Temporal variability in the maternal environment and its effect on seed size and seed quality in Flourensia cernua DC. (Asteraceae).

The biological phenomenon commonly referred to as maternal effect occurs whenever the environment exerts an influence upon the mother that is later expressed in characteristics of her offsprings. For example, the environmental conditions experienced by a mother plant during flowering and fruiting can modify the quality of her descendants (seeds), and even interrupt their development. Between-year variation in minimum temperature and the classic, between-year variation in precipitation represent an unpredictable environment for winter blooming plants in arid zones. In this study, we investigated the effect of maternal environment (temperature and precipitation) on seed size and seed quality in F. cernua, over a 5-year period. Results indicated that the proportion of filled seeds, as well as their size, increased with higher absolute minimum temperatures during seed formation, and that, to a lesser extent, both the precipitation occurred during the same period and the annual precipitation also have a positive influence on seed size. In this way, environmental conditions prevailing during seed formation exerted a strong maternal effect on the size and quality of seeds produced and, probably also, in the developmental possibilities of F. cernua seedlings. This effect was subject to important, between-year variation.     

Effects of Enclosure on Plant and Soil Nutrients in Different Types of Alpine Grassland

Enclosure is one of the most widely used management tools for degraded alpine grassland on the northern Tibetan Plateau, but the responses of different types of grassland to enclosure may vary, and research on these responses can provide a scientific basis for improving ecological conservation. This study took one site for each of three grassland types (alpine meadow, alpine steppe and alpine desert) on the northern Tibetan Plateau as examples, and explored the effects of enclosure on plant and soil nutrients by comparing differences in plant community biomass, leaf-soil nutrient content and their stoichiometry between samples from inside and outside the fence. The results showed that enclosure can significantly increase all aboveground biomass in these three grassland types, but it only increased the 10-20 cm underground biomass in the alpine desert. Enclosure also significantly increased the leaf nutrient content of the dominant plants and contents of total nitrogen (N), total potassium (K), and organic carbon (C) in 10-20 cm soil in alpine desert, thus changing the stoichiometry between C, N and P (phosphorus). However, enclosure significantly increased only the N content of dominant plant leaves in alpine steppe, while other nutrients and stoichiometries of both plant leaves and soil did not show significant differences in alpine meadow and alpine steppe. These results suggested that enclosure has differential effects on these three types of alpine grasslands on the northern Tibetan Plateau, and the alpine desert showed the most active ecological conservation in the responses of its soil and plant nutrients.     

Simulation of site-scale water fluxes in desert and natural oasis ecosystems of the arid region in Northwest China

The study of water fluxes is important to better understand hydrological cycles in arid regions. Data-driven machine learning models have been recently applied to water flux simulation. Previous studies have built site-scale simulation models of water fluxes for individual sites separately, requiring a large amount of data from each site and significant computation time. For arid areas, there is no consensus as to the optimal model and variable selection method to simulate water fluxes. Using data from seven flux observation sites in the arid region of Northwest China, this study compared the performance of random forest (RF), support vector machine (SVM), back propagation neural network (BPNN), and multiple linear regression (MLR) models in simulating water fluxes. Additionally, the study investigated inter-annual and seasonal variation in water fluxes and the dominant drivers of this variation at different sites. A universal simulation model for water flux was built using the RF approach and key variables as determined by MLR, incorporating data from all sites. Model performance of the SVM algorithm (R² = 0.25–0.90) was slightly worse than that of the RF algorithm (R² = 0.41–0.91); the BPNN algorithm performed poorly in most cases (R² = 0.15–0.88). Similarly, the MLR results were limited and unreliable (R² = 0.00–0.66). Using the universal RF model, annual water fluxes were found to be much higher than the precipitation received at each site, and natural oases showed higher fluxes than desert ecosystems. Water fluxes were highest during the growing season (May–September) and lowest during the non-growing season (October–April). Furthermore, the dominant drivers of water flux variation were various among different sites, but the normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI), soil moisture and soil temperature were important at most sites. This study provides useful insights for simulating water fluxes in desert and oasis ecosystems, understanding patterns of variation and the underlying mechanisms. Besides, these results can make a contribution as the decision-making basis to the water management in desert and oasis ecosystems.     

Geochemistry of Khor Um-Safi ophiolitic serpentinites,central Eastern desert,Egypt: Implications for neoproterozoic arc-basin system in the Arabian-Nubian shield

Serpentinites in the Eastern Desert of Egypt are the most distinctive lithological unit in the Arabian–Nubian Shield (ANS) ophiolite sequence which associated with major suture zones. Khor Um-Safi (KUS) serpentinites represent dismembered fragments of ophiolitic rocks located in the central Eastern Desert (CED) of Egypt.KUS serpentinites exhibit affinity to the typical metamorphic peridotites with harzburgitic protolith compositions. Their opaque mineral assemblage (pentlandite, heazlewoodite and magnetite) is similar to that observed in oceanic serpentinites and implies serpentinization under highly reducing conditions. They have refractory major element compositions with Al₂O₃ contents comparable to oceanic and active margin peridotites as well as Pan-African serpentinites. The Cr and TiO₂ contents reflect evolution within a supra-subduction zone (SSZ) environment. This implication is confirmed by the Al₂O₃/SiO₂ and MgO/SiO₂ ratios which akin to ANS ophiolitic peridotites in fore-arc setting. Their enrichment in compatible trace elements (Cr, Ni and Co) reveals a depleted mantle peridotite protolith.Modelling trace elements indicates that they represent the mantle residues from 15 to 20 % melting of spinel peridotite at oxygen fugacity conditions of the QFM + 1 buffer. This range of melt extraction is consistent with the typical range of SSZ peridotite. Oxygen fugacity estimation suggests evolution under more oxidizing regime similar to modern fore-arc basin system. Moreover, this implication indicates that the KUS mantle represents arc lithosphere interacted with arc melt.     

干旱生态系统净初级生产力估算及变化探测

针对中国西部干旱区特有的气候-植被特征,利用卫星遥感混合像元分解技术对干旱区植被进行了光合作用植被和非光合作用植被区分和组分解析,尝试通过对干旱覆被植被灌层结构进行解析而解决因植被区系差异和环境背景干扰的问题,并参考国际上遥感-生态模型GLO-PEM和CASA,借助遥感生态反演的物理分析,初步构建起基于遥感与生态过程的干旱区适用的光能利用率模型NPP-PEM,并以中国西部干旱区喀什地区叶尔羌-喀什噶尔河流域山地-绿洲-荒漠生态系统为案例,利用AVHRR/NOAA气象卫星遥感数据和气候资料估算了1992年和1998年中国西部喀什地区叶尔羌-喀什噶尔河流域山地-绿洲-荒漠生态系统1 km分辨率年净第一性生产力,并进行了变化探测分析。模拟检验结果精度较好,生态系统碳吸收的空间异质性特征明显。结果表明,考虑了干旱植被生理特征和灌层结构的光能利用模型,模拟结果较为合理,也为引入其他生态模型应用到干旱区生态系统研究提供了借鉴,从而为干旱区陆地生态系统碳循环研究开辟了途径。     

荒漠草原植物群落光合速率对水氮添加的响应

氮沉降和降水格局改变对草原生态系统的结构、功能及关键过程具有重要影响。依托内蒙古乌拉特荒漠草原研究站的全球变化实验平台,研究了氮添加和增减雨（+50%、-50%）及其交互作用对荒漠草原植物群落光合速率和植被特征的影响,分析了荒漠草原植物群落光合速率与植被特征的关系。结果表明：（1）短期氮添加对荒漠草原植物群落光合速率和植被特征没有显著影响（P > 0.05）;（2）降水格局改变显著影响荒漠植物群落光合速率（P < 0.05）,减雨50%显著降低了荒漠草原植物群落光合速率和优势种植物高度（P < 0.05）,而降水增加50%没有改变群落光合速率和植被特征,降水改变下的土壤水分能很好地解释群落光合速率;（3）氮添加和增加降水的交互效应显著提高了群落的光合速率和优势种植物高度（P < 0.05）,而减少降水与氮添加没有显著影响;（4）荒漠草原植物群落盖度、优势种盖度、优势种平均高度与群落的光合速率呈现出指数增加关系,解释率为40%~58%。干旱极大地抑制荒漠草原植物群落光合速率,而氮沉降则依赖于降水增加来提高群落的光合速率,荒漠草原植物群落光合速率与水肥处理下的植物生长特征具有密切的关系。     

河西走廊西段戈壁灌木群落多样性及其分布格局研究

通过野外样方调查河西走廊西段荒漠戈壁典型灌木群落多样性状况,研究探讨了 8 种典型 灌木群落物种多样性的空间分布格局及其与地理因子的关系,对荒漠戈壁植物群落的多样性的保 护和可持续发展具有重要意义。结果表明：(1) 8 个典型灌木群落 Shannon-Wiener 指数、Simpson 指 数、Margalef 指数和 Pielou 指数从高到低为：盐爪爪群落>麻黄群落>合头草群落>红砂群落>梭梭群 落>泡泡刺群落>多枝柽柳群落>沙拐枣群落;波动范围分别为 0.314 ~ 1.355、0.179 ~ 0.666、0.334 ~ 1.222 和 0.051 ~ 0.218,说明荒漠戈壁灌木群落物种多样性指数偏低,群落结构简单,物种组成稀 少。(2) 不同灌木群落内物种数越多,群落间 Jaccard 相似性系数越大。大部分灌木群落类型间 Jac? card 相似性在 0.20 ~ 0.60 之间,群落间相似水平较低,群落相对稳定。(3) 随着海拔的升高,Margalef 指数、Pielou 指数和 Shannon-Wiener 指数均呈先增加后降低的单峰型分布格局,最大值出现在海拔 2 000 m,且与海拔显著相关（P<0.05）;在经度梯度上,从东到西,Margalef 指数、Pielou 指数和 Shan? non-Wiener 指数呈递增格局,但与经度无显著相关性（P>0.05）;在纬度梯度上,从南到北,Margalef 指数、Pielou 指数和 Shannon-Wiener 指数呈显著递增趋势（P<0.05）。总体上,荒漠戈壁灌木群落物 种多样性呈现出明显的垂直（海拔）和纬度地带性分布格局。     

基于NDVI的新疆荒漠地区植被覆盖度遥感估算经验模型研究

新疆荒漠地区植被覆盖度遥感估算模型十分缺乏,给荒漠化监测等相关工作带来很大不便,开展植被覆盖度遥感估算经验模型研究,对于促进和完善相关地区的生态监测及研究工作具有积极的现实意义。通过对阜康市北部沙漠南缘和克拉玛依市中部平原荒漠进行无人机航拍,利用无人机遥感提取（光合）植被信息,并将无人机航拍影像的植被覆盖度统计单元与高分辨率卫星影像像元在空间上直接相对应,获取在高分辨率卫星影像像元尺度上的植被盖度,然后通过植被覆盖度和空间上与其相对应的源自高分辨率卫星影像的NDVI数据的拟合关系,建立基于源自高分二号影像的NDVI的阜康北部沙漠植被覆盖度遥感估算线性模型以及基于源自ZY1-02C影像的NDVI的克拉玛依平原荒漠植被覆盖度遥感估算二次多项式模型。研究中所采用的无人机遥感与卫星遥感相结合、植被覆盖度统计单元与卫星像元在空间上直接对应的方法,可避免以往相关工作中常以点位测量数据代表卫星像元数据所带来的不确定性。由于所用卫星影像的NDVI数据稳定性相对不足等原因,所建立的遥感估算模型的估算精度尚相对偏低,有待于今后进一步的工作加以改进。     

毛乌素沙地锦鸡儿（Caragana）根系微域细菌群落多样性特征

基于16S rRNA高通量基因测序技术,对毛乌素沙地小叶锦鸡儿（Caragana microphylla)、柠条锦鸡儿（Caragana korshinskii）根系微域（即根系、根际土、根区土、灌丛间空白土）间的细菌群落多样性和结构差异性进行表征。本研究对各根系微域间细菌群落的Alpha多样性指数进行了单因素方差分析以及基于OTU水平的PCA分析,探究其在根系微域间Alpha和Beta多样性的层级变化,证实了有关植物根系微域生态位分化的报道,并发现锦鸡儿属植物根系微域间细菌群落的多样性和结构组成随着4个微域类型由外及内呈现出显著的层级差异性（P<0.05）。通过对优势细菌群组的结构组成分析,发现锦鸡儿属植物对特定细菌群组具有显著的向根系内筛选富集的作用（P<0.05）。这种植物通过根系微域对特定细菌群组的逐级筛选富集作用,是导致锦鸡儿属植物灌丛下不同生态位间细菌群落结构和组成发生层级变异的主要原因。     

甘肃酒泉荒漠戈壁灌木群落优势物种生态位特征

了解物种利用资源和占据生态空间的能力,对维持完善和科学保育荒漠戈壁植物群落的多样性具有重要意义。在综合反映各生态因子作用的群落类型和海拔梯度组合而成的两条资源轴上,测度分析了甘肃酒泉荒漠戈壁灌木群落主要优势种的生态位特征。结果表明：(1)在群落类型和海拔梯度两条资源轴上,红砂（Reaumuria songarica）、泡泡刺（Nitraria sphaerocarpa）和合头草（Sympegma regelii）的重要值和生态位宽度均较大,说明这些物种适应能力强,能够较好地利用环境资源,分布范围大,作为荒漠戈壁灌木群落中的广域种具有重要的生态地位和作用。(2)荒漠戈壁优势物种间的生态位重叠值多数较小,在群落类型和海拔梯度资源轴上生态位重叠值小于0.5的分别占总种对的62.63%和77.89%。生态位宽度大的物种之间一般生态位重叠值较高,物种利用资源能力强且存在竞争关系;然而,生态位宽度较小的物种与其他物种之间的生态位重叠程度较低,不同物种在环境资源的需求上产生互补,可以和谐共存;生态位宽度小的物种之间生态位重叠值仍较高,物种分布呈斑块现象;因此,生态位重叠与生态位宽度之间无显著相关性。(3)荒漠戈壁优势物种间总体表现为不显著的正关联,表明该植被群落结构及其物种之间处于稳定共存的状态。