With changes in global climate and land use,the area of desertified farmland in southeastern Horqin Sandy Land(HSL)has increased in recent years,and farmlands are being abandoned.These abandoned farmlands(AFs)nega-tiv...With changes in global climate and land use,the area of desertified farmland in southeastern Horqin Sandy Land(HSL)has increased in recent years,and farmlands are being abandoned.These abandoned farmlands(AFs)nega-tively impact the local ecology.Therefore,the aim of the present study was to select suitable trees and shrubs for those AFs to prevent and control the desertification tendency.In this study,three AFs were fenced for 2 years,then 37 arbor and shrub species or varieties of 21 families were planted in the fenced AFs and grown for 10 years.The ecological adaptability of the species was evaluated and ranked using a principal component analysis.The results showed that the biodiversity of the AFs significantly improved after 2 years of fencing;the Shannon-Wiener index and species rich-ness of perennial grasses and forbs were 1.45 and 3.6 times higher,respectively,than for the unfenced AF.Among all species planted in fenced AFs,nine tree species had posi-tive comprehensive F(CF)values;Pinus sylvestris(Russian Shira steppe provenance),Populus alba‘Berolinensis’and Gleditsia triacanthos had CF greater than 1,and the first(PC1),second(PC2)and third(PC3)principal component values(F_(1),F_(2),F_(3))were all positive.Among the shrubs,only Lespedeza bicolor and Rosa xanthina f.normalis had CF greater than 0.All these results suggest that fencing improves biodiversity and that planting trees and shrubs that have higher CF values on the basis of fencing is an effective way to green and beautify AFs in HSL.展开更多
Plantations of non-native,fast-growing trees are increasing in the tropics and subtropics,perhaps with negative consequences for the native avifauna.We studied bird diversity in 4 types of plantations in South China t...Plantations of non-native,fast-growing trees are increasing in the tropics and subtropics,perhaps with negative consequences for the native avifauna.We studied bird diversity in 4 types of plantations in South China to deter-mine which plantation types are especially detrimental,and compared our findings with studies in nearby natu-ral forests to assess the magnitude of the negative impact.A total of 57 species was recorded.The mean capture rate of understory birds was 1.7 individuals 100-net-h-1.Bird richness and capture rate were lower in plantations than in nearby natural forests.Babblers(Timaliidae),primarily forest-dependent species in South China,were particularly under-represented in plantations.Species richness,composition and bird density,particularly of un-derstory birds,differed between plantation types.Plantations of Schima,which is native to South China,had the highest species richness according to point count data.Plantations of Acacia(non-native)supported the highest understory species richness and produced the highest capture rate of understory birds,probably because of their complex structure and high arthropod abundance.If bird diversity is to be considered,we strongly recommend that future re-afforestation projects in South China should,as far as possible,use mixed native tree species,and especially Schima,ahead of the other species.展开更多
基金This study was supported by National Natural Science Foundation of China(31770675)National Key R&D Program of China(2017YFD0600505).
文摘With changes in global climate and land use,the area of desertified farmland in southeastern Horqin Sandy Land(HSL)has increased in recent years,and farmlands are being abandoned.These abandoned farmlands(AFs)nega-tively impact the local ecology.Therefore,the aim of the present study was to select suitable trees and shrubs for those AFs to prevent and control the desertification tendency.In this study,three AFs were fenced for 2 years,then 37 arbor and shrub species or varieties of 21 families were planted in the fenced AFs and grown for 10 years.The ecological adaptability of the species was evaluated and ranked using a principal component analysis.The results showed that the biodiversity of the AFs significantly improved after 2 years of fencing;the Shannon-Wiener index and species rich-ness of perennial grasses and forbs were 1.45 and 3.6 times higher,respectively,than for the unfenced AF.Among all species planted in fenced AFs,nine tree species had posi-tive comprehensive F(CF)values;Pinus sylvestris(Russian Shira steppe provenance),Populus alba‘Berolinensis’and Gleditsia triacanthos had CF greater than 1,and the first(PC1),second(PC2)and third(PC3)principal component values(F_(1),F_(2),F_(3))were all positive.Among the shrubs,only Lespedeza bicolor and Rosa xanthina f.normalis had CF greater than 0.All these results suggest that fencing improves biodiversity and that planting trees and shrubs that have higher CF values on the basis of fencing is an effective way to green and beautify AFs in HSL.
基金This research was funded by Guangdong Natural Sci-entific Foundation(No.020319)the Heshan Hilly Land Interdisciplinary Experimental Station,Chinese Acade-my of Sciencesthe National Nature Science Foun-dation of China-Guangdong Joint Fund(U0833005).
文摘Plantations of non-native,fast-growing trees are increasing in the tropics and subtropics,perhaps with negative consequences for the native avifauna.We studied bird diversity in 4 types of plantations in South China to deter-mine which plantation types are especially detrimental,and compared our findings with studies in nearby natu-ral forests to assess the magnitude of the negative impact.A total of 57 species was recorded.The mean capture rate of understory birds was 1.7 individuals 100-net-h-1.Bird richness and capture rate were lower in plantations than in nearby natural forests.Babblers(Timaliidae),primarily forest-dependent species in South China,were particularly under-represented in plantations.Species richness,composition and bird density,particularly of un-derstory birds,differed between plantation types.Plantations of Schima,which is native to South China,had the highest species richness according to point count data.Plantations of Acacia(non-native)supported the highest understory species richness and produced the highest capture rate of understory birds,probably because of their complex structure and high arthropod abundance.If bird diversity is to be considered,we strongly recommend that future re-afforestation projects in South China should,as far as possible,use mixed native tree species,and especially Schima,ahead of the other species.
