应用音频大地电磁法探测内蒙古巴丹吉林高大沙山结构及成因

巴丹吉林沙漠拥有世界罕见的高大沙山群。为了解巴丹吉林高大沙山结构与成因,应用音频大地电磁法进行测量,利用非线性共轭梯度法二维反演得到了沙山的横截电性剖面。沙山电性剖面深部呈现明显的低阻,而沙山中部存在一定规模高阻区域。判断巴丹吉林沙漠众多高大沙山群的形成是由其稳定的西北风作用、源源不断的地下水补给机制和特殊的地层环境共同作用的结果。地下水由于蒸腾作用上升遇到古老沙丘的钙质层阻挡,由背风坡底部蒸发出来。水蒸气凝结在顶部滚落的沙子表面,使其抗风蚀能力增强,起到固沙作用;随着时间推移,沙山越来越大,形成高大沙山。     

干旱荒漠区植被覆盖变化的遥感监测分析

多期的遥感数据可以用来分析干旱荒漠区植被的空间分布格局和变化特征。本文以1989、2000和2007年3个不同时相的Landsat TM/ETM+影像为数据源,利用线性光谱混合分析和RGB彩色合成法构建一个研究框架,对古尔班通古特沙漠西缘进行植被信息的提取和变化监测分析。在混合像元分解过程中,通过多种方法选择端元,比较...     

腾格里沙漠南缘近315年5～6月PDSI指数变化

利用昌灵山早材宽度年表重建腾格里沙漠南缘在过去315 a的5～6月份PDSI指数变化,重建方程的方差解释量达42.0%。腾格里沙漠南缘5～6月的PDSI指数重建序列平均值为-0.32。腾格里沙漠南缘5～6月的PDSI指数重建序列对西北地区干旱极端历史事件有良好的响应。空间分析显示腾格里沙漠南缘5～6月的PDSI指数重建序列与亚洲季风尾闾区PDSI指数的变化比较一致,同时还与西北地区的多条PDSI指数重建序列有着良好的相关性。腾格里沙漠南缘5～6月的PDSI指数重建序列具有25 a(95%)、12 a(95%)、3.4 a(99%)、2.8 a(99%)、2.6 a(99%)、2.3 a(95%)的周期变化。     

NRM engagement between remote dryland communities and government agencies: Success factors from Australia

The management of dryland environments involves the interaction of multiple government agencies and citizens, and is required to respond to a wide range of responsibilities and aspirations for a given region. This paper focuses on the characteristics of engagement between management agencies and citizens in a dryland region, presented here as a series of success factors. These factors are based on empirical research carried out in the Lake Eyre Basin in Australia, one of the world’s largest inwardly draining basins. The results reinforce generic and dryland-specific factors supporting successful community engagement. The former, such as building trust, working in partnership, supporting community champions, and maintaining transparency, are necessary but insufficient for achieving successful community engagement in the case study region. In addition, community engagement in the case study region also required respecting the extreme conditions and extraordinary variability of the Basin and committing to longer timeframes even if the outcomes of community engagement are slow to accrue, in order to take advantage of opportunities in more prosperous times.     

Plant productivity, predation, and the abundance of black-tailed jackrabbits in the Chihuahuan Desert of Mexico

The abundance of black-tailed jackrabbits (Lepus californicus) can fluctuate dramatically. We used data from the Chihuahuan Desert to test the relative strength of top-down (predation) or bottom-up (food availability) limiting forces. Predictions for the top-down hypothesis were, 1) a positive relationship between coyote (Canis latrans) and jackrabbit abundance (numerical response) and 2) a positive relationship between percent occurrence of jackrabbits in coyote scats and jackrabbit abundance (functional response). Predictions for the bottom-up hypothesis were, 1) plant productivity is directly related to precipitation, 2) jackrabbit abundance is positively related to precipitation and plant productivity, and 3) changes in abundance of jackrabbits over the reproductive season will be directly related to precipitation and plant productivity. We found a limited numerical response but no functional response of coyotes to jackrabbit abundance. Forb productivity was significantly related to annual precipitation levels (r² = 0.69, p = 0.002). Grass productivity was related to annual precipitation (r² = 0.34, p = 0.028). Jackrabbit abundance (r² = 0.38, p = 0.002) and changes in abundance (r² = 0.73, p < 0.001) were significantly related to precipitation and forb and grass productivity. We conclude that precipitation levels and plant productivity affect jackrabbit abundance more than predation levels.     

Surface energy and water vapor fluxes observed in a desert plantation in central Iran

Summertime observations of surface radiation budget, energy balance and atmospheric surface layer meteorology were made on an arid valley floor planted with Haloxylon aphyllum to combat desertification in central Iran. The surface microclimate is characterized and compared with other arid regions and the role of ‘desert greening’ on surface fluxes is considered. A high surface albedo (0.265) and large longwave radiation loss produced relatively low net radiation. Energy partitioning was dominated by sensible and ground heat fluxes with opposing diurnal asymmetry governed by strong diurnal variability in eddy diffusivity. The Bowen ratio was 2.53, which fell inside the range of other vegetated arid surfaces. Surface temperature gradients were strong both in the atmospheric surface layer and in the substrate, with consistent lapse conditions by day and inversions at night. The wind regime included a moderate daytime regional wind which displayed Coriolis turning and weaker nocturnal slope flows. Actual evapotranspiration (1 mm dy⁻¹) was only a small fraction of potential evapotranspiration. The diurnal pattern of AET indicates strong stomatal control. The desert greening effect of Haloxylon plantations provided atmospheric water and reduced sensible heat flux by up to 40%.     

Dispersal of arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi and dark septate endophytes by Ctenomys cf. knighti (Rodentia) in the northern Monte Desert of Argentina

In arid and semi-arid environments, root-associated fungi may play a key role in plant communities (e.g., seedling establishment, nutrient acquisition, plant survival and heat tolerance). Several studies have shown the importance of small mammals as consumers and dispersal agents of mycorrhizal fungi spores in tropical and temperate ecosystems. However, little is known about the dispersal of infective propagules of endophytic fungi in arid and semi-arid ecosystems. This study analyzed the potential role of the subterranean rodent Ctenomys cf. knighti as a dispersal agent of root-associated fungi. In order to demonstrate this role, we analyzed: (1) the incidence of colonization of arbuscular mycorrhizae and dark septate endophytes on representative plant species of the Monte Desert; (2) the presence of fungal structures of arbuscular mycorrhizae and dark septate endophytes in C. cf. knighti fecal samples; and (3) the infectivity of the fungal propagules contained in the scat and their growth effects on nine native plant species. Data strongly suggest that this South American subterranean rodent may play a key role as a dispersal agent of arbuscular mycorrhizae and dark septate endophytes fungi in the arid environment of the northern Monte Desert of Argentina.     

Effects of an exceptional drought on daily activity patterns, reproductive behaviour, and reproductive success of reintroduced Arabian oryx (Oryx leucoryx)

Activity patterns, social behaviour, and reproductive success of Arabian oryx were monitored in a reintroduced population in Mahazat as-Sayd Protected Area, Saudi Arabia. During the first year of the study, precipitation was 38% lower than the long-term average, whereas rainfall in the following year resulted in precipitation that was 92.8% of the long-term average. These dramatically different rainfall conditions corresponded with distinct patterns in various environmental parameters (air and soil temperature, humidity, wind speed, solar radiation, air pressure). Daily activity patterns, the frequency of social behaviours, and foraging activity were significantly reduced during the drought period. The frequency of reproductive behaviour was significantly related to daytime, air temperature and radiation, with a pronounced reduction of reproductive activities during the drought. Monthly rates of conceptions were considerably lower during the drought. Our results substantiate the idea that extended dry periods affect the population development of Oryx, but also raise questions about habitat suitability and carrying capacity. Future management of Arabian oryx should consider extreme climatic events as factors influencing various aspects of the ecology and behaviour of this species. This aspect may become even more important in the face of climate change, including a future increase of extreme climatic events.     

Distribution of axis-splitting in Mojave Desert shrub species along an elevational gradient

Although highly branched from the base, all shrubs have short main axes linking canopies to root systems. Main axes become increasingly segmented into independent canopy/stem/root segments as aridity increases across continents. The resulting hydraulic modularity has been proposed as an adaption to low soil moisture that prevents runaway embolism and minimizes risk of hydraulic failure. Here we test the hypotheses that (1) at a regional scale, the importance of axis-splitting species in communities declines with increasing elevation, as a proxy for precipitation, and (2) that this decline is explained by lower occurrence of low-elevation dominant species. We evaluated all species for axis splitting and determined importance values in plots along an elevational transect in the Mojave Desert. As predicted, as elevation increased, the total importance of axis-splitting species declined from 100% at low-elevation sites to 75% at the highest elevation site. However, this decline was not due solely to the decline of the lower elevation dominant species. At the high elevation site, the influx of new species resulted in a six-fold increase in species richness and almost all of the new high elevation woody eudicotyledonous species exhibited axis splitting; non-splitting species were represented by other growth forms.     

Colluvial sedimentation in a hyperarid setting (Atacama Desert,northern Chile): Geomorphic controls and stratigraphic facies variability

Research on colluvial depositional systems has recently emphasized periglacial and high‐altitude settings, and the relations between Quaternary slope stratigraphy and climate change. This article examines the role of variable slope morphology, surface hydrology and microclimate in controlling colluvial sedimentation along a coastal tract of the hyperarid Atacama Desert in northern Chile. Direct accessibility of active surfaces is accompanied by uninterrupted stratigraphic exposures along the base of slopes, allowing direct comparisons between surface processes and the resulting sedimentary record. Four slope sectors are identified, based on differences in morphology and processes over active surfaces. Colluvial sedimentation is controlled by complex interactions of slope gradients and profiles, exposure to dominant winds, and potential runoff pathways, which vary considerably between different sectors. Major differences are evident between these hyperarid deposits and slope sedimentation in periglacial and temperate settings, including the complete absence of pedogenic activity and clay minerals; the volume of aeolian deposits and their role in controlling processes which redistribute sediment downslope, extending colluvial aprons; and the occurrence of runoff processes only where favoured by particular topographic configurations. Depositional surfaces range from steep talus cones, to debris‐flow‐dominated and aeolian‐dominated colluvial aprons, to an aeolian ramp subject to reworking by mass flows and flash floods. Consequently, facies associations and architectures at outcrop are highly variable and highlight the importance of spatial variations in slope morphology and processes in producing distinct, coeval colluvial stratigraphies within a single environmental context. Discrepancies between active processes and the corresponding stratigraphic signatures are also evident in some sectors; for example, preservation of alluvial and aeolian facies in stratigraphic sections does not always reflect the dominant processes over active slopes. Together with the spatial variability in processes and deposits along these slopes, this suggests that caution is required when extracting palaeoenvironmental information from analyses of colluvial successions.