Species richness,diversity and density of understory vegetation along disturbance gradients in the Himalayan conifer forest

We investigated whether species richness, diversity and density of understory herbaceous plants differed along logging(gap) and grazing(primarily by cattle) disturbance gradients, and sought to identify drivers of richness, diversity and density of understory vegetation of logged sites. A factorial experiment was conducted in the mixed conifer forest of Gidakom in Western Bhutan. Levels of the logging treatment included small(0.15 – 0.24 ha), medium(0.25 – 0.35 ha) and large(0.36 – 1.31 ha) gaps. The grazing treatment included grazed(primarily by cattle) and ungrazed(where herbivores were excluded by a fence) plots nested within each gap. Data were collected from 12 gaps(4 replicates at each level of logging) using the point intercept method. Shannon Weaver Diversity and Margalef's indices were used to estimate species diversity and describe species richness, respectively. Soil samples were analyzed for pH and nutrients. The interaction effect of logging and grazing was significant(p≤0.001) only on species diversity. Relative to ungrazed areas, species diversity was significantly higher(0.01≤p≤0.05) in medium grazed gaps. Under grazed conditions, soil P was negatively correlated with gap size and species diversity. While species diversity was positivelycorrelated(0.01≤p≤0.05) with soil N in grazed plots species richness was positively correlated(0.001≤p≤0.01) with soil N in ungrazed plots. Relative density of Yushania microphylla and Carex nubigena were higher under ungrazed conditions. Our study suggests that the combined effect of cattle grazing and logging results in higher species diversity of understory vegetation in medium and grazed gaps in mixed conifer forests of Bhutan,whereas increase or decrease in relative density of major species is determined primarily by the independent effects of grazing and logging. From management perspective, forest managers must refrain from creating large gaps to avoid loss of nutrients(mainly P and N), which may eventually affect tree regeneration. Managers intending to maintain understory vegetation diversity must consider the combined effects of grazing and logging, ensuring low to moderate grazing pressure.     

Combining CLUE-S and SWAT models to forecast land use change and non-point source pollution impact at a watershed scale in Liaoning Province,China

Non-point source （NPS） pollution has become a major source of water pollution. A combination of models would provide the necessary direction and approaches designed to control NPS pollution through land use planning. In this study, NPS pollution load was simulated in urban planning, historic trends and ecological protection land use scenarios based on the Conversion of Land Use and its Effect at Small regional extent （CLUE-S） and Soil and Water Assessment Tool （SWAT） models applied to Hunhe-Taizi River Watershed, Liaoning Province, China. Total nitrogen （TN） and total phosphorus （TP） were chosen as NPS pollution indices. The results of models validation showed that CLUE-S and SWAT models were suitable in the study area. NPS pollution mainly came from dry farmland, paddy, rural and urban areas. The spatial distribution of TN and TP exhibited the same trend in 57 sub-catchments. The TN and TP had the highest NPS pollution load in the western and central plains, which concentrated the urban area and farm land. The NPS pollution load would increase in the urban planning and historic trends scenarios, and would be even higher in the urban planning scenario. How- ever, the NPS pollution load decreased in the ecological protection scenario. The differences observed in the three scenarios indicated that land use had a degree of impact on NPS pollution, which showed that scientific and ecologically sound construction could effec- tively reduce the NPS pollution load in a watershed. This study provides a scientific method for conducting NPS pollution research at the watershed scale, a scientific basis for non-point source pollution control, and a reference for related policy making.     

Temporal stability of apparent soil electrical conductivity measured by electromagnetic induction techniques

Assessing and managing the spatial variability of hydropedological properties are important in environmental,agricultural,and geological sciences.The spatial variability of soil apparent electrical conductivity（ECa） measured by electromagnetic induction（EMI） techniques has been widely used to infer the spatial variability of hydrological and pedological properties.In this study,temporal stability analysis was conducted for measuring repeatedly soil ECa in an agricultural landscape in 2008.Such temporal stability was statistically compared with the soil moisture,terrain indices（slope,topographic wetness index（TWI）,and profile curvature）,and soil properties（particle size distribution,depth to bedrock,Mn mottle content,and soil type）.Locations with great and temporally unstable soil ECa were also associated with great and unstable soil moisture,respectively.Soil ECa were greater and more unstable in the areas with great TWI（TWI 〉 8）,gentle and concave slope（slope 〈 3%; profile curvature 〉 0.2）.Soil ECa exponentially increased with depth to bedrock,and soil profile silt and Mn mottle contents（R2= 0.57）,quadratically（R2 = 0.47）,and linearly（R 2 = 0.47）,respectively.Soil ECa was greater and more unstable in Gleysol and Nitosol soils,which were distributed in areas with low elevation（〈 380 m）,thick soil solum（〉 3 m）,and fluctuated water table（shallow in winter and spring but deep in summer and fall）.In contrast,Acrisol,Luvisol,and Cambisol soils,which are distributed in the upper slope areas,had lower and more stable soil ECa.Through these observations,we concluded that the temporal stability of soil ECa can be used to interpret the spatial and temporal variability of these hydropedological properties.     

Higher species diversity occurs in more fertile habitats without fertilizer disturbance in an alpine natural grassland community

Are there some relationships among species diversity and soil chemical properties of high altitude natural grasslands？ Plant community composition and chemical properties of soil samples were compared to investigate the relationship between soil and species diversity, and the richness in Tibetan alpine grasslands. Results showed that species diversity was significantly positively related to soil organic matter （SOM）, total nitrogen （TN）, available nitrogen （AN）, total phosphorus （TP）, available phosphorus （AP）, and available potassium （AK） in the high alpine grasslands. Margalefs species richness index was also significantly positively related to SOM, TN, AN, and TP. Most soil chemical properties showed significantly positive correlation with species diversity and Margalef＇s richness index. Our results suggested that higher plant species richness index and diversity occurred in more fertile soil habitats in high altitude natural grassland community. In practice, fertilization management for the restoration of degraded grassland should be conducted with reference to the nutrient levels ofnatural grassland without the additional artificial fertilizer and with higher species-diversity and richness index.     

Variations in soil properties and their effect on subsurface biomass distribution in four alpine meadows of the hinterland of the Tibetan Plateau of China

To understand and predict the role of soils in changes in alpine meadow ecosystems during climate warming, soil monoliths, extending from the surface to the deepest roots, were collected from Carex moorcroftii, Kobresia humilis, mixed grass, and Kobresia pygmaea alpine meadows in the hinterland of the Tibetan Plateau, China. The monoliths were used to measure the distribution with depth of biomass, soil grain size, soil nutrient levels, and soil moisture. With the exception of the K. pygmaea meadow, the percentages of gravel and coarse sand in the soils were high, ranging from 37.7 to 57.8% for gravel, and from 18.7 to 27.9% for coarse sand. The texture was finest in the upper 10 cm soil layer, and generally became coarser with increasing depth. Soil nutrients were concentrated in the top 15 cm soil layer, especially in the top 10 cm. Soil water content was low, ranging from 3 to 28.4%. Most of the subsurface biomass was in the top 10 cm, with concentrations of 79.8% in the K. humilis meadow, 77.6% in the mixed grass meadow, and 62.3% in the C. moorcroftii meadow. Owing to deeper root penetration, the concentration of subsurface biomass in the upper 10 cm of K. pygmaea soil was only 41.7%. The subsurface biomass content decreased exponentially with depth; this is attributed to the increase in grain size and decrease in soil nutrient levels with depth. Soil water is not a primary factor influencing the vertical and spatial distribution of subsurface biomass in the study area. The lack of fine material and of soil nutrients resulted in low surficial and subsurface biomass everywhere.     

原子吸收光谱法测定土壤和水系沉积物中的银

样品经四酸分解,1％的硝酸提取,2％硫脲定溶。石墨炉原子吸收测定样品中的银,方法检出限0．014ug/g,精密度（RSD,n=6）4％～16％;回收率为96％～104％。方法经国家一级标准物质验证,测定结果与标准值相符。     

The distribution and natural degradation of cyanide in goldmine tailings and polluted soil in arid and semiarid areas

Farmlands and rivers have been seriously polluted by cyanide from a goldmine tailings dam that collapsed in early spring of 1995 in Yining County, Xinjiang Autonomous Region of China. The cyanide distribution in the polluted farmland and the abandoned tailings dam was studied, three and 4 years after the accident occurred. The results indicated that natural degradation of cyanide in soils is slower than in natural water bodies. The cyanide transport in the soil section is similar to freely soluble salts. In arid and semiarid areas, cyanide can be highly enriched in the salt crust in which the concentration is even higher than the fresh tailings debris though cyanide has decomposed for 4 years. In the polluted farmland, the sticky layer in the soil section can highly adsorb and enrich cyanide so it can partly prevent cyanide transfer to groundwater. According to the characteristics of cyanide natural degradation in soil, the measures for prevention and cure of soil polluted by goldmine tailing dam collapse have been discussed.     

Mapping soil effects in Barcelona, Spain, through an integrated GIS environment

Maps of soil response for the city of Barcelona have been for the first time obtained through a GIS environment that integrates the different procedures for soil response estimation within a single tool. These maps constitute part of the results of the local scale application of the computer prototype for seismic risk assessment that was developed within the European project SERGISAI. The approach involves: collection of available data relevant to local geology, implementation of geotechnical models, estimation of the reference seismic action, generation of synthetic strong-motion time histories, and soil response calculation through 1D analytical method. The resulting predictive hazard maps of predominant period and amplification ratio delineate potential variations on ground shaking and constitute a first approximation towards an integrated approach to Barcelona urban area microzonation. Analysis of the observed differences, when comparing the analytical results in this study with previous empirical studies, provides a useful feedback to establish site dependence suitability and reliability of methods, to extract information on at-present inaccessible parameters needed for the characterisation of physical properties of soil, and also to delimit those areas where further in-depth survey research is needed for a proper seismic hazard assessment.     

A comprehensive study on the parameters setting in smoothed particle hydrodynamics (SPH) method applied to hydrodynamics problems

Smoothed particle hydrodynamics (SPH) is a meshfree, Lagrangian particle method which has advantages in handling solids with extremely large deformation. Like any other numerical methods, cares must be taken to ensure its desirable accuracy and stability through considering several correction techniques in calculation. The selection of values for parameters in those correction approaches is a key step in SPH simulation, which is always difficult for new beginners to deal well with effectively. This paper examines the common inconsistency and instability problems in SPH method and studies its computational efficiency when applied to hydrodynamics problems with material strength like soil column collapse. We analyzed in detail how the correction techniques mitigate these inconsistency and instability problems. Also, the numerical testing results associate with different values for the parameters used in the correction techniques are provided for better understanding the influence of these parameters and for finding out the desirable values. It is found that (1) the SPH method is easily subjected to an inconsistency problem in the boundary area due to the boundary deficiency, and it can be treated well by adopting “virtual particles” contributing to the particle summations. (2) The numerical oscillation in SPH simulation can be mitigated effectively by artificial viscosity with the suggested parameter values. (3) The tension cracking treatment, artificial viscosity and artificial stress work well in removing the tensile instability problem in SPH method. In addition, the nearest neighboring particle searching (NNPS) algorithm, spacing ratio, smoothing length and time step influence the efficiency and accuracy of SPH method significantly. It is shown that SPH method with suggested parameters values can produce a very good result compared with the experimental result.     

渍水麦田土壤水分动态模型研究

根据土壤水分平衡原理,建立了一个反映土壤渍水、可与小麦生长模型耦合的土壤水分动态模型,尤其考虑了因地下水位较浅而引起的毛管上升水量和土壤导水率的变化对土壤含水量的影响。采用盆栽小麦水分试验资料验证了日蒸散量的模拟值,利用湖北荆州农业气象试验站和江苏金坛农业气象试验站的土壤水分历史资料对建立的模型进行了综合测试和验证,结果表明：蒸散量、地下水位和0～50 cm土壤含水量的模拟值与实测值具有较好的一致性,模型能可靠地预测多雨和渍水地区麦田土壤水分的变化动态