Macroinfauna community structure and biochemical composition of sedimentary organic matter along a gradient of wave exposure in sandy beaches (NW Spain)

Six sandy beaches on the North West coast of Spain, exposed to different wave action, were sampled in order to study the macroinfauna community and the biopolymeric fraction (proteins, lipids and carbohydrates) of sedimentary organic matter. According to McLachlan’s rating system (1980), three of them were classified as sheltered and the other three as exposed beaches. Sampling was carried out during August 2004 at three tidal levels: high, medium and low. Macroinfauna community and organic matter concentrations were found to be significantly different when sheltered and exposed beaches were compared. Macroinfauna diversity (H′), abundances and biomass became increasingly enriched along a gradient from exposed to sheltered beaches. Macroinfauna mean abundance was found higher in sheltered (ranked from 1535 ± 358 to 15062 ± 5771 ind m⁻²) than in exposed beaches (from 150 ± 41 to 5518 ± 1986 ind m⁻²). Macroinfauna biomass ranged from 3.2 to 14.7 g m⁻² and species richness from 25 to 27 in sheltered localities; while in exposed beaches, biomass ranged from 0.2 to 2.3 g m⁻² and the number of species from 5 to 14. The biopolymeric carbon concentration (BPC) was significantly higher in sheltered (from 84.7 ± 44.7 to 163.3 ± 34.8) than in exposed (from 30.3 ± 7.5 to 78.7 ± 12.3) beaches. The low hydrodynamic conditions of sheltered beaches favoured the settlement of organic rich fine sediments, being supported by the higher protein to carbohydrate ratio found in the exposed (from 23.5 ± 0.9 to 32.7 ± 4.4), rather than in the sheltered localities (from 6.2 ± 0.7 to 13.6). Mean macroinfauna abundances were higher at medium and low tidal levels in both sheltered and exposed beaches. Crustacea was found to be the main group inhabiting the upper part of both types of beaches, dominating all tidal levels of exposed sandy beaches. Mollusca and Polychaeta groups were dominant in sheltered beaches at the medium and lower levels. There was a significant negative relationship between the BPC and the beach face slope; thus, BPC decreased as the intertidal slope increased. It seems that exposed sandy beaches are mainly physically controlled, whereas hospitable sheltered beaches let other factors, such as biochemical compounds, enrich the benthic fauna scenery. Electronic Supplementary Material  Supplementary material is available in the online version of this article at and is accessible for authorized users Handling editors: K. Martens     

Conserving the Himalayan forests: approaches and implications of different conservation regimes

The conservation of Himalayan forests is big concern in view of global agenda. Many studies in this endeavor reported that the rate of forests degradation is posing a severe threat to the landscape and existing biodiversity in the Himalayas. Currently there many conservation approaches exists and of them four are widely recognized (1) Conservation through traditional religious beliefs “traditional conserved forests” (TCF); (2) Conservation through governmental planning and schemes “government conserved forests” (GCF); (3) Conservation through creation of protected areas (PAF); and (4) Conservation through community efforts “community conserved forests” (CCF). Our hypothesis in this direction says that all the conservation approaches lead to same results concerning to forest conservation. To testify our hypothesis we have studied the forests of each conservation regimes and evaluated them based on the identified indicators. We have done empirical studies and following the cloud-free satellite data were used for last three decades (such as Multi-Spectral Scanner, Linear Imaging and Self Scanning, and Enhanced Thematic Mapper ) to study a change in vegetation dynamics of the mountain forests in multi-temporal dimension. Our research concluded that community conservation approach have greater significance for biodiversity conservation and management in the Himalayan region. Here we support the model of CCF for forest ecosystem conservation, alongside the sustainable livelihood of the mountain societies. But every conservation regimes has its own importance in viewpoint of the particular objectives. Therefore, we suggests advancement and revision of PAF and GCF however, some elements of CCF can be introduced in TCF for making up it more sound in view of rapid socio-economic and cultural changes taking place in the communities. An erratum to this article can be found at     

Tracking the effects of one century of habitat loss and fragmentation on calcareous grassland butterfly communities

Habitat loss and fragmentation are known to reduce patch sizes and increase their isolation, consequently leading to modifications in species richness and community structure. Calcareous grasslands are among the richest ecosystems in Europe for insect species. About 10% (1,150 ha) of the total area of a calcareous ridge region (Calestienne, Belgium) and its butterfly community was analysed over a timeframe of about 100 years. Since 1905 to present day (2005), the Calestienne region has undergone both calcareous grassland loss and fragmentation: not only did calcareous grassland size decrease and isolation increase, but also, the number of calcareous grassland patches within the landscape increased until 1965, and subsequently decreased, clearly reflecting the effects of fragmentation. These processes have had a profound effect on the butterfly community: extinction and rarefaction affected significantly more often specialist species, which means that generalist species are more and more overrepresented. This ecological drift, i.e. the replacement of specialists by generalists in species assemblages is likely to be a general effect of habitat loss and fragmentation on natural communities.     

Human disturbance and environmental factors as drivers of long‐term post‐fire regeneration patterns in Mediterranean forests

Question: What are the main forces driving natural regeneration in burned mature Mediterranean forests in the medium‐long term and what are the likely successional trajectories of unmanaged vegetation? Location: Valencia Region, eastern Spain. Methods: A wildfire burned 33 000 ha of Pinus halepensis and P. pinaster forest in 1979, and subsequent smaller wildfires took place between 1984 and 1996. The study was designed to sample the range of environmental and disturbance (fire recurrence and land use) conditions. The territory was classified into 17 different geomorphological and fire‐recurrence units. Vegetation cover and floristic composition were measured on a total of 113 plots (1000 m² each) randomly selected within these units. Results: The results show that 23 years after the fire the regenerated vegetation consists of successional shrublands, and that forest ecosystem resilience can be very low. The vegetation presents a strong correlation with most of the environmental variables, but fire (one or two fires), soil type and land use (in that order) are the main drivers of vegetation composition. Quercus coccifera shrublands persist on limestone soils while diverse types of other shrublands (dominated by seeder species) are found on marl soils. Conclusions: The results of this study indicate that disturbance factors strongly coupled to human activities, such as land use and fire, play a critical role in the current state of vegetation. Fire creates vegetation patches in different successional states while land use and soil type define the different types of shrubland in terms of their specific composition.     

Spatio-temporal variation of photosynthetic pigments in the CAM tree <Emphasis Type="Italic">Clusia hilariana</Emphasis> Schlechtendal associated with dry spells during the rainy season in southeastern Brazil

In this work we assessed spatial and temporal variation of leaf pigment content of Clusia hilariana, a dominant CAM tree on the sandy coastal plains of SE Brazil. Chlorophyll a + b concentration, chlorophyll a/b ratio, and total carotenoid concentration were measured three times during the wet season. Chlorophyll a + b and total carotenoids decreased while the chlorophyll a/b ratio increased after a series of dry spells. We discuss our results in the context of Clusia literature, and argue that leaf-level pigmentation changes are an important source of phenotypic flexibility during acclimation to fluctuating light levels and groundwater availability.     

基于遥感与地理信息数据的科尔沁沙地生态环境状况动态评价

科尔沁沙地处于蒙古、华北与兴安植物区系交汇处,是蒙古高原向东北平原的过渡区,具有丰富的生物多样性,属于典型农牧交错区,亦是东北平原的重要生态屏障。建国以来,受全球气候变化以及城镇化扩张、草原开垦及过度放牧等多重因素影响导致该区生态退化,生态系统服务功能下降。为此,利用遥感和地理信息数据,采用综合评估的方法,对近30年该区重大生态修复工程的实施过程及修复效果进行科学评估,具有重要的理论与实践意义。研究结果表明：1990、2000、2010、2015、2020年该区生态环境指数分别为75.19、70.20、73.51、74.27和74.7,其生态环境的变化可大致分为3个阶段,即退化期(1990—2000年)、恢复期(2000—2010年)和稳定期(2010—2020年)。2000年后,多项国家重点生态工程的实施对生态环境的改善具有明显推动作用,即科尔沁沙地生态环保工程的保护成效显著。城市化进程加快和水资源短缺是该区生态环境改善的主要制约因素,生态保护和地下水资源利用工程的实施仍需加强。研究可为科尔沁沙地生态保护和修复提供科学依据和实践参考。     

沙丘微地形生境蚁丘分布特征及其对恢复过程的响应

为了阐明沙丘微地形生境蚁丘特征及分布规律对沙丘固定过程的响应规律,以科尔沁沙地为研究区,选择不同固沙阶段沙丘的4个方位（西北、东南、西南、东北）布设调查样地,测定了不同样地的蚁丘密度、直径和高度,分析了不同样地蚁丘特征及空间分布规律。结果表明：（1）流动沙丘背风向（即东南方位）蚁丘密度显著高于其他方位,但从流动沙丘到半流动沙丘,背风向（即东南方位）蚁丘密度显著低于其他方位;从半固定沙丘开始,半固定和固定沙丘微地形对蚁丘密度分布的影响较小。（2）在流动沙丘、半流动沙丘、半固定沙丘,不同微地形生境中蚁丘直径和高度均呈现出相似的分布规律,即东南方位均小于其他方位。在固定沙丘,蚁丘高度表现为东南方位亦较低,但蚁丘直径表现为西南和东北方位显著小于西北方位。（3）在流动沙丘,西北、西南和东南方位上蚁丘空间分布均表现为均匀分布型,而在半流动、半固定和固定沙丘,4个方位上蚁丘空间分布均表现为聚集分布型。（4）相关性分析表明,不同固沙阶段不同微生境下蚁丘密度、高度、直径与植物密度、多样性间的相关性不同。随着固沙阶段演替,不同微生境下蚁丘特征与植物密度、多样性的相关性增强。研究表明,在科尔沁沙地,随着流动沙丘固定和生境逐渐恢复,沙丘不同空间方位上蚁丘密度分布差异缩小,而蚁丘直径和高度仍存在沙丘微地形间显著差异性,并且蚁丘空间方位上均呈现聚集分布状态。     

中分辨率遥感像元尺度生物土壤结皮覆盖与植被及土壤间的交互关系

生物土壤结皮（Biological soil crust,BSC）作为干旱、半干旱地区健康生态系统的重要组成部分,具有固碳、固氮、降低土壤水分蒸发、减少土壤径流等多种生态功能,这些功能与BSC的发展阶段及覆盖度密切相关,使其在维系荒漠自然生态系统的稳定性中扮演重要角色。因此,结合遥感数据尺度定量研究影响BSC分布的环境因素是评估沙区生态系统稳定性并以此为依据进行沙化土地治理的重要基础性研究。影响BSC覆盖度的环境因子较为复杂,现有研究方法存在两方面局限,其一是多为小尺度定性分析,其二是多侧重于孤立地分析BSC与环境因子间的单向关系。利用结构方程模型（Structural Equation Modeling,SEM）中的非递归路径分析（Nonrecursive Path Analysis,NPA）对遥感30 m分辨率像元尺度BSC覆盖度、植被覆盖度、土壤pH值、盐度、有机质与粒度进行路径分析,旨在使用综合性方法从整体上阐明大尺度BSC分布与植被、土壤间的交互关系。结果表明：（1）在毛乌素沙地,BSC覆盖度受各环境因子综合影响,无法用单一变量说明。BSC覆盖度与植被覆盖度、土壤有机质、平均粒径和细颗粒占比呈极显著正相关（P<0.01）,与粗颗粒占比呈极显著负相关（P<0.01）。（2） BSC覆盖度与植被覆盖度通过有机质相互影响,BSC覆盖度对植被覆盖度有较大的正向直接影响,路径系数（Path Coefficient,PC）=0.43（P>0.05）,植被覆盖度对BSC覆盖度有交大的负向影响（PC=－0.22;P>0.05）。（3）土壤平均粒径和细颗粒占比均正向影响BSC的覆盖度,其中,平均粒径对BSC覆盖度的总体影响较大（PC=0.67;总效果值=0.590）,细颗粒占比对BSC覆盖度的间接影响较大（间接效果值=0.052）。（4）盐度对BSC覆盖度呈显著负向直接影响（PC=－0.41;P<0.05;总效果值=－0.398）,pH值对BSC覆盖度有极小的正向影响（总效果值=0.072）。上述研究结果可为遥感探测BSC、制定有效的荒漠生态系统保护与修复政策措施提供科学依据。     

沙埋对两种一年生藜科植物存活及光合生理的影响

为了解沙埋对沙生植物存活的影响及其光合生理响应特征,比较不同藜科沙生植物耐沙埋能力及其光合响应,在内蒙古科尔沁沙地研究了沙米(Agriophyllum squarrosum)和大果虫实(Corispermum marocarpum)在不同沙埋深度下第5、10、15天的净光合速率、气孔导度、蒸腾速率、水分利用效率的变化,并于植物生长末期对存活率进行了测定。结果表明:沙米较大果虫实具有较强的耐沙埋能力,其中沙米幼苗最大耐沙埋深度超过苗高10 cm,大果虫实在埋深等于其苗高时全部死亡;随沙埋深度增加,沙米和大果虫实的存活率均显著下降,但沙米的下降幅度明显小于大果虫实;沙埋后,2种植物的气孔关闭或开放程度减小,通过降低蒸腾速率和提高水分利用效率来适应沙埋胁迫;随着沙埋胁迫的加剧,2种植物的净光合速率下降,表明沙埋胁迫对植物的光合作用破坏较大;相比于大果虫实,沙米对于沙埋胁迫有着更好的光合适应,随着胁迫的时间增加,其净光合速率有所恢复。