Background: Forest management strategies such as thinning have long been used to enhance ecosystem functions, especially in plantations.Thinning in plantations with high deer density, however, may not yield a desired...Background: Forest management strategies such as thinning have long been used to enhance ecosystem functions, especially in plantations.Thinning in plantations with high deer density, however, may not yield a desired increase in understory vegetation because deer graze on germinating plants after thinning.Here, we examine the changes in understory vegetation after thinning in plantations that have been overgrazed by sika deer to provide insight into the effects of thinning on ecosystem functions such as soil conservation and biological diversity.Methods: We conducted our survey in the Tanzawa Mountains of eastern Japan.We surveyed the change in understory vegetation within and outside of three deer exclosures on a single slope with three levels of understory vegetation cover: sparse(1%, exclosure "US"), moderate(30%, exclosure "MM"), and dense(80%, exclosure "LD") over10 years after a 30% thinning of an old-growth cedar and cypress plantation which was overgrazed by sika deer.Results: Understory vegetation cover, biomass and species richness increased within and outside the "US" and"MM" exclosures after thinning, and biomass was greater within than outside the exclosures at 10 years after thinning.Unpalatable species dominated both "US" and "MM" exclosures before thinning, and trees and shrubs dominated within the exclosures over time after thinning.In contrast, unpalatable, grazing-tolerant, perennial,and annual species increased outside the "US" and "MM" exclosures.No noticeable changes were observed within and outside the "LD" exclosure when compared with the "US" and "MM" exclosures.Conclusions: Our results suggest that thinning a stand by 30% based on volume resulted in an increase in understory vegetation cover mainly composed of both unpalatable and grazing-tolerant species in a plantation forest where understory vegetation is sparse or moderate and sika deer density is high.We emphasize that establishing deer exclosures or controlling deer is essential to maintaining similar understory vegetation both within and outside exclosures.展开更多
This review summarized the valuable works on the extraction technologies using pure liquefied dimethyl ether(DME)as the organic solvent.DME is a colorless gas with a slight ether-like fragrance at room temperature and...This review summarized the valuable works on the extraction technologies using pure liquefied dimethyl ether(DME)as the organic solvent.DME is a colorless gas with a slight ether-like fragrance at room temperature and pressure.Due to some special properties,such as the strong ability for extracting organic compounds and water,high extraction rate,cheap price,low extraction temperature,and energy consumption,environmental friend-liness,safety,and good compressibility,the application of liquefied DME to the extraction process shows many advantages and has strong potential market competitiveness.On the other hand,the drawbacks of liquefied DME extraction technology were also revealed,mainly on fire hazards,solvent loss,and lack of large-scale application.Furthermore,the previous studies on the application of liquefied DME extraction technology were divided into three parts based on the extracts(water,lipid/oil,and specific ingredients)and listed one by one.The research of the liquefied DME extraction process is still in development.In the future,it is expected that this technology can be continuously improved and optimized in both lab and industrial scales,together with the extension of its application range to more various natural resources.展开更多
文摘Background: Forest management strategies such as thinning have long been used to enhance ecosystem functions, especially in plantations.Thinning in plantations with high deer density, however, may not yield a desired increase in understory vegetation because deer graze on germinating plants after thinning.Here, we examine the changes in understory vegetation after thinning in plantations that have been overgrazed by sika deer to provide insight into the effects of thinning on ecosystem functions such as soil conservation and biological diversity.Methods: We conducted our survey in the Tanzawa Mountains of eastern Japan.We surveyed the change in understory vegetation within and outside of three deer exclosures on a single slope with three levels of understory vegetation cover: sparse(1%, exclosure "US"), moderate(30%, exclosure "MM"), and dense(80%, exclosure "LD") over10 years after a 30% thinning of an old-growth cedar and cypress plantation which was overgrazed by sika deer.Results: Understory vegetation cover, biomass and species richness increased within and outside the "US" and"MM" exclosures after thinning, and biomass was greater within than outside the exclosures at 10 years after thinning.Unpalatable species dominated both "US" and "MM" exclosures before thinning, and trees and shrubs dominated within the exclosures over time after thinning.In contrast, unpalatable, grazing-tolerant, perennial,and annual species increased outside the "US" and "MM" exclosures.No noticeable changes were observed within and outside the "LD" exclosure when compared with the "US" and "MM" exclosures.Conclusions: Our results suggest that thinning a stand by 30% based on volume resulted in an increase in understory vegetation cover mainly composed of both unpalatable and grazing-tolerant species in a plantation forest where understory vegetation is sparse or moderate and sika deer density is high.We emphasize that establishing deer exclosures or controlling deer is essential to maintaining similar understory vegetation both within and outside exclosures.
文摘This review summarized the valuable works on the extraction technologies using pure liquefied dimethyl ether(DME)as the organic solvent.DME is a colorless gas with a slight ether-like fragrance at room temperature and pressure.Due to some special properties,such as the strong ability for extracting organic compounds and water,high extraction rate,cheap price,low extraction temperature,and energy consumption,environmental friend-liness,safety,and good compressibility,the application of liquefied DME to the extraction process shows many advantages and has strong potential market competitiveness.On the other hand,the drawbacks of liquefied DME extraction technology were also revealed,mainly on fire hazards,solvent loss,and lack of large-scale application.Furthermore,the previous studies on the application of liquefied DME extraction technology were divided into three parts based on the extracts(water,lipid/oil,and specific ingredients)and listed one by one.The research of the liquefied DME extraction process is still in development.In the future,it is expected that this technology can be continuously improved and optimized in both lab and industrial scales,together with the extension of its application range to more various natural resources.