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1.
Biological soil crusts cover large areas of the Gurbantunggut Desert in northwestern China where they make a significant contribution to soil stability and fertility. The aim of this study was to quantify the potential nitrogen-fixing activity (NA) of different types of biological soil crusts in the Gurbantunggut Desert. The results suggest that NA (nmol C2H4 m?2 h?1) for each type of crusts was highly variable. Seasonal variation was also important, with all three types of crusts responding in a similar way to changes in environmental conditions. From March to May, NA was relatively low for all crust types. During this season, NA was 2.26 × 103 for cyanobacterial crust followed by lichen crust (6.54 × 102) and moss crust (6.38 × 102). From June to October, all crust types reached their highest level of NA, especially lichen crust and moss crust (p < 0.01). The NA of cyanobacterial crust (9.81 × 103) was higher than that of lichen crust (9.06 × 103) and moss crust (2.03 × 103). From November to February, when temperatures were consistently low (<0 °C), NA was at its lowest level, especially in cyanobacterial crust (4.18 × 102) and moss crust (5.43 × 102) (p < 0.01). Our results indicate that species composition is critical when estimating N inputs in desert ecosystems. In addition, all three types of crusts generally responded in a similar way to environmental conditions. The presence of N fixation activity in all crusts may contribute to the maintenance of fertility in sparsely vegetated areas and provide surrounding vascular plant with fixed nitrogen.  相似文献   

2.
Wind erosion of soil is an appreciable but unstudied event following fires in cold desert. We examined aeolian transport of sediment for 1 year following fire in semi-arid shrub steppe on loess soils in southern Idaho, USA. Sediment collectors were used to determine horizontal mass transport of soil and saltation sensors and anemometers were used to determine saltation activity (fraction of time having saltation) and threshold wind speed in an area burned in August and an unburned control site. Horizontal mass transport (per 30-day period) was negligible in the unburned area, but in the burned area was 5.40 kg m?1 in October and decreased to 2.80 kg m?1 in November and 0.32 kg m?1 in December. Saltation activity was high enough to determine threshold wind speeds only in the burn site during fall, when values ranged from 10.0 to 10.6 m s?1. Sediment flux and saltation activity in the burned site became much less pronounced following the emergence of herbaceous vegetation in the spring. Post-fire sediment flux in the shrub steppe we examined was of greater magnitude but shorter duration than post-fire fluxes in warm deserts or sandier regions that experience more frequent wind erosion.  相似文献   

3.
The purpose of our study was to better understand seed germination ecology of the spring annual short-lived Olimarabidopsis pumila, which grows in the Gurbantonggut Desert, China. Seeds underwent after-ripening at 4, 20 ± 2 (room temperature) and 30 °C. After dormancy was broken, germination capacity was a function of temperature and presence of light. For the temperature range studied (4–30 °C), germination capacity was significantly higher between 15 and 25 °C than at temperatures above or below them. Alternating temperatures of 20/10, 25/10 and 25/15 °C were favorable for germination. Although GA3 did promote dark germination of seeds, GA3 did not replace light for germination. Seeds germinated to >75% if light exposure time was over 8 h and temperature and moisture conditions were favorable. Seeds were able to germinate at relatively low water potentials (83% at ?0.41 MPa), but decreasing water potentials produced detrimental effects on germination percentage and rate. Thus, dormancy characteristics and germination behavior of O. pumila seeds ensure that germination occurs in the desert only when soil moisture conditions are favorable for seedling establishment and survival.  相似文献   

4.
Using intact samples of Gobi surfaces, we conducted wind tunnel experiments and related analyses to describe the surface characteristics of Gobi deserts and their significance for dust emissions in the Ala Shan Plateau, an area of Central Asia with high dust emissions. Under relatively high wind velocities (22 m s−1), the total sediment transport approached 700 g m−2, with the fine fractions (<50 μm in diameter) accounting for up to 26 g m−2. In consecutive experiments, the emission rates decreased greatly due to depletion of erodible particles. In the Ala Shan Plateau, coverage by gravels varied, and aeolian sediment transport increased with increasing gravel cover (to about 30%); above that level, transport decreased. Because gravel cover was less than 30% in most areas, the gravel may not play important role in dust emissions in this region. Although the Gobi surfaces are covered by gravel, high clay contents that may restrain sediment transport. In the Ala Shan Plateau, dust emissions therefore appear to be controlled mainly by the availability of fine particles, which is in turn controlled by their deposition by ephemeral streams, by their creation via physical, salt, and chemical weathering, and by other processes such as aeolian abrasion.  相似文献   

5.
Allometric equations and community biomass stocks are presented for Guiera senegalensis J.F. Gmel (Gs) and Piliostigma reticulatum (DC.) Hochst (Pr) – two native shrub species in the Sahel. These shrubs are of interest because they dominate semi-arid sub-Sahalien Africa but have been largely overlooked as a key biomass component and regulator of ecosystem composition and function in this landscape. In Year 1, best predictors of aboveground biomass were height and number of stems (Gs) and crown diameter (Pr); and for belowground biomass were height and basal diameter (Gs) and basal diameter (Pr). In Year 2, height and crown diameter were the best predictors of aboveground biomass (R2 = 0.90 for Gs and 0.87 for Pr), whereas basal diameter and number of stems (Gs) and basal diameter (Pr) were best predictors of belowground biomass. Peak-season biomass estimates ranged from 0.44 to 4.58 ton ha?1 (mean = 2.38 ton ha?1) in the Gs sites and from 0.33 to 7.38 ton ha?1 (mean = 3.71 ton ha?1) in the Pr communities. Both species exhibited unusually large root:shoot ratios (4.5:1 for Gs and 10.2:1 for Pr). Although models differ between years, allometric relationships provide reasonable biomass estimates for Gs and Pr.  相似文献   

6.
In arid environments, soil fertility exhibits a high degree of spatial and temporal heterogeneity, which results from high climatic variability seasonally and heterogeneous plant distribution. However, because most desert areas have been altered by human activities, heterogeneous fertility would originate from grazing or logging activities. We evaluated spatial and temporal heterogeneity of soil fertility in cattle-excluded sites under and outside woody plant cover (Prosopis flexuosa and Larrea divaricata), and in sites disturbed by tree removal during wet and dry season in Ñacuñán Biosphere Reserve (Central Monte desert of Argentina). Soil organic matter, fulvic acids, bioavailable organic matter, and nitrate were lower outside plant canopy (8.9 mg g?1, 0.03 mg g?1, 8.2 mg g?1, and 4.17 mg kg?1, respectively). Total N, humic acids, and abundance of microbial functional groups did not show differences among sites. Most parameters differed between seasons, tending to be higher in the wet season. Overall soils of Ñacuñán Reserve are characterized by: a) more homogenous spatial pattern than expected from woody plant presence; b) very heterogeneous temporal pattern; and c) after two years, tree removal does not seem to induce infertile soil formation.  相似文献   

7.
Aboveground biomass in Tibetan grasslands   总被引：2，自引：0，他引：2  
This study investigated spatial patterns and environmental controls of aboveground biomass (AGB) in alpine grasslands on the Tibetan Plateau by integrating AGB data collected from 135 sites during 2001–2004 and concurrent enhanced vegetation index derived from MODIS data sets. The AGB was estimated at 68.8 g m?2, with a larger value (90.8 g m?2) in alpine meadow than in alpine steppe (50.1 g m?2). It increased with growing season precipitation (GSP), but did not show a significant overall trend with growing season temperature (GST) although it was negatively correlated with GST at dry environments (<200 mm of GSP). Soil texture also influenced AGB, but the effect was coupled with precipitation; increased silt content caused a decrease of AGB at small GSP, and generated a meaningful increase under humid conditions. The correlation between AGB and sand content indicated an opposite trend with that between AGB and silt content. An analysis of general linear model depicted that precipitation, temperature, and soil texture together explained 54.2% of total variance in AGB. Our results suggest that moisture availability is a critical control of plant production, but temperature and soil texture also affect vegetation growth in high-altitude regions.  相似文献   

8.
《Polar Science》2008,2(3):195-214
We used total melting and stepwise heating methods to measure noble gases within bulk samples from Yamato 000027 and Yamato 000097 lherzolites as well as a melt-vein sample from Yamato 000027. He and Ne are dominated by cosmogenic noble gases. The obtained cosmic-ray exposure age of 4.6 ± 1.5 Ma, an average age based on cosmogenic 3He, 21Ne, and 38Ar for these samples, is consistent with the ages of other lherzolitic shergottites, indicating a common impact event for the ejection of lherzolites from Mars. Heavy noble gases released from the bulk samples at low temperatures were elementally fractionated terrestrial atmosphere. Martian noble-gas isotopic signatures, 40Ar/36Ar = 1900 and 129Xe/132Xe = 1.3, were observed at high temperatures (>1000 °C). The melt-vein sample released greater amounts of atmospheric Ar, Kr, and Xe at low temperatures than the bulk samples. Large amounts of Ar and Kr, as well as excess 40Ar and 129Xe, were evolved from the melt-vein sample at 1400 °C, and the gas shows very high 36Ar/132Xe (=3100) and 84Kr/132Xe (=76) values. Maximum 40Ar/36Ar and 129Xe/132Xe values of the melt sample were 1100 and 1.6, respectively, at 1600 °C. Cosmogenic Kr shows an absence of 80Kr and 82Kr produced by neutron capture on Br, which suggests a small pre-atmospheric body. Overall noble gas compositions for Y000027 and Y000097 support pairing for the Yamato 00 shergottites.  相似文献   

9.
The direct short-term impact of three rates of stocking (4, 8 and 16 small-stock units [SSU] ha?1) was quantified in terms of soil characteristics of arid Nama Karoo vegetation (subshrub/grass). Mature Merino wethers grazed in the experimental plots throughout May in 1995 and 1996 (the plots were not subjected to grazing at any other time). Stocking rate proved inversely related to initial infiltration rate. Light trampling (4 SSU ha?1) loosened the topsoil sufficiently to increase the initial infiltration rate: infiltration capacity of soil in fields stocked at 4 SSU ha?1 and 16 SSU ha?1 was 17% higher and 14% lower respectively than that of soil of ungrazed rangeland over the two grazing periods. Increased soil compaction and greater bulk density due to higher stocking rates significant decreased the infiltration rate. Compared to ungrazed rangeland stocking rates of 4, 8 and 16 SSU ha?1 over the two grazing periods increased bulk density respectively by 2.73%, 6.67% and 8.945% and compaction by 10.90%, 16.78% and 20.90%. No grazing also increased bulk density and soil compaction and decreased infiltration rate. Light stocking (4 SSU ha?1) influenced all soil parameters most favourably. From a hydrologic point of view, grazing levels and rotation schemes need to be tailored for sustainable utilization of arid subshrub/grass vegetation by livestock.  相似文献   

10.
This paper describes evaluation of forest stand density combining satellite imagery with forest inventory data set. The degree of canopy cover is described in terms of fractional vegetation cover (FVC) obtained by a linear mixture model applied on multi-spectral IKONOS image and canopy cover (CC). CC was calculated from field measurements of crown width of 646 standing trees sited within 72 circular (200 m2) plots. A comparison between CC and FVC shows that the former can be accurately represented by the latter linking in-situ measured forest characteristics with surface reflectance measured by a satellite.Stand density expressed as an absolute term (number of trees per unit area) showed high and significant positive correlation to FVC (R2 = 0.96) and to relative density measure (Crown Competition Factor; R2 = 0.89).In order to show the applicability of the presented approach for managerial practices, a map of the spatial distribution of stand density within the forest was produced using the above-mentioned correlations. Its quality was verified against an independent data set of ground measurements. The correlation between field- and map-based number of trees per unit area was found to be satisfactory (R2 = 0.4; p < 0.05), even though a slight lack of sensitivity was evident for low-density stands.  相似文献   

11.
This article reviews and analyzes the available information on range and livestock production in the Monte Desert. Cow–calf operations, goats for meat, and sheep for wool are the dominant production systems under continuous grazing. Rest-rotational grazing systems improved the efficiency of the current cow–calf production. Forage resources are primarily composed of perennial grasses and woody species. Rain-use efficiency for the total vegetation ranged from 3.9 to 4.8 kg DM ha?1 year?1 mm?1. Carrying capacity showed a broad range: 18.7, 4.5–64.5, and 21.6–89.3 ha AU?1 in the north, central, and south portions of the Monte, respectively. Mean crude protein (CP) content of grasses varied from 8.4 to 10.3 (wet season) and 7.1–3.7% DM (dry season) in the central west and Patagonia, respectively. Grasses predominated in the cattle diet, while the sheep diet was highly diverse because they ate most of the available plant species, and there was no unanimity as to the fact that goats are strictly browsers. Livestock diseases have lower prevalence indices than those recorded in other areas of the country. The high variability in carrying capacity values could be attributed to differences in rangeland condition and to the different methods used for its estimation. The CP levels in forage could meet cattle requirements provided that a proper-stocking rate were used. The most promising species for land rehabilitation are Opuntia, Atriplex spp., Eragrostis curvula and Cenchrus ciliaris. Priorities for future research should include topics such as assessment of the carrying capacity for most of the areas and nutrient content of the components of livestock diet, the livestock intake values, the economic feasibility of the use of complementary feeds and the development of seeding technology for valuable forage resources as Trichloris crinita, among others.  相似文献   

12.
Opuntia tomentosa seeds have physiological dormancy and a permeable but hard funicular envelope that restricts water uptake and embryo growth. Dormancy break, germination, and changes in the funiculus were compared in laboratory-stored seeds and in those buried for 7 months at different microsites and later exhumed and stored in the laboratory. The funicular envelopes of both lots were examined with a scanning electron microscope (SEM). Seeds in both lots were: scarified with H2SO4 (0, 45, 60 and 90 min), treated with gibberellins (0, 1000 and 2000 ppm) and germinated at the same ages (0, 2, 4, 7, and 10 months after exhumation) at 24 °C. Light effect was determined at 24 °C and 20–35 °C. In laboratory-stored seeds germination was low. Exhumed seeds germinated in ～50%, the remaining ones required scarification and gibberellins, but lost dormancy two months later. Gibberellins reduced germination heterogeneity, and scarification reduced germination; the adverse effect of scarification was offset by gibberellins. Exhumed seeds germinated mainly in darkness at 20–35 °C and partially in far red light at both temperatures. SEM showed that fungi eroded the funiculus reducing its resistance. O. tomentosa could form a seed bank, ensuring its survival under heterogeneous environments.  相似文献   

13.
《Polar Science》2008,2(3):215-222
Arctic copepods were collected using time-series sediment traps in the Amundsen Gulf, Canadian Arctic, as part of the CASES (Canadian Arctic Shelf Exchange Study) program. Four sediment traps were deployed at three stations (200 m depth for CA15, 200 and 400 m depths for CA18, and 200 m depth for CA20) from October 2003 to July 2004. We collected many copepod nauplii ranging in body length from 155 to 811 μm, among which nauplii (mostly N1–2) of Calanus with a size of ∼190 μm apparently increased in abundance from February to mid-March. Mature-stage adult females (AF) of Calanus hyperboreus were collected in the traps from February to March, and adult males of C. hyperboreus appeared from November to December at all stations. The likely spawning period of these AF coincided with the occurrence period of ∼190 μm-sized nauplii. This finding suggests that these nauplii were derived from C. hyperboreus and that their breeding began at the beginning of November or December at the latest, continuing through April in the Amundsen Gulf.  相似文献   

14.
To obtain the basic information required before using Populus alba L. to phytoremediate degraded saline environments, we investigated the effects of saline irrigation on the growth, survival, Na partitioning, and Na dynamics of 1-year-old rooted cuttings. The plants were grown in a greenhouse in lysimeters containing sandy soil and were watered with field water (control) or solutions containing either 2000 or 5000 mg L?1 of a mixture of NaCl and CaCl2 (low- and high-salt treatments, respectively). All plants in the control and the low-salt treatment survived after 1 year of treatment, but the high-salt treatment significantly decreased growth and caused 20% mortality. Strong Na partitioning was observed in the roots in all three treatments, suggesting that this is an important salt tolerance mechanism in P. alba. Total Na uptake was similar in the low-salt and high-salt treatments, and was about 3 times the value in the control. However, the compartmentalization of Na in fallen leaves, dead leaves and dead branches in the high-salt treatment was about twice the level in the low-salt treatment. The plants accumulate Na under moderate levels of salinity, suggesting that P. alba is a good candidate for phytoremediating salinized soil.  相似文献   

15.
《Geomorphology》2006,73(1-2):50-63
Talus flatirons are relatively common landforms in arid and semiarid areas. They are frequent in the Duero, Tajo and Ebro Tertiary Basins in Spain. The generation of a flatiron requires the alternation of periods with a prevalence of accumulation processes followed by periods with a preponderance of erosion processes. In the three Tertiary basins considered here talus flatirons have been found in numerous places and up to five stages of slope evolution have been recognised in some locations. The second youngest stage (S2) has been dated in several places in the Ebro and Duero Basins through 14C. The age of this stage ranges from 2529 ± 52 to 3590 ± 40 14C yBP. The third youngest stage (S3) has yielded dates of 27,862 ± 444 radiocarbon years BP in the Ebro Basin, and 28,550 ± 130 14C yBP in the Duero Basin. S4 has been dated in the Ebro Basin to 35,570 ± 490 14C yBP. The S2 slope facets correspond to the Iron and Bronze Age Cold Stages. The S3 and S4 flatirons may be correlated with the Heinrich events H3 and H4. These dates may indicate that the accumulation periods on the slopes correspond to cold global events. The dates obtained for the stages S3 and S4 in the central and northeastern sectors of Spain and their good correlation with Heinrich events suggest that flatirons could be related to climatic sequences in the Upper Pleistocene and Holocene.  相似文献   

16.
A quantitative ethnobotanical study was conducted in the semi-arid Bolivian Andes community of Apillapampa to evaluate the impact of site accessibility on the diversity and perceived usefulness of (sub-)woody plants. Vegetation was sampled in thirty-six transects of 50 × 2 m2, whereas data on plant uses were obtained from 13 local Quechua participants. Accessibility of sample sites correlated negatively with plant diversity, but positively with perceived usefulness. Hence, in spite of being less diverse, vegetation of more accessible sites was perceived as more useful to people than vegetation of more remote and also more diverse sites. This result contributes to the validity of the widely accepted notion that “more accessible plant resources are more useful to people”, not only at the level of individual plant species, but also for entire vegetation communities. In this respect, our finding that people attribute an equal usefulness to the vegetation of two local ecological zones (i.e. prepuna and puna) most likely reflects their similar accessibility from the village centre, which is located on the edge between both zones.  相似文献   

17.
Recent drought across the desert Southwest US may strongly affect the physiological functioning of evergreen desert species that maintain leaves through these dry periods. In July 2002 we compared the ecophysiological performance of the open-canopied, small-leaved creosotebush (Larrea tridentata) to the dense-canopied, more broad-leaved jojoba (Simmondsia chinensis) growing on a ridge-top, east- and west-facing slopes to assess how differences in leaf habit and exposure affect these species' ability to withstand severe drought. Standardized precipitation index (SPI) from 100 years precipitation data showed July 2002 rainfall was normal, but the 12-month period ending July 2002 was of extreme aridity (SPI = ?2.71). Predawn water potentials were extremely low, and lower in jojoba (?8.1 to ?9.5 MPa) than in Larrea (?6.6 to ?9.4 MPa). Chlorophyll fluorescence showed jojoba had more consistent photochemical performance than Larrea across three exposures, having higher optimal photosystem II (PSII) efficiency (Fv/Fm), lower light-adapted PSII yield, and better ability to thermally dissipate light energy (i.e. higher NPQ), especially in inner-canopy jojoba leaves. These findings suggest jojoba may better cope with high light under drought conditions, and that canopy shading in jojoba may reduce high-light stress. Moreover, lower Fv/Fm, NPQ and high PSII yields in Larrea was similar between east-facing and ridge-top locations, but achieved levels similar to jojoba on west-facing exposures. These findings suggest these drought-tolerant evergreens rely on different physiological mechanisms to cope with high light under extreme drought conditions.  相似文献   

18.
《Polar Science》2008,2(3):163-174
Isotopic analysis of the Martian lherzolitic shergottite Yamato 000097 yields a Rb–Sr age of 147 ± 28 Ma with an initial 87Sr/86Sr ratio of 0.710490 ± 0.000072, a Sm–Nd age of 152 ± 13 Ma with an initial ɛ143Nd-value of +11.7 ± 0.2, and a 39Ar–40Ar age of ∼260 Ma. The near concordance of these ages, in combination with the Rb–Sr and Sm–Nd initial isotopic signatures, suggests that Yamato 000097 crystallized from low Rb/Sr, light rare earth element depleted source materials ∼150 Ma ago. Although the obtained 39Ar–40Ar age is significantly higher than the Rb–Sr and Sm–Nd ages, Yamato 000097 shows little or no evidence of trapped Martian atmospheric 40Ar. The trapped 40Ar concentration of Yamato 000097 is similar to that of Zagami, suggesting that both basaltic and lherzolitic shergottites may have similarly inherited excess 40Ar from their magmas.The Rb–Sr and Sm–Nd ages, and initial 87Sr/86Sr and ɛ143Nd-values of Yamato 000097 and Yamato 793605 lie on the same isotopic ingrowth curves, suggesting that they came from very similar mantle sources. Allan Hills 77005 was also probably derived from the same source, but Lewis Cliff 88516 appears to be from a distinct but similar source. Yamato 000097 represents the most recent known magmatism from its source, and is the youngest Martian meteorite for which concordant Rb–Sr and Sm–Nd ages have been determined.  相似文献   

19.
The perennial saltgrass nipa (Distichlis palmeri, Poaceae) is endemic to northern Gulf of California tidal marshes flooded with hypersaline (38–42 g L−1) seawater. Nipa was a wild harvest staple of the Cocopah people of the Río Colorado delta. We investigated the physiology, anatomy, chromosome number, and agronomic potential of nipa as a global food crop. Nipa seeds had 60–93% germination on salinities ranging from 0 to 30 g L−1. Relative Growth Rates (RGR) on both flooded and aerobic conditions remained above 4% d−1 up to 30 g L−1, about half the RGR on freshwater. Nipa grain (caryopses) had 7–8% protein, 8% sugar and 79% total digestible carbohydrates (mostly starch) and only 2% ash and 8% fiber, equal to conventional grains in apparent nutritional value. Shoots were low in ash and sodium, and compared favorably to alfalfa forage in protein, digestible carbohydrates and energy contents. Mature female stands in the Colorado River delta produced an estimated 1.25 t ha−1 of grain, but over two years in the greenhouse only partial flowering was observed. Nevertheless, D. palmeri appears to be worth developing as a perennial grain and forage crop, especially for salinized, flooded soils.  相似文献   

20.
Aerial photography from the 1930s serves as the earliest synoptic depiction of vegetation cover. We generated a spatially explicit database of shrub (Prosopis velutina) stand structure within two 1.8 ha field plots established in 1932 to address two questions: (1) What are the detection limits of panchromatic 1936 aerial photography?, and (2) How do these influence P. velutina biomass estimates? Shrub polygons were manually digitized on 1936 imagery and linked to 1932 field measurements of P. velutina canopy area. Aboveground 1932 P. velutina biomass was estimated using a site-specific allometric relationship for field-measured canopy area. Shrub canopy detection limits on the 1936 imagery were comparable to those reported for contemporary imagery. Based on a conservative shrub size detection threshold of 3.8 m2, 5.8% of P. velutina biomass was missed. Spatial resolution (0.6 vs. 1.0 m) did not influence detection limits, but the overall accuracy of shrub cover estimates was greater on 1.0 m images. Presence of the sub-shrub Isocoma tenuisecta may also have significantly influenced estimates of P. velutina canopy area. These analyses illustrate the importance of standardizing aerial photo interpretation protocols, accounting for uncertainty estimating shrub biomass, and caution species-specific interpretations for historic aerial photography.  相似文献   

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