Coefficient of correlation between biome and environmental factors (Spearman).

<p>Note: **Correlation is significant at the 0.01 level.*Correlation is significant at the 0.05 level (2-tailed). MAP (Mean annual precipitation), MAT (Mean annual temperature), TOC (Total organic carbon ), TP (Total phosphorous), AP (Available phosphorous ), TN (Total nitrogen ), BD (Soil bulk density), SWC (Soil water content), AGB (Aboveground biomass), BGB (Belowground biomass ) and R/S (the ratio of root and shoot). The sample size is 100.</p

Dynamic Kinetic Resolution of Phthalides via Asymmetric Transfer Hydrogenation: A Strategy Constructs 1,3-Distereocentered 3‑(2-Hydroxy-2-arylethyl)isobenzofuran-1(3<i>H</i>)‑one

Dynamic kinetic resolution of phthalides through asymmetric transfer hydrogenation for the construction of 3-(2-hydroxy-2-arylethyl)­isobenzofuran-1­(3<i>H</i>)-one with 1,3-distereocenters has been developed. This procedure is carried out under a mild condition at 40 °C catalyzed with RuCl­[(<i>S</i>,<i>S</i>)-TsDPEN]­(mesitylene) using HCOOH/Et₃N (5:2) as a hydrogen source. A variety of phthalides are smoothly transferred to provide optically pure phthalides with high yields, excellent enantioselectivities, and acceptable diastereomeric ratios

Frequency distribution curves of the AGB, BGB and R/S; the samples were collected across the Hulunbuir grasslands.

<p>All designations are the same as those in the footnotes below <a href="http://www.plosone.org/article/info:doi/10.1371/journal.pone.0102344#pone-0102344-t001" target="_blank">Table 1</a>.</p

CART analyses of the relationships between biome and environmental factors along the gradients of precipitation and temperature in the Hulunbuir grasslands.

<p>The key environmental factors were screened in panels A (AGB), B (BGB) and C (R/S). Branches are labeled with criteria used to segregate data. Values in terminal nodes represent mean vegetation biomass of sites grouped within the cluster. n = number of plots in the category. The below corresponding panels were structural complexity (cp value) of trees. All designations are the same as those in the footnotes below <a href="http://www.plosone.org/article/info:doi/10.1371/journal.pone.0102344#pone-0102344-t001" target="_blank">Table 1</a>.</p

Standardized direct effect, indirect effect and total effect of critical environmental factors on aboveground biomass (AGB), belowground biomass (BGB) and root to shoot ratio (R/S).

<p>Note: The “**” represented the significant. All designations are the same as those in the footnotes below <a href="http://www.plosone.org/article/info:doi/10.1371/journal.pone.0102344#pone-0102344-t001" target="_blank">Table 1</a>.</p

Relationship of changes in absolute soil organic carbon (SOC) and soil total nitrogen (STN) (A), changes in relative SOC and STN (B), and changes in the C:N ratio in younger (C) and older (D) plantations with mean annual precipitation.

<p>Younger and older plantations mean 5- to 9-year-old and 25- to 30-year-old forests, respectively. The dashed line in panel B indicates the 1∶1 line. Values greater than 1.0 in panels C and D indicate a relative gain of SOC to STN following afforestation, and lower values indicate the inverse.</p

The establishment of a structural equation model for A) aboveground biomass (AGB), B) belowground biomass (BGB) and C) root to shoot ratio (R/S).

<p>Each line represents a direct linear causal relationship. The arcs show the correlation between two variables. Values on lines are path coefficients. The asterisks are significant at <i>P</i> = 0.05 level. The coefficients that are not statistically significant are shown by dashed arrows. All values are standardized. All designations are the same as those in the footnotes below <a href="http://www.plosone.org/article/info:doi/10.1371/journal.pone.0102344#pone-0102344-t001" target="_blank">Table 1</a>.</p

Assessing Local and Surrounding Threats to the Protected Area Network in a Biodiversity Hotspot: The Hengduan Mountains of Southwest China

<div><p>Protected areas (PAs) not only serve as refuges of biodiversity conservation but are also part of large ecosystems and are vulnerable to change caused by human activity from surrounding lands, especially in biodiversity hotspots. Assessing threats to PAs and surrounding areas is therefore a critical step in effective conservation planning. We apply a threat framework as a means of quantitatively assessing local and surrounding threats to different types of PAs with gradient buffers, and to main ecoregions in the Hengduan Mountain Hotspot of southwest China. Our findings show that national protected areas (NPAs) have lower and significantly lower threat values (p<0.05) than provincial protected areas (PPAs) and other protected areas (OPAs), respectively, which indicates that NPAs are lands with a lower threat level and higher levels of protection and management. PAs have clear edge effects, as the proportion of areas with low threat levels decline dramatically in the 5-kilometer buffers just outside the PAs. However, NPAs suffered greater declines (58.3%) than PPAs (34.8%) and OPAs (33.4%) in the 5-kilometer buffers. Moreover, a significant positive correlation was found between the size of PAs and the proportion of areas with low threat levels that they contained in both PAs and PA buffers (p<0.01). To control or mitigate current threats at the regional scale, PA managers often require quantitative information related to threat intensities and spatial distribution. The threat assessment in the Hengduan Mountain Hotspot will be useful to policy makers and managers in their efforts to establish effective plans and target-oriented management strategies.</p></div

Changes in Soil Organic Carbon (SOC) and Soil Total Nitrogen (STN) Stocks in Younger (n = 17 and 15 for SOC and STN, Respectively) and Older Plantations (n = 16 and 15 for SOC and STN, Respectively) Established on Croplands.

<p>Significant at 0.05 level compared with the value of zero (one-sample T test).</p><p>The numbers in parentheses indicate the 95% confidence interval.</p><p>Younger and older plantations mean 5- to 9-year-old and 25- to 30-year-old plantations, respectively.</p

Basic Descriptive Statistics of Six Plantation Sites Along a Precipitation Gradient.

<p>^a Y and A indicate younger and older plantations, respectively. The number in the parentheses is the soil sample size in each stand.</p><p>^b Y (Yes) indicates that the fine root biomass was collected in this stand. The number in the parentheses is the sample size.</p><p>^c The data on soil organic carbon, total nitrogen content, and soil bulk density of some croplands were cited from other studies in the same site, and the data in the other cropland and forest stands were collected and analyzed in this paper. There was no tree census of the S5 forest stand, but the soil properties were measured.</p