基于Voronoi图的群落优势树种种内种间竞争

在浙江天目山国家级自然保护区内,选择典型常绿阔叶林设置样地,样地大小100m×100m。用全站仪测定每株树木坐标(x,y,z)。首先,用优势度分析法确定群落优势树种。其次,提出基于Voronoi图的V_Hegyi竞争指数,并对Hegyi、APA和V_Hegyi三种竞争指数进行比较分析。最后,采用V_Hegyi竞争指数分析常绿阔叶林的种内、种间竞争关系。结果表明:常绿阔叶林群落共有11个优势树种即细叶青冈(Cyclobalanopsis myrsinaefolia)、青冈(Cyclobalanopsis glauca)、短尾柯(Lithocarpus brevicau-datus)、豹皮樟(Litsea coreana)、白栎(Quercus fabri)、天目木姜子(Litsea auriculata)、黄连木(Pistacia chinensis)、榉树(Zelkovaschneideriana)、杉木(Cunninghamia lanceolata)、枫香(Liquidambar formosana)和黄檀(Dalbergia hupeana)。比较分析认为,V_Hegyi竞争指数既克服了用固定半径圆确定竞争单元的尺度不统一缺陷,又可进行种内、种间竞争分析,并保持竞争排序的稳定性,因此是优于Hegyi和APA的更合适的竞争指数,所以选择V_Hegyi竞争指数进行优势树种竞争分析。常绿阔叶林优势树种的种内竞争比种间竞争激烈。种内竞争最激烈的优势树种细叶青冈、青冈和短尾柯与其它优势树种的种间竞争强度也是最高的。反之,种内、种间竞争都较弱的优势树种包括豹皮樟、白栎、天目木姜子、黄连木、榉树、杉木、枫香和黄檀。多数优势树种存在1个主要竞争树种,很少有超过3个以上的情形。细叶青冈是群落最占优势的树种,具有最强烈的种内竞争。同时,也是所有其它优势树种的最大竞争者。     

Size-dependent effects of an invasive herbivorous snail (Pomacea canaliculata) on macrophytes and periphyton in Asian wetlands

1. The invasive golden apple snail (Pomacea canaliculata), native to South America, is a serious pest on rice seedlings in south‐east Asia and has also been shown to consume large amounts of macrophytes in natural wetlands, with large effects on ecosystem functioning. Earlier studies suggest that the snail undergoes an ontogenetic diet shift, feeding on algae and detritus as juveniles and shifting to aquatic macrophytes as adults. 2. Here, we study the effects of snail populations with a size‐structure typical of either populations at an invasive front or the size‐structure of established populations. In an enclosure experiment performed in a wetland in Laos, we compared treatments with small snails only (3 mm; invasive treatment) to treatments with small, medium sized (10 mm) and adult (>25 mm) snails (established treatment). The effects of snail grazing on three aquatic macrophyte species and periphytic algae were quantified. 3. We found that snails of all sizes had a strong negative effect on the biomass of all macrophyte species and periphytic algae. There was no evidence of an ontogenetic diet change, i.e. snails in both the invasive and established treatments affected macrophyte biomass. Foraging was size‐dependent in that small snails had higher relative foraging capacity (g plant consumed per g of snail) compared with medium and adult snails. Small snails, therefore, depressed growth of medium snails at increasing densities through exploitative competition for preferred resources, while adult snails did not grow at all in the presence of small snails. 4. Density dependence is common in freshwater invertebrates, including gastropod populations, but differences in size dependent foraging‐ and competitive‐ability have rarely been demonstrated in this group of organisms. Knowledge about intra‐specific differences in ecological performance may, however, both deepen our understanding of the processes that underlie population dynamics in invertebrates such as gastropods, and help develop control strategies for invasive golden apple snails.     

Effects of plant and prey characteristics on the predatory behavior of Delphastus catalinae

Nymphal setosity of the whitefly Bemisia tabaci Gennadius (Homoptera: Aleyrodidae) has been reported to be induced by mechanical stimuli such as leaf tomentosity, and related to the predatory performance of the coccinellid Delphastus catalinae (Horn) (Coleoptera: Coccinellidae). In this study, a possible adaptive value of this phenomenon for the whitefly is shown through the combined effects of leaf and prey characteristics on the walking and predatory behaviors of the beetle. Leaf tomentosity significantly affected the walking patterns of the beetle and therefore its searching abilities, thus indirectly increasing the influence of prey distribution upon predator's efficiency. Moreover, while searching on tomentose leaves, the beetles showed preference for the smooth prey phenotype. This behavior was found dependent on the experience of the beetle in previous encounters. These results are pertinent to intraspecific competition between the different nymphal phenotypes and to the predatory efficiency of this beetle, which is utilized in biological control of whiteflies.     

Costs and benefits of flocking in foraging white-fronted geese (Anser albifrons): effects of resource depletion

This study investigated the costs and benefits of flocking in white-fronted geese Anser albifrons foraging on rice grains in Japan. The time budgets of focal geese were recorded, and the effects of flock size on the proportions of time spent in vigilant and agonistic behaviour were tested. The results showed that the decline in vigilance level and consequent increase in foraging time were beneficial results of flocking whereas agonistic interactions, a potential cost of flocking, did not increase with increasing flock size. However, seasonal variation in flock size suggested that exploitative competition could be a cost of flocking; the sizes of flocks in spring, when resource depletion had progressed, were significantly reduced compared with those in autumn. An experimental increase in rice density resulted in a significant increase in flock size. We conclude that the flock size of foraging white-fronted geese is a result of compromise between a constant benefit of flocking (i.e. decline in vigilance level) and a cost of flocking varying with food abundance (i.e. exploitative competition).     

Mesoscale Gradients of Herb Richness and Abundance in Central Amazonia1

There are few hypotheses to explain local understory diversity patterns. There is a consensus that climate and soil fertility affect understory density and diversity at large scales, but few studies addressed the mechanisms controlling density and diversity locally. Here, I examine patterns of abundance and diversity of three understory herb groups along gradients of soil nutrients and topography at the mesoscale (64 km²) in a wet tropical forest, and possible factors causing them. Herb richness, diversity, density, and cover were measured in fifty‐nine 250 × 2 m plots systematically distributed over Reserva Ducke, Manaus. Herb groups responded differently to environmental gradients. Whereas density and cover of pteridophytes increased with altitude and slope, Marantaceae density and cover decreased. Density of sedges increased with altitude, but did not vary with slope. Density and cover of Marantaceae and sedges but not pteridophytes increased with the soil cation content. Pteridophyte richness increased with slope whereas Marantaceae richness decreased, richness of both groups increased with cation content. Diversity increased with altitude for Marantaceae and decreased for pteridophytes. Some of these patterns agree with what is expected from herbs, such as the greater abundance of Marantaceae and sedges in flat and low altitude plots, where water availability is higher and probably also light, and the greater richness of Marantaceae and pteridophytes in higher nutrient plots. The unexpected results of higher abundance and richness of pteridophytes in slopes, instead of in bottomlands, suggest that biotic or litter‐mediated controls may be important to set these patterns.     

Restoration of Araucaria Forest: The Role of Perches, Pioneer Vegetation, and Soil Fertility

The Araucaria forest is Brazil's highly threatened subtropical forest ecosystem that has been disappearing in recent decades. Restoration programs involving this forest type are scarce, and there is a lack of scientific information on how ecological processes such as competition, facilitation, and seed dispersal influence natural forest restoration. This work aims to investigate how use of perches to attract seed dispersers and the influence of pioneer vegetation and soil fertilization could affect the colonization of woody species in a degraded area. An experiment was conducted in an abandoned field where the natural establishment of seeds and seedlings of woody species was monitored under factorial combinations of the following treatments: (1) pioneer vegetation (presence and absence); (2) soil fertility (addition of NPK and control); and (3) perches (presence and absence). Seed and seedling abundance, seed and seedling species richness, and seedling mortality were recorded monthly during 12 months. Seed abundance and species richness were significantly greater in places with perches than in control plots. These results were consistent over the year and more pronounced when the surrounding forest produced a higher amount of fruit. Species richness and abundance of seedlings were significantly greater in places with perches than in control plots, and in places with vegetation than without. Soil fertility did not influence seedling establishment. Facilitation and seed dispersal are important factors affecting the colonization of woody species in this subtropical area. Nutrient availability neither regulates the facilitation process nor influences species replacement during the early stages of Araucaria forest succession.     

Bullying the Bullies: The Selective Control of an Exotic, Invasive Annual (Rapistrum rugosum) by Oversowing with a Competitive Native Species (Gaillardia pulchella)

Mechanical, biological, and chemical attempts to control invasive plants can be expensive, ecologically damaging, and frequently unsuccessful. This study proposes using the intrinsic biological attributes of the threatened plant community by artificially increasing the density of competitive native species to selectively suppress the growth of the invasive. Evidence from agricultural weed control suggests that oversowing infested areas with species with biological traits similar to those of the invasive species not only reduces productivity of the invasive species but also may eliminate environmental damage associated with standard control techniques. Annual bastard cabbage (Rapistrum rugosum), a Eurasian exotic, is an invader of native plant communities in the continental United States. Control with herbicides has been problematic due to high mortality of adjacent native species and subsequent perpetuation of a disturbed state that facilitates further regeneration of R. rugosum from the seed bank. In a randomized field experiment, sowing native Indian blanket (Gaillardia pulchella) over established seedling colonies of R. rugosum resulted in significant reduction of R. rugosum productivity (F= 3.43; p < 0.05). The highest sowing rate of G. pulchella resulted in a 72% reduction in aboveground productivity of R. rugosum that translated to an estimated 83% decrease in seed set, without significant suppression of adjacent native species. It is proposed that enriching threatened or infested plant communities with selected native species with matching phenologies and competitive characteristics has advantages over conventional control methods in that (1) it reduces the threat to nontarget organisms; (2) once installed, the species could self‐regenerate; and (3) it does not perpetuate a disturbed (early‐successional) state that might aggravate the problem. This may serve as an alternative technique to protect and restore native plant communities.     

Influence of the larval environment on performance and adult body size of the wood-boring beetle Phoracantha semipunctata

Large body size confers a reproductive advantage to adults of the wood‐boring beetle Phoracantha semipunctata (F.) (Cerambycidae: Cerambycinae: Phoracanthini). Larvae of this species feed subcortically in stressed and dying eucalypt trees and logs. We evaluated the influence of the larval environment on larval performance and adult body size by manipulating the post‐felling age of host logs (from freshly cut to 2‐weeks‐old) and the density of colonizing neonates (low density with minimal competition for resources vs. high density with intense competition). Adult beetles emerged in greater numbers from logs that had been subjected to the aging treatment which reduced bark moisture content and favored colonization by neonates. Survival was greatest in larger logs having lower densities of neonates, but was greatly diminished in all treatments by mortality during pupation. Development time varied from 2 months to more than a year and was shortest in smaller logs having high densities of larvae. The size of adult beetles emerging from a log was not influenced by larval density, but was positively correlated with the age of logs when the neonates colonized, and log size. These findings suggest that the optimal developmental conditions for P. semipunctata larvae, in terms of larval performance and adult body size, are available in large, aged host logs having low densities of larvae. Manipulation of the larval environment in this study resulted in a considerable variation in adult body size, but large individuals were relatively more common in the wild population that was the source of neonates for the experiment. Potential body size may have been constrained by our use of only one host species and a narrow range of log dimensions.     

Shelter availability affects behaviour, size-dependent and mean growth of juvenile Atlantic salmon

1. Anthropogenic disturbances of the physical habitat and corresponding effects on fish performance are key issues in stream conservation and restoration. Reduced habitat complexity because of increased sediment loadings and canalization is of particular importance, but it is not clear to what extent fish populations are influenced directly by changes in the physical environment, or indirectly through changes in the biotic environment affecting the food availability. 2. Here, we test for the direct effect of habitat complexity on the performance (growth) of juvenile Atlantic salmon by manipulating shelter availability (interstitial spaces in the substrate) across 20 semi‐natural stream channels without altering the substrate composition, and stocking each channel with a common density of fish. A simple method for measuring salmonid shelters using flexible PVC tubes was developed and tested. Daytime sheltering behaviour and growth rates were compared across the channels differing in shelter availability. 3. Measured shelter availability was strongly negatively correlated with observed number of fish not finding shelters and mass loss rates of the fish (growth performance) increased with decreasing number of measured shelters. Number and mean depth of interstitial spaces explained up to 68% and 24% of the among‐channel variation in sheltering behaviour and growth performance, respectively. Furthermore, negative effects of shelter reduction increased with fish body size. Thus, changes in habitat structure may even influence the size selection gradients. 4. Shelter availability is an easily measured variable, possibly affecting the population demographics and long‐term evolutionary processes, and is therefore a key habitat factor to be considered in stream restoration and habitat classification.