Effects of vegetation control on ecosystem water use efficiency within and among four grassland ecosystems in China

Through 2-3-year (2003-2005) continuous eddy covariance measurements of carbon dioxide and water vapor fluxes, we examined the seasonal, inter-annual, and inter-ecosystem variations in the ecosystem-level water use efficiency (WUE, defined as the ratio of gross primary production, GPP, to evapotranspiration, ET) at four Chinese grassland ecosystems in the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau and North China. Representing the most prevalent grassland types in China, the four ecosystems are an alpine swamp meadow ecosystem, an alpine shrub-meadow ecosystem, an alpine meadow-steppe ecosystem, and a temperate steppe ecosystem, which illustrate a water availability gradient and thus provide us an opportunity to quantify environmental and biological controls on ecosystem WUE at different spatiotemporal scales. Seasonally, WUE tracked closely with GPP at the four ecosystems, being low at the beginning and the end of the growing seasons and high during the active periods of plant growth. Such consistent correspondence between WUE and GPP suggested that photosynthetic processes were the dominant regulator of the seasonal variations in WUE. Further investigation indicated that the regulations were mainly due to the effect of leaf area index (LAI) on carbon assimilation and on the ratio of transpiration to ET (T/ET). Besides, except for the swamp meadow, LAI also controlled the year-to-year and site-to-site variations in WUE in the same way, resulting in the years or sites with high productivity being accompanied by high WUE. The general good correlation between LAI and ecosystem WUE indicates that it may be possible to predict grassland ecosystem WUE simply with LAI. Our results also imply that climate change-induced shifts in vegetation structure, and consequently LAI may have a significant impact on the relationship between ecosystem carbon and water cycles in grasslands.

Net primary productivity and spatial distribution of vegetation in an alpine wetland, Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau

To initially describe vegetation structure and spatial variation in plant biomass in a typical alpine wetland of the Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau, net primary productivity and vegetation in relationship to environmental factors were investigated. In 2002, the wetland remained flooded to an average water depth of 25 cm during the growing season, from July to mid-September. We mapped the floodline and vegetation distribution using GPS (global positioning system). Coverage of vegetation in the wetland was 100%, and the vegetation was zonally distributed along a water depth gradient, with three emergent plant zones (Hippuris vulgaris-dominated zone, Scirpus distigmaticus-dominated zone, and Carex allivescers-dominated zone) and one submerged plant zone (Potamogeton pectinatus-dominated zone). Both aboveground and belowground biomass varied temporally within and among the vegetation zones. Further, net primary productivity (NPP) as estimated by peak biomass also differed among the vegetation zones; aboveground NPP was highest in the Carex-dominated zone with shallowest water and lowest in the Potamogeton zone with deepest water. The area occupied by each zone was 73.5% for P. pectinatus, 2.6% for H. vulgaris, 20.5% for S. distigmaticus, and 3.4% for C. allivescers. Morphological features in relationship to gas-transport efficiency of the aerial part differed among the emergent plants. Of the three emergent plants, H. vulgaris, which dominated in the deeper water, showed greater morphological adaptability to deep water than the other two emergent plants.

辽河三角洲植被结构、功能及其驱动机制

辽河三角洲优越的植被生态系统维系着多种生态功能，使该地区成为全国著名的商品粮基地、造纸原料基地和旅游基地。但是，气候变化和人为干扰使得辽河三角洲的植被结构发生了显著变化，影响到植被功能的发挥。 为了应对气候变化和人为干扰对辽河三角洲植被造成的不利影响，本论文围绕植被结构和生产功能，从空间和时间方面，重点阐述了辽河三角洲植被的结构及其驱动机制；辽河三角洲植被生产功能及其驱动机制。 采用的研究方法包括遥感解译、样带调查和全面调查。通过遥感解译方法获取各植被类型的面积、分布及其变化信息，以研究植被的空间分布格局及其变化。通过样带调查方法，获取植被类型、土壤和水文等信息，并结合规范对应分析和偏相关分析等，研究植被空间分布格局的驱动机制。通过全面调查方法，获取植被净第一性生产力、粮食产量、土壤和水文等信息，并结合地理信息系统(GIS)的插值分析和相关分析等，研究植被生产功能的空间分布格局及其驱动机制。主要结论如下： 1. 植被组成和空间格局：辽河三角洲植被主要由自然湿地植被、人工湿地植被、自然旱地植被、人工旱地植被四大植被类型组成。其中，面积最大的3种植被是玉米、水稻和芦苇。四大植被类型以双台子河口为中心，基本上呈现半环状分布格局。 2. 植被空间格局变化：1988～2006年辽河三角洲植被空间格局发生了显著变化，主要植被类型分布趋于集中，形成了一些较大的斑块，而不是离散和破碎。从面积上看，水稻是面积增加最多的植被类型；玉米是面积减少最多的植被类型。从变化速率看，水稻、玉米和芦苇的变化幅度都较大，分别为33.2%、-16.1%和-23.2% 。 3. 植被空间格局形成机制：辽河三角洲植被分布格局不是由气候因子决定的，而是由土壤因子决定。土壤可溶性盐是决定植被分布格局最重要的环境因子，其次是土壤含水量。 4. 植被生产功能：辽河三角洲植被具有极高的生产力。其中，玉米、水稻和芦苇3种主要植被的地上净第一性生产力分别为30,485、18,248和17,440 kg/(ha•a)。玉米和水稻单位面积粮食产量也非常高，分别为14,813和10,365 kg/(ha•a)。 5. 植被生产功能年际变化：辽河三角洲植被生产力存在明显的年际波动。1992～2005 年间玉米和水稻粮食产量呈现显著的年际波动；1949～1990 年间芦苇产量不仅存在较明显的年际波动，而且呈现非常显著的增加趋势。 6. 植被生产功能年际变化的驱动机制：气候因子是玉米和水稻粮食产量年际变化的主要驱动因子，气候因子对玉米和水稻粮食产量的影响远远大于人为因子（农业人口、施肥量、灌溉面积）的影响。气候因子和人为因子对芦苇产量年际变化的影响都非常显著。在气候因子中，年日照数是驱动玉米产量年际波动的主导气候因子；年降水量是驱动水稻产量年际波动的主导气候因子；年蒸发量是驱动芦苇产量年际波动的主导气候因子。 7. 植被生产功能空间格局：植被地上净第一性生产力存在显著的空间差异，表现为一种环形空间分布格局，三角洲中部较低，四周地区较高。这种空间分布格局表明，在辽河三角洲，植被地上净第一性生产力最高的不是湿地植被，而是周围旱地植被。 8. 植被生产功能空间格局的形成机制：土壤含水量和海拔是驱动辽河三角洲植被生产力空间格局的主要因子；土壤盐度、土壤pH和土壤容重对植被生产力的空间格局影响不大。土壤营养元素(氮、磷、钾) 对植被生产力的空间格局几乎没有影响。

旅游相关活动对九寨沟核心景区植物多样性与结构的影响

日益增强的旅游活动干扰正成为九寨沟世界自然遗产的有效保护与持续管理不可回避的挑战，已成为当前区域生态保护与经济发展的焦点问题之一。阐明相关旅游的干扰活动对核心景区植物物种组成、多样性与结构的影响是九寨沟有效保护与持续管理的必要前提和基础，然而至今少有研究。选择九寨沟与旅游活动相关的九个景点、公路建设地段以及退耕地还林地，详细调查了林下植被结构、物种组成与多样性，比较了相关旅游活动干扰与基本未受干扰地段的差异。目的是阐明九寨沟核心景区旅游干扰条件下植物多样性与群落结构及其特点，揭示旅游干扰与植被结构和生物多样的相互关系，评估九寨沟旅游管理的有效性，探索减免旅游干扰影响的对策与措施。初步结论如下。 1.旅游活动引起九寨沟核心景区植物组成和群落结构特征改变显著。栈道及公路附近许多耐荫喜湿的敏感种局部消失，而早熟禾、车前草、委陵菜等耐干旱、耐践踏、繁殖能力强的植物种群扩大；外来物种频繁出现并已少量侵入干扰相对较轻的林分深处；林下群落以草本植物为优势，灌木与苔藓植物的频度、盖度、高度以及灌木密度均有所下降。可见，大量的游人活动和景区公路建设已对九寨沟丰富的乡土植物构成极大威胁，导致其生物多样性降低。而九寨沟农耕地退耕有利于九寨沟生态环境和生物多样性保护，正逐步向稳定群落演替。 2．干扰强度的差异导致九寨沟植物所受影响的程度不同。栈道附近植物受影响的程度与游人活动频率有关，活动频率高的地段干扰强度大，对植物的影响程度重，反之植物所受的影响较轻。强度干扰地段，耐荫喜湿的物种少见，伴生植物优势地位突出，生物多样性明显降低，植物群落结构特征改变也极为显著；干扰较轻的地段，伴生物种少量出现，植物群落结构变化不明显，生物多样性略为降低，部分地区结构参数值和多样性指数有所升高。公路修建是一种强度干扰，它导致附近植物种类极为单一，草本优势种异常突出，多数植物生活力低下、生长更新能力差。 3.不同植物类群受干扰影响的程度不同。草本及苔藓植物的种类组成和多样性指数受干扰影响较大，灌木和苔藓植物的结构受干扰影响较大，苔藓植物对干扰影响最为敏感。 综合分析表明，九寨沟核心景区的管理虽然比较规范，但目前核心区热点景点段的管理仍然不够，旅游活动驱动了林下植被退化明显、物种组成显著变化、生物多样性衰退、非乡土喜光耐旱种群扩大。导致九寨沟核心区旅游活动与生物多样性保护目标尖锐冲突，进一步约束旅游活动带来的干扰，强化管理，开展林下植被恢复与非乡土喜光耐旱种群调控是九寨沟自然遗产地保护一项紧迫任务。 The increasing tourism disturbance is an unavoidable challenge to effective conservation and sustained tourist management of Jiuzhaigou Nature Reserve. It has become one of the focal problems of regional ecological protect and economic development. It is important to clarify effects of tourism disturbance on plant species composition, diversity and community structure in kernel spot for effective conservation and sustained tourist management in Jiuzhaigou, China. However, there were little studies about this yet. The study investigated the vegetation structure, species composition and diversity at nine sight spot, road area and four abandoned farmlands connecting with tourism, and compared the differences between disturbed area and undisturbed area. The purpose of the this study is clarifying the plant diversity and community structure and characteristics of the disturbed area in kernel spot of Jiuzhaigou, discovering the relation between vegetation structure and biodiversity, evaluating the effect of tourist management and exploring the measure decreasing tourist disturbance. Our results are following: 1. Tourism disturbance caused a significant change in species composition and structure of plant communities in kernel Spot of Jiuzhaigou. In the vicinity of plank and road, some native shade-tolerant or hygrophilous plants had disappeared, accompanying with the population expansion of some xerophilous and disturbance-resisting species such as Poa sp. Plantago depressa, Potentiila multicaulis and some exotic and synanthropic species. Herbs were domaint species, while frequency coverage and height of shrubs and bryophytes, and shrub density decreased. In indicated that tourist activities and build of road had adversely affected on native plant species, and led to decline in biodiversity of Jiuzhaigou Nature Reserve. Abandoned farmlands maybe conduced to entironment and biodiversity conservation. 2. Nearby the plank, influency variable of tourism disturbance on plant was alosely and positively correlated with disturbance intensity. There was companion plant species and lacked shape-loving species in heavy disturbed areas, which caused decrease in biodiversity and significant change in community structure in these places. On the contrary, in the slightly disturbed areas, some companion speices displayed and biodiversity decreased slightly, but no significant change in community structure in these areas. The biuld of road is a heavy disturbance form, which led to increase of herb species and to decrease in vitality and regeneration capacity. 3. The intensity of tourism disturbance on plant depended on plant groups. Tourism interference significantly influenced species composition and diversity index of herb and bryophyte; it also significantly influenced community structure; the bryophyte was more sensitive to tourism disturbance. Our result indicated that the management in kernel spot of Jiuzhaigou is relatively reasonable, but not adequate. Tourism speed the degradation of the vegetation under woodland, the change of the species composition, the decreaing of the biodiversity and the expanding of the exotic sunloving plant populations. The contradiction between tourism and conserving biodiversity is increasing, so enforcing management, regenerating the vegetation under woodland and adjusting the exotic sunloving arid-tolerent plant populations is a pressing work to protect the Jiuzhaigou natural legacy.

Primary succession of algal community structure in desert soil

The microbiotic crust study is among new focuses in investigating on the desertification control. Based on determination of algal crusts with different successive ages (4-, 8-, 17-, 34-, 42-year-old) and unconsolidated sand in the desert area, species composition and clustering analyses were carried out in this study. Results on successional orientation revealed that (1) the abundance of Cyanophyta, specially of Scytonema javanicum gradually decreased; (2) the abundance of Chlorophyta, Bacillariophyta and a species of Cyanophyta, Phormidium tenue increased; (3) the biodiversity increased gradually with the community succession; and (4) biomass of microalgae increased at the early stage, but decreased at the later stage due to the abundance of lichens and mosses. But, the speed of natural succession was so slow that the community-building species was still the first dominant species after 42 years, except that its dominant degree decreased just slightly. However, successive speed and trend were affected by water, vegetation coverage, terrain, time and soil physico-chemical properties as well, especially Mn content in the soil appeared to have a threshold effect.