皖北石灰岩山地植被对地表节肢动物组成及多样性的影响

调查皖北石灰岩山地退化生态系统不同植被恢复类型地表节肢动物群落组成、类群多样性以及功能群组成,揭示退化生态系统植被恢复进程中土壤地表节肢动物群多样性变化规律及其影响因素,为石灰岩山地植被恢复成效评价提供科学依据。采用陷阱法对皖北石灰岩山地侧柏+构树混交林、酸枣+牡荆灌丛和荩草+牡荆草灌丛样地地表节肢动物群落组成、多样性以及功能群进行调查。共采节肢动物个体数11601,隶属8纲14目44科。酸枣+牡荆灌丛样地采集到节肢动物37科,占所有类群的84.1%,荩草+牡荆草灌丛和侧柏+构树混交林采集到土壤节肢动物类群为35和26科,分别占总科数的79.6%和59.1%。在目的分类单元下,直翅目、等足目和鞘翅目类群相对多度较高,而科的分类单元下,潮虫科、金龟甲科、蚁科和蟋蟀科为皖北石灰岩山地优势地表节肢动物类群。酸枣+牡荆灌丛节肢动物类群丰富度和荩草+牡荆草灌丛多样性指数最高,侧柏+构树混交林两者均最低。3个样地地表节肢动物营养功能群均以植食性为主。不同植被恢复类型间群落相似性也有变化,酸枣+牡荆灌丛和荩草+牡荆草灌丛间相似性较高,而侧柏+构树混交林与其他2种类型之间相似度均较低。研究结果表明石灰岩山地生境不同植被群落组成、数量和结构及其驱动形成的土壤理化特性、表层的凋落物数量、质量和微生境条件的变异,引起地表节肢动物群落组成、结构和多样性和营养功能群的不同。     

国土空间生态修复国际经验借鉴与广东省实施路径

开展国土空间生态修复是生态文明和美丽中国建设的要求,是关系国家生态安全和民生福祉的重大国家战略任务。梳理了近100年来以荒野、再野化、基于自然的解决方案、生态修复为核心的国际生态环境治理理念的发展语境,辨析概念之间的关系,阐明国际生态修复基本研究框架,并梳理国外生态修复的典型实践案例,总结国际经验。基于对广东省主要生态问题研判,从摸清家底、确定目标、谋划格局、布置行动、实施保障5个层面构建省域国土空间生态修复科学规划总体框架,并以实际问题和生态修复目标为导向,提出深入开展国土空间生态修复规划九项专题研究、生态修复技术研发、多元组织形式等策略。本文提出的广东省生态修复设计思路及实施路径,将为找准生态环境问题根源、实现靶向修复治理、促进生态文明建设提供决策支持。     

Western Yellow-Billed Cuckoo Nest-Site Selection and Success in Restored and Natural Riparian Forests

The western distinct population segment of yellow-billed cuckoo (Coccyzus americanus; western cuckoo) has been extirpated from most of its former breeding range in the United States because of widespread loss and degradation of riparian cottonwood (Populus spp.)-willow (Salix spp.) forests. Restoration and management of breeding habitat is important to the recovery of this federally threatened species, and identification of high-quality breeding habitat can help improve the success of recovery. In 2005, the Lower Colorado River Multi-Species Conservation Program, a long-term, multi-agency effort, was initiated to maintain and create wildlife habitat within the historical floodplain of the lower Colorado River (LCR) for federally endangered and threatened species, including western cuckoos. We conducted an empirical, multi-scale field investigation from 2008–2012 to identify habitat characteristics selected by nesting western cuckoos along the LCR. Multiple logistic regression models revealed that western cuckoos selected nest sites characterized by increased densities of small, native, early successional trees measuring 8–23 cm diameter at breast height, and lower diurnal temperature compared to available habitat in restoration and natural forests. Nesting cuckoos selected sites with increased percent canopy closure, which was also important for nest success in restoration sites along the LCR. Our results show habitat components selected by nesting western cuckoos in restoration and natural riparian forests and can help guide the creation, enhancement, and management of riparian forests with habitat conditions necessary to promote nesting of western cuckoos. © 2021 The Wildlife Society.     

中国东北地区流动沙丘生态系统丘间低地地下芽库的时空变化

中国东北地区流动沙丘生态系统丘间低地地下芽库的时空变化 地下芽库在半干旱区沙丘生态系统植被恢复中起着重要作用。然而,目前针对流动沙丘丘间低地地下芽库时空变化的研究却很少。本研究通过调查一个生长季内5个不同面积流动沙丘丘间低地地下芽库的大小和组成,确定流动沙丘丘间低地地下芽库的时空变化。研究结果显示,中等面积丘间低地的总芽库密度与分蘖芽密度最高,茎基部芽密度呈相反趋势,而根茎芽密度不随丘间低地的面积变化而变化。地下芽库大小具有明显的季节变化特征。总芽密度在8月份达到高峰,10月份最低,根茎芽密度变化趋势与总芽密度相似,而茎基芽密度变化趋势与总芽密度相反,分蘖芽密度的变化不明显。以上结果表明,地下芽库密度随丘间低地的面积和季节变化而变化。这一结果有助于认识流动沙丘生态系统中植物生长的适应策略,并可为半干旱区沙丘植被恢复和保护提供理论指导。     

A comprehensive landscape genomics approach for seed sourcing strategies in landscapes under varying degrees of habitat disturbance

As most ecosystems around the world are threatened by anthropogenic degradation and climate change, there is an increasing urgency to implement restoration strategies aiming at ensuring ecosystem self‐sustainability and resilience. An initial step towards that goal relies on selecting the most suitable seed sources for a successful revegetation, which can be extremely challenging in highly degraded landscapes. The most common seed sourcing strategy is to select local seeds because it is assumed that plants experience strong adaptations to their natal sites. An alternative strategy is the selection of climate‐adapted genotypes to future conditions. While considering future climatic projections is important to account for spatial shifts in climate to inform assisted gene flow and translocations, to restore highly degraded landscapes we need a comprehensive approach that first accounts for species adaptations to current at‐site environmental conditions. In this issue of Molecular Ecology Resources, Carvalho et al. present a novel landscape genomics framework to identify the most appropriate seed sourcing strategy for moderately and highly degraded sites by integrating genotype, phenotype and environmental data in a spatially explicit context for two native plant species with potential to help restore iron‐rich Amazonian savannas. This framework is amenable to be applicable and adapted to a broad range of restoration initiatives, as the dichotomy between focusing on the current or future climatic conditions should depend on the goals and environmental circumstances of each restoration site.     

Advances in approaches to seagrass restoration in Australia

Three case studies involving two temperate Australian seagrass species – Pondweed (Ruppia tuberosa) and Ribbon Weed (Posidonia australis) – highlight different approaches to their restoration. Seeds and rhizomes were used in three collaborative programmes to promote new approaches to scale up restoration outcomes.     

Understanding the key characteristics and challenges of pine barrens restoration: insights from a Delphi survey of forest land managers and researchers

Pine barrens are open‐canopy ecological communities once prevalent on sandy soils across the northern Great Lakes Region of the United States and Canada, though fire suppression and plantation forestry have now reduced them to a few isolated areas. Efforts to restore pine barrens are underway on some public lands, but lack of knowledge on the social and ecological issues and challenges that affect these projects impedes fuller progress. As a precursor to designing a public preference survey for pine barrens restoration, we sought input from those with expert knowledge about pine barrens. Using a three‐round modified Delphi survey, forest land managers and researchers identified the key characteristics of pine barrens and important current and future management challenges. Key characteristics were related to fire, landscape structure, plant and animal species, soils, and social themes. Current and future challenges were related to landscape, invasive species, social, economic, climate change, and science themes. Four social issues (education, fire acceptance, fire risk, aesthetics) were rated among the top current challenges but none of them maintained prominence as future challenges. Potential explanations for this shift are that the experts felt these social concerns would be resolved in time or that other issues, such as development pressures and budgets for carrying out restoration, would become greater future challenges. Our approach can be used by managers and researchers to better understand the ecosystems they seek to restore and to communicate with public stakeholders about restoration efforts.     

Impacts of remotely sensed environmental drivers on coral outplant survival

Globally, coral reefs are degrading due to a variety of stressors including climate change and pollution. Active restoration is an important effort for sustaining coral reefs where, typically, coral fragments are outplanted onto degraded reefs. Coral outplants, however, can experience mortality in response to a range of stressors. We pair results of outplant monitoring observations with satellite‐based measurements of multiple oceanographic variables to estimate the relative importance of each driver to coral outplant survival. We find that when considering mean environmental conditions experienced by outplants during the monitoring period, particulate organic carbon (POC) levels are most important in determining outplant survival, with certain levels of POC beneficial for outplants. Sea surface temperature anomalies (SSTA) are also important determinants of outplant survival, where survival is greatest in regions with minimal or slightly negative anomalies. Survival also increases with increasing distance to land, likely due to a reduction in negative ridge‐to‐reef effects on coral outplants. When considering the range (min–max) of environmental conditions experienced during the monitoring period, large fluctuations in photosynthetically active radiation (PAR) and POC are most important in determining outplant survival. Increasing outplant depth can help to counter the negative impacts of large fluctuations in environmental variables. We find that a variety of remotely sensed oceanographic variables have significant impacts on survival and should be considered in coral restoration planning to help evaluate potential restoration sites and ultimately maximize coral outplant survival.     

Testing the effect of restoration‐focused silviculture on oak regeneration and groundlayer plant communities in urban–exurban oak woodlands

Throughout their global range, oak‐dominated ecosystems have undergone state changes in stand structure and composition. Land managers face an especially acute challenge in restoring oak ecosystems and promoting oak regeneration in urban–exurban areas, where high‐intensity silvicultural treatments are often not feasible. To investigate low‐intensity management alternatives which could be widely applied in urban–exurban forests, a large‐scale adaptive management experiment was implemented in Lake County, IL, in 2012. Five canopy manipulation treatments of varying intensity, timing, and spatial aggregation were replicated across three study areas and oak seedlings were under‐planted into treatment units following management. Responses of understory light environment, shrub and groundlayer plant communities, and survival and growth of underplanted oak seedlings were evaluated. Understory light availability, canopy openness, total groundlayer plant cover, and groundlayer species diversity all differed among treatments. However, although understory light availability was significantly increased by canopy manipulation, groundlayer communities and oak seedling survival and growth did not differ among treatments. High overall seedling survival rates suggest current conditions are amenable to oak regeneration, but long‐term monitoring will be needed to assess the potential for seedlings to transition to the sapling and canopy layers. Early results demonstrate that canopy‐focused silvicultural treatments can affect the understory light environment and, to some degree, groundlayer plant communities. However, underplanting of oak seedlings paired with subcanopy thinning may be sufficient to restore an oak seedling layer, and (when necessary or preferred) canopy manipulation could potentially be deferred until later in the restoration timeline to promote oak recruitment.