Chinese Pine Forest Research Articles

Soil fungal communities of montane natural secondary forest types in China.

Distinctive plant communities may provide specific physical and chemical properties with soils by specific litters and root exudates to exert effects on soil microorganisms. Past logging activities in the Qinling Mountains induced diverse natural secondary forest types (NSFTs). How these recovered NSFTs regulate patterns of soil microbial communities remain limited. In the study, we used terminal-restriction fragment length polymorphism (T-RFLP) to precisely determine forest type-specific soil fungal diversity and composition in five NSFTs. Our results indicated that NSFTs had significant impacts on the soil fungal communities. The most diverse fungal species were found in the Armand pine (Pinus armandi) and Chinese pine (Pinus tabulaeformis) forest soils, followed by sharptooth oak (Quercus aliena var. acuteserrata) and Chinese pine-sharptooth oak forest soils, the wilson spruce (Picea wilsonii) forests had the lowest soil fungal diversity. The analyses of community composition suggested that the fungal communities of Armand pine forest soils were similar to those of Chinese pine forest soils, while other communities prominently differed from each other. Stepwise multiple regression analysis revealed that soil silt, clay, pH, and ammonium nitrogen had intimate linkages with soil fungal diversity. Furthermore, the patterns of soil fungal communities were strongly governed by the specific soil environments of the tested NSFTs, as described by canonical correspondence analysis (CCA). Finally, our study showed that soil fungal communities may be mediated by NSFTs via specific soil edaphic status. Hence, such a comparable study may provide fundamental information for fungal diversity and community structure of natural forests and assist with better prediction and understanding how soil fungal composition and function alter with forest type transformation.

Correction: Patterns of Biomass and Carbon Distribution across a Chronosequence of Chinese Pine (Pinus tabulaeformis) Forests

Correction: Patterns of Biomass and Carbon Distribution across a Chronosequence of Chinese Pine (Pinus tabulaeformis) Forests

Patterns of biomass and carbon distribution across a chronosequence of Chinese pine (Pinus tabulaeformis) forests.

Patterns of biomass and carbon (C) storage distribution across Chinese pine (Pinus tabulaeformis) natural secondary forests are poorly documented. The objectives of this study were to examine the biomass and C pools of the major ecosystem components in a replicated age sequence of P. tabulaeformis secondary forest stands in Northern China. Within each stand, biomass of above- and belowground tree, understory (shrub and herb), and forest floor were determined from plot-level investigation and destructive sampling. Allometric equations using the diameter at breast height (DBH) were developed to quantify plant biomass. C stocks in the tree and understory biomass, forest floor, and mineral soil (0–100 cm) were estimated by analyzing the C concentration of each component. The results showed that the tree biomass of P. tabulaeformis stands was ranged from 123.8 Mg·ha–1 for the young stand to 344.8 Mg·ha–1 for the mature stand. The understory biomass ranged from 1.8 Mg·ha–1 in the middle-aged stand to 3.5 Mg·ha–1 in the young stand. Forest floor biomass increased steady with stand age, ranging from 14.9 to 23.0 Mg·ha–1. The highest mean C concentration across the chronosequence was found in tree branch while the lowest mean C concentration was found in forest floor. The observed C stock of the aboveground tree, shrub, forest floor, and mineral soil increased with increasing stand age, whereas the herb C stock showed a decreasing trend with a sigmoid pattern. The C stock of forest ecosystem in young, middle-aged, immature, and mature stands were 178.1, 236.3, 297.7, and 359.8 Mg C ha–1, respectively, greater than those under similar aged P. tabulaeformis forests in China. These results are likely to be integrated into further forest management plans and generalized in other contexts to evaluate C stocks at the regional scale.

Micromonospora maoerensis sp. nov., isolated from a Chinese pine forest soil

A novel actinomycete, designated strain NEAU-MES19(T), was isolated from pine forest soil in Heilongjiang province, China. A polyphasic study was carried out to establish the taxonomic position of this strain. The organism was found to have morphological and chemotaxonomic characteristics typical of the genus Micromonospora. Phylogenetic analysis of the 16S rRNA gene sequence indicated that strain NEAU-MES19(T) was most closely related to Micromonospora matsumotoense IMSNU 22003(T). However, phylogenetic analysis based on the gyrB gene sequence showed that the isolate was more closely related to Micromonospora cremea CR30(T) than M. matsumotoense IMSNU 22003(T). The low level of DNA-DNA relatedness allowed the isolate to be differentiated from M. matsumotoense IMSNU 22003(T) and M. cremea CR30(T). Moreover, strain NEAU-MES19(T) could also be distinguished from its closest phylogenetic relatives by morphological, physiological and biochemical characteristics. Therefore, it is proposed that strain NEAU-MES19(T) represents a novel species of the genus Micromonospora, for which the name Micromonospora maoerensis sp. nov. is proposed. The type strain is NEAU-MES19(T) (=CGMCC 4.7091(T) = DSM 45884(T)).

Application of Gash analytical model and parameterized Fan model to estimate canopy interception of a Chinese red pine forest

Loss of precipitation by canopy interception constitutes a substantial portion of the water budget in a forested ecosystem, and accurate models to simulate canopy interception are critical for effective management of forest water resources. We modeled the canopy interception of an evergreen Chinese red pine (Pinus tabulaeformis) forest using the Gash analytical model and the parameterized empirical Fan model and compared the modeled results with directly measured data. Based on 100 rainfall events between 2006 and 2008, the estimated canopy interception ratio was 35.9 % from the Gash model and 53.6 % from the Fan model, compared to 33.2 % from the direct measurement. The differences between measured and modeled values from the Gash model ranged from −0.3 to +7.1 % for different rainfall amounts and from +1.9 to +3.2 % for different years. The Fan model satisfactorily simulated interception for large rainfall events (>50 mm) with differences from −3.4 to +1.3 %, but substantially overestimated interception loss for smaller rainfall events (+21.2 to +37.2 %). The Gash analytical model adequately simulated the canopy interception of Chinese red pine forest. The parameterized Fan model compared favorably to the Gash model in simplicity but not in precision. The Fan model required only incidental precipitation data to run after parameterization, but substantial improvement in modeling precision is needed before it can be used for this forest.

A population survey of Beauveria bassiana in the microhabitat of the red turpentine beetle, Dendroctonus valens, in Chinese pine forests

Field survey of the entomopathogenic fungus Beauveria bassiana in association with the red turpentine beetle, Dendroctonus valens, was undertaken in three pine plantations in Northern China. In total, 88 strains of B. bassiana sensu lato were isolated from the soil, bark, beetle frass, living adult and cadaver samples and soil was proved to be an important inoculum reservoir for fungal entomopathogens. Of these, 77 isolates were included for genetic diversity analysis by PCR for inter-simple sequence repeats (ISSR). Genetic diversity and population structure analysis of the isolates from three sites and five niches demonstrated high genetic diversity and heterogeneity between and/or within populations. Wright's statistics revealed a high gene flow rate (4.529) among the three populations, especially among the soil-derived isolate subpopulations. Low variation was mainly caused (94.8%) by variation among different substrates, suggesting the importance of microhabitat substrates on genetic diversity of B. bassiana. Phylogenetic variation was not associated with geographic distance.

First isolation of pine wood nematode from Pinus tabuliformis forests in China

SummaryPrevious risk prediction studies have mostly shown that suitable areas for pine wood nematode, Bursaphelenchus xylophilus (PWN), in China are mainly concentrated in eastern and southern China, with pest reaching no further northern than the Yangtze River basin. The Chinese pine (Pinus tabuliformis, Chinese pine or Chinese red pine) is the main, native, afforestation species in areas to the north of the Yangtze River basin. To our knowledge, there is no report on PWN infecting Chinese pines in the north of the Yangtze. In this study, we used Baermann funnel method and several PCR primers to detect the presence of PWN in Chinese pine forest fields in 2010 in Shaanxi, China, which is far to the north of the Yangtze River and a cause for concern. Pinus koraiensis (Korean pine) may also be at risk and should also be monitored to prevent invasion by PWN.

Pattern of carbon allocation across three different stages of stand development of a Chinese pine (Pinus tabulaeformis) forest

AbstractThe pattern of carbon (C) allocation across different stages of stand development of Chinese pine (Pinus tabulaeformis) forests is poorly documented. In order to understand the effects of stand age on the C pool of the Chinese pine forest ecosystem, we have examined the above‐ and belowground C pools in three differently aged stands of Chinese pine in the northern mountains of Beijing, China, by plot‐level inventories and destructive sampling. Our results suggest that tree branch and foliage biomass should be estimated by age‐specific equations. Reasonably accurate estimates of tree stem, tree root, aboveground, and total tree biomass in a Chinese pine forest at different development stages were obtained using age‐independent allometric equations from tree diameter only. The ratio of belowground to aboveground tree biomass was relatively constant with stand aging, remaining around 21 %. The contribution of aboveground tree biomass C increased from 21 % of the total ecosystem C in a 25‐year‐old stand to 44 % in a 65‐year‐old stand, subsequently falling to 41 % in a 105‐year‐old stand, while the contribution of mineral soil C decreased from 64 % of the total ecosystem C in 25‐year‐old stand to 38 % in a 65‐year‐old stand, subsequently increasing to 41 % in a 105‐year‐old stand. The C stock of the total ecosystem and its aboveground tree, tree root, forest floor, and mineral soil components continuously increased with stand ageing, whereas the C stock of the understory showed a declining trend and contributed little to the total site C pool.

SIMULATION AND ANALYSIS ON FUTURE CARBON BALANCE OF THREE DECIDUOUS FORESTS IN BEIJING MOUNTAIN AREA, WARM TEMPERATE ZONE OF CHINA

Aims Climate change is expected to cause changes of carbon cycling in forest ecosystems, and prediction research suggests there is dramatic spatial heterogeneity and uncertainty in responses of carbon balance of forest ecosystems to climate change. The goals of our research were to predict and analyze impacts of climate change on the carbon cycling of warm temperate forests in Beijing mountain area in the next 100 years and to understand the heterogeneity and uncertainty on the ecosystem scale with LPJ-GUESS model. Methods The ecosystem model was used to learn how forest ecosystem productivity and carbon bal-ance change in a long-term time scale and to learn about differences of carbon balance among various ecosystems by comparing ecosystem components of carbon balance. The dynamic vegetation model (LPJ-GUESS), used for the first time in China and driven by A2 and B2 greenhouse gas emission sce-narios of the Special Report on Emissions Scenarios (SRES) of IPCC, projected climate change impacts on carbon balance for three typical warm temperate forest ecosystems (oak, birch and Chinese pine forests) in the Dongling Mountain area of Beijing, China. Important findings Net ecosystem primary productivity (NPP) and heterotrophic respiration (Rh) will increase in the three forests, and the A2 scenario was associated with larger changes in NPP and Rh than the B2 scenario. Because of differences in species composition among the forests, increases in NPP and Rh were different and changes in net ecosystem exchange (NEE) were different among the forests: oakforest switched from a sink to a small source of carbon, birch forest remained as a smaller sink of carbon, and Chinese pine forest became a larger carbon sink over the next 100 years. Also, carbon biomass will generally increase in the forests by 2100. Comparing SRES A2 with B2, there was larger carbon storage in the relative lower emission scenario (B2). Projected differences in carbon balance among these forests in the same area were more dependent on species composition than climate factors (A2 and B2 scenarios) under future climate change.

Evaluation of ecosystem services of Chinese pine forests in China

Evaluation of forest ecosystem services is a hot topic, both in China and at abroad, but it has not yet obtained a consistency of evaluation indicator systems and evaluation methods. Under the framework of evaluation criteria to be implemented for forest ecosystem services, years of consecutive observation data from Long Term Ecological Research Stations affiliated to Chinese Forest Ecosystem Research Network (CFERN), forest resource inventory and public data were applied to carry out a detailed and dynamic evaluation on the physical quantity and value of ecosystem services of Chinese pine forests in China. The results showed that the above services had the total value and unit value of 1144.9640 billion (1.1449640x10(12)) RMB and 52.074 thousand RMB per hectare per year, respectively during the 9th Five-year Plan (1996-2000), and of 1190.5461 billion RMB and 52.101 thousand RMB per hectare per year, respectively, during the 10th Five-year Plan (2001-2005). For Chinese pine forests, water conservation was 40.40 hundred million cubic meters annually, soil conservation was 67 million tons and C fixation 9 million tons annually, production of healthful negative ions was 1.96x10(20), absorption of SO(2) was 5.02 hundred million kilograms and dust-catching was 759.10 hundred million kilograms. Among the 15 provinces of China with Chinese pine forests, the biggest beneficiary from ecosystem services was Liaoning Province; while Hunan Province was the smallest beneficiary between the 9th Five-year Plan.

Estimating net primary productivity of Chinese pine forests based on forest inventory data

Summary Forest inventory data (FID) include forest resources information at large spatial scale and long temporal scale. They are important data sources for estimating forest net primary productivity (NPP) and carbon budget at landscape and regional scales. In this study, more than 100 datasets of biomass, volume, NPP and stand age for Chinese pine forests ( Pinus tabulaeformis ) from the literature were synthesized to develop regression equations between biomass and volume, and between NPP and biomass as well as stand age. Using these regression equations and the fourth FID surveyed by the Forestry Ministry China from 1989 to 1993, NPP values of Chinese pine forests were estimated. The mean NPP of Chinese pine forests was 4.35 Mg ha − 1 yr − 1 . NPP varied widely among provinces, ranging from 1.5 (Neimenggu) to 13.73 Mg ha − 1 yr − 1 (Guizhou). Total NPP of Chinese pine was 10.87 Tg yr − 1 (1 Tg = 10 12 g). NPP values of Chinese pine forests were not distributed evenly across different provinces in China. This study may be useful not only for estimating forest carbon of other forest types but also for evaluating terrestrial carbon balance at regional and global levels.

A new methodology for estimating forest NPP based on forest inventory data—A case study of Chinese pine forest

Accurately estimating forest net primary productivity (NPP) plays an important role in study of global carbon budget. A NPP model reflecting the synthetic effects of both biotic (forest stand age, A and stem volume, V) and climatic factors (mean annual actual evapotranspiration, E) was developed for Chinese pine (Pinus tabulaeformis) forest by making full use of Forest Inventory Data (FID) and dynamically assessing forest productivity. The NPP of Chinese pine forest was estimated by using this model and the fourth FID (1989–1993), and the spatial pattern of NPP of Chinese pine forest was given by Geography Information System (GIS) software. The results indicated that mean NPP value, of Chinese pine forest was 7.82 t m−2·a−1 and varied at the range of 3.32–11.87 t hm−2·a−1. NPP distribution of Chinese pine forests was significantly different in different regions, higher in the south and lower in the north of China. In terms of the main distribution regions of Chinese pine, the NPPs of Chinese pine forest in Shanxi and Shaanxi provinces were in middle level, with an average NPP of 7.4 t hm−2·a−1, that in the southern and the eastern parts (e.g. Shichuang Hunan, Henan, and Liaoning provinces) was higher (over 7.7 t hm−2·a−1), and that in the northern part and western part (e.g. Neimenggu and Ningxia provinces) was lower (below 5 t hm−2·a−1). This study provides an efficient way for using FID to understand the dynamics of foest NPP and evaluate its effects on global climate change.

Vegetation reconstruction of Bronze Age by using micro-scopic structure of charcoals

The microscopic structure of charcoals was determined in two sites of Bronze Age, Chifeng area by using the scanning electronic microscope. The results showed that these charcoals are all timbers of Mongolian oak (Quercus mongolica). It has powerful climatic indicative significance. Based on the assemblage of pollen composition, their eco-climatic index and character of community, the vegetation reconstruction of Bronze Age was obtained. The reconstruction showed that the zonal vegetation was Mongolian oak forest and Chinese pine forest in the loess hills in the Chifeng area, which suggested that the climatic condition was warmer and wetter at that time than present time.

Optimum stand density of Chinese pine forests in Taihang limestone mountains, Shanxi Province

Data analysis was made for 54 stands of Chinese pine forests for soil and water conservation and timber. The regression equations were drawn up on forest density and different rafter timber and bush coverage. Based on those equations, the number of rafter timber trees, storage, number of non-rafter timber trees, stand volume and the output value were calculated for six different forest densities ranged from 1250 to 6600 trees/hm2. According to the economic and ecological criteria, the optimum density for Chinese pine forests was determined as 1650 trees/hm2.