Long-term change in an unmanaged population of wych elm subjected to Dutch elm disease

1 Changes in a population of Ulmus glabra in Lady Park Wood (UK), a mixed deciduous native woodland, were studied by means of permanent transects. All individuals reaching 1.3 m height were recorded at irregular intervals from 1945 to 1993.
2 Dutch elm disease struck this population in about 1972. Most of the canopy and subcanopy stems were killed, but a few, slow-growing, subcanopy individuals survived unscathed.
3 Subsequent seedling regeneration and growth of sprouts from rootstocks of infected trees was substantial and vigorous. Twenty-three years after the outbreak of disease the number of elm individuals had increased by about 40%. Disease has, however, continued to afflict vigorous, exposed individuals.
4 The large-scale distribution of elm has been unaffected, but the small-scale pattern has changed due to the concentration of seedling regeneration in gaps.
5 The elm population appears to be differentiating into (i) a large high-turnover subpopulation of fast-growing, but repeatedly diseased maiden individuals and sprouts, and (ii) a small, low-turnover subpopulation of slow-growing individuals rooted in suboptimally dry, secluded sites.     

悬铃木落叶的化学调控

悬铃木落叶的化学调控李恩胡晓倩王义彰朱胜东周守标（安徽师范大学生物系,芜湖２４１０００）ＣｈｅｍｉｃａｌＡｄｊｕｓｔｍｅｎｔａｎｄＣｏｎｔｒｏｌｏｆＤｅｃｉｄｕｏｕｓＬｅａｖｅｓｏｆｔｈｅＰｌａｎｅＴｒｅｅ．ＬｉＥｎ,ＨｕＸｉａｏｑｉａｎ,ＷａｎｇＹ...     

东灵山地区退化生态系统的恢复与重建实验

 在东灵山地区的三个地点进行了退化生态系统的恢复与重建实验,栽种了日本落叶松(Larix kaempferi)、华北落叶松(Larix principis-rupprechtii)、核桃楸(Juglans mandshurica)、水曲柳(Fraxinus mandshurica)等四种植物,通过五年的生长观察,实验证明日本落叶松在本区生长良好,在本地区可以作为绿化树种及用材树种,人工落叶松林新植被生态系统的引进是成功的;华北落叶松在本地区较高海拔1700m左右也可以成活,可以作为绿化树种,核桃楸和水曲柳在海拔600m左右的较干旱环境下生长较慢,核桃楸和水曲柳在干旱环境如果没有较好的抚育措施,则成活率低,作为绿化树种不可取。     

Markers of physiological stress in juvenile bonobos (Pan paniscus): Are enamel hypoplasia,skeletal development and tooth size interrelated?

A reduction in enamel thickness due to disrupted amelogenesis is referred to as enamel hypoplasia (EH). Linear EH in permanent teeth is a widely accepted marker of systemic physiological stress. An enigmatic, nonlinear form of EH commonly manifest in great ape and human deciduous canines (dc) is known as localized hypoplasia of primary canines (LHPC). The etiology of LHPC and what it signifies—localized traumatic or systemic physiological stress—remains unclear. This report presents frequency data on LHPC, hypostotic cranial traits, and tooth size in a sample of juvenile bonobos, then tests hypotheses of intertrait association that improve knowledge of the etiology and meaning of LHPC. The fenestration hypothesis is tested using hypostotic cranial traits as a proxy for membrane bone ossification, and the relationship between tooth size, LHPC, and hypostosis is investigated. Macroscopic observations of EH, hypostotic traits, and measurements of buccolingual tooth size were conducted according to established standards. LHPC was found in 51.2% of bonobos (n = 86) and in 26% of dc teeth (n = 269). Hypostotic traits were observed in 55.2% of bonobos (n = 96). A test of the association between LHPC and hypostosis yielded nonsignificant results (χ² = 2.935; P = 0.0867). Primary canines were larger in specimens with LHPC than in unaffected specimens (paired samples t test; udc, P = 0.011; ldc, P = 0.018), a result consistent with the fenestration hypothesis of LHPC pathogenesis. Hypostosis was not associated with differences in tooth size (P > 0.05). LHPC may be an indirect indicator of physiological stress, resulting from large, buccally displaced primary canines. Am J Phys Anthropol, 2009. © 2008 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.     

Implications of land‐use change to Short Rotation Forestry in Great Britain for soil and biomass carbon

Land‐use change can have significant impacts on soil and aboveground carbon (C) stocks and there is a clear need to identify sustainable land uses which maximize C mitigation potential. Land‐use transitions from agricultural to bioenergy crops are increasingly common in Europe with one option being Short Rotation Forestry (SRF). Research on the impact on C stocks of the establishment of SRF is limited, but given the potential for this bioenergy crop in temperate climates, there is an evident knowledge gap. Here, we examine changes in soil C stock following the establishment of SRF using combined short (30 cm depth) and deep (1 m depth) soil cores at 11 sites representing 29 transitions from agriculture to SRF. We compare the effects of tree species including 9 coniferous, 16 broadleaved and 4 Eucalyptus transitions. SRF aboveground and root biomass were also estimated in 15 of the transitions using tree mensuration data allowing assessments of changes in total ecosystem C stock. Planting coniferous SRF, compared to broadleaved and Eucalyptus SRF, resulted in greater accumulation of litter and overall increased soil C stock relative to agricultural controls. Though broadleaved SRF had no overall effect on soil C stock, it showed the most variable response suggesting species‐specific effects and interactions with soil types. While Eucalyptus transitions induced a reduction in soil C stocks, this was not significant unless considered on a soil mass basis. Given the relatively young age and limited number of Eucalyptus plantations, it is not possible to say whether this reduction will persist in older stands. Combining estimates of C stocks from different ecosystem components (e.g., soil, aboveground biomass) reinforced the accumulation of C under coniferous SRF, and indicates generally positive effects of SRF on whole‐ecosystem C. These results fill an important knowledge gap and provide data for modelling of future scenarios of LUC.     

Variation in the population structure between a natural and a human‐modified forest for a pioneer tropical tree species not restricted to large gaps

The distribution of tree species in tropical forests is generally related to the occurrence of disturbances and shifts in the local environmental conditions such as light, temperature, and biotic factors. Thus, the distribution of pioneer tree species is expected to vary according to the gap characteristics and with human disturbances. We asked whether there was variation in the distribution of a pioneer species under different environmental conditions generated by natural disturbances, and between two forests with contrasting levels of human disturbance. To answer this question, we studied the distribution patterns and population persistence of the pioneer tree species Croton floribundus in the size and age gap range of a primary Brazilian forest. Additionally, we compared the plant density of two size‐classes between a primary and an early successional human‐disturbed forest. Croton floribundus was found to be widespread and equally distributed along the gap‐size gradient in the primary forest. Overall density did not vary with gap size or age (F‐ratio = 0.062, P = 0.941), and while juveniles were found to have a higher density in the early successional forest (P = 0.021), tree density was found to be similar between forests (P = 0.058). Our results indicate that the population structure of a pioneer tree species with long life span and a broad gap‐size niche preference varied between natural and human‐disturbed forests, but not with the level of natural disturbance. We believe this can be explained by the extreme environmental changes that occur after human disturbance. The ecological processes that affect the distribution of pioneer species in natural and human‐modified forests may be similar, but our results suggest they act differently under the contrasting environmental conditions generated by natural and human disturbances.     

Effects of sampling method on foliar δ13C of Leymus chinensis at different scales

Stable carbon isotope composition (δ¹³C) usually shows a negative relationship with precipitation at a large scale. We hypothesized that sampling method affects foliar δ¹³C and its response pattern to precipitation. We selected 11 sites along a precipitation gradient in Inner Mongolia and collected leaves of Leymus chinensis with five or six replications repeatedly in each site from 2009 to 2011. Additionally, we collected leaves of L. chinensis separately from two types of grassland (grazed and fenced) in 2011. Foliar δ¹³C values of all samples were measured. We compared the patterns that foliar δ¹³C to precipitation among different years or different sample sizes, the differences of foliar δ¹³C between grazed and fenced grassland. Whether actual annual precipitation (AAP) or mean annual precipitation (MAP), it was strongly correlated with foliar δ¹³C every year. Significant difference was found between the slopes of foliar δ¹³C to AAP and MAP every year, among the slopes of foliar δ¹³C to AAP from 2009 to 2011. The more samples used at each site the lower and convergent P‐values of the linear regression test between foliar δ¹³C and precipitation. Furthermore, there was significant lower foliar δ¹³C value in presence of grazed type than fenced type grassland. These findings provide evidence that there is significant effect of sampling method to foliar δ¹³C and its response pattern to precipitation of L. chinensis. Our results have valuable implications in methodology for future field sampling studies.     

Reconstruction of disturbance history of a typical broad-leaved Pinus koraiensis forest and mechanisms of disturbance occurrence

该文依托于小兴安岭典型阔叶红松(Pinus koraiensis)林9 hm2森林动态监测样地,对样地内林窗边缘主要树种红松和臭冷杉(Abies nephrolepis)进行生长释放判定分析,重建了冠层树木的干扰历史。结果表明:整体上林窗木与非林窗木的生长变化百分率变化规律基本一致,而不同林窗间生长变化百分率存在明显的差异,林窗干扰及其产生的影响存在较大的变异性。在1733–1738、1748–1752、1769–1771、1798–1801、1827–1833、1841–1844、1935–1939及1968–1973年间红松生长释放较强,其中1752、1770、1800、1830、1842、1937及1970年出现了明显的干扰峰;在1889–1904、1932–1938、1947–1973和1986–2005年间臭冷杉生长释放较强,其中1894、1934、1951、1968和1990年出现了明显的干扰峰。红松干扰存在2.0 a、3.5 a、3.8 a、7.3–7.9 a和9.1–18.2 a的显著周期,臭冷杉干扰存在3.5–3.6 a、7.5–48.8 a和65–85 a的显著周期。风干扰是典型阔叶红松林干扰释放的主要因子,异常温度也影响该地区树木生长释放事件。太阳活动通过影响局地风速、温度、降水等气候因子以及其他大尺度气候模态影响林窗动态,可能是小兴安岭典型阔叶红松林的干扰机制之一。     

Allometry,merism, and tooth shape of the upper deciduous M2 and permanent M1

The aims of this study were to investigate the effect of allometry on the shape of dm² and M¹ crown outlines and to examine whether the trajectory and magnitude of scaling are shared between species. The sample included 160 recent Homo sapiens, 28 Upper Paleolithic H. sapiens, 10 early H. sapiens, and 33 H. neanderthalensis (Neandertal) individuals. Of these, 97 were dm²/M¹ pairs from the same individuals. A two‐block partial least squares analysis of paired individuals revealed a significant correlation in crown shape between dm² and M¹. A principal component analysis confirmed that Neandertal and H. sapiens dm² and M¹ shapes differ significantly and that this difference is primarily related to hypocone size and projection. Allometry accounted for a small but significant proportion of the total morphological variance. We found the magnitude of the allometric effect to be significantly stronger in Neandertals than in H. sapiens. Procrustes distances were significantly different between the two tooth classes in Neandertals, but not among H. sapiens groups. Nevertheless, we could not reject the null hypothesis that the two species share the same allometric trajectory. Although size clearly contributes to the unique shape of the Neandertal dm² and M¹, the largest H. sapiens teeth do not exhibit the most Neandertal‐like morphology. Hence, additional factors must contribute to the differences in dm² and M¹ crown shape between these two species. We suggest an investigation of the role of timing and rate of development on the shapes of the dm² and M¹ may provide further answers. Am J Phys Anthropol 154:104–114, 2014. © 2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.