Effects of grazing and climate change on species diversity in sandy grassland, Inner Mongolia, China

To understand the effects of animal grazing activities and climate change on sandy grassland vegetation in northern China, a field grazing and protected enclosure experiment was conducted from 1992 through 2006 in Horqin Sand Land, Inner Mongolia. The results showed that (1) the grazing was primary responsible for changes of the vegetation richness and diversity in the grazing grassland and that changing climate was the main reason for changes in the species richness and diversity in the grassland protected from grazing; (2) light and moderate grazing can promote restoration of the richness and the diversity in the degraded grassland, and heavy grazing could result in a decrease of the richness and diversity; (3) heavy grazing can result in significant decrease of the perennial diversity, and moderate and light grazing promotes increase of the perennial diversity; the grazing, whether heavy or moderate and light grazing, was beneficial to increase of the annual diversity; (4) heavy grazing was not beneficial to diversity of Graminean and Chenopodiaceae, and moderate and light grazing was favorable the diversity of Compositae and Chenopodiaceae; (5) the warm-humid climate was favorable to increase of the richness and the diversity, and the warm-drought climate could result in decease of the richness and the diversity; (6) increased precipitation was favorable to perennial diversity and the diversity of Graminean, Leguminosae, and Compositae, and decreased precipitation had few effects on the annual diversity and Chenopodiaceae diversity.     

Impact of human activities on soil respiration: A review

Soil respiration is one of the primary fluxes of carbon between soils and the atmosphere.It is produced by rhizosphere respiration and soil microbial respiration.Soil respiration is not only affected by environmental factors,but also changes with the hu-man-induced disturbances of ecosystems.Land-use,the measures of land management,the pollution of soil,and so on can affect soil respiration and change the soil efflux.According to some research,the authors summed up their impacts on soil respiration by human activities through land-use changes and land-management measures among agroecosystem,grassland ecosystem,and for-est ecosystem.The results showed that (1) when adding fertilization to farmland,the soil respiration will increase;(2) fenced land can decrease soil respiration,while soil respiration in the grazed land at a grassland ecosystem will decline with the increasing of grazing intensity;(3) with grassland fertilization;farmland cultivation;fire,fertilization,and cutting of forest,conflicting results were found in the changes of soil respiration.Perhaps plant species,site condition,and measurement season can lead to different results on soil respiration.     

科尔沁沙质草甸土壤微生物数量的垂直分布及季节动态

通过对中国农牧交错带科尔沁沙质草甸土壤微生物数量的垂直分布及其季节动态的研究分析表明:(1)微生物总数、细菌和放线菌数量均表现出与降雨量同步的季节动态,即6月份较5月份有所减少,7月份增至最多,7月份以后微生物数量逐渐下降,真菌则表现出从5月份到8月份一直增加,9月份开始回落;(2)土壤微生物具有明显的垂直分布差异.细菌和放线菌的垂直分布表现出随土壤深度增加逐渐减少的趋势,真菌数量表层最高,20 cm以下变化不够规律;(3)土壤微生物的层化比率均大于2(5月份放线菌除外);(4)不同土壤生态因子对微生物的影响不同,相同因子对不同微生物类群的影响也不相同.细菌受水分影响较大,真菌与地温的变化趋势相近,放线菌与水热条件的共同作用有关.土壤养分(有机碳和全氮)与微生物数量呈显著的正相关.     

碳同位素在草地生态系统碳循环中的应用与展望

草地生态系统在全球碳循环研究中占有重要地位,目前,碳同位素技术已经被广泛地应用于草地生态系统碳循环研究中。本文阐述了碳同位素在草地土壤有机碳的来源、光合作用产物碳在草地生态系统中的分配、草地土壤有机质的周转及草地土壤呼吸研究方面的应用,重点论述了碳同位素在土壤呼吸方面的应用。应用碳同位素对土壤呼吸进行区分的方法主要包括13C自然丰度法、脉冲标记法、同位素稀释法、模拟根际沉积物法、14CO2动态模型法、根系分泌物洗涤法等。碳同位素技术对草地土壤和根干扰很小,方法相对成熟,为深入研究草地生态系统碳循环提供了巨大潜力。在我国,应用碳同位素方法研究草地生态系统碳循环在土壤有机碳的来源、分配及周转和土壤呼吸区分等方面有进一步研究的必要,也有进一步研究的发展空间。     

Estimating leaf area index by inversion of reflectance model for semiarid natural grasslands

The study developed an integrated reflectance model combining radiative transfer and geometric optical properties in order to inverse leaf area index (LAI) of semiarid natural grasslands. In order to better link remote sensing information with land plants, and facilitate regional and global climate change studies, the model introduced a simple but important geometrical similarity parameter related to plant crown shapes. The model revealed the influences of different plant crown shapes (such as spherical, cylindrical/cuboidal and conic crowns) on leaf/branch angle distribution frequencies, shadow ground coverage, shadowed or sunlit background fractions, canopy reflectance, and scene reflectance. The modeled reflectance data agreed with the measured ones in the three Leymus chinensis steppes with different degradation degrees, which validated the reflectance model. The lower the degradation degree was, the better the modeled data agreed with the measured data. After this reflectance model was coupled with the optimization inversion method, LAI over the entire study region was estimated once every eight days using the eight-day products of surface reflectance obtained by multi-spectral Moderate-Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) during the growing seasons in 2002. The temporal and spatial patterns of inversed LAI for the steppes with different cover degrees, swamps, flood plains, and croplands agreed with the general laws and measurements very well. But for unused land cover types (sands, saline, and barren lands) and forestlands, totally accounting for about 10% of the study region, the reasonable LAI values were not derived by inversing, requiring further revising of the model or the development of a new model for them. Supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (Grant No. 30500076), the National Basic Research Program of China (Grant No. 2007CB714407), and the President Foundation of Graduate University of Chinese Academy of Sciences (Grant No. YZJJ200205)     

拉萨河谷灌丛草原与农田水热平衡及植被水分利用特征

以青藏高原的拉萨河谷下游的灌丛草原和农田为研究对象,在中国科学院拉萨高原生态试验站的农田与附近的灌丛草原开展实验.利用SHAW模型模拟了2004年10月-2005年9月灌丛草原与农田水热平衡以及根系吸水过程.模拟结果经分析得出,(1)农田所接收的净辐射比灌丛草原要多,农田接收的能量大部分以潜热形式支出,全年的波文比为0.29;而灌丛草原的波文比为0.89.灌丛草原全年的潜热通量是农田的53%,具有一定的抑制蒸散发的功能.(2)农田耗水量是灌丛草原的1.8倍.农田由于大量的灌溉造成较大的渗漏损失,同时也增加了土壤蒸发这一无益损耗.(3)深层土壤水向上的补给与根系吸水两方面的模拟都表明,灌丛草原的植被比农田能更大程度地利用深层土壤水.     

黄河源区土地沙漠化时空变化遥感分析

通过野外调查与室内分析, 建立了黄河源区沙漠化土地分类分级系统。在此基础上, 通过遥感数据处理与参数反演, 建立了沙漠化遥感监测指数模型, 并利用1986~2000 年 Landsat-TM/ETM+ 遥感数据, 对近15 年来黄河源区土地沙漠化过程进行了定量分析与评价。 研究结果表明, 黄河源区沙漠化土地面积达3519.97 km², 其中以轻度沙漠化土地为主。沙漠 化土地集中分布在玛多宽谷盆地南缘与黑河宽谷盆地北缘之间, 沿西北-东南走向的低山丘 陵展布, 分布于河谷, 湖滨、古河道及山麓洪积扇等地形面上, 呈斑块状、片状和带状分布。 1986~1990 年黄河源区沙漠化土地年增长率为21.87%, 沙漠化土地的变化表现为沙漠化土地 快速蔓延。1990~2000 年沙漠化土地年扩展率为2.73%, 虽然沙漠化扩展速率降低, 但在进一 步扩展的同时, 主要表现为沙漠化程度的进一步加重。总之, 20 世纪80 年代末期以来, 黄 河源区沙漠化过程呈现为正在发展和强烈发展的态势。但在不同时段上沙漠化发展呈现出不 同的特征, 80 年代末沙漠化土地增长率高, 沙漠化过程表现为沙漠化土地的迅速蔓延; 进入 90 年代沙漠化土地增长相对减缓, 但中度沙漠化土地则保持直线增长的趋势, 呈现出以沙漠 化程度的加重为主的发展趋势。     

黄河上游玛曲县天然草场退化现状、成因及治理对策

玛曲县天然草场退化、沙化现象十分严重,其原因有自然与人为因素,而人为因素特别是超载过牧是引起天然草场退化的主要原因。在对玛曲县天然草场退化原因深入分析与研究的基础上,提出了相应的治理对策。对于治理,即要有制度的完善,又要有成熟的治理技术,制度应优先于技术,只有在制度不断完善、法制不断健全和人们思想观念逐渐提高的前提下,再采用先进的、可操作性强的、行之有效的治理技术,经过长期的治理,玛曲县持续多年的天然草场退化、沙化问题才能从根本上得到解决。     

退牧（耕）还草（林）与甘肃的可持续发展

科学、有序地推进退牧（耕）还草（林）工程,不仅是甘肃生态建设可持续发展最基本的战略任务,而且是实现甘肃社会经济可持续发展的必然选择。本文从政策、管理、农牧户等方面分析了退牧（耕）还草（林）工程实施过程中存在的问题,提出了甘肃省退牧（耕）还草（林）建设要坚持创新性原则、贯彻协同性原则、体现科学性原则,突出地域性特征及建立有效的激励机制等总体思路和具体对策。     

关于宁、蒙、陕农牧交错带重点地区退耕还林(草)工程实施情况与建议

阐述了农牧交错带生态环境退化和恶化的原因,除了气候条件等自然因素外,主要是由于人类过度开垦、放牧、采挖等一系列不合理经济活动破坏生态环境引起的。目前正在实施的退耕还林(草)工程正是针对这一地区生态退化和恶化而采取的加强生态保护和建设的重大举措。工程实施两年多以来,进展顺利,已取得了重要成就,局部地区生态有了明显改善。并且,根据该区自然特点,灾害状况,以及恢复这一地区生态屏障的作用,提出有关该区的经营方向,扩大退耕还林(草),退牧还草的一些建议。