Coal fires have a very long history in China; the oldest coal fires have being burning for many million years. Up to now more than 56 coal fires spots were distin-guished. They mainly locate in West-North of China, No...Coal fires have a very long history in China; the oldest coal fires have being burning for many million years. Up to now more than 56 coal fires spots were distin-guished. They mainly locate in West-North of China, North of China and East-North of China. About millions of tons of coal have been burned in fires every year. Xinjiang Autonomy is the most serious region in coal fires as it has 38 coal fires spots and about 6.85 million tons of coal was burned every year. Coal fires in China ignited by wildfires, spontaneous combustion and human being during mining activities. These fires have re-leased about 0.9 million tons of gasses (including CO, CO2, SO2, NO2 CH4, CO2, H2S etc.) into the atmosphere every year, most of which are brought to the east by wind and result-ing more heavier air pollution in northern China.展开更多
Grassland fire is one of the most important disturbance factors in the natural ecosystems.This paper focuses on the spatial distribution of long-term grassland fire patterns in the Hulun Buir Grassland located in the ...Grassland fire is one of the most important disturbance factors in the natural ecosystems.This paper focuses on the spatial distribution of long-term grassland fire patterns in the Hulun Buir Grassland located in the northeast of Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region in China.The density or ratio of ignition can reflect the relationship between grassland fire and different ignition factors.Based on the relationship between the density or ratio of ignition in different range of each ignition factor and grassland fire events,an ignition probability model was developed by using binary logistic regression function and its overall accuracy averaged up to 81.7%.Meanwhile it was found that daily relative humidity,daily temperature,elevation,vegetation type,distance to county-level road,distance to town are more important determinants of spatial distribution of fire ignitions.Using Monte Carlo method,we developed a time-dependent stochastic ignition probability model based on the distribution of inter-annual daily relative humidity and daily temperature.Through this model,it is possible to estimate the spatial patterns of ignition probability for grassland fire,which will be helpful to the quantitative evaluation of grassland fire risk and its management in the future.展开更多
Understanding the response of understory vegetation to fire disturbance is vital to biodiversity conservation and management of boreal forests. We surveyed understory vascular plant richness and composition, and measu...Understanding the response of understory vegetation to fire disturbance is vital to biodiversity conservation and management of boreal forests. We surveyed understory vascular plant richness and composition, and measured related environmental variables along a toposequence within three successional stages, initial (3 years post-fire), early (13 years post-fire) and late (〉1oo years post-fire) successional stages. Using permutation multivariate ANOVA and nonmetric multidimensional scaling, we analyzed how understory species richness and composition change as time-since-fire proceeds, and their correlative relationships with environmental variables. Species richness and composition showed significant differences among the three successional stages. Understory species richness and abundance were significantly associated with time-since-fire, topographic position, elevation and organic layer depth. Among these variables, time-since-fire had the strongest effect and topographic position was the second major factor on affecting understorycommunity assembly. In overwhelmed the effects addition, time-since-fire of soil pH in the initial successional stage and gravimetric soil moisture in early and late successional stages on understory species composition展开更多
In this paper, Xinjiang's coal field is selected as the investigation area. Through a series of field surveys in Xinjiang, we made the small-scale area analysis of coal field fire using the ground remote sensing tech...In this paper, Xinjiang's coal field is selected as the investigation area. Through a series of field surveys in Xinjiang, we made the small-scale area analysis of coal field fire using the ground remote sensing technique, and presented the reasonable evaluation of thermal anomaly conditions of Xinjiang's coal field arising from coal self-ignition fires. The results show that the method of small-scale area analysis is available for examining the extinguished actuality of coal fires and detecting fire spots. Therefore, for the selected fire-extlngulshed coal field in Xinjiang, the fire extinguishing effect was effectively analyzed by the means, and the new hidden thermal dangers were sought and diagnosed. For the coal field where the fire has not been extinguished, the utilization of this means approximately identified the severity and range of the fire area, and provided the quantitative and ground references for extinguish engineering.展开更多
In order to define the development direction of safe blasting technology in high-temperature coal seams in China, this paper presents a systematic, state-of-the-art review on safe blasting technology. Information such...In order to define the development direction of safe blasting technology in high-temperature coal seams in China, this paper presents a systematic, state-of-the-art review on safe blasting technology. Information such as high-temperature coal fire extinguishment and cooling, anti-high-temperature blasting supplies, heat insulation blasting setting, operation procedures for high-temperature blasting, and so on, are presented. Analysis shows that the development of effective technology for coal seam fire extinguishing and cooling, the manufacture of anti-high-temperature blasting supplies, especially priming materials, the development of heat insulation blasting setting, and the establishment of technical specifications suit large-scale blasting design and construction work at high-temperature coal seams, are the essential methods for safe blasting at high temperature coal seams.展开更多
Geohazards appear to be increasing in frequency globally. It is of necessity to actively manage these natural hazards to minimize loss of life and property. From an early warning perspective, this paper stresses the p...Geohazards appear to be increasing in frequency globally. It is of necessity to actively manage these natural hazards to minimize loss of life and property. From an early warning perspective, this paper stresses the potential fatal flood hazard represented by the huge volume of water in Tianchi Lake, the unique geography of Changbai Mountain, and the limited flood control ability in the upstream of the Songhua River. Northeast Asian countries should keep a watchful eye on the Changbai volcano cooperatively, and Chinese government especially needs to prepare plans for fighting a flood in advance.展开更多
Aims Cistus albidus reproductive traits have been studied on typical Mediterranean shrublands along a water availability gradient in Northeastern Iberian Peninsula.Germination of this species is known to be highly fav...Aims Cistus albidus reproductive traits have been studied on typical Mediterranean shrublands along a water availability gradient in Northeastern Iberian Peninsula.Germination of this species is known to be highly favoured by fire.Moreover,Mediterranean species are particularly dependent on water availability.Therefore,we establish the hypothesis that in addition to fire disturbance,seedling recruitment in this Mediterranean seeder will be improved in drought-induced episodes resulting in generalized canopy die-off.Methods Individuals of several populations of C.albidus were collected and the size,weight and number of fruits and seeds were measured.Germination tests were also carried out on five pre-germination treatments:seeds’exposure to heat shock,imbibition,two cycles of imbibition/desiccation and the combination of heat shock and imbibition and imbibition/desiccation cycles.Moreover,the number of seedlings after a drought event was surveyed in the field and correlated with canopy die-off.Important findings Our study shows the variability of the C.albidus reproductive traits,such as germination rate or fruit production,along the water availability gradient.This variability resulted in a decrease in fruit production but an increase in successful germination under drier conditions.Cistus albidus seeds increased germination with heat,demonstrating their ability to successfully establish after fire.However,recruitment was not exclusively fire dependent since seedling establishment was higher under C.albidus canopies that had collapsed after the extreme drought.Finally,adult density increased C.albidus die-off and mortality,as well as seedling establishment.These results suggest that this species exhibits a trade-off between different reproductive outcomes(i.e.seed production vs.viability),which in turn is determined by climate.This study also provides evidence of how intra-specific competition,climate,particularly drought events and fire disturbance,can determine the success of key early stages of the life history of a common,representative Mediterranean fire-prone seeder shrub.展开更多
Many studies indicated that the products of biosphere burning have short and long-term effectson the atmosphere. Vegetation burning can produce some gases which have significant influence onenvironment, including some...Many studies indicated that the products of biosphere burning have short and long-term effectson the atmosphere. Vegetation burning can produce some gases which have significant influence onenvironment, including some greenhouse gases as CO2 and CH4, etc. Smoke aerosols produced fromburning also influence global climate and atmospheric chemistry. The paper calculates the consumedbiomass due to forest fires according to the statistics of forest fires from 1991 to 2000 and research resultsof biomass of Chinese forests. During the study period, forest fires burned average 5 Tg ~7 Tg biomasseach year and directly emitted 20.24 Tg^28.56 Tg carbon. In 1991~2000, average emission of carbondioxide and CH4 account for 2.7%~3.9% and 3.3%~4.7% of the total emission of China (calculating withthe data of 2000), respectively.展开更多
Many environment problems of the full using of several categories of processing include mining,heat generators,direct combustion of forest fires,cement production,power plant,transport,medical waste.Dioxin/furan relea...Many environment problems of the full using of several categories of processing include mining,heat generators,direct combustion of forest fires,cement production,power plant,transport,medical waste.Dioxin/furan releases from these categories are one of these environment problems.Possible lines of reducing the PCDD/PCDF (Polychlorinated dibenzo-para-dioxins/Polychlorinated dibenzofurans) releases from these categories are elucidated.The contribution of this paper is present the identification and estimation of the latest figure of dioxin/furan releases in the climate of environment of Jordan in the period 2000-2008 from the following categories (cement,aluminum,ceramic,medical waste,power plant,land fill,ferrous and non-ferrous metals,uncontrolled combustion process (biomass burning,waste burning,accidental fires in house,transport).These finding shows the sign of growth of estimated PCDD/PCDF releases from categories which did not calculated and followed after 2003.The result shows the highest PCDD/PCDF release from landfill fires (62.75 g TEQ/year),medical waste (8.8264 g TEQ/year),and transport (3.0145 g TEQ/year).Jordan seeks by next years,a reduction in total releases of dioxins and furans from sources resulting from human activity.This challenge will apply to the aggregate of releases to the air nationwide and of releases to the water within the Jordan area.Jordan should conduct air monitoring for dioxin in order to track fluctuations in atmospheric deposition levels.展开更多
Forest fires occurrence is influenced by many factors, such as inter-annual weather variations and regional fuel distributions. Fires occurrence in different forest region has distinct spatial and temporal characteris...Forest fires occurrence is influenced by many factors, such as inter-annual weather variations and regional fuel distributions. Fires occurrence in different forest region has distinct spatial and temporal characteristics. The paper studied the natural forest fire environment in Northeastern China, as well as forest fires occurrence, burned area and fire seasons in Northeastern Forest Region. The result shows that more than 50% of annual burned area occurred in Northeast China Forest Region. Main fire seasons in the region are spring and autumn. Fires occurrence in spring is larger than that in autumn. There are few fires in summer. The authors' suggestions for fire management department are to emphasize the fuel management, improve the roads conditions, and enhance the fires control ability.展开更多
he internal genetic clock of semelparous mast-flowering bamboo species creates gregarious regions of flowering and death, thus leading to fuel-load accumulation that potentially promotes fire(Fire-Cycle Hypothesis)....he internal genetic clock of semelparous mast-flowering bamboo species creates gregarious regions of flowering and death, thus leading to fuel-load accumulation that potentially promotes fire(Fire-Cycle Hypothesis). Higher abundance of bamboo could be expected to provide greater fuel loads after flowering. Here, we investigated the possible link between bamboo dominance and fire occurrence. As the main food source for the giant panda in the Qinling Mountains of China, Bashania fargesii(Farges Canebrake) and Fargesia qinlingensis(Arrow Bamboo) dominate lower(1000–1900 m) and higher elevations(1800–2700 m), respectively. Four soil profiles(elevation ranging from 1240 to 2170 m) in areas of known recent bamboo flowering events(~1980) and adjacent non-flowering sites were assessed for phytoliths and charcoal. Characteristic phytoliths were chosen to describe bamboo dynamics, and charcoal particles were extracted from the soil to reconstruct fire history. Carbon 14 dating of soil charcoal samples was conducted using an accelerator mass spectrometry technique. In addition, we chose two depths(28–52 and 90–100 cm) in one Bashania profile(B. fargesii forest) and one Fargesia profile(F. qinlingensis forest) for phytolith dating. Our findings indicate that bamboo has been a dominant component of these ecosystems almost for the entire profile; some 6400 yrs for Bashania and ca. 10000 yrs for the Fargesia. It is also clear from the charcoal and phytolith data that bamboo abundance and recent mast flowering were significantly related to fire occurrence for lower elevation Bashania while the higher elevation Fargesia was not. One of the four profiles had chronological charcoal records throughout and the oldest charcoal aged was ~1410 yr BP, suggesting an anthropogenic origin. The mixing of phytolith and charcoal made it unrealistic to describe temporal dynamics of bamboo and fire events, and thus our interpretation is cognizant of the dating discrepancies and conservative(less-speculative). Due to the long history of bamboo and much shorter history of fire within the profile, our data lend little evidence to the Fire-Cycle Hypothesis.展开更多
We explored if and how seasonal fires interact with microhabitat type(i.e.under Pistacia shrub,under Cistus shrub or a canopy gap)to influence the composition of the germinable soil seed bank(GSSB)community in a typic...We explored if and how seasonal fires interact with microhabitat type(i.e.under Pistacia shrub,under Cistus shrub or a canopy gap)to influence the composition of the germinable soil seed bank(GSSB)community in a typical eastern Mediterranean woodland.We conducted a field experiment,involving prescribed spring and autumn burns,and thereafter quantified the seed germination patterns using soil samples collected from both burned and adjacent unburned control plots.Soil temperature was significantly higher during autumn burns,while being more variable during spring burns.Fire caused overall reductions in GSSB density,richness and diversity.The reductions in GSSB richness and diversity were significantly stronger under Pistacia and Cistus shrubs located within plots subjected to autumn burns,and these patterns were mainly evident among annuals.GSSB density of dwarf shrubs was higher in samples collected from burned plots,and this pattern was more pronounced in samples collected under Pistacia and Cistus shrubs.Together with the appearance of unique species,seasonal fires led to significant changes in the composition of the GSSB community.Our results illustrate that seasonal fires interact with spatial heterogeneity to influence the composition of the GSSB community mostly via differential effects on the germination densities of annuals and dwarf shrubs.These findings imply that the increase in the frequency of seasonal fires,which has occurred in the eastern Mediterranean basin during the last few decades,may translate into a shift in eco-evolutionary selection pressures,operating on plants inhabiting this unique ecosystem.展开更多
基金Supported by National Natural Science Foundation of China (40272124)
文摘Coal fires have a very long history in China; the oldest coal fires have being burning for many million years. Up to now more than 56 coal fires spots were distin-guished. They mainly locate in West-North of China, North of China and East-North of China. About millions of tons of coal have been burned in fires every year. Xinjiang Autonomy is the most serious region in coal fires as it has 38 coal fires spots and about 6.85 million tons of coal was burned every year. Coal fires in China ignited by wildfires, spontaneous combustion and human being during mining activities. These fires have re-leased about 0.9 million tons of gasses (including CO, CO2, SO2, NO2 CH4, CO2, H2S etc.) into the atmosphere every year, most of which are brought to the east by wind and result-ing more heavier air pollution in northern China.
基金Under the auspices of National Science & Technology Support Program of China(No.2006BAD20B00)
文摘Grassland fire is one of the most important disturbance factors in the natural ecosystems.This paper focuses on the spatial distribution of long-term grassland fire patterns in the Hulun Buir Grassland located in the northeast of Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region in China.The density or ratio of ignition can reflect the relationship between grassland fire and different ignition factors.Based on the relationship between the density or ratio of ignition in different range of each ignition factor and grassland fire events,an ignition probability model was developed by using binary logistic regression function and its overall accuracy averaged up to 81.7%.Meanwhile it was found that daily relative humidity,daily temperature,elevation,vegetation type,distance to county-level road,distance to town are more important determinants of spatial distribution of fire ignitions.Using Monte Carlo method,we developed a time-dependent stochastic ignition probability model based on the distribution of inter-annual daily relative humidity and daily temperature.Through this model,it is possible to estimate the spatial patterns of ignition probability for grassland fire,which will be helpful to the quantitative evaluation of grassland fire risk and its management in the future.
基金funded by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (Grant Nos. 31270511, 41501200)
文摘Understanding the response of understory vegetation to fire disturbance is vital to biodiversity conservation and management of boreal forests. We surveyed understory vascular plant richness and composition, and measured related environmental variables along a toposequence within three successional stages, initial (3 years post-fire), early (13 years post-fire) and late (〉1oo years post-fire) successional stages. Using permutation multivariate ANOVA and nonmetric multidimensional scaling, we analyzed how understory species richness and composition change as time-since-fire proceeds, and their correlative relationships with environmental variables. Species richness and composition showed significant differences among the three successional stages. Understory species richness and abundance were significantly associated with time-since-fire, topographic position, elevation and organic layer depth. Among these variables, time-since-fire had the strongest effect and topographic position was the second major factor on affecting understorycommunity assembly. In overwhelmed the effects addition, time-since-fire of soil pH in the initial successional stage and gravimetric soil moisture in early and late successional stages on understory species composition
基金the National Natural Science Foundation of China (Grant Nos. 50606033 and50674079 )National High Technology Research and Development Program of China ( Grant No.2007AA04Z178)
文摘In this paper, Xinjiang's coal field is selected as the investigation area. Through a series of field surveys in Xinjiang, we made the small-scale area analysis of coal field fire using the ground remote sensing technique, and presented the reasonable evaluation of thermal anomaly conditions of Xinjiang's coal field arising from coal self-ignition fires. The results show that the method of small-scale area analysis is available for examining the extinguished actuality of coal fires and detecting fire spots. Therefore, for the selected fire-extlngulshed coal field in Xinjiang, the fire extinguishing effect was effectively analyzed by the means, and the new hidden thermal dangers were sought and diagnosed. For the coal field where the fire has not been extinguished, the utilization of this means approximately identified the severity and range of the fire area, and provided the quantitative and ground references for extinguish engineering.
文摘In order to define the development direction of safe blasting technology in high-temperature coal seams in China, this paper presents a systematic, state-of-the-art review on safe blasting technology. Information such as high-temperature coal fire extinguishment and cooling, anti-high-temperature blasting supplies, heat insulation blasting setting, operation procedures for high-temperature blasting, and so on, are presented. Analysis shows that the development of effective technology for coal seam fire extinguishing and cooling, the manufacture of anti-high-temperature blasting supplies, especially priming materials, the development of heat insulation blasting setting, and the establishment of technical specifications suit large-scale blasting design and construction work at high-temperature coal seams, are the essential methods for safe blasting at high temperature coal seams.
基金the Knowledge Innovation Program of Chinese Academy of Sciences (Grant No. KZCX2-EW-319)the National Basic Research Program of China (Grant No. 2010CB951301)the National Natural Science Foundation of China (Grant No. 40871089)
文摘Geohazards appear to be increasing in frequency globally. It is of necessity to actively manage these natural hazards to minimize loss of life and property. From an early warning perspective, this paper stresses the potential fatal flood hazard represented by the huge volume of water in Tianchi Lake, the unique geography of Changbai Mountain, and the limited flood control ability in the upstream of the Songhua River. Northeast Asian countries should keep a watchful eye on the Changbai volcano cooperatively, and Chinese government especially needs to prepare plans for fighting a flood in advance.
基金funders Agència de Gestiód’Ajuts Universitaris i de Recerca(AGAUR)(2014-SGR-00453 and 2017-SGR-001001 ID grants)Ministerio de Economía,Industria y Competitividad,Gobierno de España(CGL2015-67419-R ID grant).
文摘Aims Cistus albidus reproductive traits have been studied on typical Mediterranean shrublands along a water availability gradient in Northeastern Iberian Peninsula.Germination of this species is known to be highly favoured by fire.Moreover,Mediterranean species are particularly dependent on water availability.Therefore,we establish the hypothesis that in addition to fire disturbance,seedling recruitment in this Mediterranean seeder will be improved in drought-induced episodes resulting in generalized canopy die-off.Methods Individuals of several populations of C.albidus were collected and the size,weight and number of fruits and seeds were measured.Germination tests were also carried out on five pre-germination treatments:seeds’exposure to heat shock,imbibition,two cycles of imbibition/desiccation and the combination of heat shock and imbibition and imbibition/desiccation cycles.Moreover,the number of seedlings after a drought event was surveyed in the field and correlated with canopy die-off.Important findings Our study shows the variability of the C.albidus reproductive traits,such as germination rate or fruit production,along the water availability gradient.This variability resulted in a decrease in fruit production but an increase in successful germination under drier conditions.Cistus albidus seeds increased germination with heat,demonstrating their ability to successfully establish after fire.However,recruitment was not exclusively fire dependent since seedling establishment was higher under C.albidus canopies that had collapsed after the extreme drought.Finally,adult density increased C.albidus die-off and mortality,as well as seedling establishment.These results suggest that this species exhibits a trade-off between different reproductive outcomes(i.e.seed production vs.viability),which in turn is determined by climate.This study also provides evidence of how intra-specific competition,climate,particularly drought events and fire disturbance,can determine the success of key early stages of the life history of a common,representative Mediterranean fire-prone seeder shrub.
文摘Many studies indicated that the products of biosphere burning have short and long-term effectson the atmosphere. Vegetation burning can produce some gases which have significant influence onenvironment, including some greenhouse gases as CO2 and CH4, etc. Smoke aerosols produced fromburning also influence global climate and atmospheric chemistry. The paper calculates the consumedbiomass due to forest fires according to the statistics of forest fires from 1991 to 2000 and research resultsof biomass of Chinese forests. During the study period, forest fires burned average 5 Tg ~7 Tg biomasseach year and directly emitted 20.24 Tg^28.56 Tg carbon. In 1991~2000, average emission of carbondioxide and CH4 account for 2.7%~3.9% and 3.3%~4.7% of the total emission of China (calculating withthe data of 2000), respectively.
文摘Many environment problems of the full using of several categories of processing include mining,heat generators,direct combustion of forest fires,cement production,power plant,transport,medical waste.Dioxin/furan releases from these categories are one of these environment problems.Possible lines of reducing the PCDD/PCDF (Polychlorinated dibenzo-para-dioxins/Polychlorinated dibenzofurans) releases from these categories are elucidated.The contribution of this paper is present the identification and estimation of the latest figure of dioxin/furan releases in the climate of environment of Jordan in the period 2000-2008 from the following categories (cement,aluminum,ceramic,medical waste,power plant,land fill,ferrous and non-ferrous metals,uncontrolled combustion process (biomass burning,waste burning,accidental fires in house,transport).These finding shows the sign of growth of estimated PCDD/PCDF releases from categories which did not calculated and followed after 2003.The result shows the highest PCDD/PCDF release from landfill fires (62.75 g TEQ/year),medical waste (8.8264 g TEQ/year),and transport (3.0145 g TEQ/year).Jordan seeks by next years,a reduction in total releases of dioxins and furans from sources resulting from human activity.This challenge will apply to the aggregate of releases to the air nationwide and of releases to the water within the Jordan area.Jordan should conduct air monitoring for dioxin in order to track fluctuations in atmospheric deposition levels.
基金the NFB Project (No.2006-84, 2006-70)the National Technology R&D Program (No.2006BAD04B05)
文摘Forest fires occurrence is influenced by many factors, such as inter-annual weather variations and regional fuel distributions. Fires occurrence in different forest region has distinct spatial and temporal characteristics. The paper studied the natural forest fire environment in Northeastern China, as well as forest fires occurrence, burned area and fire seasons in Northeastern Forest Region. The result shows that more than 50% of annual burned area occurred in Northeast China Forest Region. Main fire seasons in the region are spring and autumn. Fires occurrence in spring is larger than that in autumn. There are few fires in summer. The authors' suggestions for fire management department are to emphasize the fuel management, improve the roads conditions, and enhance the fires control ability.
文摘he internal genetic clock of semelparous mast-flowering bamboo species creates gregarious regions of flowering and death, thus leading to fuel-load accumulation that potentially promotes fire(Fire-Cycle Hypothesis). Higher abundance of bamboo could be expected to provide greater fuel loads after flowering. Here, we investigated the possible link between bamboo dominance and fire occurrence. As the main food source for the giant panda in the Qinling Mountains of China, Bashania fargesii(Farges Canebrake) and Fargesia qinlingensis(Arrow Bamboo) dominate lower(1000–1900 m) and higher elevations(1800–2700 m), respectively. Four soil profiles(elevation ranging from 1240 to 2170 m) in areas of known recent bamboo flowering events(~1980) and adjacent non-flowering sites were assessed for phytoliths and charcoal. Characteristic phytoliths were chosen to describe bamboo dynamics, and charcoal particles were extracted from the soil to reconstruct fire history. Carbon 14 dating of soil charcoal samples was conducted using an accelerator mass spectrometry technique. In addition, we chose two depths(28–52 and 90–100 cm) in one Bashania profile(B. fargesii forest) and one Fargesia profile(F. qinlingensis forest) for phytolith dating. Our findings indicate that bamboo has been a dominant component of these ecosystems almost for the entire profile; some 6400 yrs for Bashania and ca. 10000 yrs for the Fargesia. It is also clear from the charcoal and phytolith data that bamboo abundance and recent mast flowering were significantly related to fire occurrence for lower elevation Bashania while the higher elevation Fargesia was not. One of the four profiles had chronological charcoal records throughout and the oldest charcoal aged was ~1410 yr BP, suggesting an anthropogenic origin. The mixing of phytolith and charcoal made it unrealistic to describe temporal dynamics of bamboo and fire events, and thus our interpretation is cognizant of the dating discrepancies and conservative(less-speculative). Due to the long history of bamboo and much shorter history of fire within the profile, our data lend little evidence to the Fire-Cycle Hypothesis.
基金supported by the United States-Israel Binational Science Foundation(BSF Grant 2012081).
文摘We explored if and how seasonal fires interact with microhabitat type(i.e.under Pistacia shrub,under Cistus shrub or a canopy gap)to influence the composition of the germinable soil seed bank(GSSB)community in a typical eastern Mediterranean woodland.We conducted a field experiment,involving prescribed spring and autumn burns,and thereafter quantified the seed germination patterns using soil samples collected from both burned and adjacent unburned control plots.Soil temperature was significantly higher during autumn burns,while being more variable during spring burns.Fire caused overall reductions in GSSB density,richness and diversity.The reductions in GSSB richness and diversity were significantly stronger under Pistacia and Cistus shrubs located within plots subjected to autumn burns,and these patterns were mainly evident among annuals.GSSB density of dwarf shrubs was higher in samples collected from burned plots,and this pattern was more pronounced in samples collected under Pistacia and Cistus shrubs.Together with the appearance of unique species,seasonal fires led to significant changes in the composition of the GSSB community.Our results illustrate that seasonal fires interact with spatial heterogeneity to influence the composition of the GSSB community mostly via differential effects on the germination densities of annuals and dwarf shrubs.These findings imply that the increase in the frequency of seasonal fires,which has occurred in the eastern Mediterranean basin during the last few decades,may translate into a shift in eco-evolutionary selection pressures,operating on plants inhabiting this unique ecosystem.