The Dahurian larch forest in northeast China is important due to its vastness and location within a transitional zone from boreal to temperate and at the southern distribution edge of the vast Siberian larch forest. The continuous carbon fluxes were measured from May 2004 to April 2005 in the Dahurian larch forest in Northeast China using an eddy covariance method. The results showed that the ecosystem released carbon in the dormant season from mid-October 2004 to April 2005, while it assimilated CO₂ from the atmosphere in the growing season from May to September 2004. The net carbon sequestration reached its peak of 112 g·m⁻²·month⁻¹ in June 2004 (simplified expression of g (carbon)·m⁻²·month⁻¹) and then gradually decreased. Annually, the larch forest was a carbon sink that sequestered carbon of 146 g·m⁻²·a⁻¹ (simplified expression of g (carbon)·m⁻²·a⁻¹) during the measurements. The photosynthetic process of the larch forest ecosystem was largely affected by the vapor pressure deficit (VPD) and temperature. Under humid conditions (VPD < 1.0 kPa), the gross ecosystem production (GEP) increased with increasing temperature. But the net ecosystem production (NEP) showed almost no change with increasing temperature because the increment of GEP was counterbalanced by that of the ecosystem respiration. Under a dry environment (VPD > 1.0 kPa), the GEP decreased with the increasing VPD at a rate of 3.0 μmol·m⁻²·s⁻·kPa⁻¹ and the ecosystem respiration was also enhanced simultaneously due to the increase of air temperature, which was linearly correlated with the VPD. As a result, the net ecosystem carbon sequestration rapidly decreased with the increasing VPD at a rate of 5.2 μmol·m⁻²·s⁻¹·kPa⁻¹. Under humid conditions (VPD < 1.0 kPa), both the GEP and NEP were obviously restricted by the low air temperature but were insensitive to the high temperature because the observed high temperature value comes within the category of the optimum range.

A study was conducted to assess carbon stocks in various forms and land-use types and reliably estimate the impact of land use on C stocks in the Nam Yao sub-watershed (19°05′10″N, 100°37′02″E), Thailand. The carbon stocks of aboveground, soil organic and fine root within primary forest, reforestation and agricultural land were estimated through field data collection. Results revealed that the amount of total carbon stock of forests (357.62 ± 28.51 Mg·ha⁻¹, simplified expression of Mg (carbon)·ha⁻¹) was significantly greater (P < 0.05) than the reforestation (195.25 ± 14.38 Mg·ha⁻¹) and the agricultural land (103.10 ± 18.24 Mg·ha⁻¹). Soil organic carbon in the forests (196.24 ± 22.81 Mg·ha⁻¹) was also significantly greater (P< 0.05) than the reforestation (146.83 ± 7.22 Mg·ha⁻¹) and the agricultural land (95.09 ± 14.18 Mg·ha⁻¹). The differences in carbon stocks across land-use types are the primary consequence of variations in the vegetation biomass and the soil organic matter. Fine root carbon was a small fraction of carbon stocks in all land-use types. Most of the soil organic carbon and fine root carbon content was found in the upper 40-cm layer and decreased with soil depth. The aboveground carbon:soil organic carbon: fine root carbon ratios (ABGC: SOC: FRC), was 5:8:1, 2:8:1, and 3:50:1 for the forest, reforestation and agricultural land, respectively. These results indicate that a relatively large proportion of the C loss is due to forest conversion to agricultural land. However, the C can be effectively recaptured through reforestation where high levels of C are stored in biomass as carbon sinks, facilitating carbon dioxide mitigation.

Allelopathic effects of different doses of Eucalyptus camaldulensis leaf litters were investigated through an experiment in the green house of Institute of Forestry and Environmental Sciences, Chittagong, Bangladesh. Three popular agricultural crops: Falen (Vigna unguiculata), Chickpea (Cicer arietinum), Arhor (Cajanus cajan) and two widely used plantation trees: Sada koroi (Albizia procera) and Ipil ipil (Leucaena leucocephala) were selected as bioassay species. Experiment was set on tray at room temperature 27°C. The effects of different doses of leaf litter extracts were compared to the control. Results suggest that leaf litters of E. camaldulesis induced inhibitory effects. It was also found that the effect depend on concentration of extract and litterfall, type of receiver species. Higher concentration of the materials had the higher effect and vice versa. Though all the bioassay species were suppressed some of them showed better performance. Vigna unguiculata, Cicer arietinum are recommended in agroforestry based on this present Experiment output. In mixed plantation, Leucaena leucochephala is a better choice while compared to Albizia procera.

Geospatial patterns of forest fragmentation over the three traditional giant forested areas of China (Northeastern, southwestern and Southern China) were analyzed comparatively and reported based on a 250-m resolution land cover dataset. Specifically, the spatial patterns of forest fragmentation were characterized by combining geospatial metrics and forest fragmentation models. The driving forces resulting in the differences of the forest spatial patterns were also investigated. Results suggested that forests in southwest China had the highest severity of forest fragmentation, followed by south region and northeast region. The driving forces of forest fragmentation in China were primarily the giant population and improper exploitation of forests. In conclusion, the generated information in the study provided valuable insights and implications as to the fragmentation patterns and the conservation of biodiversity or genes, and the use of the chosen geospatial metrics and forest fragmentation models was quite useful for depicting forest fragmentation patterns.

Coastal zones comprising important intertidal tropical and subtropical ecosystems are characterized by high productivity, diversity and unique zonation of various plant and animal communities. The comparison of some selected physicochemical soil properties viz. texture, particle density, moisture content, pH, organic carbon and total nitrogen between planted site (Telir char) and barren site (Boyar char) has been investigated at surface (0–10 cm) and subsurface (10–45 cm) soil across three different land strips viz. inland, middle part and sea side in Lakshmipur coast of Bangladesh. Sand particles in the soil were lower in planted site than barren site. The reverse trend was found in case of both silt and clay percentage. Coastal afforestation had a significant effect on soil binding process since a common trend of increment in soil particle density was noticed. Maximum increment (20.43% to 23.30%) in soil moisture content was recorded in surface soil across the seaside while at subsurface soil both across the middle part (19.53% to 22.30%) and sea side (20.19% to 22.96%). Moreover, the highest reduction in soil pH was recorded at surface soil (7.27 to 6.60) across the sea side and subsurface soil (7.16 to 6.67) in inland due to the influence of coastal plantation. Across all the land strips and the soil depths studied, soil organic carbon was higher in planted site than in barren site with only exception at subsurface soil in the middle part (0.50% in both sites). Total soil nitrogen in the study area was increased at both depths due to forestation with the highest increment in the inland at both surface and subsurface soil.

It was hypothesized that increasing air and/or soil temperature would increase rates of microbial processes including litter decomposition and net N mineralization, resulting in greater sequestration of carbon and nitrogen in humus, and consequently development in O_H horizon (humus horizon). To quantify the effect of temperature on biochemical processes controlling the rate of O_H layer development three adjacent forest floors under beech, Norway spruce and mixed species stands were investigated at Solling forest, Germany by an incubation experiment of O_H layer for three months. Comparing the fitted curves for temperature sensitivity of O_H layers in relation to net N mineralization revealed positive correlation across all sites. For the whole data set of all stands, a Q10 (temperature sensitivity index) value of 2.35–2.44 dependent on the measured units was found to be adequate for describing the temperature dependency of net N mineralization at experimental site. Species-specific differences of substrate quality did not result in changes in biochemical properties of O_H horizon of the forest floors. Temperature elevation increased net N mineralization without significant changes in microbial status in the range of 1 to 15°C. A low C_mic/C_org (microbial carbon/organic carbon) ratio at 20°C indicated that the resource availability for decomposers has been restricted as reflected in significant decrease of microbial biomass.

A laboratory simulated freeze-thaw was conducted to determine the effects of freeze-thaw on soil nutrient availability in temperate semi-arid regions. Soil samples were collected from sandy soils (0–20 cm) of three typical ecosystems (grassland, Mongolian pine plantation and poplar plantation) in southeastern Keerqin Sandy Lands of China and subjected to freeze-thaw treatment (−12°C for 10 days, then 20°C for 10 days) or incubated at constant temperature (20°C for 20 days). Concentrations of the soil NO₃ ⁻-N, NH₄ ⁺-N, NaHCO₃ extractable inorganic P (LPi) and microbial biomass P (MBP) were determined on three occasions: at the start of the incubation, immediate post-thawing and at the 10th day post-thawing. The results showed that soil net nitrification and N mineralization rates at three sites were negatively affected by freeze-thaw treatment, and decreased by 50%–85% as compared to the control, of which the greatest decline occurred in the soil collected from poplar plantation. In contrast, the concentration of soil NH₄ ⁺-N, NaHCO₃ extractable inorganic P (LPi) and microbial biomass P were insignificantly influenced by freeze-thaw except that LPi and NH₄ ⁺-N showed a slight increase immediate post-thawing. The effects of freeze-thaw on soil N transformation were related to soil biological processes and the relatively constant available P was ascribed to severe soil aridity.

An investigation was conducted to quantify fine roots and roots nodules over the four seasons in forestry and agroforestry alder (Alnus rubra) stands in North Wales. Soil samples collected in each season were excavated at three sampling points (0.30 m, 0.57 m and 1.00 m distance from the base of each tree) from nine trees of the agroforestry and forestry plots. Result showed that the density of live fine root had significant differences in between seasons and treatments (P < 0.001). The mean weight density of live fine root over the four seasons in agroforestry and forestry was 0.27±0.01 kg·m⁻³ and 0.54±0.03 kg·m⁻³, respectively. Weight density of dead root in each system remained constant throughout the year. The mean weight density of dead root was also significantly different (P < 0.01) between forestry and agroforestry systems. Weight density of live and dead root nodule was both constant throughout the year and between the different sampling distances. The mean weight densities of live and dead root nodule over the four seasons were 0.09±0.03 kg·m⁻³ and 0.05±0.03 kg·m⁻³ in agroforestry and 0.08±0.02 kg·m⁻³ and 0.03±0.01 kg·m⁻³ in the forestry plots, respectively.

Soluble organic nitrogen (SON) is recognized as a sensitive indicator of soil nitrogen status. The present work was conducted in the temperate forests of northeast China where soils are typically characterized by high organic matter and high organic nitrogen content, and soil sampling was made in early spring just after the freeze-thaw period. The water extracted SON pools in the organic layer of forest soils were measured within the range from 156.0 mg·kg⁻¹ to 292.6 mg·kg⁻¹, a similar magnitude of salt solution extracted SON pools reported in literatures. However, the water soluble SON pools in 0–15 cm mineral soils in present study were much higher (3–10 times) than any other reports, ranging from 58.6 mg·kg⁻¹ to 125.2 mg·kg⁻¹. Water soluble SON varied markedly among the soils under different forests and at different sites. The SON in water extracts were positively and significantly correlated to soil organic matter and total nitrogen contents, but negatively correlated to microbial biomass nitrogen (MBN). The reasons of the abnormally large SON pools and the negative correlations between SON and MBN in the 0–15cm mineral soils in this study were specially discussed.

The role of late embryogenesis abundant (LEA) proteins in stress tolerance was examined by using a yeast expression system. LEA protein tolerance to the abotic stresses in plants involved in salt, drought and freezing stresses and additional tolerance to heat, Na-HCO3 (salt-alkali) and ultraviolet radiation was also investigated. The transgenic yeast harboring the Tamarix LEA gene (DQ663481) was generated under the control of inducible GAL promoter (pYES2 vector), yeast cells transformed with pYES2 empty vector were also generated as a control. Stress tolerance tests showed that LEA yeast transformants exhibited a higher survival rates than the control transformants under high temperature, NaHCO₃, ultraviolet radiation, salt (NaCl), drought and freezing, indicating that the LEA gene is tolerant to these abiotic stresses. These results suggest that the LEA gene is resistant to a wider repertoire of stresses and may play a common role in plant acclimation to the examined stress conditions.

The expression of a rice Cu/Zn superoxide dismutase (Cu/Zn-SOD) in Saccharomyces cerevisiae regulated by GAPDH promoter, involved in the inhibition of endogenous Glutathione (GSH) synthesis, and the competitive expression was detected by constructing the expression vector transferred Cu/Zn-SOD gene into wild-type S. cerevisiae. Transcription and expression of the Cu/Zn-SOD gene in S. cerevisiawere were confirmed by northern blot and SDS-PAGE, respectively, and activity of the Cu/Zn-SOD from crude extracts was enzymatically detected based on the effect of nitroblue tetrazolium (NBT) after running a native polyacrylamide gel. The GSH synthesis was also tested by DTNB (5, 5′-Dithiobis (2-nitrobenzoic acid)) method. Results showed that GSH synthesis was evidently suppressed by the expression of Cu/Zn-SOD gene in both control and heat shock strains. It implied that the expression of the Cu/Zn-SOD gene in S. cerevisiae has more potential facility in response to oxidative exposure than that of endogenous GSH, although Cu/Zn-SOD and GSH were both contributed to the function of oxygen radical oxidoreduction.

This paper reports two newly recorded species, Itaquascon placophorum Maucci, 1972 and Itaquascon umbellinae Barros, 1939, of the genus Itaquascon (Tardigrada; Hypsibiidae) from China in the first time. The specimens of Itaquascon placophorum were collected from Tsinling Mountains (33°28′N, 108°29′E) at 2,040 m above the sea level and those of Itaquascon umbellinae from Taibai Mt. (34°21′N, 107°39′E) at 1,500 m above the sea level. All specimens are deposited at the College of Life Sciences, Shaanxi Normal University, China.

Chinese bamboo flour was chemically modified by acetylation with acetic anhydride by using trichloroacetic acid as an activation agent and the optimized condition for acetylation of bamboo flour was determined as the trichloroacetic acid amount 6.0 g per 1.5-g bamboo flour, ultrasosonication duration 40 min and the reaction time 1 h at 65°C. The composition, microstructure and thermal behavior of acetylated bamboo flour were preliminarily characterized by FT-IR, DSC and SEM etc. The acetylated bamboo flour can be molded into sheets at 130°C and 10 MPa, indicating the modified bamboo flour possesses thermalplastic performance.

This review describes the non-timber forest products (NTFPs) used for different aspects of beauty-care in Bangladesh on the basis of extensive literature survey. The diverse plant species, including used parts and using patterns for hair care, facial treatments and body care, were summarized in 13 tables. This paper accumulate the scattered knowledge regarding the use of plants in beauty-care in Bangladesh, to draw the extent of use of NTFPs in health care and to record the knowledge for assessing the possibilities of further implementation in herbal cosmetics industries. The structured knowledge can be used in policy making process for sustainable management of these valuable NTFPs leading to the conservation of the country’s biological diversity. It is suggested that intensive field level research is necessary for securing sustainability of NTFPs.

This paper describes the geographical distribution, utilization, cultural value and ex-situ conservation of bamboo resources in Xishuangbanna, Yunan Province, China. Sixty species of bamboo in 19 genera are recorded in Xishuangbanna. The area of natural bamboo forest is 14319 ha, accounting for 5.92% of whole area of Xishuangbanna. The abundant resource of bamboo plays an important role in the economics and culture of national minorities in Xishuangbanna. Xishuangbanna Tropic Botanic Garden, Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS), started to introduce bamboo species in 1961 and established the ex-situ conservation reserve (8 ha) of bamboo in 1981. Up to now, 211 species in 27 genera collected from tropic and sub-tropic of China and South-east Asia have been planted in the bamboo reserve, of which 11 species have bloomed and seeded, and their seeds were cultivated in Xishuangbanna Tropical Botanic Gardens, CAS, China.