A spatial-explicit dynamic vegetation model that couples carbon,water,and nitrogen processes for arid and semiarid ecosystems

Arid and semiarid ecosystems, or dryland, are important to global biogeochemical cycles. Dryland＇s community structure and vegetation dynamics as well as biogeochemical cycles are sensitive to changes in climate and atmospheric composition. Vegetation dynamic models has been applied in global change studies, but the com- plex interactions among the carbon （C）, water, and nitrogen （N） cycles have not been adequately addressed in the current models. In this study, a process-based vegetation dynamic model was developed to study the responses of dryland ecosystems to environmental changes, emphasizing on the interactions among the C, water, and N proc- esses. To address the interactions between the C and water processes, it not only considers the effects of annual precipitation on vegetation distribution and soil moisture on organic matter （SOM） decomposition, but also explicitly models root competition for water and the water compensation processes. To address the interactions between C and N processes, it models the soil inorganic mater processes, such as N mineralization/immobilization, denitrifica- tion/nitrification, and N leaching, as well as the root competition for soil N. The model was parameterized for major plant functional types and evaluated against field observations.

Spatial Variations of Soil Respiration in Arid Ecosystems

Soil respiration releases a major carbon flux back to atmosphere and thus plays an important role in global carbon cycling. Soil respiration is well known for its significant spatial variation in terrestrial ecosystems, especially in fragile ecosystems of arid land, where vegetation is distributed sparsely and the climate changes dramatically. In this study, soil respiration in three typical arid ecosystems: desert ecosystem (DE), desert-farmland transition ecosystem (TE) and farmland ecosystem (FE) in an arid area of northwestern China were studied for their spatial variations in 2012 and 2013. Along with soil respiration (SR), soil surface temperature (ST), soil moisture (SM) and soil electrical conductivity (ECb) were also recorded to investigate the spatial variations and the correlations among them. The results revealed that averaged soil respiration rate was much lower in DE than those in TE and FE. No single factor could adequately explain the variation of soil respiration, except a negative relationship between soil temperature and soil respiration in FE (P < 0.05). Geostatistical analysis showed that the spatial heterogeneity of soil respiration in DE was insignificant but notably in both TE and FE, especially in FE, which was mainly attributed to the different vegetation or soil moisture characteristics in the three ecosystems. The results obtained in this study will help to provide a better understanding on spatial variations of soil respiration and soil properties in arid ecosystems and also on macroscale carbon cycling evaluations.

Integrated Ecosystem Sustainability Approach: Toward a Holistic System of Thinking of Managing Arid Ecosystems

Ecosystems in arid regions play a pivotal role in providing services to vulnerable environments with considerable challenges including extreme temperatures, low precipitation, variable climate change, and infertile soil. The countries of the arid regions are facing more challenges due to land degradation, biodiversity loss, the scarcity of water and food resources, and protecting their inhabitant’s public health. In many cases, policymakers in these countries are aware of the challenges, but they are seeking through scientific communities to develop clear sustainability and resiliency plans. Due to the complexity associated with arid ecosystem services, the scientist communities are still focusing on the development of integrated ecosystem management approaches. Within this line of commitment to our future generation, the paper in hand presents a framework for an Integrated Ecosystem Sustainability Approach (IESA). The core of this nexus approach is to understand and quantify the interlinkages between the ecosystem components, internal and external stresses, and society needs. The paper also identifies the key gaps to be considered when applying the IESA approach to arid ecosystem management plans.

GIS-Based Vulnerability Assessment of the Semi-Arid Ecosystem to Land Degradation: Case Study of Sokoto-Rima Basin

Land degradation is one of the most ubiquitous environmental challenges affecting the semi-arid ecosystems of the world and the Sokoto-Rima basin is not immune to this. In this study, we evaluated vulnerability of the Sokoto-Rima basin to land degradation by combining remote sensing and geographic information system technologies. An appraisal model was developed for the identified nine variables, whose weights were ascertained by the analytical hierarchy process. Using this model, we examined the spatiotemporal distribution of vulnerability to land degradation stimulated by climate change from 2002 to 2015. Largely, the basin is extremely vulnerable to land degradation with roughly 88% of the land area in 2002, 2012 and 2015 while areas with low vulnerability were just 1.52%, 1.48% and 1.51% respectively. Geographically, there exists a north-south vulnerability index dichotomy as the index increases northwards. Also, integrated vulnerability index showed that the entire basin is getting exposed to the vagaries of climate change that stimulates land degradation. Large-scale resilience projects such as greening and integrated shelter-belts and woodlots can be implemented in the long run as existing ones are inadequate to address the observed degradation.

The study of artificial intelligence for predicting land use changes in an arid ecosystem

During the 21 st century,artificial intelligence methods have been broadly applied in geosciences to simulate complex dynamic ecosystems,but the use of artificial intelligence(AI)methods to reproduce land-use/cover change(LUCC)in arid ecosystems remains rare.This paper presents a hybrid modeling approach to understand the complexity in LUCC.Fuzzy logic,equation-based systems,and expert systems are combined to predict LUCC as determined by water resources and other factors.The driving factors of LUCC in this study include climate change,ecological flooding,groundwater conditions,and human activities.The increase of natural flooding was found to be effective in preventing vegetation degradation.LUCCs are sensitive under different climate projections of RCP2.6,RCP4.5,and RCP8.5.Simulation results indicate that the increase of precipitation is not able to compensate for the additional evaporation losses resulting from temperature increases.The results indicate that grassland,shrub,and riparian forest regions will shrink in this study area.The change in grasslands has a strong negative correlation with the change in groundwater salinity,whereas forest change had a strong positive correlation with ecological flooding.The application of artificial intelligence to study LUCC can guide land management policies and make predictions regarding land degradation.

Evaluation of restoration success in arid rangelands of Iran based on the variation of ecosystem services

The plantation of non-native species is one of the most expensive ecological restoration measures in arid and semi-arid areas,while its impacts on local communities are largely ignored.This study assessed the rate of change and the dynamic degree of the economic values of ecosystem services related to local conservation(water yield,stocking rate and aesthetic value)and preserving the future(carbon sequestration,soil protection,soil stability and habitat provision)to determine the restoration success of the plantation of non-native species Haloxylon ammodendron(C.A.Mey.)Bunge ex Fenzl(15-and 30-year-old)in parts of arid rangelands of Bardsir region,Kerman Province,Iran.We investigated the impacts of the two plantations on the seven ecosystem services and ecosystem structures(horizontal and vertical structures,vegetation composition and species diversity)based on field sampling and measurements at four sampling sites(i.e.,control,degraded,and 15-and 30-year-old plantation sites)in spring and summer of 2022.The restoration success of the plantation of non-native species was then examined by assessing the rate of change and the dynamic degree of the total economic value of all ecosystem services as well as the rate of change and the dynamic degree of the economic values of ecosystem services for the two groups(local conservation and preserving the future).Although the plantation of non-native species H.ammodendron enormously improved the vertical and horizontal structures of ecosystems,it failed to increase species diversity and richness fully.Further,despite the plantation of non-native species H.ammodendron had significantly increased the economic values of all ecosystem services,it was only quite successful in restoring carbon sequestration.Path analysis showed that plantation age had a significant impact on restoration success directly and indirectly(through changing ecosystem structures and services).The dynamic degree of the economic values of ecosystem services related to local conservation and preserving the future at the 15-and 30-year-old plantation sites indicated that the two plantations successfully restored the ecosystem services related to preserving the future.The presented method can help managers select the best restoration practices and predict their ecological-social success,especially for the plantation of high-risk non-native species in arid and semi-arid areas.

Analysis of Ecosystem Degradation Factors in Yuanmou Arid-Hot Valleys Based on Interpretative Structural Model

For ecological restoration and reconstruction of the degraded area, it is an important premise to correctly understand the degradation factors of the ecosystem in the arid-hot valleys. The factors including vegetation degradation, land degradation, arid climate, policy failure, forest fire, rapid population growth, excessive deforestation, overgrazing, steep slope reclamation, economic poverty, engineering construction, lithology, slope, low cultural level, geological hazards, biological disaster, soil properties etc, were selected to study the Yuanmou arid-hot valleys. Based on the interpretative structural model （ISM）, it has found out that the degradation factors of the Yuanmou arid-hot valleys were not at the same level but in a multilevel hierarchical system with internal relations, which pointed out that the degradation mode of the arid-hot valleys was ＂straight （appearance）-penetrating-background＂. Such researches have important directive significance for the restoration and reconstruction of the arid-hot valleys ecosystem.

Impacts of reduced wind speed on physiology and ecosystem carbon flux of a semi-arid steppe ecosystem

Decreasing wind speed is one aspect of global climate change as well as global warming, and has become a new research orientation in recent decades. The decrease is especially evident in places with frequent perennially high wind speeds. We simulated decreased wind speed by using a steel-sheet wind shield in a temperate grassland in Inner Mongolia to examine the changes in physical environmental variables, as well as their impacts on the photosynthesis of grass leaves and net ecosystem exchange （NEE）. We then used models to calculate the variation of boundary layer conductance （BLC） and its impact on leaf photosynthesis, and this allowed us to separate the direct effects of wind speed reduction on leaf photo- synthesis （BLC） from the indirect ones （via soil moisture balance）. The results showed that reduced wind speed primarily resulted in higher moisture and temperature in soil, and indirectly affected net assimilation and water use efficiency of the prevalent bunch grass Stipa krylovii. Moreover, the wind-sheltered plant community had a stronger ability to sequester carbon than did the wind-exposed community during the growing season.

Simulation of soil erosion dynamics in grassland ecosystem of semi-arid China using the CENTURY model

Soil erosion can cause considerable effect on global natural resources and eco-environment. In the paper, the CENTURY model has been used to simulate soil erosion in Xilin Gol Grassland of Inner Mongolia. The results showed before the 1960s, the soil erosion amount was over 2 kg /m2.a in grassland ecosystem in the study area because no trees had been planted. But after the 1960s the mean annual accumulator C lost from soil organic matter due to soil erosion was only 0.3 kg /m2.a in forest ecosystem. So afforestation has exerted notable effect on decreasing soil erosion amount in Xilin Gol Grassland.

Ecological-breaking zone originates and its ecosystems reconstruction in arid area

In the process of arid land exploitation, the landscape of desert is divided into three types. Oasis is rising,the area of uneffected area keeps its original state,the serious degenerated area where is only limited between oasis and desert, but not overall. Its relationship with the neighbor region, the zone of ecological-breaking region or ecological rift valley is not successive. . Its ecological effect endangered the arid land overall. Rehabilitating vegetation is the basic measure for abatement. The authors proposed a new tactics that based on the properties of vegetation. Depending on the local water sources and partly regulating the composition of environmental factor to satisfy the requirement of desert community, the rehabilitate vegetation should be realized.

Land Degradation Control in Arid Ecosystem under Climate Change Context

Climate change is the largest stress factor challenging global territorial ecosystem.The discussion on land degradation control in arid ecosystem under the context of climate change for increasing the capacity to mitigate and adapt to the climate change and gradually restoring the integrated production potential originally possessed by land ecosystem is a pressing issue to address.The paper analyzed the effect of climate change on land degradation in arid ecosystem,and described the protection and rehabilitation of forest,grassland and farmland ecosystems,and the enhancement of the response to climate change and the improvement of people’s livelihood from the viewpoint of integrated ecosystem management.This study is expected to offer a new concept for land degradation control and sustainable management of arid ecosystem in the context of global climate change.

Influence of soil microorganisms and physicochemical properties on plant diversity in an arid desert of Western China

Soil microorganisms and physicochemical properties are considered the two most influencing factors for maintaining plant diversity.However,the operational mechanisms and which factor is the most influential manipulator remain poorly understood.In this study,we examine the collaborative influences of soil physicochemical properties(i.e.,soil water,soil organic matter(SOM),salinity,total phosphorus and nitrogen,pH,soil bulk density and fine root biomass)and soil microorganisms(fungi and bacteria)on plant diversity across two types of tree patches dominated by big and small trees(big trees:height≥7 m and DBH≥60 cm;small trees:height≤4.5 m and DBH≤20 cm)in an arid desert region.Tree patch is consists of a single tree or group of trees and their accompanying shrubs and herbs.It was hypothesized that soil physicochemical properties and microorganisms affect plant diversity but their influence differ.The results show that plant and soil microbial diversity increased with increasing distances from big trees.SOM,salinity,fine root biomass,soil water,total phosphorus and total nitrogen contents decreased with increasing distance from big trees,while pH and soil bulk density did not change.Plant and soil microbial diversity were higher in areas close to big trees compared with small trees,whereas soil physicochemical properties were opposite.The average contribution of soil physicochemical properties(12.2%-13.5%)to plant diversity was higher than microbial diversity(4.8%-6.7%).Salinity had the largest negative affect on plant diversity(24.7%-27.4%).This study suggests that soil fungi constrain plant diversity while bacteria improve it in tree patches.Soil physicochemical properties are the most important factor modulating plant diversity in arid desert tree patches.

Canopy cover or remotely sensed vegetation index,explanatory variables of above-ground biomass in an arid rangeland,Iran

Estimation of above-ground biomass is vital for understanding ecological processes. Since direct measurement of above-ground biomass is destructive, time consuming and labor intensive, canopy cover can be considered as a predictor if a significant correlation between the two variables exists. In this study, relationship between canopy cover and above-ground biomass was investigated by a general linear regression model. To do so, canopy cover and above-ground biomass were measured at 5 sub-life forms（defined as life forms grouped in the same height classes） using 380 quadrats, which is systematic-randomly laid out along a 10-km transect, during four sampling periods（May, June, August, and September） in an arid rangeland of Marjan, Iran. To reveal whether obtained canopy cover and above-ground biomass of different sampling periods can be lumped together or not, we applied a general linear model（GLM）. In this model, above-ground biomass was considered as a dependent or response variable, canopy cover as an independent covariate or predictor factor and sub-life forms as well as sampling periods as fixed factors. Moreover, we compared the estimated above-ground biomass derived from remotely sensed images of Landsat-8 using NDVI（normalized difference vegetation index）, after finding the best regression line between predictor（measured canopy cover in the field） and response variable（above-ground biomass） to test the robustness of the induced model. Results show that above-ground biomass（response variable） of all vegetative forms and periods can be accurately predicted by canopy cover（predictor）, although sub-life forms and sampling periods significantly affect the results. The best regression fit was found for short forbs in September and shrubs in May, June and August with R^2 values of 0.96, 0.93 and 0.91, respectively, whilst the least significant was found for short grasses in June, tall grasses in August and tall forbs in June with R^2 values of 0.71, 0.73 and 0.75, respectively. Even though the estimated above-ground biomass by NDVI is also convincing（R^2=0.57）, the canopy cover is a more reliable predictor of above-ground biomass due to the higher R^2 values（from 0.75 to 0.96）. We conclude that canopy cover can be regarded as a reliable predictor of above-ground biomass if sub-life forms and sampling periods（during growing season） are taken into account. Since,（1） plant canopy cover is not distinguishable by remotely sensed images at the sub-life form level, especially in sparse vegetation of arid and semi-arid regions, and（2） remotely sensed-based prediction of above-ground biomass shows a less significant relationship（R^2=0.57） than that of canopy cover（R^2 ranging from 0.75 to 0.96）, which suggests estimating of plant biomass by canopy cover instead of cut and weighting method is highly recommended. Furthermore, this fast, nondestructive and robust method that does not endanger rare species, gives a trustworthy prediction of above-ground biomass in arid rangelands.

Prioritizing woody species for the rehabilitation of arid lands in western Iran based on soil properties and carbon sequestration

Plants are an important component in many natural ecosystems. They influence soil properties, especially in arid ecosystems. The selection of plant species based on their adaptations to site conditions is essential for rehabilitation of degraded sites and other construction sites such as check-dams. Other factors to be considered in species selection include their effects on soil properties and their abilities to meet other management objectives. The purpose of this study was to assess the effects of native(Populus euphratica Oliv. and Tamarix ramosissima Ledeb.) and introduced(Eucalyptus camaldulensis Dehnh. and Prosopis juliflora(Swartz) DC.) woody species on soil properties and carbon sequestration(CS) in an arid region of Iran. Soil sampling was collected at three soil depths(0–10, 10–20 and 20–30 cm) at the sites located under each woody species canopy and in an open area in 2017. Soil physical-chemical property was analyzed in the laboratory. The presence of a woody species changed soil characteristics and soil CS, compared with the open area. For example, the presence of a woody species caused a decrease in soil bulk density, of which the lowest value was observed under E. camaldulensis(1.38 g/cm^3) compared with the open area(1.59 g/cm^3). Also, all woody species significantly increased the contents of soil organic matter and total nitrogen, and introduced species had more significant effect than native species. The results showed that CS significantly increased under the canopy of all woody species in a decreasing order of P. euphratica(9.08 t/hm^2)>E. camaldulensis(8.37 t/hm^2)>P. juliflora(5.20 t/hm^2)>T. ramosissima(2.93 t/hm^2)>open area(1.33 t/hm^2), thus demonstrating the positive effect of a woody species on CS. Although the plantation of non-native species had some positive effects on soil properties, we recommend increasing species diversity in plantations of native and introduced woody species to provide more diversity for the increased ecosystem services, resilience, health and long-term productivity.

The Influence of Induced Drought Stress on Germination of Cenchrus ciliaris L.and Cenchrus setigerus Vahl.:Implications for Rangeland Restoration in the Arid Desert Environment of Kuwait

Drought impacts in arid desert ecosystems can result in decreased ecosystem productivity and biodiversity.Imple­mentation of restoration projects in arid desert environments is largely dependent on water availability and soil mois­ture condition.This study investigated the influence of induced drought stress by using polyethylene glycol(PEG-6000)solution on germination viz.Cenchrus ciliaris and Cenchrus setigerus as the important rangeland species.The water stress potential treatments were 0(control),-0.5 MPa,-1.0 MPa,-1.5 MPa,and-2.0 MPa.The extent of seed germi­nation was severely affected by decreased water stress potential.As drought increased,the percentage of germination decreased in both Cenchrus’species.The water deficit at-0.5 MPa showed a significant(P<0.001)reduction in the final germination percentage in the case of C.setigerus and C.ciliaris by 65%and 42.5%,respectively.At-1.0 MPa to-1.5 MPa,changes in intermediate germination were observed in C.ciliaris(from 35%to 17.5%,respectively)and C.setigerus(from 22.5%to 11.25%respectively).Higher levels of water stress(-2.0 MPa)prevented the survival of both species.Understanding the germination strategies of native desert plant species associated with drought stress and identifying favorable conditions during the germination process can be useful for restoration practices and rangeland management actions to improve desert ecosystems and maintain biodiversity.

甘肃省河流健康特性分析及评价体系重构

河流健康管理是生态文明建设的重要组成,是河长制管理的重要任务。通过收集整理甘肃省具有代表性的162条河流健康评价成果,采用统计学方法,分析甘肃省河流总体健康水平和特征,评价指标空间异质性和河流健康评价体系适用性。结果表明:甘肃省所辖河流健康评价得分第1个四分位数68.1分,第2个四分位数(中位数)75.1分,第3个四分位数81.4分,河流健康状况良好,总体呈现形态结构稳定、水文情势震荡、水质较好、生物多样性较低的特征;河流健康水平自西向东呈升高趋势,与河流所处气候环境及水资源利用模式显著相关。针对西北河流对规范标准评价指标存在的不适用等诸多问题,重构了适合西北河流特性的健康评价体系,对理想、健康、亚健康、不健康、病态5个河流健康等级给出明确清晰的定义,并对河流具有的总体功能按照水空间、水循环、水环境和水生物4个方面应用不同指标进行河流属性变化特征描述。验证结果表明,与原评价体系相比,重构的评价体系准则层和主要改进指标的变异系数有合理性改善。

2005-2017年中国干旱半干旱区典型生态系统土壤储水量数据集

土壤水是地球水体的重要组成部分之一,陆地上植被和作物所利用的水分主要是从土壤中直接汲取的。因此土壤水的存贮、补给、消耗、更新和平衡对全国尤其是干旱半干旱区域的农业、牧业、林业、自然生态环境和水资源平衡,有着极其重要的意义。本数据集选取中国生态系统研究网络(CERN)位于中国西北干旱半干旱区的8个生态系统观测研究站,收集整理了各站2005–2017年的土壤含水量长期观测数据,通过质量控制、开展剖面-样地尺度上层次及时间归一化统计计算,生成了相应的土壤储水量数据集,以期为中国干旱半干旱区典型生态系统土壤储水量分布及变化状况提供长时序的数据刻画和支撑。

2005-2020年中国干旱半干旱区典型草地和荒漠生态系统植被地上生物量数据集

植被生物量是全球碳循环的重要组成部分,是陆地生态系统与大气之间碳交换的重要环节,是定量研究全球气候变化与草地、荒漠生态系统之间的反馈调节作用等的基础。中国干旱半干旱区的草地、荒漠生态系统是重要的碳库类型,本文选取中国生态系统研究网络(Chinese Ecosystem Research Network,CERN)中位于中国干旱半干旱区的2个草地生态系统观测研究站(海北站、内蒙古站)和5个荒漠生态系统类型观测研究站(鄂尔多斯站、阜康站、临泽站、奈曼站、沙坡头站)的典型生态系统,对其按照CERN生态系统长期观测规范开展长期观测获取的植被地上生物量的2005–2020年间生长季的月动态实测数据进行了收集整理与质量控制,并开展了样方原始调查数据到样地尺度观测数据的统计计算,生成了植被地上生物量数据集,可为中国干旱半干旱区草地和荒漠生态系统对全球气候变化响应及植被保育与可持续发展等研究提供地面观测数据支撑。