In this study, we obtained tree species from 72 Taoist temples across China. We subsequently documented the tree species composition, distribution pattern, and impact factors in different regions to determine the role of Taoist temples in biodiversity protection. The results showed that: ① Among 72 Taoist temples sampled across China, we observed a total of 354 species of trees, belonging to 85 families and 208 genera; ② The tree species in the Taoist temples were mainly native species, and the mean value for the proportion of native species in each Taoist temple was 62.5%±19.8% (mean ± standard deviation). Most of the Taoist temples (77.8%), moreover, housed threatened tree species; ③ Taoist tree species originated largely from subtropical regions, with the Yangtze River Basin being the most represented, especially in the southwest and south-central regions where a relatively large proportion of ethnic minorities reside; ④ The main factors affecting the distribution of Taoist tree species were geography and climate, but their composition was indistinguishable within each climate zone. As the climatic zone moves northward, there is no religious tree species replacement phenomenon (i.e., replacing the original religious tree species by native tree species with similar morphology or cultural meaning). The above results indicate that Taoist temples are rich in plant resources, which are potential biodiversity treasures. Thus, they play an essential role in protecting and maintaining biodiversity, with the potential to serve as a reference for regional ecological restoration and urban green space construction.
The development of city-scale vegetation maps is helpful for vegetation management and conservation. Vegetation classification systems in China mainly consider natural vegetation and most classification systems operate at the national or provincial scale, making them unsuitable for city-scale classification. Until now, the lack of a classification system designed specifically for urban vegetation has limited the studies on urban vegetation. Based on the origin, disturbance, and function, our classification system divides urban vegetation into natural, secondary, and cultivated vegetations. Based on the function, cultivated vegetation is further divided into artificial forest land, landscape green land , and urban agricultural vegetations. Based on the Classification System of China’s Vegetation in 1980 and the three newly proposed preliminary guideline documents for classification of natural vegetation, we establish a new urban vegetation classification system. We applied the principles of this new urban system in Shanghai and other areas in China, to further refine the system and ensure it has both academic and practical values. This work provides the theoretical basis for compiling information about urban vegetation and provides technical support for the recognition, protection, construction, and management of urban vegetation.
Based on a field investigation of eleven villages in Shanghai across four seasons and statistical analysis of photos and observation data, 62 perennial herbs species, belonging to 30 families and 52 genera, were identified. Gramineae, Compositae, and Asparagaceae accounted for the majority of species observed; meanwhile, native plants accounted for a relatively low proportion, representing only 15.63% of the total. Challenges for the plant landscape include monotonous dominant species, similar landscapes, and poor growth conditions. Cluster analysis was used to classify the characteristics of the investigated perennial herbs and to select potential substitutes for underperforming species. The data can be used to optimize the allocation of plant communities and to provide a theoretical basis for improving the rural plant landscape of Shanghai.
This study investigated the combined application of water-retaining agents and organic fertilizers to enhance the soil water-holding capacity of waste dumps in open pit coal mines by measuring the anti-evaporation capacity and water content of man-made soil. The results showed that the anti-evaporation capacity of water-retaining agents in the gel state was superior to that in the dry state. Among the tested water-retaining agents, we found that France Essen at a concentration of 5% was the optimal choice. The soil water-holding time could be prolonged by the combined application of water-retaining agents and organic fertilizers, resulting in improved soil water-holding capacity. The optimum ratio of water-retaining agents to organic fertilizer was 3‰∶20% or 5‰∶10%. The water retention time of field capacity in this area would be improved by more than one time. Our findings provide valuable insights for the scientific community regarding soil remediation in waste dumps within open pit coal mines in Northwest China.
In this study, sedimentary component analysis and radioactive dating of sediment core from Krossfjorden were used to evaluate the vertical distribution of grain sizes and sedimentary changes since the 1930s. The analysis helps us to understand the environmental changes that have taken place in fjords of the high-latitude glacier front over the past few decades. The results show that the sedimentation rate (0.35 cm/a) has increased significantly since the 1990s and is about twice the rate observed historically before the 1990s (0.16 cm/a). After the 1990s, the mean and median grain size increased and sediment coarsening appeared. Moreover, the composition of grain sizes changed significantly, including a decrease in the sorting coefficient, increase in kurtosis fluctuation, and positive skewness change. Changes in the sedimentary characteristics indicate that the environment has changed in the Krossfjorden during the last thirty years. Climate change has caused rapid glacier melting, which has significantly increased the proliferation of terrigenous materials in fjords of the high-latitude glacier front.
In this study, the effects of floating-bed planting on the retention characteristics of heavy metals by emergent hydrophytes in Jinze of Shanghai was studied. A series of sampling sites were set up in the reservoir at the bankside and the floating bed area, respectively.Cyperus alternifolius, Canna indica, andIris tectorum were selected as the representative emergent hydrophyte species to analyze the effects of floating-bed planting on the retention of Cu, Zn, Fe, Cr, Cd, and Pb in plants. The results showed that the biomass of C. indica and I. tectorum that were planted on the floating bed was significantly higher than those planted on the bankside (p < 0.05), while the biomass of C. alternifolius planted on the floating bed was significantly lower than those that were planted on the bankside (p < 0.05). The Cu, Fe, and Pb contents of C. indica planted on the floating bed, moreover, were significantly higher than those that were planted on the bankside (p < 0.05). The Cu, Zn, and Cd contents of C. alternifolius and I. tectorum planted on the floating bed were significantly higher than those that were planted on the bankside (p < 0.05). The retention of Cu, Fe, Cd, and Pb by C. indica; Cu, Zn, Fe, Cd, and Pb by I. tectorum; and Cd by C. alternifolius planted on the floating bed was significantly higher than those that were planted on the bankside (p < 0.05). In summary, correlations between the retention of different heavy metals for the same hydrophyte varied under different planting conditions; these differences were also observed among different species. Above all, it was shown that floating-bed planting can improve the growth and heavy metal absorption capacity of emergent hydrophytes to a certain extent, which has an important effect on the corresponding retention characteristic of heavy metals. Based on the results of our research, it is recommended that C. indica and I. tectorum would be preferred as floating bed plants. For the purpose of long-term monitoring, further systematic and comprehensive studies should be carried out in the future.
We collected soil samples from Maogang Town (Songjiang District, Shanghai) and used high-throughput sequencing techniques to reveal the diversity and community composition of soil bacteria and soil fungi in this peri-urban area. We found a total of 632 bacteria OTUs (operational taxonomic units) and 593 fungi OTUs in Maogang, in which the dominant microbial groups were Proteobacteria (bacteria) and Ascomycota (fungi). The Shannon Wiener index of soil bacteria was found to be in the range of 4.41 to 4.71, and the soil fungi’s Shannon Wiener index was found to be in the range of 1.99 to 2.60. Land-use type insignificantly affected α diversity of soil bacteria and soil fungi; however, land-use type significantly affected β diversity of soil bacteria (R = 0.32, p = 0.001) and soil fungi (R = 0.22, p = 0.001). Lastly, there were significant correlations observed between three soil environmental factors—namely, soil pH, porosity, and moisture—and community composition and β diversity of soil bacteria and soil fungi.
The balance between supply and demand of ecosystem services is essential for sustainable development, while differentiated partitioning is important for optimal resource allocation. Based on the carnegie-ames-stanford-approach (CASA), the water balance equation, and the revised universal soil loss equation (RUSLE), this study depicts the supply and demand of carbon fixation and water and soil conservation services and their relationship in the Yangtze River Delta integration demonstration zone from 2000 to 2020. Self-organizing map (SOM) K-means two-order clustering technology is used to identify ecosystem service clusters dividing the ecological management zone. Management strategies are then proposed. The results show that: ① The supply of carbon fixation services continued to decrease but the demand increased. Additionally, the supply and demand of water and soil conservation services showed an increasing trend, and supply was less than demand. ② The supply-demand ratio of carbon fixation and soil conservation services showed an upward trend, whereas the supply-demand ratio of water conservation services showed a downward trend. Significant spatial differences were observed in the supply-demand ratio of ecosystem services. ③ Cluster analysis divided the demonstration area into different types of ecological regulation zones. The urban clusters in Wujiang and Shengze town districts are mainly to improve the capacity of water conservation services. The urban cluster in Qingpu District is to promote the water conservation and carbon fixation services capacity. The pilot start-up area and urban cluster in Jiashan City have a small gap between supply and demand, which focus on comprehensive protection. This study can provide decision-making support for resource allocation, ecological compensation, and coordinated development of regional integration in the demonstration area.
To investigate the influence of urban environmental differences on the leaf-unfolding phenology of trees, we extracted the leaf unfolding information of nine tree species using remote sensing data and analyzed their relationships with temperature, precipitation, and nighttime light in a pure forest in Shanghai. The results showed that : ① there were significant differences in the average onset of the leaf-unfolding phenology among species, from 95th to 104th day of the year; contrastingly, intra-species variation in leaf-unfolding date was greater, ranging from 69th to 138th day of the year. ② Different species exhibited different leaf phenology in response to environmental factors. Triadica sebifera was the most sensitive to precipitation changes, Taxodium distichum var. imbricatum was sensitive to precipitation changes and urbanization, and Koelreuteria bipinnata was sensitive to precipitation and climate changes. Other species were not sensitive to any environmental changes. ③ For species sensitive to environmental changes, the leaf-unfolding date was 45 days earlier when the average precipitation increase from 48 mm to 64 mm, and delayed by three days for every 1°C increase in average temperature before the growing season. The study showed that urban forest construction can be reasonably configured according to the response characteristics of a species to the environment, so that plants can better adapt to the environment and fulfill their roles in the ecosystem.
In this study, a benthic macroinvertebrates survey was conducted in the western Qingpu District. The Benthic Index of Biotic Integrity (B-IBI) was used to assess the regional water ecological health. The relationship between B-IBI and water quality indicators, including related indices, was analyzed, and the applicability of B-IBI in lake-swamp areas was explored. The results showed that the water ecological health of the study area was good overall, the proportion of healthy and sub-healthy sample sites was 67.7%, and B-IBI indexes of the lake-swamp areas are better than those of rivers. The B-IBI index can effectively indicate organic pollution and eutrophication in water bodies. In addition, a significant correlation among the biological indices was found, despite the differences in evaluation results. We conclude that the B-IBI index has good applicability for the water ecology assessment of lake-swamp areas.
中国综合性科技类核心期刊(北大核心)
