Climate and fire drivers of forest composition and openness in the Changbai Mountains since the Late Glacial

Ongoing climate changes have a direct impact on forest growth;they also affect natural fire regimes,with further implications for forest composition.Understanding of how these will affect forests on decadal-to-centennial timescales is limited.Here we use reconstructions of past vegetation,fire regimes and climate during the Holocene to examine the relative importance of changes in climate and fire regimes for the abundance of key tree species in northeastern China.We reconstructed vegetation changes and fire regimes based on pollen and charcoal records from Gushantun peatland.We then used generalized linear modelling to investigate the impact of reconstructed changes in summer temperature,annual precipitation,background levels of fire,fire frequency and fire magnitude to identify the drivers of decadal-to-centennial changes in forest openness and composition.Changes in climate and fire regimes have independent impacts on the abundance of the key tree taxa.Climate variables are generally more important than fire variables in determining the abundance of individual taxa.Precipitation is the only determinant of forest openness,but summer temperature is more important than precipitation for individual tree taxa with warmer summers causing a decrease in cold-tolerant conifers and an increase in warmth-demanding broadleaved trees.Both background level and fire frequency have negative relationships with the abundance of most tree taxa;only Pinus increases as fire frequency increases.The magnitude of individual fires does not have a significant impact on species abundance on this timescale.Both climate and fire regime characteristics must be considered to understand changes in forest composition on the decadal-to-centennial timescale.There are differences,both in sign and magnitude,in the response of individual tree species to individual drivers.

Rhizosphere Soil Fungal Diversity and Soil Physicochemical Properties of Different Vegetations in Tundra of Changbai Mountain

By studying the diversity and community structure of rhizosphere soil fungi of different plants in the tundra on the northern slope of Changbai Mountain, it provides theoretical support for the restoration of environmental degradation and in-depth study of fungal diversity in the tundra of Changbai Mountain. High-throughput sequencing technology was used to determine the ITS1 region of fungal amplicons, so as to analyze the diversity of fungal communities in the rhizosphere soil of six plants in the tundra of Changbai Mountain, and to analyze the correlation between the environment and the diversity and richness of fungal communities in combination with relevant soil physical and chemical factors. The diversity and richness of fungal community in the rhizosphere soil of six plants in Changbai Mountain tundra were different. The Simpson and Shannon indexes of Saxifraga stolonifera Curt were the highest, and the richness of fungal community in Dryas octopetala was the highest. The analysis of fungal community composition showed that the fungal colonies in plant rhizosphere soil samples mainly belonged to Ascomycota and Basidiomycota, which were the main dominant phyla. Mortierella, Fusarium and Sordariomycetes are common fungal genera in the rhizosphere soil of six plants, but their abundances are different among different plants. Water content was negatively correlated with fungal diversity, and TP was positively correlated with fungal community diversity. There were some differences in the composition and diversity of rhizosphere soil fungal communities of six plants in Changbai Mountain tundra. Ascomycota and Basidiomycota were the main soil fungal phyla in the rhizosphere of six plants in Changbai Mountain tundra. The results could provide theoretical guidance for ecological protection of Changbai Mountain tundra.

Effects of soil temperature and soil water content on soil respiration in three forest types in Changbai Mountain

Soil incubation experiments were conducted in lab to delineate the effect of soil temperature and soil water content on soil respirations in broad-leaved/Korean pine forest (mountain dark brown forest soil), dark coniferous forest (mountain brown coniferous forest soil) and erman's birch forest (mountain soddy forest soil) in Changbai Mountain in September 2001. The soil water content was adjusted to five different levels (9%, 21%, 30%, and 43%) by adding certain amount of water into the soil cylinders, and the soil sample was incubated at 0, 5, 15, 25 and 35°C for 24 h. The results indicated that in broad-leaved/Korean pine forest the soil respiration rate was positively correlated to soil temperature from 0 to 35°C. Soil respiration rate increased with increase of soil water content within the limits of 21% to 37%, while it decreased with soil water content when water content was over the range. The result suggested the interactive effects of temperature and water content on soil respiration. There were significant differences in soil respiration among the various forest types. The soil respiration rate was highest in broad-leaved/Korean pine forest, middle in erman's birch forest and the lowest in dark coniferous forest. The optimal soil temperature and soil water content for soil respiration was 35°C and 37% in broad-leaved/Korean pine forest, 25°C and 21% in dark coniferous forest, and 35°C and 37% in erman's birch forest. Because the forests of broad-leaved/Korean pine, dark coniferous and erman's birch are distributed at different altitudes, the soil temperature had 4–5°C variation in different forest types during the same period. Thus, the soil respiration rates measured in brown pine mountain soil were lower than those in dark brown forest and those measured in mountain grass forest soil were higher than those in brown pine mountain soil. Key words Soil temperature - Soil water content - Soil respiration - The typical forest ecosystem in Changbai Mountain CLC number S7118.51 Document code A Foundation item: This study was supported by grant from the National Natural Science Foundation of China (No. 30271068), the grant of the Knowledge Innovation Program of Chinese Academy of Sciences (KZ-CX-SW-01-01B-12) and the grant from Advanced Programs of Institute of Applied Ecology Chinese Academy of Sciences.Biography: WANG Miao (1964-), male, associate professor in Institute of Applied Ecology, Chinese Academy of Science, Shenyang 110016, P. R. China.Responsible editor: Song Funan

Study on complexity of plant communities at different altitudes on the Northern Slope of Changbai Mountain

By the method of gradient pattern analysis, twenty plots were set at altitudes of 700-2600 m with an interval of 100 m on the northern slope of the Changbai Mountain. The dissimilarity of respective sub-plots in the same community was measured and the complexity of plant communities at different altitudes was analyzed. The result from binary data of tree species in canopy tree indicated that the sub-plots in the communities, except subalpine Betula ermanii forest, showed comparatively high dissimilarity in species composition. Especially, the dissimilarity index (0.7) of broadleaved/Korean pine forest at low altitudes was obviously higher than other communities. The differences are not obvious between communities referring to dark coniferous forest. Comparatively, the dissimilarity in sub-plots of the communities at altitude of 1400 m was slightly higher than that of other communities, which reflected the complexity of tree species compositions of transitory-type communities. For subalpine Betula ermanii forest, tree species composition was simple and showed a high similarity between sub-plots. The results derived from binary data of shrub showed that the dissimilarity index of shrub species in broadleaved/Korean pine forest at low altitudes was higher than that in other communities, but the divergence tendency wasn抰 so obvious as that of arbor species. The dissimilarity derived from binary data of herb and all plant species at different altitudes showed greatly close tendency, and the differences in herb and all plant species between sub-plots were the greatest for the communities of broad-leaved-Korean pine forest and alpine tundra zone..

Soil nematode community structure on the northern slope of Changbai Mountain, Northeast China

Soil nematode communities were investigated in the Changbai Mountain in Broad-leaved Korean Pine forest, Korean Pine and spruce-fix mixed forest, Dark Coniferous forest, Erman＇s birch forest and Alpine tundra along different altitude gradients from 762 m to 2 200 m a.s.l. Soil animal samples were collected from the litter layer and the soil depth of 0-5 cm, 5-10 cm and 10-20 cm at each site in the spring of 2001 and 2002. In total 27 nematode families and 60 genera were observed. The dominant genera were Plectus Bastian and Tylenchus Bastian and most of them live in litter layer. The total number of soil nematode was significantly correlated with soil moisture （r=0.357; p〈0.01）. Nematodes were classified in bacterivores, fungivores, plant parasites, omnivores-predators, and omnivores according to known feeding habitats or stoma and esophageal morphology. Species richness of fungivorous nematode was higher than others in different vegetation communities and soil depths. The total number of soil nematode and trophic groups varied significantly （o〈0.05） in response to different soil depths. The fungivore/bacterivore ratio （F/B） and the ratio of （fungivores ＋ bacterivores）/plant-parasites （WI） also changed significantly （p〈0.05） in different soil depths. In conclusion, soil moisture is proved to be one of the most important variables affecting nematode density and trophic composition, and the altitude gradient does not significantly affect the ecological indices of soil nematode such as trophic diversity （TD） and the Shannon index （H＇）.

Spatial pattern of soil carbon and nutrient storage at the Alpine tun-dra ecosystem of Changbai Mountain, China

In August 2003, we investigated spatial pattern in soil carbon and nutrients in the Alpine tundra of Changbai Moun-tain, Jilin Province, China. The analytical results showed that the soil C concentrations at different depths were significantly (p<0.05) higher in Meadow alpine tundra vegetation than that in other vegetation types; the soil C (including inorganic carbon) concentrations at layer below 10 cm are significantly (p<0.05) higher than at layer of 1020 cm among the different vegetation types; the spatial distribution of soil N concentration at top surface of 0-10 cm depth was similar to that at 1020 cm; the soil P concentrations at different depths were significantly (p<0.05) lower at Lithic alpine tundra vegetation than that at other vegetation types; soil K concentration was significantly (p<0.05) higher in Felsenmeer alpine tundra vegetation and Lithic alpine tundra vegetation than that in Typical alpine tundra, Meadow alpine tundra, and Swamp alpine tundra vegetations.. However, the soil K had not significant change at different soil depths of each vegetation type. Soil S concentration was dramatically higher in Meadow alpine tundra vegetation than that in other vegetation types. For each vegetation type, the ratios of C: N, C: P, C: K and C: S generally decreased with soil depth. The ratio of C: N was significantly higher at 010 cm than that at 1020 cm for all vegetation types except at the top layer of the Swamp alpine tundra vegetation. Our study showed that soil C and nutrients storage were significantly spatial heterogeneity.

The changes of co-possession of plant species between communities with altitudes on northern slope of Changbai Mountain

Twenty plots were investigated on northern slope of Changbai Mountain at an attitude interval of 100 m (from 700 to 2600 m). The species co-possession between plant communities at different altitudes was analyzed by Jaccard index. The analytical results showed that the co-possession calculated according to species in different layers or all species between adjacent communities was higher than that between disjunct communities. The co-possessions between adjacent communities calculated by species in different layers had comparability and dissimilarity. If the two adjacent communities belong to different types of vegetation, then their co-possession was lower. The peak values and valley values of species co-possession between communities along elevation gradient just matched vegetation gradient patterns, and species subrogation of shrubs had more obvious rule on northern slope of Changbai Mountain. Co-possessions between communities with same altitude difference were much similar, and it decreased as the increase of elevation difference, which showed that species compositions in different layers of the communities were highly related.

Soil carbon dioxide fluxes of a typical broad-leaved/Korean pine mixed forest in Changbai Mountain, China

The forest ecosystem plays an important role in the global carbon cycling. A study was conducted to evaluate soil CO2 flux and its seasonal and diurnal variation with the air and soil temperatures by using static closed chamber technique in a typical broad-leaved/Korean pine mixed forest area on the northern slope of Changbai Mountain, Jilin Province, China. The experiment was carried out through the day and night in the growing season (from June to September) in situ and sample gas was analyzed by a gas chromatograph. Results showed that the forest floor was a large net source of carbon, and soil CO2 fluxes had an obvi-ous law of seasonal and diel variation. The soil CO2 flux of broad-leaved/Korean pine mixed forest was in the range of 0.302.42 mmol穖-2穝-1 with the mean value of 0.98 mmol穖-2穝-1. An examination on the seasonal pattern of soil CO2 emission suggested that the variability in soil CO2 flux could be correlated with variations in soil temperature, and the maximum of mean CO2 flux occurred in July ((1.27±23%) mmol穖-2穝-1) and the minimum was in September ((0.50±28%) mmol穖-2穝-1). The fluctuations in diel soil CO2 flux were also correlated with changes in soil temperature; however, there existed a factor for a time lag. Soil CO2 flux from the forest floor was strongly related to soil temperature and had the highest correlation with temperature at 6-cm depth of soil. Q10 values based on air temperature and soil temperature of different soil depths were at the ranges of 2.09–3.40.

A preliminary study on in-stream large woody debris in broadleaved and Korean pine forest in Changbai Mountain, Northeast China

This study was conducted in Erdaobaihe River passing through the broadleaved and Korean pine forest located on the north slope of Changbai Mountain. In-stream large woody debris (LWD) in two segments of the river channel was investigated with base diameter, top diameter, length, and decay class. To study relationship between in-stream LWD and adjacent riparian forest, species of each log of LWD in segment 1 was identified, and the riparian forest was examined by setting a 32m?4 m quadrat consisting of twelve 8m?m small quadrats. The results showed that, in segment 1, in-stream LWD loading was 1.733 m3/100m or 10.83 m3hm-2, and in segment 2, it was 1.709m3/100m or 21.36 m3hm-2. In-stream LWD in decay class III and IV were accounted for a high proportion, which was different from that in the broadleaved and Korean pine forest, and the possible reason might be different decomposing velocities due to different decomposing conditions. Logs of LWD in stream and living trees in riparian forest declined as diameter increased, and it was in a reverse J-shaped distribution except logs of LWD in segment 1 in the first diameter class. Volumes of LWD in stream and living trees in riparian forest increased as diameter increased, and it was in a typical J-shaped distribution. Loading and species component of in-stream LWD were correlative to status of riparian forest to a certain extent, and there also existed difference. Comparing the correlation and difference was helpful to study on dynamic of the riparian forest.

Pollen Record of Surface Sediments from Vertical Forest Zones of Changbai Mountain, Northeast China and Their Relations to the Modern Vegetation

Twenty-nine surface samples (mosses) from five vertical distribution vegetation zones in Changbai Mountain, Northeast China have been palynologically analyzed and the results were tested by correspondence analysis. The results show that, except a few samples, arboreal pollen is predominant in almost all pollen assemblages; Pinus and Betula are the main pollen types in quantities and they are found in all vegetation zones of Changbai Mountain. The highest pollen proportion of Pinus occurs in the mixed conifer and broadleaved forest where Pinus koraiensis is the main component; Betula pollen is found in high percentage in both subalpine B. ermanii forest and broadleaved deciduous forest predominated by Betula and Quercus; in the former Betula pollen is accompanied by cold-tolerant shrub such as Rhododendron; whereas in the latter it appears a large amount of fern spores. Pollen assemblage of broadleaved deciduous forests is marked by high diversity and proportions of deciduous trees and a large number of fern spores. Subalpine conifer forest is distinguished by high percentage of Picea pollen. Although tree pollen is slightly dominated, very few or absent of fern spores and increasing of herb and small shrub pollen proportions, particularly predominance of Rhododendron in herbaceous pollen and occurrence of tundra indicator type-Dryas pollen distinguish pollen assemblages of alpine tundra.

Distribution Patterns of Ground Moss Species and Its Relationships with Environmental Factors in Changbai Mountain, Northeast China

The relationships of 42 species of ground moss with six environmental factors in 41 sites on Changbai Mountain Biosphere Reserve were analyzed. Four site groups and four groups of ground moss ecological species were identified using the method of Two-way Indicator Species Analysis (TWINSPAN). The results of Detrended Canonical. Correspondence Analysis (DCCA) showed that altitude, soil sand content, soil acidity, forest canopy coverage and soil water content are the five major environmental factors influencing the distributional patterns of the moss species. The four groups of ecological species, which correspond well with the four site groups, are projected on the species-environment biplot of DCCA. Group 1 dominated in the bogs of Larix olgensis forest, group 2 in the alpine tundra, group 3 in the dense conifer forest, and group 4 mainly in the Betula ermanii community and the Betula ermanii-Larix olgensis forest in sub-alpine respectively.

Response of seedlings of different tree species to elevated CO_2 in Changbai Mountain

Eco-physiological responses of seedlings of eight species, Pinus koraiensis, Picea koraiensis, Larix olgensis, Populus ussuriensis, Betula platyphylla, Tilia amurensis, Traxinus mandshurica and Acer mono from broadleaved/Korean pine forest, to elevated CO2 were studied by using open-top chambers under natural sunlight in Changbai Mountain, China in two growing seasons (1998-1999). Two concentrations of CO2 were designed: elevated CO2 (700 祄olmol-1) and ambient CO2 (400 祄olmol-1). The study results showed that the height growth of the tree seedlings grown at elevated CO2 increased by about 10%-40% compared to those grown at ambient CO2. And the water using efficiency of seedlings also followed the same tendency. However, the responses of seedlings in transpiration and chlorophyll content to elevated CO2 varied with tree species. The broad-leaf tree species were more sensitive to the elevated CO2 than conifer tree species. All seedlings showed a photosynthetic acclimation to long-term elevated CO2.

Problems and relevant strategies on natural forest protection in Changbai Mountain forest area

Changbai Mountain forest area is not only is a national timber base but also a green ecological defense for Songliao Plain of NE China. The Natural Forest Protection Project of this area has an important bearing on the social and economic sustainable development of Jilin Province or even the whole forest area in NE China. This paper summarized general conditions of natural forest in Changbai Mountain state-owned forest area and put forward six problems need to be urgently solved and five strategic suggestions on natural forest protection and sustainable management.

Response of seedlings of different tree species to elevated CO2 in Changbai Mountain

Eco-physiological responses of seedlings of eight species, Pinus koraiensis, Picea koraiensis, Larix olgensis, Populus ussuriensis, Betula platyphylla, Tilia amurensis, Traxinus mandshurica and Acer mono from broadleaved/Korean pine forest, to elevated CO2 were studied by using open-top chambers under natural sunlight in Changbai Mountain, China in two growing seasons (1998-1999). Two concentrations of CO2 were designed: elevated CO2 (700 祄olmol-1) and ambient CO2 (400 祄olmol-1). The study results showed that the height growth of the tree seedlings grown at elevated CO2 increased by about 10%-40% compared to those grown at ambient CO2. And the water using efficiency of seedlings also followed the same tendency. However, the responses of seedlings in transpiration and chlorophyll content to elevated CO2 varied with tree species. The broad-leaf tree species were more sensitive to the elevated CO2 than conifer tree species. All seedlings showed a photosynthetic acclimation to long-term elevated CO2.

A survey to the distribution of the Scaly-sided Merganser(Mergus squamatus)in Changbai Mountain range(China side)

In 2008 and 2009,we made continuous and repeated breeding surveys of the Scaly-sided Merganser(Mergus squamatus)in the Changbai Mountain range(China side),using a combination of rubber-boat drifting and walking.Each survey consisted of a census of breeding pairs in the spring and broods in the summer.A total of 1553 km in length of 17 river stretches were surveyed in four different river systems of the Yalujiang,Songhuajiang,Tumenjiang and Mudanjiang rivers.A total of 1354 individuals of the Scaly-sided Merganser were recorded during the both surveys.The breeding density for all the stretches surveyed over both years averaged 0.26 ± 0.30 pairs per km;the population density in the spring averaged 0.75 ± 0.88 individuals per km.According to our survey results,we estimated that the breeding population in the Changbai Mountain range was about 170 breeding pairs of the Scaly-sided Merganser.Three major breeding sites of this bird were found in the Changbai Mountain range in these surveys.

Variations of population structure and important value of the main edificators along the elevation gradient on the northern slope of Changbai Mountain

From 700 m to 1900 m on the northern slope of Changbai Mountain, 13 plots with an interval of 100 m in elevation were investigated to study the variations of population structure and important value of the main edificators along the elevation gradient. In their core distribution areas, most of the edificators had healthy population structure and could regenerate smoothly except Larix olgensis, but important value of Larix olgensis had no obvious variations with elevation changes, which showed that Larix olgensis had its own particularity and strong adaptability. At high elevation above 1800 m, Betula ermanii was the only species that could form a mono-dominant community. Important values of Pinus koraiensis and Acer mono had similar changing trends, and they had the similar ecological adaptabilities.

Relationships of climate change and tree ring of Betula ermanii tree line forest in Changbai Mountain

Based on the tree-ring growth characteristics of Erman＇s birch （Betula ermanii charm.） and the relationships between it and climatic ）＇actors at elevation of 1950m, the sensitivity of tree lines in Changbai Mountain to climatic factors was assessed. The results indicated tree line forest in Changbai Mountain had an obvious sensitivity to climate factors. However, difference from other study sits is that the main climatic control factor on tree-ring growth was not current growth season temperatures, as might be expected, but previous winter and current March temperature. Although the precipitation in the region was quite abundant, the tree-ring growth was still significantly correlated with the precipitation during previous winter and current spring. Additionally, climatic factors which influenced the Erman＇s birch growth were not the yearly variables, but seasonal and monthly variables. Therefore, the reported increase in yearly mean temperature and total yearly precipitation since 1980s was not responded by sustained increase in ring widths in recent decades.

Larix olgensis growth-climate response between lower and upper elevation limits:an intensive study along the eastern slope of the Changbai Mountains,northeastern China

Larix olgensis is a dominant tree species in the forest ecosystems of the Changbai Mountains of northeast China.To assess the growth response of this species to global climate change,we developed three tree-ring width and biomass chronologies across a range of elevations in the subalpine forests on the eastern slope of the Changbai Mountains.We used dendroclimatic analyses to study key factors limiting radial growth in L.olgensis and its variation with elevation.The statistical characteristics of chronologies suggested that elevation is a determinant of tree growth patterns in the study area.Response function analysis of chronologies with climate factors indicated that climate–growth relationships changed with increasing elevation:tree growth at high elevation was strongly limited by June temperatures of the previous year,and as elevation decreases,the importance of temperature decreased;tree radial growth at mid-elevation was mainly controlled by precipitation towards the end of the growing season of the current year.Biomass chronologies reflected a stronger climatic signal than tree-ring width chronologies.Spatial correlation with gridded climate data revealed that our chronologies contained a strong regional temperature signal for northeast China.Trees growing below timberline appeared to be more sensitive to climate,thus optimal sites for examining growth trends as a function of climate variation are considered to be just below timberline.Our study objective was to provide information for more accurate prediction of the growth response of L.olgensis to future climate change on the eastern slope of the Changbai Mountains,and to provide information for future climate reconstructions using this tree species in humid and semi humid regions.

Effects of Nitrogen Deposition on Tundra Vegetation Undergoing Invasion by Deyeuxia angustifolia in Changbai Mountains

In recent years, herbaceous species such as Deyeuxia angustifolia （Kom.） Y. L. Chang has invaded alpine tundra regions of the western slope of the Changbai Mountains. Because atmospheric nitrogen deposition is predicted to increase under a warming climate and D. angustifolia is sensitive to nitrogen addition, field experiments were conducted from 2010 to 2013 to determine the effect of increased nitrogen deposition on the mechanisms of D. angustifolia invasion. The goal of this study is to evaluate the impact of increased nitrogen deposition on the changes in alpine tundra vegetation （consisting mostly of Rhododendron chrysanthum Pall. and Vaccinium uliginosum Linn.）. The results showed that： 1） simulated nitrogen deposition affected overall characteristics and structure of R. chrysanthum and E uliginosum communities and had a positive impact on the growth of tundra vegetation invaded by 1）. angustifolia; 2） R. chrysanthum was more resistant to invasion by D. angustifolia than V.. uliginosum; 3） simulated nitrogen deposition could improve the growth and enhance the competitiveness of D. angustifolia, which was gradually replacing R. chrysanthum and V. uliginosum and might become the dominant species in the system in future, transforming alpine tundra into alpine meadow in the Chanebai Mountains.

Element cycling in the dominant plant community in the Alpine tundra zone of Changbai Mountains, China

Element cycling in the dominant plant communities including Rh. aureum, Rh. redowskianum and Vaccinium uliginosum in the Alpine tundra zone of Changbai Mountains in northeast China was studied. The results indicate that the amount of elements from litter decomposition was less than that of the plant uptake from soil, but that from plant uptake was higher than that in soil with mineralization process released. On the other hand, in the open system including precipitation input and soil leaching output, because of great number of elements from precipitation into the open system, the element cycling(except N, P) in the Alpine tundra ecosystem was in a dynamic balance. In this study, it was also found that different organ of plants had significant difference in accumulating elements. Ca, Mg, P and N were accumulated more obviously in leaves, while Fe was in roots. The degree of concentration of elements in different tissues of the same organ of the plants also was different, a higher concentration of Ca, Mg, P and N in mesophyll than in nerve but Fe was in a reversed order. The phenomenon indicates (1) a variety of biochemical functions of different elements, (2) the elements in mesophyll were with a shorter turnover period than those in nerve or fibre, but higher utilization rate for plant. Therefore, this study implies the significance of keeping element dynamic balance in the alpine tundra ecosystem of Changbai Mountains.