Warming increases soil carbon input in a Sibiraea angustata-dominated alpine shrub ecosystem

Plant-derived carbon (C) inputs via foliar litter, root litter and root exudates are key drivers of soil organic C stocks. However, the responses of these three input pathways to climate warming have rarely been studied in alpine shrublands. By employing a 3-year warming experiment (increased by 1.3 °C), we investigated the effects of warming on the relative C contributions from foliar litter, root litter and root exudates from Sibiraea angustata, a dominant shrub species in an alpine shrubland on the eastern Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau. The soil organic C inputs from foliar litter, root litter and root exudates were 77.45, 90.58 and 26.94 g C m⁻², respectively. Warming only slightly increased the soil organic C inputs from foliar litter and root litter by 8.04 and 11.13 g C m⁻², but significantly increased the root exudate C input by 15.40 g C m⁻². Warming significantly increased the relative C contributions of root exudates to total C inputs by 4.6% but slightly decreased those of foliar litter and root litter by 2.5% and 2.1%, respectively. Our results highlight that climate warming may stimulate plant-derived C inputs into soils mainly through root exudates rather than litter in alpine shrublands on the Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau.     

Harmonizing Labeling and Analytical Strategies to Obtain Protein Turnover Rates in Intact Adult Animals

Changes in the abundance of individual proteins in the proteome can be elicited by modulation of protein synthesis (the rate of input of newly synthesized proteins into the protein pool) or degradation (the rate of removal of protein molecules from the pool). A full understanding of proteome changes therefore requires a definition of the roles of these two processes in proteostasis, collectively known as protein turnover. Because protein turnover occurs even in the absence of overt changes in pool abundance, turnover measurements necessitate monitoring the flux of stable isotope–labeled precursors through the protein pool such as labeled amino acids or metabolic precursors such as ammonium chloride or heavy water. In cells in culture, the ability to manipulate precursor pools by rapid medium changes is simple, but for more complex systems such as intact animals, the approach becomes more convoluted. Individual methods bring specific complications, and the suitability of different methods has not been comprehensively explored. In this study, we compare the turnover rates of proteins across four mouse tissues, obtained from the same inbred mouse strain maintained under identical husbandry conditions, measured using either [¹³C₆]lysine or [²H₂]O as the labeling precursor. We show that for long-lived proteins, the two approaches yield essentially identical measures of the first-order rate constant for degradation. For short-lived proteins, there is a need to compensate for the slower equilibration of lysine through the precursor pools. We evaluate different approaches to provide that compensation. We conclude that both labels are suitable, but careful determination of precursor enrichment kinetics in amino acid labeling is critical and has a considerable influence on the numerical values of the derived protein turnover rates.     

模拟根系分泌物输入对高寒退化草地土壤微生物残体的影响

微生物残体是稳定土壤碳库的重要来源，对退化生境碳的固持和积累具有重要意义。植物根系分泌物作为植物-土壤-微生物"交流"的媒介，是调控土壤微生物残体迁移转化的关键。因此，以极度退化草地土壤为对象，以氨基糖为标志物，模拟研究了不同氮浓度（低氮-LN：0.1 gN/kg；高氮-HN：0.2 gN/kg）和多样性（3种化合物、9种化合物）根系分泌物输入对土壤微生物残体的影响。结果表明：（1）根系分泌物输入可显著增加高寒退化草地土壤微生物残体含量，且主要由真菌残体贡献。其中高氮和低多样性处理增加最明显，微生物残体和真菌残体分别增加了101.14%，125.16%，而低氮和高多样性处理微生物残体和真菌残体仅增加了35.79%，33.51%。（2）根系分泌物的输入可增加土壤β-葡萄糖苷酶、土壤磷酸酶和过氧化物酶活性，促进微生物的生长，而降低β-N-乙酰氨基葡萄糖苷酶活性，减少微生物残体的分解。（3）回归分析结果显示，土壤微生物残体与土壤环境的C/N呈显著负相关，与微生物生物量C/N呈显著正相关。上述结果表明，在未来退化草地恢复中，可充分利用模拟根系分泌物输入的土壤固碳策略，即通过提高土壤氮的有效性，促进微生物的生长，加快代谢周转，进一步提高微生物残体含量。     

Intersexual variation in the foraging ecology of sexually monochromatic Western Wood‐Pewees

ABSTRACT Investigators generally pool observations of males and females in studies of the foraging behavior of sexually monochromatic songbirds. However, such pooling can obscure possible intersexual differences. We compared the foraging behavior of male and female Western Wood‐Pewees (Contopus sordidulus), a sexually monochromatic species, in the Sierra Nevada Mountains of California during the breeding seasons of 2007 and 2008. We recorded 143 foraging observations (male N= 74, female N= 69). Overall, mean foraging rates of females (2.8 attacks/min) were higher (P < 0.001) than those of males (1.1 attacks/min). In addition, female foraging rates were significantly higher during incubation than during the nest building, nestling, and fledgling periods. When foraging, males perched higher above ground than females (means = 17.1 and 6.7 m, respectively). Differences between male and female Western Wood‐Pewees in foraging rates and perch heights suggest that males may spend more time on vigilance while females focus on foraging quickly during incubation and when feeding nestlings. Because metrics such as foraging attack rates are sometimes used as indicators of habitat quality and we found that rates can differ between the sexes and among nesting stages, investigators should consider the possibility of such differences when assessing habitat quality, especially for sexually monochromatic species of birds.     

不同土壤水分含量下高寒草地CH4释放的比较研究

2003年6月30日～9月4日,利用密闭箱-气相色谱法,对发育于不同水分状况下的灌丛草甸(GC)、矮嵩草草甸(AC)、藏嵩草草甸(ZC)和季节性湿地(SD)的CH4释放速率进行了比较研究.结果表明,观测期间,季节性湿地处于淹水状态,其它三种土壤平均水分含量分别为39.6%(GC)、38.4%(AC)、65.9%(ZC),而CH4平均释放速率分别为-0.031±0.030(GC)、-0.026±0.018(AC)、1.103±0.240(ZC)和6.922±4.598 mg·m-2·h-1(SD),随着土壤水分含量的增加,高寒草地土壤CH4释放由吸收转为排放,表现出与土壤湿度很好的一致性.矮嵩草草甸不同处理CH4吸收强度AC＜AJ＜AL,它们之间的差异除与土壤水分有关,还可能与处理引起的CH4传输途径不同有关.实验期间,矮嵩草草甸和灌丛草甸土壤-植物系统分别吸收CH438.69和46.13 mg·m-2,是大气温室气体CH4的弱汇,藏嵩草草甸和季节性湿地则是大气温室气体CH4的源,分别排放CH4 1.641和10.30 g·m-2.     

Dynamic and complex microclimate responses to warming and grazing manipulations

Synthesis efforts that identify patterns of ecosystem response to a suite of warming manipulations can make important contributions to climate change science. However, cross‐study comparisons are impeded by the paucity of detailed analyses of how passive warming and other manipulations affect microclimate. Here we document the independent and combined effects of a common passive warming manipulation, open‐top chambers (OTCs), and a simulated widespread land use, clipping, on microclimate on the Tibetan Plateau. OTCs consistently elevated growing season averaged mean daily air temperature by 1.0–2.0°C, maximum daily air temperature by 2.1–7.3°C and the diurnal air temperature range by 1.9–6.5°C, with mixed effects on minimum daily air temperature, and mean daily soil temperature and moisture. These OTC effects on microclimate differ from reported effects of a common active warming method, infrared heating, which has more consistent effects on soil than on air temperature. There were significant interannual and intragrowing season differences in OTC effects on microclimate. For example, while OTCs had mixed effects on growing season averaged soil temperatures, OTCs consistently elevated soil temperature by approximately 1.0°C early in the growing season. Nonadditive interactions between OTCs and clipping were also present: OTCs in clipped plots generally elevated air and soil temperatures more than OTCs in nonclipped plots. Moreover, site factors dynamically interacted with microclimate and with the efficacy of the OTC manipulations. These findings highlight the need to understand differential microclimate effects between warming methods, within warming method across ecosystem sites, within warming method crossed with other treatments, and within sites over various timescales. Methods, sites and scales are potential explanatory variables and covariables in climate warming experiments. Consideration of this variability among and between experimental warming studies will lead to greater understanding and better prediction of ecosystem response to anthropogenic climate warming.     

Floristic richness of three perhumid New Zealand alpine plant communities in comparison with other regions

Abstract Results are presented on vascular species richness in three representative alpine plant communities at 1040–1410 m on Mt Burns in the perhumid Fiordland region, a hotspot of alpine plant diversity, in south‐western South Island, New Zealand. Overall species richness was not dissimilar between the three communities in any of the eight plot sizes (mean values of 20.8–24.4 species in the largest plots of 100 m²), even though coefficients of floristic similarity were small (17.9; 23.5) between both low‐alpine communities (snow tussock‐shrubland and snow tussock grassland) and the high‐alpine cushion fellfield. Vascular species richness was generally similar to that in the few other oceanic New Zealand alpine communities for which data are available. The decline in richness from the low‐alpine to high‐alpine zones, revealed in more comprehensive records from two other regions with generally similar oceanic environments, was not recorded, indeed was reversed, on Mt Burns. Whether the recognized biodiversity hotspot of Fiordland has a generally richer high‐alpine flora than other regions in New Zealand needs further examination. The general pattern of alpine floristic richness in relation to elevation, in New Zealand, also prevails in most alpine regions abroad, usually under much more extreme continental environments. This pattern is usually ascribed to the associated decrease in temperature. Both the small size of the land mass and/or associated environmental conditions may be implicated but clarification awaits further data, preferably collected with standardized procedures.     

滇西北藏区草地管理方式对草地昆虫群落多样性的影响

采用野外样地生态方法研究了4种不同管理草地的昆虫群落的多样性。结果表明,草地昆虫群落优势类群为叶蝉总科、盲蝽科、蝇科、瘿蚊科等;刈草草地、种植草地、自由放牧草地和灌丛草地拥有的昆虫的科数分别为40、44、35和36,个体数分别为1869、1510、997和848;刈草草地昆虫群落多样性指数相对较高。用Jaccard相似性系数(ISJ)判别发现,4种管理方式草地昆虫群落处于中等相似水平。因此,不同管理方式对昆虫群落的多样性有影响,传统管理的刈草草地有利于维持草地昆虫的多样性。     

青藏高原高寒灌丛非生长季节CO2通量特征

利用2003年和2004年涡度相关系统通量观测资料,对青藏高原高寒灌丛非生长季节CO2通量特征及其主要影响因子进行了分析。(1)从净生态系统CO2交换(NEE)日变化特征看,除13:00~19:00时有较小的CO2净释放以外,其余时段NEE均很小;(2)高寒灌丛非生长季月份间NEE差异明显,4月和10月是CO2净释放量较大,1月和12月CO2净释放量较小;(3)相对温带草原(高杆草大草原)草地类型,低温抑制下的青藏高原高寒灌丛生态系统非生长季节日平均CO2释放率较低;(4)高寒灌丛非生长季NEE日变化模式与5 cm土壤温度变化呈显著正相关,土壤温度是影响非生长季节青藏高原高寒灌丛NEE变化的主导气候因子,同时NEE变化还受降水的影响。     

道路及道路施工对若尔盖高寒湿地小型兽类及鸟类生境利用的影响

为考察道路和道路施工对若尔盖高寒泥炭湿地野生动物的影响,我们在穿过若尔盖湿地的2条道路两侧,对距道路不同距离的小型兽类和鸟类分布进行了调查,其中小型兽类调查深度距离公路800m,鸟类调查深度距离公路400m。施工中的国道213线路两侧黑唇鼠兔(Ochotonacurzoniae)洞穴高密度区域离道路更远,在道路两侧400m处达到峰值,极显著高于距离道路10m处的密度;而在正常运营中的省道209线两侧,其洞穴密度在200m处达到最高值,与其他距离的洞穴密度没有显著性差异。无论在国道213线还是省道209线,道路对高原鼢鼠(Myospalaxbaileyi)洞穴分布的影响均未达到显著性水平。在正常运营的省道209线两侧,高原鼢鼠土堆密度最高区域为距离道路100m处;而施工的道路两侧高原鼢鼠土堆密度最高区域则出现在距离道路10m处,第二高峰出现在距离道路400m处。雀形目和隼形目鸟类的分布均呈现距离道路越远密度越高的趋势,但是只有距离道路400m处雀形目鸟类的密度显著高于50m与200m处;距离道路不同距离的样线中隼形目鸟类密度和物种丰富度没有显著性差异。由此可以看出,施工中的道路对黑唇鼠兔的影响区域比正常运营的道路更宽,其公路效应域达到400m,400m的调查深度对鸟类尤其是隼形目鸟类来说可能还略有不足。但是,根据此深度的调查可以确定施工中的国道213线雀形目和隼形目鸟类的公路效应域宽度大于400m。