荒漠草原地面节肢动物功能群对草地封育的响应

以宁夏盐池国家级草原资源生态监测站为依托,选择荒漠草原典型植被类型的封育与未封育样地调查了地面节肢动物、植被及土壤特征,同时根据动物食性对节肢动物功能群进行了划分.结果表明:荒漠草原地面节肢动物可划分为捕食性、植食性、腐食性和杂食性4种营养功能群.其中,植食性和捕食性节肢动物在数量上占优势,植食性和腐食性节肢动物生物量所占比例较大,表明荒漠草原地面节肢动物区系以植食性动物分布为其主要特征.围栏封育增加了捕食性、植食性和杂食性节肢动物个体数量和类群数,增加了捕食性和杂食性节肢动物的生物量,提高了捕食性和植食性节肢动物的物种多样性,这与植被恢复和土壤环境改善密切相关,说明荒漠草原围栏封育增加了地面节肢动物功能群的多样性和复杂性.但是围栏封育后,腐食性节肢动物个体数量减少,生物量降低,反映了腐食性节肢动物对放牧草地生境的依赖性.     

干旱绿洲区枸杞林地面节肢动物功能群结构季节分布特征

为了解枸杞林地面节肢动物功能群结构季节分布特征,以宁夏绿洲枸杞林为研究对象,于2018年的春、夏、秋季节,采用陷阱诱捕法,调查了地面节肢动物功能群季节分布特征及其与环境因子之间的关系。结果显示:(1)枸杞林地面节肢动物功能群包括植食性、捕食性、腐食性和杂食性动物,个体数分别占6.31%、86.75%、2.01%和4.89%,其中以捕食性动物为主。(2)植食性地面节肢动物个体数和生物量表现为春季显著高于秋季,夏季居中;类群数表现为夏季显著高于秋季,春季居中。捕食性地面节肢动物生物量表现为夏季和秋季显著高于春季;个体数和类群数在不同季节间均无显著差异。腐食性地面节肢动物个体数、生物量和类群数在不同季节间均无显著差异。杂食性地面节肢动物个体数和类群数表现为春季显著高于夏季,秋季居中;生物量在不同季节间均无显著差异。(3)相关分析表明,捕食性地面节肢动物个体数与土壤含水量呈正相关关系,腐食性地面节肢动物个体数与土壤全磷呈正相关关系,杂食性地面节肢动物与土壤全氮呈正相关关系。但植食性地面节肢动物个体数则与土壤含水量呈负相关关系,杂食性地面节肢动物个体数与土壤温度和土壤全碳呈负相关关系。(4)pRDA分析表明,土壤含水量是影响地面节肢动物功能群结构季节分布的主要环境因子。结论:随着季节更替,宁夏干旱绿洲区枸杞林地面节肢动物的功能群组成差异较大,功能多样性差异较小。说明每个功能群的个体数和类群数对季节变化敏感,但功能多样性较稳定。     

松嫩草原不同演替阶段大型土壤动物功能类群特征

大型土壤动物处于整个土壤食物网的最顶端,其各功能类群控制着其他动物所需资源的有效性,是土壤生态系统的重要组成部分。为了查明松嫩草原大型土壤动物的功能类群特征,在2006年5—10月期间,逐月对松嫩草原羊草、羊草+虎尾草、虎尾草、碱茅、碱蓬和光碱斑6个演替阶段大型土壤动物的功能类群组成、结构、多样性等特征进行研究。依据其食性将该区土壤动物划分为杂食性、植食性、捕食性和腐食性4个功能类群其中,杂食性土壤动物个体密度所占比例最多为39.16%,植食性土壤动物的类群数所占比例最多为50.00%,腐食性土壤动物个体密度和类群数所占比例均最小,分别为8.09%和12.82%。各功能类群土壤动物个体密度和类群数的相关性不显著(P0.05)。从水平结构来看,总体上各功能类群土壤动物在羊草群落和羊草+虎尾草群落个体密度和类群数较多,在无植被的光碱斑生境土壤动物的个体密度和类群数较少,植食性土壤动物的个体密度和类群数、杂食性土壤动物个体密度、腐食性土壤动物个体密度和类群数随着群落演替发生显著的变化(P0.01)。植食性和腐食性土壤动物个体密度和类群数相关性显著(P0.05)。垂直结构上,0—10 cm土层和20—30 cm土层除捕食性土壤动物个体密度以外,其它各功能类群土壤动物个体密度随着群落演替发生显著的变化(P0.05或P0.01);10—20 cm土层,除腐食性土壤动物个体密度以外,其它各功能类群土壤动物个体密度随着群落演替发生显著的变化(P0.05或P0.01)。0—10cm土层,植食性和杂食性土壤动物个体密度(P0.05)相关性显著;10—20 cm土层,植食性和腐食性土壤动物个体密度(P0.05)相关性显著。不同演替阶段对各功能类群土壤动物的多样性影响程度有所不同。4种功能类群土壤动物在羊草群落和光碱斑之间相似性指数较低,个体数量组成在演替初期的羊草群落和演替后期的光碱斑差异比较大。以上研究结果表明,松嫩草原不同退化演替阶段能够降低大型土壤动物功能类群组成和结构复杂性。     

人工固沙植被恢复对地表节肢动物群落组成及多样性的影响

人工绿洲是干旱区主要的自然景观之一,为了维护绿洲稳定而营建的防护林强烈改变地表生态水文过程,进而影响着地上和地下生物多样性。然而,以往的研究对地上植被关注较多,而对土壤动物研究较少。以张掖绿洲外围人工固沙植被群落和天然固沙植被群落为研究对象,探讨人工固沙植被恢复对荒漠地表节肢动物群落组成及多样性的影响及不同动物类群对植被变化的响应模式。研究表明,天然固沙植被群落转变为人工固沙植被群落显著降低了地表节肢动物数量,但提高了地表节肢动物类群丰富度和多样性,这在5月份表现尤为明显。植被类型对地表节肢动物群落的影响不同,8月人工柽柳林群落地表节肢动物活动密度、类群丰富度和多样性均显著高于人工梭梭林群落。人工固沙植被恢复显著降低了适应荒漠环境的拟步甲科甲虫,而蚁科和部分蜘蛛的数量显著增加,它们对人工固沙植被恢复的响应模式不同决定了群落结构及多样性的变化规律。此外,研究还发现一些地表节肢动物类群对不同生境具有强烈的指示作用,如拟步甲科等可指示荒漠生境,潮虫科等可指示梭梭林生境,而蠼螋科和狼蛛科等可指示柽柳林生境。综上所述,人工栽植固沙灌木形成的固沙植被群落导致了一些适应荒漠环境的地表节肢动物类群的数量降低,但也为更多的地表节肢动物类群提供了适应栖居环境和充足的食物资源等,从而提高了地表节肢动物的多样性。     

马尾松人工林郁闭度对大型土壤动物功能群的影响

将土壤动物分为捕食性、腐食性、杂食性、食木性和菌食性5个功能群,研究马尾松人工林各功能群大型土壤动物随郁闭度(0.5、0.6、0.7、0.8、0.9)的变化.结果表明: 1)各郁闭度马尾松人工林大型土壤动物以腐食性个体比例最高,类群上以杂食性和食木性为主.2)马尾松人工林大型捕食性土壤动物个体数、类群数和食木性类群数在0.5～0.6郁闭度下无显著变化,在0.6～0.9郁闭度下显著降低.3)随郁闭度增大,枯落物层捕食性土壤动物个体和类群数显著减少,5～10 cm层腐食性土壤动物个体数呈不规则的波动变化.食木性土壤动物个体数随土层加深而增多,且在枯落层其类群数及5～10 cm层个体和类群数随郁闭度增大而显著减少.4)不同郁闭度下,除食木性土壤动物功能群Pielou均匀度无显著差异外,食木性和腐食性土壤动物各多样性指标均差异显著;捕食性土壤动物仅Simpson优势度指数在0.5～0.8郁闭度下无显著变化,在0.8～0.9郁闭度下显著降低.5)典范对应分析(CCA)显示,不同郁闭度马尾松人工林大型土壤动物功能群主要受土壤容重和含水量的影响.含水量对腐食性土壤动物个体数影响较大,食木性、捕食性土壤动物受土壤容重影响,捕食性土壤动物Simpson优势度指数受土壤pH和全磷影响.大型土壤动物功能群结构在0.7郁闭度下相对稳定,有利于马尾松人工林地力维持和生态功能的发挥.     

不同坡位下巨桉人工林土壤动物群落特征

为了解坡位对巨桉人工林土壤动物群落结构的影响,2009年1-10月,调查了四川盆地低山丘陵区不同坡位巨桉人工林的土壤动物群落.从3个巨桉人工林共获取土壤动物34741只,鉴定出146个类群,隶属于7门16纲31目;巨桉人工林下土壤动物的群落组成、营养类群、多样性及其季节动态基本都存在坡位变化,大型和中小型干生土壤动物的个体数、大型土壤动物的腐食性类群和中小型干生土壤动物的杂食性类群数量表现出随坡位的下降而逐渐增多的趋势,说明土壤动物响应了坡位引起的土壤生态因子的变化.其中大型土壤动物的腐食性类群和中小型湿生土壤动物的多样性显示出显著的坡位差异,表明这两个指标能指示巨桉人工林不同坡位生境的异质性.总的看来,巨桉人工林坡位因子对土壤动物群落的分布及结构特征具有一定影响,但作用尚不显著.     

北方农牧交错带退耕还林与还草对地面节肢动物群落结构的影响

在中国北方农牧交错带宁夏盐池县,以农田为对照,以人工柠条林地、杨树林地和弃耕后自然恢复草地为研究样地,采用陷阱诱捕法,调查了退耕还林与还草4种类型样地的地面节肢动物群落结构特征,旨在分析农牧交错带退耕还林与还草措施对地面节肢动物群落结构生态效应的差异性。结果显示:(1)调查共获得地面节肢动物7目23科25类,其中优势类群为蜉金龟科和蚁科,其个体数占总个体数45.30%;常见类群13类,其个体数占总个体数49.17%;其余10类为稀有类群,其个体数占总个体数5.53%。(2)农田和草地生境的优势类群均有4个类群,而柠条林地和杨树林地生境的优势类群只有1个类群(即蚁科),但草地生境的优势类群种类组成完全不同于农田生境;优势度从农田的86.67%降为杨树林地的54.90%、柠条林地的63.16%和草地的61.70%。退耕还林还草后常见类群数及其优势度均呈现显著增加趋势。另外,4种类型样地生境中均无稀有类群。(3)退耕还林与还草仅对地面节肢动物类群数和Shannon指数产生显著影响(P0.05),而对个体数和优势度指数均无显著影响(P0.05)。地面节肢动物类群数和Shannon指数均表现为草地最高,杨树林地次之,农田和柠条林地最低。(4)不同生境类型样地间Jaccard指数均较低,介于0.13—0.39之间,属于不相似或中等不相似。(5)偏RDA分析表明,土壤含水量和总氮含量是影响地面节肢动物群落个体数分布的关键驱动因子。研究表明,退耕还柠条林地和弃耕后自然恢复草地对土壤性质改善均具有显著影响,并且弃耕后自然恢复草地更有利于节肢动物多样性的恢复。     

一个年龄序列巨桉人工林植物和土壤生物多样性

为了全面、系统研究和评价退耕后桉树人工林生物多样性,采用立地条件控制及空间代替时间法,对四川丹棱县退耕营造的巨桉(Eucalyptus grands)人工林(1-10a)植物和土壤生物多样性进行了同步研究.结果显示,植物和土壤动物的物种数、密度和多样性指数及土壤微生物数量呈相似变化趋势,即轮伐期前同步(4a左右)降低,此后随林龄显著增加.CCA分析显示,植物生活型随林龄由藤本植物、地面芽和1年生植物向多年生草本高位芽和高位芽植物过渡.土壤微生物以细菌占据数量优势;土壤动物以腐食性功能团占据优势,杂食性次之.腐食性功能团1-7a降低而后升高,杂食性呈S型升高趋势;植食性和捕食性功能团百分比较低随林龄显著降低.土壤动物优势类群中线虫纲个体百分比随林龄显著降低,蜱螨目百分比和A/C值(蜱螨目/弹尾目数量比)呈S型上升趋势.各林龄巨桉林地植物多样性均显著高于对照农耕地;除1,2a及4-7a样地植物多样性显著低于对照马尾松林,其余均与其无显著差异.土壤生物多样性,轮伐期前巨桉林地与对照农耕地差异不显著,此后则显著高于农耕地;各林龄样地土壤生物多样性均显著低于对照马尾松林.植物和土壤生物多样性指标显著相关,且相关系数随土壤层次加深而降低.     

腾格里沙漠东南缘人工固沙植被演替地面节肢动物群落多样性分布特征

在腾格里沙漠东南缘选取2、5、8、34 a和57 a的不同年限人工固沙植被区为研究样地,以流动沙地为对照,利用陷阱诱捕法调查了不同样地地面节肢动物的群落组成及多样性特征,阐明了固沙植被区地面节肢动物多样性对植被演替的响应规律。结果表明：(1)此次调查共获得地面节肢动物15685头,隶属于15目40科44个类群。随固沙年限的增加,地面节肢动物优势类群数基本无变化,常见类群数和稀有类群数分别增加了0.5—2.5倍和0.25—2.75倍;捕食性、植食性和杂食性地面节肢动物类群数均呈上升趋势,分别增加了0.5—3倍、0.2—4.2倍和0.3—1.67倍。(2)地面节肢动物总个体数表现为8 a和57 a固沙植被区显著高于流动沙地(P<0.05),分别是流沙地的3.85倍和3.03倍;类群数和多样性指数均表现为57 a和34 a固沙植被区显著高于其他年限固沙植被区(P<0.05),且57 a固沙植被区地面节肢动物类群数显著高于34 a固沙植被区(P<0.05)。(3)草本植物密度、土壤有机碳和灌木高度是影响固沙植被区地面节肢动物群落组成及多样性分布的主要因子,解释率分别为48.1...     

辽东山区次生林与人工林大型地表节肢动物多样性

采用陷阱法在地表节肢动物活动高峰期(7—8月)对辽东山区蒙古栎(Quercus mongolica)林、胡桃楸(Juglans mandshurica)林和阔叶混交林3种次生林以及红松(Pinus koraiensis)人工林和落叶松(Larix spp.)人工林地表节肢动物群落进行了调查。共捕获地表节肢动物5135头,隶属于7纲18目66个类群,优势类群为蚁科(20.4%)、葬甲科(19.5%)、蜣螂科(17.2%)和步甲科(14.5%);地表节肢动物的功能群丰度依次为:腐食性杂食性捕食性植食性;系统聚类分析表明,地表节肢动物群落和地表甲虫群落均显示红松人工林、落叶松人工林和胡桃楸林群落结构聚为一类,蒙古栎林和阔叶混交林群落聚为一类;冗余度分析表明,凋落物厚度、植被盖度与树高因子可以解释地表节肢动物及地表甲虫群落差异的85.9%和81.9%。研究结果表明,研究区森林植被及凋落物状况、人为干扰是影响研究区大型地表节肢动物群落多样性的重要因素。     

Disturbance,species loss and compensation: Wildfire and grazing effects on the avian community and its food supply in the Serengeti Ecosystem,Tanzania

An important question in biodiversity studies is whether disturbances in ecosystems will cause a net loss of species or whether such losses can be compensated by replacement of other species. We use two natural disturbances, fire and grazing, to examine the response of bird and arthropod communities in grasslands of Serengeti, Tanzania. Both burning and grazing by migrant ungulates take place at the end of the rains in June–July. We documented the communities before disturbance, then 1, 4 and 20 weeks after disturbance on three replicate plots and compared them with three undisturbed plots. Birds were recorded by observation, arthropods from pitfall, tray trap and sweepnet samples. We expected that as the grass biomass was reduced by either disturbance, bird communities would change with concomitant change in arthropod food abundance. Alternatively, bird communities would change not with the absolute amount of food but with the greater accessibility of food as the grass structure changed from long to short grass. Results showed first that both bird species richness and abundance increased after both types of disturbance, but burnt sites showed a greater increase than that for grazed sites. Second, there was a change in bird species composition with disturbance. The functionally equivalent athi short‐toed lark (Calandrella athensis) was replaced by the red‐capped lark (Calandrella cinerea). Third, the abundance of most groups of arthropods was lower on disturbed sites than those on undisturbed sites, and the reduction of arthropod numbers was greatest on burnt sites. These results imply that bird abundance did not occur through an increase in arthropod abundance but rather through a change in the grass structure making food more accessible; and the higher predation could have caused the lower arthropod abundance. In addition, some bird species replaced others thus functionally compensating for their loss.     

长期围封对疏勒河源区高寒草甸地表节肢动物多样性的影响

围封会促进退化高寒草甸植被和土壤环境恢复,长期围封也会导致生物多样性及其功能下降,影响高寒草甸生态系统的稳定,但这种影响会随着季节和生境条件变化而异。为了探究不同退化程度高寒草甸地表节肢动物群落变化对围封禁牧的响应,利用陷阱法调查了疏勒河源区沼泽化草甸、草甸和草原化草甸3种不同退化梯度高寒草甸围封禁牧和自由放牧处理下地表节肢动物群落结构变化。结果表明：围封禁牧对高寒草甸地表节肢动物群落组成及多样性的影响随生境条件不同而异。禁牧降低了沼泽化草甸地表节肢动物的物种丰富度,而提高了草甸和草原化草甸地表节肢动物的物种丰富度;围封禁牧对沼泽化草甸地表节肢动物群落结构影响较小,显著降低了草甸生境地表节肢动物活动密度、提高了地表节肢动物多样性和均匀度,相反,禁牧显著提高了草原化草甸生境地表节肢动物活动密度、降低其多样性和均匀度;豹蛛属1种是高寒草甸主要的地表节肢动物类群（相对多度为67.0%）,高寒草甸土壤水分有效性等生境条件不同影响了豹蛛属1种对围封禁牧的响应模式,进而影响了地表节肢动物群落结构变化。总之,高寒草甸退化程度影响了地表节肢动物多样性对禁牧和放牧的响应模式,沼泽化草甸适度放牧有利于提高地表节肢动物多样性及其功能。     

管理水平对葡萄园节肢动物群落特征参数及目标害虫、天敌种群数量的影响

对管理精细和管理粗放的两种葡萄园进行全株调查和地面扫网调查,分析其节肢动物群落结构特征参数差异及目标害虫葡萄跳叶甲和两种天敌草间小黑蛛、肖蛸蛛种群数量的差异.结果表明,两种葡萄园节肢动物群落之间在个体数量、优势集中性指数、均匀度指数和多样性指数上差异不显著;物种数和丰富度指数差异显著(P<0.05);葡萄树上节肢动物物种数差异不显著,地面植被上物种数差异显著(P<0.05);两种葡萄园之间树上和地面节肢动物个体数量、目标害虫葡萄跳叶甲种群数量、主要天敌草间小黑蛛和肖蛸蛛种群数量差异均不显著.     

Species richness,equitability, and abundance of ants in disturbed landscapes

Ants are used as indicators of environmental change in disturbed landscapes, often without adequate understanding of their response to disturbance. Ant communities in the southeastern United States displayed a hump-backed species richness curve against an index of landscape disturbance. Forty sites at Fort Benning, in west-central Georgia, covered a spectrum of habitat disturbance (military training and fire) in upland forest. Sites disturbed by military training had fewer trees, less canopy cover, more bare ground, and warmer, more compact soils with shallower A-horizons. We sampled ground-dwelling ants with pitfall traps, and measured 15 habitat variables related to vegetation and soil. Ant species richness was greatest with a relative disturbance of 43%, but equitability was greatest with no disturbance. Ant abundance was greatest with a relative disturbance of 85%. High species richness at intermediate disturbance was associated with greater within-site spatial heterogeneity. Species richness was also associated with intermediate values of the normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI), a correlate of net primary productivity (NPP). Available NPP (the product of NDVI and the fraction of days that soil temperature exceeded 25 °C), however, was positively correlated with species richness, though not with ant abundance. Species richness was unrelated to soil texture, total ground cover, and fire frequency. Ant species richness and equitability are potential state indicators of the soil arthropod community. Moreover, equitability can be used to monitor ecosystem change.     

Change of arthropod abundance in burned forests: Different patterns according to functional guilds

Forest fires are one of the most frequent and important causes of forest disturbances, the occurrence of which is globally increasing due to the effects of climate change. This study aimed to determine the impacts of fire and human activity on arthropod communities in affected forests. Twelve study sites in three burned areas were selected for this study. Intensities of disturbance in the study sites were characterized as follows: Disturbance Degree (DD) 0 (no fire), DD 1 (surface fire), DD 2 (crown fire), and DD 3 (crown fire followed by reforestation). Arthropods were collected using pitfall traps. Fourteen arthropod taxa (families, orders or classes), which are relatively homogeneous in their feeding habits and abundant, were analyzed. Depth of litter layer was selected as an environmental indicator for disturbance intensity, as it decreases linearly as the degree of disturbance increased. Changes of arthropod abundance in response to disturbance differed among functional guilds. As disturbance intensity increased, the abundance of detritivores decreased, but the abundance of herbivores increased. However, the abundance of predators varied between taxa. Formicidae and Araneae increased in disturbed sites, whereas Carabidae and Staphylinidae did not change. The abundance of Thysanura and Diptera was highly correlated with disturbance intensity, and may be suitable as a bioindicator for forest disturbance. Arthropod communities were more heterogeneous in forests of intermediate disturbance.     

农业景观动态对林地地表节肢动物多样性的影响

以黄河下游典型农区封丘县为研究区,在林地景观中进行地表节肢动物的观测。用物种丰富度和香农多样性指数代表物种多样性,选择代表景观背景的5个竞争模型:生境特性(H1,2012)、基质特性(H2,2012)、生境变化(H3,1984—2012)、基质变化(H4,1984—2012)和土壤-环境条件(H5,2012)从4个空间尺度上(100,250,350和500 m)进行分析,通过运用基于赤池信息量准则(Akaike information criterion,AIC)的多模型推理(Multi-model Inference,MMI)方法,在R软件里用广义线性模型(Generalized Linear Models,GLM)探究了研究区近30年(1984—2012年)景观背景变化对林地地表节肢动物多样性的影响。研究表明,不同景观背景模型对地表节肢动物多样性的影响具有尺度依赖性。在100 m的尺度下,生境特性(H1)最能够解释香农多样性和物种丰富度,但是随着尺度的增加,生境特性变化(H3)在较大(250、350 m和500 m)的尺度对物种丰富度和香农多样性影响最大,而基质特性和土壤-环境条件(H2和H5)的作用不显著。景观背景对地表节肢动物多样性的解释量达到40%。在研究区域,生境特性是表征香农多样性指数和物种丰富度的指标。     

Reducing Wildlife Damage with Cost-Effective Management Programmes

Limiting the impact of wildlife damage in a cost effective manner requires an understanding of how control inputs change the occurrence of damage through their effect on animal density. Despite this, there are few studies linking wildlife management (control), with changes in animal abundance and prevailing levels of wildlife damage. We use the impact and management of wild pigs as a case study to demonstrate this linkage. Ground disturbance by wild pigs has become a conservation issue of global concern because of its potential effects on successional changes in vegetation structure and composition, habitat for other species, and functional soil properties. In this study, we used a 3-year pig control programme (ground hunting) undertaken in a temperate rainforest area of northern New Zealand to evaluate effects on pig abundance, and patterns and rates of ground disturbance and ground disturbance recovery and the cost effectiveness of differing control strategies. Control reduced pig densities by over a third of the estimated carrying capacity, but more than halved average prevailing ground disturbance. Rates of new ground disturbance accelerated with increasing pig density, while rates of ground disturbance recovery were not related to prevailing pig density. Stochastic simulation models based on the measured relationships between control, pig density and rate of ground disturbance and recovery indicated that control could reduce ground disturbance substantially. However, the rate at which prevailing ground disturbance was reduced diminished rapidly as more intense, and hence expensive, pig control regimes were simulated. The model produced in this study provides a framework that links conservation of indigenous ecological communities to control inputs through the reduction of wildlife damage and suggests that managers should consider carefully the marginal cost of higher investment in wildlife damage control, relative to its marginal conservation return.     

Seasonal Distribution and Diversity of Ground Arthropods in Microhabitats Following a Shrub Plantation Age Sequence in Desertified Steppe

In desertified regions, shrub-dominated patches are important microhabitats for ground arthropod assemblages. As shrub age increases, soil, vegetation and microbiological properties can change remarkably and spontaneously across seasons. However, relatively few studies have analyzed how ground arthropods respond to the microhabitats created by shrubs of different plantation ages across seasons. Using 6, 15, 24 and 36 year-old plantations of re-vegetated shrubs (Caragana koushinskii) in the desert steppe of northwestern China as a model system, we sampled ground arthropod communities using a pitfall trapping method in the microhabitats under shrubs and in the open areas between shrubs, during the spring, summer and autumn. The total ground arthropod assemblage was dominated by Carabidae, Melolonthidae, Curculionidae, Tenebrionidae and Formicidae that were affected by plantation age, seasonal changes, or the interaction between these factors, with the later two groups also influenced by microhabitat. Overall, a facilitative effect was observed, with more arthropods and a greater diversity found under shrubs as compared to open areas, but this was markedly affected by seasonal changes. There was a high degree of similarity in arthropod assemblages and diversity between microhabitats in summer and autumn. Shrub plantation age significantly influenced the distribution of the most abundant groups, and also the diversity indices of the ground arthropods. However, there was not an overall positive relationship between shrub age and arthropod abundance, richness or diversity index. The influence of plantation age on arthropod communities was also affected by seasonal changes. From spring through summer to autumn, community indices of ground arthropods tended to decline, and a high degree of similarity in these indices (with fluctuation) was observed among different ages of shrub plantation in autumn. Altogether the recovery of arthropod communities was markedly affected by seasonal variability, and they demonstrated distinctive communal fingerprints in different microhabitats for each plantation age stage.     

Insect conservation and pest management

The issue of insect conservation in pest management has many conflicting aspects. For instance, it is desirable to conserve a pest residue in order to maintain natural enemy population and it is imperative to conserve natural enemies. However, conservation of pest species is not relevant if the pest species is an exotic invader and a candidate for eradication, mainly because eradication, if successful, achieves only regional extinction. Conservation of native pests depends, to a large extent, on whether the species is a direct pest of a high value crop or an indirect pest with an acceptable economic injury level. In this paper, integrated pest management is defined in terms of sustainable agriculture and the conservation of biodiversity, and give five premises that stress the level of disturbance of agricultural communities and the dynamics of pest status for arthropod species in the community. The possible impacts of the main integrated pest management tactics on arthropod conservation are tabulated and the results reached stress that diversification of agricultural systems through maximum use of native plants should benefit both integrated pest management and regional arthropod conservation.     

Quantifying resilience of multiple ecosystem services and biodiversity in a temperate forest landscape

Resilience is increasingly being considered as a new paradigm of forest management among scientists, practitioners, and policymakers. However, metrics of resilience to environmental change are lacking. Faced with novel disturbances, forests may be able to sustain existing ecosystem services and biodiversity by exhibiting resilience, or alternatively these attributes may undergo either a linear or nonlinear decline. Here we provide a novel quantitative approach for assessing forest resilience that focuses on three components of resilience, namely resistance, recovery, and net change, using a spatially explicit model of forest dynamics. Under the pulse set scenarios, we explored the resilience of nine ecosystem services and four biodiversity measures following a one‐off disturbance applied to an increasing percentage of forest area. Under the pulse + press set scenarios, the six disturbance intensities explored during the pulse set were followed by a continuous disturbance. We detected thresholds in net change under pulse + press scenarios for the majority of the ecosystem services and biodiversity measures, which started to decline sharply when disturbance affected >40% of the landscape. Thresholds in net change were not observed under the pulse scenarios, with the exception of timber volume and ground flora species richness. Thresholds were most pronounced for aboveground biomass, timber volume with respect to the ecosystem services, and ectomycorrhizal fungi and ground flora species richness with respect to the biodiversity measures. Synthesis and applications. The approach presented here illustrates how the multidimensionality of stability research in ecology can be addressed and how forest resilience can be estimated in practice. Managers should adopt specific management actions to support each of the three components of resilience separately, as these may respond differently to disturbance. In addition, management interventions aiming to deliver resilience should incorporate an assessment of both pulse and press disturbances to ensure detection of threshold responses to disturbance, so that appropriate management interventions can be identified.