Responses of Vegetation and Primary Production in North-South Transect of Eastern China to Global Change Under Land Use Constraint

A regional model of vegetation dynamics was revised to include land use as a constraint to vegetation dynamics and primary production processes. The model was applied to a forest transect in eastern China (NSTEC, North-South transect of eastern China) to investigate the responses of the transect to possible future climatic change. The simulation result indicated that land use has profound effects on vegetation transition and primary production. In particular, land use reduced competition among vegetation classes and tended to result in less evergreen broadleaf forests but more shrubs and grasses in the transect area. The simulation runs with land use constraint also gave much more realistic estimation about net primary productivity as well as responses of the productivity to future climatic change along the transect. The simulations for future climate scenarios projected by general circulation models (GCM) with doubled atmospheric CO2 concentration predicted that deciduous broadleaf forests would increase, but conifer forests, shrubs and grasses would decrease. The overall effects of doubling CO2 and climatic changes on NSTEC were to produce an increased net primary productivity (NPP) at equilibrium for all seven GCM scenarios. The predicted range of NPP variation in the north is much larger than that in the south.

佘山脚下的一颗绿宝石——月湖山庄采风录

离开中心城区，乘车沿沪青平高速公路向西驶去，至方松路后折向南行，不一会，车前窗外一片绿海跃入眼帘。阳光下的绿海，被一条波光粼粼的水带团团围住，红的、白的、锥形的、拱形的、玻璃的、金属的屋顶，不时闪现其中，远远望去，蓝天、碧水、绿地、俊宅相融一景，十分绚丽夺目。陪同我们的卢先生介绍：这就是不设小区围墙的佘山月湖山庄。呵!好新的理念，不筑小区围墙，绿化景观共享。

STUDY ON THE INTERACTION BETWEEN NDVI PROFILE AND THE GROWING STATUS OF CROPS

Daily and ten-day Normalized Difference Vegetation Index( NDVI) of crops were retrieved from meteorological satellite NOAA AVHRR images. The temporal variations of the NDVI were analyzed during the whole growing season, and thus the principle of the interaction between NDVI profile and the growing status of crops was discussed. As a case in point, the relationship between integral NDVI and winter wheat yield of Henan Province in 1999 had been analyzed. By putting integral NDVI values of 60 sample counties into the winter wheat yield-integral NDVI coordination, scattering map was plotted. It demonstrated that integral NDVI had a close relation with winter wheat yield. These relation could be described with linear, cubic polynomial, and exponential regression, and the cubic polynomial regression was the best way. In general, NDVI reflects growing status of green vegetation, so crop monitoring and crop yield estimation could be realized by using remote sensing technique on the basis of time serial NDVI data together with agriculture calendars.

Effect of Aspect on Climate Variation in Mountain Ranges of Shennongjia Massif, Central China

The aim of this study was to better understand the mechanisms of regional climate variation in mountain ranges with contrasting aspects as mediated by changes in global climate. It may help predict trends of vegetation variations in native ecosystems in natural reserves. As measures of climate response, temperature and precipitation data from the north, east, and south-facing mountain ranges of Shennongjia Massif in the coldest and hottest months(January and July), different seasons(spring, summer, autumn, and winter) and each year were analyzed from a long-term dataset(1960 to 2003) to tested variations characteristics, temporal and spatial quantitative relationships of climates. The results showed that the average seasonal temperatures and precipitation in the north, east, and south aspects of the mountain ranges changed at different rates. The average seasonal temperatures change rate ranges in the north, east, and south-facing mountain ranges were from –0.0210℃/yr to 0.0143℃/yr, –0.0166℃/yr to 0.0311℃/yr, and –0.0290 ℃/yr to 0.0084℃/yr, respectively, and seasonal precipitation variation magnitude were from –1.4940 mm/yr to 0.6217 mm/yr, –1.6833 mm/yr to 2.6182 mm/yr, and –0.8567 mm/yr to 1.4077 mm/yr, respectively. The climates variation trend among the three mountain ranges were different in magnitude and direction, showing a complicated change of the climates in mountain ranges and some inconsistency with general trends in global climate change. The climate variations were significantly different and positively correlated cross mountain ranges, revealing that aspects significantly affected on climate variations and these variations resulted from a larger air circulation system, which were sensitive to global climate change. We conclude that location and terrain of aspect are the main factors affecting differences in climate variation among the mountain ranges with contrasting aspects.

Vegetation Evolution with Degenerating Soil Ecology Under Unequal Competition

A vegetation evolution model influenced by a degeneration of soil ecological functions was set up. Three ideal communities of a) trees, b) shrubs, and c) herbage populations were first simulated. Then numerical simulations of the evolutionary and developmental processes of a natural forest community, which is composed of over 100 species,were conducted. Results of the study showed that a) in all communities, soil degeneration not only drove some weaker species to extinction, but also a few dominant ones; b) there were different response scales with species in an ideal tree metapopulation that could persist as long as a thousand years, with shrubs in an ideal shrub metapopulation that could persevere for several hundred years, and with species in an ideal herbage metapopulation that could become extinct within 10 years; and c) each metapopulation experienced three evolutionary stages during adaptation to the environment: a) the stage of compelled adaptation or resistance, b) the adjusted stage, and c) the stabilized stage.

Did Ecological Engineering Projects Have a Significant Effect on Large-scale Vegetation Restoration in Beijing-Tianjin Sand Source Region, China？ A Remote Sensing Approach

Aiming for the restoration of degraded ecosystems, many ecological engineering projects have been implemented around the world. This study investigates the ecological engineering project effectiveness on vegetation restoration in the Beijing-Tianjin Sand Source Region(BTSSR) from 2000 to 2010 based on the rain use efficiency(RUE) trend in relation to the land cover. More than half of the BTSSR experienced a vegetation productivity increase from 2000 to 2010, with the increasing intensity being sensitive to the indicators chosen. A clear tendency towards smaller increasing areas was shown when using the net primary productivity(NPP, 51.30%) instead of the accumulated normalized difference vegetation index(59.30%). The short-term variation in the precipitation and intra-seasonal precipitation distribution had a great impact on the remote sensing-based vegetation productivity. However, the residual trends method(RESTREND) effectively eliminated this correlation, while incorporating the variance and skewness of the precipitation distribution increased the models′ ability to explain the vegetation productivity variation. The RUE combined with land cover dynamics was valid for the effectiveness assessment of the ecological engineering projects on vegetation restoration. Particularly, the result based on growing season accumulated normalized difference vegetation index(ΣNDVI) residuals was the most effective, showing that 47.39% of the BTSSR experienced vegetation restoration from 2000 to 2010. The effectiveness of the ecological engineering projects differed for each subarea and was proportional to the strength of ecological engineering. The water erosion region dominated by woodland showed the best restoration, followed by the wind-water erosion crisscross regions, while the wind erosion regions dominated by grassland showed the worst effect. Seriously degraded regions still cover more area in the BTSSR than restored regions. Therefore, more future effort should be put in restoring degraded land.

Driving force and changing trends of vegetation phenology in the Loess Plateau of China from 2000 to 2010

Changes in vegetation phenology are key indicators of the response of ecosystems to climate change.Therefore,knowledge of growing seasons is essential to predict ecosystem changes,especially for regions with a fragile ecosystem such as the Loess Plateau.In this study,based on the normalized difference vegetation index(NDVI) data,we estimated and analyzed the vegetation phenology in the Loess Plateau from 2000 to 2010 for the beginning,length,and end of the growing season,measuring changes in trends and their relationship to climatic factors.The results show that for 54.84% of the vegetation,the trend was an advancement of the beginning of the growing season(BGS),while for 67.64% the trend was a delay in the end of the growing season(EGS).The length of the growing season(LGS) was extended for 66.28% of the vegetation in the plateau.While the temperature is important for the vegetation to begin the growing season in this region,warmer climate may lead to drought and can become a limiting factor for vegetation growth.We found that increasedprecipitation benefits the advancement of the BGS in this area.Areas with a delayed EGS indicated that the appropriate temperature and rainfall in autumn or winter enhanced photosynthesis and extended the growth process.A positive correlation with precipitation was found for 76.53% of the areas with an extended LGS,indicating that precipitation is one of the key factors in changes in the vegetation phenology in this water-limited region.Precipitation plays an important role in determining the phenological activities of the vegetation in arid and semiarid areas,such as the Loess Plateau.The extended growing season will significantly influence both the vegetation productivity and the carbon fixation capacity in this region.

Analysis of ecological effects of comprehensive treatment in the Tarim River Basin using remote sensing data

Based on multi-type,multi-temporal remote sensing data,we have monitored recent changes in cultivated land use and vegetation,in sandy areas and salinized desertification in the Green Corridor zone of the main channel of the Tarim River Basin.The results of our investigation show that the ecological environment in the Green Corridor of the main channel of the Tarim River Basin has conspicuously improved from 2002 to 2004.These improvements show up largely in such aspects as an increase in the rate of vegetation cover,a reduction in desertification land areas and a weakening in the intensity of sandy and the salinized land.On the other hand,the cultivated area in the Tarim River Basin significantly increased from 2002 to 2004.The rate of growth in cultivated areas during this period was significantly higher than that from 1999 to 2002.The increase in the use of irrigation resulting from the substantial increase in cultivated areas has a long-term potential restraining effect on the restoration of ecological functions of the Tarim River.

Soil and Vegetation Seasonal Changes in the Grazing Andean Mountain Grasslands

Andean grasslands ecosystems are fragile environments with rigorous climatologic conditions and low and variable food for the grazing. The Apolobamba area is located in the Bolivian Andean Mountains. Its high grasslands provide a natural habitat for wild and domestic camelids such as vicuna(Vicugna vicugna) and alpaca(Lama pacos). The botanical diversity plays an essential role in maintaining vital ecosystem functions. The objectives of this research were to determine the seasonal changes in soil properties, to study the vegetation changes during the wet and dry seasons and the influence of soil properties and camelid densities on the vegetation in the Apolobamba grasslands. Four zones with different vicuna populations were selected to be studied. The following soil parameters were determined: total organic carbon, total nitrogen, available phosphorous, cation exchange capacity, exchangeable cations, pH and texture. The vegetation season changes were studied through botanical identification, above-ground biomass, plant cover and species richness. Results showed that some soil properties such as C/N ratio, CEC, silt and clay percentages kept stable against the seasonal changes. Generally, soil nutrients were relatively higher during the dry season in the surface and subsurface. The results did not point out the predominant vegetation growth during the wet season. The seasonal vegetation growth depended on each species. Thegood soil fertility corresponded to the highest plant cover. Soil fertility presented no influence on the above-ground biomass of the collected species. The negative influence of camelid grazing on soil properties could not be assessed. However, overgrazing could affect some plant species. Therefore, protection is needed in order to preserve the biodiversity in the Andean mountain grasslands.

Spatio-temporal Variation of Vegetation Ecological Quality and Its Response to Climate Change in Rocky Desertification Areas in Southwest China during 2000–2020

Vegetation restoration is the primary task of ecological reconstruction and rocky desertification control in Karst areas. With vegetation net primary productivity and coverage as two key indicators, a vegetation ecological quality evaluation model was built based on meteorological and remote sensing data. Spatiotemporal variation of vegetation ecological quality index and its response to climate change in rocky desertification areas in Southwest China during 2000-2020 were also analyzed by using the difference method and linear trend method. The results showed that:(1) Vegetation ecological quality in rocky desertification areas in Southwest China showed a fluctuating upward trend during 2000-2020. In 2020, the vegetation ecological quality index reached 69.7, which was 19.9% and 9.3% higher than the averaged values for 2000 and 2000-2019, respectively, ranking the fourth highest since 2000.(2) Vegetation ecological quality of the rocky desertification areas in Yunnan, Guangxi and Guizhou provinces have been improved by 89.2%, 99.2% and 98.5%, respectively, from 2000 to 2020, with their vegetation ecological quality index values increasing by 0.5-0.75 per year in southeast Yunnan, most areas in Guizhou and northwest Guangxi.(3) Precipitation was an important meteorological factor affecting the vegetation ecological quality in rocky desertification areas. The vegetation ecological quality index in the northwest and central Yunnan rocky desertification areas has been rising slowly, but with localized declines at a yearly rate of nearly 0.25 caused by climatic warming and drying.

Temporal Variations in Growth and Aboveground Biomass of Phragmites australis and EVI Analysis in Jiaozhou Bay Coastal Salt Marshes, China

To better ascertain leaf, stem and flower traits, and analyze aboveground allocation during the vegetation period, three sampling vegetation transects were settled and reed samples were collected at intervals to determine morphological parameters and dry and wet weights in Jiaozhou Bay wetland. Remote sensing data were also combined to evaluate regional biomass through EVI regression models. Results show that growth dynamics of leaves and stems changed during the vegetation period. Stem length increased rapidly and peaked in September（194.40 ± 23.89 cm）, whereas leaf width peaked in July. There was a significantly negative correlation between stem length and stem diameter with a value of-0.785. Stem biomass was higher than that of leaves, and the maximum value of aboveground biomass was 27.17 ± 3.56 g. F/C exhibited a tendency to increase and values ranged from 0.37–0.76. The aboveground biomass of sample plots reached a peak of 2356 ± 457 g/m^2 in September. EVI was 0.05–0.5; EVI and biomass had a better fitting effect using the power-exponent model compared with other models and its function was y = 4219.30 x^0.88（R^2 = 0.7810）. R^2 of the other three models ranked as linear function〉 polynomial function 〉exponent function, with the values being 0.7769, 0.7623 and 0.6963, respectively. EVI can be used to estimate vegetation biomass, and effectively solved the problems of the destructive effect to sample plots resulting from traditional harvest methods.

Study on the Ecological Degradation of Lashihai Area based on Potential Vegetation

Ecological degradation is a common problem around the world which has a profound impact on the sustainable development of mankind.This paper selects Lashihai basin as the study case,and uses Logistic stepwise regression to simulate the original ecology of the potential vegetation in the area as a reference system for the definition and analysis of the subsequent degree of ecological degradation and its distribution characteristics.The analysis yields four main results.(1)The strong human disturbance areas in the Lashihai region are concentrated in the Lashihai basin,and the main impact factors are roads,residential areas and cultivated lands.(2)Besides lake,there are eight potential vegetation types in Lashihai,among which evergreen coniferous forest is the dominant community,and the other seven planting types of potential vegetation include warm meadow,grass,beach grass,evergreen broad-leaved shrubbery,deciduous broad-leaved shrubbery,warm steppe and alpine grassland.(3)The elevation and average phosphorus content have significant effects on the distribution of potential vegetation,while the different vegetation types have differential sensitivities to environmental factors.(4)On the whole,the degree of ecological degradation in the basin is relatively light,in which the proportion of non-degraded areas accounts for nearly half,the area of mild degradation is about one-fourth,the moderately degraded area is concentrated in areas with strong human disturbance,accounting for only 18.64%,and the severe degradation is rare,occupying an area of only 3.17%.