Positive plant interactions in the Iberian Southeast: Mechanisms, environmental gradients, and ecosystem function

Semi-arid ecosystems are privileged sites to address the effects of plant interactions on community structure and dynamics because environmental conditions are demanding and may change quickly, altering in significant ways the balance between positive and negative effects among neighboring plants. Plant interaction processes have been well documented in the semi-arid region of Southeast Spain over the last 15 years. In this article we review the growing body of research on plant–plant interactions available from this area, highlighting its importance in increasing our knowledge on this field of study. This review has been organized in five sections, i) facilitation mechanisms; ii) the nurse effect; iii) the balance of interactions and environmental, ontogenic, temporal, and spatial gradients; iv) the effects of facilitation on biodiversity; and, v) facilitation and ecosystem functioning. Mechanisms of facilitation in these systems are relatively well known, but not completely explored. In these environments competition, mainly for water, is intense between neighbors and switches in intensity from belowground to aboveground as productivity increases. By contrast, facilitation may decrease quickly with increasing productivity, although the balance between facilitation and competition is not fully understood, and is further complicated because shifts can also be driven by factors such as life history or physiology of interacting species. Positive interactions are critical for maintaining biodiversity in some ecosystems in SE Spain, but their role as a driver of ecosystem functioning is less clear. Research on plant–plant interactions in this region has been highly influential and has contributed to our overall understanding of plant community dynamics. Despite the important progress achieved during the last 15 years, there is still substantial scope for exploring the effects of plant interactions at the ecosystem level, and their role as modulators of disturbances such as the current global environmental change.     

基于不同时间尺度的非结冰期水面蒸发影响因素灰色关联分析

根据新疆尉犁县气象站2008年4-10月非结冰期水面蒸发量及相关常规气象观测资料,利用灰色关联分析法研究了不同时间尺度下各气象要素对水面蒸发量的影响程度。结果表明：在不同计算尺度下,水汽压、相对湿度与日照时数这三气象因素的影响程度排序无变化,说明计算尺度对其影响较小;温度（包括平均气温、最高气温与最低气温）与风速因素对蒸发量的影响程度随着研究尺度的变化而变化,其中平均温度与平均风速这两因素随着研究尺度的增大而影响程度随之增大;构成研究区域水面蒸发主要影响因素的是温度因素（包括平均气温、最高气温与最低气温）与风速因素。研究结果为区域水资源的规划、优化调度与管理提供了重要参考。     

In situ heavy metals (copper, lead and cadmium) in different plankton compartments and suspended particulate matter in two coupled Mediterranean coastal ecosystems (Toulon Bay, France)

We monitored the concentrations of copper, lead and cadmium in seawater, in suspended particulate matter (SPM) and in bacteria, phyto- and zooplankton communities separated from abiogenic particles, over a one year cycle in two coupled Mediterranean coastal ecosystems (Little Bay (LiB) and Large Bay (LaB)). Metals were present in seawater in the order Cu > Pb > Cd in both bays and showed important variations within the same month than among months. In LiB, their concentrations were between 0.62 and 2.82 μg Cu l⁻¹, 0.16 and 19 μg Pb l⁻¹ and 0.007 and 0.14 μg Cd l⁻¹, respectively, whereas in LaB, they were between 0.23 and 2.11 μg Cu l⁻¹, 0.09 and 0.76 μg Pb l⁻¹ and not detected and 0.65 μg Cd l⁻¹. SPM play an important role on metal adsorption, especially for copper. Bioaccumulation factors showed that bacteria and phytoplankton accumulate metals whereas zooplankton tends to biodiminish them in the plankton food web.     

Acacia salicina, Pinus halepensis and Eucalyptus occidentalis improve soil surface conditions in arid southern Tunisia

Despite low growth rates, plants in arid areas have a strong ability to modify soil surface properties affecting ecosystem processes and community dynamics. But our knowledge on species effects on soil properties in these areas comes largely from observational studies, increasing the risk of confounding factors and precluding estimations of rates of change. We evaluated changes in soil surface properties underneath Acacia salicina, Pinus halepensis and Eucalyptus occidentalis in a 10-year-old common garden experiment established on a degraded Stipa tenacissima steppe in southern Tunisia. The three species tested improved soil properties compared to those of open areas. Acacia salicina ranked first as soil modifier as the soil underneath this species showed higher total organic carbon, total nitrogen, available phosphorus, soil CO₂ efflux and infiltration rate, and lower soil hydrophobicity than soil in open areas. The richness of vascular plants was higher under A. salicina than under the other types of cover. This species showed higher ability to improve microsite conditions and foster succession. Short rotations of A. salicina could thus be employed for the restoration of degraded S. tenacissima steppes provided that other aspects of its ecology are controlled. Pinus halepensis represents a good alternative when native species are a priority, albeit facilitative ability is lower.     

干旱区盐渍地遥感动态监测及其驱动力研究——以渭干河-库车河三角洲绿洲为例

土壤盐渍化作为主要的土地退化形式之一,已成为一个全球性问题.盐渍地的时空动态变化特征分析研究,是发展研究盐渍地动态监测与预报技术的重要基础工作之一,对于及时掌握盐渍化程度与分布,合理制定土地利用政策与生态改良措施,实现区域可持续发展等方面具有重要作用.针对目前塔里木盆地北缘地区广泛存在的土壤盐渍化问题,基于GIS和遥感变化检测方法,对渭-库绿洲1989、2001、2007年三个时期的盐渍地时空动态变化特征及其驱动力进行了分析.研究结果表明:1989-2007年间重度盐渍地的变化程度剧烈,呈剧烈增加态势;中轻度盐渍地面积减少,主要向重度盐渍地和非盐渍地转化;非盐渍地有所减少,主要向中轻度盐渍地和重度盐渍地转化;绿洲内部盐渍化程度有所降低,而绿洲外围盐渍化程度加剧;盐渍地重心具有向绿洲外围东南方向转移的趋势;通过分析盐渍地时空动态变化特征,表明盐渍地时空变化是一个极其复杂的过程,同时受到自然和人文两大系统的驱动,人为不合理的灌溉是促使土壤盐渍化的主要驱动力.研究为盐渍地时空动态分析与评价提供了普适性较强的实现方法,为构建盐渍地定量监测模型提供了一定科学依据.     

Comparison of flood hazard assessments on desert piedmonts and playas: A case study in Ivanpah Valley, Nevada

Accurate and realistic characterizations of flood hazards on desert piedmonts and playas are increasingly important given the rapid urbanization of arid regions. Flood behavior in arid fluvial systems differs greatly from that of the perennial rivers upon which most conventional flood hazard assessment methods are based. Additionally, hazard assessments may vary widely between studies or even contradict other maps. This study's chief objective was to compare and evaluate landscape interpretation and hazard assessment between types of maps depicting assessments of flood risk in Ivanpah Valley, NV, as a case study. As a secondary goal, we explain likely causes of discrepancy between data sets to ameliorate confusion for map users. Four maps, including three different flood hazard assessments of Ivanpah Valley, NV, were compared: (i) a regulatory map prepared by FEMA, (ii) a soil survey map prepared by NRCS, (iii) a surficial geologic map, and (iv) a flood hazard map derived from the surficial geologic map, both of which were prepared by NBMG. GIS comparisons revealed that only 3.4% (33.9 km²) of Ivanpah Valley was found to lie within a FEMA floodplain, while the geologic flood hazard map indicated that ~ 44% of Ivanpah Valley runs some risk of flooding (Fig. 2D). Due to differences in mapping methodology and scale, NRCS data could not be quantitatively compared, and other comparisons were complicated by differences in flood hazard class criteria and terminology between maps. Owing to its scale and scope of attribute data, the surficial geologic map provides the most useful information on flood hazards for land-use planning. This research has implications for future soil geomorphic mapping and flood risk mitigation on desert piedmonts and playas. The Ivanpah Valley study area also includes the location of a planned new international airport, thus this study has immediate implications for urban development and land-use planning near Las Vegas, NV.     

Sources of groundwater recharge at the confluence of the Niles, Sudan

 Due to the rapid expansion of the Sudanese capital city far away from its three Niles, it has become a necessity to estimate the sustainability of the groundwater resources in this arid area. The purpose of this study – based on the stable-isotopic composition of groundwater – is to identify the sources of recharge and their relative contribution. The results show that groundwater infiltrated from the Niles under the present prevailing arid climate, with greater contribution from the White Nile compared to the Blue Nile, occupies an extension of 12 km from the Niles within the two main aquifers. Paleogroundwater of meteoric origin, infiltrated in the cooler pluvial earlier Holocene, occupies the outer zones beyond the Niles' effect. A rational utilization policy is recommended to preserve the finite groundwater resources. Received: 27 August 1998 · Accepted: 2 March 1999     

西部缺水地区多样化水资源开发模式探讨

最近我国政府提出了西部大开发的战略决策。发展西部地区首要任务是研究解决水资源缺乏问题。40多年来南京大学在地下水探寻和开发、水资源评价和水污染的模拟等方面取得了系统研究成果。特别是运用新构造理论和优势面理论 ,在地下水资源探寻的研究中取得显著成效 ,近几年来作者提出的缺水山区水资源多样化开发模式研究课题 ,在河北顺平严重缺水区取得初步突破。这对于解决西部的水资源匮乏问题 ,促进西部大开发会具有重要的实际意义。     

Tufa Accumulations in Ephemeral Streams: Observations from The Kimberley,north-west Australia

Four types of tufa occur along creeks draining the Oscar Range in the Kimberley region of Western Australia; stream-bed tufa, tufa dams, stream-bed tufa waterfalls, and rimstone pools. Well-developed tufa dam and waterfall formations occur at significant breaks of slope within the channel long profile. This suggests that disruption of the hydraulic flow regime and increased turbulence at these points has an important role to play in determining the location of tufa deposits. However, the best-developed stream-bed tufa deposits are located immediately upstream of dam and waterfall formations, which indicates that the evaporation of water ponded behind these flow obstructions may lead to calcium carbonate precipitation during the dry season. The presence of plant and cyanobacterial communities on, and the incorporation of organic material into, the best-developed tufa formations indicates that biological activity may have an important role to play in determining both the rate of tufa deposition and the internal structure of the resulting accumulations.