Abstract:Sea surface temperature (SST) from 1916–2003 was estimated by using the index of U₃₇^K of organic compounds in Sanmen Bay (SMB) sediment. It fluctuated between 15.97°C and 18.00°C with an average of 17.03°C. The estimated SST was 3.52°C lower than the annual average temperature measured in the same year but was close to the temperature measured in fall. The research suggested that the climate events (EI Niño) on large scale in Sanmen Bay were affected by the climate, similar to that in the East Pacific Ocean (EPC). The change scale was also affected by geographical location and local climate such as monsoon. According to the chronological basis, the events in SMB corresponded to those in EPC, but the scale of variation is not so strong as that in EPC. By comparing the community, biomass, individual density and biodiversity of macrobenthos during EI Niño (between 2002 and 2003) and non-EI Niño (between 2005 and 2006) periods, it was indicated that certain macrobenthos communities in SMB responded to EI Niño events. During the EI Niño period, Taiwan warm current (TWC) is much stronger than that in normal years. The diversity of macrobenthos during 2002 and 2003 was relatively low owing to invasion of the warm current that caused salinity change. The macrobenthos and zooplankton in Sanmen Bay responded to EI Niño events significantly. The diversity of macrobenthos decreased significantly because TWC invaded into the shallow bay from the floor and thus changed the temperature and salinity in the bay. On the other hand, zooplankton species, biomass and abundance increased in the period of EI Niño since the invaded warm current brought abundant species of zooplankton.

Abstract:Investigations on chlorophyll a and primary productivity were carried out in the Chukchi Sea and its northern Chukchi Plateau during the 2^nd Chinese National Arctic Research Expedition in the summer of 2003. The results showed that chlorophyll a concentrations were 0.009–30.390 μg/dm³ at the surveyed waters; the surface chlorophyll a concentrations were 0.050–4.644 μg/dm³ and the average value was (0.875 ± 0.981) μg/dm³ in the surveyed area. In the Chukchi Sea Shelf, chlorophyll a concentrations at the depth from 10 m to bottom were higher than that in the surface water, and the concentrations were lower at the depth below 75 m in the Chukchi Plateau. Chlorophyll a concentrations descended in 3 sequential samplings on Transect R, with average values of (2.564 ±1.496) μg/dm³, (1.329 ± 0.882) μg/dm³ and (0.965 ± 0.623) μg/dm³, respectively. The potential primary productivity ((2.305 ± 1.493) mgC/(m³h)) in the Chukchi Sea was higher than that ((0.527 ± 0.374) mgC/(m³h)) in the Chukchi Plateau. The results of the size-fractionated chlorophyll a and primary productivity showed that microplankton accounted for the majority of the total chlorophyll a (63.13%) and primary productivity (65.16%) at the survey stations. The contributions of the nanoplankton and picoplankton to the total chlorophyll a and primary productivity were roughly the same.

Abstract:Three cascade reservoirs (Gudongkou Reservoir 1 (GR1), Gudongkou Reservoir 2 (GR2), and Xiangxi Bay of Three-Gorge Reservoir in Xiangxi River Basin, China were selected to investigate macroinvertebrate ecology in a cascade reservoir system. Principal Components Analysis (PCA) implied that water quality was degrading along the reservoir cascade. Non-metric Multidimensional Scaling (NMS) showed that sampling stations located in the lacustrine zone of a reservoir are representatives in comparing macroinvertebrate assemblages along the reservoir cascade. Oligochaetes were numerically dominant in both GR1 and Xiangxi Bay, and chironomids were dominant in GR2. A similar pattern was also exhibited in taxon composition. Benthic assemblages of the 3 reservoirs were all dominated by pollution-tolerant taxa in spite of their differences in water quality. Canonical Correspondence Analysis (CCA) disclosed that turbidity influenced the benthic assemblages significantly. Total organic carbon (TOC)/Turbidity was applied to determine the influence of organic matter on turbidity. The ratio in GR2 was the lowest among the 3 reservoirs, which implicated that the influence of organic matter on turbidity was smaller in GR2 than in the other 2 reservoirs, suggesting that inorganic matter contributed substantially to the turbidity of GR2.

Abstract:This study took the Tianmu Mountain National Natural Preservation Area in western Zhejiang Province as an example 1) to quantify the species diversity with selected species indices including Shannon-Wiener index (H), Margalef index (K) and Evenness index (E) at different spatial scales, 2) to analyze the spatial distribution patterns of the species diversity by multifractal parameters such as the singularity index α, its fractal dimension f(α), the f(α)–α spectrum range (SR) and its symmetry (Dist) using the multifractal theory, and 3) to determine their relationships. Results of nonlinear regression analysis with power functions showed that increasing spatial scale resulted in increasing H but decreasing E and K, indicating that the scale dependence of species diversity existed. By using the multifractal method, it was indicated that species spatial distribution had multifractal features. Moreover, strong linear relationships of the diversity indices H, E and K with α_min and clear nonlinear associations of the diversity indices H, E and K with power functions for SR and Dist were found. Since interactions of the species diversity and the spatial characteristics are very complex, the above mentioned relationships need further validation along with precise explanations of any correlations among their ecological processes.

Abstract:Based on the large-scale survey and positioning observation of Haloxylon ammodendron forest with various ages growing under different site conditions in Shajingzi region at the downstream of Shiyang river, this paper studied the effects of ecological factors such as precipitation, soil water content and soil crust on the artificial H. ammodendron population and communities. Results show that H. ammodendron is restricted by the maximum threshold of precipitation, 180 mm, rather than by the minimum threshold of precipitation. Soil water content is the essential ecological factor affecting artificial H. ammodendron forest. H. ammodendron dies when water content in aeolian sandy soil is less than 0.824%, degenerates when water content is between 0.824% and 1.30%, and grows normally when water content is above 1.30%. The growth of H. ammodendron, restricted by soil water content, aggravates the loss of soil water. Soil water content reduced to 1.3% 8 years after afforestation of H. ammodendron, reduced to less than the wilting coefficient 14 years later, but increased to 1.30% 30 years later when the remaining H. ammodendron population grew normally. Soil crust restricts rainwater infiltration, which will result in soil drought and accelerate degeneration of artificial H. ammodendron forest. Soil water content will increase gradually with undermined soil crust. Compared with bare mobile sand dunes, soil crust has significantly changed the composition and quantity of species in H. ammodendron forest.

Abstract:The characteristics of terrestrial growth in China and its relationship with various climatic factors (e.g. temperature, precipitation and radiation) were investigated by using the data collected with the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS). These data were collected once every 8 days during 2000–2003 and then again in 2005. The average annual gross primary production (GPP) in China during this period ranged from 0 to 3252.6 gC·m^-2·a^-1 with an average value of 491.1 gC·m^-2·a^-1. The maximum GPP values were observed over the regions of Yunnan, Hainan and Taiwan, and the southeast coastal areas, while the minimum values were observed in the cold and arid regions of the Tibetan Plateau, Xinjiang and Inner Mongolia. Correlation analysis showed that temperature was the primary factor influencing this terrestrial growth, while precipitation played a secondary role. However, only the terrestrial growth that occurred in southern China was affected by radiation. The correlation coefficients of GPP with temperature and precipitation decreased from northern to southern China and were negatively correlated with the distribution of the associated climatic factors within China. Furthermore, the correlation coefficient of GPP with cloud contents was observed to increase from northern to southern China.

Abstract:Variations of plant vegetation and spatial distribution were investigated in the areas of 4 types of typical disturbance, which had been under natural restoration for 22 years in the Karst area in northwestern Guangxi while the climax plant community was utilized as control. The slope scale and disturbance theory were used to study the plant diversity in the whole area and selected plots. It is clear that the disturbance had resulted in severe loss of plant species, and only 241 species of vascular plants that belong to 91 families and 206 genera survived in disturbed areas, accounting only for 26.6% of those in the natural reserve area. The consequent succession of 6 types of plant vegetation was sparse grass of rocky desertification, grass, shrub, liana-shrub, deciduous broad-leaved forest and mixed segment of evergreen and deciduous broad-leaved forest. The height, coverage, biomass and species diversity of plants decreased sharply with slope elevating, and the plant density appeared with normal distribution. Compared with the natural reserve area, all indices of plant vegetation in disturbed areas were much worse. Furthermore, different types of disturbance showed various affections on natural vegetative restoration, among which tilling after the whole slope was set on fire caused the worst impact and rocky desertification was the consequence, followed by depasturing after the whole slope was set on fire. Cutting was selective disturbance, and the vegetative restoration in the area with combination of cutting, grazing and setting on fire on the upper slope was relatively fast; however, it was even better in the area with combination of cutting and setting the upper slope on fire. In our studies, 4 strategies for vegetative recovery, using both natural and artificial approaches, were established, which were suitable for the Karst area in northwestern Guangxi.