Trait plasticity alters the range of possible coexistence conditions in a competition–colonisation trade‐off

Most of the classical theory on species coexistence has been based on species‐level competitive trade‐offs. However, it is becoming apparent that plant species display high levels of trait plasticity. The implications of this plasticity are almost completely unknown for most coexistence theory. Here, we model a competition–colonisation trade‐off and incorporate trait plasticity to evaluate its effects on coexistence. Our simulations show that the classic competition–colonisation trade‐off is highly sensitive to environmental circumstances, and coexistence only occurs in narrow ranges of conditions. The inclusion of plasticity, which allows shifts in competitive hierarchies across the landscape, leads to coexistence across a much broader range of competitive and environmental conditions including disturbance levels, the magnitude of competitive differences between species, and landscape spatial patterning. Plasticity also increases the number of species that persist in simulations of multispecies assemblages. Plasticity may generally increase the robustness of coexistence mechanisms and be an important component of scaling coexistence theory to higher diversity communities.     

Effects of urbanization on streams of the Melbourne region, Victoria, Australia. I. Benthic macroinvertebrate communities

1. Macroinvertebrate community composition was assessed in small streams of the Melbourne region to test the effects of (a) urban density (catchment imperviousness 0–51%) and (b) stormwater drainage intensity (comparing the intensively drained metropolitan area with urban areas of the hinterland, which had open drains and some localized stormwater drainage).
2. Hinterland communities separated into two groups of sites correlating strongly with patterns of electrical conductivity (EC), basalt geology and annual rainfall. Community composition varied little in the high-EC, western group (imperviousness 0.2–1.2%), but in the eastern group it was strongly correlated with catchment imperviousness (0–12%), with lower taxon richness in more impervious catchments.
3. Metropolitan communities (imperviousness 1–51%) were all severely degraded, with high abundances of a few tolerant taxa. Community composition was poorly correlated with patterns of geology, rainfall or imperviousness. Differences between metropolitan and hinterland communities were well explained by patterns of biochemical oxygen demand and electrical conductivity, which were postulated to indicate the more efficient transport of pollutants to receiving streams by the metropolitan stormwater drainage system.
4. Degradation of macroinvertebrate community composition was well explained by urban density but intensive urban drainage increased degradation severely at even low urban densities. Quantification of relationships between imperviousness, drainage intensity and stream degradation can better inform the assessment, conservation and restoration of urban streams.     

GIS interpolations of witness tree records (1839–1866) for northern Wisconsin at multiple scales

To construct forest landscape of pre‐European settlement periods, we developed a GIS interpolation approach to convert witness tree records of the U.S. General Land Office (GLO) survey from point to polygon data, which better described continuously distributed vegetation. The witness tree records (1839–1866) were processed for a 3‐million ha landscape in northern Wisconsin, U.S.A. at different scales. We provided implications of processing results at each scale. Compared with traditional GLO mapping that has fixed mapping scales and generalized classifications, our approach allows presettlement forest landscapes to be analysed at the individual species level and reconstructed under various classifications. We calculated vegetation indices including relative density, dominance, and importance value for each species, and quantitatively described the possible outcomes when GLO records are analysed at three different scales (resolution). The 1 × 1‐section resolution preserved spatial information but derived the most conservative estimates of species distributions measured in percentage area, which increased at coarser resolutions. Such increases under the 2 × 2‐section resolution were in the order of three to four times for the least common species, two to three times for the medium to most common species, and one to two times for the most common or highly contagious species. We mapped the distributions of hemlock and sugar maple from the pre‐European settlement period based on their witness tree locations and reconstructed presettlement forest landscapes based on species importance values derived for all species. The results provide a unique basis to further study land cover changes occurring after European settlement.     

Individual tree context and contrast dictate tree physiological features and arthropod biodiversity patterns across multiple trophic levels

1. The present study tested the hypothesis that tree context (natural, semi-natural or planted) and contrast (height of surrounding vegetation) affect tree physiological characters (leaf size, nutrient content, and stress-related factors), and also alter the arthropod biodiversity patterns either directly or indirectly. 2. Arthropods were collected from tree canopies using chemical fogging from the ecologically important South African native tree Podocarpus elongatus. 3. Low contrast trees had significantly larger leaves than those in high contrast environments and harboured an overall higher richness, abundance, and biomass of arthropods, although this was guild-dependent. 4. Trees in natural contexts had less foliar δ¹³C, suffered less from artificial nitrogen enrichment, and harboured significantly higher herbivore and predator arthropod richness and unique assemblages, compared with planted trees. 5. Semi-natural trees supported natural levels of arthropod richness, although these were mostly generalist species. 6. Tree context and contrast can therefore dictate associated biota at multiple trophic levels and native trees may fail to maintain natural biodiversity in transformed landscapes.     

Comparative phylogeography of two co‐distributed but ecologically distinct rainbowfishes of far‐northern Australia

Aim

To test the influence of historical and contemporary environment in shaping the genetic diversity of freshwater fauna we contrast genetic structure in two co‐distributed, but ecologically distinct, rainbowfish; a habitat generalist (Melanotaenia splendida) and a habitat specialist (M. trifasciata).

Location

Fishes were sampled from far northern Australia (Queensland and Northern Territory).

Methods

We used sequence data from one mitochondrial gene and one nuclear gene to investigate patterns of genetic diversity in M. splendida and M. trifasciata to determine how differences in habitat preference and historical changes in drainage boundaries affected patterns of connectivity.

Results

Melanotaenia splendida showed high levels of genetic diversity and little population structure across its range. In contrast, M. trifasciata showed high levels of population structure. Whereas phylogeographic patterns differed, both species showed a strong relationship between geographical distance and genetic differentiation between populations. Melanotaenia splendida showed a shallower relationship with geographical distance, and genetic differentiation was best explained by stream length and a lower scaled ocean distance (11.98 times coast length). For M. trifasciata, genetic differentiation was best explained by overwater distance between catchments and ocean distance scaled at 1.16 × 10⁶ times coast length.

Main conclusions

Connectivity of freshwater populations inhabiting regions periodically interconnected during glacial periods appears to have been affected by ecological differences between species. Species‐specific differences are epitomized here by the contrast between co‐distributed congeners with different habitat requirements: for the habitat generalist, M. splendida, there was evidence for greater historical genetic connectivity with oceans as a weaker barrier to gene exchange in contrast with the habitat specialist, M. trifasciata.     

基于MSPA-连接度-空间句法的生态保护空间及优先级识别——以苏锡常地区为例

随着城市化进程的加快,对生态保护空间(Ecological Protect Area,EPA)进行优先级识别已经成为保护生物多样性,缓解城市生态压力,提高土地利用效率的重要方法之一。以苏锡常地区为例,通过形态空间格局分析(Morphological Spatial Pattern Analysis,MSPA)确定EPA,进而采用景观连接度方法对其优先级进行识别,以优先级较高的林地和水域为"源地",构建EPA网络;同时由于景观连接度方法在识别优先级时,未能体现EPA对物种决策的非等权重影响,因此本研究引入空间句法进一步对EPA进行优先级识别。结果显示:1)苏锡常地区EPA中编号1、2的林地以及太湖的优先级最高,是区域网络的3个中心,需要优先保护;2)引入空间句法的优先级识别结果与基于景观连接度的优先级识别结果存在明显差异,后者优先级较高的8个EPA,在引入空间句法后优先级降低1—2个等级;后者优先级较低的4个EPA的优先级则上升了2个等级。同时也表明:基于连接度-空间句法的EPA优先级识别方法能够反映不同景观要素对物种决策行为的非等权重影响,强化了生态要素的空间配置的生态效应,为明确关键性生态空间,提供了有效的方法补充,对保护生物多样性和维系区域生态安全具有重要意义。     

A global synthesis of the effects of diversified farming systems on arthropod diversity within fields and across agricultural landscapes

Agricultural intensification is a leading cause of global biodiversity loss, which can reduce the provisioning of ecosystem services in managed ecosystems. Organic farming and plant diversification are farm management schemes that may mitigate potential ecological harm by increasing species richness and boosting related ecosystem services to agroecosystems. What remains unclear is the extent to which farm management schemes affect biodiversity components other than species richness, and whether impacts differ across spatial scales and landscape contexts. Using a global metadataset, we quantified the effects of organic farming and plant diversification on abundance, local diversity (communities within fields), and regional diversity (communities across fields) of arthropod pollinators, predators, herbivores, and detritivores. Both organic farming and higher in‐field plant diversity enhanced arthropod abundance, particularly for rare taxa. This resulted in increased richness but decreased evenness. While these responses were stronger at local relative to regional scales, richness and abundance increased at both scales, and richness on farms embedded in complex relative to simple landscapes. Overall, both organic farming and in‐field plant diversification exerted the strongest effects on pollinators and predators, suggesting these management schemes can facilitate ecosystem service providers without augmenting herbivore (pest) populations. Our results suggest that organic farming and plant diversification promote diverse arthropod metacommunities that may provide temporal and spatial stability of ecosystem service provisioning. Conserving diverse plant and arthropod communities in farming systems therefore requires sustainable practices that operate both within fields and across landscapes.     

基于多尺度协同的长沙市生态网络构建与层级优化

城市化背景下人类与自然环境的矛盾呈现出多尺度、层级化特征，而传统生态网络的构建方式较少考虑不同尺度下生态要素的关系，无法从区域落实到中心城区，难以形成系统性的解决方案。研究在综合梳理各尺度生态网络构建方法的基础上，以长沙市为例，基于形态学空间格局分析（Morphological Spatial Pattern Analysis，MSPA）、景观连通性原理和生态斑块重要性评价识别生态源地，并通过多层级生态阻力面的确定，综合运用最小费用路径（Least-cost path method，LCP）、电路理论、层级传导理论、尺度嵌套等方法对市域、都市区、中心城区的生态网络进行了协同构建和层级优化，最后基于不同尺度生态网络的特点应用并落实到多层级的国土空间规划体系中。研究结果表明：（1）长沙市域生态网络和都市区生态网络具有较好的层级嵌套特征；共识别两尺度生态叠合源地14个、生态叠合廊道15条，主要通过中心城区内的湘江、浏阳河和捞刀河部分河段与外围生态绿圈相衔接，形成"外环内楔"的空间格局。（2）确定市域重要廊道、市域潜在廊道、生态叠合廊道、都市区重要廊道、都市区潜在廊道的核心保护面积共501.14 km²，并提取位于生态廊道核心保护区范围内的生态夹点和生态障碍点，以进一步落实生态保护修复策略。（3）得到具有重要生态连通功能的中心城区生态绿道长度441.2 km，生态修复单元56个，并结合生态阻力值划分为5级进行针对性修复。（4）基于不同尺度生态网络的衔接、嵌套，最终构建"市域总体生态安全格局-都市区城市生态空间发展格局-以城市绿道为基础的中心城区生态修复单元"，并与不同层级的国土空间规划体系相对应。研究结果将为以大城市为中心的跨尺度生态系统修复和生态安全格局构建提供科学参考。     

Gene expression kinetics in individual plasmodial cells reveal alternative programs of differential regulation during commitment and differentiation

During its life cycle, the amoebozoon Physarum polycephalum forms multinucleate plasmodial cells that can grow to macroscopic size while maintaining a naturally synchronous population of nuclei. Sporulation‐competent plasmodia were stimulated through photoactivation of the phytochrome photoreceptor and the expression of sporulation marker genes was analyzed quantitatively by repeatedly taking samples of the same plasmodial cell at successive time points after the stimulus pulse. Principal component analysis of the gene expression data revealed that plasmodial cells take different trajectories leading to cell fate decision and differentiation and suggested that averaging over individual cells is inappropriate. Queries for genes with pairwise correlated expression kinetics revealed qualitatively different patterns of co‐regulation, indicating that alternative programs of differential regulation are operational in individual plasmodial cells. At the single cell level, the response to stimulation of a non‐sporulating mutant was qualitatively different as compared to the wild type with respect to the differentially regulated genes and their patterns of co‐regulation. The observation of individual differences during commitment and differentiation supports the concept of a Waddington‐type quasipotential landscape for the regulatory control of cell differentiation. Comparison of wild type and sporulation mutant data further supports the idea that mutations may impact the topology of this landscape.