N2O fluxes from the native and grazed semi-arid steppes and their driving factors in Inner Mongolia, China

This paper presents results of 2 years (from January 2005 to December 2006) of measurement of N2O fluxes from the native and grazed Leymus chinensis (LC) steppes in Inner Mongolia, China using the static opaque chamber method. The measurement was at a frequency of twice per month in the growing season and once per month in the non-growing season. In addition, the possible effect of water-heat factors on N2O fluxes was statistically analyzed. The results indicated that there were distinct seasonal patterns in N2O fluxes with large fluxes in spring, summer, and autumn but negative fluxes in winter. The annual net emission of N2O ranging from 0.24 to 0.30 kg N2O-N ha(-1) and from 0.06 to 0.26 kg N2O-N ha(-1) from the native and grazed LC steppe, respectively. Grazing activities suppressed N2O production. In the growing season, soil moisture was the primary driving factor of N2O fluxes. The high seasonal variation of N2O fluxes was regulated by the distribution of effective rainfall, rather than precipitation intensity. Air temperature or soil temperature at 0, 5, and 10 cm depth was the most restricting factor of N2O fluxes in the non-growing season.

Comparative study on CO2 emissions from different types of alpine meadows during grass exuberance period

Potentilla fruticosa scrub, Kobresia humilis meadow and Kobresia tibetica meadow are widely distributed on the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau. During the grass exuberance period from 3 July to 4September, based on close chamber-GC method, a study on CO2 emissions from different treatments was conducted in these meadows at Haibei research station, CAS. Results indicated that mean CO2emission rates from various treatments were 672.09+152.37 mgm-2h-1 for FC (grass treatment); 425.41+191.99 mgrn-2h-1 for FJ (grass exclusion treatment); 280.36+174.83 mgrn-2h-1 for FL (grass and roots exclusion treatment); 838.95+237.02 mgm-2h-1 for GG (scrub+grass treatment); 528.48+205.67 mgm-2h-1for GC (grass treatment); 268.97 ±99.72 mgm-2h-1 for GL (grass and roots exclusion treatment); and 659.20±94.83 mgm-2h-1 for LC (grass treatment), respectively (FC, FJ, FL, GG, GC, GL, LC were the Chinese abbreviation for various treatments). Furthermore, Kobresia humilis meadow, Potentilla fruticosa scrub meadow and Kobresia tibetica meadow differed greatly in average CO2 emission rate of soil-plant system, in the order of GG＞FC＞LC＞GC. Moreover, in Kobresia humilis meadow,heterotrophic and autotrophic respiration accounted for 42% and 58% of the total respiration of soil-plant system respectively, whereas, in Potentilla fruticosa scrub meadow, heterotrophic and autotrophic respiration accounted for 32% and 68% of total system respiration from G-G; 49% and 51%from GC. In addition, root respiration from Kobresia humilis meadow approximated 145 mgCO2m-2h-1,contributed 34% to soil respiration. During the experiment period, Kobresia humilis meadow and Potentilla fruticosa scrub meadow had a net carbon fixation of 111.11 grn-2 and 243.89 grn-2,respectively. Results also showed that soil temperature was the main factor which influenced CO2 emission from alpine meadow ecosystem, significant correlations were found between soil temperature at 5 cm depth and CO2 emission from GG, GC, FC and FJ treatments. In addition, soil moisture may be the inhibitory factor of CO2 emission from Kobresia tibetica meadow, and more detailed analyses should be done in further research.

Nitrous oxide emissions from two alpine meadows in the Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau

Nitrous oxide (N2O) emission was measured in a Kobresia humilis meadow and a Potentilla fruticosa meadow in the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau from June 2003 to July 2006. Five treatments were setup in the two alpine meadows. Two bare soil treatments were setup in the K. humilis meadow (BSK) and in the P. fruticosa meadow (BSP) by removing the above- and belowground plant biomass. Three plant community treatments were setup with one in the K. humilis meadow (herbaceous community in the K. humilis meadow-HCK) and two in the P. fruticosa meadow (herbaceous community in the P. fruticosa meadow-HCP, and shrub community in the P. fruticosa meadow-SCP). Nitrous oxide emission from BSP was estimated to be 38.1 +/- 3.6 mu g m(-2) h(-1), significantly higher than from BSK (30.2 +/- 2.8 mu g m(-2) h(-1)) during the whole experiment period. Rates from the two herbaceous blocks (HCK and HCP) were close to 39.5 mu g m(-2) stop h(-1) during the whole experimental period whereas shrub community (SCP) showed significant high emission rates of N2O. Annual rate of N2O emission was estimated to be 356.7 +/- 8.3 and 295.0 +/- 11.6 mg m(-2) year(-1) from the alpine P. fruticosa meadow and from the alpine K. humilis meadow, respectively. These results suggest that alpine meadows in the Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau are an important source of N2O, contributing an average of 0.3 Tg N2O year(-1). We concluded that N2O emission will decrease, due to a predicted vegetation shift from shrubs to grasses imposed by overgrazing.

CO2H2O and energy exchange of an Inner Mongolia steppe ecosystem during a dry and wet year

We used an eddy covariance technique to measure evapotranspiration and carbon flux over two very different growing seasons for a typical steppe on the Inner Mongolia Plateau, China. The rainfall during the 2004 growing season (344.7 mm) was close to the annual average (350.43 mm). In contrast, precipitation during the 2005 growing season was significantly lower than average (only 126 mm). The wet 2004 growing season had a higher peak evapotranspiration (4 mm day(-1)) than did the dry 2005 growing season (3.3 mm day(-1)). In 2004, latent heat flux was mainly a consumption resource for net radiation, accounting for similar to 46% of net radiation. However, sensible heat flux dominated the energy budget over the whole growing season in 2005, accounting for 60% of net radiation. The evaporative rate (LE/R-n) dropped by a factor of four from the non-soil stress to soil water limiting conditions. Maximum half-hourly CO2 uptake was -0.68 mg m(-2) s(-1) and maximum ecosystem exchange was 4.3 g CO2 m(-2) day(-1) in 2004. The 2005 drought growing stage had a maximum CO2 exchange value of only -0.22 mg m(-2) s(-1) and a continuous positive integrated-daily CO2 flux over the entire growing season, i.e. the ecosystem became a net carbon source. Soil respiration was temperature dependent when the soil was under non-limiting soil moisture conditions, but this response declined with soil water stress. Water availability and a high vapor pressure deficit severely limited carbon fixing of this ecosystem; thus, during the growing season, the capacity to fix CO2 was closely related to both timing and frequency of rainfall events. (c) 2007 Published by Elsevier Masson SAS.

Growing season ecosystem respirations and associated component fluxes in two alpine meadows on the Tibetan Plateau

From 30 June to 24 September in 2003 ecosystem respiration (Re) in two alpine meadows on the Tibetan Plateau were measured using static chamber- and gas chromatography- (GC) based techniques. Simultaneously, plant removal treatments were set to partition Re into plant autotrophic respiration (Ra) and microbial heterotrophic respiration (Rh). Results indicated that Re had clear diurnal and seasonal variation patterns in both of the meadows. The seasonal variability of Re at both meadow sites was caused mainly by changes in Ra, rather than Rh. Moreover, at the Kobresia humilis meadow site (K_site), Ra and Rh accounted for 54% and 46% of Re, respectively. While at the Potentilla fruticosa scrub meadow (P_site), the counterparts accounted for 61% and 39%, respectively. T test showed that there was significant difference in Re rates between the two meadows (t = 2.387, P = 0.022). However, no significant difference was found in Rh rates, whereas a significant difference was observed in Ra rates between the two meadows. Thus, the difference in Re rate between the two meadows was mainly attributed to plant autotrophic respirations. During the growing season, the two meadows showed relatively low Q(10) values, suggesting that Re, especially Rh was not sensitive to temperature variation in the growing season. Additionally, Re and Rh at the K_site, as well as Rh at the P_site was negatively correlated with soil moisture, indicating that soil moisture would also play an important role in respirations.

Changes in plant biomass and species composition of alpine Kobresia meadows along altitudinal gradient on the Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau

Alpine Kobresia meadows are major vegetation types on the Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau. There is growing concern over their relationships among biodiversity, productivity and environments. Despite the importance of species composition, species richness, the type of different growth forms, and plant biomass structure for Kobresia meadow ecosystems, few studies have been focused on the relationship between biomass and environmental gradient in the Kobresia meadow plant communities, particularly in relation to soil moisture and edaphic gradients. We measured the plant species composition, herbaceous litter, aboveground and belowground biomass in three Kobresia meadow plant communities in Haibei Alpine Meadow Ecosystem Research Station from 2001 to 2004. Community differences in plant species composition were reflected in biomass distribution. The total biomass showed a decrease from 13196.96 +/- 719.69 g/m(2) in the sedge-dominated K. tibetica swamp to 2869.58 +/- 147.52 g/m(2) in the forb and sedge dominated K. pygmaea meadow, and to 2153.08 +/- 141.95 g/m(2) in the forbs and grasses dominated K. humilis along with the increase of altitude. The vertical distribution of belowground biomass is distinct in the three meadow communities, and the belowground biomass at the depth of 0-10 cm in K. tibetica swamp meadow was significantly higher than that in K. humilis and K. pygmaea meadows (P < 0.01). The herbaceous litter in K. tibetica swamp was significantly higher than those in K. pygnaeca and K. humilis meadows. The effects of plant litter are enhanced when ground water and soil moisture levels are raised. The relative importance of litter and vegetation may vary with soil water availability. In the K. tibetica swamp, total biomass was negatively correlated to species richness (P < 0.05); aboveground biomass was positively correlated to soil organic matter, soil moisture, and plant cover (P < 0.05); belowground biomass was positively correlated with soil moisture (P < 0.05). However, in the K. pygnaeca and K. humilis meadow communities, aboveground biomass was positively correlated to soil organic matter and soil total nitrogen (P < 0.05). This suggests that the distribution of biomass coincided with soil moisture and edaphic gradient in alpine meadows.

Diurnal, seasonal and annual variation in net ecosystem CO2 exchange of an alpine shrubland on Qinghai-Tibetan plateau

Thus far, grassland ecosystem research has mainly been focused on low-lying grassland areas, whereas research on high-altitude grassland areas, especially on the carbon budget of remote areas like the Qinghai-Tibetan plateau is insufficient. To address this issue, flux of CO2 were measured over an alpine shrubland ecosystem (37 degrees 36'N, 101 degrees 18'E; 325 above sea level [a. s. l.]) on the Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau, China, for 2 years (2003 and 2004) with the eddy covariance method. The vegetation is dominated by formation Potentilla fruticosa L. The soil is Mol-Cryic Cambisols. To interpret the biotic and abiotic factors that modulate CO2 flux over the course of a year we decomposed net ecosystem CO2 exchange (NEE) into its constituent components, and ecosystem respiration (R-eco). Results showed that seasonal trends of annual total biomass and NEE followed closely the change in leaf area index. Integrated NEE were -58.5 and -75.5 g C m(-2), respectively, for the 2003 and 2004 years. Carbon uptake was mainly attributed from June, July, August, and September of the growing season. In July, NEE reached seasonal peaks of similar magnitude (4-5 g C m(-2) day(-1)) each of the 2 years. Also, the integrated night-time NEE reached comparable peak values (1.5-2 g C m(-2) day(-1)) in the 2 years of study. Despite the large difference in time between carbon uptake and release (carbon uptake time < release time), the alpine shrubland was carbon sink. This is probably because the ecosystem respiration at our site was confined significantly by low temperature and small biomass and large day/night temperature difference and usually soil moisture was not limiting factor for carbon uptake. In general, R-eco was an exponential function of soil temperature, but with season-dependent values of Q(10). The temperature-dependent respiration model failed immediately after rain events, when large pulses of R-eco were observed. Thus, for this alpine shrubland in Qinghai-Tibetan plateau, the timing of rain events had more impact than the total amount of precipitation on ecosystem R-eco and NEE.

Leaf orientation, incident sunlight, and photosynthesis in the alpine species Suassurea superba and Gentiana straminea on the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau

The extremely high level of solar radiation on the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau may induce photoinhibition and thus limit leaf carbon gain. To assess the effect of high light, we examined gas exchange and chlorophyll fluorescence for two species differing in light interception: the prostrate Saussurea superba and the erect-leaved Gentiana straminea. In controlled conditions with favorable water and temperature, neither species showed apparent photoinhibition in gas exchange measurements. In natural environment, however, their photosynthetic rate decreased remarkably at high light. Photosynthesis depression was aggravated under high leaf temperature or soil water stress. Relative stomatal limitation was much higher in S. superba than in G. straminea and it remarkably increased in the later species at midday when soil was dry. F-v/F-m as an indicator for photoinhibition was generally higher in S. superba than in the other species. F-v/F-m decreased significantly under high light at midday in both species, even when soil moisture was high. F-0 linearly elevated with the increment of leaf temperature in G. straminea, but remained almost constant in S. superba. Electron transport rate (ETR) increased with photosynthetically active photon flux density (PPFD) in S. superba, but declined when PPFD was high than about 1000 mumol m(-2) s(-1) in G. straminea. Compared to favorable environment, the estimated daily leaf carbon gain at PPFD above 800 mumol m(-2) s(-1) was reduced by 32% in S. superba and by 17% in G. straminea when soil was moist, and by 43% and 53%, respectively, when soil was dry. Our results suggest that the high radiation induces photoinhibition and significantly limits photosynthetic carbon gain, and the limitation may further increase at higher temperature and in dry soil.

西藏高原草原化嵩草草甸生态系统呼吸及碳平衡

The soil respiration and net ecosystem productivity of Kobresia littledalei meadow ecosystem was investigated at Dangxiong grassland station, one grassland field station of Lhasa Plateau Ecosystem Research Station. Soil respiration and soil heterotrophic respiration were measured at the same time by using Li6400-09 chamber in growing season of year 2004. The response of soil respiration and its components, i.e. microbial heterotrophic respiration and root respiration to biotic and abiotic factors were addressed. We studied the daily and seasonal variation on Net Ecosystem carbon Exchange (NEE) measured by eddy covariance equipments and then the regression models between the NEE and the soil temperature. Based on the researches, we analyzed the seasonal variation in grass biomass and estimated NEE combined the Net Ecosystem Productivity with heterogeneous respiration and then assessed the whether the area is carbon source or carbon sink. 1.Above-ground biomass was accumulated since the grass growth started from May; On early September the biomass reached maximum and then decreased. The aboveground net primary production (ANPP) was 150.88 g m~" in 2004. The under-ground biomass reached maximum when the aboveground start to die back. Over 80% of the grass root distributed at the soil depth from 0 to 20cm. The underground NPP was 1235.04 g m"2.. Therefore annual NPP wasl.385X103kg ha"1, i.e.6236.6 kg C ha"1. 2. The daily variation of soil respiration showed single peak curve with maximum mostly at noon and minimum 4:00-6:00 am. Daily variations were greater in June, July and August than those in September and October. Soil respiration had strong correlation with soil temperature at 5cm depth while had weaker correlation with soil moisture, air temperature, surface soil temperature, and so on. But since early September the soil respiration had a obviously correlation with soil moisture at 5cm depth. Biomass had a obviously linearity correlation with soil respiration at 30th June, 20th August, and the daytime of 27th September except at 23lh October and at nighttime of 27th September. We established the soil respiration responding to the soil temperature and to estimate the respiration variation during monsoon season (from June through August) and dry season (May, September and October). The regression between soil respiration and 5cm soil temperature were: monsoon season (June through August), Y=0.592expfl()932\ By estimating , the soil daily respiration in monsoon season is 7.798gCO2m"2 and total soil respiration is 717.44 gCC^m" , and the value of Cho is 2.54; dry season (May, September and October), Y=0.34exp°'085\ the soil daily respiration is 3.355gCO2m~2 and total soil respiration is 308.61 gCC^m", and the value of Cho is 2.34. So the total soil respiration in the grown season (From May to October) is 1026.1 g CO2IT1"2. 3. Soil heterogeneous respiration had a strong correlation with soil temperature especially with soil temperature at 5cm depth. The variation range in soil heterogeneous respiration was widely. The regression between soil heterogeneous respiration and 5cm soil temperature is: monsoon season, Y=0.106exp ' 3x; dry season, Y=0.18exp°"0833x.By estimating total soil heterotrophic respiration in monsoon season is 219.6 gCC^m"2, and the value of Cho is 3.78; While total soil heterogeneous respiration in dry season is 286.2 gCCbm"2, and the value of Cho is 2.3. The total soil heterotrophic respiration of the year is 1379.4kg C ha"1. 4. We estimated the root respiration through the balance between soil respiration and the soil heterotrophic respiration. The contribution of root respiration to total respiration was different during different period: re-greening period 48%; growing period 69%; die-back period 48%. 5. The Ecosystem respiration was relatively strong from May to October, and of which the proportion in total was 97.4%.The total respiration of Ecosystem was 369.6 g CO2 m" .we got the model of grass respiration respond to the soil temperature at 5cm depth and then estimated the daytime grass respiration, plus the nighttime NEE and daytime soil respiration. But when we estimated the grass respiration, we found the result was negative, so the estimating value in this way was not close. 6. The estimating of carbon pool or carbon sink. The NPP minus the soil heterogeneous respiration was the NEE, and it was 4857.3kg C o ha"1, which indicated that the area was the carbon sink.

Effect of desert soil algae on the stabilization of fine sands

Four filamentous cyanobacteria, Microcoleus vaginatus, Phormidium tenue, Scytonema javanicum (Kutz.) and Nostoc sp., and a single-celled green alga, Desmococcus olivaceus, all isolated from Shapotou (Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region of China), were batch cultured and inoculated onto unconsolidated sand in greenhouse and field experiments. Their ability to reduce wind erosion in sands was quantified by using a wind tunnel laboratory. The major factors related to cohesion of algal crusts, such as biomass, species, species combinations, bioactivity, niche, growth phase of algae, moisture, thickness of the crusts, dust accretion (including dust content and manner of dust added) and other cryptogams (lichens, fungi and mosses) were studied. The best of the five species were M. vaginatus and P. tenue, while the best mix was a blend of 80% M. vaginatus and 5% each of P. tenue, S. javanicum, Nostoc sp. and D. olivaceus. The threshold friction velocity was significantly increased by the presence of all of the cyanobacterial species, while the threshold impact velocity was notably increased only by the filamentous species. Thick crusts were less easily eroded than thin crusts, while biomass was more effective than thickness. Dust was incorporated best into Microcoleus crust when added in small amounts over time, and appeared to increase growth of the cyanobacterium as well as strengthen the cohesion of the crust. Microbial crust cohesion was mainly attributed to algal aggregation, while lichens, fungi and mosses affected more the soil structure and physico-chemical properties.