Different roles of environmental variables and spatial factors in structuring stream benthic diatom and macroinvertebrate in Yangtze River Delta,China

Exploring the relative contribution of spatial factors and environmental variables in shaping communities is of widespread interest in biodiversity conservation and environmental management. Stream communities are hierarchically regulated by environmental variables over multiple spatial scales, and the reaction of different organisms to stressors are still equivocal. We sampled both macroinvertebrates and diatom at 80 sites and additional 10 sites for macroinvertebrates, field measured and laboratory analyzed environmental variables, from the tributaries of Qiantang River, Yangtze River Delta China in 2011. We used PCNM (principal coordinates of neighbor matrices) to generate spatial predictors. We applied redundancy analysis and variation partitioning procedures to identify key spatial and environmental factors, and to quantify their relative roles in shaping diatom and macroinvertebrate assemblages. Our results demonstrated the role of spatial and environmental variables differed in shaping benthic diatom and macroinvertebrate. Diatom assemblage variations were better explained by spatial factors, however macroinvertebrate assemblage variations were better explained by environmental variables. In terms of environmental variables, catchment scale variables (e.g., land use estimators, land use diversity) played the primary role in determining the patterns of both diatom and macroinvertebrate assemblages, whereas the influence of reach-scale variables (e.g., pH, substrates, and nutrients) appeared less. However, nutrients were the stronger factors influencing benthic diatom, whereas physical habitat (e.g., substrates) played more important role than water chemistry in structuring macroinvertebrates. Our results provided more evidence to the incorporation of spatial factors interpreting spatial patterns of stream organisms, and highlighted the useful of multiple organisms and environmental variables at different spatial scales in diagnosing mechanism of stream degradation and in building a sound stream conditions monitoring program for Yangtze River Delta.     

Multiscale patterns of spatial variation in stream macroinvertebrate communities

Our ability to detect patterns of variation of communities depends on the spatial scale of observation. I examined the spatial variation of macroinvertebrate community structure: abundance, richness, evenness, percentage of Ephemeroptera, Plecoptera and Trichoptera (EPT), and taxonomic composition across a wide range of spatial scales in two mountain streams. In a nested design, three segments were selected within each basin, three riffles within each segment, three sections within each riffle, and three samples within each section. Significant variation of communities occurred mainly at sample and riffle scales, although different community characteristics may vary at different scales. Environmental factors were strongly related to communities, but these relationships depended on spatial scale in many cases, suggesting that the influence of the environment is ultimately regulated by the grain and extent of organisms. This study highlights the importance of multiscale studies to obtain a complete understanding of the spatial variation of macroinvertebrate communities and their relationship with the environment.     

Post-Flood Recovery of a Macroinvertebrate Community in a Regulated River: Resilience of an Anthropogenically Altered Ecosystem

Preservation of biodiversity depends on restoring the full range of historic environmental variation to which organisms have evolved, including natural disturbances. Lotic ecosystems have been fragmented by dams causing a reduction in natural levels of environmental variation (flow and temperature) and consequently a reduction of biodiversity in downstream communities. We conducted a long‐term study of the macroinvertebrate communities before and after natural flood disturbances in an unregulated reference site (natural flows and temperatures), a regulated site (regulated flows and temperatures), and a partially regulated reference site (regulated flows and natural temperatures) on the upper Colorado River downstream from a deep‐release storage reservoir. We aimed to test the hypothesis that floods and temperature restoration would cause an increase in macroinvertebrate diversity at the regulated site. Over the short term, macroinvertebrate richness decreased at the regulated site when compared to pre‐flood levels, whereas total macroinvertebrate density remained unchanged. Over the long term (1 and 10 years after the floods), macroinvertebrate diversity and community structure at the regulated site returned to pre‐flood levels without increasing to reference conditions. Occasional floods did not restore biodiversity in this system. As long as the physical state variables remain altered beyond a threshold, the community will return to its altered regulated condition. However, temperature restoration at the partially regulated site resulted in an increase in macroinvertebrate diversity. Our results indicate that restoration of the natural temperature regime will have a stronger effect on restoring biodiversity than occasional channel‐forming floods.     

Distinct soil microbial diversity under long-term organic and conventional farming

Low-input agricultural systems aim at reducing the use of synthetic fertilizers and pesticides in order to improve sustainable production and ecosystem health. Despite the integral role of the soil microbiome in agricultural production, we still have a limited understanding of the complex response of microbial diversity to organic and conventional farming. Here we report on the structural response of the soil microbiome to more than two decades of different agricultural management in a long-term field experiment using a high-throughput pyrosequencing approach of bacterial and fungal ribosomal markers. Organic farming increased richness, decreased evenness, reduced dispersion and shifted the structure of the soil microbiota when compared with conventionally managed soils under exclusively mineral fertilization. This effect was largely attributed to the use and quality of organic fertilizers, as differences became smaller when conventionally managed soils under an integrated fertilization scheme were examined. The impact of the plant protection regime, characterized by moderate and targeted application of pesticides, was of subordinate importance. Systems not receiving manure harboured a dispersed and functionally versatile community characterized by presumably oligotrophic organisms adapted to nutrient-limited environments. Systems receiving organic fertilizer were characterized by specific microbial guilds known to be involved in degradation of complex organic compounds such as manure and compost. The throughput and resolution of the sequencing approach permitted to detect specific structural shifts at the level of individual microbial taxa that harbours a novel potential for managing the soil environment by means of promoting beneficial and suppressing detrimental organisms.     

Macroinvertebrate/sediment relationships along a pesticide gradient in Danish streams

Twenty-nine Danish streams were investigated in September 1998. The streams drained catchments of varying hydrology, topography, soil type and land use. In each stream, the newly accumulated streambed sediment was sampled and subsequently analysed for pesticides. In each stream, five replicate macroinvertebrate samples were taken in the same sediments as the pesticide samples. In addition, five samples were taken in riffles to provide a complete picture of macroinvertebrate community composition. The number of detected pesticides reflected soil type and land use: in agricultural catchments on clay soils the average number of pesticides were 4.3±2.2; on sandy soils 2.6±1.0, while only 1.5±0.6 pesticides were found in streams without agricultural activities. The macroinvertebrate composition showed clear changes along this gradient of sediment pesticide concentrations. The number of the amphipod Gammarus pulex was negatively correlated with sediment pesticide concentration, while the number of Oligochaeta and Hirudinae was positively correlated. The findings indicate that pesticides have a potential to structure macroinvertebrate communities in Danish streams. However, agricultural impact is more than pesticides, and several other factors, such as channelisation, affect the macroinvertebrate community and these are not easily separated.     

Changes in cropland topsoil organic carbon with different fertilizations under long-term agro-ecosystem experiments across mainland China

Topsoil soil organic carbon (SOC) data were collected from long-term Chinese agro-ecosystem experiments presented in 76 reports with measurements over 1977 and 2006. The data set comprised 481 observations (135 rice paddies and 346 dry croplands) of SOC under different fertilization schemes at 70 experimental sites (28 rice paddies and 42 dry croplands). The data set covered 16 dominant soil types found in croplands across 23 provinces of mainland China. The fertilization schemes were grouped into six categories: N (inorganic nitrogen fertilizer only), NP (compound inorganic nitrogen and phosphorus fertilizers), NPK (compound inorganic nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium fertilizers), O (organic fertilizers only), OF (combined inorganic/organic fertilization) and Others (other unbalanced fertilizations such as P only, K only, P plus K and N plus K). Relative change in SOC content was analyzed, and rice paddies and dry croplands soils were compared. There was an overall temporal increase in topsoil SOC content, and relative annual change (RAC, g kg⁻¹ yr⁻¹) ranged −0.14–0.60 (0.13 on average) for dry cropland soils and −0.12–0.70 (0.19 on average) for rice paddies. SOC content increase was higher in rice paddies than in dry croplands. SOC increased across experimental sites, but was higher under organic fertilization and combined organic/inorganic fertilizations than chemical fertilizations. SOC increase was higher under balanced chemical fertilizations with compound N, P and K fertilizers than unbalanced fertilizations such as N only, N plus P, and N plus K. The effects of specific rational fertilizations on SOC increase persisted for 15 years in dry croplands and 20 years in rice paddies, although RAC values decreased generally as the experiment duration increased. Therefore, the extension of rational fertilization in China’s croplands may offer a technical option to enhance C sequestration potential and to sustain long-term crop productivity.     

Spatial and temporal variation in the macroinvertebrate community structure of the lower Elands River,Mpumalanga, South Africa

The Elands River, Mpumalanga, is an ecologically sensitive river that is constantly threatened by a variety of human activities. The influence of a pulp and paper mill on the river's macroinvertebrate assemblages was studied in March and June 2005, representing high- and low-flow seasons, respectively. Macroinvertebrates were collected from various biotopes using a standard sampling net, and were preserved and identified to family level. A range of multivariate and univariate statistical analyses was applied to assess the spatial and temporal variations in the macroinvertebrate communities. Diversity loss and dominance by a single taxon, Melanoides tuberculata, were noted directly below the mill. Other sites did not appear to be affected. Macroinvertebrate communities at all sites showed a strong seasonal variation.     

Response of soil nematode communities to long-term application of inorganic fertilizers in the black soil of Northeast China

The effects of inorganic fertilizers on soil nematode communities were studied in a long-term fertilization experimental field in the Black Soil Region of Northeast China,where no fertilizer (CK),N fertilizer (N),combined application of N and P (NP),combined application of N and K (NK),and combined application of N,P and K (NPK) were compared.The results showed that the total nematode abundance was not affected significantly by inorganic fertilizers in the long-term field experiment.The numbers of bacterivores increased significantly in the NP treatment compared to the CK treatment,and those of fungivores and plant-parasites were inhibited in the NPK treatment.The similarity between CK and NPK treatment and the nematode diversity were higher than in other treatments.The stability of the soil ecosystem was disturbed by the inorganic fertilizers,as indicated by the change in MI values under different treatments.The response of soil nematodes mainly depended on the types of inorganic fertilizers applied.     

Are macroinvertebrate communities influenced by seagrass structural complexity?

A study was undertaken within a sub-tidal Zostera marina seagrass bed (Devon, U.K.), with the aim of elucidating the relationship between seagrass structural complexity and the size and composition of the associated macroinvertebrate community. Samples of macroinvertebrates were recovered from three designated areas of shoot density. Various physical characteristics were measured for individual plants, and an a priori complexity index was determined relevant to the associated target organisms. Resulting data were analysed using linear regression and multivariate techniques. Significant relationships were found between shoot density and number of leaves/shoot, leaf length, stem length and algal epiphyte biomass. Neither the number of species nor abundance of macroinvertebrates was significantly related with the derived complexity index. Multivariate analysis indicated that macroinvertebrate communities from the three areas of shoot density were significantly different, the pattern of macroinvertebrate community composition being best explained by sea-grass biomass. Linear regression of seagrass biomass with macroinvertebrate number of species and abundance revealed significant positive relationships. Regression also indicated that there was no significant increase in complexity with increasing seagrass biomass. The results suggest that within a seagrass bed the size and composition of the associated macroinvertebrate community is not determined by the structural complexity of the plants, but by the amount of plant available. This finding indicates a simple species-area relationship, and arguably one brought about as a result of a sampling artefact. Thus, the current paradigm that structural complexity of seagrass is responsible for increased species diversity, can only be justifiably applied to comparisons between seagrass and other habitats, and not within a seagrass bed itself.     

Response of soil nematode communities to long-term application of inorganic fertilizers in the black soil of Northeast China

The effects of inorganic fertilizers on soil nematode communities were studied in a long-term fertilization experimental field in the Black Soil Region of Northeast China, where no fertilizer (CK), N fertilizer (N), combined application of N and P (NP), combined application of N and K (NK), and combined application of N, P and K (NPK) were compared. The results showed that the total nematode abundance was not affected significantly by inorganic fertilizers in the long-term field experiment. The numbers of bacterivores increased significantly in the NP treatment compared to the CK treatment, and those of fungivores and plant-parasites were inhibited in the NPK treatment. The similarity between CK and NPK treatment and the nematode diversity were higher than in other treatments. The stability of the soil ecosystem was disturbed by the inorganic fertilizers, as indicated by the change in MI values under different treatments. The response of soil nematodes mainly depended on the types of inorganic fertilizers applied.     

Spatial Patchiness of Litter, Nutrients and Macroinvertebrates during Secondary Succession in a Tropical Montane Cloud Forest in Mexico

We test the hypothesis that secondary succession in Tropical Montane Cloud Forest (TMCF) in Mexico is accompanied by an increase in the spatial structuring of litter resources, soil nutrient concentrations and the soil macroinvertebrate community at a within-plot scale (5–25 m). This increased spatial structuring is expected because secondary succession in these forests is associated with an increase in the diversity of trees that dominate the canopy. If each tree species generates a particular soil environment under its canopy, then under a diverse tree community, soil properties will be spatially very heterogeneous. Tree censuses and grid sampling were performed in four successional stages of a secondary chronosequence of TMCF. Variography was used to analyse spatial patterns in continuous variables such as nutrient concentrations, while Spatial Analysis by Distance Indices (SADIE) was applied to determine patchiness in the distribution of soil macroinvertebrate taxa. Secondary succession was found to be accompanied by the predicted increase in the spatial structuring of litter resources and the macroinvertebrate community at the within-plot scale. Spatial patterns in the macroinvertebrate community only became evident for all taxa in the oldest forest (100 years old). Patches with low Ca and Mg concentrations in early successional soils were associated with patches where pine litter was most abundant while those with low P concentrations in late successional stages were associated with patches where oak litter was most abundant. Results suggest that anthropogenic disturbance aboveground promotes a more homogeneous resource environment in the surface soil, which compared to older forests, sustains a less diverse and less spatially structured macroinvertebrate community.     

Characterizing macroinvertebrate communities across China: Large-scale implementation of a self-organizing map

Understanding the geographical patterns and divisions of communities is a fundamental step in achieving the sustainable management of ecosystems, especially in deteriorating global and local environments. The idea of geographical division has been applied on all continents but Antarctica, but it has never been rigorously tested for stream ecosystems in China, leaving a gap in knowledge for many basic and applied research questions regarding, for example, diversity patterns, conservation issues or climate change effects. To fill this gap, we aimed to (1) evaluate the geographical divisions of the macroinvertebrate communities in Chinese streams using the self-organizing map (SOM) method and (2) to characterize the distribution patterns in relation to different environmental variables. Macroinvertebrates were collected from 57 relatively clean stream sites covering a south-north gradient along the boundary of the geographic ladder (or altitudinal divide) in China. SOM was used to analyze large-scale biogeographical divisions of the macroinvertebrate communities. The sampling sites were divided into six clusters, distinguishing the samples from northern, central, and southern China. This pattern was also reflected by biotic metrics (abundance, biomass, taxa and sum of Ephemeroptera, Plecoptera, and Trichoptera richness, and diversity). The gradient of environmental variables, particularly water quality variables, was similar between the clusters, with the exceptions of two clusters from southwestern China when considering altitude and one cluster from northern China when considering conductivity and TN. The different clusters from the SOM were associated with indicator species, with clean-water adapted species dominating in southwestern China and pollution tolerant species in northern China. However, there were no significant correlations between environmental variables and biotic metrics. The overall combination of environmental variables and organism data suggests that spatial variation was the main predictor determining the composition of the macroinvertebrate communities on a large-scale, and the trained SOM appeared to be efficient at classifying streams on a broad geographic scale.     

无机化学肥料和农药对土壤微生物的影响初探

研究了微生物群落在实验室培养条件下对不同土壤环境所产生的变化。在实验室中模拟农田环境,并且在农药和无机肥料的影响下,观察土壤中微生物群落60 d内的功能多样性的变化。实验土壤有4种类型:无农药和化肥影响的土壤(S1);有农药杀灭菊酯和甲基托布津的影响(S2);加入(NH_4)_2HPO_4(S3);加入农药杀灭菊酯、甲基托布津和无机化学肥料(NH_4)_2HPO_4(S4)。实验用BIOLOG GN微平板鉴定系统测定四种土壤的颜色平均变化率(AWCD)值,通过比较S1、S2、S3和S4样本在不同培养天数的AWCD-时间曲线,讨论了农药和无机化学肥料对土壤微生物的影响。     

环境DNA技术在淡水底栖大型无脊椎动物多样性监测中的应用

环境DNA (eDNA)是指生物有机体在环境中(例如土壤、沉积物或水体)遗留下的DNA片段。eDNA技术是指从环境中提取DNA片段进行测序以及数据分析来反映环境中的物种或群落信息。与传统方法相比, eDNA技术具有高灵敏度、省时省力、无损伤等优点。目前, eDNA技术已成为一种新的水生生物监测方法, 主要应用于水生生物的多样性研究、濒危和稀有动物的物种状态及外来入侵动物扩散动态的监测等。本文从eDNA技术在水生生物多样性监测应用领域的发展历程、eDNA技术的操作流程以及其在监测淡水底栖大型无脊椎动物方面的应用进展、技术优势和局限性五个方面进行了综述。最后, 本文对eDNA技术在淡水底栖大型无脊椎动物多样性监测应用的发展趋势和前景作出展望。     

Effect of long-term application of agrotechnical techniques and crops on soil microbial communities

Effects of long-term application of various fertilizers and crops on soil microbiomes in a long-term field experiment were investigated using the library of the 16S rRNA gene sequences obtained by highthroughput sequencing of the total DNA. The communities exhibited high diversity, with 655 microbial genera belonging to 34 phyla detected (31 bacterial and 3 archaeal ones). For analysis of the effect of the studied factors on community structure, a linear model was developed in order to simplify interpretation of the data of high-throughput sequencing and to obtain biologically important information. Liming was shown to modulate the effect of mineral fertilizers on the structure of microbial populations. The differences in the structure and alpha-diversity of microbial communities were shown to depend more on the crops and liming than on the fertilizers applied. Interaction between the crop factor and liming expressed as an ambiguous effect of liming on the microbiome in the presence of different plants was reliably demonstrated. Thus, in the case of barley and clover, liming resulted in increased taxonomic diversity of the community, while in the case of potato and flax it had an opposite effect.     

Changing ecology of Lake Victoria cichlids and their environment: evidence from C<Superscript>13</Superscript> and N<Superscript>15</Superscript> analyses

Springs are spatially restricted and insular ecotones. In the Alps, topography enhances this isolation. Springs are to a certain extent inhabited by organisms which are adapted to the relatively constant environmental conditions in springs. We examined thirty-six springs in eight different areas in the Swiss National Park (SNP) to understand if the macroinvertebrate assemblages of high-elevation springs are isolated or interconnected communities. We quantitatively and qualitatively sampled the macroinvertebrate assemblages of the springs and monitored environmental parameters. The similarity of the macroinvertebrate assemblages of the springs within and the dissimilarities between the different areas were relatively high; a clear spatial isolation was not evident. The differences of macroinvertebrate assemblages in different areas were explained by substrate parameters: springs in areas at lower altitudes were characterized by organic substrates and many water mite species. High-elevation springs were characterized by coarse inorganic substrates and Trichoptera of the genus Drusus. For spring conservation, it is important to decide on an individual basis if the loss of a single spring will have severe consequences for spring biodiversity.     

农田景观和管理方式对稻田系统植物多样性的复合影响

农田生物多样性对于维持农田生态系统服务功能和农业可持续发展具有重要意义。为揭示农田景观特征和管理方式对农田生态系统植物群落和物种多样性的影响, 以有机稻田(ON)、常规化防稻田(天然林脚下, CN)、常规化防稻田(距天然林>10km, CF)系统为研究对象, 调查了田内、田埂和沟渠生境的植物物种组成和多样性特征, 并对三种类型稻田系统共125个样方进行DCA排序分析。结果表明: (1)有机稻田的物种丰富度显著高于两种常规化防稻田, 其中, ON植物由51科101属109种组成, CN植物由35科69属74种组成, CF植物由23科49属54种组成; (2)ON的Simpson指数和Shannon-Weiner多样性指数与CN均没有显著性差异, 但显著高于CF; (3)无论是有机稻田还是常规化防稻田, 物种丰富度、Simpson指数和Shannon-Weiner指数均以田埂最高, 沟渠次之, 田内最低; (4)总体而言, 相同生境下, ON各多样性指数(J除外)均高于CN, 但无显著差异, 而与CF差异显著。此外, DCA排序图显示, 相同生境下, ON和CN的植物群落相似性较大, 而CN和CF的群落相似性小。上述结果共同表明, 农田植物物种多样性维持受农田管理方式和农田景观特征的复合影响, 低集约化农田景观对于维持农田生态系统植物物种多样性和群落组成具有更重要作用。     

不同施肥方式对稻麦两熟制小麦田杂草群落的影响

为揭示不同施肥方式对稻麦两熟制区麦田杂草的影响,以连续4年固定施肥田为对象,于2014年小麦收获前进行了杂草群落调查,研究不同施肥、秸秆还田小麦田间杂草种类、密度、高度、杂草多样性指数的差异,并对杂草种群分布与肥料因子进行典范分析. 结果表明：36个试验小麦田中共记录杂草20种,分属11科19属. 其中,菵草、泥胡菜、牛繁缕、蛇床广泛分布于各试验田块. 长期施肥可减少麦田杂草种类及发生密度,但会增加麦田杂草高度,其中阔叶杂草在试验设定的各施肥措施下种类及发生密度均显著下降;纯施化肥、有机肥配施化肥,特别是施用有机无机复混肥的田块中,杂草群落多样性指数和均匀度指数低,优势度指数较高,容易使单一优势杂草种类暴发,造成严重危害;秸秆还田配施有机肥化肥处理麦田环境中杂草多样性指数、均匀度指数相对较高,优势度指数相对较低,杂草群落的结构较复杂,群落相对稳定,且杂草密度较低,对小麦生长危害较轻.     

Effects of wind‐driven spatial structure and environmental heterogeneity on high‐altitude wetland macroinvertebrate assemblages with contrasting dispersal modes

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Macroinvertebrate colonization dynamics on artificial substrates along an algal resource gradient

Riparian canopy removal and land use may introduce multiple stressors that can alter food and habitat for stream organisms, but the influence of these alterations on macroinvertebrate colonization dynamics is less well known. A field study involving the simultaneous placement and removal of artificial substrates was performed to examine how macroinvertebrate colonization rates might vary with algal accumulation within a perennial stream segment in eastern Ohio, USA. The study was conducted over a 60-day summer colonization period in three reaches that were selected to represent an algal resource gradient according to canopy cover and agricultural nutrient sources in the riparian corridor. Total nitrogen, water temperatures, and mean algal biomass from substrates increased along the resource gradient represented by the study sites. Total macroinvertebrate biomass and the abundance and biomass of scrapers also increased according to the gradient. Correlation results indicated that chlorophyll a biomass, rather than time or temperature, was better related to the abundance and biomass of most primary consumers on substrates. These results suggest that the combined effects of elevated temperatures and nutrients can result in relatively rapid algal accrual that may alter the colonization and establishment of macroinvertebrate communities in streams subjected to gradients of riparian disturbances.