Effects of landscape fragmentation of plantation forests on carbon storage in the Loess Plateau,China

Tree plantation and forest restoration are the major strategies for enhancing terrestrial carbon sequestration and mitigating climate change.The Grain for Green Project in China has positively impacted global carbon sequestration and the trend towards fragmentation of plantation forests.Limited studies have been conducted on changes in plantation biomass and stand structure caused by fragmentation,and the effect of fragmentation on the carbon storage of plantation forests remains unclear.This study evaluated the differences between carbon storage and stand structure in black locust forests in fragmented and continuous landscape in the Ansai District,China and discussed the effects of ecological significance of four landscape indices on carbon storage and tree density.We used structural equation modelling to explore the direct and indirect effects of fragmentation,edge,abiotic factors,and stand structure on above-ground carbon storage.Diameter at breast height(DBH)in fragmented forests was 53.3%thicker,tree density was 40.9%lower,and carbon storage was 49.8%higher than those in continuous forests;for all given DBH>10 cm,the trees in fragmented forests were shorter than those in continuous forests.The patch area had a negative impact on carbon storage,i.e.,the higher the degree of fragmentation,the lower the density of the tree;and fragmentation and distance to edge(DTE)directly increased canopy coverage.However,canopy coverage directly decreased carbon storage,and fragmentation directly increased carbon storage and tree density.In non-commercial forests,fragmentation reduces the carbon storage potential of plantation,and the influence of patch area,edge,and patchy connection on plantation should be considered when follow-up trees are planted and for the plantation management.Thus,expanding the area of plantation patches,repairing the edges of complex-shaped patches,enhancing the connectivity of similar patches,and applying nutrients to plantation forests at regular intervals are recommended in fragmented areas of the Loess Plateau.

Aging Mongolian pine plantations face high risks of drought-induced growth decline:evidence from both individual tree and forest stand measurements

Discerning vulnerability differences among different aged trees to drought-driven growth decline or to mortality is critical to implement age-specific countermeasures for forest management in water-limited areas.An important species for afforestation in dry environments of northern China,Mongolian pine(Pinus sylvestris var.mongolica Litv.)has recently exhibited growth decline and dieback on many sites,particularly pronounced in old-growth plantations.However,changes in response to drought stress by this species with age as well as the underlying mechanisms are poorly understood.In this study,tree-ring data and remotely sensed vegetation data were combined to investigate variations in growth at individual tree and stand scales for young(9-13 years)and aging(35-52 years)plantations of Mongolian pine in a water-limited area of northern China.A recent decline in tree-ring width in the older plantation also had lower values in satellited-derived normalized difference vegetation indices and normalized difference water indices relative to the younger plantations.In addition,all measured growth-related metrics were strongly correlated with the self-calibrating Palmer drought severity index during the growing season in the older plantation.Sensitivity of growth to drought of the older plantation might be attributed to more severe hydraulic limitations,as reflected by their lower sapwood-and leaf-specific hydraulic conductivities.Our study presents a comprehensive view on changes of growth with age by integrating multiple methods and provides an explanation from the perspective of plant hydraulics for growth decline with age.The results indicate that old-growth Mongolian pine plantations in water-limited environments may face increased growth declines under the context of climate warming and drying.

Ecological effect of the plantation of Sabina vulgaris in the Mu Us Sandy Land,China

Vegetation restoration through artificial plantation is an effective method to combat desertification,especially in arid and semi-arid areas.This study aimed to explore the ecological effect of the plantation of Sabina vulgaris on soil physical and chemical properties on the southeastern fringe of the Mu Us Sandy Land,China.We collected soil samples from five depth layers(0-20,20-40,40-60,60-80,and 80-100 cm)in the S.vulgaris plantation plots across four plantation ages(4,7,10,and 16 years)in November 2019,and assessed soil physical(soil bulk density,soil porosity,and soil particle size)and chemical(soil organic carbon(SOC),total nitrogen(TN),available nitrogen(AN),available phosphorus(AP),available potassium(AK),cation-exchange capacity(CEC),salinity,p H,and C/N ratio)properties.The results indicated that the soil predominantly consisted of sand particles(94.27%-99.67%),with the remainder being silt and clay.As plantation age increased,silt and very fine sand contents progressively rose.After 16 years of planting,there was a marked reduction in the mean soil particle size.The initial soil fertility was low and declined from 4 to 10 years of planting before witnessing an improvement.Significant positive correlations were observed for the clay,silt,and very fine sand(mean diameter of 0.000-0.100 mm)with SOC,AK,and p H.In contrast,fine sand and medium sand(mean diameter of 0.100-0.500 mm)showed significant negative correlations with these indicators.Our findings ascertain that the plantation of S.vulgaris requires 10 years to effectively act as a windbreak and contribute to sand fixation,and needs 16 years to improve soil physical and chemical properties.Importantly,these improvements were found to be highly beneficial for vegetation restoration in arid and semi-arid areas.This research can offer valuable insights for the protection and restoration of the vegetation ecosystem in the sandy lands in China.

Effects of tropical forest conversion into oil palm plantations on nitrous oxide emissions:A meta-analysis

Oil palm plantations have dramatically expanded in tropical Asia over the past decades.Although their establishment has been projected to increase nitrous oxide(N_(2)O)emissions,earlier reports have shown inconsistent results.This study analyzed these previously published data to compare N_(2)O emissions in oil palm plantations to reference forests.A linear mixed-eff ects model was used to examine the signifi cance of the eff ect of establishing oil palm plantations on N_(2)O emissions,rather than to calculate mean eff ect sizes because of limitations in the data structure.The results indicated that N_(2)O emissions were signifi cantly greater from oil palm plantations than from reference forests,as expected.This is the fi rst study to report the eff ect of oil palm plantations on N_(2)O emissions by synthesizing previously published data.To quantify the size of this eff ect,additional studies with frequent and long-term monitoring data are needed.

Effects of natural forest conversion and plantation tree species composition on soil macrofauna communities in Northeast China mountains

As primary and secondary forests are being replaced by plantations across the globe,the soil macrofauna community structure is also affected,but little is known about the impact of mixed culture plantations compared with monocultures on the soil macrofauna.To determine the impact of forest conversion on soil macrofauna,we surveyed the soil macrofauna in two broad-leaved and three coniferous monoculture stands and four coniferous-broadleaved mixed stands,and in adjacent reserved secondary stands as a reference.Soil macro fauna community composition was significant affected by forest type,season and their interaction(P<0.05).The abundance,taxa richness and diversity of soil macro fauna changed to different degrees depending on the plantation type.Broadleaved monoculture stands and secondary stands had similar macrofauna abundance and taxa richness,but values were lower in coniferous stands than in secondary stands.The Shannon index for macrofauna in coniferous stands was also the lowest,but the Pielou index did not differ between forest types.The negative effects of the conifer monoculture on soil macro fauna were not present in the mixed stands with broad-leaved trees.Forest conversion impacted soil properties;soil moisture,NO_(3)^(-),and pH were significant drivers of soil macrofauna community structure.The impact of forest conversion on soil macrofauna was closely dependent on tree species composition and diversity.The macro fauna community structure in the broadleaved and the mixed stands were relatively similar to that in the natural forest,and thus recommended for forest conversion in the study area.

Litter removal impacts on soil biodiversity and eucalypt plantation development in the seasonal tropics

The little layer of tree plantations provides primary nutrients for uptake,buff ers changes in soil moisture,and provides habitat and substrate to soil epigeic fauna.However,this layer in eucalypt plantations is often removed to reduce fuel load during the fi re season in the Brazilian savanna(Cerrado).Therefore,it is necessary to quantify the eff ects of changes in litter dynamics on the function of these plantations,on key nutrient cycling processes and on epigeic fauna diversity and abundance.In two adjacent stands(one juvenile and one mature),the consequences of two years of litter removal were quantifi ed as monthly litterfall,leaf and fi ne wood litter decomposition,epigeic fauna abundance and diversity,soil biogeochemical variables,and tree diameter and basal area increments.Monthly litterfall rates in juvenile and mature stands did not change with litter removal over the study period.Annual litterfall ranged from 4.1 to 4.9 Mg ha^(−1)a^(−1)in litter removal plots and from 3.9 to 4.8 Mg ha^(−1)a^(−1)in control plots.Fine wood litter decomposition was slower in litter removal plots compared to controls,while leaf decomposition rates were similar in both.Two years of litter removal in the juvenile stand did not aff ect topsoil biogeochemical parameters but decreased available phosphorus at 20–40 cm depth relative to controls.In the mature stand,total cation exchange capacity(0–20 cm)was higher in controls(6.4 cmol c dm^(−3))relative to litter removal plots(6.3 cmol c dm^(−3)),while soil moisture(0–40 cm depth)was lower in litter removal(25.45 m 3 m^(−3))compared to control plots(26 m^(3)m^(−3))in the dry season.A non-metric multidimensional scaling ordination revealed an increased homogeneity in epigeic fauna where litter was removed.Litterfall,decomposition,diameter increment,four soil physical parameters and fourteen chemical parameters at 0–20 and 20–40 cm depth explained the diff erences in soil epigeic fauna composition between litter removal and control plots.Diameter increment decreased with litter removal only in the juvenile stand,which had reached its growth peak.The results indicate that removing excess litter to decrease fuel volume can alter soil biodiversity and edaphic conditions that negatively aff ect nutrient cycling and tree growth.

Understory plant diversity and phenolic allelochemicals across a range of Eucalyptus grandis plantation ages

Allelopathy is an important mechanism in Eucalyptus plantations that causes detrimental impacts on understory diversity.Phenolic compounds are the main allelochemicals suppressing understory plants.However,the dynamic changes in phenolic allelochemicals and their relationship with understory diversity with increasing age of Eucalyptus plantations remain largely unclear.In this study,the understory plant diversity was assessed and phenolic compounds identified from leaf litter,roots,and rhizosphere soil samples in a Eucalyptus grandis plantation at two-year intervals for ten years using ultra-performance liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry(UPLC-MS/MS).The abundance and diversity of under story plant species were lowest in 4-year-old plantations and increased significantly with age.Seven phenolic acids and 10 flavonoids were identified from leaf litter,roots,and rhizosphere soils.Most of the potential phenolic allelochemicals,such as salicylic acid,gallic acid,4-hydroxybenzoic acid,and epicatechin,were more abundant in younger plantations,especially at4 years old.The concentrations of phenolic compounds in the rhizosphere zone were significantly lower than in litter and root samples and did not change significantly with an increase in age.Notably,phenolic compounds contributed more to the variation in the understory plants than soil factors.Hydroxyphenyllactic acid,ellagic acid,quercetin,salicylic acid,and 4-hydroxybenzoic acid were the main phenolic compounds explaining the variation in plant diversity with plantation age.These findings indicate that young E.grandis plantations,especially at four years of age,merit a greater focus because of their lower understory plant diversity and higher allelopathic potential.

Response of understory plant species richness and tree regeneration to thinning in Pinus tabuliformis plantations in northern China

Background:Chinese pine(Pinus tabuliformis Carr.)is one of the major afforestation species in northern China and plays a key role in restoring forest ecosystems and preserving soil and water.However,most Chinese pine plantations are experiencing ecological problems such as the low diversity of understory plants and difficulty in natural regeneration.Thinning has been widely used to maintain and improve a variety of forest ecosystem services from plantations.To date,however,few studies have been conducted to systematically determine the effects of thinning on understory plant diversity and the regeneration of Chinese pine in plantations.Methods:We conducted a literature search,and selected 22 publications covering a total of 83 treatments related to thinning effects on the species richness of understory plants and 15 publications covering a total of 43 treatments related to thinning effects on the regeneration of Chinese pine,in tree plantations of northern China.The data from the literature were synthesized and evaluated with meta-analysis approach to determine the treatment effects.Results:Compared with the control stands,thinning increased the species richness of shrubs and herbs by an average of 25.3%and 26.5%,respectively.While the varying thinning intensities all had significantly positive effects on the species richness of understory plants,only moderate thinning(30%–50%)had a positive effect on the density of regenerating seedlings and saplings of Chinese pine(60.2%).The species richness of understory plants was greatest after 14 years of thinning with an increase of 36.3%,whereas the density of regenerating Chinese pine seedlings and saplings reached a maximum after≥11 years of thinning with an increase of 76.5%,compared to that of the unthinned stands.Thinning in the half-mature plantations had the greatest effects on the understory shrub richness(44.1%)and the density of regenerating Chinese pine seedlings and saplings(86.5%).Both single and multiple thinning were found to significantly promote the species richness of understory plants and the density of regenerating Chinese pine seedlings and saplings,and the positive effects of thinning were greater in areas with a humidity index(HI)<30 than in areas with an HI≥30.In general,age group,planting density and recovery time were prominent factors affecting the species richness of understory plants,whereas the slope,HI and recovery time were the dominant controls of the density of regenerating Chinese pine seedlings and saplings,indicating differential effects of thinning on the species richness of understory plants and the regeneration capacity of Chinese pine in plantations.Conclusion:Thinning appears to be a feasible management measure to improve the understory plant diversity and regeneration capacity of Chinese pine in plantations.We postulate that moderate thinning in half-mature forest stands with an HI<30 can help effectively promote the species diversity of understory plants and the natural regeneration of Chinese pine,thereby maintaining a more resilient stand structure and the development of Chinese pine plantations.

Species composition and influencing factors of understory woody species in Robinia pseudoacacia plantations on the Loess Plateau

Black locust(Robinia pseudoacacia L.)plantations have contributed significantly to soil and water conservation and ecological reconstruction on China’s Loess Plateau.Understanding the impact of stand and environment on species composition of understory woody plants will improve the stability of existing black locust plantations.Ten stands were selected in second-generation black locust plantations in tableland and gully areas of the Loess Plateau.The number of understory tree species in the tablelands was significantly lower than in the gully stands.Regenerated black locust(19.76%)and Rubus corchorifolius L.f.(64.85%)were the most abundant understory tree and shrub species,respectively,in the tableland stands;Broussonetia papyrifera(L.)L’Hér.ex Vent.(6.77%)and Acanthopanax senticosus(Rupr.Maxim.)Harms.(37.22%)were most abundant in the gully stands.Species richness(S),Shannon diversity(H),and evenness index(J)of the understory plants were significantly lower in the tableland stands than in the gully stands.More diverse understory species and community structures occurred in the gully stands.Differences in species diversity among landform positions may be attributed to differences in soil moisture.In addition,77.57%of the variation in understory species composition was explained,among which shrub and herb coverage,stand age,leaf area index,slope and total soil phosphorus in the 10-20 cm layer were the main factors.Soil organic carbon and total potassium significantly impacted S,H and J.Considering the environmental conditions and the biological characteristics of the plants investigated,R.corchorifolius should be given priority in the development of tableland stands,while B.papyrifera and Celtis sinensis Pers.should form mixed forests with black locust in gully stands.This management could promote biodiversity and stability of the existing black locust plantations but also optimize regional landscape patterns.

Taxonomic and community composition of epigeal arthropods in monoculture and mixed tree species plantations in a deciduous forest of Ghana

Tropical forests provide several ecosystem services and functions and support approximately two-thirds of the world’s biodiversity but are seriously threatened by deforestation.Approaches to counteract this menace have revolved around aff orestation with several or a single tree species.We thus investigated how plantation forests with either a single or several tree species infl uenced arthropod taxonomic and community composition using pitfall traps to sample selected groups of epigeal arthropods(Araneae,Coleoptera,Orthoptera and Hymenoptera)and with environmental variables assessed simultaneously.Our results revealed 54 taxonomic groups with signifi cantly higher taxonomic richness,activity density,and diversity in the mixed stands than in the monoculture stands.The significant differences in community composition were mainly driven by families including Lycosidae,Formicidae,Staphylinidae,Scotylidae,Hydrophilidae,Gryllidae and Scarabaeidae and were explained by distinct habitat characteristics(canopy openness,litter depth,deadwood volume,and tree height).While the diverse tree communities and heterogeneous vegetation structure off ered food and habitat resources for diverse arthropod groups,the allelopathic nature coupled with homogenous stand characteristics of the Tectona grandis stands in the monoculture suppressed the growth of understorey vegetation that could otherwise serve as food and habitat resources for arthropods,which might have led to limited activities and diversity of arthropods in the monoculture plantation stands.The fi ndings thus highlight the need to promote mixed tree plantations in degraded tropical areas,especially when restoring biodiversity is the prime management focus.

An Edge-assisted, Object-oriented Random Forest Approach for Refined Extraction of Tea Plantations Using Multi-temporal Sentinel-2 and High-resolution Gaofen-2 Imagery

As a consumed and influential natural plant beverage,tea is widely planted in subtropical and tropical areas all over the world.Affected by(sub)tropical climate characteristics,the underlying surface of the tea distribution area is extremely complex,with a variety of vegetation types.In addition,tea distribution is scattered and fragmentized in most of China.Therefore,it is difficult to obtain accurate tea information based on coarse resolution remote sensing data and existing feature extraction methods.This study proposed a boundary-enhanced,object-oriented random forest method on the basis of high-resolution GF-2 and multi-temporal Sentinel-2 data.This method uses multispectral indexes,textures,vegetable indices,and variation characteristics of time-series NDVI from the multi-temporal Sentinel-2 imageries to obtain abundant features related to the growth of tea plantations.To reduce feature redundancy and computation time,the feature elimination algorithm based on Mean Decrease Accuracy(MDA)was used to generate the optimal feature set.Considering the serious boundary inconsistency problem caused by the complex and fragmented land cover types,high resolution GF-2 image was segmented based on the MultiResolution Segmentation(MRS)algorithm to assist the segmentation of Sentinel-2,which contributes to delineating meaningful objects and enhancing the reliability of the boundary for tea plantations.Finally,the object-oriented random forest method was utilized to extract the tea information based on the optimal feature combination in the Jingmai Mountain,Yunnan Province.The resulting tea plantation map had high accuracy,with a 95.38%overall accuracy and 0.91 kappa coefficient.We conclude that the proposed method is effective for mapping tea plantations in high heterogeneity mountainous areas and has the potential for mapping tea plantations in large areas.

Fine Root Distribution Characteristics of Populus cathayana Plantations at Different Ages in Alpine Sandy Land

[Objectives]The paper was to study the fine root distribution characteristics of Populus cathayana plantations at different ages in alpine sandy land.[Methods]With 5,10,15,20,and 25 years old P.cathayana plantation in the eastern margin of Gonghe Basin,Qinghai Province as the research objects,fine roots were collected by root core drilling method,and the differences of fine root biomass,root length density,average diameter and root tip number at the soil depths of 0-20,20-40,40-60,60-80 and 80-100 cm were analyzed.[Results]The total biomass density of P.cathayana plantation was mainly distributed in the soil layer of 0-60 cm,accounting for 76%of the entire soil layer,and its value increased with the increase in forest age.With the increase in different forest ages,the root length density,average diameter and root tip number of living fine roots in the soil layer of 0-60 cm accounted for 74%-81%of the entire soil layer,and the proportions in the soil layers of 60-80 and 80-100 cm were 9%-11%.The biomass density,root length density,average diameter and root tip number of living and dead fine roots of P.cathayana plantation increased with the increase of forest age.The root length density,average diameter and root tip number of P.cathayana fine roots showed a linear function change trend with the growth of forest age,which could be described by the linear function equation y=ax+b(a>0).The analysis results showed that the root length density,average diameter and root tip number of P.cathayana were significantly correlated with the total biomass density of fine roots,and the root length density and average diameter had an extremely positive correlation with the total biomass density.[Conclusions]In the future,P.cathayana plantation should be properly tended to promote the development of fine roots and maximize its ecological benefits.

Hyperspectral Inversion Model of Available Potassium Content in Red Soil of Eucalyptus Plantation in Northern Guangxi

Soil information is the basis of soil management and precise variable fertilization. The traditional method of obtaining soil information through chemical detection of laboratory has high cost and poor timeliness, which is difficult to meet the needs of digital forestry, soil monitoring and real-time management of nutrients. Taking red soil of Eucalyptus plantation in northern Guangxi as the research object, the spectral data of samples with different soil available potassium contents were measured, and the spectral characteristics were analyzed, and the inversion model was established by using PLS method. The results showed that the spectral sensitive bands of available potassium content in red soil of the region mainly concentrated in 400-600, 1 450, 2 200 nm and so on. After the first derivative transformation, the redundant information in the original spectral data can be significantly reduced, and the correlation between spectral indexes and soil available potassium content can be improved. The full-band modeling results of R and FDR were better than those of significant bands. The optimal model was full-band-FDR-PLS, R2=0.862, and RMSE=2.718. The results of this study can be used for the application of near-earth remote sensing in Guangxi, such as soil digital mapping, precise variable fertilization and real-time monitoring of soil available potassium.

Effect of Different Soil Regulation Measures on Yield and Soil Fertility of Eucalyptus Plantation in Southern Guangxi

In view of the problems of decreased unit yield,soil acidification,decreased soil organic matter and soil fertility caused by high generation single pure Eucalyptus plantation in southern Guangxi,a field experiment was conducted to study the yield,soil organic matter and soil fertility under six soil conditioning measures[interplanting Tephrosia candida under the forest,interplanting Sesbania cannabina under the forest,organic fertilizer application,residue to woodland,soil testing and formulated fertilization,and applying pure chemical fertilizer(CK)],and the enhancing effects of each treatment on the yield and soil improvement of Eucalyptus plantations were further comprehensively evaluated.The results showed that compared with the control,the five treatments could increase the average stock of Eucalyptus,among which the average stock under the treatment of interplanting T.candida under the forest was the highest,followed by soil testing and formulated fertilization.The soil organic matter content and soil fertility of the forest were significantly improved by interplanting green manure,organic fertilizer application and soil testing and formulated fertilization models,while the short-term(1 a)effect of the residue treatment on the improvement of soil organic matter and soil fertility was insignificant.During the actual production process,interplanting green manure and residue treatment were not effective due to the inoperability,and the applicability were not wide,which still needed further study.Therefore,organic manure application and soil testing and formulated fertilization were suitable choices to promote the improvement of productivity and soil quality of Eucalyptus plantation in Guangxi.

Agronomic Practices and Macronutrients Status of Different Age Groups of Smallholder Oil Palm (Elaeis guineensis Jacq.) Plantations in Dibombari Sub-Division, Cameroon

Oil palm is cultivated by agro-industries and smallholders for vegetable oil production. Good farm management practices with balanced soil and plant macronutrients are needed to attain optimum yields. Smallholder oil palm farmers of Dibombari Sub-Division, Cameroon, suffer from low on farm yields which could emanate from the agronomic practices implemented, which also has an influence on the soil and plant macronutrient status. This study provides information on the agronomic practices, soil and plant macronutrients status in smallholder oil palm fields. Structured questionnaires were administered to 200 farmers to collect data on their agronomic practices, using a stratified random sampling design. Soil and plants were sampled from plantations of different age groups (control, >0 - 4 years, >4 - 8 years and >8 - 15 years’ plantations) in four locations of the Sub-Division (i.e. Dibombari-central, Bonamateke, Bomono and Nkapa) using a randomized complete block design. Data collected, was analyzed using descriptive and inferential statistics. The results showed that 65% of farmers planted Tenera variety, with majority of them below the standards for weeding (81%), fertilizer use (100%), pruning (62%), pest/disease control (90.5%) and harvesting (96%) practices. Soil macronutrients were low across the different plantations except P which was optimal at >0 - 4 years and >4 - 8 years’ plantations but low at >8 - 15 years’ plantation. Similarly, for plant macronutrients, N and P were optimal across the different plantations, while K and Mg were optimal at >0 - 4 years’ plantation but low at >4 - 8 years and >8 - 15 years’ plantations. Thus, agronomic practices and macronutrient status of soil and plants were below standards in smallholder oil palm plantations of Dibombari, leading to low yields of fresh fruit bunches.

Functional diversity dominates positive species mixture effects on ecosystem multifunctionality in subtropical plantations

Mixed-species plantations generally exhibit higher ecosystem multifunctionality than monospecific plantations.However,it is unclear how tree species functional composition influences species mixture effects on ecosystem multifunctionality.We selected 171 monospecific and mixed-species plantations from nine regions across subtropical China,and quantified 13 key ecosystem functional properties to investigate how species mixture effects on ecosystem multifunctionality are modulated by functional diversity and identity.We found that ecosystem multifunctionality was significantly higher(p<0.05)in mixed tree plantations than in monospecific plantations except the mixed-conifer species plantations.Across all regions,ecosystem multifunctionality was significantly higher(p<0.05)in mixed conifer-broadleaf plantations than in monospecific plantations of the corresponding species,but not different between mixed and monospecific coniferous plantations.The magnitude of species mixture effects on ecosystem multifunctionality varied greatly with tree species compositions.Taking Cunninghamia lanceolata Lamb.as an example,the effects varied from a range of 2.0%–9.6%when mixed with a conifer species to 36%–87%when mixed with a broadleaf species.The functional diversity was the dominate driver shaping ecosystem multifunctionality,while functional identity,as expressed by community-weighted mean of specific leaf area,also had a positive effect on ecosystem multifunctionality through the increased below-ground nitrogen and phosphorus stocks regulated by specific leaf area of the mixing tree species.Our study highlights the important role of functional diversity in shaping ecosystem multifunctionality across region-wide environmental conditions.Mixed conifer-broadleaf tree plantations with distinct functional traits benefit the enhancement of ecosystem multifunctionality,and the magnitude of species mixture effects is modulated by the functional identity of tree species composition;those relationships deserve a special consideration in multifunctional management context of subtropical plantations.

Assessment of the Influence of Oil Palm and Rubber Plantations in Tropical Peat Swamp Soils Using Microbial Diversity and Activity Analysis

In this study, tropical peat swamp soils from Giam Siak Kecil-Bukit Batu Biosphere Reserve (GSKBB) in Indonesia was evaluated to assess the impact of oil palm and rubber plantations on this unique organic soil through comparisons with soils from a natural forest using a polyphasic approach (chemical and molecular microbial assays). Changes in the ammonium, nitrate and phosphate concentration were observed in soils converted to agricultural use. Soil enzyme activities in plantation soils showed reduced β-glucosidase, cellobiohydrolase and acid phosphatase activities (50% - 55% decrease). PCR-DGGE based analysis showed that the soil bacterial community from agricultural soils exhibited the lowest similarity amongst the different microbial groups (fungi and Archaea) evaluated (34% similarity to the natural forest soil). Shannon Diversity index values showed that generally the conversion of tropical peatland natural forest to rubber plantation resulted in a greater impact on microbial diversity (ANOVA p < 0.05). Overall, this study indicated substantial shifts in the soil microbial activity and diversity upon conversion of natural peatland forest to agriculture, with a greater change being observed under rubber plantation compared to oil palm plantation. These findings provided important data for future peatland management by relating changes in the soil microbial community and activities associated to agricultural practices carried out on peatland.

Nonlinear mixed-effects height to crown base and crown length dynamic models using the branch mortality technique for a Korean larch( Larix olgensis ) plantations in northeast China

Korean larch(Larix olgensis)is one of the main tree species for aff orestation and timber production in northeast China.However,its timber quality and growth ability are largely infl uenced by crown size,structure and shape.The majority of crown models are static models based on tree size and stand characteristics from temporary sample plots,but crown dynamic models has seldom been constructed.Therefore,this study aimed to develop height to crown base(HCB)and crown length(CL)dynamic models using the branch mortality technique for a Korean larch plantation.The nonlinear mixed-eff ects model with random eff ects,variance functions and correlation structures,was used to build HCB and CL dynamic models.The data were obtained from 95 sample trees of 19 plots in Meng JiaGang forest farm in Northeast China.The results showed that HCB progressively increases as tree age,tree height growth(HT growth)and diameter at breast height growth(DBH growth).The CL was increased with tree age in 20 years ago,and subsequently stabilized.HT growth,DBH growth stand basal area(BAS)and crown competition factor(CCF)signifi cantly infl uenced HCB and CL.The HCB was positively correlated with BAS,HT growth and DBH growth,but negatively correlated with CCF.The CL was positively correlated with BAS and CCF,but negatively correlated with DBH growth.Model fi tting and validation confi rmed that the mixed-eff ects model considering the stand and tree level random eff ects was accurate and reliable for predicting the HCB and CL dynamics.However,the models involving adding variance functions and time series correlation structure could not completely remove heterogeneity and autocorrelation,and the fi tting precision of the models was reduced.Therefore,from the point of view of application,we should take care to avoid setting up over-complex models.The HCB and CL dynamic models in our study may also be incorporated into stand growth and yield model systems in China.

Designing near-natural planting patterns for plantation forests in China

Background: China has a long tradition of managing planted forests. Different species of Populus, Eucalyptus, Larix, Cunninghamia and Pinus are planted to satisfy the local demand for wood products and provide ecological services at the same time. Evidence of the greater resilience of natural forests provides the motivation to develop asymmetric planting patterns, which is the focus of this study. We present a new method for designing plantation patterns that follow those observed in natural ecosystems and to maintain some regularity for operational convenience. Methods: Based on the uniform angle index, we analyzed the spatial structure of six natural forests in different regions of China. The uniform angle index describes the degree of spatial uniformity of the n nearest neighbors of a given reference tree. Accordingly, we identified all possible patterns of a neighborhood group within a regular planting pattern and developed a method to optimize planting point arrangements that contain some randomness as well as a minimum degree of regularity. Results:(1) There are 13 types of structural units in a regular planting, including seven random units, five even units and one cluster unit;(2) Five near-natural arrangements are presented with a minimum proportion of 50% of random units. These five arrangements represent a combination of regularity for operational convenience and asymmetry. Conclusions: The new planting patterns developed in this study are expected to increase the asymmetric competition and resilience of these important ecosystems. Some experimental plantings, based on our findings, have already been established, e.g., in Pinus tabulaeformis plantations in Tianshui, Gansu Province, and in a Populus deltoides plantation in Fangshan near Beijing.

Comparison of machine learning algorithms for mapping mango plantations based on Gaofen-1 imagery

Mango is a commercial crop on Hainan Island,China,that is cultivated to develop the tropical rural economy.The development of accurate and up-to-date maps of the spatial distribution of mango plantations is necessary for agricultural monitoring and decision management by the local government.Pixel-based and object-oriented image analysis methods for mapping mango plantations were compared using two machine learning algorithms(support vector machine(SVM)and Random Forest(RF))based on Chinese high-resolution Gaofen-1(GF-1)imagery in parts of Hainan Island.To assess the importance of different features on classification accuracy,a combined layer of four original bands,32 gray-level co-occurrence(GLCM)texture indices,and 10 vegetation indices were used as input features.Then five different sets of variables(5,10,20,and 30 input variables and all 46 variables)were classified with the two machine learning algorithms at object-based level.Results of the feature optimization suggested that homogeneity and variance were very important variables for distinguishing mango plantations patches.The object-based classifiers could significantly improve overall accuracy between 2–7%when compared to pixel-based classifiers.When there were 5 and 10 input variables,SVM showed higher classification accuracy than RF,and when the input variables exceeded 20,RF showed better performances.After the accuracy achieved saturation points,there were only slightly classification accuracy improvements along with the numbers of feature increases for both of SVM and RF classifiers.The results indicated that GF-1 imagery can be successfully applied to mango plantation mapping in tropical regions,which would provide a useful framework for accurate tropical agriculture land management.