Life forms affect beta-diversity patterns of larch forests in China

Beta-diversity reflects the spatial changes in community species composition which helps to understand how communities are assembled and biodiversity is formed and maintained. Larch(Larix) forests, which are coniferous forests widely distributed in the mountainous and plateau areas in North and Southwest China, are critical for maintaining the environmental conditions and species diversity. Few studies of larch forests have examined the beta-diversity and its constituent components(species turnover and nestedness-resultant components). Here, we used 483 larch forest plots to determine the total betadiversity and its components in different life forms(i.e., tree, shrub, and herb) of larch forests in China and to evaluate the main drivers that underlie this beta-diversity. We found that total betadiversity of larch forests was mainly dependent on the species turnover component. In all life forms,total beta-diversity and the species turnover component increased with increasing geographic, elevational, current climatic, and paleoclimatic distances. In contrast, the nestedness-resultant component decreased across these same distances. Geographic and environmental factors explained 20%-25% of total beta-diversity, 18%-27% of species turnover component, and 4%-16% of nestedness-resultant component. Larch forest types significantly affected total beta-diversity and species turnover component. Taken together, our results indicate that life forms affect beta-diversity patterns of larch forests in China, and that beta-diversity is driven by both niche differentiation and dispersal limitation. Our findings help to greatly understand the mechanisms of community assemblies of larch forests in China.

A test of the mycorrhizal-associated nutrient economy framework in two types of tropical rainforests under nutrient enrichments

Shifts in tree species and their mycorrhizal associations driven by global change play key roles in biogeochemical cycles. In this paper, we proposed a framework of the mycorrhizal-associated nutrient economy(MANE), and tested it using nutrient addition experiments conducted in two tropical rainforests. We selected two tropical rainforests dominated by arbuscular mycorrhizal(AM) and ectomycorrhizal(ECM) trees, and established eighteen20 m×20 m plots in each rainforest. Six nitrogen(N) and phosphorus(P) addition treatments were randomly distributed in each rainforest with three replicates. We examined the differences in soil carbon(C) and nutrient cycling, plant and litter productivity between the two rainforests and their responses to 10-year inorganic N and P additions. We also quantified the P pools of plants, roots, litter, soil and microbes in the two rainforests. Overall,distinct MANE frameworks were applicable for tropical rainforests, in which soil C, N and P were cycled primarily in an inorganic form in the AM-dominated rainforest, whereas they were cycled in an organic form in the ECMdominated rainforest. Notably, the effects of mycorrhizal types on soil P cycling were stronger than those on C and N cycling. The intensified N and P deposition benefited the growth of AM-dominated rainforests instead of ECMdominated rainforests. Our findings underpin the key role of mycorrhizal types in regulating biogeochemical processes, and have important implications for predicting the ecological consequences of global changes.

The relationships among structure variables of larch forests in China

Background:Larch(Larix Mill.)forests are widely distributed in the upper parts of mountainous areas in China,playing vital roles in constructing mountain landscapes and maintaining mountain environments.Despite their importance,our knowledges on the large-scale patterns of structure characteristics and the relationships between different structure variables are unclear.In this paper,we investigated 155 plots from 11 natural larch forest types across the country to explore the biogeographic patterns of the structure characteristics and the allometric relationships between different structure variables for Chinese larch forests.Results:The structure characteristics were significantly different among larch forest types.For different larch forest types,the power function fits the relationships between tree height and diameter at breast height(DBH),average DBH and stem density,and taper and stem density well,but with different exponents among larch forest types.The power exponents of the allometric relationships between tree height and DBH for different larch forest types varied from 0.61 to 0.93(mean=0.86)by standard major axis regression(SMA),and from 0.51 to 0.78(mean=0.56)by ordinary least square regression(OLS).The 50%,75%and 95%quantile regression(QR)and OLS indicated that the average DBH and taper of the L.gmelinii forests,L.gmelinii var.principis-rupprechtii forests,and L.sibirica forests were significantly correlated with stem density.Conclusions:The relationship between tree height and DBH showed a power function relationship for all larch forest types in China,but with different exponents.Overall,stem density was negatively correlated with average DBH and taper.The Sect.Larix forests exhibited stand density effect.Our findings provide an important basis for recognizing the biogeographic patterns of structure factors and for the management of larch forests in China.

Altitudinal patterns of stand structure and herb layer diversity of Picea schrenkiana forests in the central Tianshan Mountains,Northwest China

Altitude is a useful indicator to examine patterns of forest structure and species diversity in relation to environmental factors.In this study,the altitude patterns of forest stand structure and species diversity were analyzed across 20 plots in the Tianchi Nature Reserve,Northwest China.The results showed that mean stem height（Hm）,maximum stem height（Hmax） and mean stem diameter at breast height（Dm） of Picea schrenkiana trees all decreased significantly with increasing altitude.Potential tree height（H＊） decreased while stem taper increased significantly as altitude increased,suggesting remarkable altitudinal changes in biomass allocation between the diameter and height growth of Picea schrenkiana.Understory herbaceous richness increased significantly with increasing altitude,or with decreasing total basal area（TBA）,Hm and stand volume（Volume）.High light availability for understory herbs might account for the higher species richness at high altitude.Sorensen Index decreased significantly with the increase in altitude intervals,while the Cody Index demonstrated a converse pattern,suggesting greater differences in species composition with larger distances.

Improvement of Clinical Symptoms and Gut Microbiome After Fecal Microbiota Transplantation:A Case Study of a 106-Year-Old Man with MODS

Fecal microbiota transplantation(FMT)has been used in a wide variety of diseases.Many researchers hypothesize that the dysbiosis of intestinal microbiota plays an important role in the development of gut-derived infections;thus,FMT is a potential therapeutic target against multiple organ dysfunction syndrome(MODS).A 106-year-old male patient was initially diagnosed with cerebral infarction and pulmonary infection.During the course of hospitalization,the patient developed MODS.The patient received a single nasogastric infusion of sterile-filtered,pathogen-free feces from a healthy donor.Fecal samples were collected every two days post-infusion to monitor changes in the microbiota composition in response to treatment.After FMT,MODS and severe diarrhea were alleviated;the patient’s fecal microbiome diversity resembled that of the healthy donor’s fecal microbiome;moreover,his clinical symptoms improved remarkably with the changes in fecal microbiome.Additionally,no observable side effects were noted during FMT treatment.These findings warrant further investigation of FMT as a putative new therapy for treating microbiota-related diseases,such as MODS.

中国草地生态系统固碳能力及其提升途径

准确评估草地生态系统固碳速率、提升其碳汇能力对于深入认识国家尺度陆地生态系统碳源汇特征及其固碳潜力具有重要意义。通过梳理文献,本文总结了我国草地碳汇大小、空间格局及其未来趋势,并提出了提升草地碳汇的可能途径。结果发现,不同研究对我国草地碳源汇特征的估算差异较大,大小介于-3.4~17.6 Tg C year^(-1)(1 Tg=10^(12)g),中值为13.0 Tg C year^(-1)。模型预测未来全球变化背景下我国草地碳汇呈增加趋势,由1970s—2010s的12.8 Tg C year^(-1)(不同研究结果的范围:-3.6~18.0 Tg C year^(-1))增加至2050s的29.0 Tg C year^(-1)(10.3~50.0 Tg C year^(-1))。通过构建退化草地恢复技术体系、加强重大生态工程、自然保护区和人工草地建设、利用碳汇植物提升荒漠化草地碳汇、以及实施有效的生态奖补政策等手段,有望进一步提升草地固碳能力。未来亟需在草地碳通量长期联网观测、碳循环关键过程对全球变化响应和反馈机制、数据—模型融合等方面加强研究,以降低草地碳汇估算中的不确定性。此外,还需加强草地退化和恢复过程中碳循环观测和模拟研究,从而针对性地恢复退化草地碳汇功能,为我国实现“碳中和”国家战略目标提供科技支撑。

江西常绿阔叶林分类及其分布格局

常绿阔叶林是中国东部的演替顶极植被。江西省位于中国亚热带东部湿润常绿阔叶林区的腹心,拥有该区第二大面积的常绿阔叶林。尽管江西常绿阔叶林已有大量的研究,但其主要类型和分布格局与主要驱动因素仍不清楚。本研究采用植物群落清查法调查了205个常绿阔叶林样方,样方包含了江西常绿阔叶林主要群系类型。采用双向指示种(TWINSPAN)和去趋势对应分析(DCA)进行了数量分类,确定各群落类型的标志种、指示种。使用Kruskal–Wallis非参数检验比较了不同群落类型的地形和气候差异,并采用冗余分析(RDA)和变差分解的方法,区分地形、气候以及样方间距离对不同类型群落分布的影响。研究结果表明,江西常绿阔叶林可分为丘陵常绿阔叶林、沟谷季雨林、山地典型常绿阔叶林和山地云雾常绿阔叶林。这4类常绿阔叶林的分布受地形和气候条件的驱动,其分布格局也反映了这4类常绿阔叶林类型间的生物地理差异。本研究为构建中国东部湿润区常绿阔叶林的高级分类系统提供基础资料和重要参考。同时,本研究还发现丘陵常绿阔叶林易受人为活动干扰,沟谷季雨林和山地典型常绿阔叶林拥有非常丰富的第三纪孑遗植物等,这些特征都暗示江西常绿阔叶林亟需开展更严格的保护实践。

Linking nutrient resorption stoichiometry with plant growth under long-term nitrogen addition

Increased nitrogen(N)input can potentially lead to secondary phosphorus(P)limitation;however,it remains unclear whether differences in the plant's ability to cope with this P deficiency are related to their growth responses.Using a long-term experiment of N addition in a boreal forest,we explored the potential role of plant nutrient resorption efficiency and its stoichiometry in mediating plant growth responses to increased N input.We recorded the cover and measured the concentration and resorption efficiency of leaf N and P as well as the photosynthesis of a grass Deyeuxia angustifolia and a shrub Vaccinium vitis-idaea.The cover of the grass D.angustifolia increased with increasing N addition,while that of the shrub V.vitis-idaea decreased with N addition rate and almost disappeared from the high-level N addition over time.P resorption efficiency(PRE)increased in D.angustifolia but decreased in V.vitis-idaea with increasing leaf N:P which was increased by N addition for both species.In addition,photosynthesis increased linearly with N resorption efficiency(NRE)and PRE but was better explained by NRE:PRE,changing nonlinearly with the ratio in a hump-shaped trend.Furthermore,the variance(CV)of NRE:PRE for V.vitis-idaea(123%)was considerably higher than that for D.angustifolia(29%),indicating a more stable nutrient resorption stoichiometry of the grass.Taken together,these results highlight that efficient P acquisition and use strategy through nutrient resorption processes could be a pivotal underlying mechanism driving plant growth and community composition shifts under N enrichment.

论草牧业的理论体系及其实践

"草牧业"是在传统畜牧业和草业基础上提升的新型生态草畜产业,包含饲草料生产、加工以及畜禽养殖(含加工)三个生产过程,其精髓在于"草-畜结合""草-畜协调""草-畜互为依存、不可分割".草牧业试图解决长期困扰我国饲草料生产和畜牧业发展中的草畜矛盾、草畜"两张皮"的问题,强调饲草料(广义的牧草、饲草,包括饲用作物和饲用木本植物)在畜牧业发展中的基础和决定作用;与传统畜牧业相比,它具有明显的科学性、生态性和先进性.本文在简述草牧业内涵及其意义的基础上,论述了我国草牧业发展中存在的关键科技问题及其解决的途径;提出了发展草牧业应遵循的8个基本原理,即草畜良种选育原理、人工草地建植原理、天然草地保护恢复与适度利用原理、草地的生产功能和生态功能合理配置原理、饲草高效收获与加工原理、畜禽高效饲喂原理、水分有效利用原理以及区域系统发展原理,它们构成了草牧业发展的科学基础.为了践行"草牧业"理念,在内蒙古呼伦贝尔农垦集团开展了草牧业试验示范工作,取得了显著的生态和经济效益.

我国草地面积有多大?

草地是不可或缺的自然资源,但关于我国草地面积到底有多大存在很大争议.本文主要利用植被分布与降水之间的相关关系来探讨我国草地的分布和面积.归一化植被指数(NDVI)数据能够很好地反映植被的覆盖状况,与降水之间也存在良好的相关关系,因此可以通过建立已知草原地区的降水与NDVI的关系来反演草地的分布和面积.利用此方法及与遥感数据相匹配的过去30年(1982~2011年)的平均降水量数据,估算得到我国的草地总面积约为293×104 km2.将研究期间的降水数据每5年求其平均,估算得到我国草地面积的年际变化并不显著,变动于290×104~295×104 km2.

Terrestrial carbon sinks in China and around the world and their contribution to carbon neutrality

Enhancing the terrestrial ecosystem carbon sink(referred to as terrestrial C sink) is an important way to slow down the continuous increase in atmospheric carbon dioxide(CO_(2)) concentration and to achieve carbon neutrality target.To better understand the characteristics of terrestrial C sinks and their contribution to carbon neutrality,this review summarizes major progress in terrestrial C budget researches during the past decades,clarifies spatial patterns and drivers of terrestrial C sources and sinks in China and around the world,and examines the role of terrestrial C sinks in achieving carbon neutrality target.According to recent studies,the global terrestrial C sink has been increasing from a source of (-0.2±0.9) Pg C yr^(-1)(1 Pg=1015g)in the 1960s to a sink of (1.9±1.1) Pg C yr^(-1) in the 2010s.By synthesizing the published data,we estimate terrestrial C sink of 0.20–0.25 Pg C yr^(-1) in China during the past decades,and predict it to be 0.15–0.52 Pg C yr^(-1) by 2060.The terrestrial C sinks are mainly located in the mid-and high latitudes of the Northern Hemisphere,while tropical regions act as a weak C sink or source.The C balance differs much among ecosystem types:forest is the major C sink;shrubland,wetland and farmland soil act as C sinks;and whether the grassland functions as C sink or source remains unclear.Desert might be a C sink,but the magnitude and the associated mechanisms are still controversial.Elevated atmospheric CO_(2) concentration,nitrogen deposition,climate change,and land cover change are the main drivers of terrestrial C sinks,while other factors such as fires and aerosols would also affect ecosystem C balance.The driving factors of terrestrial C sink differ among regions.Elevated CO_(2) concentration and climate change are major drivers of the C sinks in North America and Europe,while afforestation and ecological restoration are additionally important forcing factors of terrestrial C sinks in China.For future studies,we recommend the necessity for intensive and long-term ecosystem C monitoring over broad geographic scale to improve terrestrial biosphere models for accurately evaluating terrestrial C budget and its dynamics under various climate change and policy scenarios.

Satellite-based Studies on Large-Scale Vegetation Changes in China

Remotely-sensed vegetation indices, which indicate the density and photosynthetic capacity of vegetation, have been widely used to monitor vegetation dynamics over broad areas. In this paper, we reviewed satellite-based studies on vegetation cover changes, biomass and productivity variations, phenological dynamics, desertification, and grassland degradation in China that occurred over the past 2-3 decades. Our review shows that the satellite-derived index （Normalized Difference Vegetation Index, NDVI） during growing season and the vegetation net primary productivity in major terrestrial ecosystems （for example forests, grasslands, shrubs, and croplands） have significantly increased, while the number of fresh lakes and vegetation coverage in urban regions have experienced a substantial decline. The start of the growing season continually advanced in China＇s temperate regions until the 1990s, with a large spatial heterogeneity. We also found that the coverage of sparsely-vegetated areas declined, and the NDVI per unit in vegetated areas increased in arid and semi-arid regions because of increased vegetation activity in grassland and oasis areas. However, these results depend strongly not only on the periods chosen for investigation, but also on factors such as data sources, changes in detection methods, and geospatial heterogeneity. Therefore, we should be cautious when applying remote sensing techniques to monitor vegetation structures, functions, and changes.

Family-level leaf nitrogen and phosphorus stoichiometry of global terrestrial plants

Leaf nitrogen(N) and phosphorus(P) concentrations are critical for photosynthesis, growth, reproduction and other ecological processes of plants. Previous studies on large-scale biogeographic patterns of leaf N and P stoichiometric relationships were mostly conducted using data pooled across taxa, while family/genus-level analyses are rarely reported. Here, we examined global patterns of family-specific leaf N and P stoichiometry using a global data set of 12,716 paired leaf N and P records which includes 204 families, 1,305 genera, and 3,420 species. After determining the minimum size of samples(i.e., 35 records), we analyzed leaf N and P concentrations, N:P ratios and N^P scaling relationships of plants for 62 families with 11,440 records. The numeric values of leaf N and P stoichiometry varied significantly across families and showed diverse trends along gradients of mean annual temperature(MAT) and mean annual precipitation(MAP). The leaf N and P concentrations and N:P ratios of 62 families ranged from 6.11 to 30.30 mg g–1, 0.27 to 2.17 mg g–1, and 10.20 to 35.40, respectively. Approximately 1/3–1/2 of the families(22–35 of 62) showed a decrease in leaf N and P concentrations and N:P ratios with increasing MAT or MAP, while the remainder either did not show a significant trend or presented the opposite pattern. Family-specific leaf N^P scaling exponents did not converge to a certain empirical value, with a range of 0.307–0.991 for 54 out of 62 families which indicated a significant N^P scaling relationship. Our results for the first time revealed large variation in the family-level leaf N and P stoichiometry of global terrestrial plants and that the stoichiometric relationships for at least one-third of the families were not consistent with the global trends reported previously. The numeric values of the family-specific leaf N and P stoichiometry documented in the current study provide critical synthetic parameters for biogeographic modeling and for further studies on the physiological and ecological mechanisms underlying the nutrient use strategies of plants from different phylogenetic taxa.

Global patterns and climatic drivers of above-and belowground net primary productivity in grasslands

Understanding patterns and determinants of net primary productivity(NPP)in global grasslands is ongoing challenges,especially for belowground NPP(BNPP)and its fraction(fBNPP).By developing a comprehensive field-based dataset,we revealed that,along with gradients of mean annual precipitation,actual evapotranspiration,and aridity,aboveground NPP(ANPP),BNPP,and total NPP(TNPP)exhibited hump-shaped patterns,whereas fBNPPshowed an opposite trend.ANPP and TNPP showed positive correlations with mean annual temperature,but fBNPPwas negatively correlated with it.The relationship between BNPP and climatic factors was considerably weak,indicating that BNPP was relatively stable regardless of the climate conditions.We also observed that the sensitivities of ANPP and BNPP to interannual temperature variability and those of BNPP to interannual precipitation fluctuations exhibited large variations among different study sites,and differed from those at the spatial scale.In contrast,the temporal sensitivities of ANPP to interannual precipitation variability were highly similar across all the individual sites and much smaller than those at the spatial scale.Overall,these results highlight that precipitation,temperature and evapotranspiration all play vital roles in shaping ANPP pattern and its partitioning to belowground and that the patterns of BNPP along climatic gradients do not mirror those of the ANPP.

Variations of root and heterotrophic respiration along environmental gradients in China’s forests

Aims Root and heterotrophic respiration may respond differently to environmental variability,but little evidence is available from largescale observations.Here we aimed to examine variations of root and heterotrophic respiration across broad geographic,climatic,soil and biotic gradients.Methods We conducted a synthesis of 59 field measurements on root and heterotrophic respiration across China’s forests.Important Findings Root and heterotrophic respiration varied differently with forest types,of which evergreen broadleaf forest was significantly different from those in other forest types on heterotrophic respiration but without statistically significant differences on root respiration.The results also indicated that root and heterotrophic respiration exhibited similar trends along gradients of precipitation,soil organic carbon and satellite-indicated vegetation growth.However,they exhibited different relationships with temperature:root respiration exhibited bimodal patterns along the temperature gradient,while heterotrophic respiration increased monotonically with temperature.Moreover,they showed different relationships with MOD17 GPP,with increasing trend observed for root respiration whereas insignificant change for heterotrophic respiration.In addition,root and heterotrophic respiration exhibited different changes along the age sequence,with insignificant change for root respiration and decreasing trend for heterotrophic respiration.Overall,these results suggest that root and heterotrophic respiration may respond differently to environmental variability.Our findings could advance our understanding on the different environmental controls of root and heterotrophic respiration and also improve our ability to predict soil CO_(2) flux under a changing environment.

NEECF: a project of nutrient enrichment experiments in China’s forests

Anthropogenic nitrogen(N)emissions to atmosphere have increased dramatically in China since 1980s,and this increase has aroused great concerns on its ecological impacts on terrestrial ecosystems.Previous studies have showed that terrestrial ecosystems in China are acting as a large carbon(C)sink,but its potential in the future remains largely uncertain.So far little work on the impacts of the N deposition on C sequestration in China’s terrestrial ecosystems has been assessed at a national scale.Aiming to assess and predict how ecological processes especially the C cycling respond to the increasing N deposition in China’s forests,recently researchers from Peking University and their partners have established a manipulation experimental network on the ecological effects of the N deposition:Nutrient Enrichment Experiments in China’s Forests Project(NEECF).The NEECF comprises 10 experiments at 7 sites located from north to south China,covering major zonal forest vegetation in eastern China from boreal forest in Greater Khingan Mountains to tropical forests in Hainan Island.This paper introduces the framework of the NEECF project and its potential policy implications.

Seasonal characteristics and determinants of tree growth in a Chinese subtropical forest

Aims To quantify the seasonal differences in effects of leaf habit,species identity,initial diameter,neighborhood interaction and stand environment on tree absolute diameter growth rates in a subtropical forest in China.Methods We used man-made dendrometer bands to record radial increments of all trees with diameter at breast height(DBH)≥5 cm and height≥3 m within 25 comparative study plots(30×30 m for each)of the‘Biodiversity-Ecosystem Functioning Experiment China’(BEF-China)in the Gutianshan National Nature Reserve,Zhejiang Province,China.We measured stem circumferences twice a year from 2011 to 2014 to calculate absolute diameter growth rate of a warm and wet season(WWS,April to September)and a dry and cold season(DCS,October to the next March)for each individual tree:annual growth(GR_(year)),growth during the WWS(GR_(WWS))and growth during the DCS(GR_(DCS)).We firstly tested the differences in growth rates between different seasons using paired t-tests with Bonferroni correction.Then we applied linear mixed models to explore the effects of leaf habit,species identity,initial diameter,neighborhood interaction(indicated by richness,density and total basal area of all neighboring trees within a radius of 5 m around target trees),stand age and topography(elevation,slope and aspect)on tree growth rates of the two different seasons in three deciduous and 14 evergreen species.Important Findings GR_(year),GR_(WWS)and GR_(DCS)varied between 0.04-0.50 cm year^(−1)(mean=0.21),0.03-0.46 cm season^(−1)(mean=0.18)and 0.01-0.05 cm season^(−1)(mean=0.03)across the 17 species,respectively.GR_(WWS)was significantly higher than GR_(DCS)for all species.Growth rates of faster growing species tended to have larger absolute differences between the WWS and DCS.Tree growth rates of both seasons and of the year(GR_(year),GR_(WWS)and GR_(DCS))varied significantly among leaf habit and species,and increased allometrically with initial diameter,decreased with stand age,but were not significantly related to topography and neighborhood richness or density.GR_(WWS)decreased with neighborhood total basal area,while GR_(DCS)did not.In conclusion,species might the temporally complementary,contributing to plot growth at different times of the year.

Latitudinal pattern and the driving factors of leaf functional traits in 185 shrub species across eastern China

Aims To explore the pattern of the leaf functional traits of shrub species along a latitudinal gradient in eastern China and determine the driv-ing factors of leaf trait variation at a large scale.Methods We investigated the leaf thickness(LT),leaf area(LA),specific leaf area(SLA)and leaf dry mass content(LDMC)of 185 shrub species from 13 sites across eastern China.The trends of these four-leaf traits were ana-lyzed with respect to latitude,and the differences between different life forms(e.g.,evergreen and deciduous)and habitats(e.g.,understory and typical)were compared.We quantified the effects of the plant life forms and environmental factors on the leaf traits via mixed-model analyses.Important Findings The LT and LA decreased,whilst and the LDMC increased,as the latitude increased,and significant differences in these traits were observed between the different plant life forms.The LT and LA were smaller,whereas the SLA and LDMC were larger in decidu-ous shrubs than in evergreen shrubs.Among the different habitats,the LA and SLA were larger,while the LDMC was smaller in under-story shrubs than in typical shrub species.These results indicate that typical shrub species are better adapted to drier environments,as indicated by a reduced LT and increased LDMC.Furthermore,general linear models showed that variations in the four-leaf traits with respect to latitude were mainly caused by a shift in plant life forms.

Temperature and substrate availability regulate soil respiration in the tropical mountain rainforests,Hainan Island,China

Aims Tropical forest plays a key role in global C cycle;however,there are few studies on the C budget in the tropical rainforests in Asia.This study aims to(i)reveal the seasonal patterns of total soil respiration(R_(T)),litter respiration(R_(L))and soil respiration without surface organic litter(R_(NL))in the primary and secondary Asian tropical mountain rainforests and(ii)quantify the effects of soil temperature,soil moisture and substrate availability on soil respiration.Methods The seasonal dynamics of soil CO_(2) efflux was measured by an automatic chamber system(Li-8100),within the primary and secondary tropical mountain rainforests located at the Jianfengling National Reserve in Hainan Island,China.The litter removal treatment was used to assess the contribution of litter to belowground CO_(2) production.Important Findings The annual R_(T) was higher in the primary forest(16.73±0.87 Mg C ha−1)than in the secondary forest(15.10±0.26 Mg C ha−1).The rates of R_(T),R_(NL) and R_(L) were all significantly higher in the hot and wet season(May–October)than those in the cool and dry season(November–April).Soil temperature at 5cm depth could explain 55–61%of the seasonal variation in R_(T),and the temperature sensitivity index(Q_(10))ranked by R_(L)(Q_(10)=3.39)>R_(T)(2.17)>R_(NL)(1.76)in the primary forest and by R_(L)(4.31)>R_(T)(1.86)>R_(NL)(1.58)in the secondary forest.The contribution of R_(L) to R_(T) was 22–23%,while litter input and R_(T) had 1 month time lag.In addition,the seasonal variation of R_(T) was mainly determined by soil temperature and substrate availability.Our findings suggested that global warming and increased substrate availability are likely to cause considerable losses of soil C in the tropical forests.

Yield and quality properties of silage maize and their influencing factors in China

Silage maize(Zea mays L.) is one of the most important forages in the world, and its yield and quality properties are critical parameters for livestock production and assessment of forage values. However, relationships between its yield and quality properties and the controlling factors are not well documented. In this study, we collected 5,663 observations from 196 publications across the country to identify the relationships between yield and quality properties of silage maize and to assess the impact of management practices and climatic factors on its yield and quality in China. The average dry matter yield of silage maize was(19.98±6.93) Mg ha^(-1), and the average value of crude protein, ether extract, crude ash, crude fiber, acid detergent fiber, neutral detergent fiber, nitrogen-free extract, and relative feed value was 7.86%±1.71%, 2.53%±1.01%, 5.05%±1.66%,23.97%±6.34%, 27.62%±7.12%, 51.60%±9.85%, 59.68%±7.72%, and 131.17±31.49, respectively. In general, its nutritive value decreased as its yield increased. Increasing planting density could increase the yield but inhibit the nutritive values, while increasing fertilization could benefit the nutritive values. Geographically, the yield increased and the nutritive value decreased from warm(south) to cold(north) regions. The length of growth duration was a major controlling factor for the patterns of these properties. Our findings provide insights for police-makers to make strategy for achieving high yield and good quality of silage maize and help local people to implement better management practices.