The rapid climate change-caused dichotomy on subtropical evergreen broad-leaved forest in Yunnan： Reduction in habitat diversity and increase in species diversity

Yunnan's biodiversity is under considerable pressure and subtropical evergreen broad-leaved forests in this area have become increasingly fragmented through agriculture,logging,planting of economic plants,mining activities and changing environment.The aims of the study are to investigate climate changeinduced changes of subtropical evergreen broad-leaved forests in Yunnan and identify areas of current species richness centers for conservation preparation.Stacked species distribution models were created to generate ensemble forecasting of species distributions,alpha diversity and beta diversity for Yunnan's subtropical evergreen broad-leaved forests in both current and future climate scenarios.Under stacked species distribution models in rapid climate changes scenarios,changes of water-energy dynamics may possibly reduce beta diversity and increase alpha diversity.This point provides insight for future conservation of evergreen broad-leaved forest in Yunnan,highlighting the need to fully consider the problem of vegetation homogenization caused by transformation of water-energy dynamics.

Change in Species Diversity during Recovering Process of Evergreen Broad-leaved Forest

Evergreen broad-leaved forestis one of the most important vegetation types in China.Because of the human activities,evergreen broad-leaved forest has been destroyed extensively,leading to degraded ecosystem.It is urgent to conserve and restore these natural forests in China. In this paper,the tendency and rate of species diversity restoration of the evergreen broad-leaved forest in Daming Mountain has been studied.The main resultsare as follows:(a)In subtropical mid-mountain area,species diversity in degraded evergreen broad-leaved forestcan be restored. Through analyzing b diversity index of communities in different time and space,it was found that the species composition of communities tend to be the same as that in the zonal evergreen broad-leaved forest.(b)The restoration rate of evergreen broad-leaved forest was very fast.Planting Chinese fir after clear-cutting and controlled burning of the forest,178 species appeared in a 600m^2 sample area after 20 years’natural recovering.Among the sespecies,58 were tree layer and the height of community reached 18m.The survey suggested that it would take only 20 years for the degraded forest to develop into community composed of lightdemanding broad-leaved pioneer trees and min-tolerance broad-leaved trees,and it need another 40~80 years to reach the stage consisting of min-tolerance evergreen broad-leaved trees.(c)Species number increased quickly at the early stage(2-20years)during vegetation recovering process toward the climax,and decreased at the min-stage (50-60 years),then maintained a relatively stable level at the late-stage (over 150 years).

Combined community ecology and floristics,a synthetic study on the upper montane evergreen broad-leaved forests in Yunnan,southwestern China

The upper montane evergreen broad-leaved forest in Yunnan occurs mainly in the zone of persistent cloud and has a discontinuous,island-like,distribution.It is diverse,rich in endemic species,and likely to be sensitive to climate change.Six 1-ha sampling plots were established across the main distribution area of the upper montane evergreen broad-leaved forest in Yunnan.All trees with d.b.h.>1 cm in each plot were identified.Patterns of seed plant distributions were quantified at the specific,generic and family levels.The forests are dominated by the families Fagaceae,Lauraceae,Theaceae and Magnoliaceae,but are very diverse with only a few species shared between sites.Floristic similarities at the family and generic level were high,but they were low at the specific level,with species complementarity between plots.Diversity varied greatly among sites,with greater species richness and more rare species in western Yunnan than central Yunnan.The flora is dominated by tropical biogeographical elements,mainly the pantropic and the tropical Asian distributions at the family and genus levels.In contrast,at the species level,the flora is dominated by the southwest or the southeast China distributions,including Yunnan endemics.This suggests that the flora of the upper montane forest in Yunnan could have a tropical floristic origin,and has adapted to cooler temperatures with the uplift of the Himalayas.Due to great sensitivity to climate,high endemism and species complementarity,as well as the discontinuous,island-like,distribution patterns of the upper montane forest in Yunnan,the regional conservation of the forest is especially needed.

Understanding the Benefits from Green Areas in Rome: The Role of Evergreen and Deciduous Species in Carbon Dioxide Sequestration Capability

Urban areas are a major source of anthropogenic carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions because of road traffic and local heating with natural gas, oil or coal. Rome is among the largest European cities (129,000 ha) with a large volume of green areas (69.6% of the total Municipality area). The CO2 sequestration (CS) capability for the greenery extending for about 300 km2 inside the area delimited by the Great Ring Road (GRA) in Rome was calculated combining satellite data with CS data measured in the field. Data from Sentinel-2 were collected and the Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI) was computed on a pixel-base. Three plant classes homogeneous in terms of annual NDVI profile were identified: deciduous trees (DT), evergreen trees (ET) and meadows (M) covering an area of 14,142.027 ha within the GRA, of which M had the highest percentage (48%), followed by DT (27%) and ET (25%). CS ranged from 428,241,492.9 Tons CO2 year-1 (ET) to 263,072,460.6 Tons CO2 year-1 (M). The total CS of the greenery inside the GRA was 1049,490,355.4 Tons CO2 year-1 resulting in an annual economic value of $772,424,901.6/ha. The CO2 sequestration capability of the considered plant classes could be incorporated into the national greenhouse gas emission budget to calculate the contribution of CO2 sequestration to the economy of Rome.

Forest structure,productivity and soil properties in a subtropical ever-green broad-leaved forest in Okinawa,Japan

Structure, species composition, and soil properties of a subtropical evergreen broad-leaved forest in Okinawa, Japan, were examined by establishment of plots at thirty sites. The forest was characterized by a relatively low canopy and a large number of small-diameter trees. Mean canopy height for this forest was 10 m and stands contained an average of 5400 stems-ha^-1 （ -〉 3.0 cm DBH）; 64% of those stems were smaller than 10 cm DBH. The total basal area was 54.4 m^2-ha^-1, of which Castanopsis sieboldii contributed 48%. The forest showed high species diversity of trees. 80 tree species （≥ 3.0 cm DBH） from 31 families was identified in the thirty sampling plots. C. sieboldii and Schima wallichii were the dominant and subdominant species in terms of importance value. The mean tree species diversity indices for the plots were, 3.36 for Diversity index （H＇）, 0.71 for Equitability index （J＇） and 4.72 for Species richness index （S＇）, all of which strongly declined with the increase of importance value of the dominant, C. sieboldii. Measures of soil nutrients indicated low fertility, extreme heterogeneity and possible A1 toxicity. Regression analysis showed that stem density and the dominant tree height were significantly correlated with soil pH. There was a significant positive relationship between species diversity index and soil exchangeable K^＋, Ca^2＋, and Ca^2＋/Al^3- ratio （all p values 〈0.001） and a negative relationship with N, C and P. The results suggest that soil property is a major factor influencing forest composition and structure within the subtropical forest in Okinawa.

Decomposition patterns of leaf litter of seven common canopy species in a subtropical forest： dynamics of mineral nutrients

Dynamical patterns of mineral elements during decomposition processes were investigated for seven common canopy species in a subtropical evergreen broad-leaved forest by means of litterbag technique over 2 years. The species studied are representative for the vegetation in the study area and differed significantly in chemical qualities of their litter. No significant relationships were found between decomposition rate （percentage dry mass remaining and decomposition constant k） and initial element cuncentrations.However, there were significant correlations betweeu the percentage of dry mass remaining and the mineral element concentrations in the remaining litter for most cases. The rank of the element mobility in decomposition process was as follows： Na = K 〉 Mg ≥ Ca 〉 N ≥ Mn ≥ Zn ≥ P 〉 Cu 〉〉 Al 〉〉 Fe. Concentrations of K and Na decreased in all species as decomposition proceeded. Calcium and Mg also decreased in concentrntion but with a temporal increase in the initial phase of decomposition, while the concentrations of other elements （Zn, Cu, AL and Fei increased for all species with exception of Mn which revealed a different pattern in different species. In most species, microelements （Cu, Al, and Fe） significantly increased in absolute amounts at the end of the litterbag incubation, which could be ascribed to a lange extent to the mechanism of abiotic fixation to humic substances rather than biological immobilization.

Study on successions sequence of evergreen broad-leaved forest in Gutian Mountain of Zhejiang,Eastern China:species diversity

Using the widely adopted scheme of space-for-time substitution for investigating 16 typical plots distri-buted as a pattern of contiguous grid quadrates within a sampling plot,the expressions of Shannon-Wiener index(H)for species diversity,Pielou index(J_(sw),J_(SI))for evenness and Simpson index(D)for ecological dominance are employed to investigate the species diversity(SD)of four evergreen broadleaved communities in the successions sequence within the Nature Reserve of the Gutian Mountains.Results showed that in the successions process from the coniferous to the mixed coniferous-broadleaved,then to Schima superba and finally to Castanopsis eyrei forest,the arbor layer SD showed the Shannon-Wiener index(H)as 1.9670,2.4975,2.6140 and 2.4356,respectively,characterized by their rise before drop and the shrub(herb)layer SD shows the maximum to be in the mixed coniferous-broadleaved(coniferous)forest(H arriving at 2.8625(1.5334)).In the vertical structure,on the other hand,for the sequenced coniferous forest,coniferous-broad mixed forest and Castnaopsis eyrei forest,the number of SD ranges in a decreasing order from the shrub,arbor to herb layer in contrast to the SD in a decreasing order of Schima superba forest ranging from the arbor to shrub and then to herb layer,and during the succession,the herb layer exhibits the maximum range of SD change among these layers,with its variation coefficients of 0.1572,0.0806,0.0899 and 0.1884 for H,J_(SW),J_(SI) and D,in order,in sharp contrast to the minimal SD range in the shrub layer,with the corresponding figures of 0.0482,0.0385,0.0142,and 0.1553.

Community Dynamics of Seed Rain in Mixed Evergreen Broad-leaved and Deciduous Forests in a Subtropical Mountain of Central China

Seed dispersal is a key process within community dynamics. The spatial and temporal variations of seed dispersal and the interspecific differences are crucial for understanding species coexistence and community dynamics. This might also hold for the mixed evergreen broadleaved and deciduous forests in the mountains of subtropical China, but until now little existing knowledge is available for this question. In 2001, we chose to monitor the seed rain process of our mixed evergreen broad-leaved and deciduous forest communities in Mount Dalaoling National Forest Park, Yichang, Hubei Province, China. The preliminary analyses show obvious variations in seed rain density, species compositions and timing of seed rain among four communities. The average seed rain densities of the four communities are 2.43 ± 5.15, 54.13 ±182.75, 10.05 ±19.30 and 24.91 ± 58.86 inds/m^2, respectively; about one tenth the values in other studies in subtropical forests of China. in each community, the seed production is dominated by a limited number of species, and the contributions from the others are generally minor. Fecundity of evergreen broadleaved tree species is weaker than deciduous species. The seed rain of four communities begins earlier than September, and stops before December, peaking from early September to late October. The beginning date, ending date and peak times of seed rain are extensively varied among the species, indicating different types of dispersal strategies. According to the existing data, the timing of seed rain is not determined by the climate conditions in the same period, while the density of seed rain may be affected by the disturbances of weather variations at a finer temporal resolution.

Effects of current climate, paleo-climate, and habitat heterogeneity in determining biogeographical patterns of evergreen broad-leaved woody plants in China

Understanding biogeographic patterns and the mechanisms underlying them has been a main issue in macroecology and biogeography, and has implications for biodiversity conservation and ecosystem sustainability. Evergreen broad-leaved woody plants(EBWPs) are important components of numerous biomes and are the main contributors to the flora south of 35°N in China. We calculated the grid cell values of species richness(SR) for a total of 6265 EBWP species in China, including its four growth-forms(i.e., tree, shrub, vine, and bamboo), and estimated their phylogenetic structure using the standardized phylogenetic diversity(SPD) and net relatedness index(NRI). Then we linked the three biogeographical patterns that were observed with each single environmental variable representing the current climate, the last glacial maximum(LGM)–present climate variability, and habitat heterogeneity, using ordinary least squares regression with a modified t-test to account for spatial autocorrelation. The partial regression method based on a general linear model was used to decompose the contributions of current and historical environmental factors to the biogeographical patterns observed. The results showed that most regions with high numbers of EBWP species and phylogenetic diversity were distributed in tropical and subtropical mountains with evergreen shrubs extending to Northeast China. Current mean annual precipitation was the best single predictor. Topographic variation and its effect on temperature variation was the best single predictor for SPD and NRI. Partial regression indicated that the current climate dominated the SR patterns of Chinese EBWPs. The effect of paleo-climate variation on SR patterns mostly overlapped with that of the current climate. In contrast, the phylogenetic structure represented by SPD and NRI was constrained by paleo-climate to much larger extents than diversity, which was reflected by the LGM–present climate variation and topog-raphy-derived habitat heterogeneity in China. Our study highlights the importance of embedding multiple dimensions of biodiversity into a temporally hierarchical framework for understanding the biogeographical patterns, and provides important baseline information for predicting shifts in plant diversity under climate change.

Density Dependence of a Dominant Species and the Effects on Community Diversity Maintainance

In order to test whether density dependence influences community diversity, a combination of manipulative experimentation and plot surveys were done using Cryptocarya concinna, a dominant species in subtropical evergreen forest. Twelve pairs of 1 m^2 seedling plots were built around 12 adults, and plots were treated monthly with either a fungicide or a control. The surviving proportion of C. concinna seedlings at different stages was calculated, and an analysis was conducted on the impact of fungicide on seedling survival and species richness. Correlation between relative abundance and community evenness at different ages was analyzed using plot surveys. The results showed that fungicide treatment decreased species richness of the seedling community by pro- moting the recruitment of common species. Furthermore, census of a 25 m radius around adult C. concinna trees confirmed that the density of saplings increased with distance from adults. Relative abundance of C. concinna decreased with increasing age, and decreasing C. concinna dominance resulted in an increase in community even- ness. To avoid the appearance of a single optimum population, the dominance of C. concinna decreased with age via density dependence, and subsequently improved community species diversity.

8种绿化树种对城市夜间照明的生理适应性

为探讨城市夜间照明对城市绿化植物生长的影响,以南京市城市绿化中8种常用的绿化树种(银杏、桂花、油茶、香樟、石楠、女贞、鸡爪槭、垂柳)为试验材料,测定各树种叶片的生理指标,研究城市夜间照明对其生理特性的影响。结果表明:城市夜间照明降低了植物叶片中的叶绿素含量(女贞、桂花、油茶除外)、叶绿素a/b和叶绿素/类胡萝卜素的比值;但增加了所有树种的丙二醛(MDA)含量和除香樟外其余树种的相对电导率(REC);增加了香樟、桂花、石楠、银杏4种树种叶片中可溶性糖含量和6种树种脯氨酸含量(女贞和油茶除外),其中银杏叶片中脯氨酸含量增加的幅度最大(48.5%);8种树种叶片中超氧化物歧化酶(SOD)、过氧化物酶(POD)的活性均增强。8种树种对城市夜间照明的耐受性顺序为:桂花>香樟>女贞>石楠>油茶>银杏>鸡爪槭>垂柳。城市夜间照明对常绿和落叶树种生理特性产生的影响主要表现在:叶绿素含量降低、相对电导率与MDA含量增加,对落叶植物影响较常绿树种大,但这些植物可通过增加渗透调节能力及提高抗氧化酶活性来降低夜间照明对其造成的不利影响,其中常绿树种中的桂花和落叶树种中的银杏对城市夜间照明的耐受性较强。

苏南地区高效降噪树种及其群落模式筛选

科学配置降噪植物是改善人居环境质量的有效途径。通过对符合生长要求的道路两侧纯林带和混交林带的噪音测试,结果表明,常绿大灌木如夹竹桃、珊瑚树等是降噪效果好的树种,常绿乔木必须和常绿灌木组合才能起到更好的降噪效果,而落叶树种在冬季降噪效果明显减弱甚至消失。通过筛选最后优选出降噪效果好的树种10种,降噪效果好的植物群落模式3个。

泰安地区4个常绿阔叶绿化树种耐寒性综合评价

探讨常绿阔叶绿化树种耐寒性机理,为进一步扩大引种和生产应用提供科学依据,以4个常绿阔叶绿化树种为试材,观察记录越冬形态表现,测定电解质外渗率并拟合Logistic方程求LT50,研究低温对渗透调节物质、POD活性等生理生化指标的影响。结果表明,随着低温胁迫加剧,电解质外渗率呈增加趋势,POD活性及可溶性糖表现出先升后降的趋势,游离脯氨酸表现出"升—降—升"的趋势。运用隶属函数法进行综合评价,这4个常绿阔叶绿化树种的耐寒性顺序为:日本女贞>蚊母树>珊瑚树>枇杷。

太原市5种常绿园林植物冬季滞尘测定

以山西林业技术学院校内5种常绿树种为研究对象,对其滞尘效果进行研究。结果表明:研究所选的5种树种中,圆柏单位叶面积和单株滞尘量均为最大,其次单株滞尘效果最好为侧柏。

长沙市10种园林绿化树种鲜叶碳、氮、磷生态化学计量特征

对长沙市10种园林绿化树种鲜叶碳（C）、氮（N）、磷（P）含量及其生态化学计量比特征进行了研究,结果表明：10种园林绿化树种鲜叶C,N,P含量变化范围分别为525.55~595.70 g/kg,10.52~25.77 g/kg和0.36~0.83 g/kg之间,常绿阔叶树叶具有高C含量,较低N和P含量和具有更高的C∶P和C∶N比值,不同树种对P的需求差异大于其对N的需求差异;10种树种生长的土壤层养分极其贫瘠,各树种生长主要受P的限制,树种鲜叶与土壤C∶N比值呈极显著正相关,树种鲜叶与土壤N、P之间,鲜叶C∶P、N∶P比值与土壤N、P含量之间存在显著正相关,表明土壤N、P显著影响各树种的生长速率。

厦门市常见绿化常绿阔叶树种的滞尘能力

以厦门市6种常见常绿阔叶树为研究对象,应用直接采样和统计分析的方法对各树种的滞尘能力以及各树种滞尘能力在高度、方向的变化进行研究。结果表明,厦门市6种常见常绿阔叶树种滞尘能力的顺序为:榕树>芒果>海南蒲桃>香樟>幌伞枫>盆架子;各树种叶片的滞尘能力随高度的增加而显著降低;在方向上,各树种叶片的滞尘能力顺序为南>东>西>北,风向是造成各树种在不同方向上滞尘能力变化的主要原因。

Tree species influences soil microbial community diversity but not biomass in a karst forest in southwestern China

Aims The relationships between plant species and soil microorganisms remain indeterminable in different ecosystems worldwide.In karst ecosystems,soil microbial(SM)community structure and their environmental driving factors are poorly explored,and the relationships between plant species and soil microorganisms are unclear.This study aimed to characterize the general patterns of SM community composition and biomass,and to explore the specific tree species and soil physiochemical properties highly related to SM community diversity and biomass in a karst forest.Methods The effects of tree species on SM community composition and biomass were firstly investigated on the basis of 212 soil samples collected from five dominant tree species(Lithocarpus confinis Huang,Platycarya longipes Wu,Itea yunnanensis Franch.,Machilus cavaleriei H.Lév.and Carpinus pubescens Burkill)through phospholipid fatty acid(PLFA)analysis of a karst evergreen and deciduous broad-leaved mixed forest in central Guizhou Province,southwestern China.The relationships between SM community structure and tree species and soil physiochemical properties were statistically analysed.Important Findings A total of 132 SM-PLFA biomarkers were detected.The average number of SM-PLFA biomarkers and microbial biomass in each soil sample were 65.97 and 11.22µg g^(–1),respectively.Tree species influenced the number of SM-PLFA biomarkers but not the SM biomass.The number of SM-PLFA biomarkers of C.pubescens was significantly higher than that of other species(P<0.05);the numbers of SM-PLFA biomarkers amongst other species showed no significant difference.Microbial biomass showed no relationships with the soil physiochemical properties of nutrient-rich surface soils but positively correlated(P<0.05)with soil organic carbon,nitrogen and phosphorus concentrations in deeper soils.The karst forest in the plateau-surface terrain of central Guizhou Province presented a low fungal-to-bacterial ratio,low microbial biomass storage and high microbial community diversity.Specific tree species affect the SM community diversity in this kind of karst forest.

郑州市常色叶植物应用情况调查及综合评价

对郑州市城市绿化中应用的常色叶植物进行了调查,应用层次分析法从观赏表现性、抗逆性、生长性状3个方面11个相关指标进行了综合评价并划分为4个等级。结果表明:常色叶植物共计41种,其中乔木占比14.63%,灌木占比39.02%,草本占比36.59%,藤本占比9.76%;综合评价结果为:Ⅰ级包括16个品种,Ⅱ级包括14个品种,Ⅲ级包括8个品种,Ⅳ级包括3个品种。

上海常绿树种固碳释氧和降温增湿效益研究

以上海地区6种典型园林绿化植物为研究对象,利用Li-6400XT便携式光合仪测定了它们四季的光合蒸腾等生理生态指标,并通过三维绿量和叶面积指数等形态指标分析了它们的固碳释氧和增温增湿效益。结果表明:全年中每个树种的固碳释氧和降温增湿能力都表现为夏季>秋季>春季>冬季;6个树种年固碳释氧能力为香樟>广玉兰>柳杉>桂花>冬青>蚊母。夏季,日固碳释氧能力为冬青>香樟>蚊母>桂花>广玉兰>柳杉,降温增湿能力为香樟>冬青>桂花>广玉兰>蚊母>柳杉;日降温增湿能力为冬青>蚊母>香樟>广玉兰>桂花>柳杉。因此:在上海城市绿化树种选择中,可优先选择香樟和广玉兰等固碳释氧及降温增湿能力较强的乔木树种,并适当搭配桂花、蚊母和冬青等灌木,一些景观价值较高但降温增湿效益不高的树种如柳杉应避免大面积种植;同时考虑植被绿量和叶面积指数等形态指标,优化树种结构,以达到城市园林绿化的生态效益最大化。