Table of Content

18 February 2011, Volume 22 Issue 02

Previous Issue    Next Issue

Articles

Vegetation carbon storage in Larix gmelinii plantations in Great Xing’an Mountains.

2011, 22(02):  273-279. 

Asbtract ( 2302 )   PDF (628KB) ( 1281 )  

Through sampling site investigation, this paper studied the carbon storage of arbor, herb, and whole vegetation in 10-, 12-, 15-, 26-, and 61-year old Larix gmelinii plantations in Huzhong Forestry Bureau of Great Xing’an Mountains, Northeast China, and ‘temporal for spatial’ method was employed to approach the variations of the vegetation carbon storage during the growth of the plantations. The results revealed that the vegetation carbon storage in the plantations increased with stand age, and reached 105.69 t·hm^-2 at age of 61 years, representing a marked role as a carbon sink. The L. gmelinii plantations at the ages from 15 to 26 years had the strongest capability in carbon sequestration, in which, the carbon storage in trunk occupied 54.3%-73.9% of the total carbon storage of arbor, and, with the increase of stand age, the trunk’s carbon storage to the total carbon storage of arbor as well as the trunk’s carbon density increased. As for the other organs, the rate of their carbon storage to the total carbon storage of arbor decreased with stand age, while their carbon density increased first but eventually leveled off or had a slight decrease till at age of 61 years. Based on these results, the rotation age for the L. gmelinii plantations in Great Xing’an Mountains would properly be lengthened to at least 60 years.

Application of indicator species in predicting forest management effect on forest species diversity and community composition.

2011, 22(02):  280-286. 

Asbtract ( 2089 )   PDF (633KB) ( 858 )  

By using indicator species analysis (ISA) method, this paper studied the feasibility of using indicator species to reflect the responses of species diversity and community composition of subtropical forests in Huitong of China to forest management. Ninety-four significant indicator species from 357 understory species were identified, and a new indicator species dataset (community level) was constructed to examine the association between indicator species dataset and original community dataset, and to evaluate the predictive potential of indicator species in reflecting forest management effect. There existed a strong association between the two datasets (Mantel r=0.898). The indicator species dataset could well predict the management effect on species diversity (regression analysis, R²>0.74) and community composition (ANOVA, F>16.79). When the two datasets were applied to Nonmetric Multi-Dimensional Scaling (NMDS) ordination and K-mean cluster analysis, the indicator species dataset could well identify the forest types with different management treatments, as the original community dataset did. Also, the indicator species dataset nearly played the same role as the original community dataset in identifying the species diversity, community composition, and forest type. It was suggested that for saving costs in overall investigation of forest ecosystem, indicator species could be used as a surrogate of full community to predict forest management effect.

Forest biomass and its spatial pattern in Guizhou Province.

2011, 22(02):  287-294. 

Asbtract ( 2446 )   PDF (1689KB) ( 949 )  

Based on the  forest inventory data of 5500 sampling plots from 1996 to 2000 in Guizhou Province and according to the biomass expansion factors (BEF) of various forest types, the forest biomass in the Province was estimated, with its spatial pattern and its differences between karst and non-karst regions analyzed. In the study period, the total biomass of trees and shrubs on forest and non-forest lands was 3.51×10⁸ t, 18% and 82% of which came from karst and non-karst regions, respectively. Different forest types had different forest biomass. Forest stands had the highest forest biomass, accounting for 71.4% of the total, and the total forest biomass in karst region was obviously lower than that in non-karst region. Among the dominant tree species and groups, Cunninghamia lanceolata had the highest total biomass (5.38×10⁷ t), followed by sclerophyll broadleaved woods (4.99×10⁷ t), Pinus massoniana, P. yunnanensis, and Quercus (2.87×10⁷-3.54×10⁷ t), Cupress (1.52×10⁷ t) and malacophyll broadleaved woods (1.43×10⁷ t), and the others (<1.00×10⁷ t). Based on the administrative division, the total forest biomass (9.83×10⁷) and forest stand biomass (5.88×10⁷ t) in South Guizhou were 1-2 folds higher than those in Zunyi, Tongren and Qiannan Districts, and far higher than those in Qianxinan, Bijie, Guiyang, Anshun, and Liupanshui Districts (total forest biomass 0.53×10⁷-1.85×10⁷ t and forest stand biomass 0.16×10⁷-0.86×10⁷t). High biomass (>400 t·hm^-2) and medium-high biomass density (100-400 t·hm^-2) mainly occurred in the bamboo forest and other forest stands in Southeast, East, and Northwest Guizhou, while medium-low biomass (30-100 t·hm^-2) occurred in the forest and non-forest areas of the Province. Low forest biomass (0-30 t·hm^-2) mainly occurred in karst region. Overall, the forest biomass in the Province was relatively low, being closely related to the topography of plateau and mountains, the rocky-desertification in karst region, and the shallow soil layer and dry habitat under karst forests, as well as the strong disturbance of human activities.

Effects of tourism disturbance on plant diversity in Qingshan Lake scenic area of Zhejiang Province.

2011, 22(02):  295-302. 

Asbtract ( 2008 )   PDF (558KB) ( 762 )  

From May 2007 to June 2008, an investigation was made on the changes of plant community in Qingshan Lake scenic area of Zhejiang Province under the effects of tourism disturbance. With the increase of tourism disturbance, the importance value of the plants was mainly fastened on a few species such as Pinus hwangshanensis, apt to decrease for tree and shrub species and to increase for herb species, and the individuals of the plants increased. The values of richness index (D) and diversity index (H) were in the order of medium disturbance > slight disturbance > severe disturbance, while the evenness index (J) value was in the order of medium disturbance > severe disturbance > slight disturbance. At the same vegetation layers, only a few species such as Cinnamomum camphora existed under different disturbances, and thereby, the similarity index values were smaller than 0.500. Slight disturbance affected coniferous forest most, with the average values of D, H, and J being the lowest (1.188, 1.056, and 0.697, respectively); severe disturbance affected broadleaf forest and shrub-herbage most, with the D value (2.013) of shrub-herbage and the H value (1.286) and J value (0.807) of broadleaf forest being the lowest; while medium disturbance was favorable to the increase of plant diversity and to the normal exertion of ecosystem function. The eco-safety of the structural elements of plant community in the scenic area was threatened to some extent, resulting in the reduction of indigenous species such as Sinocalycanthus chinensis and the incursion of exotic species as Setaria viridis.

ALOS PALSAR estimation of vegetation biomass in Daxing’anling region.

2011, 22(02):  303-308. 

Asbtract ( 2041 )   PDF (1425KB) ( 896 )  

Based on field survey data, the correlations between the ALOS PALSAR L-band HH (L-HH) polarization data and the parameters of forest components in Daxing’anling region were systematically analyzed, and by adopting forest biomass estimation models, including simple linear model, exponential model, and model with terrain factors, optimal inversion was conducted. The results showed that backscattering coefficient had the greatest correlation with total forest biomass, and secondly, with trunk biomass, suggesting that the L-HH data could be used to estimate the total forest aboveground biomass. Among the three models adopted, the model with terrain factors could greatly reduce the biomass estimation error, with the accuracy reached 0.851, and the inversion result coincided best with the actual situation. It was forecasted that under the 41.5° incidence angle L-HH polarization, the vegetation biomass saturation point within the Tahe and Amuer forest bureaus of Daxing’anling was at about 15.4 kg·m^-2.

Simulation of the effects of climate change on canopy transpiration over a broad-leaved Korean pine forest in Changbai Mountains.

2011, 22(02):  309-316. 

Asbtract ( 1923 )   PDF (648KB) ( 804 )  

To investigate the effects of climate change on canopy transpiration, a process-based carbon and water coupling multi-layer model was verified, and used to simulate the canopy transpiration over a broad-leaved Korean pine forest in Changbai Mountains. This multi-layer model could well estimate canopy transpiration. The simulated values fitted well with the measured data based on eddy covariance method. The simulation of the responses of canopy transpiration to climate change indicated that the latent heat flux (LE) increased with increasing air temperature, and decreased with the decline of soil water content or the increase of air CO₂ concentration. Under the climate scenarios in this study, the LE was most sensitive to the associated variation of 10% reduction of soil water content in 0-20 cm layer and 190 μmol·mol^-1 increase of CO₂ concentration, but not sensitive to the synchronous variation of 10% reduce of soil water content and 3.6 ℃ increase of air temperature.

Species-area relationship at different succession stages of monsoon evergreen broad-leaved forest in south subtropical area of Yunnan Province.

2011, 22(02):  317-322. 

Asbtract ( 1974 )   PDF (796KB) ( 634 )  

Based on the investigation data of monsoon evergreen broad-leaved forest at its different succession stages (primary, CP; 15 years of succession, CF; and 30 years of succession, CT) in Pu’er of Yunnan Province, this paper studied the species-area relationship of this forest at each succession stage. It was found that in the communities at each succession stage, the number of total species, trees, shrubs, and lianas had a significant correlation with sampling area, with the area explained over 94% of the total variation. The Z value of the total species (0.334) and trees (0.394) was the lowest at CT, whereas that of shrubs (0.437) and lianas (0.326) was the lowest at CF. No significant differences were observed in the intercepts of the species-area curve of total species, trees, shrubs, and lianas among different succession stages, but the coefficient of determination (R²) of the species-area curve of total species and lianas was the highest at CP. The richness of trees and shrubs at CF explained 99.9% of the variance of Z value, but the richness of total species, trees, shrubs, and lianas at CP and CT had no significant correlations with the Z value.

Correlation analysis on |normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI) of different |vegetations and climatic factors in Southwest China.

2011, 22(02):  323-330. 

Asbtract ( 2957 )   PDF (1524KB) ( 902 )  

Based on the 1982-2006 NDVI remote sensing data and meteorological data of Southwest China, and by using GIS technology, this paper interpolated and extracted the mean annual  temperature, annual precipitation, and drought index in the region, and analyzed the correlations of the annual variation of NDVI in different vegetation types   (marsh, shrub, bush, grassland, meadow, coniferous forest, broad-leaved forest, alpine vegetation, and cultural vegetation) with corresponding climatic factors. In 1982-2006, the NDVI, mean annual  temperature, and annual precipitation had an overall increasing trend, and the drought index decreased. Particularly, the upward trend of mean annual temperature was statistically significant. Among the nine vegetation types, the NDVI of bush and mash decreased, and the downward trend was significant for bush. The NDVI of the other seven vegetation types increased, and the upward trend was significant for coniferous forest, meadow, and alpine vegetation, and extremely significant for shrub. he mean annual  temperature in the areas with all the nine vegetation types increased significantly, while the annual precipitation had no significant change. The drought index in the areas with marsh, bush, and cultural vegetation presented an increasing trend, that in the areas with meadow and alpine vegetation decreased significantly, and this index in the areas with other four vegetation types had an unobvious decreasing trend. The NDVI of shrub and coniferous forest had a significantly positive correlation with mean annual  temperature, and that of shrub and meadow had significantly negative correlation with drought index. Under the onditions of the other two climatic factors unchanged, the NDVI of coniferous forest, broad-leaved forest, and alpine vegetation showed the strongest correlation with mean annual  temperature, that of grass showed the strongest correlation with annual precipitation, and the NDVI of mash, shrub, grass, meadow, and cultural vegetation showed the strongest correlation with drought index. There existed definite correlations among the climatic factors. If the correlations among the climatic factors were ignored, the significant level of the correlations between NDVI and climatic factors would be somewhat reduced.

Soil moisture content and fine root biomass of rubber tree (Hevea brasiliensis) plantations at different ages.

2011, 22(02):  331-336. 

Asbtract ( 2380 )   PDF (682KB) ( 816 )  

By using soil core sampling method, this paper studied the soil moisture regime of rubber plantations and the fine root biomass of Hevea brasiliensis in immature period (5 a), early yielding period (9 a), and peak yielding period (16 a). With the increasing age of rubber trees, the soil moisture content of rubber plantations increased but the fine root biomass decreased. The soil moisture content at the depth of 0-60 cm in test rubber plantations increased with soil depth, and presented a double-peak pattern over the period of one year. The fine root biomass of rubber trees at different ages had the maximum value in the top 10 cm soil layers and decreased with soil depth, its seasonal variation also showed a double-peak pattern, but the peak values appeared at different time. Soil moisture content and soil depth were the main factors affecting the fine root biomass of H. brasiliensis.

Clonal plasticity of Iris japonica under different soil and canopy conditions in subtropocal evergreen broad-leaved forest.

2011, 22(02):  337-342. 

Asbtract ( 2212 )   PDF (653KB) ( 795 )  

An investigation was made on the growth indices of Iris japonica growi ng on the yellow soil and Karst soil within a subtropical evergreen broad-leaved forest and in the forest gaps, aimed to approach the clonal plasticity of I. japonica  in heterogeneous habitats. The results showed that the ramet height and diameter and the rhizome diameter of I. japonica were significantly higher in yellow soil habitat than in Karst soil habitat, while the individual density was in adverse. Light had significant effects on rhizome diameter, but soil condition had lesser effects under the same light environment. Within the forest of Karst soil habitat, the bud number and flower number of I. japonica were zero, possibly due to the double pressure from soil quality and light environment for the balance between resources uptake and energy assignment and for the sustaining of growth. In a certain extent, I. japonica  in yellow soil habitat tended to K strategy via decreasing the individual number for improving competition to adapt environment, while I. japonica in Karst soil habitat tended to r strategy via increasing individual number for sustaining competition capability.

Effects of green space vegetation canopy pattern on the microclimate in residential quarters of Shenzhen City.

2011, 22(02):  343-349. 

Asbtract ( 2054 )   PDF (1175KB) ( 861 )  

Based on field survey and landscape pattern analysis, this paper studied the effects of green space vegetation canopy on the microclimate in three typical residential quarters in Shenzhen City. In each of the residential quarters, 22-26 points were chosen for meteorological observation; and around each of the observation points, a 20 m×20 m quadrat was installed, with each quadrat divided into two different patches, one covered by vegetation canopy and the another no-covered. The patch density index (D_p) and contagion index (CONTAG) in each quadrat were calculated to analyze the relationships between vegetation canopy pattern index and microclimate in each point. The results showed that the green space vegetation canopy pattern in Shenzhen had significant regulation effect on temperature and humidity. The cooling effect was mainly from the shading effect of vegetation, and also, correlated with vegetation quantity. The increase in the CONTAG of bare surface had obvious negative effects on the regulation effect of vegetation on microclimate. The regulation capability of green space vegetation on the temperature and humidity in residential quarters mainly came from tall arbor species.

Endogenous hormone contents and their habitat differentia of Reaumuria trigyna and R. soongorica in different salt habitats.

2011, 22(02):  350-356. 

Asbtract ( 1757 )   PDF (581KB) ( 871 )  

By means of Enzyme Linked Immunosorhent Assay (ELISA), this paper analyzed the contents of endogenous hormones ABA, IAA, ZR, and GA₃ in Reaumuria trigyna and its related congener R. soongorica from four different salt habitats. In the identical habitats, the contents of growth-promoting hormones IAA, ZR, and GA₃ in R. trigyna were lower than those in R. soongorica, while the content of growth-suppressing hormone ABA was in contrary, which could be one of the main reasons that R. trigyna had a weaker ecological adaptability than R. soongorica. The (IAA+ZR+GA₃) /ABA in wild R. trigyna  varied with habitats, being saline soil > non-salinized soil > heavy solonchack, which was consistent with the density and coverage of R. trigyna  population being the largest on saline soil and followed by on non-salinized soil and heavy solonchack, and suggested that R. trigyna  having lived in saline habitat for a long time developed a corresponding inherent adaptation mechanism, and that the integrative regulation of endogenous hormones under salt stress played a key role for the growth and development of R. trigyna .

Diurnal rhythm of Viburnum awabuki and Betula luminifera volatiles and electroantennogram response of Batocera horsfieldi.

2011, 22(02):  357-363. 

Asbtract ( 2036 )   PDF (586KB) ( 835 )  

By the method of Tenax-TA absorbent adsorption combined with GC-MS, this paper analyzed the changes of the diurnal rhythm of the volatiles in the healthy branches and Batocera horsfieldi-damaged branches of Viburnum awabuki and Betula luminifera, and electroantennogram technique was used to perform a comparative analysis on the electroantennogram (EAG) responses of unmated male and female B. horsfieldi to the volatiles. After the feeding by B. horsfieldi, there was a decrease in the contents of limonene, nonanal, hexadecane, butyl acrylate, and 3-methyl-butanoic acid in damaged branches of V. awabuki and in the neohexane and hexadecane contents in damaged branches of B. luminifera. Simultaneously, new materials such as permethyl 99A, octyl alcohol, iodo, decanal, hexanal, and bioallethrin etc. were newly synthesized in the dama ged branches. The EAG response values of unmated male and female B. horsfieldi adults to the volatiles in the damaged branches of B.luminifera were the highest, being 1.23 mV and 1.38 mV, while to the healthy branches of V. awa buki were the lowest, being 0.95 mV and 1.01 mV, respectively. As for the time period, the EAG response values of the adults to the volatiles were the lowest from 12:00 to 14:00, which accorded with the feeding behaviors of the adults, i.e., taking food in the field in early morning or at dusk.

Effects of irrigation amount and nitrogen fertilization rate on wheat yield and soil nitrate content.

2011, 22(02):  364-368. 

Asbtract ( 2009 )   PDF (431KB) ( 734 )  

A field experiment was conducted to study the effects of irrigation amount and nitrogen fertilization rate on wheat yield and soil nitrate content. With the increase of irrigation amount, the soil nitrate content in 0-200 cm layer at the same nitrogen fertilization rates had a trend of decrease-increase-decrease. Under irrigation, the soil nitrate content was significantly lower in 0-80 cm layer while significantly higher in 80-200 cm layer, compared with the control. As the irrigation amount increased, the translocation of soil nitrate nitrogen to deeper layers accelerated dramatically, with the content decreased in 0-80 cm layer, increased in 120-200 cm layer, and peaked in 120-140 cm layer. When the nitrogen fertilization rate increased from 210 kg·hm^-2 to 300 kg ·hm^-2, the soil nitrate content at the same irrigation amounts increased significantly through anthesis, filling, and maturity stages. With the increase of irrigation amount, the grain yield decreased after an initial increase, being the highest when the irrigation amount in whole growth period was 60 mm. The grain yield, grain protein content, and grain protein yield all increased significantly with increasing nitrogen fertilization rate. Under the conditions of the present experiment, the treatment with nitrogen fertilization rate 210 kg N·hm^-2 and irrigation amount 60 mm (split into two times) had the highest grain yield, grain protein content, grain protein yield, and harvest index but the least NO₃^--N leaching, being the more available irrigation and nitrogen fertilization mode for wheat production in the study area.

Genotype difference in nitrogen utilization efficiency of wheat.

2011, 22(02):  369-375. 

Asbtract ( 1731 )   PDF (545KB) ( 639 )  

A pot experiment with 130 wheat cultivars was conducted to study their genotype difference in biomass per plant, nitrogen accumulation, and nitrogen production efficiency under the same level of nitrogen supply, aimed to screen the high efficiency nitrogen-utilizing wheat genotypes. The results showed that the biomass per plant of the cultivars at jointing, heading, and maturing stages was within the ranges of 1.06-3.08 g, 1.88-9.05 g, and 2.64-13.75 g, respectively, and the yield per plant was 1.38-9.90 g. The nitrogen dry matter production efficiency was 25.62-65.41 g·g^-1 N (F= 5.099^**) at jointing stage and 3579-8870 g·g^-1 N (F=5.325^**) at heading stage, and the nitrogen production efficiency of grain yield was 1906-3854 g ·g^-1 N (F=4.669^**) at maturing stage. There were significant differences in nitrogen dry matter production efficiency (jointing stage, F=637.941^**; heading stage, F=201.173^**) and nitrogen grain yield production efficiency (maturing stage, F=443.450^**), and also, in biomass accumulation among the cultivars, but no significant differences in tiller number and effective tiller number. The wheat genotypes with high nitrogen utilization efficiency had the characteristics of less ineffective tiller, high nitrogen utilization before heading stage, and high effective nitrogen absorption and reuse capability at heading and maturing stage. The grain yields of high nitrogen efficiency genotypes Sheng CXK027-4 and Liangmai 4 were 2.44 times and 1.86 times higher than those of low nitrogen use efficiency genotype 6 94, and the nitrogen accumulation in grain yields was 2.06 times and 1.81 times higher than that of low nitrogen use efficiency genotype 694, respectively.

Defining of wheat growth management zones based on remote sensing and geostatistics.

2011, 22(02):  376-382. 

Asbtract ( 2010 )   PDF (2263KB) ( 569 )  

Taking the winter wheat planting areas in Rugao City and Haian County of Jiangsu Province as test objects, the clustering defining of wheat growth management zones was made, based on the spatial variability analysis and principal component extraction of the normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI) data calculated from the HJ-1A/B CCD images (30 m resolution) at different growth stages of winter wheat, and of the soil nutrient indices (total nitrogen, organic matter, available phosphorus, and available potassium). The results showed that the integration of the NDVI at heading stage with above-mentioned soil nutrient indices produced the best results of wheat growth management zone defining, with the variation coefficients of NDVI and soil nutrient indices in each defined zone ranged in 4.5%-6.1% and 3.3%-87.9%, respectively. However, the variation coefficients were much larger when the wheat growth management zones were defined individually by NDVI or by soil nutrient indices, suggesting that the newly developed defining method could reduce the variability within the defined management zones and improve the crop management precision, and thereby, contribute to the winter wheat growth management and process simulation at regional scale.

Effects of 5-aminolevulinic acid on winter wheat dry matter accumulation after anthesis and flag leaf senescence.

2011, 22(02):  383-388. 

Asbtract ( 2009 )   PDF (446KB) ( 573 )  

Taking wheat cultivar Bainong AK58 as test material, a field experiment was conducted to study the effects of different concentration 5-aminolevulinic acid (ALA) (0，10, 30 and 50 mg·L^-1) applied at initial heading stage on the post-anthesis dry matter accumulation and flag leaf senescence of the cultivar. Applying 10-50 mg·L^-1 of ALA benefited the dry matter accumulation, with its total amount at maturing stage being significantly higher than that of the control (0 mg·L^-1 ALA). 10-50 mg·L^-1 of ALA had no significant effects on the distribution of accumulated dry matter in leaf, stem and sheath, and grain, but increased the contribution of the dry matter to grain yield. 10-50 mg·L^-1 of ALA increased the leaf area index at milky and dough stages, but had no effects on it at flowering stage. After treated with 10-50 mg·L^-1 ALA, the leaf SPAD value and net photosynthetic rate from anthesis to milky stage were significantly higher, and the MDA content and relative electric conductivity at later grain-filling stage were lower, compared with those of the control. Applying 10-50 mg·L^-1 of ALA increased the grain number per spike, 1000-grain mass, and grain yield significantly, with the best effect when applying 30 mg·L^-1 ALA.

Effects of different film mulch and ridge-furrow cropping patterns on yield formation and water translocation of rainfed potato.

2011, 22(02):  389-394. 

Asbtract ( 2210 )   PDF (609KB) ( 786 )  

This paper studied the effects of different film mulch and ridge-furr ow cropping patterns on the yield formation and water translocation of rainfed potato in the semi-arid area of west Loess Plateau. Comparing with those under traditional harrowed bedding without film mulch (T₁), the potato yield under harrowed bedding with film mulching (T₂), completely mulched alternating narrow and wide ridges with furrow planting (T₃), completely mulched alternating narrow and wide ridges with ridge planting (T₄), mulched raised bedding with furrow planting (T₅), and mulched raised bedding with bedding planting (T₆) was increased by 50.1%, 75.9%, 86.8%, 69.6%, and 60.6%, and the water use efficiency (WUE) was increased by 47.0%, 82.7%, 84.0%, 75.2%, and 54.3% respectively, with the increments being the highest under T₄ and T₃. All the film much and ridge -furrow cropping patterns improved the yield component of potato, and T₄ and T₃ were most beneficial to the increase of mid and big tubers, tuber number per plant, and tuber yield per plant, and to the decrease of the proportions of green and blet tubers. It was concluded that completely mulched alternating narrow and wide ridges with ridge planting (T₄) and completely mulched alternating narrow and wide ridges with furrow planting (T₃) were the two better cropping patterns in water-saving and high yielding for potato cultivation in semiarid areas.

Effects of irrigation with treated wastewater on nutrient distribution in cucumber and tomato plants and their fruit quality.

2011, 22(02):  395-401. 

Asbtract ( 1842 )   PDF (825KB) ( 638 )  

A field experiment was conducted to investigate the effects of irrigation with treated wastewater on the nutrient distribution in cucumber and tomato plants and their fruit quality. Irrigation with treated wastewater promoted tomato growth significantly, but had definite inhibition effect on cucumber growth. After the irrigation with treated wastewater, the nitrogen in plants had the characteristics of upward translocation, potassium was easily to be accumulated in cucumber leaf but not accumulated in tomato root, and sodium was mostly accumulated in root but less enriched in leaf, not giving damage to the plants. No significant effects were observed on the distribution of calcium, magnesium, and chlorine in plants. Under the irrigation with treated wastewater, the overall quality of cucumber and tomato fruits was less affected. The nitrate concentration in cucumber and tomato fruits was increased by 5.3% and 32.9%,respectively, but still lower than the state food safety standard of China.

Food security in ‘Grain for Green Project&rsquo|area of North Shaanxi based on households.

2011, 22(02):  402-408. 

Asbtract ( 1900 )   PDF (453KB) ( 747 )  

This paper analyzed the food production by the households in the counties with high population (Mizhi County) and low population (Wuqi County) in North Shaanxi, and studied the food security and its affecting factors in the two counties by using minimum cropland area per capita and Cobb-Douglass production function methods. The results demonstrated that the food production in low population county could meet the basic standard of food security, while that in high population county could not. Cultivated area and investment in agricultural technology were the major factors affecting food security; labor force, labor quality, and grain subsidy also had positive effects on food production. The current technology and labor quality did not reach their potential for food production. This region needed to increase grain production area to reach the minimum standard of 0.14 hm² per capita, put much stress on labor force training, and formulate appropriate following policies for ‘Grain for Green’ to realize the food security strategy.

Effects of land use and environmental factors on the variability of soil quality indicators in hilly Loess Plateau region of China.

2011, 22(02):  409-417. 

Asbtract ( 2098 )   PDF (813KB) ( 1138 )  

Classical statistics methods were adopted to analyze the soil quality variability, its affecting factors, and affecting degree at a regional scale (700 km²) in the central part of hilly Loess Plateau region of China. There existed great differences in the variability of test soil quality indicators. Soil pH , structural coefficient, silt content, specific gravity, bulk density, total porosity, capillary porosity, and catalase activity were the indicators with weak variability; soil nutrients (N,P, and K) contents, CaCO₃ content, cation exchange capacity (CEC), clay content, micro-aggregate mean mass diameter, aggregate mean mass diameter, water-stable aggregates, respiration rate, microbial quotient, invertase and phosphatase activities, respiratory quotient, and microbial carbon and nitrogen showed medium variation; while soil labile organic carbon and phosphorus contents, erosion-resistance, permeability coefficient, and urease activity were the indicators with strong variability. The variability of soil CaCO₃, total P and K, CEC, texture, and specific gravity, etc. was correlated with topography and other environmental factors, while the variability of dynamic soil quality indicators, including soil organic matter content, nitrogen content, water-stable aggregates, permeability, microbial biomass carbon and nitrogen, enzyme activities, and respiration rate, was mainly correlated with land use type. Overall, land use pattern explained 97% of the variability of soil quality indicators in the region. It was suggested that in the evaluation of soil quality in hilly Loess Plateau region, land use type and environmental factors should be fully considered.

Soil physical properties of different hedgerow systems in upper reaches of Yangtze River.

2011, 22(02):  418-424. 

Asbtract ( 2023 )   PDF (497KB) ( 668 )  

Based on the investigation of present hedgerows in the upper reaches of Yangtze River, this paper analyzed the soil physical properties at different positions of three kinds of hedgerows (arbor, shrub, and grass). Comparing with those between the hedgerows, the soil physical properties within the hedgerows improved significantly. The average values of soil porosity, moisture content, saturated conductivity, water stable aggregates content, anti-erodibility index, anti-scouribility index, and clay content within the arbor, grass, and shrub hedgerows increased by 18.8%, 30.1%, 12.9%, 139.3%, 108.3%, 95.9%, and 25.5%, and the soil bulk density and sand content averagely decreased by 17.3% and 9.6%, respectively. The soil properties within the three hedgerows differed significantly. The soil anti-scouribility index within arbor hedgerow was the highest; the soil porosity, moisture content, saturated conductivity, anti-scouribility index, water-stable aggregates content, and clay content within the shrub hedgerow were higher than those within the tree and grass hedgerows; while the soil bulk density within the shrub hedgerows was lower than that within the tree and grass hedgerows. Because of the differences in the affecting degree of hedgerow on the soil physical properties at different positions of the three hedgerow systems, the related parameters presented definite horizontal variation at steep lands within, before, and behind the hedgerows, and between the hedgerows. The coefficient of variation (CV) of soil moisture content, anti-erodibility index, saturated conductivity, and clay content of arbor hedgerows was bigger than that of shrub and grass hedgerows, while the CV of soil bulk density, porosity, water-stable aggregates content, and anti-scouribility index of shrub hedgerow was bigger than that of arbor and grass hedgerows.

Spatiotemporal variation of soil pH in Guangdong Province of China in past 30 years.

2011, 22(02):  425-430. 

Asbtract ( 3021 )   PDF (1131KB) ( 1646 )  

Based on the 1980s’ soil inventory data and the 2002-2007 soil pH dat a of Guangdong Province, the spatiotemporal variation of soil pH in the Province in past 30 years was studied. In the study period, the spatial distribution pattern of soil pH in the Province had less change (mainly acidic), except that in Pearl River Delta and parts of Qingyuan and Shaoguan (weak alkaline). The overall variation of soil pH was represented as acidification, with the average pH value changed from 5.70 to 5.44. Among the soil types in the Province, alluvial soil had an increased pH, lateritic red soil, paddy soil, and red soil had a large decrement of pH value, and lime soil was most obvious in the decrease of pH value and its area percentage. The soil acidification was mainly induced by soil characteristics, some natural factors such as acid rain, and human factors such as unreasonable fertilization and urbanization. In addition, industrialization and mining increased the soil pH in some areas.

Scale-dependency of spatial variability of soil available nutrients.

2011, 22(02):  431-436. 

Asbtract ( 2165 )   PDF (1365KB) ( 737 )  

With the support of GIS and by using classical statistics and geostatistics methods, the spatial variability of soil available P (AP) and available K (AK) in cultivated lands in Yucheng City of Shandong Province was approached at county and township scales. The results showed that both the soil AP and AK followed the logarithmic normal distribution, with the coefficient of variation (CV) at the two scales being 26.5%-36.6% and presenting a moderate variation. With the decrease of the scale, the CV of the soil AP and AK increased. Both the soil AP and AK were spatially correlated with scale. At county scale, the soil AP and AK had a larger spatial correlation distance, being 9.0 km and 26.5 km, respectively; while at township scale, the soil AP and AK had a smaller spatial correlation distance, being 1.7 km and 2.8 km, respectively. The spatial distribution of the soil AP and AK at the two scales was obviously different, which was mainly affected by structural factors and random factors.

Effects of exogenous dimethylarsinic acid on Brassica campestris growth and soil arsenic bioavailability.

2011, 22(02):  437-441. 

Asbtract ( 1833 )   PDF (525KB) ( 613 )  

A pot experiment was conducted to study the effects of exogenous dimethylarsinic acid (DMA) on the growth of Brassica campestris and the bioavailability of soil arsenic (As). With the increasing concentration of applied DMA, the emergence rate and biomass of B. campestris increased at low concentration DMA, but decreased at high concentration DMA. When the DMA concentration reach ed 90 mg·kg^-1, the emergence rate and biomass of B. campestris in the second cropping decreased by 9.5% and 57.0%, respectively,compared with those in the control, indicating that exogenous DMA had longer term effects on the growth of B. campestris. The soil available As and the As uptake by B. campestris  all increased with increasing concentration of exogenous DMA, and there existed significant correlations among them. After applied into soil, the exogenous DMA demethylated, with As(V) as the main product and lesser amount of As (III), and the concentrations of soil As(V) and As(III) increased with increasing application rate of exogenous DMA.

Changes of China agricultural climate resources under the background of climate change. Ⅱ. Spatiotemporal change characteristics of agricultural climate resources in Southwest China.

2011, 22(02):  442-452. 

Asbtract ( 1603 )   PDF (3539KB) ( 956 )  

Based on the 1961-2007 ground observation data from 88 meteorological stations in Southwest China, and by using statistical methods and GIS software, this paper analyzed the spatiotemporal change characteristics of agricultural climate resources in this region in the whole year and during temperature-defined growth period. In 1961-2007, the annual mean temperature in the region showed an increasing trend, with the increment averaged 0.18 ℃·(10 a)^-1. The ≥10 ℃ and ≥ 15 ℃ accumulated temperature during temperature-defined growth period also showed an increasing trend, with the increment averaged 55.3 ℃·d·(10 a)^-1 and 37 ℃·d·(10 a)^-1, respectively. The annual sunshine hours decreased gradually from west to east, and the decreasing trend was more significant in eastern than in western region. The sunshine hours during temperature-defined growth period showed an overall increasing trend, and the spatial difference was great. The precipitation resource had an overall decrease, with the decrement in whole year and during temperature-defined growth period averaged 10 mm·(10 a)^-1 and 8 mm·(10 a)^-1, respectively. The annual reference crop evapotranspiration generally decreased, but the decrement was less than that of annual precipitation. The reference crop evapotranspiration during temperature-defined growth period within about 53% meteorological stations decreased.

Variation pattern and its affecting factors of three-dimensional landscape in urban residential community of Shenyang.

2011, 22(02):  453-459. 

Asbtract ( 1869 )   PDF (2135KB) ( 727 )  

Based on the 1:10000 aerial photo in 1997 and the three QuickBird images in 2002 , 2005, and 2008, and by using Barista software and GIS and RS techniques, the three-dimensional information of the residential community in Tiexi District of Shenyang was extracted, and the variation pattern of the three-dimensional landscape in the district during its reconstruction in 1997-2008 and related affecting factors were analyzed with the indices, i e. road density, greening rate,average building height, building height standard deviation, building coverage rate, floor area rate, building shape coefficient, population density, and percapita GDP. The results showed that in 1997-2008, the building area for industry decreased, that for commerce and other public affairs increased, and the area for residents, education, and medical cares basically remained stable. The building number, building coverage rate, and building shape coefficient decreased, while the floor area rate, average building height, height standard deviation, road density, and greening rate increased. Within the limited space of residential community, the containing capacity of population and economic activity increased, and the environment quality also improved to some extent. The variation degree of average building height increased, but the building energy consumption decreased. Population growth and economic development had positive correlations with floor area rate, road density, and greening rate, but negative correlation with building coverage rate.

Eco-efficiency change and its driving factors in Tongling City of Anhui Province.

2011, 22(02):  460-466. 

Asbtract ( 1973 )   PDF (504KB) ( 635 )  

This paper first applied material flow analysis (MFA) to construct three levels of regional eco-efficiency indicators, i.e., regional direct eco-efficiency (RDE), regional total eco-efficiency (RTE), and holistic eco-efficiency (HE), and adopted the newly developed data envelopment analysis (DEA) to evaluate the eco-efficiency of Tongling City during the period of 1990-2008. We also applied Malmquist productivity index (MPI) to explore the eco-efficiency change between two following years and its driving factors. The main results were summarized as 1) though the RDE of Tongling City in 1990-2008 kept an increasing trend, its mean eco-efficiency was not high (close to 0.8 in 80% of the years), being lower than that of the RTE and HE, and 2) the RDE change was closely relevant to the improvement in resource management and the technical input in environmental protection in recent years. In order to further improve the RDE of the City, it would be necessary to raise its eco-efficiency via expanding raw material input, reducing domestic extraction, promoting resources productivity, and taking more measures on environmental protection facilities construction.

Evolution process and related driving mechanisms of Yellow River Delta since the diversion of Yellow River.

2011, 22(02):  467-472. 

Asbtract ( 2562 )   PDF (1335KB) ( 833 )  

Based on the 23 sheets of remote sensing images from 1976 to 2009, in combining with the water and sediment data from Lijin station and the annual precipitation data of Yellow River Basin from 1976 to 2008, this paper quantitatively analyzed the features of water and sediment discharge from Yellow River, and the evolution process of Yellow River Delta and related driving mechanisms. In 1976-2008, the annual runoff and the annual sediment discharge into sea changed largely and frequently, but overall, presented a decreasing trend. Since the course of the Yellow River changed its direction to Qingshui channel in 1976, the Delta coastline and area were generally in a silting-up state. The evolution process of the Delta could be approximately divided into three stages, i.e., 1976-1985, 1986-1995, and 1996-2009, and the increasing rate of the Delta decreased with the stages. The coastline and area of the Delta were significantly exponentially correlated to the sediment accumulated at Lijin station, and the inter-annual variation of the precipitation of the Yellow River Basin had a strong correlation with that of the sediment at Lijin station, suggesting that the annual variation of the precipitation in Yellow River Basin was the main factor affecting the runoff and sediment discharge into sea.

Cadmium tolerance and enrichment characteristics of Eulaliopsis binata.

2011, 22(02):  473-480. 

Asbtract ( 1708 )   PDF (780KB) ( 724 )  

A pot experiment was conducted to study the cadmium (Cd) tolerance and enrichment characteristics of Eulaliopsis binata. Applying low concentration Cd (5 mg·kg^-1) could boost the growth and physiological vigor of E. binata, with the twelve indexes such as biomass and net photosynthetic rate, etc.
increased by 1.0%-15.5%, compared with CK; while applying high concentration Cd (>5 mg·kg^-1) had negative effects on the growth of E. binata. Even
though the E. binata still finished its physiological circle under the application of 100 mg Cd·kg^-1, the biomass and net photosynthetic rate were decreased by 27.0% and 25.6%, respectively, in comparison with CK. The Cd conten t in the organs of E. binata increased greatly with increasing concentration of applied Cd. The Cd content in roots was from 350 mg·kg^-1 to 500 mg·kg^-1, and that in stems and leaves was from 15 mg·kg^-1 to 35 mg·kg^-1. When the concentration of applied Cd was <50 mg·kg^-1, the Cd uptake by E. binata increased with increasing concentration of applied Cd. The Cd content in stems and leaves amounted 15.7%-38.4% of the total uptake, and the ratio of the Cd content in stems and leaves to that in roots was up to 0.62. All the results indicated that E. binata had stronger capability in tolerating, enriching, and transporting Cd, being a potential Cd hyperaccumulator.

Combined effects of copper and simulated acid rain on copper accumulation, growth, and antioxidant enzyme activities of Rumex acetosa.

2011, 22(02):  481-487. 

Asbtract ( 2057 )   PDF (685KB) ( 535 )  

A pot experiment was conducted to study the combined effects of Cu (0-1500 mg·k g^-1) and simulated acid rain (pH 2.5-5.6) on the copper accumulation, growth, and antioxidant enzyme activities of Rumex acetosa. With the increasing concentration of soil Cu, the Cu accumulation in R. acetosa increased, being higher in root than in stem and leaf. The exposure to low pH acid rain promoted the Cu uptake by R. acetosa. With the increase of soil Cu concentration and/or of acid rain acidity, the biomass of R. acetosa decreased, leaf and root MDA contents increased and had good correlation with soil Cu concentration, and the SOD and POD activities in leaf and root displayed a decreasing trend after an initial increase. This study showed that R. acetosa had a strong adaptive ability to Cu and acid rain stress, exhibiting a high application potential in the remediation of Cu-contaminated soil in acid rain areas.

Environmental impact assessment based on planning support system.

2011, 22(02):  488-494. 

Asbtract ( 2094 )   PDF (2023KB) ( 702 )  

How to assess environmental impact is one of the keys in land use planning. This article described in detail the concepts of activities, impact zones, functions, and sensitivities, as well as the development of STEPP (strategic tool for integrating environmental aspects in planning procedures) based on Avenue, the secondary developing language of ArcView GIS. The system makes it convenient for planning practitioners exchanging information, and can spatially, visually and quantitatively describe environmental impact and its change. In this study, the urban-rural combination area located between EDE and Veenendaal of the Netherlands was taken as case, and the results indicated that the environment was incorporated well in the planning procedure based on the concepts, and could also demonstrate the effects of planning measures on environment spatially, explicitly, and in real-time, facilitating the participation of planning practitioners and decision-making. Some proposals of how to promote STEEP application in China were suggested.

Marine environment of Nanri Archipelago, Fujian Province in summer: Diagnosis and assessment.

2011, 22(02):  495-502. 

Asbtract ( 1864 )   PDF (724KB) ( 798 )  

Based on the ecological investigation data in September and October 2007, the status of the marine ecological environment of Nanri Archipelago, Fujian Province in summer was diagnosed and assessed from the aspects of sea water quality, nutrient structure and levels, and biodiversity. The comprehensive quality index method was used for the assessment of the marine ecological environment, and the rationality of the assessment obtained from different indices was also discussed. The sea water pH, dissolved oxygen (DO), chemical oxygen demand (COD) , and Pb, Cd, Hg, and As concentrations were all within the limit values of the GradeⅡstandard of Sea Water Quality Standard (GB 3097-1997), while the phosphate concentration at 71% stations, inorganic nitrogen at 14% stations, and oil concentration at 7% stations were all above the GradeⅡstandard of Sea Water Quality Standard. Overall, the seawater quality was of better grade, nutrient structure was characterized by N-limited, most of the sea water was at a state of eutrophication, and the diversity index of plankton was at mildly polluted or unpolluted level. The comprehensive quality index indicated that the seawater quality of the Nanri Archipelago was relatively fine. There existed definite differences in the assessment results by using different diagnosis methods, and hence, a relatively objective assessment about marine environmental quality and health status could only be made when the chemical and biological indicators were comprehensively used.

Community composition of phytoplankton in Fujian-Guangdong coastal upwelling region in summer and related affecting factors.

2011, 22(02):  503-512. 

Asbtract ( 2207 )   PDF (1873KB) ( 764 )  

Based on the investigation data of 133 samples from 30 grid stations in the Fujian-Guangdong coastal upwelling region (21.6°-24.3° N，115.7°-118.7° E) in 11-16 June 2009, this paper studied the phytoplankton species composition and cell abundance in the region in three dimensions (vertical, horizontal, and sectional), and approached their relations with major environmental factors. A total of 159 taxa belonging to 85 genera of 4 phyla were identified, among which, diatom was predominant, followed by dinoflagellate. Cyanophyceae mainly composed of Trichodesmium also occupied a greater proportion, but Chrysophyceae was only checked out in the upper 10 m water layer at coastal stations. The domin ant species were Rhizosolenia alata f. gracillma, Thalassionema nitzschioides, Pseudonitzschia pungens, Skeletonema costatum, Thalassionema frauenfeldii, Paralia sulcata, Guinadia striata, Trichodesmium thiebautii, Ceratium fusus, and Gyrodinium spirale. Most of the phytoplankton taxa were cosmopolitan species, followed by warm-water species, while tropic high-salinity or oceanic eurythermal species were lesser. The cell abundance of the phytoplankton was average of 67.59×10 ² ind·L^-1. In vertical profile, the cell abundance of the phytoplankton was the highest in surface water, and decreased with water depth. In horizontal and sectional profiles, the cell abundance had no definite patterns, but the high abundance region was in Nanao Island water area, being anastomosed with the center of upwelling region, which indicated that the weak and small intensity of deep-sea water upwelling caused lesser phytoplankton cell abundance and superposition. The comparatively high phytoplankton cell abundance in the four sections (B, C, D, E) along Nanao-Zhangpu was resulted from the upwelling from Taiwan Bank. The phytoplankton cell abundance had a significant positive correlation with the PO₄^3- concentration in the upper 10 m water layer, but no correlation with the dissolved inorganic nitrogen (DIN) concentration. Thereby, to study the eco-physiological responses of phytoplankton species to nutrient stress would be helpful to reveal the formation mechanism of algal bloom in upwelling region.

Construction of degradation diagnosis system for the ecosystems in Dongtan coastal zone of Chongming, Shanghai.

2011, 22(02):  513-518. 

Asbtract ( 1948 )   PDF (1517KB) ( 831 )  

Based on the “pressure-state-response (PSR)” concept model, a degradation evaluation index system was constructed for the cropland, wetland, and inshore ecosystems in Dongtan coastal zone of Chongming. By using multiplication synthesis, a combination of analytic hierarchy process and entropy weight method, the weights of each evaluation index were obtained, and, through geographical space index quantification and spatial clustering, the degradation degree of each ecological system was analyzed. The results showed that the degradation degree of Dongtan coastal ecosystems in 2005 could be spatially classified into four classes, i.e., classⅠ, classⅡ, class Ⅲ and class Ⅳ, with the degradation degree aggravated increasingly. For the cropland, wetland, and inshore ecosystems, the weight of heavy metals was the largest, being 0.65, 0.20, and 0.26, respectively. Bird diversity index, land use degree, and Spartina alterniflora coverage also had greater effects on wetland ecosystem, and their weights were 0.26, 0.16 , and 0.10, respectively. For cropland ecosystem, land use degree was also an important affecting factor, with the weight of 0.22.

Habitat selection attributes of giant panda.

2011, 22(02):  519-525. 

Asbtract ( 2180 )   PDF (923KB) ( 720 )  

Based on the 1997-2009 inventory data of Wanglang Nature Reserve, the habitat selection attributes of giant panda were studied from the aspects of topography, forest community structure, and main feeding bamboo by the methods of frequency distribution and Bailey. The giant panda had obvious habitat preferences. Topographically, the preferred microhabitat was on the even or convex slopes at the ridge, top, or middle part of mountain body at an elevation 2500-3000 m, with southwest aspect, 6°-30°, and the distance to the nearest water source > 300 m. As for the forest community structure, the giant panda preferred the microhabitat with the bamboo succeeded from secondary forest or mixed conifer and broad-leaved forest, and with the average tree height being 20-29 m and the shrub coverage being 0-24%. The preferred main feeding bamboo by the giant panda was the growing well Fargesia denudate with an average height of 2-5 m and the coverage of > 50%.

Degradative mobile genetic elements (MGEs) and their potential use in MGE-mediated biodegradation.

2011, 22(02):  526-536. 

Asbtract ( 2634 )   PDF (1135KB) ( 1127 )  

The horizontal transfer of mobile genetic elements (MGEs) in environmental microbial communities plays an important role in the evolution of bacterial genomes and the adaption of microbial populations to specific environmental stress. Inoculation of the bacterial strains with MGEs with pollutant-degrading gene and the subsequent horizontal transfer of the MGEs to one or various well-established and competitive indigenous bacterial populations in an ecosystem will allow the catabolic gene to be transferred and expressed in indigenous microbial populations, and hence, the survival of the introduced donor strains is no longer needed to be considered. The MGE-mediated bioremediation provides the feasibility for developing new bioremediation strategies. This paper summarized the diversity of MGEs with pollutant-degrading gene in the environment and the important roles of these MGEs in promoting pollutant degradation, introduced the methodological approaches for the isolation of the MGEs from environmental samples , and listed several studies that monitored the horizontal transfer of the MGEs in polluted soil, activated sludge, and other bioreactors.

Acidophilic methanogens and their applications in anaerobic digestion.

2011, 22(02):  537-542. 

Asbtract ( 2110 )   PDF (425KB) ( 888 )  

Methanogens play an important role in global carbon cycle. There exists a range of unknown methanogenic archaea in acidic peat lands, among which, acidophilic methanogens have attracted increasing research interests because of their special metabolic characteristics. To introduce acidophilic methanogens in the anaerobic digestion process of high concentration organic wastes or waste water could essentially overcome the inhibition of acid accumulation on the methanogens and help reduce the operation cost, broadening the industrial application of anaerobic bio-treatment technology. In this paper, we reviewed the recent researches on acidophilic methanogens, with the focus on enrichment and isolation methods, physiological and biochemical characters, metabolic characteristics, and application of molecular biology. The potential applications of acidophilic methanogens in anaerobic digestion process were analyzed and proposed, and the directions for further researches were suggested.

Bioremediation of heavy metal pollution by edible fungi: A review.

2011, 22(02):  543-548. 

Asbtract ( 2305 )   PDF (411KB) ( 1073 )  

Bioremediation is the method of using organisms and their derivatives to absorb heavy metals from polluted environment, with the characteristics of low cost, broad sources, and no secondary pollution. Heavy metals enrichment by edible fungi is an important research focus of bioremediation, because it can decrease the eco-toxicity of heavy metals via the uptake by edible fungi, and thereby, take a definite role in heavy metal remediation. This paper reviewed the research progress on the enrichment of heavy metal copper, cadmium, lead, zinc, arsenic, and chromium by edible fungi and the possible enrichment mechanisms, and prospected the development and applications of heavy metal enrichment by edible fungi in the management of polluted environment.