Effects of Different Vegetable Planting Modes on Soil Microbial Flora and Enzyme Activity

To investigate the effects of different vegetable growing regions and planting modes on soil quality,soils in high,medium and low altitude areas of Guizhou were respectively sampled under different vegetable efficient planting modes,and the variations of soil microbial flora and enzyme activities were analyzed. The soil microbial count and total bacteria of the vegetable efficient cultivation mode were significantly higher than that of the control （traditional planting mode） in each planting area,and the microbial diversity index was also improved to varying de- grees.The soil phosphatase,catalase and urease activities of the vegetable efficient planting mode were higher than that of the control.The soil catalase and urease activities were higher than that of the control by 1.37-1.44 and 1.51-2.80 times. Application of vegetable efficient planting mode in different regions will help to im- prove the soil quality in a given period.

Transformation of vegetative cover on the Ustyurt Plateau of Central Asia as a consequence of the Aral Sea shrinkage

The gradual shrinkage of the Aral Sea has led to not only the degradation of the unique environments of the Aral Sea,but also numerous and fast developing succession processes in the neighborhood habitats surrounding the sea.In this study,we investigated the vegetative succession processes related to the Aral Sea shrinkage in the Eastern Cliff of the Ustyurt Plateau in Republic of Uzbekistan,Central Asia.We compared the results of our current investigation(2010–2017)on vegetative communities with the geobotany data collected during the 1970s(1970–1980).The results showed great changes in the mesophytic plant communities and habitat aridization as a result of the drop in the underground water level,which decreased atmospheric humidity and increased the salt content of the soil caused by the shrinkage of the Aral Sea.In the vegetative communities,we observed a decrease in the Margalef index(DMg),which had a positive correlation with the poly-dominance index(I-D).The main indications of the plant communities'transformation were the loss of the weak species,the appearance of new communities with low species diversity,the stabilization of the projective cover of former resistant communities,as well as the appearance of a new competitive species,which occupy new habitats.

Study on Community Diversity of Coastal Shelter Forest in Jiaonan

Based on the research of the plots in coastal areas in Jiaonan city, Shandong Province, the indices of richness, evenness and diversity of different community types are analyzed. The results show that: The richness indices indicates that arbor layers are close to shrub layers, and both are lower than herbage layers; the ranges among communities vary a little except those of the arbor ones. Mostly the biodiversity indices reveal that herbage, the arbor, the shrub; Biodiversity of communities has great influences on microclimate to a certain extent and is under the control of regional environment.

Natural Regeneration of Marker Species of the Tropical Dense Humid Ecosystems in the Loukaya Peri-Urban Forest, Brazzaville-Congo

The study aimed at evaluating the natural regeneration of some characteristic species in the Loukaya peri-urban forest was carried out in Brazzaville, over three surveys of one hectare each. The botanical inventory of the 23 species monitored covers the subjects of 2 ≤ d0.20 < 10 cm and d1.30 ≥ 10 cm. The study shows 1255 individuals of which 68.27% are 2 ≤ d0.20 < 10 cm. While being tropophilic and mesophilic, this ecosystem is pauciflorous and paucispecific. The phytoecological data show that this formation, which is a link in the African dense humid forest, presents values far below those known elsewhere;while being faithful to the forests of the Cataractes Plateau. As for the rate of natural regeneration, this index is greater than or equal to 100 for 69.56% of the taxa. Sarcochores and heliophytes are the taxa that best support this natural regeneration. This high rate of regeneration would be correlated with the high level of anthropization, whose large canopy gaps are accompanied by a flow of light conducive to the installation of seedlings.

Vegetation cover of the lahar valley on the Sarychev Peak volcano(Matua Isl.,Middle Kuril Islands) after the Eruption in 2009: current state and features of succession processes

The paper presents the study of the vegetation recovery after the descent of the lahar during the eruption of the Sarychev Peak volcano(Matua Isl.,Middle Kuriles) in 2009.The works were carried out in 2017.It was found that during the secondary succession,plant communities,typical of the altitudinal zonation of the volcanic structure vegetation,are formed on lahar sediments in the following manner: the upper sections of the slope are occupied by sparse meadow and shrub vegetation,the middle are presented by shrub belt with a developed canopy,and the lower are representative of shrub large-grass belt.At the same time,the ordination analysis of the vegetation cover of the lahar valley by the detrended correspondence analysis(DCA) revealed the dispersion of the counting areas along the altitudinal gradient.This is opposite to that characteristic for both,the background communities on the slopes of the studied volcanic structure,and for communities in dynamical equilibrium of a typical altitude profile.Besides,directly correlating indicators of α-diversity of communities indicate the presence of open young communities at the stage of a complex grouping.Since the species Duschekia fruticosa which is an identifier in buried sites,forms communities in a state of dynamic equilibrium,with individuals of 40–50 years old,and at the time of the work,formed a canopy with individuals of 7–8 years old,a complete recovery of the communities of the lahar valley is possible in no less than 40 years.The acquired data on the recovery of vegetation on lahar contribute to the study of succession processes in the sites located in the zone of active volcanism.In addition,in this work,for the first time,the rates of restoration of the vegetation cover following its destruction as a result of burial by lahar products,are estimated.The specific features of this process are also considered.Employing the broad range of mathematical methods for quantitative analysis of indicators of young communities inhabiting the substrate makes it possible to identify patterns of vegetation formed during succession processes.The specifics of this organization are taken into account in this analysis.

Web service for biodiversity estimation using remote sensing data

This paper presents a technique for the assessment and mapping of land biodiversity by using remote sensing data.The proposed approach uses a fuzzy model that encapsulates different ecological factors influencing biodiversity.We implemented our approach as a web service for the Pre-Black Sea region of the Ukraine.