Chonemorpha fragrans is an endangered medicinal woody climber, regarded among alternative plant sources of camptothecin. Camptothecin is a monoterpene indole anti-cancer alkaloid with annual trade value of over three billion U.S. dollars in the recent, and is used in the production of its analog drugs approved for the chemotherapy of cancer of varied types. Effects of plant growth regulators, culture media strength and photoperiodic duration on the micropropagation efficiency of C. fragrans from nodal segment explants were studied on Murashige and Skoog (MS) medium amended with Thidiazuron (TDZ), Benzylaminopurine (BAP) or Kinetin (Kin). Thidiazuron was more efficient over BAP and Kin when half basal MS medium was used over full or quarter strength. Results of carbon source experiment showed sucrose as the most effective over glucose, fructose, and maltose in the clonal production. Studies on the photoperiodic incubation duration showed 12 h as the best light period and sub or supra-optimal resulted in the production of abnormal and albino micro shoots. Experimental results on the evaluation of physiological, biochemical parameters showed the role of pigment molecules and antioxidant systems in the production of albino micro shoots.

Morphology, biomass, nitrate reductase (NR) and nitrogenase activity in Albizia chinensis (Osb.) Merr. nodules were assessed on monthly and seasonal basis for 1 year. Average NR and nitrogenase activity was higher during the rainy season, reaching a maximum in August. Thereafter, activity decreased through autumn and reached a minimum value during winter. Fresh and dry biomass of nodules increased gradually from summer to the rainy season and then started decreasing with the onset of winter as nodules began to senesce. Among four developmental stages of the nodules that correspond to their increasing age, NR and nitrogenase activity remained low in stage 1 nodules and peaked in stage 2. The activity of both enzymes further decreased with increasing age (stage 2 to stage 4). Morphological features such as shape, diameter and color varied considerably among the developmental stages. Stage 1 nodules were cream-colored, oval to heart-shaped with smallest average diameter whereas at stage 2, they became bilobed to tetralobed. On the other hand, stage 3 nodules had the largest average diameter and were multilobed in structure. Stage 4 nodules that correspond to the senescing stage were dark brown to black, multilobed, flattened and hollow due to degeneration of nodular tissue.

Auxin polar transport genes PIN (PIN-FORMED) determine the concentration gradient of auxin in plants. To understand the relationship between the development of different tissues in Betula pendula ‘Dalecartica’, BpPIN gene expression and indole-3-acetic acid (IAA) content were analyzed using qRT-PCR, ELISA, and GUS staining. Gene expression of BpPIN genes and IAA levels in the leaves, buds, stems, xylem, and roots of B. pendula ‘Dalecartica’ and B. pendula as a control were measured. BpPIN1, BpPIN5 and BpPIN6 were upregulated during development in both species, suggesting a dominant role in the development of B. pendula ‘Dalecartica’ leaves. Moreover, BpPIN1 gene expression was positively associated with IAA levels during leaf, vein and petiole development in B. pendula ‘Dalecartica’ only. The correlation coefficient of the first three leaves was 0.69 (P = 0.04), while that of the first three petioles was 0.85 (P = 0.001). In addition, GUS staining of the pro-DR5::GUS transgenic line of cultivar was correlated with the results of BpPIN1 expression. Overall, these findings suggest that BpPIN1 is associated with the formation of lobed leaves in B. pendula ‘Dalecartica’.

The aim of this study was to develop and test a new basal area growth model in mixed species continuous cover forests in northern Iran. We analyzed 421 core samples from 6 main species in the forest area to develop our growth model. In each plot, we measured variables such as total tree height (m), diameter at breast height (DBH) (cm) and basal area of larger trees as cumulative basal areas of trees (GCUM) of DBH > 5 cm. The empirical data were analyzed using regression analysis. There was a statistically significant nonlinear function between the annual basal area increment, as the dependent variable, and the basal area of the individual trees and competition as explanatory variables. Reference area from the largest trees, was circular plot with area of 0.1 ha. GCUM was estimated for trees of DBH > 5 cm. Furthermore, we investigated the dependencies of diameter growth of different species on stand density at different levels of competition, and diameter development of individual trees through time. The results indicate that competition caused by larger neighborhood trees has a negative effect on growth. In addition, the maximum diameter increment is affected by competition level. Therefore, the maximum diameter increment of species occurs when the trees are about 35–40 cm in dense-forest (40 to 0 m² per ha) and when the trees are about 60 to 70 cm in very dense forest (60 to 0 m² per ha) which is more likely to Caspian natural forests with high level density due to uneven-aged composition of stands.

The construction of a pest detection algorithm is an important step to couple “ground-space” characteristics, which is also the basis for rapid and accurate monitoring and detection of pest damage. In four experimental areas in Sanming City, Jiangle County, Sha County and Yanping District in Fujian Province, sample data on pest damage in 182 sets of Dendrolimus punctatus were collected. The data were randomly divided into a training set and testing set, and five duplicate tests and one eliminating-indicator test were done. Based on the characterization analysis of the host for D. punctatus damage, seven characteristic indicators of ground and remote sensing including leaf area index, standard error of leaf area index (SEL) of pine forest, normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI), wetness from tasseled cap transformation (WET), green band (B ₂), red band (B ₃), near-infrared band (B ₄) of remote sensing image are obtained to construct BP neural networks and random forest models of pest levels. The detection results of these two algorithms were comprehensively compared from the aspects of detection precision, kappa coefficient, receiver operating characteristic curve, and a paired t test. The results showed that the seven indicators all were responsive to pest damage, and NDVI was relatively weak; the average pest damage detection precision of six tests by BP neural networks was 77.29%, the kappa coefficient was 0.6869 and after the RF algorithm, the respective values were 79.30% and 0.7151, showing that the latter is more optimized, but there was no significant difference (p > 0.05); the detection precision, kappa coefficient and AUC of the RF algorithm was higher than the BP neural networks for three pest levels (no damage, moderate damage and severe damage). The detection precision and AUC of BP neural networks were a little higher for mild damage, but the difference was not significant (p > 0.05) except for the kappa coefficient for the no damage level (p < 0.05). An “over-fitting” phenomenon tends to occur in BP neural networks, while RF method is more robust, providing a detection effect that is better than the BP neural networks. Thus, the application of the random forest algorithm for pest damage and multilevel dispersed variables is thus feasible and suggests that attention to the proportionality of sample data from various categories is needed when collecting data.

To improve multi-environmental trial (MET) analysis, a compound method—which combines factor analytic (FA) model with additive main effect and multiplicative interaction (AMMI) and genotype main effect plus genotype-by-environment interaction (GGE) biplot—was conducted in this study. The diameter at breast height of 36 open-pollinated (OP) families of Pinus taeda at six sites in South China was used as a raw dataset. The best linear unbiased prediction (BLUP) data of all individual trees in each site was obtained by fitting the spatial effects with the FA method from raw data. The raw data and BLUP data were analyzed and compared by using the AMMI and GGE biplot. BLUP results showed that the six sites were heterogeneous and spatial variation could be effectively fitted by spatial analysis with the FA method. AMMI analysis identified that two datasets had highly significant effects on the site, family, and their interactions, while BLUP data had a smaller residual error, but higher variation explaining ability and more credible stability than raw data. GGE biplot results revealed that raw data and BLUP data had different results in mega-environment delineation, test-environment evaluation, and genotype evaluation. In addition, BLUP data results were more reasonable due to the stronger analytical ability of the first two principal components. Our study suggests that the compound method combing the FA method with the AMMI and GGE biplot could improve the analysis result of MET data in Pinus teada as it was more reliable than direct AMMI and GGE biplot analysis on raw data.

The mortality of trees across diameter class model is a useful tool for predicting changes in stand structure. Mortality data commonly contain a large fraction of zeros and general discrete models thus show more errors. Based on the traditional Poisson model and the negative binomial model, different forms of zero-inflated and hurdle models were applied to spruce-fir mixed forests data to simulate the number of dead trees. By comparing the residuals and Vuong test statistics, the zero-inflated negative binomial model performed best. A random effect was added to improve the model accuracy; however, the mixed-effects zero-inflated model did not show increased advantages. According to the model principle, the zero-inflated negative binomial model was the most suitable, indicating that the “0” events in this study, mainly from the sample “0”, i.e., the zero mortality data, are largely due to the limitations of the experimental design and sample selection. These results also show that the number of dead trees in the diameter class is positively correlated with the number of trees in that class and the mean stand diameter, and inversely related to class size, and slope and aspect of the site.

General decline of understory cover can result from increased abundance of and foraging pressure by deer. But population size and degree of aggregation can increase for unpalatable understory plants that escape foraging pressure. Clonal reproduction can enable unpalatable plant species to increase their population sizes while trending toward spatially aggregated distributions. However, the details of the relationship between clonal reproduction in unpalatable plants and their dynamics under intensive deer herbivory are not clear. We compared the population structures and spatial patterns of two coexisting unpalatable plant species, Arisaema ovale (with clonal reproduction) and A. peninsulae (without clonal reproduction) in a riparian forest intensively grazed by Sika deer, and examined the null hypothesis that the extent of spatial aggregation and local population size would not differ between the clonal and non-clonal Arisaema species. In a 0.36-ha plot, A. ovale had a larger population size (1087 individuals) with a higher abundance ratio of small plants (p < 0.01) than A. peninsulae (84 individuals). Analyses of spatial point processes showed that both populations were spatially aggregated (p < 0.05). The spatial aggregation of A. peninsulae, however, became weaker than that of A. ovale, when we excluded one dense patch originating from irregular seed dispersion. These results, excluding the aggregated distribution observed in A. peninsulae, suggested a substantial contribution of clonal reproduction to the expansion of the local A. ovale population following intensive grazing by Sika deer.

The semi-arid mangroves of the Gulf of Kachchh, the largest ecosystems on the west coast of India, are poorly studied in terms of vegetation structure and environmental parameters in spite of their conservation significance. Therefore, it is necessary to document the structural features of these mangroves in view of ongoing coastal industrial development. Mangrove forest structure in 10 locations on the northern and southern coasts of the Gulf of Kachchh were assessed using the line intercept transect method. Descriptions included density of young and mature age classes, tree heights, diameters at breast height (DBH) and aboveground biomass, along with seven significant environmental variables. Mature tree densities ranged from 350 to 1567 ind. ha⁻¹, while average height and girth at breast height ranged from 1.0 to 6.8 m and 3.0 to 137.0 cm, respectively. The majority of trees (55.6%) were in ≤ 1.8 m height class followed by a 1.9 to 2.4 m class (25.1%). DBH was most often in class 2 cm or lower than that. Among the canopy index classes, more trees were recorded in class ≤ 2 cm. The regeneration density was greater than the recruitment class. This study indicates that the poor structural attributes of Avicennia marina Vierth. var. acutissima Stapf and Mold dominated mangroves are largely due to aridity induced by scarce and erratic rainfall and high soil and water salinities. The results should be valuable in conserving and sustainably managing these mangroves in the face of developmental activities.

Experiments were conducted to study the effects of density on growth and biomass partitioning of Leucaena leucocephala seedlings. Four plantations with densities of 10,000, 20,000, 40,000, and 80,000 seedlings ha⁻¹ were evaluated only from 15 to 25 months after planting. At 15 months, crown height and width decreased with increasing density. Seedling height/dbh ratios increased with increasing density. Biomass increased with greater density according to the yield–density effect equation, which was evident for all densities. With increasing age, biomass division to branches and leaves increased, whereas partitioning to roots decreased in the 10,000 and 20,000 seedlings ha⁻¹ plantings. Partitioning to branches and leaves remained relatively steady, while partitioning to roots increased in the 40,000 and 80,000 seedlings ha⁻¹ plantings. Biomass division into stem and bark components remained relatively steady in all densities. Yield–density and organ yield–density curves shifted upward with increasing seedling age on a log–log graph throughout the experimental period.

Understanding the influence of environmental variables on the spatial distribution of ecological communities is essential to predict the response of vegetation to various environmental drivers. Ecological theory suggests that multiple environmental factors shape local species assemblages and should influence the various components of community structure and composition in different ways. This study aimed to classify Pinus wallichiana dominated forests in the Swat Hindukush range mountains to understand the relative influence of multiple environmental filters on its composition and structure. These forests represent the most typical of the species distribution in northern Pakistan and were not subjected to any phytosociological study. For this purpose, thirty forest stands, spanning a wide range of physical habitats were sampled using 10 × 10 m plots and the importance value index was calculated. The floristic and environmental data were subjected to Ward’s agglomerative cluster analysis for objective classification and ordinated with NMS ordination for pattern description and testing the vegetation–environmental relationships. Three floristically and ecologically distinct communities were recognized along the topographic gradient (elevation, r = 0.377; slope, r = 0.5548) coupled with soil physical (clay, r = 0.2782; silt, r = 0.3225) and chemical properties (pH, r = 0.4975; lime, r = 3982). An elevation gradient of 100 m separated the low (Pinus wallichiana–Quercus dilatata community) and middle elevations forest stands (P. wallichiana pure population) from the highland population type (Pinus wallichiana–Cedrus deodara community). The floristics and structure of these forest types respond directly or indirectly to topographic and soil variables which were evidenced from the floristic composition, species richness, and community physiognomy. These characteristics of the communities changed from heterogenous, dense stands to sparsely dispersed conifers, broadleaved-evergreen, and deciduous vegetation types along the environmental gradients. We concluded that several factors explained the spatial pattern. Thus, we predict that elevation coupled with soil physical and chemical properties could be considered if the ultimate goal is the restoration and conservation of these forests. We also recommend broad-scale phytosociological study on P. wallichiana forests including multiple sampling from diverse locations to define the floristic diversity and to better understand its ecological requirements.

The objective of this study is to investigate the potential causes of widespread Larix sibirica Ledeb. mortality observed in the Khentii massif of northern Mongolia. The ratio of deadwood to living trees in affected stands in the Goricho region, the southernmost study site situated close to the Gobi Desert, was as high as 3.6:1. Moisture fluctuations monitored over 2 years using electrical impedance spectrometry revealed that the Goricho study site had higher soil moisture levels than the two less affected sites Barun Bayan and Dzun Bayan. High soil moisture was recorded in an area characterized by highly skeletal soils, ones with more than 35% by volume of rock fragments, and comparatively shallow soil horizons, from valley to mountains. The layer of permafrost influencing hydrogeological processes is much deeper in the Goricho region compared to the undisturbed study sites. Redundancy analysis confirmed a significant number of dead L. sibirica on sites with developed soils. Live forest stands, however damaged, grow in this region on well-drained scree slopes or on rocky bastions. The mass mortality observed for L. sibirica may be directly linked to accelerated permafrost thaw in the area bordered by the Tuul and the Terelj Rivers. Our assumption is that L. sibirica root system necrosis occurred as a result of long-term waterlogging of developed soils with high spatial heterogeneity, normally able to absorb high quantities of groundwater. The areas unaffected were scree fields and rocky bastions characterized by adequate drainage. All of our findings support the primary stages of large-scale permafrost thaw, i.e., correlating increases in soil moisture with increasing permafrost active layer thickness.

Tree-ring width chronologies of Larix chinensis were developed from the northern and southern slopes of the Qinling Mountains in Shaanxi Province, and climatic factors affecting the tree-ring widths of L. chinensis were examined. Correlation analysis showed that similar correlations between tree-ring width chronologies and climatic factors demonstrated that radial growth responded to climate change on both slopes. The radial growth of L. chinensis was mainly limited by temperature, especially the growing season. In contrast, both chronologies were negatively correlated with precipitation in May of the previous year and April of the current year. Spatial climate-correlation analyses with gridded land-surface climate data revealed that our tree-ring width chronologies contained a strong regional temperature signal over much of north-central and eastern China. Spatial correlation with sea-surface temperature fields highlights the influence of the Pacific Ocean, Indian Ocean, and North Atlantic Ocean. Wavelet coherence analysis indicated the existence of some decadal and interannual cycles in the two tree-ring width chronologies. This may suggest the influences of El Niño-Southern Oscillation and solar activity on tree growth in the Qinling Mountains. These findings will help us understand the growth response of L. chinensis to climate change in the Qinling region, and they provide critical information for future climate reconstructions based on this species in semi-humid regions.

We analyzed the relationships linking overwintering death and frost cracking to temperature and sunlight as well as the effects of low temperatures and freeze–thaw cycles on bud-burst rates, relative electrical conductivity, and phloem and cambial ultrastructures of poplar.Overwintering death rates of poplar were not correlated with negative accumulated temperature or winter minimum temperature. Freeze–thaw cycles caused more bud damage than constant exposure to low temperatures. Resistance to freeze–thaw cycles differed among clones, and the bud-burst rate decreased with increasing exposure to freeze–thaw cycles. Cold-resistant clones had the lowest relative electrical conductivity. Chloroplasts exhibited the fastest and the most obvious reaction to freeze–thaw damage, whereas a single freeze–thaw cycle caused little damage to cambium ultrastructure. Several such cycles resulted in damage to plasma membranes, severe damage to organelles, dehydration of cells and cell death. We conclude that overwintering death of poplar is mainly attributed to the accumulation of effective freeze–thaw damage beyond the limits of freeze–thaw resistance.

Larix olgensis is a dominant tree species in the forest ecosystems of the Changbai Mountains of northeast China. To assess the growth response of this species to global climate change, we developed three tree-ring width and biomass chronologies across a range of elevations in the subalpine forests on the eastern slope of the Changbai Mountains. We used dendroclimatic analyses to study key factors limiting radial growth in L. olgensis and its variation with elevation. The statistical characteristics of chronologies suggested that elevation is a determinant of tree growth patterns in the study area. Response function analysis of chronologies with climate factors indicated that climate–growth relationships changed with increasing elevation: tree growth at high elevation was strongly limited by June temperatures of the previous year, and as elevation decreases, the importance of temperature decreased; tree radial growth at mid-elevation was mainly controlled by precipitation towards the end of the growing season of the current year. Biomass chronologies reflected a stronger climatic signal than tree-ring width chronologies. Spatial correlation with gridded climate data revealed that our chronologies contained a strong regional temperature signal for northeast China. Trees growing below timberline appeared to be more sensitive to climate, thus optimal sites for examining growth trends as a function of climate variation are considered to be just below timberline. Our study objective was to provide information for more accurate prediction of the growth response of L. olgensis to future climate change on the eastern slope of the Changbai Mountains, and to provide information for future climate reconstructions using this tree species in humid and semi humid regions.

Soil water is an important factor restricting afforestation on the semi-arid Loess Plateau. The micro-topography of the loess slope has changed the distribution pattern of soil water on the slope. To improve water utilization efficiency and optimize afforestation configuration patterns, the relationship between soil water and precipitation at micro-topographic scale must be studied. We used time series analysis to study the temporal variation of soil water and its response to precipitation in four kinds of micro-topographies and undisturbed slope on loess slopes. Micro-topographies significantly influenced soil water distribution and dynamics on the slopes. Soil water stored in the platform, sinkhole, and ephemeral gully influenced subsequent soil water for 4 weeks, whereas soil water stored in the scarp and undisturbed slope could influence soil water for 2 weeks. It took 12 weeks, 10 weeks, 18 weeks, 6 weeks, and 12 weeks for precipitation to reach the deeper soil layer in the platform, sinkhole, scarp, ephemeral gully, and undisturbed slope, respectively. These soil water characteristics in different micro-topographies are vital factors that should be taken into consideration when undertaking afforestation on the Loess Plateau.

Protected areas are necessary for the conservation and enhancement of biodiversity. Wildfires are major threats to forests and other natural areas, because they may cause irreversible damages. The aim of this study was to analyze the perspective of experts (N = 284), from six countries of the Black Sea, on the current status and problems of protected areas and wildfires. Understanding their points of view could enhance future management on these issues in the region. Data collection was carried out for 9 months, using a web-based questionnaire. Wildfires were perceived as a serious problem in Turkey, Armenia and Greece but as a substantially less serious problem in Romania, Ukraine and Moldova. In Greece, Armenia, and especially Ukraine, the current designated protected areas are considered sufficient to maintain biodiversity, while in Romania, Turkey, and especially Moldova, more areas should be designated as protected. A major need in all countries (except for Turkey) is the increased use of information and communication technologies for both wildfire suppression and protected area management. Experts were divided on whether wildfire suppression and management of protected areas are interconnected. However, there is growing awareness of the adverse impacts of climate change in protected areas and the frequency of wildfires in the future. The most frequently suggested measures to alleviate these impacts were: changes in forest management and increasing public awareness for wildfire suppression, along with changes in forest management and increased staff training to enhance protected area conservation.

Studies of post-fire soil status in Mediterranean ecosystems are common; however, few have examined the effects of long-term forest management after a wildfire on physicochemical soil properties. Here, we analyzed differences in soil properties attributable to long-term post-fire management and assessed the sustainability of these management practices in relation to the soil properties. The study area is located in Ódena in the northeast region of the Iberian Peninsula consisted of the control forest (burned more than 30 years ago), low density forest (LD; burned in a wildfire in 1986 and managed in 2005) and high density forest (HD; burned in a wildfire in 1986 and no managed). For soils from each plot, we measured soil water repellency, aggregate stability, total nitrogen (TN), soil organic matter (SOM), inorganic carbon (IC), pH, electrical conductivity, extractable calcium, magnesium, sodium, potassium (K), phosphorus, aluminum (Al), manganese (Mn), iron (Fe), zinc, copper, boron, chrome, silicon and sulfur and calculated the ratios of C/N, Ca + Mg/(Na + K)^1/2, Ca/Al and Ca/Mg. Significant differences were found in TN, IC, SOM, pH, K, Al, Mn, Fe and C/N ratio (p < 0.05). All soil properties were found to have largely recovered their pre-fire values. Soils were affected by the post-fire management practices implemented 20 years after the fire, as reflected in their respective physicochemical properties, so that soil properties at the control and LD sites are more similar today than those at the control and HD sites. Thus, sustainable forest management can overcome soil degradation in areas affected by wildfire in the medium- and long-term by improving soil properties.

Phenolic acids are secondary metabolites of plants that significantly affect nutrient cycling processes. To investigate such effects, the soil available nitrogen (N) content, phenolic acid content, and net N mineralization rate in three successive rotations of Chinese fir plantations in subtropical China were investigated. Net N mineralization and nitrification rates in soils treated with phenolic acids were measured in an ex situ experiment. Compared with first-rotation plantations (FCP), the contents of total soil nitrogen and nitrate in second (SCP)- and third-rotation plantations (TCP) decreased, and that of soil ammonium increased. Soil net N mineralization rates in the second- and third-rotation plantations also increased by 17.8% and 39.9%, respectively. In contrast, soil net nitrification rates decreased by 18.0% and 25.0%, respectively. The concentrations of total phenolic acids in the FCP soils (123.22 ± 6.02 nmol g⁻¹) were 3.0% and 17.9% higher than in the SCP (119.68 ± 11.69 nmol g⁻¹) and TCP (104.51 ± 8.57 nmol g⁻¹, respectively). The total content of phenolic acids was significantly correlated with the rates of net soil N mineralization and net nitrification. The ex situ experiment showed that the net N mineralization rates in soils treated with high (HCPA, 0.07 mg N kg⁻¹ day⁻¹) and low (LCPA, 0.18 mg N kg⁻¹ day⁻¹) concentrations of phenolic acids significantly decreased by 78.6% and 42.6%, respectively, comparing with that in control (0.32 mg N kg⁻¹ day⁻¹). Soil net nitrification rates under HCPA and LCPA were significantly higher than that of the control. The results suggested that low contents of phenolic acids in soil over successive rotations increased soil net N mineralization rates and decreased net nitrification rates, leading to consequent reductions in the nitrate content and enhancement of the ammonium content, then resulting in enhancing the conservation of soil N of successive rotations in Chinese fir plantation.

Poor land use management and practice inhibit the growth and establishment of tree seedlings in dryland areas. We assessed arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AM) status of Faidherbia albida (Del.) A. Chev. trees grown on different land uses. We quantified the growth and nutrient uptake of F. albida seedlings inoculated with AM from different sources. These efforts were based on soil and fine root samples from the rhizosphere soils of F. albida trees. AM root colonization was determined using the gridline intersect method. Spores were extracted by the wet sieving and decanting method and identified to genus level. The seedling experiment had a completely randomized one-factorial design with four treatments and five replications. Faidherbida albida seedlings were grown in a greenhouse. All in situ F. albida trees were colonized by AM fungi. AM root colonization of F. albida trees was significantly higher (P < 0.0086) in area exclosures than on lands used for grazing or cultivation. Spore abundance was significantly higher (P < 0.0014) in area exclosures followed by cultivated land and grazing land. Glomus was the dominant genus in all land-uses. AM-inoculated F. albida seedlings grew better (P < 0.05) than non-inoculated controls. Seedlings inoculated with AM from area exclosure had significantly (P < 0.05) higher growth and nutrient uptake than those inoculated with AM from grazing and cultivated land. This emphasizes the importance of the native soil AM potential for better establishment of seedlings to achieve optimum plant growth improvement and assist in rehabilitation of degraded arid lands.

Soil fauna can sensitively respond to alterations in soil environment induced by land-use changes. However, little is known about the impact of urban land-use changes on earthworm communities. In this study, three land-use types (i.e., forest, nursery and abandoned lands) were chosen to identify differences in diversity, abundance and biomass of earthworm community in Kunming City. Urban land-use had a pronounced difference in species composition, evenness and diversity of earthworm communities. Forest land had the highest density, biomass and diversity of the earthworm communities. Total abundance was dominated by endogeic species in nursery land (70%) and abandoned land (80%), whereas in the forest land, the earthworm community comprised epigeic, endogeic and anecic species. Temporal changes in earthworm density and biomass were also significantly affected by land-use change. Total density and biomass of earthworms in the forest and nursery lands were highest in September, but highest in the abandoned land in October. The influence of soil physicochemical properties on the earthworm density and biomass also varied with land-use types. Soil temperature significantly affected earthworm density and biomass in the three land-use types. Soil pH was positively correlated with earthworm biomass in the forest land, but negatively associated with earthworm density in the abandoned land. Soil organic matter was positively correlated only with density and biomass of earthworms in the nursery and abandoned lands. Our results suggest that the species composition, abundance and biomass of earthworm communities can be determined by the modification of soil properties associated with urban land-use type.

In Ethiopia, Cupressus lusitanica and Juniperus procera are important tree species. The incidence of the cypress aphid, Cinara cupressi, which has not been reported before on the exotic Cupressus lusitanica is becoming catastrophic. The appearance of the insect was reported for the first time in 2003 in Ethiopia. However, information is scarce on the status of this species in northeast Amhara state. The objectives of this study were to assess the extent of damage, abundance and status of the cypress aphid on C. lusitanica and J. procera in the protected and cultivated forests of South Wollo, Ethiopia. Results reveal that tree compositions of the three study areas differed. The dominant tree species were C. lucitanica (15–80%), Olea europaea (5–90%) and J. procera (14–70%). The cypress aphid showed significantly higher levels of infestation on C. lusitanica (35–90%) than on J. procera (1–16%). Moreover, there was higher C. lusitanica mortality (40–93%). In contrast, there was low infestation (1–16%) on J. procera and no mortality. The results reveal that the cypress aphid causes enormous losses of C. lusitanica. Therefore, it is recommended that insect surveillance be strengthened and the introduction bioagents be considered and integrated with other insecticides to minimize the degree of C. lusitanica infestation and loss.