中国西部退耕还林(草)面临的新问题再思考

改革开放 2 0余年来 ,在我国东部高速发展的基础上 ,党和政府审时度势提出了“西部大开发”战略 ,但西部生态环境恶劣制约我国整个国民经济发展。 2 0 0 0年在长江上游和黄河中上游的西部地区大规模实施退耕还林 ,又把可持续发展战略演绎到了新的高度。在上述背景下 ,通过对我国西部地区生态环境恶化与退耕造林所发挥作用的探讨 ,结合西部自然特点和实际情况 ,总结了建国 5 0年来 ,退耕还林和种草所经历的不平凡的 4个阶段 ,分析了退耕还林 (草 )过程中存在的主要问题 ,根据西部区情提出了保护自然资源和恢复生态环境及整治大江大河的对策。

黄土高原生物气候分区与该区生态系统的恢复

根据不同的生物气候状况 ,可将黄土高原分成五个生物气候区 :暖温带湿润半湿润森林区、暖温带半湿润半干旱森林草原区、中温带半干旱典型草原区、中温带干旱半干旱荒漠草原区以及中温带干旱草原化荒漠区。紧密结合上述生物气候区域特征 ,将生态学的有关原理引入到该区的治理与生态恢复中 ,提出了治理黄土高原的新模式 :正确实施生物措施 ,人工模拟天然生态系统。该区的生态恢复应从系统的角度考虑 ,并严格遵守生态学的有关规律在不同的生物气候区构建与该区大环境一致的不同的生态系统 ,改变过去那种在黄土高原全面造林而又成效不佳的做法

人工草地在黄土高原水土保持中的减水减沙效益与有效盖度

根据黄土高原绥德、延安 、离石、安塞等地的草地径流小区资料，分析不同次降雨条件下，人工草地的减水减沙效益和水土保持有效盖度。结果表明，当降雨指标小于坡耕地侵蚀性降雨标准时，草地并不发挥水土保持作用，减水减沙效益为零，当降雨指标大于坡耕地侵蚀性标准时，其减水减沙效益随着降雨指标的增大而减小。在土壤相对稳定的情况下，要使土壤侵蚀模数小于某一定值， 降雨、地形和植被覆盖因子三者之间存在着一定的相互制约关系，即草地的盖度随着降雨和坡度的增大而增大，当盖度达到一定程度时，降雨与坡度对其的制约影响减弱。建立草地的减水减沙效益指标体系，及草地水土保持临界有效盖度与降雨坡度的关系式，并结合降雨频率的分析，得出草地抵抗不同年暴雨的临界有效盖度。

黄土高原半干旱区退化灌草植被的恢复与重建

针对黄土高原半干旱区灌草植被退化严重的关键问题 ,进行了长期的定位研究 ,提出了灌草植被封育、改良、立体配置等快速恢复与重建的技术体系。试验结果表明 :主要草地群落本氏针茅、百里香适宜封育期为 3～ 5a ,产草量可提高 5 1～ 7 5倍。大针茅适宜封育期为 5a ,产草量可提高 1 5～ 5 0倍 ;改良草地最佳组合荒山穴播为本氏针茅 +杂类草、达乌里胡枝子 +本氏针茅群落 ,产草量提高 6 1～ 6 4倍。撂荒地开沟种植为本氏针茅 +冷蒿、本氏针茅 +红豆草、本氏针茅 +达乌里胡枝子群落 ,产草量提高 4 6～ 4 8倍。荒山隔带耕翻种植为芨芨草、本氏针茅 +紫花苜蓿、本氏针茅 +老芒麦、达乌里胡枝子 +本氏针茅群落 ,产草量提高4 5～ 6 5倍 ;灌草立体配置结合工程整地措施 ,建立了以柠条 +芨芨草、沙棘 +草木樨和山桃 +芨芨草为主的集流灌草配置模式 ,现已形成可更新的稳定的灌草群落类型。该体系的组装配套与试验、示范、推广为黄土高原农牧交错区灌草植被的快速恢复提供了重要的科学依据。

黄土区渭北旱塬苹果基地对区域水循环的影响

通过对苹果地、农田和其他塬面主要土地利用方式的比较研究 ,发现苹果地土壤入渗速率大、降雨产流率低和存在生物利用型土壤干层。这些水文学性质将增强土壤 -植物 -大气间垂直水分交换 ,削弱降雨转化为地表径流和地下水的比例 ,最终影响区域地表和地下水资源的数量。另外土壤干层的出现还削弱了土壤水库对年际和季节性干旱的调节作用 ,导致苹果产量随降雨量的自然变化呈现较大波动

黄土区不同土地利用方式坡面土壤含水率的空间变异性研究

为掌握不同土地利用方式下坡面土壤含水率的空间分布特征及其变异规律,利用经典统计学方法对黄土高原水蚀风蚀交错带草地和农地坡面土壤含水率的空间变异性进行了对比研究。结果表明:草地和农地的土壤含水率均值在同一土层深度下差异极显著,但二者在垂直方向、坡长方向的变异程度均为中等变异程度;草地和农地坡面土壤含水率的垂直变化特征不同,前者为降低型,后者在100 cm以上为波动型,以下为稳定型;草地和农地坡面土壤含水率均随坡长的增加呈波浪式变化规律,整体上有增加趋势;将坡面划分为5个坡长或将土层划分为4层以后,草地和农地坡面土壤含水率沿垂直方向、坡长方向的总体变化趋势均没有改变,但由于尺度的扩展获得了一些较大尺度上的水分信息。

农牧交错带不同人工植被下荒漠化土壤肥力的变化

研究了陕北农牧交错带荒漠化土地上种植人工植被后,在不同的植被恢复类型和生长状态下土壤物理、化学和生物学性状的特征。结果表明,随着人工植被的建立与生长,土壤肥力总体趋于好转,土壤理化性质得到显著改善,土壤质地变细,微生物数量增加,土壤酶活性增强;同时,使流动沙地向半固定、固定沙丘方向转化。但随着植被盖度和植被种类的不同,不同样地土壤肥力差异很大;多年生乔木林改良土壤肥力的潜力最高,耕作粗放的农地土壤肥力有所下降。

Effects of afforestation on soil carbon turnover in China's subtropical region

Afforestation in China's subtropics plays an important role in sequestering CO2 from the atmosphere and in storage of soil carbon (C). Compared with natural forests, plantation forests have lower soil organic carbon (SOC) content and great potential to store more C. To better evaluate the effects of afforestation on soil C turnover, we investigated SOC and its stable C isotope (delta C-13) composition in three planted forests at Qianyanzhou Ecological Experimental Station in southern China. Litter and soil samples were collected and analyzed for total organic C, delta C-13 and total nitrogen. Similarly to the vertical distribution of SOC in natural forests, SOC concentrations decrease exponentially with depth. The land cover type (grassland) before plantation had a significant influence on the vertical distribution of SOC. The SOC delta C-13 composition of the upper soil layer of two plantation forests has been mainly affected by the grass biomass C-13 composition. Soil profiles with a change in photosynthetic pathway had a more complex C-13 isotope composition distribution. During the 20 years after plantation establishment, the soil organic matter sources influenced both the delta C-13 distribution with depth, and C replacement. The upper soil layer SOC turnover in masson pine (a mean 34% of replacement in the 10 cm after 20 years) was more than twice as fast as that of slash pine (16% of replacement) under subtropical conditions. The results demonstrate that masson pine and slash pine plantations cannot rapidly sequester SOC into long-term storage pools in subtropical China.

Considerable effects of diversity indices and spatial scales on conclusions relating to ecological diversity

The relationships between ecological diversity and ecosystem functions such as stability and productivity have long been debated and have no final conclusion until now. It is ignored that the debate should be firstly based on the same diversity index, which should be theoretically complete, and on same observation scale. For the issue on the scale of ecotope observation, ecosystems should be distinguished according to intensity of human disturbance. For the issue on the scale of species observation, either number diversity or biomass diversity should be identified. This paper takes grassland ecosystems located within the Bayin Xile grassland of Xilin Gol League of Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region as an example to analyze effects of different diversity indices and spatial scales on the conclusions of ecological diversity and its relationships with ecosystem functions. The analysis results both on the scale of ecotope observation and on the scale of species observation show that different diversity indices might give different conclusions and spatial resolution has a great effect on the relative conclusions. (c) 2005 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Distribution characteristics of (CS)-C-137 in wind-eroded soil profile and its use in estimating wind erosion modulus

Due to its inert reaction in soil system and distinctive vertical distribution in soil profile, caesium-137 (Cs-137) has been used as a tracer to assess wind erosion. In this study, 62 soil samples were collected from 4 sampling sites in Taipusi County, Inner Mongolia; Caesium-137 activities for those soil samples were measured using a gamma-ray spectrometry in Sichuan University, Chengdu. Distribution pattern of Cs-137 in vertical soil profile was different for different land use and land cover types. Caesium-137 was distributed homogeneously in plow layer of cropland, and negatively exponential in low to medium cover grassland. Distribution pattern in high covered grassland was represented by a peak at 2-4 cm soil depth followed by a negative exponential curve. Based on those findings, simplified mass balance model was chosen to estimate the rate of wind erosion for cropland, while profile distribution model was used for grassland. Estimated wind erosion rates were 7990, 4270 and 1808 Mg(.)km(-2.)a(-1) for cropland, low cover grassland and medium cover grassland, respectively. Wind erosion intensity correlated negatively with plant cover.

Study on spatial pattern of land-use change in China during 1995-2000

It is more and more acknowledged that land-use/cover dynamic change has become a key subject urgently to be dealt with in the study of global environmental change. Supported by the Landsat TM digital images, spatial patterns and temporal variation of land-use change during 1995 -2000 are studied in the paper. According to the land-use dynamic degree model, supported by the 1km GRID data of land-use change and the comprehensive characters of physical, economic and social features, a dynamic regionalization of land-use change is designed to disclose the spatial pattern of land-use change processes. Generally speaking, in the traditional agricultural zones, e.g., Huang-Huai-Hai Plains, Yangtze River Delta and Sichuan Basin, the built-up and residential areas occupy a great proportion of arable land, and in the interlock area of farming and pasturing of northern China and the oases agricultural zones, the reclamation I of arable land is conspicuously driven by changes of production conditions, economic benefits and climatic conditions. The implementation of "returning arable land into woodland or grassland" policies has won initial success in some areas, but it is too early to say that the trend of deforestation has been effectively reversed across China. In this paper, the division of dynamic regionalization of land-use change is designed, for the sake of revealing the temporal and spatial features of land-use change and laying the foundation for the study of regional scale land-use changes. Moreover, an integrated study, including studies of spatial pattern and temporal process of land-use change, is carried out in this paper, which is an interesting try on the comparative studies of spatial pattern on change process and the change process of spatial pattern of land-use change.

STUDY ON THE SPATIAL PATTERNS OF LAND-USE CHANGE AND ANALYSES OF DRIVING FORCES IN NORTHEASTERN CHINA DURING 1990-2000

Land-use change is an important aspect of global environment change. It is, in a sense, the direct result of human activities influencing our physical environment. Supported by the dynamic serving system of national resources, including both the environment database and GIS technology, this paper analyzed the land-use change in northeastern China in the past ten years (1990 - 2000). It divides northeastern China into five land-use zones based on the dynamic degree (DD) of land-use: woodland/grassland - arable land conversion zone, dry land - paddy field conversion zone, urban expansion zone, interlocked zone of farming and pasturing, and reclamation and abandoned zone. In the past ten years, land-use change of northeastern China can be generalized as follows: increase of cropland area was obvious, paddy field and dry land increased by 74. 9 and 276. 0 thousand ha respectively; urban area expanded rapidly, area of town and rural residence increased by 76. 8 thousand ha; area of forest and grassland decreased sharply with the amount of 1399. 0 and 1521. 3 thousand ha respectively; area of water body and unused land increased by 148. 4 and 513. 9 thousand ha respectively. Besides a comprehensive analysis of the spatial patterns of land use, this paper also discusses the driving forces in each land-use dynamic zones. The study shows that some key biophysical factors affect conspicuously the conversion of different land- use types. In this paper, the relationships between land- use conversion and DEM, accnmlated temperature(>= 10 degrees C) and precipitation were analysed and represented. We conclude that the land- use changes in northeast China resulted from the change of macro social and economic factors and local physical elements. Rapid population growth and management changes, in some sense, can explain the shaping of woodland/grassland - cropland conversion zone. The conversion from dry land to paddy field in the dry land - paddy field conversion zone, apart from the physical elements change promoting the expansion of paddy field, results from two reasons: one is that the implementation of market-economy in China has given farmers the right to decide what they plant and how they plant their crops, the other factor is originated partially from the change of dietary habit with the social and economic development. The conversion from paddy field to dry land is caused primarily by the shortfall of irrigation water, which in turn is caused by poor water allocation managed by local governments. The shaping of the reclamation and abandoned zone is partially due to the lack of environment protection consciousness among pioneer settlers. The reason for the conversion from grassland to cropland is the relatively higher profits of fanning than that of pasturing in the interlocked zone of farming and pasturing. In northeastern China, the rapid expansion of built-up areas results from two factors: the first is its small number of towns; the second comes from the huge potential for expansion of existing towns and cities. It is noticeable that urban expansion in the northeastern China is characterized by gentle topographic relief and low population density. Physiognomy, transportation and economy exert great influences on the urban expansion.

Validating MODIS-derived land surface evapotranspiration with in situ measurements at two AmeriFlux sites in a semiarid region

Reducing uncertainties in the estimation of land surface evapotranspiration (ET) from remote-sensing data is essential to better understand earth-atmosphere interactions. This paper demonstrates the applicability of temperature-vegetation index triangle (T-s-VI) method in estimating regional ET and evaporative fraction (EF, defined as the ratio of latent heat flux to surface available energy) from MODIS/Terra and MODIS/Aqua products in a semiarid region. We have compared the satellite-based estimates of ET and EF with eddy covariance measurements made over 4 years at two semiarid grassland sites: Audubon Ranch (AR) and Kendall Grassland (KG). The lack of closure in the eddy covariance measured surface energy components is shown to be more serious at MODIS/Aqua overpass time than that at MODIS/Terra overpass time for both AR and KG sites. The T-s-VI-derived EF could reproduce in situ EF reasonably well with BIAS and root-mean-square difference (RMSD) of less than 0.07 and 0.13, respectively. Surface net radiation has been shown to be systematically overestimated by as large as about 60 W/m(2). Satisfactory validation results of the T-s-VI-derived sensible and latent heat fluxes have been obtained with RMSD within 54 W/m(2). The simplicity and yet easy use of the T-s-VI triangle method show a great potential in estimating regional ET with highly acceptable accuracy that is of critical significance in better understanding water and energy budgets on the Earth. Nevertheless, more validation work should be carried out over various climatic regions and under other different land use/land cover conditions in the future.

Relationship between species diversity and ecotope diversity

The relationship between species diversity and ecotope diversity has long been debated. But these debates seem meaningless because most of them were based on different definitions. In this paper, diversity has two components: richness based on the total number and evenness based on the relative abundance. Species diversity is distinguished into individual-counting diversity and biomass-based diversity. Ecotope diversity is divided into individual ecotope-counting diversity and ecotope-area based diversity. Under this definition, we make a comprehensive investigation into Dongzhi tableland of Loess Plateau by cooperating with local technicians. We find that individual-counting diversity is significantly correlated with biomass-based diversity in grassland ecosystems; individual ecotope-counting diversity and ecotope-area based diversity have a significant correlation. Therefore, it is unnecessary to divide species diversity into individual-counting diversity and biomass-based diversity in grassland ecosystems and to distinguish ecotope diversity into individual ecotope-counting and ecotope-area based diversity for the issues that have no special requirement for accuracy. But the analyses of the investigation data demonstrate that species diversity has no significant correlation with ecotope diversity.