The role of environment and mid-domain effect on moth species richness along a tropical elevational gradient

Aim The biodiversity of geometrid moths (Lepidoptera) along a complete tropical elevational gradient was studied for the first time. The patterns are described, and the role of geometric constraints and environmental factors is explored. Location The study was carried out along the Barva Transect (10° N, 84° W), a complete elevational gradient ranging from 40 to 2730 m a.s.l. in Braulio Carrillo National Park, Costa Rica, and adjacent areas. Methods Moths were sampled manually in 2003 and 2004 at 12 rain forest sites using light ‘towers’, each with two 15 W ultraviolet fluorescent tubes. We used abundance‐based rarefaction, statistical estimation of true richness (Chao 1), geographically interpolated observed richness and Fisher's alpha as measures of local diversity. Results A total of 13,765 specimens representing 739 species were analysed. All four measures showed a hump‐shaped pattern with maxima between 500 and 2100 m elevation. The two subfamilies showed richness and diversity maxima at either lower (Ennominae) or higher (Larentiinae) elevation than Geometridae as a whole. Among the four environmental factors tested, relative humidity yielded the highest correlation over the transect with the rarefaction‐based richness estimates as well as with estimated true species richness of Geometridae as a whole and of Larentiinae, while rainfall explained the greatest variation of Ennominae richness. The elevational pattern of moth richness was discordant with both temperature and with tree species richness. A combination of all environmental factors in a stepwise multiple regression produced high values of r² in Geometridae. The potential effects of geometric constraints (mid‐domain effect, MDE) were investigated by comparing them with observed, interpolated richness. Overall, models fitted very well for Geometridae as a whole and for Ennominae, but less well for Larentiinae. Small‐ranged species showed stronger deviations from model predictions than large‐ranged species, and differed strikingly between the two subfamilies, suggesting that environmental factors play a more pronounced role for small‐ranged species. We hypothesize that small‐ranged species (at least of the Ennominae) may tend to be host specialists, whereas large‐ranged species tend to be polyphagous. Based on interpolated ranges, mean elevational range for these moths was larger with increasing elevation, in accordance with Rapoport's elevational rule, although sampling effects may have exaggerated this pattern. The underlying mechanism remains unknown because Rapoport's ‘rescue’ hypothesis could not explain the observed pattern. Conclusions The results clearly show that moth diversity shows a hump‐shaped pattern. However, remarkable variation exists with regard to taxon and range size. Both environmental and geometric factors are likely to contribute to the observed patterns.     

中国东北样带关键种羊草水分利用效率与气孔密度

沿中国东北样带, 从长春到阿巴嘎旗, 大约每个经度设1个样地, 共10个样地, 研究了草原段关键种羊草的水分利用效率、叶片下表面气孔密度和气孔大小的变化, 以及它们与年降水量、年均温度、土壤水分和海拔的关系. 结果表明: 自东向西, 随年降水量、年均温度、土壤水分的降低和海拔的升高, 羊草水分利用效率有明显增强的趋势,而气孔密度有明显增大的趋势, 气孔大小没有明显变化规律并主要与取样时刻开张状态有关, 说明羊草气孔数量的增多有利用提高水分利用效率. 逐步回归分析结果表明, 土壤水分是决定羊草气孔密度变化的第一显著因子, 其次是年降水量, 说明水分条件是羊草气孔密度变化的主要生态因子. 从数据分布散点图、温度和放牧干扰作用的复杂性以及受土壤和地形条件特殊性影响样地的分析表明, 羊草水分利用效率和气孔密度对环境变化的响应是非常复杂的, 是包括植被利用方式与强度在内的环境因子综合作用的结果, 也是羊草长期适应各样地环境的结果.     

Is relative abundance a good indicator of population size? Evidence from fragmented populations of a specialist butterfly (Lepidoptera: Lycaenidae)

A common task for conservation biologists and ecologists is to establish how many individuals there are in a population, usually within a defined area of habitat. Estimates of both absolute and relative population sizes are widely used in many aspects of population conservation and management. Mark–recapture studies are appropriate for estimating the absolute population sizes of a wide range of animals, in both open and closed populations, while relative abundances can be estimated from a variety of survey methods. Relative abundances are often used in a comparative way to compare both population size and fluctuations in abundance. Here, we used transect counts and capture–recapture studies to estimate the relative abundances and population sizes of a specialist butterfly, Theclinesthes albocincta (Lycaenidae) in three habitat fragments, over two consecutive years. The sizes of the three populations differed significantly between sites and were highly variable between years. One population was extremely small and is likely to become locally extinct. We found that estimates of relative abundance were highly correlated with estimates of population size (r ² = 0.88, P = 0.017) derived from the open population models. The combination of transect counts and capture–recapture studies used in this study appears to be a very informative tool for the conservation and management of this butterfly species and could be extended to other insects.     

中国东北样带(NECT)土壤碳、氮、磷的梯度分布及其与气候因子的关系

 以中国东北样带(NECT)为依托,基于沿样带的野外观测和土壤实测数据,分析了沿样带的土壤碳、氮、磷的空间分布格局及其与年降水、年均温之间的关系。结果表明：样带内土壤有机碳、土壤全氮、土壤有效氮、土壤全磷、土壤有效磷沿经度均呈现出东高西低的分布趋势;降水量和温度对土壤碳、氮、磷的作用强度顺序分别为土壤有效氮、土壤有机碳、土壤全氮、土壤全磷和土壤有效磷;并建立了土壤有机碳、土壤全氮、土壤有效氮、土壤全磷、土壤有效磷与年降水、年均温之间的多项式回归方程,为样带陆地碳收支评估及养分循环提供基础资料。     

Carbon emissions and sinks in agro-ecosystems of China

Besides ruminant animals and their wastes, soil is an important regulating medium incarbon cycling. The soil can be both a contributor to climate change and a recipient of impacts. Inthe past, land cultivation has generally resulted in considerable depletion of soil organic matter andthe release of greenhouse gases (GHGs) into the atmosphere. The observation in the North-South Transect of Eastern China showed that climate change and land use strongly impact all soil proc-esses and GHG exchanges between the soil and the atmosphere. Soil management can restoreorganic carbon by enhancing soil structure and fertility and by doing so mitigating the negative im-pacts of atmospheric greenhouses on climate. A wide estimation carried out in China shows that carbon sequestration potential is about 77.2 MMt C/a (ranging from 26.1-128.3 MMt C/a) using proposed IPCC activities during the next fifty years.     

中国东部南北样带主要植被类型归一化植被指数对气候变化的响应及不同时间尺度的差异性

植被的动态变化及其与环境的关系已成为全球变化研究的热点问题。陆地样带是进行全球变化驱动因素梯度分析的有效途径。该研究依托中国东部南北样带(NSTEC), 对南北样带不同时间尺度的气候因子和植被活动变化特征进行了分析, 并重点阐述了具有代表性的12种植被类型对气候因子的响应方式。研究结果表明: 南北样带植被的归一化植被指数(NDVI)的变化同时受控于气温和降水, 但是在不同的空间和时间尺度上植被NDVI的响应方式各异。在年时间尺度上, 只有温带落叶灌丛(TDS)的NDVI受气温控制; 而温带禾草草原(TGS)和亚热带和热带针叶林(STCF)的NDVI同时受气温和降水调控。其他植被类型的年NDVI与年平均气温和年总降水量没有直接显著的联系, 而受年内气温变化和降水分配状况的影响更大。在月时间尺度上, NDVI与气温的关系在不同类型植被之间存在很大差异。一般而言, 植被NDVI与前4个月内的气温关系最为密切, 并且从1月份到4月份气温的滞后时长在缩短。其中, 温带针叶林(TCF)、温带落叶阔叶林(TDBF)、TDS、STCF和亚热带热带草丛(STG)等植被类型, 5-8月的NDVI与气温普遍呈负相关关系。草原和灌丛植被类型当月NDVI与当月降水量主要以正相关为主, 而森林类型当月NDVI与当月降水量主要以负相关为主。     

中国东北样带草地群落放牧干扰植物多样的变化

放牧干扰是草地群落植物多样性变化的主要影响因素之一。中国东北样带９个草地群落放牧干扰植物多样性性变化的研究结果表明：中牧或重牧阶段Ｓhannon指数达最大值。形成中牧（重牧）＞重牧（中牧）＞轻牧＞过牧的规律。群落物种丰富度、均匀度与多样性的相关分析表明,均匀度变化对多样性变化具有更大的贡献率。而丰富度呈下降趋势,即轻牧（中牧）＞中牧（轻牧）＞重牧＞过牧。生活型功能群多样性也表现出明显的变化。中国东北样带草地群落植物多样性的分布格局是：草甸草原＞典型草原＞典型草原＞荒漠草原＞碱化草甸,并且群落物种丰富度对多样性有更大贡献率。     

中国东北样带草地群落放牧干扰植物多样性的变化

放牧干扰是草地群落植物多样性变化的主要影响因素之一。中国东北样带9个草地群落放牧干扰植物多样性变化的研究结果表明：中牧或重牧阶段Shannon指数达最大值,形成中牧（重牧）>重牧（中牧）>轻牧>过牧的规律。群落物种丰富度、均匀度与多样性的相关分析表明,均匀度变化对多样性变化具有更大的贡献率,而丰富度呈下降趋势,即轻牧（中牧）>中牧（轻牧）>重牧>过牧。生活型功能群多样性也表现出明显的变化。中国东北样带草地群落植物多样性的分布格局是：草甸草原>典型草原>典型草原 >荒漠草原>碱化草原,并且群落物种丰富度对多样性有更大贡献率。     

Using spatial analysis to monitor tree diversity at a large scale: a case study in Northeast China Transect

Aims Monitoring and assessing diversity change at a large scale is important for any meaningful biodiversity conservation and management. Spatial analysis techniques can provide information about different aspects of diversity distribution including change. We applied some common spatial analysis methods and additive partitioning of species diversity in the Northeast China Transect as a case study to show how to characterize the distribution and change of tree diversity in this area from different perspectives.Methods The field data were collected from the permanent plots conducted every 4 km. The additive partitioning of species diversity was used to characterize the diversity of tree species at different scales. Moran's I was used for identifying the spatial scale of autocorrelation, lacunarity was studied for diversity patch contagion and dispersion and spectral entropy was used for assessing the overall spatial distribution.Important findings Data collected from 1986 to 1994 indicate that the change of α diversity was not significant in the study area, but the change of β diversity was significant. The percentage of α diversity in total diversity (γ) increased from 14.2 to 17.2%, and the percentage of β diversity decreased from 85.8 to 82.8%. For both α and β diversities, the scale of spatial autocorrelation decreased at the scale of 25–40 km and increased around 15–20 and 200 km. The lacunarity of α diversity decreased significantly and there was a sudden change at the scale of 56–68 km, but the lacunarity of β diversity increased across scales. The spectral entropy decreased slightly in α diversity and remained similar for β diversity. By using spatial analysis, we can monitor the diversity change over a large area and also assess the effectiveness of the current conservation strategies.     

沿中国东北样带 (NECT)分布的若干克隆植物与非克隆植物光合速率与水分利用效率的比较(英文)

比较了沿 1 6 70km长的中国东北样带 (NECT)分布的在繁殖习性上不同的植物功能型 ,克隆植物 (clonalplant)与非克隆植物 (non_clonalplant)的光合作用、蒸腾作用、气孔导度、水分利用效率。所测定的 2 1 8种植物中有1 1 5种属于克隆植物。对于灌木和草本植物功能型而言 ,净光合速率 (Pn)和水分利用效率 (WUE)在样带东西两端较低 ,在样带中间较高 ;蒸腾速率在温带荒漠植物分布的西端出现升高的趋势。在森林乔木、森林灌木、森林草本、草甸草原灌木、草甸草原草本、典型草原灌木、典型草原草本、荒漠草原灌木、荒漠草原草本等不同功能型的植物中 ,典型草原灌木和草本植物的光合生理指标较高。在相同的生长环境中 ,克隆植物比非克隆植物表现出较高的Pn 以及其他生理指标。克隆植物的光合速率、蒸腾速率、气孔导度、水分利用效率分别比非克隆植物高出 2 2 %、1 5 %、2 3%和 1 4 %。这种现象表明克隆植物在CO2 、光能和水分资源利用能力上优于非克隆植物