The relationship between rangeland grasshopper density and soil type as well as topsoil moisture content was analyzed with in situ soil data collected in the Qinghai Lake region of China. Grasshoppers were confined ma...The relationship between rangeland grasshopper density and soil type as well as topsoil moisture content was analyzed with in situ soil data collected in the Qinghai Lake region of China. Grasshoppers were confined mainly to the areas with light chestnut soil or chestnut soil, and very few were found in areas with subalpine meadow soil. Grasshoppers were almost absent from other types of soil, such as aeolian soil. In addition, analysis of 14 soil samples collected in the study area revealed that a soil moisture content between 18 and 32 g kg-1 coincided spatially with a higher density of grasshoppers, with the grasshopper density averaging 15 head m-2. In areas with a soil moisture content above 42 g kg-1 or below 10 g kg-1, grasshopper density dropped to less than 5 head m-2. These indicated that for the study area, soils with very high or very low moisture contents were not conducive to the survival of grasshoppers.展开更多
Net primary production(NPP) is an indicator of rangeland ecosystem function. This research assessed the potential of the Carnegie Ames Stanford Approach(CASA) model for estimating NPP and its spatial and temporal chan...Net primary production(NPP) is an indicator of rangeland ecosystem function. This research assessed the potential of the Carnegie Ames Stanford Approach(CASA) model for estimating NPP and its spatial and temporal changes in semi-arid rangelands of Semirom County, Iran. Using CASA model, we estimated the NPP values based on monthly climate data and the normalized difference vegetation index(NDVI) obtained from the MODIS sensor. Regression analysis was then applied to compare the estimated production data with observed production data. The spatial and temporal changes in NPP and light utilization efficiency(LUE) were investigated in different rangeland vegetation types. The standardized precipitation index(SPI) was also calculated at different time scales and the correlation of SPI with NPP changes was determined. The results indicated that the estimated NPP values varied from 0.00 to 74.48 g C/(m^2·a). The observed and estimated NPP values had different correlations, depending on rangeland conditions and vegetation types. The highest and lowest correlations were respectively observed in Astragalus spp.-Agropyron spp. rangeland(R^2=0.75) with good condition and Gundelia spp.-Cousinia spp. rangeland(R^2=0.36) with poor and very poor conditions. The maximum and minimum LUE values were found in Astragalus spp.-Agropyron spp. rangeland(0.117 g C/MJ) with good condition and annual grassesannual forbs rangeland(0.010 g C/MJ), respectively. According to the correlations between SPI and NPP changes, the effects of drought periods on NPP depended on vegetation types and rangeland conditions. Annual plants had the highest drought sensitivity while shrubs exhibited the lowest drought sensitivity. The positive effects of wet periods on NPP were less evident in degraded areas where the destructive effects of drought were more prominent. Therefore, determining vegetation types and rangeland conditions is essential in NPP estimation. The findings of this study confirmed the potential of the CASA for estimating rangeland production. Therefore, the model output maps can be used to evaluate, monitor and optimize rangeland management in semi-arid rangelands of Iran where MODIS NPP products are not available.展开更多
基金Project supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (No. 40371081).
文摘The relationship between rangeland grasshopper density and soil type as well as topsoil moisture content was analyzed with in situ soil data collected in the Qinghai Lake region of China. Grasshoppers were confined mainly to the areas with light chestnut soil or chestnut soil, and very few were found in areas with subalpine meadow soil. Grasshoppers were almost absent from other types of soil, such as aeolian soil. In addition, analysis of 14 soil samples collected in the study area revealed that a soil moisture content between 18 and 32 g kg-1 coincided spatially with a higher density of grasshoppers, with the grasshopper density averaging 15 head m-2. In areas with a soil moisture content above 42 g kg-1 or below 10 g kg-1, grasshopper density dropped to less than 5 head m-2. These indicated that for the study area, soils with very high or very low moisture contents were not conducive to the survival of grasshoppers.
文摘Net primary production(NPP) is an indicator of rangeland ecosystem function. This research assessed the potential of the Carnegie Ames Stanford Approach(CASA) model for estimating NPP and its spatial and temporal changes in semi-arid rangelands of Semirom County, Iran. Using CASA model, we estimated the NPP values based on monthly climate data and the normalized difference vegetation index(NDVI) obtained from the MODIS sensor. Regression analysis was then applied to compare the estimated production data with observed production data. The spatial and temporal changes in NPP and light utilization efficiency(LUE) were investigated in different rangeland vegetation types. The standardized precipitation index(SPI) was also calculated at different time scales and the correlation of SPI with NPP changes was determined. The results indicated that the estimated NPP values varied from 0.00 to 74.48 g C/(m^2·a). The observed and estimated NPP values had different correlations, depending on rangeland conditions and vegetation types. The highest and lowest correlations were respectively observed in Astragalus spp.-Agropyron spp. rangeland(R^2=0.75) with good condition and Gundelia spp.-Cousinia spp. rangeland(R^2=0.36) with poor and very poor conditions. The maximum and minimum LUE values were found in Astragalus spp.-Agropyron spp. rangeland(0.117 g C/MJ) with good condition and annual grassesannual forbs rangeland(0.010 g C/MJ), respectively. According to the correlations between SPI and NPP changes, the effects of drought periods on NPP depended on vegetation types and rangeland conditions. Annual plants had the highest drought sensitivity while shrubs exhibited the lowest drought sensitivity. The positive effects of wet periods on NPP were less evident in degraded areas where the destructive effects of drought were more prominent. Therefore, determining vegetation types and rangeland conditions is essential in NPP estimation. The findings of this study confirmed the potential of the CASA for estimating rangeland production. Therefore, the model output maps can be used to evaluate, monitor and optimize rangeland management in semi-arid rangelands of Iran where MODIS NPP products are not available.
