability of complete receding of small glaeiers may be a new threat in future to its habitat. The information about habitat conditions, together with the information from other areas, ean be useful to identify potential habitats and plan for cultivation or domestication of the two medieinal plants.     

The difference in pollen harvest between Apis mellifera and Apis cerana in a Tibetan alpine meadow

To explore the difference in pollen harvest between the western honey bee Apis mellifera and a native eastern honey bee A. cerana in the Zoige alpine meadows in the northeastern part of the QinghaiTibetan Plateau, we investigated species diversity of the harvested pollen and the amount of harvested pollen per bee for both species, and calculated the niche overlap(in terms of similarity in harvested pollen) between the two bee species during the flowering season from June to August 2016. Results showed that the species diversity of the harvested pollen was indistinguishable between the two bee species. Nevertheless, A. mellifera carried more(although not significant) pollens per bee than A.cerana. Moreover, pollen composition differed between the two bee species: A. mellifera mainly foraged on Anemone rivularis, Saussurea nigrescens and Anemone trullifolia, while A. cerana foraged on Anemone rivularis, Stellera chamaejasme, and Pedicularis longiflora. Consistently, the niche overlap between the two honeybee species was particularly small in several observations. Our results indicate a niche separation in pollen resource between the two honeybee species in a Tibetan alpine meadow.     

Contrasting changes in above- and below-ground biomass allocation across treeline ecotones in southeast Tibet

Under conditions of a warmer climate, the advance of the alpine treeline into alpine tundra has implications for carbon dynamics in mountain ecosystems. However, the above- and below-ground live biomass allocations among different vegetation types within the treeline ecotones are not well investigated. To determine the altitudinal patterns of above-/below-ground carbon allocation, we measured the root biomass and estimated the above-ground biomass (AGB) in a subalpine forest, treeline forest, alpine shrub, and alpine grassland along two elevational transects towards the alpine tundra in southeast Tibet. The AGB strongly declined with increasing elevation, which was associated with a decrease in the leaf area index and a consequent reduction in carbon gain. The fine root biomass (FRB) increased significantly more in the alpine shrub and grassland than in the treeline forest, whereas the coarse root biomass changed little with increasing altitudes, which led to a stable below-ground biomass (BGB) value across altitudes. Warm and infertile soil conditions might explain the large amount of FRB in alpine shrub and grassland. Consequently, the root to shoot biomass ratio increased sharply with altitude, which suggested a remarkable shift of biomass allocation to root systems near the alpine tundra. Our findings demonstrate contrasting changes in AGB and BGB allocations across treeline ecotones, which should be considered when estimating carbon dynamics with shifting treelines.     

Changes of soil labile organic carbon in different land uses in Sanjiang Plain,Heilongjiang Province

In the Sanjiang Plain,Northeast China,the natural wetland is undergoing a rapid conversion into agricultural land,which has resulted in drastic ecological changes in the region. To investigate the effects of different land uses on soil labile organic carbon,soils of Calamagrostis angustifolia wetland,Carex lasiocarpa wetland,dry farmland,paddy field,forest land and abandoned cultivated land were collected for measuring the contents of soil microbial biomass carbon (MBC),dissolved organic carbon (DOC),readil...     

山东省基本农田可持续利用研究

分析了山东省基本农田的数量、分布和构成状况,对1997--2005年全省及各市的基本农田面积变化情况进行对比,指出基本农田保护中存在的问题及面临的形势,提出实现基本农田可持续利用的对策：数量、质量和环境全面管护;经济效益、社会效益和环境效益相统一;用养结合、保持地力、提高产出水平;划定整备区、储备待补资源;区别对待、协调发展。     

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.     

Assessing land use/land cover change impacts on the hydrology of Nyong River Basin,Cameroon

Uncontrolled land use land cover change(LULCC) is impacting watershed hydrology,particularly in tropical watersheds in developing countries. We assessed the extent of LULCC in the southern portion of the Nyong River basin through analysis of three land use maps in 1987, 2000 and2014. LULCC impact on hydrological variables of the Mbalmayo, Olama, Pont So'o, Messam, and Nsimi sub-watersheds of the southern portion of the Nyong River basin were evaluated by using the linear regression modeling and the Mann-Kendall test. This study reveals that dense forest cover decreased by16%, young secondary forest increased by 18%,agricultural/cropland increased by 10%, and built-up area/bare soil increased by 3% from 1987 to 2014.The decrease in dense forest cover at 0.6% per year on average was driven by indiscriminate expansion of subsistence agricultural/cropland through shifting and fallow cultivation farming systems. Nonsignificant trends in total discharge, high flows, and low flows were observed in the large sub-watersheds of Mbalmayo and Olama from 1998 to 2013 with LULCC within the watershed. In contrast, significant decreasing trends in stream discharge(up to-5.1%and-5.9%), and significant increasing trends in high flows(up to 2.1% and 6.3%), respectively, were observed in the small sub-watersheds of Pont So'o and Messam from 1998 to 2013, particularly with increase in agricultural/cropland cover and decrease in dense forest cover. However, we found nonsignificant trends in mean annual discharge and low flows for all and whole watershed with LULCC. The results reveal spatially varying trends of stream discharge, low flows and high flows among the subwatersheds with LULCC within the study watershed.The results suggest that the impacts of LULCC on watershed hydrology are easily detected in small subwatersheds than in large sub-watersheds. Therefore,the magnitude of dense forest cover loss must be significantly greater than 16% to cause significant changes and common trends in the hydrology of the sub-watersheds of the southern portion of the Nyong River basin. The Mann-Kendall and Regression approaches show appreciable potential for modelling the impacts of LULCC on the hydrology of the southern portion of the Nyong River basin and for informing forest management.     

Quantitative assessment of remotely sensed global surface models using various land classes produced from Landsat data in Istanbul

Digital elevation model(DEM) is the most popular product for three-dimensional(3D) digital representation of bare Earth surface and can be produced by many techniques with different characteristics and ground sampling distances(GSD). Space-borne optical and synthetic aperture radar(SAR) imaging are two of the most preferred and modern techniques for DEM generation. Using them, global DEMs that cover almost entire Earth are produced with low cost and time saving processing. In this study, we aimed to assess the Satellite pour l'observation de la Terre-5(SPOT-5), High Resolution Stereoscopic(HRS), the Advanced Space-borne Thermal Emission and Reflection Radiometer(ASTER), and the Shuttle Radar Topography Mission(SRTM) C-band global DEMs, produced with space-borne optical and SAR imaging. For the assessment, a reference DEM derived from 1∶1000 scaled digital photogrammetric maps was used. The study is performed in 100 km2 study area in Istanbul including various land classes such as open land, forest, built-up land, scrub and rough terrain obtained from Landsat data. The analyses were realized considering three vertical accuracy types as fundamental, supplemental, and consolidated, defined by national digital elevation program(NDEP) of USA. The results showed that, vertical accuracy of SRTM C-band DEM is better than optical models in all three accuracy types despite having the largest grid spacing. The result of SPOT-5 HRS DEM is very close by SRTM and superior in comparison with ASTER models.     

地缘经济背景下泰国及其毗邻国家边境农业扩张与集约化抵边特征

自泰国总理差猜1988年提出“变印支战场为市场”倡议以来,泰国与毗邻国家(缅、老和柬)的地缘关系由政治阻隔转向经济合作,并在其边境(尤其是口岸)引发不同程度的土地覆被/利用变化.利用美国国际开发署SERVIR-Mekong项目土地覆被产品,基于GIS空间分析对泰缅、泰老和泰柬边境地带(国界线两侧20 km缓冲区)198...     

THE STRUCTURE AND DYNAMICS OF THE LAND RESOURCES SYSTEM IN THE FARMLAND SHELTER FOREST REGION IN THE NORTHEAST PLAIN

（张柏）ＴＨＥＳＴＲＵＣＴＵＲＥＡＮＤＤＹＮＡＭＩＣＳＯＦＴＨＥＬＡＮＤＲＥＳＯＵＲＣＥＳＳＹＳＴＥＭＩＮＴＨＥＦＡＲＭＬＡＮＤＳＨＥＬＴＥＲＦＯＲＥＳＴＲＥＧＩＯＮＩＮＴＨＥＮＯＲＴＨＥＡＳＴＰＬＡＩＮ￥ＺｈａｎｇＢａｉ（ＣｈａｎｇｃｈｕｎＩｎｓｔ...     

华南地区典型种植园地遥感分类研究

华南地区种植园地广泛分布,类型混杂多样,导致园地分布信息难以正确获取,为农业管理造成了较大困难。本研究基于Landsat8 OLI数据,通过数据融合、特征优化,应用随机森林算法构建面向对象的种植园地分类规则集,对华南地区典型经济作物香蕉、柑橘、葡萄、蒲葵、海枣、番木瓜和火龙果等进行类别识别,同时对比贝叶斯分类法、K最邻近分类法、支持向量机法、决策树分类法的分类效果。结果表明：数据融合会在一定程度上影响分类结果精度;植株形态、光谱特征接近,种植期交错是影响华南地区典型园地分类精度的重要原因;以中分辨率影像为数据源,面向对象的随机森林算法应用于种植园地分类研究总体精度可达88.05%,Kappa系数0.87,可以有效区分华南地区典型种植园地类别;相比于其他算法,随机森林算法在分类精度、可靠性和稳定性上具有一定优势,可为园地作物生长监测和种植管理提供科学依据。     

干旱区县域土地整治分区实证研究——以新疆奇台县为例

在系统分析奇台县自然条件、社会经济、整治潜力、生态环境等信息的基础上,构建土地整治分区指标体系,运用因子分析和聚类分析法,以GIS平台划定土地整治分区,揭示了该县域土地利用现状及存在突出问题,提出该县域各区土地整治的方向和重点任务。研究结果表明,影响类似于奇台这样典型干旱区县域土地整治分区的因子主要集中在年降水量、灌溉保证度、农用地质量;日照、水土匹配系数;非农人口比重、人均居民点面积;林地覆盖率等方面。然而,由于干旱区县域的情况千差万别,在具体实施土地整治过程中,只能因地制宜,发挥各自优势,才能实现土地整治的综合效益。