南亚热带人工马尾松林下植物组成特征及主要木本种群生态位研究

1引言物种多样性是生态系统的重要特征并维持系统的功能运行,生物多样性与生态系统抵御逆境和抗干扰能力有关,多样性的提高会增强系统的稳定性及生态服务功能[4,5,13,14,24,25,32,36].林下植被在维持森林物种多样性、立地指示、水土保持、促进人工林养分循环、维护林地地力和揭示植被演替特征等方面具有不可忽视的作用[3,12,19,20,35].马尾松(Pinus massoniana)是我国南亚热带地区的主要针叶林之一,由于人为活动(造林、抚育、樵采等)对人工林下物种丰富度干扰很大,造成了森林的严重退化[33,34,37],不利于人工林的可持续发展.南亚热带植被的…     

大兴安岭白桦-兴安落叶松林火烧迹地林下植被群落恢复过程的动态分析

火干扰在森林生态系统的发育过程中起到重要作用,直接影响着森林生态系统的物种组成、结构稳定性和物种多样性。本文通过调查大兴安岭兴安落叶松(Larix gmelinii)-白桦(Betula platyphylla)林林下植被,采用空间序列代替时间序列的研究方法,分析了大兴安岭北方针叶林火烧迹地林下植被的恢复过程。研究表明:1)在灌木层和草本层中林分结构的变化主要表现在一些旱生物种与中湿生物种的替代过程;2)物种多样性随着群落演替顺序未呈现连续增加趋势。在草本层,物种丰富度指数呈先上升后下降的单峰型变化趋势,在火烧后5~8年达到一个峰值,随着进一步的演替有所下降;物种多样性指数也表现出类似的单峰型变化趋势,在火烧后的第5年达到最大值,15年左右开始趋于平稳,20年左右达到一个较为稳定的数值;物种均匀度指数在火烧后5年左右达到最低值,随后上升并最终趋于平稳。在灌木层,物种多样性指数的变化趋势基本与草本物种相同,但滞后于草本群落3~5年;3)林下层的生物量随恢复年份呈指数增加,到25年时生物量达10.5t·hm-2。     

低丘人工林林下植被物种多样性初步研究

选取江西省泰和县狗丝茅岭低丘荒山人工造林l0a的人工生态系统中8种人工林主要类型和1个对照区,通过比较这些类型林下植被的物种多样性(物种丰富度和Shannon-Wiener指数)和相关的环境因子,揭示林下植被物种多样性的差异及其与环境因子之间的关系。结果显示：人工林类型(造林树种)、林分组成(纯林或混交林)和林分密度对物种多样性的影响较为明显,其中林分密度的影响最为显著：各人工林类型林下植被的Shannon—Wiener指数与物种丰富度具有大体相似的规律,即在相近造林密度下,不同造林树种其林下植被物种多样性以针叶纯林稍占优势,针阔混交林次之,而阔叶纯林相对较低：针叶林林下植被物种多样性虽然最高,但针叶林土壤的持水力相对较差,有机质含量也较低,而阔叶纯林相对较好,针阔混交林则最佳。     

北京西山油松林可燃物调控的影响评价

森林可燃物调控及其影响评价研究是可燃物管理的基础,对减少火灾的发生具有重要的意义。在北京西山实验林场,选取华北地区典型针叶林-油松林(Pinus tabulaeformis),设立4块20m×20m样地,通过对林分可燃物分布特征的调查和分析,制定以修枝、割灌为主的调控措施,对比研究调控与未调控林分林下植被多样性和优势灌木的光合生理特性。研究结果表明:(1)不同油松林可燃物垂直分布特征表现为0—3m层可燃物负荷量最大(平均为1053.94 g/m2),且可燃物种类最多,随着高度的增加可燃物的负荷量均呈现减少的趋势。(2)调控林分林下优势灌木(主要为孩儿拳头和黑枣)最大净光合速率、光饱和点、光补偿点、暗呼吸速率均比对照增加;而表观量子效率则减小。(3)不同的可燃物调控措施改变了林下植被多样性;不同调控措施的草本层物种丰富度、物种多样性、物种优势度以及物种均匀度均高于对照林分。由此可见,森林可燃物调控措施对林下植被多样性和优势物种的光合生理特性均有影响。研究结果可为森林可燃物管理提供科学依据。     

火烧强度对兴安落叶松群落叶片功能性状及功能多样性的影响

林火是北方针叶林的重要生态因子,直接影响火烧迹地物种多样性及功能多样性,进而影响森林群落的演替.以牙克石地区火后自然恢复12年的兴安落叶松群落为研究对象,在群落尺度上分析火烧迹地土壤养分含量、叶片功能性状、物种多样性和功能多样性在不同火烧强度(轻、中和重度火烧)下的变化规律.结果表明: 火烧显著降低了土壤全氮含量,对土壤全磷含量无显著影响.轻、中度火烧有助于维持群落较高的物种多样性和功能多样性;中度火烧显著增加了群落的物种多样性,物种丰富度指数、Shannon指数、Simpson指数和Pielou均匀度指数均在中度火烧时有最大值;火烧降低了群落的功能丰富度和功能离散度指数,二者分别在中、轻度火烧时最大(除未过火外),而群落的功能均匀度和二次熵指数在林火干扰后增加,轻度火烧后最大.随火烧强度增加,叶干物质含量、叶组织密度和叶磷含量总体呈显著增大趋势,而比叶面积、叶含水量、叶氮含量和叶N∶P则表现出未过火>中度火烧>轻度火烧>重度火烧的规律,叶片厚度呈先增大后减小的变化规律.火烧强度对森林群落的叶片功能性状和功能多样性均有显著影响,且适度的火干扰对森林群落的恢复具有促进作用.     

Effects of Robinia pseudoacacia on the undergrowth of herbaceous plants and soil properties in the Loess Plateau of China

刺槐对黄土高原林下草本植物及土壤性质的影响 外来物种刺槐(Robinia pseudoacacia)的引入会对林下草本植物、土壤性质及二者之间的相互关系产 生一定影响,且这种影响可能与植被带有关。然而,在黄土高原较大面积范围内,关于刺槐对林下草本植物和土壤影响的研究依然很少。我们以黄土高原草原带、森林草原带和森林带作为研究区,选择了两种冠层植物类型：刺槐林分和相邻的原生植被。我们测定了5个叶片功能性状：叶片碳含量、叶片氮含量、叶片磷含量、比叶面积和叶组织密度,并计算了群落功能多样性、物种多样性和群落加权性状值。研究结果表明,(1)与原生植被相比,3个植被带内林下草本植物群落的叶氮、叶磷和比叶面积的群落加权性状值均显著提高,而叶碳和叶组织密度的群落加权性状值显著降低。(2)物种多样性、功能多样性和群落生物量在草原带内呈下降趋势,在森林带内呈上升趋势,在森林草原带内差异不显著。(3)与原生植被相比,土壤有机碳和土壤全氮仅在森林带内显著减少。(4)林下草本植物群落特性与土壤之间的关系是受刺槐和植被带所依赖的。总的来说,刺槐对林下草本植物和土壤性质的影响与植被带密切相关。该研究结果对黄土高原人工植被恢复与重建的规划具有重要指导意义。     

热带森林植被生态恢复研究进展

热带森林是地球上生物多样性最高和生态功能最为强大的植被类型之一,在维护全球生态平衡中起着至关重要的作用,同时也为人类社会提供着多种多样的物质资源和生态系统服务。然而热带森林是目前生物多样性消失最快和生态功能退化最为严重的生态系统之一,如何有效地保护现存的热带森林不再进一步退化,以及如何使已经退化的生态系统尽快得到恢复是生态学工作者面临的重要议题。不同方式、规模和强度的干扰对热带林的破坏程度及其以后的恢复过程产生的影响不同。除少数大型自然干扰事件外,采伐、刀耕火种、农业开发用地等人为干扰是造成当前热带森林植被大面积退化的主要原因。多种干扰交互作用、杂草与外来物种入侵、退化植被和土壤状况、残存植被组分及土壤种子库、退化植被周围的景观格局以及全球气候变化等因素都能够影响热带森林植被恢复的速度和方向。基于功能群的研究思想将可能为物种丰富的热带森林植被恢复的研究提供一个全新途径。     

山西霍山森林群落林下物种多样性研究

在野外获得样方的基础上,采用多样性指数、丰富度指数、均匀度指数等对山西霍山森林群落林下灌木层和草本层的物种多样性进行了研究,结果表明,多数森林群落林下灌木层多样性指数和均匀度指数均高于草本层,而丰富度指数则相反。灌木层和草本层物种多样性指数的顺序为:针阔叶混交林>针叶林>落叶阔叶林,主要是由于针阔叶混交林兼有针叶林和落叶阔叶林的共同特征,因而具有较高的多样性。灌木层和草本层多样性指数、丰富度指数和均匀度指数在海拔梯度上呈单峰曲线变化趋势,即中海拔(1500 m)高度上物种多样性最大,这主要是由于在这一海拔范围内水热条件组合较好,人类活动干扰较少所致。     

芦芽山寒温性针叶林冠层下植被beta多样性格局及其成因

群落构建机制是生态学的中心议题之一。对山地植被beta多样性格局及其成因的探究有助于加深对此问题的认识。以芦芽山寒温性针叶林群落冠层下植被为研究对象,结合野外调查与室内实验获取的详细数据,运用Mantel检验、普通最小二乘回归和典范对应分析(CCA)等统计方法,探讨了林下植被的beta多样性格局及其成因,结果显示:(1)沿海拔梯度相邻群落间草本层物种周转率呈现递减格局,而灌木层变化规律不明显;(2)灌、草层beta多样性与海拔差异、地理距离呈显著正相关关系,而与局地环境异质性关系不显著。控制海拔作用后发现,灌、草层beta多样性与地理距离关系依然显著,而当消除地理距离的线性影响后,beta多样性与海拔关系也变得不显著(3)CCA模型中,环境因子共解释了物种组成变异的74.4%,其中,海拔、坡度、凋落物厚度、乔木密度与总干面积对林下灌、草植被物种组成具有显著影响,但土壤因子的作用未见显著。综上,生境筛滤与扩散限制共同主导了芦芽山寒温性针叶林冠层下群落构建过程,但扩散限制的影响强于生境筛滤作用。     

林下密集蕨类层生态学研究进展

林下密集蕨类层在森林尤其是受干扰森林中广泛存在,对森林更新具有强烈的过滤效应,能够改变林下层的多样性,影响群落的结构、功能和动态,林下密集蕨类层的生态学研究,对揭示森林群落物种分布格局和群落构建机制具有重要意义.结合国内外最新研究,论述了林下密集蕨类层的特征,从机制上解释了林下密集蕨类层形成的主要原因;分类阐述了林下密...     

Understory Vegetation Dynamics of North American Boreal Forests

Understory vegetation is the most diverse and least understood component of North American boreal forests. Understory communities are important as they act as drivers of overstory succession and nutrient cycling. The objective of this review was to examine how understory vegetation abundance, composition, and diversity change with stand development after a major stand replacing disturbance. Understory vegetation abundance and diversity increase rapidly after fire, in response to abundant resources and an influx of disturbance adapted species. The highest diversity occurs within the first 40 years following fire, and declines indefinitely thereafter as a result of decreasing productivity and increased dominance of a small number of late successional feather mosses and woody plant species. Vascular plant and bryophyte/lichen communities undergo very different successional changes. Vascular plant communities are dynamic and change more dramatically with time after fire, whereas bryophyte and lichen communities are much slower to establish and change over time. Considerable variations in these processes exist depending on canopy composition, site condition, regional climate, and frequently occurring non-stand-replacing disturbances. Forest management practices represent a unique disturbance process and can result in different understory vegetation communities from those observed for natural processes, with potential implications for overstory succession and long-term productivity. Because of the importance of understory vegetation on nutrient cycling and overstory composition, post-harvest treatments emulating stand-replacing fire are required to maintain understory diversity, composition, and promote stand productivity in boreal forests.     

Temperate tree expansion into adjacent boreal forest patches facilitated by warmer temperatures

Temperate and boreal forests are forecast to change in composition and shift spatially in response to climate change. Local‐scale expansions and contractions are most likely observable near species range limits, and as trees are long‐lived, initial shifts are likely to be detected in the understory regeneration layers. We examined understory relative abundance patterns of naturally regenerated temperate and boreal tree species in two size classes, seedlings and saplings, and across two spatial scales, local stand‐scale ecotones (tens of meters) and the regional temperate–boreal transition zone (?250 km) in central North America, to explore indications of climate‐mediated shifts in regeneration performance. We also tested for the presence of strong environmental gradients across local ecotones that might inhibit species expansion. Results showed that tree regeneration patterns across ecotones varied by species and size class, and varied across the regional summer temperature gradient. Temperate tree species regeneration has established across local ecotones into boreal forest patches and this process was facilitated by warmer temperatures. Conversely, boreal conifer regeneration exhibited negative responses to the regional temperature gradient and only displayed high abundance at the boreal end of local ecotones at cool northern sites. The filtering effects of temperature also increased with individual size for both boreal and temperate understory stems. Observed regeneration patterns and the minor environmental gradients measured across local ecotones failed to support the idea that there were strong barriers to potential temperate tree expansion into boreal forest patches. Detectable responses, consistently in the directions predicted for both temperate and boreal species, indicate that summer temperature is likely an important driver of natural tree regeneration in forests across the temperate–boreal transition zone. Regeneration patterns point toward temperate expansion and reduced but continued boreal presence in the near‐future, resulting in local and regional expansions of mixed temperate‐boreal forests.     

Hydraulic architecture of evergreen broad-leaved woody plants at different successional stages in Tiantong National Forest Park,Zhejiang Province,China

Aims Hydraulic architecture is a morphological strategy in plants to transport water in coping with environmental conditions. Change of hydraulic architecture for plants occupying different canopy layers within community and for the same plant at different successional stages reflect existence and adaptation in plant's water transportation strategies. The objective of this study was to examine how hydraulic architecture varies with canopy layers within a community and with forest succession.Methods The study site is located in Tiantong National Forest Park, Zhejiang Province, China. Hydraulic architectural traits studied include sapwood-specific hydraulic conductivity, leaf-specific hydraulic conductivity, Huber value, sapwood channel area of twigs, total leaf area per terminal twig, and water potential of twigs. We measured those traits for species that occur in multiple successional stages (we called it "overlapping species") and for species that occur only in one successional stage (we called it "turnover species") along a successional series of evergreen broadleaved forests. For a given species, we sampled both overstory and understory trees. Hydraulic architectural traits between overstory and understory trees in the same community and at successional stages were compared. Pearson correlation was used to exam the relationship between hydraulic architectural traits and the twig/leaf traits.Important findings Sapwood-specific hydraulic conductivities and leaf-specific hydraulic conductivities were significantly higher in overstory trees than those in understory trees, but did not significantly differ from successional stages. Huber value decreased significantly for understory trees, but did not change for overstory trees through forest successional stages. For overstory trees, a trend of decreasing sapwood-specific hydraulic conductivity was observed for overlapping species but not for turnover species with successional stages. In contrast, for understory trees, a trend of decreasing Huber values was observed for turner species but not for overlapping species with successional stages. Across tree species, sapwood-specific hydraulic conductivity was positively correlated with sapwood channel area and total leaf area per terminal twig size. Huber value was negatively correlated to water potential of twigs and total leaf area per terminal twig size. These results suggest that water transportation capacity and efficiency are higher in overstory trees than in understory trees across successional stages in evergreen broadleaved forests in Tiantong region. The contrasting trends of sapwood-specific hydraulic conductivity between overlapping species and turnover species indicate that shift of microenvironment conditions might lead to changes of hydraulic architecture in overstory trees, whereas species replacement might result in changes of hydraulic architecture in understory trees.     

Understory vegetation indicates historic fire regimes in ponderosa pine‐dominated ecosystems in the Colorado Front Range

Question: Can current understory vegetation composition across an elevation gradient of Pinus ponderosa‐dominated forests be used to identify areas that, prior to 20th century fire suppression, were characterized by different fire frequencies and severities (i.e., historic fire regimes)? Location: P. ponderosa‐dominated forests in the montane zone of the northern Colorado Front Range, Boulder and Larimer Counties, Colorado, USA. Methods: Understory species composition and stand characteristics were sampled at 43 sites with previously determined fire histories. Indicator species analyses and indirect ordination were used to determine: (1) if stands within a particular historic fire regime had similar understory compositions, and (2) if understory vegetation was associated with the same environmental gradients that influence fire regime. Classification and regression tree analysis was used to ascertain which species could predict fire regimes. Results: Indicator species analysis identified 34 understory species as significant indicators of three distinct historic fire regimes along an elevation gradient from low‐ to high‐elevation P. ponderosa forests. A predictive model derived from a classification tree identified five species as reliable predictors of fire regime. Conclusions: P. ponderosa‐dominated forests shaped by three distinct historic fire regimes have significantly different floristic composition, and current understory compositions can be used as reliable indicators of historical differences in past fire frequency and severity. The feasibility demonstrated in the current study using current understory vegetation properties to detect different historic fire regimes, should be examined in other fire‐prone forest ecosystems.     

Present status and rate of carbon sequestration of forest vegetation in Jilin Province,Northeast China

Aims
Forests represent the most important component of the terrestrial biological carbon pool and play an important role in the global carbon cycle. The regional scale estimation of carbon budgets of forest ecosystems, however, have high uncertainties because of the different data sources, estimation methods and so on. Our objective was to accurately estimate the carbon storage, density and sequestration rate in forest vegetation in Jilin Province of China, in order to understand the role of the carbon sink and to better manage forest ecosystems.
Methods
Vegetation survey data were used to determine forest distribution, size of area and vegetation types regionally. In our study, 561 plots were investigated to build volume-biomass models; 288 plots of shrubs and herbs were harvested to calculate the biomass of understory vegetation, and samples of trees, shrubs and herbs were collected to analyze carbon content. Carbon storage, density and sequestration rate were estimated by two forest inventory data (2009 and 2014), combined with volume-biomass models, the average biomass of understory vegetation and carbon content of vegetation. Finally, the distribution patterns of carbon pools were presented using ArcGIS soft ware.
Important findings
Understory vegetation biomass overall was less than 3% of the tree layer biomass, varying greatly among different forest types and even among the similar types. The carbon content of trees was between 45.80%-52.97%, and that of the coniferous forests was higher than that of the broadleaf forests. The carbon content of shrub and herb layers was about 39.79%-47.25% and 40%, respectively. Therefore, the vegetation carbon conversion coefficient was 0.47 or 0.48 in Jilin Province, and the conventional use of 0.50 or 0.45 would cause deviation of ±5.26%. The vegetation carbon pool of Jilin Province was at the upper range of regional carbon pool and had higher capacity of carbon sequestration. The value in 2009 and 2014 was 471.29 Tg C and 505.76 Tg C, respectively, and the total increase was 34.47 Tg C with average annual growth of 6.89 Tg C·a^-1. The corresponding carbon sequestration rate was 0.92 t·hm^-2·a^-1. The carbon density rose from 64.58 t·hm^-2 in 2009 to 66.68 t·hm^-2 in 2014, with an average increase of 2.10 t·hm^-2. In addition, the carbon storage of the Quercus mongolica forests and broadleaved mixed forests, accounted for 90.34% of that of all forests. The carbon increment followed the order of young > over-mature > near mature > middle-aged > mature forests. The carbon sequestration rate of followed the order of over-mature > young > near mature > middle-aged > mature forests. Both the carbon increment and the carbon sequestration rate of mature forests were negative. Furthermore, spatially the carbon storage and density were higher in the east than in the west of Jilin province, while the carbon increment was higher in northeast and middle east than in the west. The carbon sequestration rate was higher in Tonghua and Baishan in the south, followed by Jinlin in the middle and Yanbian in the east, while Baicheng and Songyuan, etc. in west showed negative values.     

Thinner bark increases sensitivity of wetter Amazonian tropical forests to fire

Understory fires represent an accelerating threat to Amazonian tropical forests and can, during drought, affect larger areas than deforestation itself. These fires kill trees at rates varying from < 10 to c. 90% depending on fire intensity, forest disturbance history and tree functional traits. Here, we examine variation in bark thickness across the Amazon. Bark can protect trees from fires, but it is often assumed to be consistently thin across tropical forests. Here, we show that investment in bark varies, with thicker bark in dry forests and thinner in wetter forests. We also show that thinner bark translated into higher fire‐driven tree mortality in wetter forests, with between 0.67 and 5.86 gigatonnes CO₂ lost in Amazon understory fires between 2001 and 2010. Trait‐enabled global vegetation models that explicitly include variation in bark thickness are likely to improve the predictions of fire effects on carbon cycling in tropical forests.     

Wildfire severity reduces richness and alters composition of soil fungal communities in boreal forests of western Canada

Wildfire is the dominant disturbance in boreal forests and fire activity is increasing in these regions. Soil fungal communities are important for plant growth and nutrient cycling postfire but there is little understanding of how fires impact fungal communities across landscapes, fire severity gradients, and stand types in boreal forests. Understanding relationships between fungal community composition, particularly mycorrhizas, and understory plant composition is therefore important in predicting how future fire regimes may affect vegetation. We used an extreme wildfire event in boreal forests of Canada's Northwest Territories to test drivers of fungal communities and assess relationships with plant communities. We sampled soils from 39 plots 1 year after fire and 8 unburned plots. High‐throughput sequencing (MiSeq, ITS) revealed 2,034 fungal operational taxonomic units. We found soil pH and fire severity (proportion soil organic layer combusted), and interactions between these drivers were important for fungal community structure (composition, richness, diversity, functional groups). Where fire severity was low, samples with low pH had higher total fungal, mycorrhizal, and saprotroph richness compared to where severity was high. Increased fire severity caused declines in richness of total fungi, mycorrhizas, and saprotrophs, and declines in diversity of total fungi and mycorrhizas. The importance of stand age (a surrogate for fire return interval) for fungal composition suggests we could detect long‐term successional patterns even after fire. Mycorrhizal and plant community composition, richness, and diversity were weakly but significantly correlated. These weak relationships and the distribution of fungi across plots suggest that the underlying driver of fungal community structure is pH, which is modified by fire severity. This study shows the importance of edaphic factors in determining fungal community structure at large scales, but suggests these patterns are mediated by interactions between fire and forest stand composition.     

A multivariate model of plant species richness in forested systems: old-growth montane forests with a long history of fire

Recently, efforts to develop multivariate models of plant species richness have been extended to include systems where trees play important roles as overstory elements mediating the influences of environment and disturbance on understory richness. We used structural equation modeling to examine the relationship of understory vascular plant species richness to understory abundance, forest structure, topographic slope, and surface fire history in lower montane forests on the North Rim of Grand Canyon National Park, USA based on data from eighty‐two 0.1 ha plots. The questions of primary interest in this analysis were: (1) to what degree are influences of trees on understory richness mediated by effects on understory abundance? (2) To what degree are influences of fire history on richness mediated by effects on trees and/or understory abundance? (3) Can the influences of fire history on this system be related simply to time‐since‐fire or are there unique influences associated with long‐term fire frequency? The results we obtained are consistent with the following inferences. First, it appears that pine trees had a strong inhibitory effect on the abundance of understory plants, which in turn led to lower understory species richness. Second, richness declined over time since the last fire. This pattern appears to result from several processes, including (1) a post‐fire stimulation of germination, (2) a decline in understory abundance, and (3) an increase over time in pine abundance (which indirectly leads to reduced richness). Finally, once time‐since‐fire was statistically controlled, it was seen that areas with higher fire frequency have lower richness than expected, which appears to result from negative effects on understory abundance, possibly by depletions of soil nutrients from repeated surface fire. Overall, it appears that at large temporal and spatial scales, surface fire plays an important and complex role in structuring understory plant communities in old‐growth montane forests. These results show how multivariate models of herbaceous richness can be expanded to apply to forested systems.     

不同密度杉木林对林下植被和土壤微生物群落结构的影响

为揭示土壤养分和细菌群落对林下植被调控的响应机制, 调查了浙江开化3种林分密度(高密度(KH)、中密度(KM)和低密度(KL))的17年生杉木人工林林下植被和生物量, 测定土壤理化性质, 并基于16S rDNA高通量测序技术分析细菌群落结构变化。结果表明, 3种密度的杉木林下植被地上部分总生物量为0.10-2.10 t·hm^-2, 且优势植物物种差异显著。理化性质测定分析发现, 高密度与低密度林分的土壤pH、有效磷含量差异显著。相关性分析表明, 土壤pH与林下植被中草本、灌木生物量及总生物量均呈显著正相关关系, 土壤有机质含量与灌木植被生物量及林下植被总生物量呈显著正相关关系, 速效钾含量与灌木植被生物量呈显著正相关关系。土壤微生物群落结构分析可知, 3种密度杉木林地土壤中酸杆菌门、变形菌门、放线菌门和绿弯菌门为优势菌群, 总相对丰度占比超过80%。冗余分析(RDA)表明土壤pH、碱解氮、有效磷和速效钾含量是土壤细菌群落结构变化的关键影响因素。酸杆菌门的优势亚群为Gp2、Gp1、Gp3和Gp6, 占酸杆菌群的51.32%-57.38%, 且随林分密度降低, 林下植被增多, Gp1占比增大, Gp2和Gp6占比下降; Gp6相对丰度与pH呈极显著负相关关系。可见, 杉木纯林经营中适度降低林分密度有利于林下植被生长和良好细菌群落结构保持, 有利于维持杉木林地土壤肥力, 实现可持续经营。     

General and specific responses of understory vegetation to cervid herbivory across a range of boreal forests

Understanding the responses of ecological communities to perturbation is a key challenge within contemporary ecology research. In this study we seek to separate specific community responses from general community responses of plant communities to exclusion of large cervid herbivores. Cervid herbivory and forestry are the main drivers of vegetation structure and diversity in boreal forests. While many studies focus on the impact of cervids on trees, a high proportion of the biodiversity and ecosystem services in boreal forests is found in the field layer. However, experimental approaches investigating the influence of herbivory on understory vegetation are highly localised. In this study we use a regional‐scale design with 51 sites in four boreal forest regions of Norway, to investigate the influence of cervid herbivory on the physical and ecological structure of field layer vegetation. Our study sites cover a range of forest types differing in productivity, management and dominant cervid species, allowing us to identify generic responses and those that are specific to particular conditions. We found that the height of the field layer and the abundances of individual species were most susceptible to change following short‐term cervid exclusion across different forest types and cervid species. Total vegetation density and vascular plant diversity did not respond to cervid exclusion on the same time scale. We also found that the field‐layer vegetation in clear‐cut forests used by moose was more susceptible to change following cervid exclusion than mature forests used by red deer, but no strong evidence that the response of vegetation to herbivore exclusion varied with productivity. Our study suggests that the parameters that respond to cervid exclusion are consistent across forest types, but that the responsiveness of different forest types is idiosyncratic and hard to predict.