Population dynamics ofGlaux maritima (L.) along a distributional cline

Population fluctuations ofGlaux maritima, along a transect on a Baltle sea shore meadow, were recorded between 1979 and 1983. A bimodal distribution in numbers along the transect reflects the variation in factors regulating numbers: The two maintenance systems of the species, vegetative propagation and sexual reproduction play different roles. Vegetative propagation is fast and responds quickly to variations in the environment. The seeds germinate in strongly fluctuating temperatures which are triggered by disturbances such as flooding, damaging the vegetation.     

Flower heliotropism in an alpine population of Ranunculus acris (Ranunculaceae): effects on flower temperature,insect visitation,and seed production

Some plants in arctic and alpine habitats have heliotropic flowers that track the sun. This results in a heating of the flower's interior, which may improve the possibilities for insect pollination and seed production. Here, I examine whether flower heliotropism in an alpine population of the self-incompatible Ranunculus acris L. (Ranunculaceae) enhances pollinator visitation and seed production. Flowers of Ranunculus acris tracked the sun during the day. Tracking accuracy was greatest during the middle of the day. The temperature elevation in flowers was negatively correlated with the flower's angle of deviation from the sun. Despite the increased temperature, insects did not discriminate among flowers on the basis of their angle of deviation from the sun, or tend to stay longer in the flowers aligned closest towards the sun. A tethering experiment was conducted on three groups of plants flowering at different times in the 1993 season and on one group the following season. Manipulation plants were constrained not to track the sun, whereas control plants tracked the sun naturally. Solar tracking had no effect on seed:ovule ratio, seed mass, or abortion rate in any of the groups. There is probably a very narrow range of weather conditions (cold, sunny, and calm) where flower heliotropism may enhance visitation rate to flowers and their seed production.     

Analysis of nitrogen saturation potential in Rocky Mountain tundra and forest: implications for aquatic systems

We employed grass and forest versions of the CENTURY model under a range of N deposition values (0.02–1.60 g N m^–2 y^–1) to explore the possibility that high observed lake and stream N was due to terrestrial N saturation of alpine tundra and subalpine forest in Loch Vale Watershed, Rocky Mountain National Park, Colorado. Model results suggest that N is limiting to subalpine forest productivity, but that excess leachate from alpine tundra is sufficient to account for the current observed stream N. Tundra leachate, combined with N leached from exposed rock surfaces, produce high N loads in aquatic ecosystems above treeline in the Colorado Front Range. A combination of terrestrial leaching, large N inputs from snowmelt, high watershed gradients, rapid hydrologic flushing and lake turnover times, and possibly other nutrient limitations of aquatic organisms constrain high elevation lakes and streams from assimilating even small increases in atmospheric N. CENTURY model simulations further suggest that, while increased N deposition will worsen the situation, nitrogen saturation is an ongoing phenomenon.     

Blue light controls solar tracking by flowers of an alpine plant

In at least 18 plant families, leaves or flowers can maintain a specific orientation with respect to diurnal movements of the sun. Previous work on heliotropic leaves has demonstrated that blue light (400–500nm) provides the cue for their tracking response. Floral heliotropism occurs in several families of arctic and alpine plants, but the spectral sensitivity of the response has not been studied previously. Moreover, no studies on the spectral sensitivity of any heliotropism have been conducted on wild plants growing in their natural habitat. Working under field conditions, we used coloured acrylic filters to determine whether heliotropism by flowers of the snow buttercup (Ranunculus adoneus) is responsive to broad-band blue or red light. Flowers were able to orient towards the sun under boxes made entirely of blue-transmitting filters and in red-transmitting boxes having a single blue side that faced the sun. In these treatments, solar tracking ability was not significantly different from that observed in adjacent control flowers. In contrast, the precision of solar orientation was significantly reduced in red-transmitting boxes and red boxes with a single blue side oriented away from the sun. In the early morning, flowers covered by red-transmitting boxes failed to orient in the direction of sunrise, suggesting that this floral response, unlike that seen in some heliotropic leaves, lacks a residual‘memory’ for previous solar movements.     

Nitrogen fertilizer enhances vegetation establishment of a high-altitude machine-graded ski slope

Machine grading is frequently required to prepare the terrain when building high-altitude ski slopes in the Alps. However, this kind of disturbance alters the natural environment, destroying the vegetation and hampering its reestablishment. Thus, specific restoration plans are necessary to encourage the recovery of vegetation, which is already affected by different natural constraints in this harsh environment. One of the main critical factors affecting plant growth in high-altitude areas is the lack of available nitrogen (N) in the soil. In this context, the addition of a slow-release N fertilizer was carried out in an experimental revegetated ski slope between 2,800 and 2,900 m above sea level in the western Italian Alps. Both vegetation and soil were monitored during a 5-year period in order to test the effectiveness of N addition on the restoration process. Even if effects on soil carbon and N contents were negligible, vegetation was remarkably affected by the fertilization, since the total vegetation cover and the species richness significantly increased. Against the expectations, there was a remarkable increase in spontaneous forbs, rather than in most of the sown graminoids, which slightly varied during the experimental period. Actually, graminoids responded in different ways, mostly increasing (likewise forbs), but the slight decrease of the dominant Festuca nigrescens (Chewing's Fescue) masked their spread. This study confirms the noteworthy role of N in high-altitude alpine soils and consequently its importance to improve the restoration process of degraded ecosystems.     

The effects of grazing and burning on soil and plant nutrient concentrations in Colombian páramo grasslands

The impact of extensive livestock farming on the physical and chemical characteristics of the volcanic soils and on the nutrient status of green plant tissues of neotropical alpine grasslands (páramo) is studied. Soil and plant samples were taken over a one-year period at five sites with different agricultural (grazing and burning) management. In the undisturbed páramo ecosystem, soil moisture (50–250%) and organic matter content are high (7–27%) and decomposition (11–35% yr^-1) and element concentrations are low. Low temperatures (max < 10°C) and phosphorus fixation by the soil (5 mg P g^-1 soil) determine the low mineralization and turn-over rates.Multivariate analysis of laboratory results indicates that the season of sampling and the agricultural practice are the most important explanatory factors for variation of soil characteristics. After long-term heavy grazing, soils have a higher bulk density and a lower moisture content. The outcome of a litterbag experiment confirms the hypothesis of higher decomposition rates at grazed sites. In the intermediate (wet-dry) season, conditions were somewhat better for plant growth but the system remained nutrient limited.Surprisingly, no relation between soil density, moisture or carbon content and concentrations of available nutrients in the soil is found. This is supported by the rather uniform nutrient concentrations in green plant tissue among the sites. It is concluded therefore that the effect of burning and grazing on páramo soils is principally restricted to physical characteristics, and that differences in chemical characteristics of the soil do not cause differences in vegetation structure between grazed, burned and undisturbed sites.The Netherlands Centre for Geo-ecological Research, ICG.     

高寒山区不同土地利用类型土壤养分化学计量特征及影响因素

了解高寒地区不同土地利用类型下土壤养分化学计量特征及其影响因素可为评估脆弱生态系统土壤质量和功能提供参数。通过测定青海省东部24个样点0—30 cm土壤基本理化性质(pH、容重BD、孔隙度P_s、黏粒含量C_y、土壤含水量SWC、有机碳SOC、全氮TN、全磷TP、速效氮AN和速效磷AP),并提取各样点环境因子数据(年均温MAT、年均降雨量MAP、年均蒸发量E_a、植被归一化指数NDVI、海拔ALT、坡度SG、地表粗糙度SR、经度LON和纬度LAT),分析了农、林、草三种土地利用类型下土壤养分化学计量比分布特征及其影响因素。结果表明,农地土壤有机碳SOC和全氮TN含量显著低于林地和草地(P<0.05),而全磷TP和速效磷AP含量则相反,农、林、草地速效氮AN含量无显著差异(P>0.05)。农、林、草地不同深度土壤C∶N(平均值19.93,变异系数<16%)和AN∶AP(平均值2.73,变异系数<71%)较为稳定且无显著差异(P>0.05),而农地C∶P和N∶P(平均值分别为19.27和0.99)却显...     

若尔盖沙化土地治理土壤微生物群落与功能基因比较研究

【目的】在高寒沙地中建立以赖草和沙生苔草等先锋植物为主的人工草方格,探究其土壤微生物群落动态变化以及养分循环过程。【方法】采用宏基因组测序和qPCR方法进行土壤微生物群落结构组成分析、功能基因注释和绝对丰度测定,并结合土壤理化因子数据进行冗余分析。【结果】人工建立草方格后,沙地土壤中全氮、速效磷以及有机碳含量分别提高了20%-68%、10%-247%、19%-56%;细菌和真菌的群落数量分别提高了17%-81%和2%-95%,与植物促生长相关的鞘氨醇单胞菌属(Sphingomonas)、慢生根瘤菌属(Bradyrhizobium)、硝化螺旋菌属(Nitrospira)、Solirubrobacter属和类诺卡氏菌属(Nocardioides)等细菌种类的相对丰度呈上升趋势;氮循环中与氨氧化和亚硝酸盐氧化相关的amoCAB基因簇和nxrAB基因簇显著富集,发现了完全氨氧化的基因标志。【结论】人工建立草方格有效提升了高寒沙地土壤养分和微生物群落数量,促进了养分循环。适度放牧可以增加沙地生态系统的氮汇扩散性,有助于本土先锋植物定植,为今后在同等高海拔地区采取沙地生态修复措施提供理论参考。     

青藏高原高寒草地生态系统服务功能的互作机制

青藏高原高寒草地是我国重要的畜牧业生产基地和生态安全屏障.高寒草地退化不仅影响了当地畜牧业生产和牧民生活,而且严重地威胁着我国和东亚地区的生态安全.从高寒草地生态系统的生态、生产和生活功能角度出发,分析了青藏高原高寒草地生态系统在人口、放牧压力与资源环境承载力的相互作用关系,及其生态、生产和生活功能比例结构变化对高寒草地生态系统服务功能的影响,阐明了高寒草地生态系统服务功能的多元耦合、多维连锁和多重反馈的相互作用机制.并以藏北那曲地区为例,把2008年农牧民脱贫线和小康线作为生活功能标准,通过生态服务功能当量,确定了维持高寒草地生态系统可持续发展的生态、生产和生活功能比例结构.据此,估测了牧民的生活功能达到脱贫线和小康线标准时允许的人口承载量.结果表明,高寒草地退化使草地生态系统的人口承载量下降了60％.以那曲地区2008年的实际的牧业人口量与允许的人口承载量相比,高寒草地退化后,实际牧业人口占脱贫标准的36％,但小康标准超载了118.9％.因此,调控人口承载量是实现青藏高原高寒草地生态系统的生态、生产和生活功能协调发展的关键.     

施肥和刈割对垂穗披碱草（Elymus nutans）、中华羊茅（Festuca sinensis）和羊茅（Festuca ovina）种间竞争力的影响

试验选用青藏高原东部高寒草甸普遍存在的3种禾本科牧草垂穗披碱草(Elymus nutans)、中华羊茅(Festuca sinensis)以及羊茅(Festuca ovina)进行种间竞争的野外研究.通过测定3种牧草生物量的干重,对其进行方差分析并计算了相对产量总和(RYT)以及竞争率(CR).结果如下:对实验物种竞争率(CR)的分析表明垂穗披碱草的竞争力最强,中华羊茅次之,羊茅最差.施肥和刈割处理对于原来的竞争格局没有影响,即在施肥、刈割及其交互作用下3种牧草的竞争等级均是一致的.对试验物种混播的相对产量总和(RYT)的分析表明:在中华羊茅与垂穗披碱草的混播中,两种组成物种利用相同的资源,表现出相互竞争的趋势,这种趋势是非密度依赖的;垂穗披碱草和羊茅混播,在低密度时,羊茅和垂穗披硷草可以共享资源,但是随着密度增加,羊茅和垂穗披碱草表现出竞争相同资源的趋势;在中华羊茅和羊茅的混播中,二者在生长过程中能够共享资源,有相互促进的趋势,表现出共生的关系,且是非密度依赖的.