ABSTRACT
A water-controlled experiment with four treatments (no rain, half raining, natural raining and double raining) was carried out in a Platycladus orientalis forest. The factors including soil water content (SWC), precipitation, sap flow density (Js), leaf area index (LAI), vapor pressure deficit (VPD) were monitored during August 2016 to August 2017. We further analyzed the response of canopy stomatal conductance (gs) to changes of SWC. The results showed that the SWC of plots (half, natural and double raining) showed a positive correlation with precipitation, and the range of SWC was 4.9%-16.0%, 7.2%-22.9%, 7.4%-29.6%, respectively. The SWC in the plot with no rain decreased by 50% from August to October. The daily gs reached a peak of 166.64 mmol·m-2·s-1 at 14:00 in July, which was significantly higher than other months. A bimodal phenomenon occurred. The daily gs reached a peak of 54.1 mmol·m-2·s-1 at 12:00 in January. Under the three rain plots, diurnal variation of gs and SWC showed a negative quadratic correlation. The SWC corresponding to the peak of gs was 8.5%, 12.5% and 18.5%, respectively, close to the annual average SWC. Sensitivity (δ) of gs to VPD /reference canopy stomatal conductance (gsref) was more than or equal to 0.6 in different water-controlled plots, indicating that soil water condition was more suitable for water demand of P. orientalis. When SWC was between 3.7% and 7.5%, the δ and gsref increased rapidly, indicating that stomata had better regulation ability, and that plant stomata was more sensitive to VPD. When SWC increased to 11%, SWC alteration did not affect the response sensitivity of gsrefand gs to VPD. There might be a SWC threshold value for the adaptation of P. orientalis. By closing or reducing stomatal aperture, leaf water potential decreased, P. orientalis could adapt to excessive VPD and avoid excessive transpiration, which was more effective in regulating transpiration.
Subject(s)
Plant Transpiration , Water , Plant Leaves , Plant Stomata , Soil , Vapor PressureABSTRACT
Tree diameter at breast height (dbh) and height are the most important variables used in forest inventory and management as well as forest carbon-stock estimation. In order to identify the key stand variables that influence the tree height-dbh relationship and to develop and validate a suit of models for predicting tree height, data from 5961 tree samples aged from 6 years to 53 years and collected from 80 Chinese-fir plantation plots were used to fit 39 models, including 33 nonlinear models and 6 linear models, were developed and evaluated into two groups. The results showed that composite models performed better in height estimate than one-independent-variable models. Nonlinear composite Model 34 and linear composite Model 6 were recommended for predicting tree height in Chinese fir plantations with a dbh range between 4 cm and 40 cm when the dbh data for each tree and the quadratic mean dbh of the stand (Dq) and mean height of the stand (Hm) were available. Moreover, Hm could be estimated by using the formula Hm = 11.707 × l n(Dq)-18.032. Clearly, Dq was the primary stand variable that influenced the height-dbh relationship. The parameters of the models varied according to stand age and site. The inappropriate application of provincial or regional height-dbh models for predicting small tree height at local scale may result in larger uncertainties. The method and the recommended models developed in this study were statistically reliable for applications in growth and yield estimation for even-aged Chinese-fir plantation in Huitong and Changsha. The models could be extended to other regions and to other tree species only after verification in subtropical China.
Subject(s)
Cunninghamia/growth & development , Trees/growth & development , Biomass , Carbon/analysis , China , Forestry , Models, TheoreticalABSTRACT
In order to investigate the effects of nitrogen addition on the red soil microbial communities in Cinnamomum camphora plantation, three treatments of nitrogen addition were designated as control (N0: 0 g x m(-2)), low nitrogen (N1: 5 g x m(-2)) and high nitrogen (N2 :15 g x m(-2)). Soil microbial numbers, microbial biomass carbon (C), biomass N and microbial community functional diversity were analyzed using the methods of plate counting, chloroform fumigation and BIOLOG system, respectively. The results showed that the numbers of bacteria in N1 and N2 were significantly higher than the control 1 month after nitrogen addition, but significantly lower than the control 13 months after nitrogen addition, and the number of fungi and actinomycetes were not significantly changed after nitrogen addition. The soil microbial biomass C, N increased with the increase of nitrogen at 1 month, but the soil microbial biomass C increased significantly 13 months after nitrogen addition when compared with 1 month after nitrogen addition. The soil microbial biomass N was lower 13 months after nitrogen addition when compared with 1 month after nitrogen addition, but the difference was not significant (P > 0.05). The variation of the carbon utilization efficiency of soil microbial communities was resulted from the nitrogen addition. The indices of Shannon index, Simpson index and McIntosh index were calculated to show the differences in nitrogen treatments and in times, which turned out to be insignificant.
