干旱气候对白羊草群落地下部生长影响的初步观察

对大旱之后白羊草（Bothrichloa ischaemum）群落地下部的生长状况与1991平水年该群落地下部的生长关况进行比较,以反映干旱气候对白羊草群落地下部生长的影响,结果表明,极旱年下生物量的峰值达到1249g.m^-2,比平水年峰值586g.m^-2高1倍多,在极旱年或旱季根系主要集中分布的层次下移,而在平水年或雨季则上移,极旱年群落地下生物量的周转值为52．64％,显著高于平水年时的周转值18．36％,极旱年群落的地下生物量与地上生物量在生长中互为消长关系,而平水年两者在生长季同时增另,基本呈直线关系,极旱年群落的地下生物量与地上生物量比为11．19,显著高于水平年时的比值2．03,极旱年群落的地下净初级生产量为390．7g.m^-2.年^-1,比平水年时的生产量107．6g.m^-2.年^-1高2．63倍。     

锡林郭勒盟气候干燥度的时空变化规律

以锡林郭勒盟15个气象站点1981—2007年的月平均气温、月累积降水量数据为基础,在Arcgis软件的支持下,得到DeMartonne干燥度的空间数据。研究结果表明,锡林郭勒盟27a平均干燥程度自东向西递增;1981—2007年,锡林郭勒盟整体上表现出干燥度数值下降、干旱程度上升的趋势;从干燥度的年代,20世纪80年代和90年代是锡林郭勒盟气候相对湿润时期,21世纪初期,锡林郭勒盟大部分地区的气候呈现干燥度值减小、干燥程度加大的趋势,干性干旱区在空间分布上占据了主导地位,结果也打乱了原有的气候带状交替格局。21世纪初与20世纪80年代相比,各干燥度等值线的位置均发生了明显的东移现象。     

Seasonality in the occurrence of two lepidopterous olive pests in Egypt

Abstract Prays oleae Bern, (OM) and Palpita unionalis Hüb., (JM) are two of the most important pests in olive groves in Egypt. A 3‐year monitoring study using sex pheromone traps in semi‐arid and arid olive groves was performed. In the semi‐arid grove, flight pattern of the OM was the same as in other Mediterranean countries, but in dates concordating plant phenology. The moth completes three generations annually: the first flight is in March to April, the second is in May to June and the third occurs in August to October. In the arid olive grove, an interesting flight pattern was observed. First flight was always very close or overlapped with the second one with no male catches during August to October. However, eggs were present most of the season, indicating unusually high female presence and oviposition activity of the OM during the absence of males in the traps. Generally, moth densities were significantly lower in low fruiting years than in higher ones and were also lower in the arid olive grove than in the semi‐arid one. In contrast, JM males were present all season, exhibiting six to seven and three to four overlapping flight peaks in arid and semi‐arid olive groves, respectively. Moth densities were significantly higher in the arid olive grove than those in the semi‐arid one. This study shows that trapping location and fruit bearing year are characteristics that strongly affect the grove‐specific information needed to estimate correctly adult emergence and thus the timing of control measures.     

旱生植物刺山柑不同种群茎叶的解剖学研究

刺山柑常分布于极端干旱的戈壁与砾石山坡,然而其适应干旱环境的解剖学机理却未见报道.对分布于新疆石河子、新疆库尔勒以及西藏札达的3个刺山柑种群茎、叶材料进行了比较解剖学研究.结果表明:不同种群材料均具有适应旱生环境的典型结构特征:茎表皮有表皮毛和发达的角质层,皮层较厚,维管组织发达,髓明显;叶为双栅型等面叶,上、下表皮均...     

The influence of climate on patterns of termite eating in Australian mammals and lizards

Abstract The present paper examines patterns of termite eating in Australian mammals and lizards (total numbers of species, volume percentage of diet) relative to climate (arid, semi-arid, temperate-mesic). Most termite eaters in arid and semi-arid Australia are lizards. Termite consumptio as a proportion of total lizard diet decreases from arid to mesic climates. More mammal species are relatively termite specialized (>50%) in arid than in semi-arid and mesic regions. Termite consumption in echidnas resembles that of the lizards: relatively high in the arid and relatively low in the mesic zone. For the Dasyuridae, termites comprise only a minor fraction (< 10%) in their diet, irrespective of climate. It is argued that the climatic peculiarities of inland Australia (scant and variable rainfall) cause marked seasonality in termite availability, supporting specialized termite eaters in only the most energy-frugal forms (lizards, echidnas). Areas of future research are identified.     

干旱和半干旱地区灌木下土壤“肥岛”研究进展

世界许多干旱、半干旱地区草地生态系统逐渐被灌木生态系统取代,这种取代过程的发展是由灌木冠幅下土壤中“肥岛”的形成和灌木的扩散相互作用直接造成的,这种“肥岛”的形成和灌木的扩散之间的反馈作用能够改变该系统中的植被组成、结构和土壤养分分布格局,从而改变该生态系统的结构和功能,文中从“肥岛”的概念和形成机制出发,对“肥岛”现象形成的原因、“肥岛”现象的研究意义、研究方法、灌木扩散与“肥岛”之间的相互关系及生物对“肥岛”的响应进行了总结,并分析了“肥岛”研究中应注意的问题,希望为中国干旱、半干旱区域土地退化的成因和过程以及植被恢复的研究提供一些参考。     

Are nurse‐protégé interactions more common among plants from arid environments?

Abstract. Harsh conditions in arid and semi‐arid environments make seedling establishment rare. Plant recruitment in arid environments often occurs only in years with above average rainfall or in safe sites under the canopy of nurse plants that provide shelter from high temperatures and low moisture. Associations of establishing seedlings with adult plants are referred to as nurse‐protégé interactions and are thought to be commensalisms in which seedlings benefit from the micro‐environment created by adult plants with no effect for the latter. This phenomenon is thought to be more frequent in harsh than in mild environments and appears to occur frequently in deserts and arid and semi‐arid biomes. Here, we investigate whether nurse‐protégé interactions are more common in arid environments by searching the published literature from the previous 92 years using the terms nurse plants, protégé plants, facilitation, nucleation and facultative mutualism. We then quantitatively compared these reports from arid zones to other environments. A total of 296 papers were found which referred to nurse‐protégé interactions. More than half (158) focused on arid and semi‐arid zones. This information was also used to explore hypotheses of potential causative forces that might have selected for such interactions in the arid zones such as seed trapping, nutrient, moisture, protection from browsing or trampling and support availability. Because of the large number of different nurse species (147, from 98 genera and 40 families) and protégé species (429, from 273 genera and 84 families), described across a diversity of environments, we suggest that there may be more than one causative factor selecting for nurse‐protégé interactions in arid and semi‐arid environments.     

Desertification,no‐change or alternative states: Can we trust simple models on livestock impact in dry rangelands?

Abstract. It is remarkable that after many thousands of years of pastoralism in arid and semi‐arid savannas, there is still no clear answer to the basic question: Does livestock grazing have more than a marginal effect on the dynamics of arid and semi‐arid land vegetation? A small study of semi‐arid savanna vegetation along a spatial gradient in grazing pressure, repeated three times over 19 years is used as a basis for discussing the behaviour of dry land vegetation under heavy grazing. Three basic theories are compared: (1) the theory that heavy grazing causes desertification; (2) the theory that heavy grazing causes no directed change in the vegetation of arid and semi‐arid rangelands; and (3) the theory that heavy grazing leads to a switch between alternative states of vegetation. On the basis of the current data the first two theories are rejected, but the conclusion is that there is much evidence for a more complex behaviour of dry rangelands under grazing than what is accommodated in any of the three theories. Probably, site‐specific properties including interactive and indirect effects of herbivory in the system are important for vegetation development under grazing in arid and semi‐arid rangelands.     

Floristic biodiversity and history of African arid regions

The phytochorological patterns of the arid flora of Africa are discussed on various levels. The arid regions of the African continent are linked by a large number of taxa with disjunct distribution. Analysis of these disjunct patterns supports the hypothesis of fragmentation of a once continuous arid belt running from the Namib desert region to the Western Sahara via East Africa. The flora of the arid regions of Southern Africa shows regular patterns, e.g. identical fragmentation of distribution areas of several taxa on an infrafamilial or infrageneric level, allowing formulation of a hypothesis concerning the sequence of differentiation steps during formation of the floras. Very interesting patterns can be attributed to effects of the last glaciation. For example, disjunct distribution patterns in the Namib region can be interpreted as a result of survival of palaeotropical taxa in warm refuge areas during the last glaciation.     

Birth of a biome: insights into the assembly and maintenance of the Australian arid zone biota

The integration of phylogenetics, phylogeography and palaeoenvironmental studies is providing major insights into the historical forces that have shaped the Earth's biomes. Yet our present view is biased towards arctic and temperate/tropical forest regions, with very little focus on the extensive arid regions of the planet. The Australian arid zone is one of the largest desert landform systems in the world, with a unique, diverse and relatively well-studied biota. With foci on palaeoenvironmental and molecular data, we here review what is known about the assembly and maintenance of this biome in the context of its physical history, and in comparison with other mesic biomes. Aridification of Australia began in the Mid-Miocene, around 15 million years, but fully arid landforms in central Australia appeared much later, around 1-4 million years. Dated molecular phylogenies of diverse taxa show the deepest divergences of arid-adapted taxa from the Mid-Miocene, consistent with the onset of desiccation. There is evidence of arid-adapted taxa evolving from mesic-adapted ancestors, and also of speciation within the arid zone. There is no evidence for an increase in speciation rate during the Pleistocene, and most arid-zone species lineages date to the Pliocene or earlier. The last 0.8 million years have seen major fluctuations of the arid zone, with large areas covered by mobile sand dunes during glacial maxima. Some large, vagile taxa show patterns of recent expansion and migration throughout the arid zone, in parallel with the ice sheet-imposed range shifts in Northern Hemisphere taxa. Yet other taxa show high lineage diversity and strong phylogeographical structure, indicating persistence in multiple localised refugia over several glacial maxima. Similar to the Northern Hemisphere, Pleistocene range shifts have produced suture zones, creating the opportunity for diversification and speciation through hybridisation, polyploidy and parthenogenesis. This review highlights the opportunities that development of arid conditions provides for rapid and diverse evolutionary radiations, and re-enforces the emerging view that Pleistocene environmental change can have diverse impacts on genetic structure and diversity in different biomes. There is a clear need for more detailed and targeted phylogeographical studies of Australia's arid biota and we suggest a framework and a set of a priori hypotheses by which to proceed.     

干旱,半干旱地区作物育种的困惑与出路

粮食问题主要取决于一年生谷类作物产量。作物产量低而不稳的原因主要是病虫害及各种胁迫生境,其中干旱缺水为最大的产量限制因素,提高作物生产力的途径有二：其一是改善作物的生长环境,其二是通过育种手段选育在各肿胁迫环境中具有优良表现的基因型（品种）。矮秆化育种手段使水肥充裕区小麦产量有显著的提高,是通过提高收获指数获得的。干旱、半干旱地区育种却未能获得显著效果,要提高干旱、半干旱地区小麦育种的成效,对干旱     

Hydric balance and locomotor performance of an anuran (Rhinella marina) invading the Australian arid zone

Invasive species often encounter environmental conditions well outside those found in their native geographic ranges, and thus provide ideal model systems with which to explore responses to novel abiotic challenges. Within Australia, the invasive cane toad Rhinella marina has colonized areas that are considerably more arid than those found within its native range. Has the colonization of these novel environments been accompanied by shifts in physiology and/or locomotor performance? We measured rates of evaporative water loss, water gain, and effects of desiccation on locomotor performance of cane toads from two invasion fronts: one mesic (the wet‐dry tropics) and one arid (the semi‐desert). The two populations diverged substantially. Contrary to intuition (but consistent with intra‐specific comparisons between other toad populations from mesic vs arid areas), rates of evaporative water loss were lower (not higher) in toads from the mesic population. However, arid‐zone toads gained water more rapidly through their ventral surfaces, and rates of water loss and gain were highly correlated within individual toads from the arid‐zone population. Rates of water exchange in laboratory‐acclimated toads from the semi‐arid zone did not differ from those of free‐ranging conspecifics from the same population, suggesting that divergences between mesic and semi‐arid toads reflect genetic changes that have occurred during the species’ Australian invasion. Mesic and semi‐arid toads showed similar locomotor performance (endurance, distance per hop) when fully hydrated, but locomotor performance declined much more rapidly with desiccation in the mesic toads. Thus, within the short (decades‐long) timespan of the cane toad's Australian invasion, there has been substantial population divergence in the ability to withstand desiccating conditions. If we are to accurately predict the distributions (and hence impacts) of invading organisms, we will need to include adaptation potential in risk assessment schemes.     

Varying levels of clonality and ploidy create barriers to gene flow and challenges for conservation of an Australian arid‐zone ecosystem engineer,Acacia loderi

Acacia loderi, the ecosystem engineer of the endangered Acacia loderi Shrublands in arid eastern Australia, spans a persistent (> 15 000 year) but poorly studied landscape feature, the Darling River. We investigated the genetic structure of 19 stands of eight to > 1000 plants separated by < 300 km to test for variation in life histories between semi‐arid and arid stands to the east and west of the Darling River, respectively. Eight of nine stands east of the Darling were exclusively sexual, whereas most of those to the west were clonal. Three western stands were monoclonal, two were polyploid, and one was a diverse mix of diploid and triploid phenotypes. Bayesian analysis revealed a complex genetic structure within the western stands, whereas the eastern stands formed only two genetic clusters. Conservation of small stands may require augmentation of genotypic diversity. However, most genotypic diversity resides within the eastern stands. Although arid zone stands of A. loderi are not always clonal, clonality and polyploidy are more common in the arid west. Clear demarcation of life histories either side of the Darling River may reflect ancient or contemporary effects of physical disturbance associated with the river channel, or cryptic environmental differences, with sexual and asexual reproduction, respectively, at a selective premium in the semi‐arid east and arid west. The restricted distribution of clones and variation in clonality and polyploidy suggests that smaller stands may be vulnerable and warrant individual management.     

The importance of the biodiversity of soil biota in arid ecosystems

The importance of soil biota in maintaining ecosytem integrity is examined by a review of studies of soil processes and soil biota in arid ecosystems. In decomposition and mineralization processes, there is a temporal succession of microarthropod and nematode species. Tydeid mites are keystone species in the early stages of decomposition. Soil pore neck size variation affects the spatial distribution of soil biota and requires that species differ in size to provide efficient processing of organic matter. In arid ecosystems, the sub-set of soil biota that is active at any point in time is determined by the soil water potential and soil temperature. The structure of soil microarthropod assemblages is similar in several arid regions of the world and abundance and diversity are directly related to quantity of litter accumulations and soil organic matter. The unique life histories and behavioural characteristics of desert soil macrofauna (termites and ants) determine the effects of these organisms on soil properties and soil formation. The soil biota, by affecting the spatial and temporal distribution of essential sesources (water and nutrients), are essential to the maintenance of the ecosystem integrity of arid ecosystems.     

Evolution of Asian Interior Arid-Zone Biota: Evidence from the Diversification of Asian Zygophyllum (Zygophyllaceae)

The Asian interior arid zone is the largest desert landform system in the Northern Hemisphere, and has high biodiversity. Little is currently known about the evolutionary history of its biota. In this study, we used Zygophyllum, an important and characteristic component of the Asian interior arid zone, to provide new insights into the evolution of this biota. By greatly enlarged taxon sampling, we present the phylogenetic analysis of Asian Zygophyllum based on two plastid and one nuclear markers. Our phylogenetic analyses indicate that Asian Zygophyllum and Sarcozygium form a clade and Sarcozygium is further embedded within the shrub subclade. An integration of phylogenetic, biogeographic, and molecular dating methods indicates that Zygophyllum successfully colonized the Asian interior from Africa in the early Oligocene, and Asian Zygophyllum became differentiated in the early Miocene and underwent a burst of diversification in the late Miocene associated with the expansion of Asian interior arid lands due to orogenetic and climatic changes. Combining diversification patterns of other important components of the Asian interior arid zone, we propose a multi-stage evolution model for this biota: the late Eocene–early Oligocene origin, the early Miocene expansion, and the middle-late Miocene rapid expansion to the whole Asian interior arid zone. This study also demonstrates that, for Zygophyllum and perhaps other arid-adapted organisms, arid biomes are evolutionary cradles of diversity.     

Rapid warming accelerates tree growth decline in semi‐arid forests of Inner Asia

Forests around the world are subject to risk of high rates of tree growth decline and increased tree mortality from combinations of climate warming and drought, notably in semi‐arid settings. Here, we assess how climate warming has affected tree growth in one of the world's most extensive zones of semi‐arid forests, in Inner Asia, a region where lack of data limits our understanding of how climate change may impact forests. We show that pervasive tree growth declines since 1994 in Inner Asia have been confined to semi‐arid forests, where growing season water stress has been rising due to warming‐induced increases in atmospheric moisture demand. A causal link between increasing drought and declining growth at semi‐arid sites is corroborated by correlation analyses comparing annual climate data to records of tree‐ring widths. These ring‐width records tend to be substantially more sensitive to drought variability at semi‐arid sites than at semi‐humid sites. Fire occurrence and insect/pathogen attacks have increased in tandem with the most recent (2007–2009) documented episode of tree mortality. If warming in Inner Asia continues, further increases in forest stress and tree mortality could be expected, potentially driving the eventual regional loss of current semi‐arid forests.     

Evolutionary shifts in habitat aridity predict evaporative water loss across squamate reptiles

Aridity is an important determinant of species distributions, shaping both ecological and evolutionary diversity. Lizards and snakes are often abundant in deserts, suggesting a high potential for adaptation or acclimation to arid habitats. However, phylogenetic evidence indicates that squamate diversity in deserts may be more strongly tied to speciation within arid habitats than to convergent evolution following repeated colonization from mesic habitats. To assess the frequency of evolutionary transitions in habitat aridity while simultaneously testing for associated changes in water‐balance physiology, we analyzed estimates of total evaporative water loss (EWL) for 120 squamate species inhabiting arid, semiarid, or mesic habitats. Phylogenetic reconstructions revealed that evolutionary transitions to and from semiarid habitats were much more common than those between arid and mesic extremes. Species from mesic habitats exhibited significantly higher EWL than those from arid habitats, while species from semiarid habitats had intermediate EWL. Phylogenetic comparative methods confirmed this association between habitat aridity and EWL despite phylogenetic signal in each. Thus, the historical colonization of arid habitats by squamates is repeatedly associated with adaptive changes in EWL. This physiological convergence, which may reflect both phenotypic plasticity and genetic adaptation, has likely contributed to the success of squamates in arid environments.     

内蒙古中部地区繁殖鸟类多样性调查

2011年5～6月,采用样线法和固定半径样点法对内蒙古中部地区荒漠草原、典型草原及湿地3种生境中的鸟类进行了调查,共记录到繁殖鸟63种,隶属于11目25科,其中留鸟12种,夏候鸟51种。在动物地理区系成分上,古北界鸟类54种(占85.71%);东洋界鸟类9种(占14.29%)。调查结果表明,3种生境的鸟类群落结构在多样性指数上以湿地为最高,其次为荒漠草原,典型草原最低;均匀度指数最高的为荒漠草原,其次为湿地,典型草原最低。     

重牧退化草地的植被、土壤及其耦合特征

重牧退化的肃南高山草原和环县典型草原,群落的α多样性,Cody指数描述的β多样性,营养功能群多样性和生活型功能群多样性随牧压下降呈上洚趋势,固N功能群多样性和高山草原Bray-Curtis指数描述的β多样性呈相反变化趋势,2种草地0-40cm土壤全N,速效N,有机质含量和高山草原土壤速效P含量与牧压呈负相关,高山草原土壤全P含量与牧压呈正相关。典型草原土壤全N,速效N和速效P含量以及速效P/全P和C/N比值低于高山草原,但速效N/全N比值和全P含量高于后者,重牧草地土壤要素与群落活根生物量的垂直分布格局之间的灰色关联系数与牧压呈正相关,土壤要素与毒杂草和劣质牧草的关系密切,草地退化不仅是植被与土壤的衰退,也是2个子系统耦合关系的丧失和系统相悖的发展,可用耦合度与相悖度定量,综合分析,环县草原退化较肃南严重。     

Extensive diversity of ionizing-radiation-resistant bacteria recovered from Sonoran Desert soil and description of nine new species of the genus Deinococcus obtained from a single soil sample

The ionizing-radiation-resistant fractions of two soil bacterial communities were investigated by exposing an arid soil from the Sonoran Desert and a nonarid soil from a Louisiana forest to various doses of ionizing radiation using a (60)Co source. The numbers of surviving bacteria decreased as the dose of gamma radiation to which the soils were exposed increased. Bacterial isolates surviving doses of 30 kGy were recovered from the Sonoran Desert soil, while no isolates were recovered from the nonarid forest soil after exposure to doses greater than 13 kGy. The phylogenetic diversities of the surviving culturable bacteria were compared for the two soils using 16S rRNA gene sequence analysis. In addition to a bacterial population that was more resistant to higher doses of ionizing radiation, the diversity of the isolates was greater in the arid soil. The taxonomic diversity of the isolates recovered was found to decrease as the level of ionizing-radiation exposure increased. Bacterial isolates of the genera Deinococcus, Geodermatophilus, and Hymenobacter were still recovered from the arid soil after exposure to doses of 17 to 30 kGy. The recovery of large numbers of extremely ionizing-radiation-resistant bacteria from an arid soil and not from a nonarid soil provides further ecological support for the hypothesis that the ionizing-radiation resistance phenotype is a consequence of the evolution of other DNA repair systems that protect cells against commonly encountered environmental stressors, such as desiccation. The diverse group of bacterial strains isolated from the arid soil sample included 60 Deinococcus strains, the characterization of which revealed nine novel species of this genus.