Elevated sedimentation in lake records linked to agricultural activities in the Ishikari River floodplain,northern Japan

The purpose of this study was to examine the historical change in sedimentation rates in lakes that have been impacted by river regulation and agricultural activities in the Ishikari River floodplain. We dated sediment cores using caesium‐137 (¹³⁷Cs) dating and tephrochronology, and we estimated sediment sources from ¹³⁷Cs concentrations in the topsoil of representative land covers. We found that, between 1739 and 1963, the distance between the lake and the main river channel and whether or not the lake was connected to the river affected the sedimentation rates. After 1963, agricultural drainage systems were established in the Ishikari River floodplain. The average sedimentation rate before and after the construction of drainage ditches varied between 1–66 and 87–301 mg cm^–2 a^–1, respectively. The increase in the sedimentation rate after 1963 was caused by the construction of a number of drainage networks, as well as extensive cultivation activity and/or fragmentation of the swamp buffers surrounding the lakes. The ¹³⁷Cs activities at the surfaces of the lake as well as the catchment‐derived ¹³⁷Cs contributions and ¹³⁷Cs inventory in the lake profiles were used to examine the sediment influx from the various drainage areas after the establishment of the drainage system. Our results indicate that the majority of the lake sediments were derived from cultivated areas, and therefore the catchment‐derived ¹³⁷Cs contribution in the lakes was strongly correlated with the sedimentation rate. The ¹³⁷Cs inventory across all of the lake profiles was also significantly greater than the atmospheric fallout. We identified a negative correlation between the ¹³⁷Cs lake profile inventory and the sedimentation rate. This is because the sediment originating from the drainage areas contained low ¹³⁷Cs concentrations, which diluted the overall concentration of ¹³⁷Cs in the lake sediment. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Control of sediment dynamics by vegetation as a key function driving biogeomorphic succession within fluvial corridors

Riparian vegetation responds to hydrogeomorphic disturbances and environmental changes and also controls these changes. Here, we propose that the control of sediment erosion and deposition by riparian vegetation is a key geomorphological and ecological (i.e. biogeomorphic) function within fluvial corridors. In a 3 year study, we investigated the correlations between riparian vegetation and hydrogeomorphic dynamics along a transverse gradient from the main channel to the floodplain of the River Tech, France. Sediment erosion and deposition rates varied significantly along the transverse gradient as a function of the vegetation biovolume intercepting water flow. These effects, combined with the extremely strong mechanical resistance of pioneer woody structures and strong resilience of pioneer labile herbaceous communities, Populus nigra and Salix spp., explain the propensity of biogeomorphic succession (i.e. the synergy between vegetation succession and landform construction) to progress between destructive floods. This geomorphological function newly identified as an ‘ecosystem function’ per se encompasses the coupling of habitat and landform creation, maintenance and change with fundamental ecosystem structural changes in space and in time. Three different biogeomorphic functions, all related to the concept of ecosystem engineering, were identified: (i) the function of pioneer herbaceous communities to retain fine sediment and diaspores in the exposed zones of the active tract near the water resource, facilitating recruitment of further herbaceous and Salicacea species; (ii) the function of woody vegetation to drive the construction of forested islands and floodplains; and (iii) the function of stabilised riparian forests to act as ‘diversity reservoirs’ which can support regeneration after destructive floods. Overall, this study based on empirical data points to the fundamental importance of sediment flow control by pioneer riparian vegetation in defining fluvial ecosystem and landform organisation in time and in space. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

南川市三泉镇岩溶区农田生态系统植被碳库的动态变化

通过农田样方观测与实验分析获得南川市三泉镇农田生态系统主要农作物的含碳率、经济系数、果实水分系数,结合该区近26年来( 1980- 2005)主要农作物产量与耕地面积的相关数据,用农作物产量与碳储量转换模型计算法估算和分析该区农田生态系统植被碳库的总量及构成的动态变化。结果发现: 近26年来该镇农田植被碳库和碳密度略有提高,具有微弱的碳汇效应。与邻近的四川盆地非岩溶区相比,该区农田植被碳密度较低。针对农田生态系统植被碳库的构成特点和动态特征,该镇今后应进行作物结构调整,适度增加水稻等大春作物的种植和马铃薯、油菜和饲料等小春作物的种植面积,稳定小麦等作物的播种面积; 加强农田基本建设,发展生态农业,以进一步提高农田生态系统植被碳库的碳储量和碳密度。      

陕西省生态农业干旱区划研究

选取主要气候变量、地质土壤类型、水文、径流特征、地表植被类型及分布等10个影响陕西省生态农业干旱因子,利用K-Means Clustel‘Analysis(快速聚类法)和Hierarchical Cluster Analy-sis(分层聚类法)相结合的方法,对陕西省生态农业干旱区划进行研究,将陕西地区划分为8个生态农业干旱相似区,并对区划合理性进行了检验.分析表明:采用生态因子和干旱因子相结合的聚类分析方法能够较好地反映陕西省生态农业干旱实际情况,充分地体现"陕西省生态农业干旱"的空间分布特征,具有较强的科学性.     

小尺度地形因子对农地土壤质量的影响研究

地形差异是土地利用结构和空间分布格局分异的重要影响因子,也是土地质量的重要参评因素.选择泰山东麓多种地貌类型过渡区,利用数字高程模型(DEM)提取研究区坡度、高程等地形因子信息,通过GIS空间分析划分研究区农地土壤质量等级,利用SPSS统计分析高程、坡度等地形因子对土壤质量的影响.结果表明:土壤质量等级随地形变化呈规律性演替,坡度和高程与土壤质量呈极显著相关关系,且坡度对土壤质量的影响大于高程;随着坡度的上升,土壤质量分值呈抛物线趋势,而随着高程的上升,土壤质量呈降低趋势,且各高程段内不同坡度等级土壤质量分值也呈抛物线走势;土壤质量的最高分值位于坡度2°～5°、高程0～150 m的地形部位.     

辽宁省滨海湿地类型及生态服务价值研究

基于辽宁省海岸带2005年秋季的Landsat ETM影像解译数据,根据辽宁海岸线湿地发育特点,确定辽宁省滨海湿地类型,计算湿地面积;并应用生态经济学的理论和研究方法,结合相关统计数据,对辽宁省滨海湿地提供的资源供给、环境调节和人文社会3大类共8项生态服务的经济价值进行估算。结果表明,辽宁省滨海湿地总面积为15208．06km2,其中自然湿地和人工湿地面积比例分别为71．49％和28．51％;辽宁省滨海湿地生态服务总价值为443．47×10^8元／a,相当于全省2005年GDP的5．54％。其中滨海湿地的资源供给服务价值最大,为195．86×10^8 t／a,占滨海湿地总价值的44．17％,环境调节服务和人文社会服务价值比例分别为31．79％和24．04％,表明滨海湿地在发挥显著的直接经济效益的同时,还兼具巨大的生态效益和社会效益,对于维系辽宁海岸带环境支撑能力和可持续发展能力,确保辽宁沿海经济带建设国家发展战略的实施具有重要的作用。     

Agricultural Climate Change and Wetland Agriculture Study under the Climate Change in the Sanjiang Plain

With linear curvefitting, Mann-kendall method and Yamamoto method, ≥10 ℃accumulated temperature and precipitation from May to September of 6 meteorological stations (Baoqing, fujin, Jiamusi, Hegang, Jixi and Hulin) from 1978 to 2007 were used to explore 30-year agricultural climate change and trend in the Sanjiang Plain. The results showed that ≥10 ℃ accumulated temperature of the 6 stations have risen by 141.0 ℃ to 287.4 ℃ when estimated by their significant linear trends (n=30, α=0.05) over the last 30 years (1978 to 2007). The rates of warming for the last 30 years range from 4.70 ℃per year to 9.58 ℃ per year. There are not significant linear trends on precipitation from May to September of the 6 stations over the last 30 years. The period of 1978 to 1998 in which ≥10 ℃ accumulated temperature is lower is consistent with that in which there is more precipitation from May to September, and warming and drying period has occurred in the Sanjiang Plain since 1999. Under the background of warming and drying agricultural climate, high yield cultivation of Phragmites australis and establishment of Phragmites australis-fish (crab) symbiosis ecosystem in natural mire are the ways for reasonable use of natural wetland. The area of paddy fields has been increasing from 7.25×104 ha in 1978 to 121.2×104 ha in 2006. It is proposed that paddy field range should not be expanded blindly toward the north in the Sanjiang Plain, and chilling injury forecast and prevention should be pay attention to. In the area that the chilling injury happens frequently, the rotation between rice and other crops should be implemented. Measures, which combine drainage, store and irrigation, should be taken instead of single drainage on comprehensive control of regional low and wet croplands to ensure controlling drought and flood.     

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.     

Soil fertility evolution and landscape dynamics in a Mediterranean area: a case study in the Sant Llorenç Natural Park (Barcelona, NE Spain)

The cartography of land covers was used to study fertility and soil evolution in a mountainous Mediterranean area during the anthropocene period ( Crutzen P J 2002 Geology of mankind Nature 415 23). The aim was to determine changes in fertility as agricultural lands were abandoned in the 14 000 hectare area that constitutes Sant Llorenç del Munt Natural Park in a pre-coastal Catalan mountain range (north-eastern Iberian Peninsula). The analysis of land covers using vegetation maps, orthorectified images and aerial photography has allowed us to differentiate six vegetation groups: holm-oak wood, pine grove, oak wood, scrub, active agricultural fields and abandoned agricultural fields. The anthropic covers over the past 100 years were subdivided into five categories: active fields and those abandoned over four time periods. Study variables include field shape (concave, convex, flat), orientation (north, south) and slope (ranging from 12º to 24º). The parameters used for the physical-chemical soil analysis included organic material, phosphorous and potassium; fertility was classified based on groups, types and classes. The results indicate that even when the visual appearance of certain landscapes is similar, the edaphic characteristics may be very different. Changes induced by human disturbance share this phenomenon. Therefore, land management should be considered globally, taking into account vegetation, soils and water as interdependent factors, since it is their interaction that produces landscape and most affects its evolution over time.     

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。