Mycorrhizal associations in the Patagonian steppe,Argentina

The mycorrhizal status of plant species in north-west Patagonia was examined. Communities representative of Patagonian steppe and marshes were compared with respect to the mycorrhizal status of their species.Most of both native and exotic plant species sampled were arbuscular mycorrhizal (AM). The percentage of species with mycorrhizal association was higher for perennial herbs and shrubs than for annual herbs. The higher ratio of mycorrhizal/nonmycorrhizal (NM) species found for dicotyledons than for monocotyledons, could reflect the presence of a considerable number of NM monocotyledons in the marsh. The mycorrhizal status of plants differed slightly between the steppe and the marsh. In the steppe, native AM species were more frequent than in the marsh. In contrast, in the marsh, the NM species were proportionally more represented than in the steppe. The Juncaceae and Cyperaceae, which include hydrohytic NM plants, accounted for many of these differences. Moreover, the dominant species in the marshes, Juncus arcticus, is a NM species.In the present study, most of species belonging to the same taxonomic family tended to have the same mycorrhizal associations, in agreement with studies on plants from other regions. Exceptions to this general behaviour were observed in the families Cyperaceae, Scrophulariaceae, Berberidaceae and Amaryllidaceae. The most represented families in which mycorrhizal behaviour differed between species of the same family were Asteraceae, Fabaceae and Poaceae. Senecio neaei (Asteraceae) and Boopis australis (Calyceraceae) showed facultative mycorrhizal behaviour.     

锡林河流域一个放牧草原群落中根系呼吸占土壤总呼吸比例的初步估计

 采取根系生物量梯度上土壤呼吸变化趋势线外推法对锡林河流域一个放牧羊草(Leymus chinensis)群落中根系呼吸占土壤总呼吸的比例进行了估计。结果表明：在测定年度整个生长季的不同月份,该群落中根系呼吸量占土壤呼吸总量的比例在15%～37%之间,平均为24%;根系呼吸所占比例较高的月份与根系生长的高峰期基本一致,均出现在6月中旬和8月上旬;上述结果与国外同类研究结果相比,具有很好的一致性。     

Steppe-like grassland as a refuge of the wild edible and medicinal plant species in anthropogenic landscape in northeastern Croatia

Habitat fragmentation and modification have been recognized as the most serious threats to biodiversity. In Croatia, the intensive human activities resulted in the landscape transformation, reduction of grassland areas and loss of species number. Increasingly threatened are the wild edible and medicinal plants which contribute remarkably to the biodiversity of different grassland types. In northeastern Croatia, one of the last remnants of the steppe-like grassland remained preserved in a very complex anthropogenic landscape. We examined the diversity of vascular plants occurring on this small habitat patch. Among the relatively high number of plant taxa (in a total of 177) found during the two years of investigations, most could be used both for human nutrition (28 taxa), and for the treatment of a wide range of diseases (60 taxa), while some taxa have nutritional value for livestock (17 taxa). All 23 recorded taxa with edible and medicinal properties are threatened in Croatia, 21 are threatened across Europe, and two are Red Listed taxa. Our results showed that small and isolated steppe-like grassland represents an important refuge for variety of valuable plant species in intensively used landscapes. Accordingly, such small habitats should be, at least locally, effectively protected.     

One-Sided Barrier Impact of an International Railroad on Mongolian Gazelles

Abstract: We conducted a carcass census of Mongolian gazelles (Procapra gutturosa) along the Trans-Mongolian railroad in June 2005. We counted 241 gazelles that had died within the previous 12 months. Carcass numbers were greater on the southwestern side in the northern 3 zones, but we found carcasses only on the northeastern side in the southernmost zone. It suggests that impact of the railroad was stronger on one side and that the strength of this impact varied among regions.     

Leaching losses of nitrogen from a clay soil under grass and cereal crops in Finland

Summary A 16-plot experimental field was established in 1975 on a clay soil in Jokioinen, Finland. The water discharge through tile drains was measured and its ammonium and nitrate N contents determined for each plot separately. The surface runoff was also measured and analysed. The annual runoff and the N leached from the surface of moderately fertilized (100 kg/ha/y N) cereal plots varied during 1976–1982 from 21 to 301 mm and from 2 to 7 kg/ha, respectively. The discharge of water and leaching of N through subdrains varied from 65 to 225 mm and from 1 to 38 kg/ha, respectively. The highest leaching was probably caused by a previous fallow. The annual N uptake by the crop varied between 41 and 122 kg/ha.Of the fertilizer-N used for cereals, 20% of that applied in the autumn was lost, but only 1 to 4 per cent was lost when applied in the spring. There was much less N leaching from ley than from barley plots, although the former was given twice as much N. The rate of N fertilization had only a very slight effect on N leaching from both ley and barley plots.The results were compared with those obtained in lysimeters filled with clay, silt, sand and peat soils. No definite conclusions can be drawn because the lysimeter experimental data are only for the first year.     

模拟氮沉降和降雨变化对贝加尔针茅草原土壤细菌群落结构的影响

研究氮沉降和降雨变化对土壤细菌群落结构的影响,对未来预测多个气候变化因子对草地生态系统影响的交互作用具有重要意义。以施氮和灌溉分别模拟氮沉降和降雨增加,采用高通量测序技术,研究8个氮添加水平(0、15、30、50、100、150、200、300kg N hm-2a-1)和2个水分添加水平(不灌溉、模拟夏季增雨100 mm灌溉)对土壤细菌群落结构的影响。结果表明,氮素和水分输入增加后,土壤细菌群落组成、丰度均显著变化(P0.05)。在群落中占主导的细菌门类有疣微菌门Verrucomicrobia(30.61%—48.51%)、变形菌门Proteobacteria(21.37%—29.97%)、酸杆菌门Acidobacteria(9.54%—20.67%)和拟杆菌门Bacteroidetes(4.96%—9.74%)。在常规降雨和水分添加两种条件下,随着氮添加水平的增加,占主导的细菌门类(相对丰度1%)表现出不同的变化趋势。疣微菌门相对丰度在常规降雨N100—N300条件下显著降低,但在氮素和水分同时添加条件下随氮添加水平升高而逐渐升高,在N200—N300时显著升高。变形菌门和拟杆菌门相对丰度在常规降雨高氮添加条件下呈升高趋势,但在水分添加时却无明显变化。酸杆菌门相对丰度在常规降雨高氮添加条件下升高,但在水分添加后呈明显下降趋势。放线菌门Actinobacteria相对丰度在常规降雨N100—N300条件下显著升高,但在水分添加后高氮添加时显著降低。厚壁菌门Firmicutes相对丰度在常规降雨条件下无显著变化,但在水分和高氮添加条件下降低。浮霉菌门Planctomycetes相对丰度在两种不同的水分添加条件下均呈先升高后降低的趋势。氮素和水分添加对土壤细菌群落结构的变化存在明显的互作效应(P0.0001)。在不同氮素和水分输入条件下共有19个土壤细菌门类相对丰度有显著差异。土壤细菌群落结构的变化主要来自于疣微菌门和酸杆菌门的相对丰度变化,两者可作为土壤细菌群落结构变化的指示种。综上,氮素和水分添加显著改变了土壤细菌群落结构,氮素和水分对土壤细菌不同门类相对丰度变化存在明显的互作效应。     

氮添加对贝加尔针茅草原土壤线虫群落特征的影响

以内蒙古贝加尔针茅草原为研究对象,通过氮素添加(0、15、30、50、100、150、200、300 kg N hm~(-2)a~(-1))模拟氮沉降的控制实验,研究氮沉降对内蒙古贝加尔针茅草原土壤线虫的群落结构和多样性的影响。结果表明,在本实验所有样品中共鉴定出52个属,优势类群为螺旋属(Helicotylenchus)、丽突属(Acrobeles)和真滑刃属(Aphelenchus)。土壤线虫具有明显的表聚现象,相对密度变化不显著。从功能类群上看,随着氮素添加水平的增加,食细菌类群(Bacterivores)线虫和捕食类群/杂食类群(Predators/Omnivores)线虫氮素添加水平均成负相关。从生态指标来看,在N50施氮范围内对土壤线虫的丰富度(SR)、多样性(H')、均匀度(J')等生态指标有促进作用;通路指数在试验的所有处理中都小于0.75,表明土壤中的有机质分解途径是以真菌为主;瓦斯乐思卡指数表明,少量施氮可以改善土壤的环境状况,减少植物寄生类群(Plant parasites)线虫对植物群落及生产力的影响。当施氮量N100时,土壤pH值显著降低,硝态氮和铵态氮显著增加,土壤中生活史k对策者的线虫显著减少,r对策者显著增加,世代交替加快,土壤线虫群落结构显著变化。     

内蒙古锡林河流域三种草原蝗虫对植物高度选择的观察

在实验条件下,观察了发生期及个体大小不一致的3种草原蝗虫对植物高度选择情况．结果表明：蝗虫对植物高度的选择与其本身发生时期及个体大小相关,是物种长期进化的结果,同时,还探讨了蝗虫对植物高度的选择与温度、温度及光照强度之间的关系．