Leaching and Redistribution of Nutrients in Surface Layer of Red Soils in Southeast China

The leaching and redistribution of nutrients in the surface layer of 4 types of red soils in SoutheastChina were studied with a lysimeter experiment under field conditions. Results showed that the leachingconcentrated in the rainy season (from April to June). Generaily, the leaching of soil nutrients from thesurface layer of red soils was in the order of Ca > Mg > K > NO3-N. In fertilization treatment, the totalamount of soil nutrients leached out of the surface layer in a red soil derived from granite was the highest inall soils. The uptake by grass decreased the leaching of fertilizer ions in surface layer, particularly for NO3-N.Soil total N and exchangeable K, Ca and Mg in the surface layer decreased with leaching and grass uptakeduring the 2 years without new fertilization of urea, Ca(H2PO4)2, KCl, CaCO3 and MgCO3. Ca movedfrom the application layer (0~5 cm) of fertilizer and accumulated in the 10~30 cm depth in the soils studiedexcept that derived from Quaternary red clay. The deficiency of soil exchangeable K will become a seriousdegradation process facing the Southeast China.

Rocky Desertification Risk Zone Delineation in Karst Plateau Area:A Case Study in Puding County,Guizhou Province

Karst rocky desertification is a geo-ecological problem in Southwest China. The rocky desertification risk zone delineation could be used as a guide for the regional and hierarchical rocky desertification management and prevention. We chose the middle and lower reaches of the Houzhai underground basin on the karst plateau in Puding County, Guizhou Province, China as the study area and selected land use type, elevation, slope, aspect, lithology and settlement buffer as the main driving factors of the rocky desertification. The potential risk of rocky desertification was quantifed with the factor-weights union method and statistical analysis method. Five grades of rocky desertification risk were delineated based on Geographic Information System. The extremely low, low, moderate, high and extremely high rocky desertification risk zones accounted for 5.01%, 44.17%, 33.92%, 15.59% and 1.30%, respectively. As a whole, the rocky desertification risk level was moderate because the area of low and moderate rocky desertification risk zones occupied 78.09% of the study area. However, more than half of the area （about 50.81%） was predicted to have moderate rocky desertification risk and above, indicating that the study area was subject to rocky desertification. Rocky desertification risk was higher in the southeast and lower in the northwest of the study area. Distinct differences in the distribution of rocky desertification risk zones corresponding to different factors have been found.

Collected Data of Local Ecological Knowledge to Predict Current Status and Potential Threats of salamander(Andrias davidianusin)in Zhengan County of Guizhou Province,China

Chinese giant salamander(CGS, Andrias davidianus) is experiencing the threat of extinction. It is disappearing gradually, because of overharvesting, environmental pollution, specially river pollution, activity of human exploitation, and so on. We conducted community interview fieldworks to collect respondent data from Xieba Country(not reserve) situated in Zhengan County of Guizhou Province, where one of the places known by historical giant salamander records in Guizhou. Through the analysis of the collected data, we created quantitative data of use for conservation management on the local status of salamander populations, and we compared our data with those available data of Y. Pan et al., who investigated the status of CGS in 3 reserves in Guizhou Province in 2015.The conclusions have a similar trend, which proved that the collected data were creditable. Through statistical analysis of the comparison data, the number of wild CGS decreased actually followed the increase of artificial framing.Because of the source of breeding to catch wild CGS, overharvesting was likely the most reason to make wild CGS decline.

Characteristics and distributions of atmospheric mercury emitted from anthropogenic sources in Guiyang, southwestern Chin

Continuous measurements of speciated atmo- spheric mercury （Hg）, including gaseous elemental mer- cury （GEM）, particulate mercury （PHg）, and reactive gaseous mercury （RGM） were conducted in Guizhou Pro- vince, southwestern China. Guiyang Power Plant （GPP）, Guiyang Wujiang Cement Plant, Guizhou Aluminum Plant （GAP）, and Guiyang Forest Park （GFP） in Guiyang were selected as study sites. Automatic Atmospheric Mercury Speciation Analyzers （Tekran 2537A） were used for GEM analysis. PHg and RGM were simultaneously collected by a manual sampling system, including elutriator, coupler/ impactor, KCl-coated annular denuder, and a filter holder. Results show that different emission sources dominate different species of Hg. The highest average GEM value was 22.2 ±28.3 ng·m-3 and the lowest 6.1 ± 3.9 ng·m-3, from samples collected at GPP and GAP, respectively. The maximum average PHg was 1984.9 pg·m-3 and the mini- mum average 55.9 pg·m-3, also from GPP and GAP, respectively. Similarly, the highest average RGM of 68.8 pg·m-3 was measured at GPP, and the lowest level of 20.5 pg·m-3 was found at GAP. We conclude that coal combustion sources are still playing a key role in GEM; traffic contributes significantly to PHg; and domestic pol- lution dominates RGM.

Livelihood changes and evolution of upland ethnic communities driven by tourism:a case study in Guizhou Province,southwest China

As an effective livelihood approach to alleviate poverty without rural population migration, ethnic tourism has become the primary choice of economic development in ethnic areas worldwide in addition to traditional livelihood approaches. This article applies the theories of livelihood to study the community evolution driven by tourism livelihood and examine three mountainous tourism communities in different stages of tourist area life cycle. Drawing on the methods of GIS spatial analysis, semi-structured interviews and questionnaires, this article proposes a sustainable livelihood framework for ethnic tourism to explore the evolution of ethnic tourism communities by identifying changes in livelihood assets(natural, financial, social, cultural and human capitals) in the process of tourism development. The results show that the development of ethnic tourism has led to changes in the increase of building land, and the diversification of land use functions with a trend of shifting from meeting local villagers' living needs to satisfying tourists, income composition and uneven distribution of tourism income spatially. Ethnic tourism also led to the deterioration of traditional social management structure, collapse of neighboring relationship, the over- commercialization and staged authenticity of ethnic culture, as well as the gradual vanish of agricultural knowledge with a trend of increasing modern business knowledge and higher education. In addition, these changes, involving livelihood assets from natural, economic, human, social and cultural aspects are interrelated and interactive, which form new evolution characters of ethnic community. This study reveals the conflicts over livelihood approaches which have formed new vulnerabilities to impact on sustainable evolution of ethnic communities. This research provides implications for achieving the sustainable development of ethnic communities with the driving force of tourism livelihood.

Zircon U–Pb dating and whole-rock elemental geochemistry of the Shazi anatase deposit in Qinglong,Western Guizhou,SW China

The Shazi deposit is a large-scale anatase deposit in Qinglong, Guizhou Province. Zircon grains from this deposit yielded a zircon U–Pb age of *259 Ma, representing the formation age of the deposit's parent rocks.This age is identical to the eruption age of the Emeishan large igneous province, indicating a synchronous magmatic event. The rare-earth-element patterns of laterite samples were similar to those of the weathered basalt sample, and sub-parallel to those of the Emeishan high-Ti basalts,implying a genetic relationship between the laterite and the basalt. The Chemical Index of Alteration values of laterite ranged from 96 to 98, suggesting a high degree of weathering. SiO_2, MgO, and alkaline metal elements decreased with increasing degree of weathering, while Al_2O_3, Fe_2O_3,and TiO_2 increased. We found the highest TiO_2 in laterite and the lowest in pillow basalts, indicating that Ti migrated from basalt to laterite.Our U–Pb dating and whole-rock elemental geochemistry analyses suggest that the Emeishan basalt is the parent rock of the Shazi anatase ore deposit.Based on our analysis, we propose a metallogenic model to explain the ore-forming process, in which the karst terrain formed by the Emeishan mantle plume and the subsequent basaltic magma eruption were the key factors in the formation the Shazi anatase ore deposit.

Effects of Water Quality on the Distribution of Chinese Giant Salamander(Andrias davidianus)in Guizhou Province,China

13 water quality parameters were tested from 38 reaches of 34 counties in Guizhou where Chinese giant salamander(Andrias davidianus) distributed over the past 30 years. Dissolved oxygen and p H were found to be significant determinants of the species distribution in recent years(P<0.05). There was no Chinese giant salamander distribution in the recent five years in rivers with dissolved solids of greater than 415 mg/L, conductivity of greater than 639 us/cm, salinity of greater than 0.31 ppt and total hardness of greater than 150 mg/L. Sensitive to environment, the Chinese giant salamander is an important indicator for environmental quality, so it could be used as one of the environmental indicator. Eutrophication, chemical fertilizer, pesticides and inorganic pollutants may be one of reasons driving wild CGS into extinction.

Land cover change in different altitudes of Guizhou-Guangxi karst mountain area, China： patterns and drivers

Topography, especially altitude, will influence the way, process and characteristics of land cover changes in mountainous area, simultaneously, the vertical difference of land cover changes will affect soil quality and regional ecological environment. Therefore, the gradient relationship analysis between land cover changes and altitude is very important for regional sustainability. This study investigated land cover dynamics based on land cover data from a typical mountainous area in the Guizhou-Guangxi karst mountain area, China, in 2000 and 2010, then explored the relationship between altitude and land cover change and analyzed different drivers of land cover change at different altitudes. Our findings are as follows. 1) From 2000 to 2010, the total area of land cover transition was 7167.04 km^2 or 2.8% of the region. The increasing area of build-up land(926.23 km^2) was larger than that of forest(859.38 km^2), suggesting that the urban construction speed was higher than that of reforestation. 2) Intensity of land cover transition in northwestern Guizhou-Guangxi karst mountain area was much larger than that of southeast part and their transition trend was also significantly different, which was consistent with regional population and economy. 3) Human activity was the most dramatic at altitudes between 0–500 m. For 500–1000 m, grassland mainly converted to forest and build-up land. Area of land cover transition was the greatest between 1000–1500 m, while above 1500 m, the transition of grassland was the most obvious. 4) The drivers of land cover change varied. Land cover change was positively correlated with gross domestic product and population density but was inversely related to relief amplitude. There were correlations between land cover change and distance to roads and rivers, and their correlations varied with altitude. By revealing patterns and causes of land cover changes in different altitudes, we hope to understand the vertical dependence of land cover changes, so as to improve land productivity and protect land ecological environment scientifically.

Dream Life

HUNAN’S“king of mask changing” is the 70-year-old Zeng Jingui. He spent most of his working life in Chinese opera,and has brought this passion into his retirement. The 70-year-old operates an opera mask workshop from his two-room apartment. It is crammed with thousands of different-sized facemasks seen in traditional Chinese operas.

Effects of Aluminum Toxicity Induced by Acid Deposition on Pine Forest Ecosystem in Longli of Guizhou Province, Southwestern China

The effects of acid deposition on pine forest ecosystems in Longli of Guizhou Province, southwestern China are studied using indoor experiments and model simulations. Indoor experiments are designed to explore the aluminum toxicity on pine seedlings, and the long-term soil acidification model （LTSAM） and a terrestrial biogeochemistry model （CENTURY） are used to simulate the influences of acid deposition on pine forest ecosystems. The indoor experiment results of aluminum toxicishow that aluminum ions in solution limit plant growth and acid deposition enhances this effect by facilitating the release of aluminum ions from the soil. Pine seedling bio- mass and root elongation decrease as the aluminum concentration increases. The results of model simulations show that the soil chemis- try varies significantly with different changes in acid deposition. When the acid deposition increases, the pH value in the soil solution decreases and the soil A13＋ concentration increases. The increased acid deposition also has negative impacts on the forest ecosystem, i.e., decreases plant biomass, net primary productivity （NPP） and net C02 uptake. As a result, the soil organic carbon （SOC） decreases be- cause of the limited supply of decomposition material. Thus acid deposition need be reduced to help protect the forest ecosystems.

A preliminary study on ore-forming environments of Xianglushan-type iron deposit and the weathering mineralization of Emeishan basalt in Guizhou Province, China

Xianglushan-type iron deposits are one of the new types of iron deposits found in the Weining Area of Western Guizhou. The iron-bearing rock system is a paleo-weathered crustal sedimentary(or accumulating) stratum between the top of the Middle-Late Permian Emeishan basalt formation and the Late Permian Xuanwei formation. Iron ore is hosted in the Lower-Middle part of the rock system. In terms of the genesis of mineral deposit, this type of deposit should be a basalt paleo-weathering crustal redeposit type, very different from marine sedimentary iron deposits or continental weathering crust iron deposits. Based on field work and the analytical results of XRD Powder Diffraction, Electron Probe, Scanner Electron Microscope, etc., the geological setting of the ore-forming processes and the deposit features are illustrated in this paper. The ore-forming environment of the deposit and the Emeishan basalt weathering mineralization are also discussed in order to enhance the knowledge of the universality and diversity of mineralization of the Emeishan Large Igneous Province(ELIP), which may be a considerable reference to further research for ELIP metallogenic theories, and geological research for iron deposits in the paleo-weathering crust areas of the Emeishan basalt,Southwestern, China.

Chemical characteristics of rainwater in karst rural areas,Guizhou Province, Southwest China

The chemical composition of rainwater has been studied in a karst rural area from September 2012 to August 2013 in Guizhou Province,Southwest China.The results indicated that the VWM value of p H was 5.4,varied from 4.6 to 6.9.Ca^(2+)and NH_4^+were the major cations,and SO_4^(2-)was the dominant anion.Neutralization factors show that the acid was mainly neutralized by Ca^(2+),NH_4^+and Mg^(2+).Investigations of correlation coefficients and enrichment factors revealed that Ca^(2+)and Mg^(2+)were mainly crust origins,and NH_4^+was from agriculture and livestock manure.SO_4^(2-)and NO_3^-were mainly from anthropogenic sources.

Discovery and preliminary study of the high tungsten and lithium contents in the Dazhuyuan bauxite deposit, Guizhou, China

Bauxite in China remains an urgently needed resource largely dependent on imports. Based on the study of the newly- discovered Dazhuyuan bauxite deposit in northeastern Guizhou, we have found new enrichment of tungsten and lithium in bauxite, with the highest WO3 content up to 0.33% and the highest Li20 content up to 0.58%. The present paper reports the in- itial result, and the spatial distribution feature of W and Li in the ore body （with Li enriched mostly in the north part of the west limb of the Liyuan syncline, whereas W enriched mostly in the central part of the east limb）. The results suggest that it is necessary to delineate lithium and tungsten ore body independently, discuss the feasibility of its industrial utilization, and point out the new direction of synthetic appraisal for such kinds of traditional mineral resources, in order to forecast and assess bauxite resources in the region.

SHRIMP zircon age for a K-bentonite in the top of the Laobao Formation at the Pingyin section,Guizhou,South China

The Lower Cambrian on the Yangtze Platform in South China （internationally equivalent to the Nerreneuvian and 2nd series of the Cambrian） is valuable for understanding the early evolution of life, the global biogeochemical circles, and the major changes of the ocean. In particular, a precise radiometric calibration of the Lower Cambrian of this region is a critical realm in its multidisciplinary studies. A SHRIMP U-Pb geochronology study of the K-bentonite in the topmost Laobao Formation at the Pingyin section, Guizhou, South China yielded an age of 536±5 Ma （MSWD -- 0.75）, suggesting that the K-bentonite here can be correlated with the intensely studied K-bentonite within the middle Zhongyicun Member （Bed 5） of the Zhujiaqing For- mation at the Meishucun section in Yunnan. Such a regional correlation result reveals that the Bed 5 K-bentonite also extends into deeper-water environments rather than being deposited merely in the shallow platform interior of the Yangtze Platform. The age of the K-bentonite at the Pingyin section also implies that its overlying polymetallic Ni-Mo layer should be younger than 536e5 Ma. Hence the previous placement of the Precambrian/Cambrian boundary at this layer is inappropriate. Combined with the results of stratigraphic correlations, it is suggested that the K-bentonites in the middle Zhongyicun Member of the Zhujiaqing Formation （or the equivalents） and the base of the Shiyantou Formation （or its equivalents）, together with the polymetallic Ni-Mo layer, serve as three important marker beds. Their self-consistent radiometric ages have established an im- proved geochronologic framework for the Lower Cambrian in South China.

New macroalgal fossils of the Kaili Biota in Guizhou Province, China

The Kaili Biota of Jianhe County, Guizhou Province is found in a Burgess Shale type of deposits, and as such it provides a key fossil record for studying biotic differentiation following the Cambrian explosion. Macroalgae represent several important groups of primary producers and yet have not been well studied. Here, we report two new forms of macroalgae from the Kaili Biota, including a new genus and species and an indeterminate genus and species. The new genus and species, Parallelphyton tipica, is a heterotrichous alga with thalli composed of a prostrate cardinal axis, and parallel bundles of erect trichomes on the axis. The bifurcation of the trichomes is somewhat similar to the living heterotrichous Fritschiella （Chlorophyta）, representing ＂architectonic differentiation＂ only known in higher plants as an adaptation to terrestri~ conditions. The indeterminate genus and species consists of an arched, thick, cylindrical major shaft and irregularly spaced, curved lateral branches attached to the major shaft and subdivided into subbranches. The characteristics of the thick and strong major shaft and the lateral branch subdivided branches are analogous to the dichotomous branching of Psilophyton in Protopteridophyta. Thus, the differentiation of the thalli in these two algal forms represents the expression of properties of some higher metaphytes, indicating that the eco- logical differentiation of the macroalgae was well underway at the time of the Kaili Biota.

Biomarker evidence for biotic and environmental change across the Cambrian Series 2–Series 3 boundary at the Wuliu- Zengjiayan section, Guizhou, China

The Wuliu-Zengjiayan section in Jianhe County, Guizhou Province, China has been suggested as a potential Global Stratotype Section and Point(GSSP) for the defined base of Cambrian Series 3. A molecular organic geochemical study on the Cambrian Series 2Series 3 boundary interval was carried out to reveal the biotic and environmental change during this transition. The hydrocarbons extracted from the Kaili Formation were proved to be indigenous. The various geochemical proxies such as biomarker parameter, δ13Corg, atomic H/C value of kerogen, and TOC content, co-vary along with the sedimentary column, and show a quick and significant change just across the Cambrian Series 2Series 3 boundary. The less abundance of isoprenoid hydrocarbons, the relative enrichment of midchain monomethyl branched alkanes(mmb-alkanes), the relatively negative value of δ13Corg, and the higher TOC contents may suggest that the upper Cambrian Series 2 was deposited in a relatively reducing environment with a higher organic input from cyanobacteria-predominated benthic microbial mats. On the other hand, the relative enrichment of isoprenoid hydrocarbons, the less abundance of mmb-alkanes, the relatively positive value of δ13Corg, the lower TOC contents, and the lower atomic H/C values of kerogen are combined to indicate an enhanced phytoplankton production and an increased oxygen content and nutrients in the ocean during the early Cambrian Series 3, which could have benefited the explosion of the Kaili Biota. The Wuliu-Zengjiayan section may provide a typical case to understand the co-variation of marine microbe, animal, and environment.

Right Time for Tea

E-commerce is connecting the traditional tea industry in Guizhou to the Web The first thing Cai Banghong does every morning is to look at the sales figures of various tea brands on his online store,Hmongling Tea Garden,before postingpromotional]nformation and collecting cus- tomers＇ feedback to help target his products. Cai spent two decades growing his tea company, from a small backroom operation to a modern enterprise integrating production, processing and sales, in Duyun, southwest China＇s Guizhou Province. As chairman of the Guizhou Du Yun Maojian Tea Co., Cai also assists local farmers by running a cooperative tea plantation of about 16,000 mu （1,067 hectares）. In the process he has also raised the income of 448 farmers.

PEOPLE & POINTS

HEROIC CANAL BUILDER COMMENDEDHuang Dafa,former Secretary of the Communist Party of China(CPC)Committee of Caowangba Village in Zunyi,southwest China’s Guizhou Province,was honored as a"contemporary role model"by the Publicity Department of the CPC Central Committee on April 25 for his perseverance in building a 9,400-meter-long water channel through steep mountains to help fellow villagers get out of poverty.