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.

Explaining patterns of species dominance in the shrub steppe systems of the Junggar Basin(China) and Great Basin(USA)

Natural scientists have long recognized that regions with similar climate tend to have similar vegetation.Preliminary observations suggest that shrub steppe communities of the western US and western China may be two such regions with similar annual precipitation,temperature,land use,and vegetation.These cold dry shrub steppes have traditionally been grazed.Despite these similarities,patterns of species dominance are different.Annual species that are rare in China become dominant when introduced to the United States.The objective of this study was to investigate how climate,land use and community structure may explain these patterns of species dominance.Community structure and grazing intensity were measured at 5 sites in each region.This information was combined with a broader review of the literature describing the history of grazing in both basins.Climate was analyzed based on a spatially-gridded,interpolated weather time series （monthly records） and climatological summary （1961-1990 mean conditions） data set from the Climate Research Unit.We found that differences in summer precipitation and winter minimum temperature,land use intensity,and shrub size may all contribute to the dominance of annual species in the Great Basin,particularly Bromus tectorum.In particular,previous work indicates that summer precipitation and winter temperature drive the distribution of Bromus tectorum in the Great Basin.As a result,sites with wet summers and cold springs,similar to the Chinese sites,would not be expected to be dominated by Bromus tectorum.A history of more intense grazing of the Chinese sites,as described in the literature,also is likely to decrease fire frequency,and decreases litter and shrub dominance,all of which have been demonstrated to be important in Bromus tectorum establishment and ultimate dominance.Further research is necessary to determine if other annuals that follow the same pattern of scarcity in the Junggar Basin and dominance in the Great Basin are responding to the same influences.

Features on N/P ratio of plants with different functional groups between two types of steppe in semi-arid area

The differences in nitrogen/phosphorus(N/P)ratios of different functional groups in ecology are more helpful in explaining species competition and community dynamics.Based on the functional groups of plant growth type,carbon metabolism pathway,root type and phylogenetic type,we analyzed characteristics of leaf N/P ratios of 77 species in Sanggendalai(typical grassland zone)of Zhenglan Banner,Inner Mongolia,China and 91 species in the Habahu National Nature Reserve(desertified grassland zone)in Yanchi County of Ningxia,China.The results show that the N/P ratio(16.91)of C3 plants in the desertified steppe was significantly larger than that(12.72)in the typical steppe,but there was no significant difference between the N/P ratios of C4 plants in the two zones.There was no significant difference in N/P ratios between C3 plants and C4 plants in the same zone.Similarly,the N/P ratio(16.60)of dicotyledons in desertified steppe were significantly higher than that(12.98)in typical steppe,while differences in N/P ratios between monocotyledonous plants of the two zones was not significant,and there existed no significant difference in N/P ratios between dicotyledonous and monocotyledonous plants in the same zone.The N/P ratio had significant difference between gramineous and non-gramineous plants in the typical steppe but not in the desertified steppe,but there existed no significant difference in N/P ratios among different root types of perennial herbaceous plants in the same type of steppe or between two types of steppe.Thus,different features on the N/P ratios of C3 plants and dicotyledonous plants between typical steppe and desertified steppe may lead to different growth status of plants,and the N/P ratio stoichiometric of the same plant functional group may be a foundation of the changes of a plant community.

Effects of Irrigation on Nitrous Oxide,Methane and Carbon Dioxide Fluxes in an Inner Mongolian Steppe

Increased precipitation during the vegetation periods was observed in and further predicted for Inner Mongolia. The changes in the associated soil moisture may affect the biosphere-atmosphere exchange of greenhouse gases. Therefore, we set up an irrigation experiment with one watered （W） and one unwatered plot （UW） at a winter-grazed Leymus chinensis-steppe site in the Xilin River catchment, Inner Mongolia. UW only received the natural precipitation of 2005 （129 mm）, whereas W was additionally watered after the precipitation data of 1998 （in total 427 mm）. In the 3-hour resolution, we determined nitrous oxide （N20）, methane （CH4） and carbon dioxide （CO2） fluxes at both plots between May and September 2005, using a fully automated, chamber-based measuring system. N20 fluxes in the steppe were very low, with mean emissions （±s.e.） of 0.9-4-0.5 and 0.7-4-0.5 μg N m^-2 h^-1 at W and UW, respectively. The steppe soil always served as a CH4 sink, with mean fluxes of -24.1-4-3.9 and -31.1-4- 5.3 μg C m^-2 h^-1 at W and UW. Nighttime mean CO2 emissions were 82.6±8.7 and 26.3±1.7 mg C m^-2 h^-1 at W and UW, respectively, coinciding with an almost doubled aboveground plant biomass at W. Our results indicate that the ecosystem CO2 respiration responded sensitively to increased water input during the vegetation period, whereas the effects on CH4 and N2O fluxes were weak, most likely due to the high evapotranspiration and the lack of substrate for N2O producing processes. Based on our results, we hypothesize that with the gradual increase of summertime precipitation in Inner Mongolia, ecosystem CO2 respiration will be enhanced and CH4 uptake by the steppe soils will be lightly inhibited.

Grazing exclusion-induced shifts,the relative importance of environmental filtering,biotic interactions and dispersal limitation in shaping desert steppe communities,northern China

Grazing exclusion is one of the most efficient approaches to restore degraded grassland but may negatively affects the recovery of species diversity. Changes in plant species diversity should be a consequence of the ecological assembly process. Local community assembly is influenced by environmental filtering, biotic interactions, and dispersal. However, how these factors potentially contribute to changes to species diversity is poorly understood, especially in harsh environments. In this study, two management sites within a Stipa breviflora desert steppe community（typical natural steppe） were selected in northern China. In one of the two management sites, grazing has been excluded since 2010 and in the other with open grazing by sheep. In August 2016, three plots were established and 100 sampling units were created within each plot in a 5 m×5 m area at the two management sites. To assess the effects of grazing exclusion on S. breviflora steppe, we analyzed the vegetation biomass, species diversity,soil organic carbon, and soil particle size distribution using paired T-tests. In addition, variation partitioning was applied to determine the relative importance of environmental filtering and dispersal limitation. Null mode analysis was used to quantify the influence of biotic interactions in conjunction with Eco Sim niche overlap and co-occurrence values. Our results demonstrated that（1） species diversity significantly decreased and the main improvements in soil quality occurred in the topsoil 0–10 cm after the grazing exclusion;（2） environmental filtering was important for community assembly between grazed and fenced grassland and this appears particularly true for soil particle size distribution, which may be well correlated with soil hydrological processes; and（3） however, competitive exclusion may play a significant role within the exclusion. The multiple pathways of assembly may collectively determine negative effects on the restoration of species diversity. Therefore, designers should be aware of the risk of reducing grazing exclusion-induced species diversity and account for manipulating processes. This in turn will reduce dominant species and promote environmental heterogeneity to maximize species diversity in semi-arid regions.

Application of Developed Grid-GA Distributed Hydrologic Model in Semi-Humid and Semi-Arid Basin

A grid and Green-Ampt based （Grid-GA）distributed hydrologic physical model was developed for flood simulation and forecasting in semi-humid and semi-arid basin. Based on topographical information of each grid cell extracted fi＇om the digital elevation model （DEM） and Green-Ampt infiltration method, the Grid-GA model takes into consideration the redistribution of water content, and consists of vegetation and root interception, evapotranspiration, runoff generation via the excess infiltration mechanism, runoff concentration, and flow routing. The downslope redis- tribution of soil moisture is explicitly calculated on a grid basis, and water exchange among grids within runoff routing along the river drainage networks is taken into consideration. The proposed model and Xin＇anjiang model were ap- plied to the upper Lushi basin in the Luohe River, a tributary of the Yellow River, with an area of 4 716 km2 for flood simulation. Results show that both models perform well in flood simulation and can be used for flood forecasting in semi-humid and semi-arid region.

The Bioclimate in the Steppe of Tlemcen （Oran, Western Algeria）

The last decade was marked by the special interest in flora, biological characteristics, its adaptation to climate fluctuations and the influence of human activities. The steppe climate is generally characterized by its heterogeneity. The lower semi-arid： 300 mm to 400 mm per year; The arid higher： 200 mm to 300 mm per year; The arid lower： between 100 mm and 200 mm per year. Its wide analysis of a region is based on data provided by weather stations; a summary of the climate study area was analyzed with representative stations （Ain Sefra, El Aricha, Ras el-Ma, Saf-Saf）. This steppe is in various states of degradation, consisting of Stipa tenacissima, Artemisia herba alba, Biscutella didyma, Spartium junceum and Lepidium glastifolium, etc..

Hydrogeological Framework and Groundwater Balance of a Semi-arid Aquifer, a Case Study from Iran

Climate changing and associated factors combined with considerably increases in water demand have been accompanied by severe depletion of reservoir storage of the most groundwater supplies of Iran. Shahriar aquifer in west of Tehran is a representative aquifer of these kinds. In order to meet water demand of the area and protecting groundwater from quantity and quality deterioration, precision recognition of geology, hydrologic and hydrogeologic characteristics of the aquifer is first step. The basic objective of this study is to develop the hydrogeological framework of the groundwater system in Shariar, Iran and to estimate groundwater balance as a scientific database for future water resources delevopment programs. Based on this research lateral groundwater inflows, direct infiltration of rainfall, stream bed infiltration, irrigation return and surplus drinking and industrial water are the recharging factors of the aquifer. Subsurface outflows, domestic and industrial pumping wells and agricultural abstraction are the main parameters discharge the aquifer system. Water balance in the Shahriar aquifer system is in disequilibrium and a deficit of about 24.7 million cubic meters exists.

Climate Change Impact on Aquifer System of Essaouira Basin during the Past 4 Decades (Morocco)

Since the 50s, many changes are observed in the climate of the globe, the warming of the atmosphere and the ocean, the decrease in the extent of snow and ice, and rising sea levels. In addition to the demographic pressure, the Maghreb countries are suffering from the drought, which accentuates the phenomenon of desertification and soil erosion, as well as their salinity, which leads to the salinization and depletion of water resources. In Morocco, the climate change leads to the erosion of the soil under the effect of desertification resulting in siltation of reservoirs and the increased salinization of soil and water resources. The Essaouira basin, which is the subject of this study, is located at the Western extremity of the High Atlas to the Southeast of the Essaouira city;between 31°20' to 31°30'N and between 9°00' to 9°46'W. The basin is characterized by a semi-arid climate with average annual rainfall of around 300 mm·year-1 and an average temperature of 20°C. Considering the importance of the aquifer in Essaouira in the supply of the region's groundwater, a study was conducted to assess quantitatively and qualitatively the impact of climate change on water resources in this area. The aquifers present in this region are one of cenomano-turonian upstream and plio-quaternary downstream, separated by the diaper of Tidzi. A piezometric map of the basin was made (1990-2009) and the hydrochemical method of the waters shows that they present a facies Na-Cl with an electrical conductivity ranging from 700 to 7000 μs/cm. The isotopic tracers like 18O, 2H, 3H and 14C were analyzed to determine the age of groundwater, and a right local meteoric close to the right meteoric world characterizing the precipitation of oceanic origin has been determined. The Essaouira basin turns out to be very vulnerable and sensitive to climate change because its recharge is entirely dependent on the rainwater. These results should be taken in consideration for the future water management in the region.

利用马尔柯夫过程预测锡林河流域草原退化格局的变化

以我国北方典型草原模式地段之一的锡林河流域草原为研究对象,根据研究区两个时期遥感影像解译的植被类型图衍生出草原植被退化图。在对草原退化图统一网格化后,计算各网格草原退化指数,并加以分级,确定不同草原退化等级之间转移概率,并应用马尔柯夫模型预测锡林河流域草原退化格局的演变趋势。结果表明:如果不采取防止草地退化的根本性措施,草原退化态势还将继续下去。以每个网格草原退化指数值为各网格草原退化状况划分依据,以3km×3km网格为统计单元,在流域总面积为10701km2情况下,预测结果是:2005年,锡林河流域草原退化为3级的网格总面积是3776km2,占流域总面积的35.29%;4、5级网格面积之和为5427km2,达到流域总面积的50.71%。2025年,锡林河流域草原退化为3级的网格面积总和是3389km2,占流域总面积的31.67%;4、5级网格面积之和为6406km2,达到流域总面积的59.86%。

锡林河流域生态系统服务价值变化研究

论文采用Costanza等人的生态系统服务评价方法对锡林河流域生态系统服务功能价值变化进行研究,结果表明,在1987～2000年的13年间,锡林河流域各类生态系统每年提供的服务总价值下降了31.6%,其中,草原生态系统服务价值从5.13×108美元降至4.38×108美元,下降13.3%;湿地生态系统服务的总价值由2.62×108美元下降为0.9×108美元,下降了65.1%;而农田生态系统服务价值由0.01×108美元上升到0.03×108美元,增加了200%。在草原生态系统服务功能总价值中,绣线菊草原、贝加尔针茅草原、羊草杂草类草原和羊草丛生禾草草原等优质草原所占的比重在逐渐减小,克氏针茅草原、冷蒿草原等退化类型所占的比重在逐渐增加,说明锡林河流域草原生态系统退化严重。该流域生态系统服务功能价值的下降与生态系统的退化和面积的减小有关。

内蒙古草甸草原CH_4和N_2O排放通量的时间变异

1998年 6月 1日、7月 2日、8月 3日和 9月 1日用静态箱_气相色谱法对内蒙古锡林河流域草甸草原CH4和N2 O排放通量的昼夜观测表明 ,天然草原是N2 O的源、CH4的汇 ,其排放和吸收具有明显的昼夜变化规律。 4次昼夜观测的结果还表明 ,草甸草原排放N2 O和吸收CH4的能力具有强烈的季节变化规律。方差分析表明 ,不同季节N2 O排放通量差异显著 (F =6 .35 9,p <0 .0 0 4 ) ,日均通量变化范围为 0 .2 82～ 2 .134μgN2 O N·m-2 ·h-1;而CH44次测定的日均吸收通量分别为 (- 5 2 .19± 19.6 7)、(- 2 7.2 0± 10 .5 7)、(- 12 6 .0 5± 9.32 )和 (- 16 .4 5± 1.31) μgCH4_C·m-2 ·h-1,从整个生长季看表现为“高_低_高_低”的特点。锡林河流域选择 9∶0 0～ 13∶0 0作为采样日起始采样时间 。

锡林河流域草原植被退化空间格局分析

利用TM遥感影像,结合地面植被调查,基于典型草原退化演替模式,绘制锡林河流域植被现状图,在地理信息系统支持下,研究了锡林河流域草原植被退化空间格局特征,得出全流域、上中下游及流域内不同地貌类型上不同草原退化等级的面积。全流域1999年放牧退化草原植被面积为7689.3km2,占总流域面积的71.86%。根据草原退化指数计算得出全流域总草原退化指数为10901.8km2草原退化单位,同时还计算了流域上中下游区域和流域内不同地貌类型的草原退化指数值。通过网格取样,绘制锡林河流域草原退化指数空间图,应用空间趋势面分析法绘制草原植被退化指数等值线图。结果表明:锡林河流域草原退化的空间格局较为复杂,首先与流域上中下游及不同地貌类型上人类放牧利用强度的差异相关,具体表现在流域中下游及河谷阶地、平原和丘陵区草原植被退化较为明显,其次,全流域有多个较为明显的草原植被严重退化中心区,均与人类高强度放牧利用有关。

锡林河流域中游草原植被退化遥感监测及合理放牧强度的确定

以内蒙古锡林河流域中游为研究区,应用LandsatTM资料,结合地面生物量定位测定,建立草原地上生物量估产模型,应用VisualC++编程,估算了2000年7月中下旬锡林河流域中部草原地上生物量。在锡林河流域中部两大草原植被类型[羊草+大针茅和(大针茅)克氏针茅+冰草]不同生物量的基础上,以象元为诊断单元,判别了各象元所代表地块草原植被的退化等级,绘制锡林河流域中部草原植被退化分布图。1999年锡林河以东草原退化面积为2697.3km2,占中游草原面积的49.7%,以西退化面积为1644.4km2,占30.3%。以草原生态系统可持续性为目标,针对不同退化等级草场制定不同的牧草产量利用率,划分6个放牧强度等级,计算各放牧等级的合理放牧强度(标准羊单位/km2)、面积和载畜量,研究结果可为草原退化的恢复、畜牧业的可持续发展提供决策支持。

内蒙古锡林河流域羊草草原生态系统碳素循环研究

采用野外调查和模型预测方法相结合，对内蒙古锡林河流域一个永久试验样地内的羊草（Ｌｅｙｍｕｓｃｈｉｎｅｎｓｉｓ（Ｔｒｉｎ．）Ｔｚｖｅｌ．）草原群落的碳素贮量、主要流量和周转速度等进行了初步估计，研究了长期过度放牧对整个流域羊草草原土壤有机碳贮量的影响。结果表明：１）羊草群落净初级生产固碳量的多年实测平均值为（２３１．２５±７４．４１）ｇＣ·ｍ－２·ａ－１，向土壤中的碳素输入量为２２０．７５ｇＣ·ｍ－２·ａ－１，土壤呼吸量的模型预测值为（１８１．０３±４６．３２）ｇＣ·ｍ－２·ａ－１；２）该群落碳素输入略大于输出，其理论积累率为１９．８８ｇＣ·ｍ－２·ａ－１，实测积累率为３９．７２ｇＣ·ｍ－２·ａ－１；３）近４０年来，过度放牧致使锡林河流域羊草草原表层（０～２０ｃｍ）土壤的有机碳贮量下降了约１２．４％。

基于GIS的高寒草原区土壤冻融侵蚀强度及空间分布特征

以位于青海南部高原高寒草原区的兴海盆地作为研究区,选取气温年较差、年降水量、植被盖度、坡度、坡向、海拔等因素作为冻融侵蚀强度评价指标,运用层次分析法计算各评价指标的权重,采取标准化值赋权重加权求和的方法计算冻融侵蚀强度指数,以等间隔方法对冻融侵蚀强度指数进行分级,获得了研究区冻融侵蚀强度等级类型,并利用Arc GIS的空间分析与统计分析功能对研究区冻融侵蚀的空间分布特征进行研究。结果表明:研究区冻融侵蚀发生的总面积是4784.34 km^2,其中,轻度侵蚀和中度侵蚀居多,分别占冻融侵蚀总面积的32.07%和40.06%;微度侵蚀、强烈侵蚀和极强烈侵蚀占少部分,分别占冻融侵蚀总面积的7.39%、16.08%和4.39%;冻融侵蚀主要分布在研究区的西部,不同的海拔与坡度等级下,4000—4800 m与5—35°冻融侵蚀最集中,其主要发生在高寒草甸、草原,低覆盖草地上冻融侵蚀尤为严重。研究区冻融侵蚀在各个坡向的波动较小,坡向对其影响亦较小。降水量330—455 mm和年较差24.85—26.04℃冻融侵蚀分布最集中。

“利用荒漠和盐碱地建立人工草地的研究”总结报告

课题在柴达木盆地实施，４年的研究结果表明：①碱茅是利用盐渍地建立人工草地的首选牧草，可在中一重度含盐量（０．５％～１．４７％）的土壤上生长，种植第三年产青干草４５００ｋｇ／ｈｍ￣２；②在荒漠地区采用围栏封育２年后产草量比对照提高３．９１倍，封育十灌溉提高４．２９倍，灌溉十补播十封育提高１．４２～６．２倍；③用沙棘、小红柳、绵柳建生物围栏５ｋｍ，成活率分别为７６％，９６．８％和９４％；④以单位面积粗蛋白产量作指标确定牧草最佳收获期：沙打旺为８月下旬，首稽花期一结荚期，草木樨现蕾一初花期，碱茅抽穗一扬花期；⑤牧草生长季节内耕层土壤盐分春秋两季高，夏季低，最低期为６月。人工草地建植三年后土壤耕层盐分含量分别比对照下降４５．９１％，７１．７２％和８６．２６％。

变化环境下半干旱草原流域径流变化特征及其影响因子定量分析

地表水文过程在气候波动和人类活动的作用下发生了不可忽视的变化,这种变化对于内蒙古半干旱草原流域来说更为显著。采用改进的M-K趋势检验法、双累积曲线法、累积距平法和小波变换法对典型半干旱草原流域——锡林河流域1963～2015年径流序列的变化特征进行了剖析,并以社会经济指标量化流域内人类活动影响及细化降水特征因素,运用统计检验和主成分分析进行了变化环境下流域径流主要影响因素的定量分析。结果表明,锡林河流域径流量在水文年、季尺度呈现显著(p<0.05)减少趋势;流域径流的突变年份为1998年,在其前后影响径流变化的主导因素发生变化,1998年以后径流受到人类活动和气候变化的双重影响;水文年和枯水季径流序列均存在6年、25年左右的周期,而丰水季径流不存在显著周期变化;尽管气候因素中的降水、蒸发、相对湿度及所有人类活动因素与径流显著相关而影响径流,但其中人类活动为径流变化的主导因素。

锡林河流域羊草草原植被分异的驱动力

植被与环境关系是群落生态学研究重要内容,阐明气候与放牧共同作用下草原植被分异,量化解析自然与人为干扰因子的影响具有理论与实践价值。本研究以锡林河流域羊草草原为例,采用除趋势典范对应分析法(detrended canonical correspondence analysis,DCCA)和结构方程模型(structural equation modeling,SEM),定量研究气候、海拔、土壤及放牧因子对羊草群落分异的作用。结果表明,1)DCCA前两个排序轴集中了67.63%的信息量,第1排序轴反映了放牧和水热因子的作用,第2排序轴为土壤养分的影响;2)结构方程模型分析发现,羊密度对植被分异的总影响最大,其次为气候因子;3)气候、海拔和放牧因子对植被分异也有间接作用,主要途径是影响土壤理化性质。本研究明晰了放牧与气候是主导锡林河流域羊草草原群落分异的关键因子,深入揭示了气候因子在局地尺度所发挥的作用。在草地管理实践中,结合气候特征制定具体措施,有助于促进草地资源的合理利用与保护。

1982—2020年气候变化下草原内陆河流域植被响应特征及其对径流的影响

以内蒙古乌拉盖河流域为研究区,基于1982—2020年的水文气象数据以及归一化植被指数(Normalized Difference Vegetation Index,NDVI),采用Soil and Water Assessment Tool (SWAT)水文模型以及统计分析法,分析了气候变化背景下乌拉盖河流域植被响应特征及其对径流量的影响。结果表明:SWAT模型在乌拉盖河流域的适用性良好,率定期及验证期的Nash-Sutcliffe效率系数(NSE)及判定系数(R~2)均在0.62以上,相对误差(PBLAS)小于18.8%。近40年流域降水量以8.9 mm/10a的速率呈不显著减少,而温度和实际蒸散量分别以0.43℃/10a和2.8 mm/10a的速率增加,使流域呈暖干化趋势。在流域气候暖干化背景下植被呈好转趋势,而气候变化和植被恢复共同导致流域径流深的减少。研究结果能够为干旱、半干旱区内陆河流域生态保护及水资源的可持续利用提供参考依据。