The contribution of rewetting to vegetation restoration of degraded peat meadows

Question: What is the contribution of a rise in groundwater level to vegetation restoration of degraded peat meadows compared to abandonment only? Location: Abandoned peat meadows in the central part of The Netherlands. Methods: Comparison of species composition and species abundance of vegetation and seed banks of reference and rewetted peat meadows, using plant trait and seed bank analysis. Results: Vegetation of rewetted meadows shared on average only 27% of their species with the reference meadow, while this was 50% on average for species in the seed bank. Rewetted meadows had a lower total number of species and a lower number of wet grassland and fen species present in the vegetation, but had higher species richness per m², although evenness was not affected. Rewetting increased the dominance of species of fertile and near neutral habitats, but did not result in an increase of species of wet or waterlogged habitats. Re-wetted meadows were dominated by species relying mainly on vegetative reproduction and species with a low average seed longevity compared to the reference meadow. Conclusion: Rewetting was not effective as a restoration measure to increase plant species diversity or the number of wet grassland and fen species in the vegetation. If no additional restoration management is applied, the seed bank will be depleted of seeds of species of wet grassland or fen habitats, further reducing the chances of successful vegetation restoration.     

Effects of habitat management on vegetation and above-ground nesting bees and wasps of orchard meadows in Central Europe

We studied the vegetation, stand structure and communities of above-ground nesting bees and wasps in 45 orchard meadows that were grazed, mown or abandoned (15 of each) in an agricultural landscape near Göttingen, Germany. Total species richness of plants was significantly lower and the proportion of dead wood was significantly higher on abandoned meadows compared to mown or grazed meadows. Species richness of bees, eumenid wasps and sphecid wasps did not differ between the three management types. Abundance of sphecid wasps was significantly higher on abandoned than on managed orchard meadows. Landscape context did not affect management type. The results suggest that management practises affect vegetation more significantly than the studied insect groups.     

Relations between carbon dioxide fluxes and environmental factors of Kobresia humilis meadows and Potentilla fruticosa meadows

Carbon dioxide fluxes of Kobresia humilis and Potentillafruticosa shrub meadows,two typical ecosystems in the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau,were measured by eddy covariance technology and the data collected in August 2003 were employed to analyze the relations between carbon dioxide fluxes and environmental factors of the ecosystems.August is the time when the two ecosystems reach their peak leaf area indexes and stay stable,and also the period when the net carbon absorptions of Kobresia humilis and Potentilla photo flux densities (PPFD),the carbon dioxide-uptake rate of the Kobresia humilis meadow is higher than that of the Potentilla fruticosa shrub meadow;where the PPFD are rates of the two ecosystems declined as air temperature increased,but the carbon dioxide uptake rate of the Kobresia humilis meadow decreased more quickly (-0.086) than that of the Potentilla fruticosa shrub meadow (-0.016).Soil moistures exert influence on the soil respirations and this varies with the vegetation type.The daily carbon dioxide absorptions of the ecosystems increase with increased diurnal temperature differences and higher diurnal temperature differences result in higher carbon dioxide exchanges.There exists a negative correlation between the vegetation albedos and the carbon dioxide fluxes.     

The relationship between the soil seed bank and above-ground vegetation of a coastal barrier island

Abstract. The germinable soil seed bank is described from a coastal barrier island off the northwest coast of Florida, USA. Soil samples collected from seven vegetation types, recently deposited dredge spoil and unvegetated areas in autumn 1990 and spring 1991 were placed out in greenhouse trays. 110 taxa germinated from the samples with the largest number (41) being C₃ perennial dicots. The largest number of taxa germinated from dry (57) and wet (54) swales, the fewest (one species: Heterotheca subaxillaris) from strand. Similarity of seed bank densities to above-ground species cover was low (Jaccard's Index = 0.36), not different between vegetation types, but higher in the autumn than in the following spring. Compositional gradients in the seed bank and above-ground vegetation determined using DCA ordination were highly correlated and related to distance from mean high water, and plot elevation. At the landscape scale, the seed bank provided an equally clear delineation of vegetation types to that based upon the above-ground vegetation. The seed bank of low disturbance, late-succession vegetation types (wooded dunes, swales, marshes) was well developed (high species richness, emergent density, and percentage annual species) with the exception that the large-seeded woody species (i.e. Quercus spp.) were absent from the wooded dune seed bank. By contrast, a poorly developed and transient seed bank occurred in more frequently disturbed (extensive sand movement, salt spray), early successional dredge spoil, unvegetated areas and strand. These contrasts support a general pattern of increasing seed bank development and a persistent rather than transient seed bank with decreasing disturbance frequency, increasing time since disturbance and successional maturity.     

高寒干旱草原披针叶黄华植物群落土壤种子库与地上植被的关系

以祁连山高寒干旱退化草地披针叶黄华(Thermopsis lanceolate)群落为研究对象,采取野外调查取样和室内分析相结合的方法,对群落土壤种子库与地上植被的关系进行了对比研究。结果表明:地上植被物种共调查出15种,土壤种子库检测出植物18种,地上植被阿尔泰针茅(S.krylovii)、赖草(A.dasystachys)和扁穗冰草等可食草以及不食草披针叶黄华和阿尔泰狗哇花(H.altaicus)优势度明显,其它物种不明显;土壤种子库与地上植被物种组成的相似性程度较低;土壤种子库与地上植被中可食草的物种数多于不食草,土壤种子库的物种数均不小于地上植被中的物种数,地上植被中存在而未在土壤种子库中检测到的可食草物种有阿尔泰针茅和赖草,土壤种子库中存在而地上植被中未被发现的物种有早熟禾(P.annua)、灰绿藜(C.glaucum)、碱韭(A.polyrhizum)、酸模(R.patientia)、独行菜(L.apetalum)和秦艽(G.macrophylla);原生禾草物种在可食草功能群中生物量所占比例较低,毒杂草物种生物量所占比例增加显著,而土壤种子库的数量百分含量较低;可食草与不食草的生物量在植被梯度下的变化呈显著负相关(r=-0.940,P=0.018),而土壤种子库密度变化无相关性;可食草生物量变化与其土壤种子库密度变化不相关,不食草生物量变化与其土壤种子库密度的增加呈显著正相关(r=0.902,P=0.036)。     

Seed bank composition and above-ground vegetation in response to grazing in sub-Mediterranean oak forests (NW Greece)

We investigate the persistent soil seed bank composition and its relation to the above-ground flora of grazed and non-grazed sub-Mediterranean deciduous oak forests of NW Greece. Twenty-eight taxa were recorded in the soil seed bank and 83 taxa (70 taxa in plots of seed bank sampling) in the above-ground vegetation. The dominant tree species and many woodland species found in the above-ground vegetation were absent from the soil seed bank. Similarity between the soil seed bank and the above-ground vegetation decreased with grazing, and grazing led to a decrease of species richness in above-ground vegetation and soil seed bank. Beta diversity of vegetation among grazed and among non-grazed plots did not differ, but was significantly higher between grazed and non-grazed areas. Beta diversity of the soil seed bank declined with grazing. When applying classification tree and logistic regression analyses, non-grazed forest sites are clearly differentiated by the presence of Phillyrea latifolia, Euphorbia amygdaloides and Brachypodium sylvaticum. PCA ordination of above-ground species composition reflected a gradient from sites grazed by ruminants to non-grazed sites, but no clear structure was detected in the seed bank.     

萧氏松茎象种群发生与植被盖度的关系

在江西赣州发生萧氏松茎象HylobitelusxiaoiZhang危害的松林内 ,对不同虫株率松林灌木层群落多样性和植被盖度进行测定 ,在此基础上对松林的虫株率分 3次 ( 1 1月 ,次年 5月和次年 8月 )进行调查 ,最后结合各调查因子组建了萧氏松茎象种群发生量预测模型 ,植被盖度与虫口密度间存在显著相关性 ,虫口密度随植被盖度降低而减少 ,不同月份间虫口密度间均达到极显著水平。进一步对各因子进行多元回归分析 ,得到线性回归方程 :Y =-2 0 62 6+1 41 7T2 +0 2 3 3T1 -0 1 4 1G ;逐步回归分析得到最优回归方程Y=-0 0 91 1 +1 2 5 82 ,R =0 992 ,P <0 0 1。由逐步回归方程可知 ,次年 5月份虫口密度与次年 8月份虫日密度关系最为密切。     

Characterization of CO2 flux in three Kobresia meadows differing in dominant species

Aims Kobresia meadows, the dominant species of which differ in different habitats, cover a large area of alpine grassland on the Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau and act as potential CO₂ sinks. Kobresia meadows with different dominant species may differ in carbon sink strength. We aimed to test the hypothesis and to clarify the differences in CO₂ sink strength among three major Kobresia meadows on the plateau and the mechanisms underlying these differences.Methods We measured the net ecosystem exchange flux (NEE), ecosystem respiration flux (ER), aboveground biomass (AGB) and environmental variables in three Kobresia meadows, dominated by K. pygmaea, K. humilis, or K. tibetica, respectively, in Haibei, Qinghai. NEE and ER were measured by a closed-chamber method. Environmental variables, including photosynthetic photon flux density (PPFD), air and soil temperature and air and soil moisture, were monitored during the above flux measurements.Important findings The measured peak AGB increased with soil water content and was 365, 402 and 434 g dry weight m^{-2<-sup> for K. pygmaea, K. humilis and K. tibetica meadow, respectively. From the maximum ecosystem photosynthetic rate in relation to PPFD measured during the growing season, we estimated gross ecosystem photosynthetic potential (GEP max) as 22.2, 29.9 and 37.8 μmol CO₂ m-2<-sup> s-1 for K. pygmaea, K. humilis and K. tibetica meadow, respectively. We estimated the respective gross primary production (GPP) values as 799, 1-063 and 1?158 g C m-2<-sup> year-1 and ER as 722, 914 and 1-011 g C m-2<-sup> year-1. Average net ecosystem production (NEP) was estimated to be 76.9, 149.4 and 147.6 g C m-2<-sup> year-1 in K. pygmaea, K. humilis and K. tibetica meadows, respectively. The results indicate that (i) the three meadows were CO₂ sinks during the study period and (ii) Kobresia meadows dominated by different species can differ considerably in carbon sink strength even under the same climatic conditions, which suggests the importance of characterizing spatial heterogeneity of carbon dynamics in the future.}