Human and climate impact on 15N natural abundance of plants and soils in high-mountain ecosystems: a short review and two examples from the Eastern Pamirs and Mt. Kilimanjaro

Population pressure increasingly endangers high-mountain ecosystems such as the pastures in the Eastern Pamirs and the mountain forests on Mt. Kilimanjaro. At the same time, these ecosystems constitute the economic basis for millions of people living there. In our study, we, therefore, aimed at characterising the land-use effects on soil degradation and N-cycling by determining the natural abundance of ¹⁵N. A short review displays that δ¹⁵N of plant–soil systems may often serve as an integrated indicator of N-cycles with more positive δ¹⁵N values pointing towards N-losses. Results for the high-mountain pastures in the Eastern Pamirs show that intensively grazed pastures are significantly enriched in ¹⁵N compared to the less-exploited pastures by 3.5 ‰, on average. This can be attributed to soil organic matter degradation, volatile nitrogen losses, nitrogen leaching and a general opening of the N-cycle. Similarly, the intensively degraded savanna soils, the cultivated soils and the soils under disturbed forests on the foothill of Mt. Kilimanjaro reveal very positive δ¹⁵N values around 6.5 ‰. In contrast, the undisturbed forest soils in the montane zone are more depleted in ¹⁵N, indicating that here the N-cycle is relatively closed. However, significantly higher δ¹⁵N values characterise the upper montane forest zone at the transition to the subalpine zone. We suggest that this reflects N-losses by the recently monitored and climate change and antropogenically induced increasing fire frequency pushing the upper montane rainforest boundary rapidly downhill. Overall, we conclude that the analysis of the ¹⁵N natural abundance in high-mountain ecosystems is a purposeful tool for detecting land-use- or climate change-induced soil degradation and N-cycle opening.     

帕米尔东北缘ASTER多光谱热红外遥感数据的岩性信息提取

搭载于美国航空航天局（NASA）Tera卫星上的ASTER传感器具有从太空测量来自地球表面的多光谱热红外（TIR）辐射的能力。基于地球表面典型岩石类型的热红外光谱特征分析，我们建立了几种探测硅质岩、碳酸岩及硅酸盐岩中全岩SiO2含量的指数，我们将这些指数应用于帕米尔东北缘地区的ASTER多光谱热红外图像数据，并将遥感解译分析结果与该区已发表的地质资料和野外调查结果进行比较。结果表明，ASTER热红外遥感方法具有很大的应用潜力：它可以有效地提供整个帕米尔地区的主要地质信息。这是常规的地质调查方法无法完成的，因为该区的野外地质调查受到自然地理条件等因素的限制。     

A study on physical property of crustal ma—terial and seismogenic environment in northeastern Pamir

2-D crustal structure and velocity ratio are obtained by processing S-wave data from two wide-angle reflec-tion/refraction profiles in and around Jiashi in northeastern Pamir,with the result of P-wave data taken into con-sideration.The result shows that:1)Average crustal velocity ratio is obviously higher in Tarim block than in West Kunlun Mts.and Tianshan fold zone,which reflects its crustal physical property of “hardness“and stability.The relatively low but normal velocity ratio(Poisson‘s ratio)of the lower crust indicates that the “downward thrusting“ of Tarim basin is the main feature of crustal movement in this area.2)The rock layer in the upper crust of Tian-shan fold zone is relatively“soft“,which makes it prone to rupture and stress energy release.This is the primary tectonic factor for the concentration of small earthquakes in this area.3)Jiashi is located right over the apex or the inflection point of the updoming lower crustal interface C and the crust-mantle boundary,which is the deep struc-tural background for the occurrence of strong earthquakes.The alternate variation of vp/vs near the block bounda-ries and the complicated configuration of the interfaces in the upper and middle part of the upper crust form a par-ticular structural environment for the Jiashi strong earthquake swarm.vp/vs is comparatively high and shear modulus is low at the focal region,which may be the main reason for the low stress drop of the Jiashi strong earthquake swarm.     

Kaeveria fluegeli (Zaninetti, Altiner, Dager et Ducret, 1982) (Foraminifera) from Upper Triassic of the South-East Pamirs

Foraminifers representing species Kaeveria fluegeli have been found in the Zorkaradjilga Formation (Sagenites quinquepunctatus Zone) of the upper Norian (or lower Rhaetian) in the central structural-facies zone of the South-East Pamirs. Their occurrence here is an additional criterion substantiating age and correlation of host deposits and an evidence in favor of fauna migration from the southern Tethys during the respective time span not only in northwestern areas of that ocean (Northern Calcareous Alps), but also in its central part (the South-East Pamirs).     

中国帕米尔高原种子植物的区系地理研究

中国帕米尔高原约有种子植物59科303属963种(包括变种)。分析表明:该区种子植物区系的地理成分较为复杂,联系广泛。温带性质的属有254属,占总属数的83.8%,热带性质的属有13属,占总属数的4.3%;温带性质的种有723种,占总种数的75.1%,热带性质的种有17种,占总种数的1.8%。表明该地区植物区系具有明显的温带性质,同时受到热带植物区系的影响。另外在区系科属分级水平上,寡属科、单属科占绝对优势,而超过20属的大科在该区仅有3科,却占总属数、总种数的35.9%和38.6%,区系优势现象十分明显;单种或少种属也较多,属种比值偏高,表明区系组成上的复杂性。     

First records of Givetian and Frasnian (Devonian) Rugosa from the Pamir Mountains,Tadjikistan

Rugose corals are described for the first time from the Givetian and Frasnian of the central Pamir Mountains near the Rabatakbaytal area, Tadjikistan. In addition to Hexagonaria reedi sp. nov., Radiophyllum?, Temnophyllum and Disphyllum are recorded. The occurrence of a new species of Hexagonaria and a probable Radiophyllum suggest a possible faunal affinity with species known from Iran and Australia.

Aus dem Givetium und Frasnium der Umgebung von Rabatakbaytal, Tadjikistan, im Zentral-Pamir werden erstmals rugose Korallen beschrieben. Abgesehen von der neuen Art Hexagonaria reedi werden folgende Gattungen nachgewiesen: Radiophyllum?, Temnophyllum und Disphyllum. Der Nachweis der neuen Art von Hexagonaria und eines fraglichen Radiophyllum verweisen auf eine nahe Verwandtschaft mit Arten, die aus dem Iran und Australien bekannt geworden sind.     

Basic Types of Structural Changes in the Leaf Mesophyll during Adaptation of Eastern Pamir Plants to Mountain Conditions

Quantitative characteristics of mesophyll structure were compared in leaves of eleven alpine plant species grown under natural conditions in the Eastern Pamirs at various altitudes, from 3800 to 4750 m. Basic types of changes in mesophyll structure, associated with plant adaptation to mountain conditions, were characterized. These changes manifested themselves in different numbers of cell layers and cell sizes in the palisade tissue and, as a consequence, in changed leaf thickness and cell number per unit of leaf area. Three plant groups were identified by the changes in the leaf structural characteristics depending on the type of mesophyll structure, ecological group of plant species, and altitude of plant habitat. The first group comprised alpine xerophytes with an isopalisade structure, in which the volume of palisade cells decreased and their number per unit of leaf area increased with the altitude of plant habitat. The number of mesophyll layers and leaf thickness decreased or did not change with altitude. The second group comprised subalpine plant species with a dorsoventral structure of mesophyll; these species occur below the line of continuous night frost. In these plant species, the number of mesophyll layers, leaf thickness, and cell number per unit of leaf area increased with altitude. The third group comprised mesophyte plants with a dorsoventral and homogenous mesophyll structure, which are encountered in a wide range of habitats, including the nival belt (from 4700 to 5000 m). In this group, cell volume increased and cell number per unit of leaf area decreased with altitude. We present a general scheme of leaf structural changes, which explains the changes in the quantitative characteristics of mesophyll as a function of altitude and highland environmental conditions.     

近57a南疆帕米尔地区春季降水季节内差异及环流异常分析

基于1961—2017年帕米尔地区3站的日降水资料及NECP/NCAR再分析资料,利用气候诊断分析及多元统计学方法,研究了近57 a来帕米尔地区春季降水特征及季节内差异,并讨论了降水偏多年大气环流异常特征。研究表明:(1)近57 a来,帕米尔地区季节尺度上和月尺度上降水增加明显,旬尺度上有不显著的增加趋势。21世纪初帕米尔地区进入新的多雨期,降水正距平年份强度和频率均有显著增加。(2)500 hPa高度场上3月东欧沿岸脊发展、东欧—西西伯利亚槽加深,4—5月欧洲沿岸槽加深、乌拉尔山脊发展、巴尔喀什湖槽加深是帕米尔地区降水异常偏多的关键系统及指标。(3)降水异常年的高空急流较常年强度更强、位置更偏东,在旬尺度上是一个逐渐减弱西退的过程;其低层风场距平分为西南风距平辐合型、西南风和东北风距平辐合型和气旋式环流距平辐合型,均有利于低层辐合。(4)降水异常偏多年水汽输送以偏西路径为主,同时还有偏东、西南和偏南路径,水汽辐合强度较常年更强,更有利于降水的产生。     

The politics of toponyms in the Pamir mountains

This paper is an original study of the relationship between landscape and ideology through an examination of Pamir mountain toponyms. The research analyses traditional, Tsarist, Soviet and post-Soviet Pamiri toponyms. It is the first study to compare mountain toponyms with existing research on the naming processes of urban Soviet and post-Soviet places. It also compares the Soviet political use of landscape with that by other political systems and ideologies, in particular Nazism. The paper finds that over time there are commonalities in the types of names selected for urban places and mountains and the rationale behind these choices. However, it also notes significant differences. These differences suggest that the concept of 'the mountain' did not carry the same political significance as the urban or other landscapes (the steppe and forest) in Russian, Soviet and post-Soviet ideological and nation-building constructions.     

中国帕米尔高原药用种子植物资源调查研究

经过3年调查研究，初步确定帕米尔高原共有药用种子植物29科66属90种，为该区药用植物的开发、利用和保护提供基础性研究资料。