草本植物的贡献及其在水土生态系统中的地位与作用

“山水林田湖草是生命共同体”的系统思想,引领草本植物的发展进入新时代。广义植被包括草原、森林、农作物、园林等,而草本植被在地球上分布最为广泛。从水土生态的宏观与微观视野,论述了草本植被在地球水土生态系统中的地位与作用,特别是在山水林田湖草沙中的基础地位十分重要。从水土生态概念出发,提出山水林田湖草沙一体化保护与系统治理,本质上是水土生态的保护与治理,水土生态概括了地球上各类生态系统。阐述了当代对于草本植物的认识过程以及草本植物的贡献,结合草本植物在矿山生态修复工程中的成功应用案例,进一步丰富和发展了水土生态理论。

Bioturbation Effects of Benthic Fish on Soil Microorganism of Paddy Field

[Objective]The research aimed to explore the bioturbation effects of benthic fish Misgurnus anguillicaudatus on soil microorganism（microflora,biomass,and special physiological groups） of paddy field.[Method]The experiments were conducted locally and quantitatively in field,using plate count and MPN methods.[Result]In the microflora of paddy soil tested,the quantity of bacteria is the largest,followed by actinomycetes and fungus.Compared with the control paddy fields,in rice-fish paddy fields the quantities of bacteria,actinomycetes and fungus were higher,at significance level P 〈0.05,P 〈0.01,and P 〈0.01 respectively.The microbial biomass C and N in rice-fish paddy fields is remarkably higher than those in control paddy fields,both at significance level P 〈0.01;the microbial biomass P in rice-fish paddy fields is higher than that in control paddy fields,but at significance level P 〈0.05.Benthic fish promotes the growth of soil azotobacter,cellulolytic bacteria,nitrobacteria,sulfur bacteria,and ammonifying bacteria,restricts the reproduction of nitrate reducing bacteria and sulfate reducing bacteria.[Conclusion]The benthic fish had important effects on microflora,microbial biomass,and special microorganism physiological groups of paddy soil,improves the living conditions of soil microorganisms,promotes the soil fertility and bio-chemical activity,which is beneficial for improving the supply ability of soil nutrients such as N,P,S,as well as the efficiency of nutrient utilization.

Study on the Characteristics of Ecological Water Requirement in Maijishan Scenic Spot

[Objective] This study aimed to explore the characteristics of ecological water requirement in Maijishan Scenic Spot. [Methed] The characteristics of ecologi- cal water requirement in Maijishan Scenic Spot were analyzed based on,the data of soil humidity and meteorology of the spot. [Result] The result showed that the actual annual ecological water requirement in the spot was 678×10^6 m^3, and the proportion of soil water and evapotranspiration were 21% and 79%, respectively; the minimum annual ecological water requirement quota in the spot was 480.27×10^6 m^3, and the proportion of soil water and evapotranspiration were 16% and 84%, respectively; the minimum annual suitable ecological water requirement quota in the spot was 624.22×10^6 m^3, and the proportion of soil water and evapotranspiration were 18% and 82%, respectively. The precipitation was 614×10^6 m^3, and consumptive water surplus reached up to 78×10^6 m^3. The years when the precipitation was higher than the evapotranspiration accounted for 76%. Since 1980s, the evapotranspiration showed a linearly increasing trend. The precipitation was higher than the evapotranspiration from Jun. to Oct. and less than the evapotranspiration from Nov. to Dec. and Jan. to May. Evapotranspiration water requirement was regulated by soil water. The dis- parity between precipitation and evapotranspiration was huge in spring, thus having certain influence on waterfalls and streams in the spot. [Conclusion] The results of this study provided a basis for the rational use and long-term planning of the water sources in Maijishan Scenic Spot.

Impact of Land-use Patterns on Distributed Groundwater Recharge and Discharge——A Case Study of Western Jilin,China

The impact of land-use on distributed groundwater recharge and discharge in the western Jilin (WJ) was analyzed in this study. WJ is a transitional, semi-arid zone with a fragile, hydrological closed ecosystem in the Songhua River Basin (SRB). The research tool includes a seamlessly linked MODFLOW, WetSpass, the Seepage packages, and ArcGIS. The model calibration showed good agreement between simulated water table elevation and measured water table depths, while predicted groundwater discharge zones showed strong correlations with field occurrences of drainage systems and wetlands. Simulated averages for distributed recharge, water table elevation and groundwater drawdown were 377.42mm/yr, 194.43m, and 0.18m respectively. Forest vegetation showed the highest recharge, followed by ag- ricultural farmlands, while open-water and other drainage systems constituted groundwater exit zones. When present land-use conditions were compared with the hypothetical natural pre-development scenario, an overall loss of ground- water recharge (24.09mm/yr) was observed, which for the project area is 18.05×108m3. Groundwater abstraction seemed to be the cause of water table drawdown, especially in the immediate vicinities of the supply wells. An important issue of the findings was the ability of the hypothetical forest vegetation to protect, and hence sustain aquifer reserves and dependent ecosystems. The profound data capture capability of ArcGIS makes it particularly useful in spa- tio-temporal hydroecological modeling.

Technical Innovation of Land Treatment Systems for Municipal Wastewater in Northeast China

On the basis of ecological principles including holistic optimization, cycling and regeneration, and regional differentiation, land treatment systems (LTSs) for municipal wastewater were continuously explored and updated in the western Shenyang area and the Huolinhe area, China. Intensified pretreatment, addition of a man-made soil filtration layer, and use of an ecologically diversified secondary plant cover were proved to be technically feasible. Hydraulic loading was determined according to the assimilation capacity of soil ecosystems, thus ensuring safe operation of wastewater treatment. This modernized and alternative approach to wastewater treatment had been widely applied in middle-sized and small cities and towns of Northeast China, and these innovative systems in some areas had indicated favorable ecological, social, and economic benefits.

Spatial Distribution and Environmental Determinants of Denitrification Enzyme Activity in Reed-Dominated Raised Fields

Denitrification is an important process of nitrogen removal in lake ecosystems.However,the importance of denitrification across the entire soil-depth gradients including subsurface layers remains poorly understood.This study aims to determine the spatial pattern of soil denitrification enzyme activity(DEA) and its environmental determinants across the entire soil depth gradients in the raised fields in Baiyang Lake,North China.In two different zones of the raised fields(i.e.,water boundary vs.main body of the raised fields),the soil samples from 1.0 m to 1.1 m depth were collected,and the DEA and following environmental determinants were quantified:soil moisture,p H,total nitrogen(TN),ammonia nitrogen(NH4+-N),nitrate nitrogen(NO3–-N),total organic carbon(TOC),and rhizome biomass of Phragmites australis.The results showed that the soil DEA and environmental factors had a striking zonal distribution across the entire soil depth gradients.The soil DEA reached two peak values in the upper and middle soil layers,indicating that denitrification are important in both topsoil and subsurface of the raised fields.The correlation analysis showed that the DEA is negatively correlated with the soil depth(p < 0.05).However,this phenomenon did not occur in the distance to the water edge,except in the upper layers(from 0.2 m to 0.7 m) of the boundary zone of the raised fields.In the main body of the raised fields,the DEA level remained high;however,it showed no significant relationship with the distance to the water edge.The linear regression analysis showed significant positive correlation of the DEA with the soil TN,NO3–-N,NH4+-N,and TOC;whereas it showed negative correlation with soil p H.No significant correlations with soil moisture and temperature were observed.A positive correlation was also found between the DEA and rhizome biomass of P.australis.

Profile of Methane Concentrations in Soil and Atmosphere in Alpine Steppe Ecosystem on Tibetan Plateau

The methane concentration profile from -1.5m depth in soil to 32m height in air was measured in alpine steppe lo-cated in the permafrost area. Methane concentrations showed widely variations both in air and in soil during the study period. The mean concentrations in atmosphere were all higher than those in soil, and the highest methane concentration was found in air at the height of 16m with the lowest concentration occur-ring at the depth of 1.5m in soil. The variations of atmospheric methane concentrations did not show any clear pattern both temporally and spatially, although they exhibited a more steady-stable state than those in soil. During the seasonal variations, the methane concentrations at different depths in soil were sig-nificantly correlated (R2>0.6) with each other comparing to the weak correlations (R2<0.2) between the atmospheric concentra-tions at different heights. Mean methane concentrations in soil significantly decreased with depth. This was the compositive influence of the decreasing production rates and the increasing methane oxidation rates, which was caused by the descent soil moisture with depth. Although the methane concentrations at all depths varied widely during the growing season, they showed very distinct temporal variations in the non-growing season. It was indicated from the literatures that methane oxidation rates were positively correlated with soil temperature. The higher methane concentrations in soil during the winter were deter-mined by the lower methane oxidation rates with decreasing soil temperatures, whereas methane production rates had no reaction to the lower temperature. Relations between methane contribution and other environmental factors were not discussed in this paper for lacking of data, which impulse us to carry out further and more detailed studies in this unique area.

Monitoring Local Impervious Surface Trends Using Indices Derived from Property Tax and Several Landsat Datasets

Human economic and social needs can be in conflict with ecosystem needs. Land development increases impervious surfaces causing significant negative impacts to aquatic ecosystems. Many impervious surface estimates are derived from remote sensing data, developed by using different methods and often out of date. Remote sensing data is often at scales applicable to regional management, but not local planning decisions. To date, no standardized annual dataset of percent impervious surface exists for use at both local and watershed scales. Effective communication between natural resource managers and local planners has been lacking. One solution is to monitor percent impervious surface with a relative index rather than direct measure. A relative index model can use a currency, like foundation square feet per hectare, which is useful for all decision makers. One data source for developing a relative index of impervious surface is property tax data. These data document annual land development at local scale. Here, the author presents the use of Maryland property tax data to index land development and percent impervious surface.

Investigation of Spring Waters to Assess the Geo-ecological State of Landscape and Soil

The purpose of the investigation was to assess the opportunity to use spring waters as indicator for the load state of rural landscape ecosystems. In the periods from 2000-2003 and 2011-2012, the physical and chemical water quality of 55 freshwater springs in the German federal state of the Saarland was investigated in monthly intervals. The catchment areas of the springs represented the prevailing geological formations in the Saarland as well as the main land use types such as forest, grassland and arable land. The results show a clear correlation between the nitrate content and the share of arable land in the closer catchment area of the springs. The problem of acidification and related processes occurs mainly at the sites with acid parent rock material and accordingly substrates deficient in lime. Very low pH-values between 4 and 5 are observed and the aluminum concentration levels are consistently increased. Especially at sites with low calcium content in the geological substrate, a progressive destruction of the clay minerals can be assumed. In the extremely acidic spring waters, which showed the highest aluminum contamination during the measurement 10 years ago, the aluminum-values decreased slightly. This indicates that the clay minerals in these locations are already completely destroyed. Thus, it can be concluded that the investigation of spring waters provides information on the geo-ecological conditions in catchment areas. By means of the multi-temporal approach, changes of land use or other influences by human activities can be detected.

Identification on threshold and efficiency of rainfall replenishment to soil water in semi-arid loess hilly areas

As one critical source of water for maintaining ecosystems in arid and semi-arid regions, rainfall replenishment to soil water can determine vegetation growth and ecosystem functions. However, the limited rainfall resources were often not used effectively in the semi-arid loess hilly areas due to random temporal and spatial distribution of rainfall and specific vegetation features. Thus, it is highly significant to determine the threshold and efficiency of rainfall replenishment to soil water under different vegetation types. The threshold and efficiency can offer scientific evidence for rehabilitating vegetation and improving efficiency of using rainfall resources. In this study, the efficiency and threshold of rainfall replenishment to soil water were determined under natural grassland, wheat, artificial grassland, sea buckthorn shrubland and Chinese pine forestland based on consecutive measurements. The results indicated that the lag-time, rate, efficiency of rainfall replenishment to soil water were closely related to vegetation type, with significant differences existing among different vegetation types. The lag-time for natural grassland in the soil horizon of 20 cm was the shortest one （26.4 h）, followed by wheat （27.8 h）, sea buckthorn （41.8 h）, artificial grassland （50.0 h） and Chinese pine （81.8 h）.The value of replenishment rate, followed the order of wheat （0.40 mm h-l）〉 natural grassland （0.30 mm h-~）〉 sea buckthorn （0.17 mm h-t）〉 artificial grassland （0.14 mm h-l）〉 Chinese pine （0.09 mm fit）. As for the efficiency of rainfall replenishment to soil water, natural grassland was the most efficient one （35.1%）, followed by wheat （29.2%）, sea buckthorn （16.8%）, artificial grassland （11.5%）, Chinese pine （4.2%）. At last, it was found that wheat had the lowest threshold （6.8 mm） of rainfall replenishment to soil water, which was followed by natural grassland （10.5 mm）, sea buckthorn （20.5 mm）, artificial grassland （22.6 mm） and Chinese pine （26.4 mm）. These results implied that soil water in natural grassland was sensitive to rainfall and easily to be replenished, while soil water in Chinese pine was harder to be replenished by rainfall compared to other vegetation types.

Soil Microbiological Activity and Carbon Dynamics in the Current Climate Change Scenarios:A Review

Microbial activities are affected by a myriad of factors with end points involved in nutrient cycling and carbon sequestration issues.Because of their prominent role in the global carbon balance and their possible role in carbon sequestration, soil microbes are very important organisms in relation to global climate changes. This review focuses mainly on the responses of soil microbes to climate changes and subsequent effects on soil carbon dynamics. An overview table regarding extracellular enzyme activities(EAA) with all relevant literature data summarizes the effects of different ecosystems under various experimental treatments on EAA. Increasing temperature, altered soil moisture regimes, and elevated carbon dioxide significantly affect directly or indirectly soil microbial activities.High temperature regimes can increase the microbial activities which can provide positive feedback to climate change, whereas lower moisture condition in pedosystem can negate the increase, although the interactive effects still remain unanswered. Shifts in soil microbial community in response to climate change have been determined by gene probing, phospholipid fatty acid analysis(PLFA),terminal restriction length polymorphism(TRFLP), and denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis(DGGE), but in a recent investigations,omic technological interventions have enabled determination of the shift in soil microbe community at a taxa level, which can provide very important inputs for modeling C sequestration process. The intricacy and diversity of the soil microbial population and how it responds to climate change are big challenges, but new molecular and stable isotope probing tools are being developed for linking fluctuations in microbial diversity to ecosystem function.