Since 1950, 700 plots were established in the alpine and canyon region of western Sichuan. The distribution charac-teristics and the relationships between forest succession and environmental gradients were studied. Th...Since 1950, 700 plots were established in the alpine and canyon region of western Sichuan. The distribution charac-teristics and the relationships between forest succession and environmental gradients were studied. The results showed that the main tree species were Picea and Abies in this region, and there were more than 90 forest types. Abies forests mainly dis-tributed in the middle and upper reaches of rivers and their branches, and Picea forests mainly distributed in wide valleys and on half-shaded and half-sunny slopes. The natural regeneration was poor under primitive spruce and fir forest canopy, but was good in the spruce and fire forest gap. The relationship between forest succession and vertical gradient was closely related to the relationship between forest succession procession and plant synusia under primary forests. Human activities could promote and postpone succession process. The results of expanding regeneration were often influenced by topography, vegetation and wind direction.展开更多
Detailed knowledge about the estimates and spatial patterns of soil organic carbon(SOC) and total nitrogen(TN) stocks is fundamental for sustainable land management and climate change mitigation.This study aimed at:(1...Detailed knowledge about the estimates and spatial patterns of soil organic carbon(SOC) and total nitrogen(TN) stocks is fundamental for sustainable land management and climate change mitigation.This study aimed at:(1) mapping the spatial patterns,and(2) quantifying SOC and TN stocks to 30 cm depth in the Eastern Mau Forest Reserve using field,remote sensing,geographical information systems(GIS),and statistical modelling approaches.This is a critical ecosystem offering essential services,but its sustainability is threatened by deforestation and degradation.Results revealed that elevation,silt content,TN concentration,and Landsat 8 Operational Land Imager band 11 explained 72% of the variability in SOC stocks,while the same factors(except silt content) explained 71% of the variability in TN stocks.The results further showed that soil properties,particularly TN and SOC concentrations,were more important than that other environmental factors in controlling the observed patterns of SOC and TN stocks,respectively.Forests stored the highest amounts of SOC and TN(3.78 Tg C and 0.38 Tg N) followed by croplands(2.46 Tg C and 0.25 Tg N) and grasslands(0.57 Tg C and 0.06 Tg N).Overall,the Eastern Mau Forest Reserve stored approximately 6.81 Tg C and 0.69 Tg N.The highest estimates of SOC and TN stocks(hotspots) occurred on the western and northwestern parts where forests dominated,while the lowest estimates(coldspots) occurred on the eastern side where croplands had been established.Therefore,the hotspots need policies that promote conservation,while the coldspots need those that support accumulation of SOC and TN stocks.展开更多
Crop damages by wildlife is a frequent form of human-wildlife conflict. Identifying areas where the risk of crop damages is highest is pivotal to set up preventive measures and reduce conflict. Species distribution mo...Crop damages by wildlife is a frequent form of human-wildlife conflict. Identifying areas where the risk of crop damages is highest is pivotal to set up preventive measures and reduce conflict. Species distribution models are routinely used to predict species distribution in response of environmental changes. The aim of this paper was assessing whether species distribution models can allow to identify the areas most at risk of crop damages, helping to set up management strategies aimed at the mitigation of human-wildlife conflicts. We obtained data on wild boar Sus scrofa damages to crops in the Alta Murgia National Park, Southern Italy, and related them to landscape features, to identify areas where the risk of wild boar damages is highest. We used MaxEnt to build species distribution models. We identified the spatial scale at which landscape mostly affects the distribution damages, and optimized the regularization parameter of models, through an information-theoretic approach based on AIC. Wild boar damages quickly increased in the period 2007-2011; cereals and legtmaes were the crops more affected. Large areas of the park have a high risk of wild boar damages. The risk of damages was related to low cover of urban areas or olive grows, intermediate values of forest cover, and high values of shrubland cover within a 2-km radius. Temporally independent validation data demonstrated that models can successfully predict damages in the future. Species distribution models can accurately identify the areas most at risk of wildlife damages, as models calibrated on data collected during only a subset of years correctly predicted damages in the subsequent year [Current Zoology 60 （2）： 170-179, 2014].展开更多
基金This article was supported by State Tenth Five-Year Plan Project (2001BA510B0105) and the Project for Pioneering New Knowledge from Chinese Academy of Sciences (KZCX2-SW-319).
文摘Since 1950, 700 plots were established in the alpine and canyon region of western Sichuan. The distribution charac-teristics and the relationships between forest succession and environmental gradients were studied. The results showed that the main tree species were Picea and Abies in this region, and there were more than 90 forest types. Abies forests mainly dis-tributed in the middle and upper reaches of rivers and their branches, and Picea forests mainly distributed in wide valleys and on half-shaded and half-sunny slopes. The natural regeneration was poor under primitive spruce and fir forest canopy, but was good in the spruce and fire forest gap. The relationship between forest succession and vertical gradient was closely related to the relationship between forest succession procession and plant synusia under primary forests. Human activities could promote and postpone succession process. The results of expanding regeneration were often influenced by topography, vegetation and wind direction.
文摘Detailed knowledge about the estimates and spatial patterns of soil organic carbon(SOC) and total nitrogen(TN) stocks is fundamental for sustainable land management and climate change mitigation.This study aimed at:(1) mapping the spatial patterns,and(2) quantifying SOC and TN stocks to 30 cm depth in the Eastern Mau Forest Reserve using field,remote sensing,geographical information systems(GIS),and statistical modelling approaches.This is a critical ecosystem offering essential services,but its sustainability is threatened by deforestation and degradation.Results revealed that elevation,silt content,TN concentration,and Landsat 8 Operational Land Imager band 11 explained 72% of the variability in SOC stocks,while the same factors(except silt content) explained 71% of the variability in TN stocks.The results further showed that soil properties,particularly TN and SOC concentrations,were more important than that other environmental factors in controlling the observed patterns of SOC and TN stocks,respectively.Forests stored the highest amounts of SOC and TN(3.78 Tg C and 0.38 Tg N) followed by croplands(2.46 Tg C and 0.25 Tg N) and grasslands(0.57 Tg C and 0.06 Tg N).Overall,the Eastern Mau Forest Reserve stored approximately 6.81 Tg C and 0.69 Tg N.The highest estimates of SOC and TN stocks(hotspots) occurred on the western and northwestern parts where forests dominated,while the lowest estimates(coldspots) occurred on the eastern side where croplands had been established.Therefore,the hotspots need policies that promote conservation,while the coldspots need those that support accumulation of SOC and TN stocks.
文摘Crop damages by wildlife is a frequent form of human-wildlife conflict. Identifying areas where the risk of crop damages is highest is pivotal to set up preventive measures and reduce conflict. Species distribution models are routinely used to predict species distribution in response of environmental changes. The aim of this paper was assessing whether species distribution models can allow to identify the areas most at risk of crop damages, helping to set up management strategies aimed at the mitigation of human-wildlife conflicts. We obtained data on wild boar Sus scrofa damages to crops in the Alta Murgia National Park, Southern Italy, and related them to landscape features, to identify areas where the risk of wild boar damages is highest. We used MaxEnt to build species distribution models. We identified the spatial scale at which landscape mostly affects the distribution damages, and optimized the regularization parameter of models, through an information-theoretic approach based on AIC. Wild boar damages quickly increased in the period 2007-2011; cereals and legtmaes were the crops more affected. Large areas of the park have a high risk of wild boar damages. The risk of damages was related to low cover of urban areas or olive grows, intermediate values of forest cover, and high values of shrubland cover within a 2-km radius. Temporally independent validation data demonstrated that models can successfully predict damages in the future. Species distribution models can accurately identify the areas most at risk of wildlife damages, as models calibrated on data collected during only a subset of years correctly predicted damages in the subsequent year [Current Zoology 60 （2）： 170-179, 2014].
