Climate and fire drivers of forest composition and openness in the Changbai Mountains since the Late Glacial

Ongoing climate changes have a direct impact on forest growth;they also affect natural fire regimes,with further implications for forest composition.Understanding of how these will affect forests on decadal-to-centennial timescales is limited.Here we use reconstructions of past vegetation,fire regimes and climate during the Holocene to examine the relative importance of changes in climate and fire regimes for the abundance of key tree species in northeastern China.We reconstructed vegetation changes and fire regimes based on pollen and charcoal records from Gushantun peatland.We then used generalized linear modelling to investigate the impact of reconstructed changes in summer temperature,annual precipitation,background levels of fire,fire frequency and fire magnitude to identify the drivers of decadal-to-centennial changes in forest openness and composition.Changes in climate and fire regimes have independent impacts on the abundance of the key tree taxa.Climate variables are generally more important than fire variables in determining the abundance of individual taxa.Precipitation is the only determinant of forest openness,but summer temperature is more important than precipitation for individual tree taxa with warmer summers causing a decrease in cold-tolerant conifers and an increase in warmth-demanding broadleaved trees.Both background level and fire frequency have negative relationships with the abundance of most tree taxa;only Pinus increases as fire frequency increases.The magnitude of individual fires does not have a significant impact on species abundance on this timescale.Both climate and fire regime characteristics must be considered to understand changes in forest composition on the decadal-to-centennial timescale.There are differences,both in sign and magnitude,in the response of individual tree species to individual drivers.

Rhizosphere Soil Fungal Diversity and Soil Physicochemical Properties of Different Vegetations in Tundra of Changbai Mountain

By studying the diversity and community structure of rhizosphere soil fungi of different plants in the tundra on the northern slope of Changbai Mountain, it provides theoretical support for the restoration of environmental degradation and in-depth study of fungal diversity in the tundra of Changbai Mountain. High-throughput sequencing technology was used to determine the ITS1 region of fungal amplicons, so as to analyze the diversity of fungal communities in the rhizosphere soil of six plants in the tundra of Changbai Mountain, and to analyze the correlation between the environment and the diversity and richness of fungal communities in combination with relevant soil physical and chemical factors. The diversity and richness of fungal community in the rhizosphere soil of six plants in Changbai Mountain tundra were different. The Simpson and Shannon indexes of Saxifraga stolonifera Curt were the highest, and the richness of fungal community in Dryas octopetala was the highest. The analysis of fungal community composition showed that the fungal colonies in plant rhizosphere soil samples mainly belonged to Ascomycota and Basidiomycota, which were the main dominant phyla. Mortierella, Fusarium and Sordariomycetes are common fungal genera in the rhizosphere soil of six plants, but their abundances are different among different plants. Water content was negatively correlated with fungal diversity, and TP was positively correlated with fungal community diversity. There were some differences in the composition and diversity of rhizosphere soil fungal communities of six plants in Changbai Mountain tundra. Ascomycota and Basidiomycota were the main soil fungal phyla in the rhizosphere of six plants in Changbai Mountain tundra. The results could provide theoretical guidance for ecological protection of Changbai Mountain tundra.

Relationships of climate change and tree ring of Betula ermanii tree line forest in Changbai Mountain

Based on the tree-ring growth characteristics of Erman＇s birch （Betula ermanii charm.） and the relationships between it and climatic ）＇actors at elevation of 1950m, the sensitivity of tree lines in Changbai Mountain to climatic factors was assessed. The results indicated tree line forest in Changbai Mountain had an obvious sensitivity to climate factors. However, difference from other study sits is that the main climatic control factor on tree-ring growth was not current growth season temperatures, as might be expected, but previous winter and current March temperature. Although the precipitation in the region was quite abundant, the tree-ring growth was still significantly correlated with the precipitation during previous winter and current spring. Additionally, climatic factors which influenced the Erman＇s birch growth were not the yearly variables, but seasonal and monthly variables. Therefore, the reported increase in yearly mean temperature and total yearly precipitation since 1980s was not responded by sustained increase in ring widths in recent decades.

Larix olgensis growth-climate response between lower and upper elevation limits:an intensive study along the eastern slope of the Changbai Mountains,northeastern China

Larix olgensis is a dominant tree species in the forest ecosystems of the Changbai Mountains of northeast China.To assess the growth response of this species to global climate change,we developed three tree-ring width and biomass chronologies across a range of elevations in the subalpine forests on the eastern slope of the Changbai Mountains.We used dendroclimatic analyses to study key factors limiting radial growth in L.olgensis and its variation with elevation.The statistical characteristics of chronologies suggested that elevation is a determinant of tree growth patterns in the study area.Response function analysis of chronologies with climate factors indicated that climate–growth relationships changed with increasing elevation:tree growth at high elevation was strongly limited by June temperatures of the previous year,and as elevation decreases,the importance of temperature decreased;tree radial growth at mid-elevation was mainly controlled by precipitation towards the end of the growing season of the current year.Biomass chronologies reflected a stronger climatic signal than tree-ring width chronologies.Spatial correlation with gridded climate data revealed that our chronologies contained a strong regional temperature signal for northeast China.Trees growing below timberline appeared to be more sensitive to climate,thus optimal sites for examining growth trends as a function of climate variation are considered to be just below timberline.Our study objective was to provide information for more accurate prediction of the growth response of L.olgensis to future climate change on the eastern slope of the Changbai Mountains,and to provide information for future climate reconstructions using this tree species in humid and semi humid regions.

Element cycling in the dominant plant community in the Alpine tundra zone of Changbai Mountains, China

Element cycling in the dominant plant communities including Rh. aureum, Rh. redowskianum and Vaccinium uliginosum in the Alpine tundra zone of Changbai Mountains in northeast China was studied. The results indicate that the amount of elements from litter decomposition was less than that of the plant uptake from soil, but that from plant uptake was higher than that in soil with mineralization process released. On the other hand, in the open system including precipitation input and soil leaching output, because of great number of elements from precipitation into the open system, the element cycling(except N, P) in the Alpine tundra ecosystem was in a dynamic balance. In this study, it was also found that different organ of plants had significant difference in accumulating elements. Ca, Mg, P and N were accumulated more obviously in leaves, while Fe was in roots. The degree of concentration of elements in different tissues of the same organ of the plants also was different, a higher concentration of Ca, Mg, P and N in mesophyll than in nerve but Fe was in a reversed order. The phenomenon indicates (1) a variety of biochemical functions of different elements, (2) the elements in mesophyll were with a shorter turnover period than those in nerve or fibre, but higher utilization rate for plant. Therefore, this study implies the significance of keeping element dynamic balance in the alpine tundra ecosystem of Changbai Mountains.

Detecting forest landscape boundary between Mountain Birch and evergreen coniferous forest in the northern slope of Changbai Mountain

Boundaries between different forest types in Changbai Mountain Eastern China are results from complex interactions between forest ecosystems, topography, and geomorphology. Detecting and quantifying the transitional zones are highly important since high environmental heterogeneity and biodiversity are often found within these zones. In this study, we used GIS and multivariate statistics techniques(PCA and MSWA) to analyze data from Landsat TM satellite imageries and quantitatively determined the positions and widths of the landscape boundary between mountain birch and evergreen coniferous forests in the northern slope of Changbai Mountain. The results showed that the widths of the landscape boundary ranges from 30—50m while using the MSWA or/and PC method. Such detected widths are consistent with field transect data that suggests a 50m transitional zone width. The results further suggest that TM data can be used in combination with GIS and statistical techniques in determining forest landscape boundaries; MSWA is more reliable than PCA, while PCA can also be used to determine the landscape boundary when transects are properly located.

Dynamics of Betula ermanni population in subalpine vegetation in Changbai Mountain, Northeast China

Betula ermanni population was divided into three groups: the upper population (2 000–2 200 m), the middle population (1 700–2 000 m), and the down population (1 400–1 700 m) in Changbai Mountain. The dynamics ofBetula ermanni populations in subalpine vegetation are studied and the population life table, fecundity schedule, survival curves, age structure, and fecundity curves were established. The results showed that the, middle population is obviously, the transition from the upper population to the down population.

Segmentation by domestic visitor motivation: Changbai Mountain Biosphere Reserve, China

Protected areas have become important tourism products that promoted as attractions by the tourism industry. Taking the Changbai Mountain Biosphere Reserve in Northeast China as a case, this study addresses visitor needs as a basis for developing a tourism strategy aimed at enhancing tourist opportunities at this reserve. A factor-cluster approach was employed to identify visitor segment profiles based on their visit motivations. Through random sampling, a pencil-and-paper questionnaire in Chinese language was collected from 637 domestic tourists in the study area. A principal components analysis of motivations revealed eight motivational factors, and four distinct groups of tourists – Nature travelers, Cultural landscape tourists, Food & shopping enthusiasts, and Eclectic adventurers – were identified. Understanding the differences in these visitor segments will help the management authority effectively analyze nature reserve attributes and provide alternative activities and services to tourists. Finally, within the dual framework of market segmentation and destination management some management recommendations and marketing implications are suggested.

Determination of berberine in Phellodendron amurense from different sites of Changbai Mountain

Phellodendron amurense has been used for many years as a medical plant in traditional Chinese medicine and has shown great prospect in recent clinical trials for future applications. Berberine is an essential active compound contained in P. amurense. Our objective in this study was to quantify the content of berberine in P.amurense from sites at different elevations on Changbai Mountain. We collected samples of P. amurense from five different elevations on Changbai Mountain. Berberine in samples was extracted by ultrahigh pressure extraction（UPE）. And the quantity was measured by high performance liquid chromatography（HPLC）. First, the optimal HPLC conditions for berberine were identified with satisfactory precision（relative standard deviation, R SD／5.6 %）, good accuracy（relative error, R E／ 3.6 %） and good linear relation（R2= 0.9998） in the range of 6.576–328.8 mg L-1. Second, the combination of UPE and HPLC methods in quantitative analysis of berberine showed high repeatability（R SD= 3.28 %）, reproducibility（R SD= 4.72 %）,stability（R SD／ 1.27 %） and good recovery（99.54 %） for real plant materials. Samples from Heilongjiang Province at the lowest elevation contained the highest amount of berberine.Similarly, the lowest amount of berberine was recorded in samples from Changbai Forest Bureau of Jilin Province collected at the highest elevation in this paper. The proposed UPE–HPLC method is simple, reliable and low-cost for quantitative analysis of berberine. Content of berberine in P.amurense varied significantly by site on Changbai Mountain.

Spatial variations of Pb in the vertical zone of the soil-plant system in the Changbai Mountain National Nature Reserve

The characteristics of vertical and horizontal variations of lead element(Pb) in soil plant system of vertical zone in Changbai Mountain National Nature Reserve(CNNR) were studied. The results showed that Pb concentrations in soils of vertical zone are all above 25 mg/kg, and the average Pb concentration of each soil zone negatively correlates its degree of variation, i.e. brown coniferous forest soil zone has the lowest average Pb concentration of four soil zones, and the highest horizontal variation; however, mountain soddy forest soil has the highest average Pb concentration, and the lowest horizontal variation; the average concentration of plant Pb of each plant zone is lower than the worldwide average level of Pb in plant(Clarke), respectively, and plant Pb content order is consistent with soil Pb content order, but their horizontal variations are different from those in soil zones, the variation of mountain tundra forest zone is highest, but Betula ermanii forest zone the lowest. Vertical variation of plant Pb is obviously higher than that in soils with variation coefficient of 89.76%; the enrichment capability of plant for Pb is depended on the plant types and the different organs of plant; parent material and parent rock, pH values, soil organic matter and soil particle fraction etc. are the main factors influencing variations of Pb content in soil plant system of vertical zone in CNNR.

Species composition and minimum sampling area of a riparian mixed broadleaved-Korean pine forest in Changbai Mountain Nature Reserve

Riparian areas are unique although often small component of the overall watershed landscape. The structure of riparian forests along Erdaobai River on the north slope of Changbai Mountain were investigated by using field data collected from eight sampling transects perpendicular to the Erdaobai River channel. Two kinds of species-area saturation curves were used to examine the relationship between species number and minimum sampling area. The results showed that riparian gymnosperms accounted for a high proportion of all gymnosperms in the Changbai Mountain Nature Reserve while riparian ferns and angiosperms accounted for a relatively low proportion. The average minimum sampling areas of riparian forest that included 60%, 80%, and 90% of the community species pool were about 85, 185, and 328 m 2 , respectively; while those for nonriparian forest were about 275, 390, and 514 m 2 , correspondingly.

Landscape influences and management countermeasures of ginseng planting near Changbai mountain nature reserve

Ginseng planting in Northeast China brings economic benefits but affects forest landscape integrity and native ecological processes.In order to quantify the impacts of ginseng planting on the forest landscape,Fusong County in Jilin Province was selected as a study area.The number and distribution of ginseng fields over different time was quantified based on remote sensing and ground surveys.Grid analysis and multiple regression analysis were used to study the impacts of ginseng planting on the landscape.The results showed that altitudes and slopes of ginseng fields increased and became increasingly scattered and smaller closer to the Changbai Mountain Nature Reserve.Ginseng fields and abandoned fields increased total patches and total area of the local forested landscape,and shared edge lengths between ginseng fields and forests,resulting in continuous fragmentation of the landscape.Although the total area of existing and abandoned ginseng fields accounts for a small fraction of the total landscape,their negative impacts on ecosystem conservation is significant.The local government needs to rationally plan ginseng planting,scientifically implement the restoration of abandoned ginseng lands,and enhance awareness of ginseng farmers to environmental stewardship.Our study has important significance for maintaining the healthy and stable development of the local ginseng industry and for improving the quality of regional ecological environment.

Check list of water beetles recorded from Changbai Mountain area

The water beetles recorded from Changbai Mountain are listed. Amphizoa sinica Yu & Stork and Ametor scabrosus (Horn) are distributed only in Changbai Mountain area. The habitat of water beetles in each locality is described.

Responses and feedback of litter properties and soil mesofauna to herbaceous plants expansion into the alpine tundra on Changbai Mountain,China

Global climate changes result in the expansion of lower elevation plants to higher elevations.The rapid upward expansion of herbaceous plants into the alpine tundra on Changbai Mountain resulted in changes in different levels of ecosystem organization.However,the responses and feedback of litter properties and soil mesofauna to herbaceous plants expansion have not been studied yet.To understand the mechanisms underlying those changes,we conducted a field experiment in the range of 2250-2300 m in the alpine tundra of the Changbai Mountain and collected a total of 288 samples from four degrees of herbaceous plants expansion to study the litter physiochemical properties,soil mesofauna,and soil nutrient contents,and their relationships in that tundra ecosystem suffered from various degrees of herbaceous invasion.We found that herbaceous plant expansion is responsible for a major shift in the dominant species of soil mesofauna from mites to collembolan and has significant impacts on the community structure(R2=0.54,p=0.001)and diversity of soil mesofauna(Shannon-Weiner index,p=0.01).The increasing herbaceous plant expansion resulted in a significant increase in litter biomass from 91 g·m^(-2) in the original tundra vegetation(OIT)to 118 g·m^(-2) in the moderately invaded tundra(MIT),and an increase in litter thickness from 2.37 cm(OIT)to 3.05 cm(MIT).And,the litter total nitrogen content significantly increased,but the values of the litter carbon content,the lignin content,the C/N ratio,and the lignin/N ratio decreased with increased herbaceous coverage(both p<0.05).The litter physical properties pathway(biomass and thickness)directly explained 31% of the total variance in soil mesofauna diversity and 59% of the total variance in soil mesofauna community composition.Furthermore,both the soil available nutrients(incl.AN and AP)and plant biomass(incl.the total plant biomass and herbs/shrubs biomass)significantly increased with increasing coverage of herbaceous plant(both p<0.05),and litter chemical properties pathway directly explained 50% of the soil nutrient content variance and indirectly explained 20% of soil nutrient by affecting soil mesofauna.We found that both soil available nutrients and soil mesofauna were positively correlated with the herbaceous expansion from OIT to MIT,indicating a positive feedback of herbaceous expansion,and the abundance of soil mesofauna decreased in the severely invaded tundra vegetation,suggesting a negative feedback.While,both litter N content and soil available nitrogen were consistently increased in the severely invaded tundra vegetation,indicating a positive feedback of herbaceous expansion.Therefore,this study provides new insights into the process of herbaceous plant expansion into tundra,and provides possible evidence for further expansion according to responses and feedback of in litter properties and soil mesofauna to herbaceous plants expansion.Furthermore,these positive or/and negative feedback systems in the Changbai alpine tundra ecosystem in relation to herbaceous expansion have important implications for the tundra protection,and thus,need to be deeply studied.

THE CLIMATIC STUDY OF CHANGBAI MOUNTAIN BY INTEGRATION OF REMOTE SENSING INFORMATION AND GEO-CODED IMAGES

Ⅰ. INTRODUCTION Changbai Mountain is situated between E127°54′-128°08′, N40°58′-42°06′ about 2700 meters above sea level. It is the typical area of the mountainous climate in the monsoon area of the temperate zone on the globe. The well reserved primeval vertical distribution of natural landscape belts and the Natural Conservation of Changbai Mountains adopted by the UNESCO′s MAB Program cause the worldwide attention of geographers. Beside the complexity of the climatic structure itself, the mechanical effection of the high mountain body also effect the climate in the eastern part of China. In the mountain area where short of meteorological observation data, the climatic study by remote sensing is favorable for discovery and representation of climatic law in large area.

NPP Estimation in West Changbai Mountain Based on Landsat TM Data

[ Objective] The research aimed to estimate NPP in west Changbai Mountain in 1999 and 2001. [ Method] Based on Landsat TM data, by using remote sensing model, NPP estimations of the vegetations at the same time phase of 1999 and 2001 in west Changbai Mountain were con- ducted. [ Result] In 1999, the maximum of NPP in west Changbai Mountain was 134.408 3 t（ DW）/（ hm2 · a）, and the minimum was 7. 885 2 t （ DW）/（hm2 · a）. In 2001, the maximum of NPP in west Changbai Mountain was 86.372 3 t（ DW）/（hm2 · a）, and the minimum was 17.566 3 t （ DW）/（ hm2 · a）. The maximum of NPP in west Changbai Mountain mainly concentrated in the mountain areas of Tumen City, Yanji City, Longjing City and Helong City. Distribution range of the NPP in 1999 was larger than that in 2001, and NPP value in 1999 was bigger than that in 2001. [ Conclusion] We needed strengthening measurement and research of the NPP for large-scale terrestrial ecosystem.

Effects of Nitrogen Deposition on Tundra Vegetation Undergoing Invasion by Deyeuxia angustifolia in Changbai Mountains

In recent years, herbaceous species such as Deyeuxia angustifolia(Kom.) Y. L. Chang has invaded alpine tundra regions of the western slope of the Changbai Mountains. Because atmospheric nitrogen deposition is predicted to increase under a warming climate and D. angustifolia is sensitive to nitrogen addition, field experiments were conducted from 2010 to 2013 to determine the effect of increased nitrogen deposition on the mechanisms of D. angustifolia invasion. The goal of this study is to evaluate the impact of increased nitrogen deposition on the changes in alpine tundra vegetation(consisting mostly of Rhododendron chrysanthum Pall. and Vaccinium uliginosum Linn.). The results showed that: 1) simulated nitrogen deposition affected overall characteristics and structure of R. chrysanthum and V. uliginosum communities and had a positive impact on the growth of tundra vegetation invaded by D. angustifolia; 2) R. chrysanthum was more resistant to invasion by D. angustifolia than V. uliginosum; 3) simulated nitrogen deposition could improve the growth and enhance the competitiveness of D. angustifolia, which was gradually replacing R. chrysanthum and V. uliginosum and might become the dominant species in the system in future, transforming alpine tundra into alpine meadow in the Changbai Mountains.

Extracting Vegetation Phenology Metrics in Changbai Mountains Using an Improved Logistic Model

Remotely sensing images are now available for monitoring vegetation dynamics over large areas.In this paper,an improved logistic model that combines double logistic model and global function was developed.Using this model with SPOT/NDVI data,three key vegetation phenology metrics,the start of growing season (SOS),the end of growing season (EOS) and the length of growing season (LOS),were extracted and mapped in the Changbai Mountains,and the relationship between the key phenology metrics and elevation were established.Results show that average SOS of forest,cropland and grassland in the Changbai Mountains are on the 119th,145th,and 133rd day of year,respectively.The EOS of forest and grassland are similar,with the average on the 280th and 278th,respectively.In comparison,average EOS of the cropland is relatively earlier.The LOS of forest is mainly from the 160th to 180th,that of the grassland extends from the 140th to the 160th,and that of cropland stretches from the 110th to the 130th.As the latitude increases for the same land cover in the study area,the SOS significantly delays and the EOS becomes earlier.The SOS delays approximately three days as the elevation increases 100 m in the areas with elevation higher than 900 m above sea level (a.s.l.).The EOS is slightly earlier as the elevation increases especially in the areas with elevation below 1200 m a.s.l.The LOS shortens approximately four days as the elevation increases 100 m in the areas with elevation higher than 900 m a.s.l.The relationships between vegetation phenology metrics and elevation may be greatly influenced by the land covers.Validation by comparing with the field data and previous research results indicates that the improved logistic model is reliable and effective for extracting vegetation phenology metrics.

Geographical Information System-Based Assessment of Ecological Security in Changbai Mountain Region

Ecological security defined as the creation of a condition where the physical surroundings of a community provide for the needs of its inhabitants without diminishing its natural stock,which is important for regional security and social stability.In recent years,land use patterns in the Changbai Mountain region have changed significantly with intensive human activities,and consequently led to increasing problems in regional ecological security.Based on the Pressure-State-Impact-Response(PSIR) model and the mathematical method of catastrophe progression supported by geographical information system(GIS),the ecological security situation of the study area under land use and cover change(LUCC) was evaluated.The results indicated that the ecological security in Changbai Mountain region varied nonlinearly,which got better from 1990 to 2000 but became worse from 2000 to 2007,the ecological security levels in Changbai Mountain region were mainly medium and medium to low during the past 17 years,with higher values of Ecological Security Index(ESI) in the central region and lower values in the east and west,the ecological security situation was more serious in the settlements and river valleys,where the LUCC was most remarkable.