In order to improve the understanding of the role of a canopy opening/gap on the physical environments in a secondary forest in Northeastern China, a case study was conducted in and around a small irregular gap in a m...In order to improve the understanding of the role of a canopy opening/gap on the physical environments in a secondary forest in Northeastern China, a case study was conducted in and around a small irregular gap in a montane secondary forest. The secondary forest, which was severely disturbed by human beings about 50 years ago, was dominated by Quercus mongolica and Fraxinus rhynchophyllaan. Temporal variation in photosynthetic photon flux density （PPFD）, air temperature （TA） at 10 cm above the ground, soil temperature （Ts） and soil water content （SWC） at top-layer （0-15 cm） and sub-layer （15-30 cm） were measured from May to September after the second year since the formation of the small gap （the ratios of gap diameter to stand height were less than 0.5） in 2006 respectively. Results indicated that the highest value of PPFD occurred at the northern edge of the gap, particularly at the beginning of the growing season in May. On sunny days, the highest value of PPFD appeared earlier than that on overcast days. Maximum and mean values of TAwere higher in the northern part of the gap, and the minimum values of TAwere at the southern edge of the gap. Soil temperature varied obviously in the gap with the range from 1 to 8 ℃. Maximum values of Ts occurred at the northern part of the gap, which was significantly correlated with the maximum values of TA （R = 0.735, P〈0.05）. SWC was higher in the top-layer （0-15 cm） than that in sub-layer （15-30 cm）, but the difference of them was not significant （p〉0.05）, which might be attributed to the small gap size and the effects of aboveground vegetations. From these results, the maximum of PPFD in the study area occurred at the northern part of the gap, which was consistent with the results observed in north hemisphere, but the occurrence time varied with the differences of the latitudes. The highest values of air and soil temperatures also occurred in the northern part of the gap because they were affected by the radiation. However, the variation of temperature in July was different from other months due to the influence of gap size. And the values of soil water content were neither higher in the gap in the wet season nor lower in the dry season, which might be affected by the gap size and topography the gap located. The variations of light, soil and air temperatures, and soil moisture in this small irregular gap might be related to the effects of the micro-site, which affects the regeneration of plant species.展开更多
The objective of this study was to understand the effects of forest gap and variations in different seasons, gap size, locations and diurnal variations on forest microclimate and soil water content. Spatial and tempor...The objective of this study was to understand the effects of forest gap and variations in different seasons, gap size, locations and diurnal variations on forest microclimate and soil water content. Spatial and temporal distribution features oi air temperature （TA）, soil temperature （Ts）, relative humidity （h） and soil water content （ψ） were measured in Castanopsis kawakamii natural forest gaps created by a severe typhoon or fallen dead trees. The results showed that： （1） the variations of TA, h, and Tsin four seasons were extremely significant. The variations of ψ in four seasons were extremely significant except for those between spring and summer. （a） The diurnal variations of TA and Tswere expressed with a single peak curve. The diurnal variations of h and ψ presented a high-low-high trend （3） The variations of TA, h, and Ts were extremely significant among the large, medium and small gaps in C. kawakamii natural forest. Medium gaps had the highest TA and the lowest h while small gaps were jusl contrary to medium gaps. The variations of T were extremely significant for large, medium and small gaps except those between the medium and large gaps （4） The TA, h, Ts and ψ were decreased from the gap center, canopy gap, expanded gap to understory. These results will help further our understanding of the abiotic and consequent biotic responses to gaps in the mid-subtropical broadleaved forests, which also provide a theoretical basis for the scientific management and population restoration of C. kawakamii natural forest.展开更多
Forest fire is one of the major causes of forest loss and therefore one of the main constraints for sustainable forest management worldwide.Identifying the driving factors and understanding the contribution of each fa...Forest fire is one of the major causes of forest loss and therefore one of the main constraints for sustainable forest management worldwide.Identifying the driving factors and understanding the contribution of each factor are essential for the management of forest fire occurrence.The objective of this study is to identify variables that are spatially related to the occurrence and incidence of the forest fire in the State of Durango,Mexico.For this purpose,data from forest fire records for a five-year period were analyzed.The spatial correlations between forest fire occurrence and intensity of land use,susceptibility of vegetation,temperature,precipitation and slope were tested by Geographically Weighted Regression(GWR) method,under an Ordinary Least Square estimator.Results show that the spatial pattern of the forest fire in the study area is closely correlated with the intensity of land use,and land use change is one of the main explanatory variables.In addition,vegetation type and precipitation are also the main driving factors.The fitting model indicates obvious link between the variables.Forest fire was found to be the consequence of a particular combination of the environmental factors,and when these factors coexist with human activities,there is high probability of forest fire occurrence.Mandatory regulation of human activities is a key strategy for forest fire prevention.展开更多
Although differences in food-hoarding tactics both reflect a behavioral response to cache pilferage among rodent species and may help explain their coexistence, differentiation in cache pilfering abilities among sympa...Although differences in food-hoarding tactics both reflect a behavioral response to cache pilferage among rodent species and may help explain their coexistence, differentiation in cache pilfering abilities among sympatric rodents with different hoarding strategies is seldom addressed. We carried out semi-natural enclosure experiments to investigate seed hoarding tactics among three sympatric rodent species (Tamias sibiricus, Apodemus peninsulae and Clethrionomys rufocanus) and the relationship of their pilfering abilities at the inter- and intraspecific levels. Our results showed that T. sibiricus exhibited a relatively stronger pilfering ability than A. peninsulae and C. rufocanus, as indicated by its higher recovery rate of artificial caches. Meanwhile A. peninsulae showed a medium pilfering ability and C. rufocanus displayed the lowest ability. We also noted that both cache size and cache depth significantly affected cache recovery in all three species. T. sibiricus scatter-hoarded more seeds than it larder-hoarded, A. peninsulae larder-hoarded more than scatter-hoarded, and C. rufocanus acted as a pure larder-hoarder. In T. sibiricus, individuals with lower pilfering abilities tended to scatter hoard seeds, indicating an intraspecific variation in hoarding propensity. Collectively, these results indicated that sympatric rodent species seem to deploy different food hoarding tactics that allow their coexistence in the temperate forests, suggesting a strong connection between hoarding strategy and pilfering ability.展开更多
The flux of carbon dioxide （CO2） from soil surface presents an important component of carbon （C） cycle in terrestrial ecosystems and is controlled by a number of biotic and abiotic factors. In order to better unde...The flux of carbon dioxide （CO2） from soil surface presents an important component of carbon （C） cycle in terrestrial ecosystems and is controlled by a number of biotic and abiotic factors. In order to better understand characteristics of soil CO2 flux （FCO2） in subtropical forests, soil FCO2 rates were quantified in five adjacent forest types （camphor tree forest, Masson pine forest, mixed camphor tree and Masson pine forest, Chinese sweet gum forest, and slash pine forest） at the Tianjiling National Park in Changsha, Hunan Province, in subtropical China, from January to December 2010. The influences of soil temperature （Tsoil）, volumetric soil water content （0soiI）, soil pH, soil organic carbon （SOC） and soil C/nitrogen （N） ratio on soil FCO2 rates were also investigated. The annual mean soil FCO2 rate varied with the forest types. The soil FCO2 rate was the highest in the camphor tree forest （3.53 ± 0.51 μmol m-2 s-I）, followed by, in order, the mixed, Masson pine, Chinese sweet gum, and slash pine forests （1.53 ± 0.25 μmol m-2 sl）. Soil FCO2 rates from the five forest types followed a similar seasonal pattern with the maximum values occurring in summer （July and August） and the minimum values during winter （December and January）. Soil FCO2 rates were correlated to Tsoil and 0soil, but the relationships were only significant for Tsoil. No correlations were found between soil FCO2 rates and other selected soil properties, such as soil pH, SOC, and C/N ratio, in the examined forest types. Our results indicated that soil FCO2 rates were much higher in the evergreen broadleaved forest than coniferous forest under the same microclimatic environment in the study region.展开更多
The sustained growth of Chinese economy in the new century is a silver lining in the continuouslydepressed global economy. Meanwhile, the rapid development of Chinese economy is still confronted withconstraints from d...The sustained growth of Chinese economy in the new century is a silver lining in the continuouslydepressed global economy. Meanwhile, the rapid development of Chinese economy is still confronted withconstraints from deteriorating environment and rural poverty issues. It has become a significant policyoption in maintaining high speed, efficiency and sound development of Chinese economy to rehabilitateforest resources, improve ecological conditions, increase farmers income and get on a sustainable roadfeaturing coordinated development of population, resources and environment. The Grain for Green Program,as a CDM activity of Chinese style, launched on trial in 1999 and implemented in 2002 across the country,is the biggest land use transition, watershed management and poverty alleviation program involving thelargest population in Chinese history and across the globe. It covers 25 provinces/regions/cities and gets over1 600 counties, 15 million households and 60 million farmers were involved. Hence the Grain for Tree policyhas a significant bearing on ecological protection and farmers poverty alleviation in the soil and watererosion-prone region. A review and assessment of the background, essentials, effects, problems and trend ofthe Grain for Tree policy is of great significance for both China and the other developing countries in theworld in their efforts to combat the deteriorating environment and alleviate poverty.展开更多
基金This research was supported by National Natural Science Foundation of China （30671669） and ＂the 100-Young-Researcher Project＂ of Chinese,Academy of Sciences.
文摘In order to improve the understanding of the role of a canopy opening/gap on the physical environments in a secondary forest in Northeastern China, a case study was conducted in and around a small irregular gap in a montane secondary forest. The secondary forest, which was severely disturbed by human beings about 50 years ago, was dominated by Quercus mongolica and Fraxinus rhynchophyllaan. Temporal variation in photosynthetic photon flux density （PPFD）, air temperature （TA） at 10 cm above the ground, soil temperature （Ts） and soil water content （SWC） at top-layer （0-15 cm） and sub-layer （15-30 cm） were measured from May to September after the second year since the formation of the small gap （the ratios of gap diameter to stand height were less than 0.5） in 2006 respectively. Results indicated that the highest value of PPFD occurred at the northern edge of the gap, particularly at the beginning of the growing season in May. On sunny days, the highest value of PPFD appeared earlier than that on overcast days. Maximum and mean values of TAwere higher in the northern part of the gap, and the minimum values of TAwere at the southern edge of the gap. Soil temperature varied obviously in the gap with the range from 1 to 8 ℃. Maximum values of Ts occurred at the northern part of the gap, which was significantly correlated with the maximum values of TA （R = 0.735, P〈0.05）. SWC was higher in the top-layer （0-15 cm） than that in sub-layer （15-30 cm）, but the difference of them was not significant （p〉0.05）, which might be attributed to the small gap size and the effects of aboveground vegetations. From these results, the maximum of PPFD in the study area occurred at the northern part of the gap, which was consistent with the results observed in north hemisphere, but the occurrence time varied with the differences of the latitudes. The highest values of air and soil temperatures also occurred in the northern part of the gap because they were affected by the radiation. However, the variation of temperature in July was different from other months due to the influence of gap size. And the values of soil water content were neither higher in the gap in the wet season nor lower in the dry season, which might be affected by the gap size and topography the gap located. The variations of light, soil and air temperatures, and soil moisture in this small irregular gap might be related to the effects of the micro-site, which affects the regeneration of plant species.
基金supported by the Key Program of Natural Science Foundation of Fujian Province of China (Grant No. 2008J0008)Doctoral Fund of Ministry of Education of China (Grant No.200803890011)China Postdoctoral Science Foundation (Grant No. 20070410796)
文摘The objective of this study was to understand the effects of forest gap and variations in different seasons, gap size, locations and diurnal variations on forest microclimate and soil water content. Spatial and temporal distribution features oi air temperature （TA）, soil temperature （Ts）, relative humidity （h） and soil water content （ψ） were measured in Castanopsis kawakamii natural forest gaps created by a severe typhoon or fallen dead trees. The results showed that： （1） the variations of TA, h, and Tsin four seasons were extremely significant. The variations of ψ in four seasons were extremely significant except for those between spring and summer. （a） The diurnal variations of TA and Tswere expressed with a single peak curve. The diurnal variations of h and ψ presented a high-low-high trend （3） The variations of TA, h, and Ts were extremely significant among the large, medium and small gaps in C. kawakamii natural forest. Medium gaps had the highest TA and the lowest h while small gaps were jusl contrary to medium gaps. The variations of T were extremely significant for large, medium and small gaps except those between the medium and large gaps （4） The TA, h, Ts and ψ were decreased from the gap center, canopy gap, expanded gap to understory. These results will help further our understanding of the abiotic and consequent biotic responses to gaps in the mid-subtropical broadleaved forests, which also provide a theoretical basis for the scientific management and population restoration of C. kawakamii natural forest.
基金Under the auspices of Mexican National Council for Science and Technology (No 2008-01-87972)
文摘Forest fire is one of the major causes of forest loss and therefore one of the main constraints for sustainable forest management worldwide.Identifying the driving factors and understanding the contribution of each factor are essential for the management of forest fire occurrence.The objective of this study is to identify variables that are spatially related to the occurrence and incidence of the forest fire in the State of Durango,Mexico.For this purpose,data from forest fire records for a five-year period were analyzed.The spatial correlations between forest fire occurrence and intensity of land use,susceptibility of vegetation,temperature,precipitation and slope were tested by Geographically Weighted Regression(GWR) method,under an Ordinary Least Square estimator.Results show that the spatial pattern of the forest fire in the study area is closely correlated with the intensity of land use,and land use change is one of the main explanatory variables.In addition,vegetation type and precipitation are also the main driving factors.The fitting model indicates obvious link between the variables.Forest fire was found to be the consequence of a particular combination of the environmental factors,and when these factors coexist with human activities,there is high probability of forest fire occurrence.Mandatory regulation of human activities is a key strategy for forest fire prevention.
基金supported by the National Natural Science Foundation (31172101, 30930016)
文摘Although differences in food-hoarding tactics both reflect a behavioral response to cache pilferage among rodent species and may help explain their coexistence, differentiation in cache pilfering abilities among sympatric rodents with different hoarding strategies is seldom addressed. We carried out semi-natural enclosure experiments to investigate seed hoarding tactics among three sympatric rodent species (Tamias sibiricus, Apodemus peninsulae and Clethrionomys rufocanus) and the relationship of their pilfering abilities at the inter- and intraspecific levels. Our results showed that T. sibiricus exhibited a relatively stronger pilfering ability than A. peninsulae and C. rufocanus, as indicated by its higher recovery rate of artificial caches. Meanwhile A. peninsulae showed a medium pilfering ability and C. rufocanus displayed the lowest ability. We also noted that both cache size and cache depth significantly affected cache recovery in all three species. T. sibiricus scatter-hoarded more seeds than it larder-hoarded, A. peninsulae larder-hoarded more than scatter-hoarded, and C. rufocanus acted as a pure larder-hoarder. In T. sibiricus, individuals with lower pilfering abilities tended to scatter hoard seeds, indicating an intraspecific variation in hoarding propensity. Collectively, these results indicated that sympatric rodent species seem to deploy different food hoarding tactics that allow their coexistence in the temperate forests, suggesting a strong connection between hoarding strategy and pilfering ability.
基金Supported by the National Forestry Public Welfare Research Program of China(Nos.201104005 and 200804030)the Program for New Century Excellent Talents in University of Ministry of Education of China(No.NCET-10-0151)+1 种基金the 100 Talents Program of Hunan Province,China(No.2011516)Central South University of Forestry and Technology,China(No.0842)
文摘The flux of carbon dioxide （CO2） from soil surface presents an important component of carbon （C） cycle in terrestrial ecosystems and is controlled by a number of biotic and abiotic factors. In order to better understand characteristics of soil CO2 flux （FCO2） in subtropical forests, soil FCO2 rates were quantified in five adjacent forest types （camphor tree forest, Masson pine forest, mixed camphor tree and Masson pine forest, Chinese sweet gum forest, and slash pine forest） at the Tianjiling National Park in Changsha, Hunan Province, in subtropical China, from January to December 2010. The influences of soil temperature （Tsoil）, volumetric soil water content （0soiI）, soil pH, soil organic carbon （SOC） and soil C/nitrogen （N） ratio on soil FCO2 rates were also investigated. The annual mean soil FCO2 rate varied with the forest types. The soil FCO2 rate was the highest in the camphor tree forest （3.53 ± 0.51 μmol m-2 s-I）, followed by, in order, the mixed, Masson pine, Chinese sweet gum, and slash pine forests （1.53 ± 0.25 μmol m-2 sl）. Soil FCO2 rates from the five forest types followed a similar seasonal pattern with the maximum values occurring in summer （July and August） and the minimum values during winter （December and January）. Soil FCO2 rates were correlated to Tsoil and 0soil, but the relationships were only significant for Tsoil. No correlations were found between soil FCO2 rates and other selected soil properties, such as soil pH, SOC, and C/N ratio, in the examined forest types. Our results indicated that soil FCO2 rates were much higher in the evergreen broadleaved forest than coniferous forest under the same microclimatic environment in the study region.
文摘The sustained growth of Chinese economy in the new century is a silver lining in the continuouslydepressed global economy. Meanwhile, the rapid development of Chinese economy is still confronted withconstraints from deteriorating environment and rural poverty issues. It has become a significant policyoption in maintaining high speed, efficiency and sound development of Chinese economy to rehabilitateforest resources, improve ecological conditions, increase farmers income and get on a sustainable roadfeaturing coordinated development of population, resources and environment. The Grain for Green Program,as a CDM activity of Chinese style, launched on trial in 1999 and implemented in 2002 across the country,is the biggest land use transition, watershed management and poverty alleviation program involving thelargest population in Chinese history and across the globe. It covers 25 provinces/regions/cities and gets over1 600 counties, 15 million households and 60 million farmers were involved. Hence the Grain for Tree policyhas a significant bearing on ecological protection and farmers poverty alleviation in the soil and watererosion-prone region. A review and assessment of the background, essentials, effects, problems and trend ofthe Grain for Tree policy is of great significance for both China and the other developing countries in theworld in their efforts to combat the deteriorating environment and alleviate poverty.
