Temporal and Spatial Dynamics Analysis of Grassland Ecosystem Pressure in Kazakhstan

Affected by climate change and policy factors, Kazakhstan is the country with the most severe ecological degradation and grassland conflicts in Central Asia. Therefore, studying the state of grassland carrying resources in Kazakhstan is particularly important for understanding the responses of grassland ecosystems to climate change and human activities. Based on Kazakhstan's remote sensing data and animal husbandry statistics, this study analyzes the patterns of changes in grassland ecosystems in Kazakhstan based on the supply and consumption of these ecosystems. The results show that: 1) From 2003 to 2017, the number of livestock raised in Kazakhstan showed a trend of sustained and steady growth. Due to freezing damage, the scale of livestock farming decreased in 2011, but a spatial difference in the livestock farming structure was not obvious. 2) The fluctuation of grassland supply in Kazakhstan has increased, while the consumption due to animal husbandry has also continued to increase, resulting in an increasing pressure on the grassland carrying capacity. 3) Between 2003 and 2017, the overall grassland carrying status of Kazakhstan have been abundant, but the grassland carrying pressure index has shown a steadily increasing trend, the grassland carrying pressure is growing, and it is mainly determined by grassland productivity. The greater pressure in lower Kyzylorda state, the southern Kazakhstan state of the cultivated land and the northern Kazakhstan state has gradually expanded to include the agro-pastoral zone and the semi-desert zone.     

祁连山区天然草原退化原因分析与可持续利用对策

天然草原是畜牧业发展的重要物质基础，由于缺乏有效的制度安排和技术创新，人类无节制的赢利活动加剧了草原退化，导致了西部生态环境的恶化。论文以祁连山区的肃南县为例，通过对天然草原退化现状的调查研究，剖析了祁连山区草原生态环境保护与经济发展之间的突出问题和草原退化的深层原因，提出了天然草原永续利用的对策。     

不同植被盖度沙质草地生长季土壤水分动态

水分是干旱半干旱沙地生态系统最大的限制因子,研究植被盖度和土壤水分之间的关系有助于沙地生态恢复和保护。基于生长季科尔沁沙质草地不同植被盖度下土壤水分动态和降水的观测试验,分析了沙质草地植被盖度和土壤水分的耦合关系。结果表明：在土壤剖面上土壤水分存在明显的分层结构,依次为水分剧变层（0~40 cm）、缓变层（40~100 cm）和稳定层（100~180 cm）;植被盖度对土壤水分有很大影响,不同植被盖度下土壤含水量存在显著差异,土壤水分与盖度之间呈倒“V”型关系,土壤水分状况在28%的盖度下最优;不同的植被盖度下土壤水分对降水的响应也存在差异,在13%盖度下响应最敏感,28%和46%的盖度下响应微弱,后二者的土壤水分也相对稳定。在沙地生态恢复建设过程中合理的植被盖度配置可提高降水利用效率,并能使土壤水分和植被达到一种良好的平衡状态,从而有利于生态系统的稳定。     

The conservation patterns of grassland ecosystem in response to the forage-livestock balance in North China

Being a key ecological security barrier and production base for grassland animal husbandry in China,the balance between grassland forage supply and livestock-carrying pressure in North China directly affects grassland degradation and restoration,thereby impacting grassland ecosystem services.This paper analyzes the spatiotemporal variation in grassland vegetation coverage,forage supply,and the balance between grassland forage supply and livestock-carrying pressure from 2000 to 2015 in North China.We then discuss the spatial pattern of grassland ecological conservation under the impacts of grassland degradation and restoration,and livestock-carrying pressure.Over the last 16 years,the total grassland area in North China decreased by about 16,000 km2,with vegetation coverage degraded by 6.7％ of the grasslands but significantly restored by another 5.4％ of grasslands.The provisioning of forage by natural grassland mainly increased over time,with an annual growth rate of approximately 0.3 kg/ha,but livestock-carrying pressure also increased continuously.The livestock-carrying pressure index without any supplementary feeding reached as high as 3.8.Apart from the potential livestock-carrying capacity in northeastern Inner Mongolia and the central Tibetan Plateau,most regions in North China are currently overloaded.Considering the actual supplementary feeding during the cold season,the livestock-carrying pressure index is about 3.1,with the livestock-carrying pressure mitigated in central and eastern Inner Mongolia.Assuming full supplementary feeding in the cold season,livestock-carrying pressure index will fall to 1.9,with the livestock-carrying pressure alleviated significantly in Inner Mongolia and on the Tibetan Plateau.Finally,we propose different conservation and development strategies to balance grassland ecological conservation and animal husbandry production in different regions of protected areas,pastoral areas,farming-pastoral ecotone,and farming areas,according to the grassland ecological protection patterns.     

宁夏香山荒漠草原区植物群落多样性时空特征

采用多个多样性指数对宁夏香山荒漠草原区植物群落多样性时间、空间动态进行分析。结果表明，该地区群落时、空动态特征不明显。长期过度放牧导致环境恶化，生境碎化，这些作用的长期性、循环性是造成物种、群落格局与原有时、空动态规律相悖的主要因素，这些因素消除了物种或群落在时间梯度上应有的变化规律。干旱山地物种在长期进化过程中成功的发展了对环境的适应机制，环境的波动性强烈导致了群落多样性在原来消长动态基础上的复杂化，也使多样性动态机制复杂化。应用多种指数数学模型对研究对象进行综合评价，能够真实地反映群落多样性动态。     

Estimation of Grassland Production in Central and Eastern Mongolia from 2006 to 2015 via Remote Sensing

Mongolia is an important part of the Belt and Road Initiative “China-Mongolia-Russia Economic Corridor” and a region that has been severely affected by global climate change. Changes in grassland production have had a profound impact on the sustainable development of the region. Our study explored an optimal model for estimating grassland production in Mongolia and discovered its temporal and spatial distributions. Three estimation models were established using a statistical analysis method based on EVI, MSAVI, NDVI, and PsnNet from Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) remote sensing data and measured data. A model evaluation and accuracy comparison showed that an exponential model based on MSAVI was the best simulation (model accuracy 78%). This was selected to estimate the grassland production in central and eastern Mongolia from 2006 to 2015. The results show that the grassland production in the study area had a significantly fluctuating trend for the decade study; a slight overall increasing trend was observed. For the first five years, the grassland production decreased slowly, whereas in the latter five years, significant fluctuations were observed. The grassland production (per unit yield) gradually increased from the southwest to northeast. In most provinces of the study area, the production was above 1000 kg ha ^-1, with the largest production in Hentiy, at 3944.35 kg ha ^-1. The grassland production (total yield) varied greatly among the provinces, with Kent showing the highest production, 2341.76×10 ⁴ t. Results also indicate that the trend in grassland production along the China-Mongolia railway was generally consistent with that of the six provinces studied.     

Sources of water used by natural mesquite vegetation in a semi-arid region of northern Mexico

Abstract

Vegetation structure in semi-arid regions of northern Mexico and the southwestern USA has changed dramatically over the last century; shrubs such as mesquite (Prosopis sp.) have expanded into, and have become dominant in, ecosystems that once supported semi-arid grassland. The upper San Pedro River watershed, which extends from northern Sonora (Mexico) to southeastern Arizona (USA), highlights these changes. Between 1973 and 1992, grasslands decreased by 18% and the total area dominated by mesquite increased during the same period by 412%. In the areas where the density of mesquite shrub is medium to high, grass has completely disappeared under the shrub canopy and has been replaced by bare soil. Undoubtedly these cover changes have affected surface—atmosphere interactions by introducing a different partitioning of net available energy into sensible and latent heat flux. At the same time, different root system and root density and plant physiology have introduced a change to the surface water balance, reducing inflitration and increasing runoff. Our study addressed the sources of water used by mesquite (Prosopis velutina) along a natural gradient from an area of high mesquite cover with no herbaceous grass cover, to open savanna with high grass cover and widely spaced mesquite. The presented results from the SALSA 1997 monsoon-season campaign (July—October) show that mesquite shrubs that have access to both ground-water and surface water use surface water when available, potentially competing with grass for surface water and out-competing grass during successive periods of drought when only groundwater is available.     

新疆草地气候生产潜力变化特征及对气候响应的预测研究

基于新疆地区52个气象站点1959-2008年逐月气温、降水资料,利用Miami模型和Thornthwaite Memorial模型、线性趋势线、ArcGIS反距离权重插值等方法,对新疆草地生产潜力的时空变化特征进行分析。结果表明,近50 a来,新疆草地温度、降水、蒸散生产潜力均表现为显著增加,且四季和生长季各生产潜力也呈线性增加,夏季和生长季增幅最大,其次,草地生产潜力以及增幅均表现为北疆高于南疆,基本为由南向北递增,并和多年平均降水量变化一致。其中,水分条件是影响新疆草地生产潜力的主导因素。根据二元一次线性回归方程计算得出,年平均气温每升高/降低1 ℃,草地的年气候生产力增加/减少17.309 kg·hm-2·a-1,年降水量每增加/减少1 mm,草地的年气候生产力增加/减少24.392 kg·hm-2·a-1。     

青藏高原东缘玛曲沙化高寒草地土壤理化性质北大核心CSCD

沙漠化是青藏高原东缘高寒草地退化的重要指征,土壤理化性质是反映草地沙化过程的重要特征参数。以青藏高原东缘玛曲县为例,分析天然草地和轻度、中度、重度、极重度沙化草地土壤粒度组成、温湿度、有机碳和养分等因子的差异特征,旨在阐明高寒草地沙化过程中土壤理化性质的变化。结果表明:草地土壤黏土和粉沙含量随着沙化的发展显著减小,而沙颗粒含量(细沙和中沙)随着沙化程度的增加而增大;5—8月生长季,重度沙化土壤相比轻度沙化土壤温度明显升高,土壤含水量明显降低;随着沙化程度的增加,土壤有机碳含量显著降低,轻度沙化减少50%以上,中度至极重度沙化草地减少91%—99%;土壤全氮(TN)、碱解氮(AN)、全磷(TP)、有效磷(AP)等含量在轻度以上沙化草地中显著降低,而全钾(TK)变化不明显,速效钾(AK)仅在中度至极重度沙化草地中含量降低。高寒草地沙化进程中,随着植被盖度的不断降低,表层细颗粒物逐渐风蚀、土壤养分流失,粗颗粒物质保留下来,土壤含水量降低,在风的分选作用下不断堆积形成流动性沙丘。     

若尔盖45年来的气候变化特征及其对当地生态环境的影响

草地退化、土地沙化等问题已成为若尔盖地区突出的环境问题之一。本文分析了若尔盖地区1957年以来的气候变化特征以及对当地生态环境的影响。结果表明,若尔盖地区多年平均气温呈明显升高的变化趋势,以每10年约0．23℃的倾向率增高,各季节气温也呈上升趋势,其中秋季（9～11月）和冬季（12～莅年2月）气温上升更加明显;多年平均降水量呈略有减少之势,降水倾向率为每10年减少1．75mm。其中,春季（3～5月）和秋季降水量呈现出逐年下降的趋势,秋季降水减少的趋势更明显一些,而夏季（6～8月）和冬季降水量却表现出逐年增多的趋势。受气候变暖趋干的影响,该区冻土环境和植被发生变化,土地沙化、草地严重退化等生态环境问题对当地的社会经济与环境发展产生了重要影响。