荒漠植被红砂（Reaumurta soongorica）水热响应的年轮学研究

 红砂是黄土高原荒漠植被带主要建群植物种之一，在植被恢复重建和生态建设中具有重要意义。本文以皋兰县40 a天然植被封育区为例，运用树木年轮学方法，对不同坡向红砂与当地水热条件变化的时空响应及分布格局进行了研究。研究结果表明，红砂具有明显的年轮特征，可以进行树木年轮方面的研究。虽然不同坡向水分条件和植被状况有很大差异，但红砂径向生长对区域水热变化具有非常一致的响应模式：同生长季降水呈正相关关系，尤以7月降水量最为显著；同生长季气温呈负相关关系，以6月最为显著。根据不同坡向红砂年龄分布格局分析结果，并考虑到水土流失的防治效果，黄土高原西部荒漠植被带的封育期限不宜少于10 a。     

灌丛对川西北高寒草甸土壤资源的影响

以川西北高原红原县为研究区,用方格取样法,在相邻的高寒灌丛草地和高寒草甸样地中分别随机取0~20 cm土样50个,并分析了这些土样的土壤性状。利用SPSS(11.0)软件对实验数据进行了统计、分析和比较,研究了两个样地的各种土壤养分的平均含量、空间异质性和相关关系。结果表明,草甸样地的粘粒含量、Ptotal、Ntotal、ORG、Pavail、Navail、Kavail的含量都高于灌丛样地,且两样地速效养分差异极显著,但草甸样地土壤的ORG、Navail、Kavail的变异系数(CV)却明显小于灌丛样地,特别是Kavail的CV值,灌丛样地比草甸样地高出了53.37%;相关分析还表明,相对于草甸,灌丛样地中各养分元素之间的相关性明显增强。说明灌丛对高寒草甸土壤资源的异质性有明显的影响,其存在降低了草甸土壤养分的均值含量并增强了土壤养分的变异性和侵蚀潜力,不利于高寒草甸土壤养分的保持。     

Gender and voluntary work in late adulthood in rural communities in the Netherlands

This article discusses the involvement of older women and men in voluntary work in rural communities in the Netherlands. Gender, ageing and civil society form the core concepts in the article. Politicians and policy makers in the Netherlands are worried about the perceived decline of civil society and about the consequences of this decline for specific categories of older women in terms of well-being and social exclusion. The paper presents the results of two surveys of involvement of older women and men in civic organisations, voluntary work and local actions. The surveys indicate high levels of involvement of both women and men. No gender differences are found in activity level. However, the data demonstrate the gendered nature of civil society. Women are more engaged in informal voluntary work and informal local actions, while men are more active in formal organisations and functions. This gender segmentation is not absolute, however. Many older women and men transgress the traditional feminine–masculine boundaries. The surveys highlight the involvement of women and men in rural communities, but indicate lower activity levels in urban areas.     

Gated communities of the Moscow green belt: newly segregated landscapes and the suburban Russian environment

The transition from the Soviet to the post-Soviet period in and near Moscow manifested itself in increasing production of segregated space both in the urban core and suburban areas outside of the beltway to accommodate the preferences of the new Russian business and governmental elite. This paper focuses on the residential single-family housing inside old and new settlements, which are frequently gated. Approximately 260 of such suburban communities have been developed within 30 km of the beltway during the past few years, of which a majority have some form of exclusion mechanism in place, typically tall solid fences, gates, closed-circuit video surveillance and guarded entry checkpoints. The difference in exclusivity varies from the most exclusive older communities inside Moscow Serebryany Bor enclave and Rublevskoe highway mansions to less exclusive new developments along Novorizkhskoe and Dmitrovskoe highways. Despite high rates of construction, based on sociological surveys in 2003, only about 11% of Russia’s upper class claimed to live in such new “cottages,” with the rest owning condos and luxury apartments in the inner city or older detached homes in villages and small towns. Therefore, not all the needs have been accommodated and more development is certain to take place. The environmental impact of such developments is profound. Based on preliminary LANDSAT image analysis, almost 22% of suburban “green belt” forested land within 30 km zone has been converted to new construction from 1991 to 2001. New construction is now focusing on the remaining fragments of natural vegetation, which will likely lower air quality and water quality available for the city. Ironically, the new developments advertise themselves as “clean and green” with massive investments in unnatural landscaping (seeded lawns, exotic shrubs, river and lake shore “improvements”). This investment highlights the well-known paradox of development in which people move out of town to live near nature, while destroying the wild nature they come to enjoy. “We left city for the weekend It was raining, saw no stars There were fences everywhere Our chiefs behind the bars.” Gennady Shpalikov     

沙坡头人工植被固沙区天然降水的入渗和分配研究

土壤、植被冠层与大气界面间(SVAT)物质传输过程日益成为水文学研究最感兴趣的领域,降水量的迁移与转换是非灌溉区SVAT主要的物质传输过程.干旱半干旱区稀疏灌丛蒸散量占降水量的90%以上,因此对降水入渗与水分在土壤内植物根际区再分配的研究显得十分重要.试验于2001年8月17日至9月30日在中国科学院沙坡头试验站进行,主要观测人工植被荒漠灌木柠条(Caragana korshinskii) 灌丛固定沙丘降水入渗与再分配过程.结果表明:在7次不连续降水过程中,土壤入渗深度与降水强度呈简单线性相关关系,土壤入渗速率约为降水强度的10倍.当次降水过程中降水强度小于0.46 mmh-1时,土壤入渗速率约为0 cm*h-1,此时的降水对沙区土壤基本上没有水分补给作用.受荒漠灌木柠条根系吸水作用的影响,其根系密集剖面深度40～140 cm内降水水分入渗积累不明显.降水入渗速率及入渗深度受土壤剖面初始含水率多寡而变化,干燥土壤剖面有助于提高瞬时入渗速率.降水以后随着时间的推移,人工固沙区微环境内空气温度、湿度等气象条件适宜,柠条生长进入相对旺盛阶段,其根系密集层140 cm深度处土壤含水率在总体上下降的过程中,表现出昼消夜长的趋势,试验期间翌日 8:00时土壤含水率值略高于前一日20:00时水分值 0.1%～0.3%.     

岷江干旱河谷三种主要灌丛地上生物量的分布规律

灌丛是岷江干旱河谷主要的植被类型之一,也是该地区相对稳定的生态系统类型。在岷江干旱河谷的水土保持中发挥着重要的作用。本文通过野外样地调查和实验,研究了岷江干旱河谷分布最为广泛的莸灌丛、小花滇紫草灌丛和川甘亚菊灌丛3种灌丛类型的地上生物量,并探讨了其分布规律和影响因素。结果表明:(1)在3种灌丛类型中,川甘亚菊灌丛的平均地上生物量最大,达4819 8kg·hm-2,其次是莸灌丛,为1652 9kg·hm-2,而滇紫草灌丛的平均地上生物量最小,仅为1407 2kg·hm-2;(2)在同一灌丛类型中,不同样地的灌丛地上生物量存在着差异,其中莸灌丛的地上生物量的变化幅度最大,为304 2～5804 7kg·hm-2;滇紫草灌丛地上生物量的变化幅度为241 1～3889 2kg·hm-2;川甘亚菊灌丛地上生物量的变化幅度相对较小,为2089 8～6457 5kg·hm-2;说明川甘亚菊灌丛的群落结构相对稳定。(3)莸灌丛的地上生物量随海拔的上升而减少,而小花滇紫草灌丛和川甘亚菊灌丛的地上生物量则随海拔梯度的升高而增加,但三者都呈现出较好的相关性。(4)在3种灌丛类型中,莸灌丛的土壤水分条件相对较好,其次为小花滇紫草灌丛,川甘亚菊灌丛的土壤水分条件最差。3种灌丛中,小花滇紫草灌丛和川甘亚菊灌丛的地上生物量受土壤水分条件的影响较大,表现为随着土壤水     

Quantitative classification and analysis on plant communities in the middle reaches of the Tarim River

Plant communities were sampled in the lower reaches of the Tarim River, Xinjiang. The results showed that there are 23 species belonging to 21 genera in 11 families, most of which have low occurrence frequency in quadrats. The most common species is Tamarix ramosissima, which occurred in 17 sites accounting for 89.47% of the total 19 sites. Quantitative classification (TWINSPAN) and ordination (CCA) methods were used to study the distribution patterns of 23 plant species in 19 sites in this valley. TWINSPAN results showed that the plant communities in the middle reaches of the Tarim River could be divided into 3 groups and the sampling sites could be divided into 7 types in 3 groups. CCA results were consistent with TWINSPAN results, and showed species distribution patterns correlated with major environmental variables of groundwater level and soil moisture.     

Seasonal variation of the soil seed bank of grasses in central Argentina as related to grazing and shrub cover

The objectives of this research were to (a) study seasonal variation of the seed bank of grasses in two areas with different grazing history, (b) analyse the effect of the presence of shrubs on the seed bank and (c) study seed viability and dormancy in buried seeds of Piptochaetium napostaense and Stipa tenuis. The seed density of grasses was in general low and showed seasonal variation. Most of the grasses showed maximum seed density in December when seed dispersal occurs. Shrub cover did not show a marked influence in seed accumulation. The relatively high number of damaged seeds suggests that predation may be an important factor in seed bank dynamics in the Caldenal. Seeds of dominant perennial forage grasses showed dormancy that could explain, at least in part, persistence of these species in spite of periodical disturbance.     

Problems associated with tourism development in Southern Africa: The case of Transfrontier Conservation Areas

Tourism in Southern Africa is synonymous with the wildlife safari. In the post-colonial era the establishment of so-called ‘peaceparks’ that straddle the borders of states has come to be seen as a key not only to increasing tourism in the Southern African region, but also to the modernizing of conservation policies and the development of rural economies. This paper focuses on the global and continental presence of transfrontier conservation areas, the link between conservation and tourism development, and the current factors that constrain and influence the realization of an ‘African Dream’ — ‘establishment of the greatest animal kingdom’. The unstable political situation in Zimbabwe and how this negatively affects wildlife conservation and tourism in the Gonarezhou part of the Greater Limpopo Transfrontier Park, serves as a case study. This revised version was published online in August 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

Energy partitioning over a semi‐arid shrubland in northern China

During the last decade, the widely distributed shrublands in northern China have shown significant signs of recovery from desertification, the result of widespread conservation practices. However, to support the current efforts in conservation, more knowledge is needed on surface energy partitioning and its biophysical controls. Using eddy‐covariance measurements made over a semi‐arid shrubland in northwest China in 2012, we examined how surface energy‐balance components vary on diurnal and seasonal scales, and how biophysical factors control bulk surface parameters and energy exchange. Sensible heat flux (H) exceeded latent heat flux (λE) during most of the year, resulting in an annual Bowen ratio (β, i.e. H/λE) of 2.0. λE exceeded H only in mid‐summer when frequent rainfall co‐occurred with the seasonal peak in leaf area index (LAI). Evapotranspiration reached a daily maximum of 3.3 mm day^?1, and summed to 283 mm yr^?1. The evaporative fraction (EF, i.e. λE/R_n), Priestley–Taylor coefficient (α), surface conductance (g_s) and decoupling coefficient (Ω) were all positively correlated with soil water content (SWC) and LAI. The direct enhancement of λE by high vapour pressure deficit (VPD) was buffered by a concurrent suppression of g_s. The g_s played a direct role in controlling EF and α by mediating the effects of LAI, SWC and VPD. Our results highlight the importance of adaptive plant responses to water scarcity in regulating ecosystem energy partitioning, and suggest an important role for revegetation in the reversal of desertification in semi‐arid areas. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.