模拟增温对杉木幼树生长和光合特性的影响

为阐明杉木生长特征及光合能力对未来全球变暖的响应方式,通过在福建省三明市森林生态系统与全球变化研究站陈大观测点内开展的土壤增温(电缆加热,+4℃)实验,研究了增温条件下杉木幼树生长(树高、地径)特征及光合作用参数的变化,并对土壤有效氮(N)、叶片N含量、叶绿素含量(Chl)及非结构性碳水化合物(NSC)指标进行了测定。结果表明:1)在增温条件下,杉木幼树净光合速率(P_n)和水分利用效率(WUE)显著增加,分别增加了71.4%、51.3%,增温后杉木叶片能维持较高的气孔导度(G_s)、蒸腾速率(T_r)和胞间二氧化碳浓度(C_i)。2)增温促进土壤有机氮矿化作用,使土壤中可供植物吸收利用的有效N含量显著增加,从而引起杉木叶片N含量显著提高。而N作为叶绿素的重要组成物质,增温后,叶片N含量显著提高,最终导致杉木幼树叶片Chl a、Chl b及Chl总量显著增加,增加比例分别为76.3%、55.8%、68.7%,Chl a/b值亦呈增加趋势。3)增温对杉木幼树生长及叶片NSC含量并无显著影响。综上所述,增温通过改变杉木叶片气孔导度敏感性以及促进杉木叶片Chl含量合成,增加叶片对CO_2的吸收以及光能捕获能力,进而提高光合效率。同时,增温引起的根系高温可能大幅度提高杉木呼吸强度,加剧对杉木叶片碳水化合物的消耗过程,使其NSC含量无显著变化,从而导致杉木幼树生长无显著差异。     

库布齐沙漠东部不同生物结皮发育阶段土壤温室气体通量

以流动沙地为对照,采用时空替代法分析库布齐沙漠东部固定沙地上不同发育阶段生物结皮藻类结皮和地衣结皮土壤温室气体通量特征及其与环境因子之间的关系,研究生物结皮发育对荒漠土壤温室气体通量的影响.结果表明: 荒漠土壤CO₂排放通量大小为地衣结皮(128.5 mg·m^-2·h^-1)>藻结皮(70.2 mg·m^-2·h^-1)>流动沙地(48.2 mg·m^-2·h^-1),CH₄吸收通量大小为地衣结皮(30.4 μg·m^-2·h^-1)>藻结皮(21.2 μg·m^-2·h^-1)>流动沙地(18.2 μg·m^-2·h^-1),N₂O排放通量大小为地衣结皮(6.6 μg·m^-2·h^-1)>藻结皮(5.4 μg·m^-2·h^-1)>流动沙地(2.5 μg·m^-2·h^-1).CO₂排放具有明显的季节变化,生长季显著大于非生长季;CH₄和N₂O季节变化差异不显著,前者生长季吸收大于非生长季,后者非生长季排放大于生长季.土壤有机碳和全氮含量、土壤微生物数量均是影响温室气体通量的重要因素,环境水热因子是影响土壤CO₂排放的关键因子,但CH₄和N₂O通量对水热因子的变化不敏感.随着植被恢复和生物结皮发育,荒漠土壤温室气体累积通量的不断增大导致其百年尺度的全球增温潜势亦显著提高,依次为地衣结皮(1135.7 g CO₂-e·m^-2·a^-1)>藻结皮(626.5 g CO₂-e·m^-2·a^-1) >流动沙地(422.7 g CO₂-e·m^-2·a^-1).     

Long‐term changes in the impacts of global warming on leaf phenology of four temperate tree species

Contrary to the generally advanced spring leaf unfolding under global warming, the effects of the climate warming on autumn leaf senescence are highly variable with advanced, delayed, and unchanged patterns being all reported. Using one million records of leaf phenology from four dominant temperate species in Europe, we investigated the temperature sensitivities of spring leaf unfolding and autumn leaf senescence (S_T, advanced or delayed days per degree Celsius). The S_T of spring phenology in all of the four examined species showed an increase and decrease during 1951–1980 and 1981–2013, respectively. The decrease in the S_T during 1981–2013 appears to be caused by reduced accumulation of chilling units. As with spring phenology, the S_T of leaf senescence of early successional and exotic species started to decline since 1980. In contrast, for late successional species, the S_T of autumn senescence showed an increase for the entire study period from 1951 to 2013. Moreover, the impacts of rising temperature associated with global warming on spring leaf unfolding were stronger than those on autumn leaf senescence. The timing of leaf senescence was positively correlated with the timing of leaf unfolding during 1951–1980. However, as climate warming continued, the differences in the responses between spring and autumn phenology gradually increased, so that the correlation was no more significant during 1981–2013. Our results further suggest that since 2000, due to the decreased temperature sensitivity of leaf unfolding the length of the growing season has not increased any more. These finding needs to be addressed in vegetation models used for assessing the effects of climate change.     

Experimental warming alters the community composition,diversity, and N2 fixation activity of peat moss (Sphagnum fallax) microbiomes

Sphagnum‐dominated peatlands comprise a globally important pool of soil carbon (C) and are vulnerable to climate change. While peat mosses of the genus Sphagnum are known to harbor diverse microbial communities that mediate C and nitrogen (N) cycling in peatlands, the effects of climate change on Sphagnum microbiome composition and functioning are largely unknown. We investigated the impacts of experimental whole‐ecosystem warming on the Sphagnum moss microbiome, focusing on N₂ fixing microorganisms (diazotrophs). To characterize the microbiome response to warming, we performed next‐generation sequencing of small subunit (SSU) rRNA and nitrogenase (nifH) gene amplicons and quantified rates of N₂ fixation activity in Sphagnum fallax individuals sampled from experimental enclosures over 2 years in a northern Minnesota, USA bog. The taxonomic diversity of overall microbial communities and diazotroph communities, as well as N₂ fixation rates, decreased with warming (p < 0.05). Following warming, diazotrophs shifted from a mixed community of Nostocales (Cyanobacteria) and Rhizobiales (Alphaproteobacteria) to predominance of Nostocales. Microbiome community composition differed between years, with some diazotroph populations persisting while others declined in relative abundance in warmed plots in the second year. Our results demonstrate that warming substantially alters the community composition, diversity, and N₂ fixation activity of peat moss microbiomes, which may ultimately impact host fitness, ecosystem productivity, and C storage potential in peatlands.     

Susceptibility of European freshwater fish to climate change: Species profiling based on life‐history and environmental characteristics

Climate change is expected to strongly affect freshwater fish communities. Combined with other anthropogenic drivers, the impacts may alter species spatio‐temporal distributions and contribute to population declines and local extinctions. To provide timely management and conservation of fishes, it is relevant to identify species that will be most impacted by climate change and those that will be resilient. Species traits are considered a promising source of information on characteristics that influence resilience to various environmental conditions and impacts. To this end, we collated life‐history traits and climatic niches of 443 European freshwater fish species and compared those identified as susceptible to climate change to those that are considered to be resilient. Significant differences were observed between the two groups in their distribution, life history, and climatic niche, with climate‐change‐susceptible species being distributed within the Mediterranean region, and being characterized by greater threat levels, lesser commercial relevance, lower vulnerability to fishing, smaller body and range size, and warmer thermal envelopes. Based on our results, we establish a list of species of highest priority for further research and monitoring regarding climate‐change susceptibility within Europe. The presented approach represents a promising tool to efficiently assess large groups of species regarding their susceptibility to climate change and other threats, and to identify research and management priorities.     

Climate warming alters subsoil but not topsoil carbon dynamics in alpine grassland

Subsoil contains more than half of soil organic carbon (SOC) globally and is conventionally assumed to be relatively unresponsive to warming compared to the topsoil. Here, we show substantial changes in carbon allocation and dynamics of the subsoil but not topsoil in the Qinghai‐Tibetan alpine grasslands over 5 years of warming. Specifically, warming enhanced the accumulation of newly synthesized (¹⁴C‐enriched) carbon in the subsoil slow‐cycling pool (silt‐clay fraction) but promoted the decomposition of plant‐derived lignin in the fast‐cycling pool (macroaggregates). These changes mirrored an accumulation of lipids and sugars at the expense of lignin in the warmed bulk subsoil, likely associated with shortened soil freezing period and a deepening root system. As warming is accompanied by deepening roots in a wide range of ecosystems, root‐driven accrual of slow‐cycling pool may represent an important and overlooked mechanism for a potential long‐term carbon sink at depth. Moreover, given the contrasting sensitivity of SOC dynamics at varied depths, warming studies focusing only on surface soils may vastly misrepresent shifts in ecosystem carbon storage under climate change.     

Nitrogen limitation inhibits marine diatom adaptation to high temperatures

Ongoing climate change is shifting species distributions and increasing extinction risks globally. It is generally thought that large population sizes and short generation times of marine phytoplankton may allow them to adapt rapidly to global change, including warming, thus limiting losses of biodiversity and ecosystem function. Here, we show that a marine diatom survives high, previously lethal, temperatures after adapting to above‐optimal temperatures under nitrogen (N)‐replete conditions. N limitation, however, precludes thermal adaptation, leaving the diatom vulnerable to high temperatures. A trade‐off between high‐temperature tolerance and increased N requirements may explain why N limitation inhibited adaptation. Because oceanic N limitation is common and likely to intensify in the future, the assumption that phytoplankton will readily adapt to rising temperatures may need to be reevaluated.     

Contrasting forms of competition set elevational range limits of species

How abiotic and biotic factors constrain distribution limits at the harsh and benign edges of species ranges is hotly debated, partly because macroecological experiments testing the proximate causes of distribution limits are scarce. It has long been recognized – at least since Darwin’s On the Origin of Species – that a harsh climate strengthens competition and thus sets species range limits. Using thorough field manipulations along a large elevation gradient, we show the mechanisms by which temperature determines competition type, resulting in a transition from interference to exploitative competition from the lower to the upper elevation limits in burying beetles (Nicrophorus nepalensis). This transition is an example of Darwin’s classic hypothesis that benign climates favor direct competition for highly accessible resources while harsh climates result in competition through resources of high rivalry. We propose that identifying the properties of these key resources will provide a more predictive framework to understand the interplay between biotic and abiotic factors in determining geographic range limits.     

Experimental evidence for the role of sexual selection in the evolution of cuticular hydrocarbons in the dung beetle,Onthophagus taurus

A role for sexual selection in the evolution of insect cuticular hydrocarbons (CHCs) is suggested by observations of selection acting on male CHCs during female mate choice. However, evidence that CHCs evolve in response to sexual selection is generally lacking, and there is a need to extend our understanding beyond well‐studied taxa. Experimental evolution offers a powerful approach to investigate the effect of sexual selection on the evolution of insect CHCs. We conducted such an experiment using the dung beetle, Onthophagus taurus. After six, 12 and 21 generations of experimental evolution, we measured the CHCs of beetles from three populations subject to sexual selection and three populations within which sexual selection had been removed via enforced monogamy. We found that the male CHC profile responded to the experimental removal of sexual selection. Conversely, the CHC profile of females responded to the presence of sexual selection but not to its removal. These results show that sexual selection can be an important mechanism affecting the evolution of insect CHCs and that male and female CHCs can evolve independently.     

Adaptation to developmental diet influences the response to selection on age at reproduction in the fruit fly

Experimental evolution (EE) is a powerful tool for addressing how environmental factors influence life‐history evolution. While in nature different selection pressures experienced across the lifespan shape life histories, EE studies typically apply selection pressures one at a time. Here, we assess the consequences of adaptation to three different developmental diets in combination with classical selection for early or late reproduction in the fruit fly Drosophila melanogaster. We find that the response to each selection pressure is similar to that observed when they are applied independently, but the overall magnitude of the response depends on the selection regime experienced in the other life stage. For example, adaptation to increased age at reproduction increased lifespan across all diets; however, the extent of the increase was dependent on the dietary selection regime. Similarly, adaptation to a lower calorie developmental diet led to faster development and decreased adult weight, but the magnitude of the response was dependent on the age‐at‐reproduction selection regime. Given that multiple selection pressures are prevalent in nature, our findings suggest that trade‐offs should be considered not only among traits within an organism, but also among adaptive responses to different—sometimes conflicting—selection pressures, including across life stages.