Spatial pattern analysis for quantification of landscape structure of Tadoba-Andhari Tiger Reserve,Central India

Landscape structure is often regarded as an important factor that governs the distribution and abundance of species. Therefore it is critical to understand the landscapes and their dynamics. Patterns of landscape elements strongly influence the ecological characteristics. This study was designed to document and map the current status of the tropi-cal dry deciduous forest of the Tadoba-Andhari Tiger Reserve （TATR）, Central India, （using IRS P6 LISS IV data） and to describe its landscape structure at three levels of organization viz. landscape, class, and patch. The study area was classified into 10 land cover classes that include 6 vegetation classes. The landscape structure was analyzed using FRAG-STATS using 12 set of indices. The TATR landscapes have a total of 2,307 patches with a mean patch size of 25.67 ha and patch density of 1.7 patches per km2. Amongst all land cover classes, mixed bamboo forest is dominant-it occupied maximum area （77.99%）-while riparian forest is least represented （0.32%）. Mixed forest has maximum number of patches among all vegetation classes. Results have shown that despite being dominant in the area, mixed bamboo forest has low patch density （0.25/100 ha）. Dominance of mixed bamboo forest is attributed to large patch sizes and not to the number of patches. This study has focussed on the approach of integrating satellite forest classification and forest inven-tory data for studying forest landscape patterns.

Pattern analysis of a linear dune field on the northern margin of Qarhan Salt Lake,northwestern China

In terms of formation mechanisms of linear dunes,there are open arguments for their widespread distribution and multi-morphological diversities.In order to clarify the formation mechanism of linear dunes of Qarhan Salt Lake,we used pattern analysis method to analyze the statistical characteristics and spatial variation of their pattern parameters.Except at the west-northwest margin,the pattern parameters showed regular spatial variation from the up-middle part towards the downwind end of the dune field.Based on the cumulative probability plots for inter-crest spacing and crest length,we divided the linear dunes into three groups,which corresponding to the three evolution stages of these dunes.The first group comprises erosional relics,with shorter crests,smaller inter-crest spacing and more random dune orientation.The second group comprises dunes whose sand supply is just sufficient to maintain stability and these dunes are approaching the net erosion stage.The crest length and inter-crest spacing of these dunes are much larger than those of the first group,and dune orientation is closer to the resultant drift direction （RDD） .The last group comprises linear dunes that are still undergoing vertical accretion and longitudinal elongation,which follows the RDD of the modern wind regime.The presence of regular spatial variation of pattern parameters and a similar geometry with the vegetated linear dunes suggest that deposition and erosion coexist in the development and evolution of linear dunes of Qarhan Salt Lake,i.e.deposition predominates at the downwind end of linear dunes in the vertical accretion and longitudinal elongation stage,whereas erosion mainly occurs at the upwind end of linear dunes in the degradation stage.Therefore,the formation mechanism of linear dunes in Qarhan Salt Lake can be reasonably explained by the combination of depositional and erosional theories.

Population structure and spatial pattern analysis of Quercus aquifolioides on Sejila Mountain,Tibet,China

Understanding population structure provides basic ecological data related to species and ecosystems.Our objective was to understand the mechanisms involved in the maintenance of Quercus aquifolioides populations.Using a 1 ha permanent sample plot data for Q.aquifolioides on Sejila Mountain,Tibet Autonomous Region(Tibet),China,we analyzed the population structure of Q.aquifolioides by combining data for diameter class,static life table and survival curve.Simultaneously,the spatial distribution of Q.aquifolioides was studied using Ripley’s L Function in point pattern analysis.The results showed:(1) Individuals in Q.aquifolioides populations were mainly aggregated in the youngest age classes,that accounted for94.3% of the individuals; the older age classes had much smaller populations.Although the youngest age classes(ClassesⅠ and Ⅱ) had fewer individuals than Class Ⅲ,the total number of individuals in classes Ⅰ and Ⅱ was also greater than in classes Ⅳ to Ⅸ.In terms of tree height,fewsaplings,more medium-sized saplings and few large-sized trees were found.The diameter class structure of Q.aquifolioides populations formed an atypical ‘pyramid’type; the population was expanding,but growth was limited,tending toward a stable population.(2) Mortality of Q.aquifolioides increased continuously with age; life expectancy decreased over time,and the survivorship curve was close to a Deevey I curve.(3) The spatial distribution pattern of Q.aquifolioides varied widely across different developmental stages.Saplings and medium-sized tree showed aggregated distributions at the scales of 0–33 m and 0–29 m,respectively.The aggregation intensities of saplings and medium-sized trees at small scales were significantly stronger than that of large-sized trees.However,large-sized trees showed a random distribution at most scales.(4) No correlation was observed among saplings,medium-and large-sized trees at small scales,while a significant and negative association was observed as the scale increased.Strong competition was found among saplings,medium-and large-sized trees,while no significant association was observed between medium-and largesized trees at all scales.Biotic interactions and local ecological characteristics influenced the spatial distribution pattern of Q.aquifolioides populations most strongly.

Predicate Oriented Pattern Analysis for Biomedical Knowledge Discovery

In the current biomedical data movement, numerous efforts have been made to convert and normalize a large number of traditional structured and unstructured data (e.g., EHRs, reports) to semi-structured data (e.g., RDF, OWL). With the increasing number of semi-structured data coming into the biomedical community, data integration and knowledge discovery from heterogeneous domains become important research problem. In the application level, detection of related concepts among medical ontologies is an important goal of life science research. It is more crucial to figure out how different concepts are related within a single ontology or across multiple ontologies by analysing predicates in different knowledge bases. However, the world today is one of information explosion, and it is extremely difficult for biomedical researchers to find existing or potential predicates to perform linking among cross domain concepts without any support from schema pattern analysis. Therefore, there is a need for a mechanism to do predicate oriented pattern analysis to partition heterogeneous ontologies into closer small topics and do query generation to discover cross domain knowledge from each topic. In this paper, we present such a model that predicates oriented pattern analysis based on their close relationship and generates a similarity matrix. Based on this similarity matrix, we apply an innovated unsupervised learning algorithm to partition large data sets into smaller and closer topics and generate meaningful queries to fully discover knowledge over a set of interlinked data sources. We have implemented a prototype system named BmQGen and evaluate the proposed model with colorectal surgical cohort from the Mayo Clinic.

A township-level assessment of forest fragmentation using morphological spatial pattern analysis in Qujing,Yunnan Province,China

Forest fragmentation is an integral part of global change.Understanding forest fragmentation patterns and dynamics are of great significance for maintaining ecosystem stability.There are great differences in the interference of natural and human factors on forests in different towns of mountainous cities,and the characteristics of forest fragmentation are also obviously different.Forest fragmentation has been broadly studied,yet,it remains poorly understood at the township-scale within mountainous cities.In this study,the spatial form of forest landscape and forest fragmentation modes of towns were examined in Qujing City,Yunnan Province,China for the years of 2006 and 2016,relying heavily on the morphological spatial pattern analysis(MSPA)and K-means clustering algorithm.Results in 2016 showed that the forest landscape morphology of Qujing could be divided into seven classes:core,perforation,islet,bridge,edge,branch and ring;with landscape areas of 41.94%,1.22%,7.04%,11.12%,23.26%,11.74%and 3.68%respectively.Compared with 2006,the changes of landscape area were 1.71%,0.02%,0.30%,1.65%,0.20%,0.19%and 0.05%respectively.The townships in Qujing varied significantly in their landscape fragmentation patterns,and these patterns were spatially dependent.Different forest landscape forms have positive spatial correlations and differences.The forest fragmentation modes of towns can be divided into four types:Low anthropogenic towns,high anthropogenic towns,complex terrain towns and gentle terrain towns.Different ways of human activities play a decisive role in forest landscape fragmentation.The expansion of construction land and agricultural land intensifies forest fragmentation;however,man-made orderly and planned ecological restoration will greatly improve the forest coverage and improve the spatial form of urban forest landscape.

Machine Learning and Pattern Analysis Identify Distinctive Influences from Long-term Weekly Net Ecosystem Exchange at Four Deciduous Woodland Locations

A methodology integrating correlation,regression(MLR),machine learning(ML),and pattern analysis of long-term weekly net ecosystem exchange(NEE)datasets are applied to four deciduous broadleaf forest(DBF)sites forming part of the AmeriFlux(FLUXNET2015)database.Such analysis effectively characterizes and distinguishes those DBF sites for which long-term NEE patterns can be accurately predicted using the recorded environmental variables,from those sites cannot be so delineated.Comparisons of twelve NEE prediction models(5 MLR;7 ML),using multi-fold cross-validation analysis,reveal that support vector regression generates the most accurate and reliable predictions for each site considered,based on fits involving between 16 and 24 available environmental variables.SVR can accurately predict NEE for datasets for DBF sites US-MMS and US-MOz,but fail to reliably do so for sites CA-Cbo and MX-Tes.For the latter two sites the predicted versus recorded NEE weekly data follow a Y≠X pattern and are characterized by rapid fluctuations between low and high NEE values across leaf-on seasonal periods.Variable influences on NEE,determined by their importance to MLR and ML model solutions,identify distinctive sets of the most and least influential variables for each site studied.Such information is valuable for monitoring and modelling the likely impacts of changing climate on the ability of these sites to serve as long-term carbon sinks.The periodically oscillating NEE weekly patterns distinguished for sites CA-Cbo and MX-Tes are not readily explained in terms of the currently recorded environmental variables.More detailed analysis of the biological processes at work in the forest understory and soil at these sites are recommended to determine additional suitable variables to measure that might better explain such fluctuations.

EI NIO PHENOMENON AND EXTENDED ASSOCIATE PATTERN ANALYSIS

To study the causes of El Nino Phenomenon the Extended Associate PatternAnalysis (EAPA) is set up with monthly sea surface wind stress and precipitation besides Sea LevelPressure (SLP) and Sea Surface Temperature (SST) in or over the Pacific and related seas since 1979in present paper. The results show that El Nino Phenomenon means a SST redistribution, coveringalmost the whole Pacific that needs a huge amount of energy provided by air-sea interaction in themost Pacific regions; It is the wester burst and wind convergence, coming from meddle latitudesdirectly, instead of Kelvin waves that produce the strong SST warm signal in Nino regions; Twonegative SLP anomalies in middle of the North and South Pacific, most likely produced by the averageair pressure decreasing effect of explosive cyclones through precipitation, and the positive SLPanomaly o-ver the Asia-Australia land bridge, coming mainly from the south hemisphere with a littleinfluence from the Asian continent, are the three major causes for El Nino onset, they work togetherto produce anomalous wind convergence in Nino regions and wester burst in middle of the North andSouth Pacific that result in a warm tongue and cold pincers gearing together; Basically, during itsearly stage the ocean is forced by the atmosphere, while during its late stage the atmosphere isforced by the ocean.

Point pattern analysis of different age-classes of Larix principis-rupprechtii in Luya Mountain Reserve,Shanxi Province,China

Larix principis-rupprechtii forest is an important vegetation formation and has a large distribution area in Luya Mountain Reserve,China.Spatial pattern analysis on individual trees in different age-classes of Larix principis-rupprechtii was made in this paper.Here,we employed the technique of point pattern analysis,which could analyze pat-terns under all scales along a gradient.It was based on spatial mapped points of individual distribution.The results of this study showed that the densities of the five age-classes varied in the order:age-class 3>age-class 4>age-class 5>age-class 2>age-class 1.Although age-classes 1 and 2 have much fewer individuals than other three age-classes do,the popula-tion was stable at present.However,it would be necessary to take some measures for improving population regeneration for a long-time view.The individuals of all age-classes focused on clumping distribution in space;however,their distribution pattern varied with the change of scale.This mainly depended on biological features of Larix principis-rupprechtii and forest environments,but it also meant that the scale was an important factor in controlling spatial distribution pattern of tree individuals.The feature of clumping distribution became more significant with the increase of age.The relationships between individuals in different age-classes were almost all significantly correlated with each other.These associations became more significant within the older age-classes.This suggested that the individuals of different age-classes were interdistributed,by which the population could get benefits in resource utilization.The technique of point pattern analysis is effective and easy to be used in species pattern study.Its results are more closer to the reality,especially for community structure.

Spatial patterns of Picea crassifolia driven by environmental heterogeneity and intraspecifi c interactions

Research on the spatial patterns of tree populations is critical for understanding the structure and dynamic processes of forests.However,little is known about how the underlying drivers shape these patterns and species interactions in forest systems.In this study,spatial point pattern analysis investigated the combined eff ects of intraspecifi c interactions and environmental heterogeneity on the spatial structure and internal maintenance mechanisms of Picea crassifolia in the Qilian Mountain National Nature Reserve,China.Data were obtained from a 10.2-ha dynamic monitoring plot(DMP)and sixteen 0.04-ha elevation gradient plots(EGPs).Under complete spatial randomness,both mature trees and saplings in the DMP demonstratedlarge-scale aggregation with negative correlations.In EGPs,saplings were clustered in small mesoscales,mature trees were randomly distributed,and the interactions of saplingstrees at all elevations were not correlated.By eliminating the interference of environmental heterogeneity through the inhomogeneous Poisson process,saplings in the DMP and EGPs were clustered in small scales and trees randomly distributed.Intraspecifi c associations were negatively correlated,in the DMP and at low elevations,and no correlations in high elevations of EGPs.In the vertical scale,saplings showed a small-scale aggregation pattern with increase in elevation,and the aggregation degree fi rst decreased and then increased.The interactions of saplings-trees and saplings–saplings showed inhibitions at small scales,with the degree of inhibition gradually decreasing.Spatial patterns and associations of adults–adults did not change signifi-cantly.The results revealed that intraspecifi c interactions and environmental heterogeneity regulated the spatial patterns of P.crassifolia at small and large scales,respectively.Environmental heterogeneity might be the most decisive factor aff ecting the spatial patterns of saplings,while trees were more aff ected by intraspecifi c interactions.Moreover,competition between trees in this area could be more common than facilitation for the growth and development of individuals.

Pairwise Classifier Ensemble with Adaptive Sub-Classifiers for fMRI Pattern Analysis

The multi-voxel pattern analysis technique is applied to fMRI data for classification of high-level brain functions using pattern information distributed over multiple voxels. In this paper, we propose a classifier ensemble for multiclass classification in fMRI analysis, exploiting the fact that specific neighboring voxels can contain spatial pattern information. The proposed method converts the multiclass classification to a pairwise classifier ensemble, and each pairwise classifier consists of multiple sub-clas- sifiers using an adaptive feature set for each class-pair. Simulated and real fMRI data were used to verify the proposed method. Intra- and inter-subject analyses were performed to compare the proposed method with several well-known classitiers, including single and ensemble classifiers. The comparison results showed that the proposed method can be generally applied to multiclass classification in both simulations and real fMRI analyses.

Regeneration pattern analysis of Quercus liaotungensis in a temperate forest using two-dimensional wavelet analysis

This paper introduces the two-dimensional(2D)wavelet analysis as a general interrogative technique for the detection of spatial structure in lattice data.The 2D wavelet analysis detects components of hierarchical structure and displays the locational information of the components.Patches and gaps of different spatial scales in graphical presentation of wavelet coefficients can be linked to the local ecological processes that determine patterns at stand or landscape scales.Derived from the 2D wavelet transform function,the calculation of wavelet variance can reduce the four-dimensional data of wavelet coefficients to a two-dimensional wavelet variance function and quantify the contribution of the given scale to the overall pattern.We illustrate the use of the 2D wavelet analysis by analyzing two simulated patterns and identifying the regeneration pattern of the Quercus liaotungensis in a warm temperate forest in north China.Our results indicate that the recruitment of Q.liaotungensis occurs in an overlapping area between the patch of adult and canopy gap at scales of 45m×45m–70m×70m and 20m×20m–30m×30m.The regeneration pattern of Q.liaotungensis can be mainly ascribed to a trade-off between two ecological processes:recruitment around parent trees and the physiological light requirements of seedlings and saplings.Our results provide a general portrayal of the regeneration pattern for the dispersal-limited and shade-intolerant Quercus species.We find that the two-dimensional wavelet analysis efficiently characterizes the scale-specific pattern of Q.liaotungensis at different life-history stages.

Two-dimensional pattern analysis on dominant species and community in subalpine meadow of Luya Mountain,Shanxi Province,China

The spatial pattern analysis of population and community is important to understand community structure and has become one key topic in modern plant ecology.There are many techniques for analyzing one-dimensional pattern in ecological literature.Two-dimensional pattern analysis is better than one-dimensional analysis in the study on commu-nity spatial characteristics and structure.However,it is hard to analyze these two-dimensional patterns due to poor effective methodology.The two-dimensional sampling using two transects that meet at right angles was applied to get quadrat data in this work.And then the data from the two transects were analyzed separately by one-dimensional pattern analysis method,two-term local quadrat variance.The length,width,and area of patches at different scales of pattern for populations were obtained from the analysis.For community pattern,detrended correspondence analysis(DCA)was employed to summarize the species information firstly,and then the first DCA axis scores were analyzed to check its pattern.The application of this method to the pattern analysis on dominant populations and community for subalpine meadow(Comm.Polygonum viviparum+Carex rigescens+Kobresia bellardii)in the Luya mountains showed that it could release the characteristics of spatial pattern clearly and was a very effective technique.The method is easy to use and saves time with obvious advantages,compared with the two-dimensional pattern analysis methods presented in the litera-tures.In the study meadow,the patterns of the main dominant species,Polygonum viviparum,Carex rigescens,and Kobresia bellardii,were apparent and comparatively regular in shape with large areas of patches at the same scale compared with other species such as Festuca sp.and Thalictrum petaloideum.There were two or three scales of patterns for each plant population studied.This was related to population features,the interaction with environmental factors,and their dominant position in the community.The two scales of patterns for the meadow community were clear.The pattern of community was closely correlated with that of the main dominant species.The patches of dominant species were inter-distributed and overlapped,and formed the community pattern together.This is beneficial for utilization of resources,and keeping the community stable.

Big-data-accelerated aperiodic Si/Ge superlattice prediction for quenching thermal conduction via pattern analysis

Thermal conductivity of material is one of the basic physical properties and plays an important role in manipu-lating thermal energy.In order to accelerate the prediction of material structure with desired thermal property,machine learning algorithm has been widely adopted.However,in the optimization of multivariable material structure such as different lengths or proportions,the machine learning algorithm may be required to be recon-ducted again and again for each variable,which will consume a lot of computing resources.Recently,it has been found that the thermal conductivity of aperiodic superlattices is closely related to the degree of the structural ran-domness,which can also be reflected in their local pattern structures.Inspired by these,we propose a new pattern analysis method,in which machine learning only needs to be carried out for one time,and through which the optimal structure of different variables with low thermal conductivity can be obtained.To verify the method,we compare the thermal conductivities of the structure obtained by pattern analysis,conventional machine learning,and previous literature,respectively.The pattern analysis method is validated to greatly reduce the prediction time of multivariable structure with high enough accuracy and may promote further development of material informatics.

An Analysis Pattern for Equipment Management

In this paper, we account for this subject: how to de sign a pattern, it can track the state of the equipment of some organizations su ch as enterprise, organ, laboratory, school etc. We present an analysis pattern, which describes the whole procedure of managing the equipment and record the us ing of the equipment. It not only can track the quantity and location of the equ ipment of the whole organization, the more important is it can update the state of the equipment at real-time automatically. First,we design the static diagram(i.e. using UML class diagram to describe the basic state of the equipment). Then we consider its dynamic aspect, i.e., how th e state of the equipment to get changed according to the time. We use UML sequen ce diagram and state diagram to respectively describe the procedure of after pur chasing, transferring and discarding as useless of the equipment. Obviously, the manager can update the quantity and location of the equipment automatic ally. We character this pattern from the following five aspects: Problem: How the enterprise, organ, laboratory and school to track the quantity and location of the equipment. Circumstance: In some organizations, especially, in the manufactory or laborator y, when the number of the quantity and type is large or the distribution of the equipment is dispersed, they want to be able to track the quantity and location of the equipment. Forces: First, it is possible to the equipment be transferred or be discarded, n o matter when and where, the organization must be able to track the factual quan tity and location.Second, the solution must describe a basic semantic unit, that is, the solution must simple enough to apply it to various of circumstance, whi ch is the base of reusing. Third, the solution must include the interpret of the factual document. Solution: This part, we start with the basic demands, first using UML class diag ram to describe the basic pattern, which is an atomic pattern. Then using UML se quence diagram and state diagram to respectively describe the procedure of after purchasing, transferring and discarding as useless of the equipment and the rel evant change of the equipment in quantity and location. Consequence: Describing the effect of the pattern and how it supports the object . The pattern falls in the class which we call it semantic analysis patterns (SA P), it is a general model, which is abstract from the practical application. The case in fact is the minimum application which we can apply it to a certain fiel d, furthermore, we can implement the more particular demands or the similar appl ication by extending.

Spatio-Temporal Change of Dispersal Areas of Greater Kudu (Tragelaphus strepsiceros) in Lake Bogoria Landscape, Kenya

Decline in wildlife populations is manifest globally, regionally and locally. A wildlife decline of 68% has been reported in Kenya’s rangelands with Baringo County experiencing more than 85% wildlife loss in the last four decades. Greater Kudu (Tragelaphus strepsiceros) is endemic to Lake Bogoria landscape in Baringo County and constitutes a major tourist attraction for the region necessitating use of its photo on the County’s logo and thus a flagship species. Tourism plays a central role in Baringo County’s economy and is a major source of potential growth and employment creation. The study was carried out to assess spatio-temporal change of dispersal areas of Greater Kudu (GK) in Lake Bogoria landscape in the last four years for enhanced adaptive management and improved livelihoods. GK population distribution primary data collected in December 2022 and secondary data acquired from Lake Bogoria National Game Reserve (LBNGR) for 2019 and 2020 were digitized using in a Geographic Information System (GIS). Measures of dispersion and point pattern analysis (PPA) were used to analyze dispersal of GK population using GIS. Spatio-temporal change of GK dispersal in LBNR was evident thus the null hypothesis was rejected. It is recommended that anthropogenic activities contributing to GK’s habitat degradation be curbed by providing alternative livelihood sources and promoting community adoption of sustainable technologies for improved livelihoods.

Effects of grazing disturbance of spatial distribution pattern and interspecies relationship of two desert shrubs

Grazing significantly affects the distribution,growth,and productivity of shrubs.In this study,we evalu-ated the effects of grazing disturbance on the spatial distri-bution patterns and interspecific relationships of two desert shrubs,Ammopiptanthus mongolicus and Sarcozygium xan-thoxylon.Three types of grazing conditions were considered,including enclosed area(EA),seasonal rotational grazing area(SRGA),and grazing area(GA)(100 m×100 m),in the West Ordos Nature Reserve of Inner Mongolia,China.The results showed that A.mongolicus and S.xanthoxylon populations were uniformly distributed at a small scale,and the distribution in EA and SRGA became gradually ran-dom.In GA,A.mongolicus population showed aggregated distribution but S.xanthoxylon population showed random distribution at a small scale. Moreover, both A. mongolicus and S. xanthoxylon populations at the 5-7 m scale showed random distribution. At the small and intermediate scales, the two species showed positive interspecific relationships of GA. However, no interspecific relationship was noted between the two species in EA and SRGA. A significant positive relationship (P < 0.01) was noted between the two species at 2-9 m and a negative relationship (P < 0.01) at 13-17 m scales in GA. Positive relationship (P < 0.01) was noted between the two species at 6-13 m scales and a sig-nificant negative relationship (P < 0.01) at 14-24 m scales in SRGA. The two species of desert shrubs showed posi-tive interspecific relationships at the small scale, and they showed negative relationships as the interspecific compe-tition intensified in the presence of grazing disturbance. When the grazing intensity exceeds a certain threshold, the interspecific relationships become weak. Therefore, moder-ate grazing would facilitate interspecific competition and species succession, whereas excessive grazing would disrupt natural competition causing desertification ultimately.

Genome-Wide Survey and Expression Analysis of P_(1B)-ATPases in Rice, Maize and Sorghum

P1B-type ATPase ion pumps that transport heavy metal ions across cellular membranes are essential for plant growth and development. To date, a genomic comparison overview of the family in rice, maize and sorghum is not yet available. In this study, a total of 31 heavy metal P1B-type ATPase （HMA） genes were identified, including 9 in rice, 11 each from maize and sorghum. They were classified into two distinct subfamilies based on their sequence composition and phylogenetic relationship. Four pairs of HMA genes were expanded via gene duplication with tandemly duplicated. Comprehensive analyses were performed to investigate the expression profiles of HMA genes in various tissues by using quantitative real-time PCR. Some HMA members exhibited abundant and tissue-specific expression patterns. Moreover, most of the genes were found to be differentially expressed under the Cu/Cd treatment. This study will facilitate further studies on P1B-type ATPase family and provide valuable hints for the functional validation in rice, maize and sorghum.

Geomorphologic patterns of dune networks in the Tengger Desert,China

Dune networks are widely distributed in the world＇s deserts,which include primary ridges and secondary ridges.However,they have not been sufficiently studied in a systematic manner and their origins and spatial and morphological characteristics remain unclear.To provide information on the geomorphology of dune networks,we analyze the software geomorphologic patterns of the dune networks in China＇s Tengger Desert using matrix and laboratory to process remote-sensing images.Based on analysis of image features and their layout in a topographic map,we identify two types of dune networks （square and rectangular dune networks） with different size and morphological structures in the Tengger Desert.Four important geomorphic pattern parameters,ridge length,spacing,orientation and defect density,are analyzed.The length of primary ridges of dune networks decreases from northwest of the desert to the southeast,resulting an increasing spacing and a transition from rectangular dune networks to square dune networks.Wind regime and sediment supply are responsible for the variation in pattern parameters.We use the spacing and defect density data to estimate the construction time of dune networks and found that the dune networks in the Tengger Desert formed since about 1.3 ka BP.

Spatial analysis and structure of a cross-timber stand in the TallGrass Prairie Preserve (Pawhuska, Oklahoma)

I analyzed the spatial distribution and structure of trees in a cross timber forest in the Tallgrass Prairie Preserve （Pawhuska, Oklahoma, USA）. I mapped and measured diameter of all stems, saplings （〉1.5 m tall） and dead trees in a 4-ha plot. The stand was dominated by Quercus stellata and Q. marilandica. In total, I mapped 7,636 trees, consisting of 6,785 Q. stellata, 846 Q. marilandica, 2 Celtis occidentalis, 1 Fraxinus pensilvanica and 2 Prunus americana. For saplings, I mapped 54 Q. stellata and 21 Q. marilandica. The size class distribution of the two dominant species did not differ. The dominant mortality class was “standing dead”, while I only found saplings less than 2 m tall. The spatial distribution of the species indicated segregation in the use of the environment, generating a clumped univariate distribution of stems of the same species within radii of 30 m, but repulsion outside 30 m. This segregation can be explained by the different ecological requirements of each species.

Regeneration Characteristics and Spatial Pattern of <i>Platycladus orientalis</i>in Mount Tai, China

Platycladus orientalis is one of the main tree species in Mount Tai, and its sustainable development is of great significance to the protection and development of the forest ecological environment of Mount Tai. In this study, a representative sample plot of Platycladus orientalis with a size of 30 m * 20 m was selected on Mount Tai. The growth and distribution of the parent trees and seedlings of Platycladus orientalis were investigated in the sample plots. The results showed that both the mother cypress trees and seedlings inside the plot present an aggregated distribution pattern within a certain scale, which conforms to the distribution of most natural communities;and the mother cypress can promote seedlings within a certain scale. Although Platycladus orientalis has good natural regeneration ability, it is difficult to succeed in understory regeneration solely relying on natural fertility, and it is not conducive to the long-term stable development of forest stands. Therefore, the thinning of Platycladus orientalis and the adjustment of the forest stand structure and artificial promotion of natural regeneration can not only reduce operating costs, but also conform to the idea of forest near-natural management and maintain sustainable forest development.