Adverse wind conditions during northward Sahara crossings increase the in‐flight mortality of Black‐tailed Godwits

Long‐distance migratory flights are predicted to be associated with higher mortality rates when individuals encounter adverse weather conditions. However, directly connecting environmental conditions experienced in‐flight with the survival of migrants has proven difficult. We studied how the in‐flight mortality of 53 satellite‐tagged Black‐tailed Godwits (Limosa limosa limosa) during 132 crossings of the Sahara Desert, a major geographical barrier along their migration route between The Netherlands and sub‐Saharan Africa, is correlated with the experienced wind conditions and departure date during both southward and northward migration. We show that godwits experienced higher wind assistance during southward crossings, which seems to reflect local prevailing trade winds. Critically, we found that fatal northward crossings (15 deaths during 61 crossings) were associated with adverse wind conditions. Wind conditions during migration can thus directly influence vital rates. Changing wind conditions associated with global change may thus profoundly influence the costs of long‐distance migration in the future.     

Landscape and organismal factors affecting sagebrush‐seedling transplant survival after megafire restoration

Larger and more frequent disturbances are motivating efforts to accelerate recovery of foundational perennial species by focusing efforts into establishing island patches to sustain keystone species and facilitate recovery of the surrounding plant community. Evaluating the variability in abiotic and biotic factors that contribute to differences in survival and establishment can provide useful insight into the relative importance of these factors. In the western United States, severe degradation of the sagebrush steppe has motivated substantial efforts to restore native perennial cover, but success has been mixed. In this study, we evaluated survival of more than 3,000 sagebrush seedlings transplanted on 12 patches totaling 650 ha within a 113,000 ha burn area, and related the survival to organismal and subtaxonomic traits, and to landscape variables. Big sagebrush has high intraspecific diversity attributed to subspecies and cytotypes identifiable through ultraviolet (UV)‐induced fluorescence, length:width of leaves, or genome size (ploidy). Of these organismal traits, survival was related only to UV fluorescence, and then only so when landscape variables were excluded from analyses. The most significant landscape variable affecting survival was soil taxonomic subgroup, with much lower survival where buried restrictive layers reduce deep water infiltration. Survival also decreased with greater slope steepness, exotic annual grass cover, and burn severity. Survival was optimal where perennial bunchgrasses comprised 8–14% of total cover. These soil, topographic, and community condition factors revealed through monitoring of landscape‐level treatments can be used to explain the success of plantings and to strategically plan future restoration projects.     

气候变化背景下近30年祁连山高寒荒漠分布时空变化

高寒荒漠作为青藏高原植被带谱的顶端类型广泛分布于祁连山高海拔地区, 其生长和分布条件与周边区域差异明显, 对气候变化的响应更为敏感, 且研究较少。该文利用1990年以来的Landsat TM、OLI数据, 采用决策树分类和人工目视解译方法, 提取了祁连山高寒荒漠的分布范围。结合气候变化情况, 综合分析了气候变化背景下近30年祁连山高寒荒漠分布的动态变化及其时空差异。结果表明: (1)近30年增温气候变化过程中, 祁连山高寒荒漠分布范围呈萎缩趋势, 萎缩速率约为348.3 km ²·a ^-1, 萎缩变化幅度表现为西段>中段>东段, 局部地段上存在扩张现象。上述现象导致高寒荒漠下界平均海拔以每10年约15 m的平均速率向更高海拔推进, 向上推进幅度为西段>东段>中段; (2)受水热条件控制, 近30年祁连山高寒荒漠分布动态变化集中分布在低坡度地区。由于水热背景条件的空间差异, 祁连山东段和中段阳坡上高寒荒漠分布动态变化大于阴坡, 而在祁连山西段表现相反; (3) 1990年以来, 祁连山增温显著, 降水量微弱增加。在气候变化以及区域地形限制共同影响下, 祁连山高寒荒漠分布变化时空差异明显, 且过渡带上归一化植被指数与气温相关性高于降水量。以上结果表明, 气候变化影响祁连山高寒荒漠分布动态变化及其空间差异, 但气温是主要的影响因子, 增温促进了高寒荒漠下接植被带主体高寒草甸的生长。     

Grazing without grasses: Effects of introduced livestock on plant community composition in an arid environment in northern Patagonia

Question: How does grazing intensity affect plant density, cover and species richness in an Patagonian arid ecosystem? Location: Monte steppe ecoregion, SW Argentina. Methods: I analysed the effect of grazing on plant density, cover and species richness using a stocking rate gradient within the same habitat. Six paddocks were used with stocking rates ranging between 0.002 – 0.038 livestock/ha. Plant density, species richness, plant cover and percentage of grazed branches were determined by sampling plots within each paddock. The percentage of grazed branches was used as an independent measurement of grazing intensity. Results: Higher stocking rates were related to lower plant density, species richness and plant cover. The paddock with the lowest grazing intensity had 86% more plants per unit area, 63% more plant cover and 48% higher species richness. The percentage of grazed branches and the quantity of dung increased with stocking rate. Conclusions: Introduced livestock seriously affect native vegetation in the Patagonian Monte. The damage observed in this xerophytic plant community suggests that plant adaptations to aridity do not provide an advantage to tolerate or avoid grazing by vertebrate herbivores in this region. Plant degradation in this arid environment is comparable to the degradation found in more humid ecosystems.     

内蒙古高原西部荒漠区锦鸡儿属(Caragana)优势种的形态适应特征

研究内蒙古高原西部荒漠区锦鸡儿属（Caragana）4种优势植物——柠条锦鸡儿、狭叶锦鸡儿、垫状锦鸡儿和荒漠锦鸡儿的地理分布和叶形态适应特征.通过地理分布和生长发育研究发现：4种锦鸡儿均能在阿拉善荒漠区分布和正常生长,它们能够适应阿拉善荒漠区环境.叶形态结构研究表明：狭叶锦鸡儿叶片呈瓦状,在一定程度上阻碍了水分散失和气体交换,缩小受光面积;垫状锦鸡儿叶片卷成筒状,水分散失和气体交换阻力更大,受光面积更小.柠条锦鸡儿密被伏帖绢毛、狭叶锦鸡儿多被灰白色柔毛、垫状锦鸡儿密被绢毛和荒漠锦鸡儿密被直立绢毛,对光线反射能力强,使叶温降低,减少蒸腾.狭叶锦鸡儿和垫状锦鸡儿具有的长条型叶,4种荒漠区锦鸡儿都具有更小的叶面积、更大的厚度/面积比值、更低的叶片生物量和更小的比叶面积（SLA）,减小了蒸腾和受光面积,提高了荒漠区锦鸡儿的保水能力.荒漠区锦鸡儿这些叶片形态特性有利于适应干旱、高温和强辐射的荒漠区环境.叶绿素含量测定和叶色研究结果表明：4种荒漠区锦鸡儿叶绿素含量低,更低的叶绿素含量和密被灰白色柔毛或绢毛导致叶色浅、反光性能好,有利于减少对辐射的吸收,避免强辐射对植物的伤害,同时也使叶温低,减轻高温伤害和水分蒸发,以适应环境.这是荒漠区锦鸡儿适应高光强、高气温、极干旱的荒漠区环境的特性.垫状锦鸡儿和柠条锦鸡儿叶绿素a/b高也是适应强辐射的特性.比较4种荒漠区锦鸡儿的叶形态特性发现,4种荒漠区锦鸡儿植物对荒漠环境的形态适应方式是不同的.     

岩溶石漠化治理优良先锋植物种类光合、蒸腾及水分利用效率的初步研究

针对西南岩溶石漠化地区干旱缺水的特点,采用Li-6400对其先锋树种任豆、金银花、狗骨木的光合、蒸腾及水分利用效率等特征进行分析,以揭示先锋树种利用水分生理生态学特征,从而提出植被恢复的对策。光响应模拟结果表明金银花和狗骨木符合Walker的非直线双曲线模型。蒸腾临界值狗骨木(幼树期)最小,金银花次之,任豆树较大,说明阳性树种任豆具有较大的蒸腾拉力,能够从土壤提取更多的水分,以减少岩溶石漠化地区强光引起的高温灼伤。任豆树、金银花、狗骨木具有同地带干性或沙漠优势植物的光合速率特征。任豆树有较耐受强光的能力,这与其在石漠化地区总是能够成为优势层片优势种的地位相符。三种植物光有效辐射与叶片蒸腾的呈极显著的线性关系;任豆树的蒸腾作用受气孔调节明显;狗骨木有较高的水分利用效率。上午9点左右和下午5∶00~6∶00是这些石漠化地区植物水分利用最高时间段。可以说这三种植物具有适应石漠化地区干旱和高温的生理生态学适应特征和避旱避高温策略,并保持旺盛的生物生产力。从植物固定碳水化合物效率并提高水分利用效率而言,三种植物套种,任豆树能够对藤灌植物适当遮荫,对加速狗骨木生长,提高金银花的产量将具有较好的效益。     

New pollen classification of Chenopodiaceae for exploring and tracing desert vegetation evolution in eastern arid central Asia

Members of the Chenopodiaceae are the most dominant elements in the central Asian desert. The different genera and species within this family are common in desert vegetation types. Should it prove possible to link pollen types in this family to specific desert vegetation, it would be feasible to trace vegetation successions in the geological past. Nevertheless, the morphological similarity of pollen grains in the Chenopodiaceae rarely permits identification at the generic level. Although some pollen classifications of Chenopodiaceae have been proposed, none of them tried to link pollen types to specific desert vegetation types in order to explore their ecological significance. Based on the pollen morphological characters of 13 genera and 24 species within the Chenopodiaceae of eastern central Asia, we provide a new pollen classification of this family with six pollen types and link them to those plant communities dominated by Chenopodiaceae, for example, temperate dwarf semi‐arboreal desert (Haloxylon type), temperate succulent halophytic dwarf semi‐shrubby desert (Suaeda, Kalidium, and Atriplex types), temperate annual graminoid desert (Kalidium type), temperate semi‐shrubby and dwarf semi‐shrubby desert (Kalidium, Iljini, and Haloxylon types), and alpine cushion dwarf semi‐shrubby desert (Krascheninnikovia type). These findings represent a new approach for detecting specific desert vegetation types and deciphering ecosystem evolution in eastern central Asia.     

Responses of plant 15N natural abundance and isotopic fractionation to N addition reflect the N status of a temperate steppe in China

Aims Elevated anthropogenic nitrogen (N) deposition could alter N status in temperate steppe. However, threshold observations of N status change from N limit to N saturation by far are not conclusive in these ecosystems. Research on the natural abundance of¹⁵N (δ¹⁵N) could greatly help provide integrated information about ecosystem N status. The goal of this study was to investigate the suitability of measurements of δ¹⁵N of major ecosystem N pools and several key species, plant¹⁵N fractionation, together with key vegetation and soil indicators in response to N fertilization as a tool to identify the N status in a temperate steppe in Inner Mongolia.     

Resorptions of 10 mineral elements in leaves of desert shrubs and their contrasting responses to aridity

Aims We aim to investigate variations in the resorption efficiencies of 10 mineral nutrients [i.e. nitrogen (N), phosphorus (P), potassium (K), magnesium (Mg), calcium (Ca), manganese (Mn), zinc (Zn), aluminum (Al), iron (Fe) and copper (Cu)] in leaves of desert shrubs and to explore effects of aridity on resorption efficiency of these nutrients.     

盐碱戈壁药用植物骆驼刺内生菌的分离、培养与鉴定

骆驼刺(Alhagi sparsifolia Shap.)是新疆民间常用药用植物。为了解骆驼刺内生菌的多样性,获得骆驼刺的内生菌资源,本实验在新疆维吾尔克拉玛依盐碱戈壁(北纬45°16’,东经85°2’)采集骆驼刺。利用常规平板分离方法进行植物内生菌菌株的分离、培养,测定菌株16S r DNA基因序列,并结合系统发育分析进行鉴定。从骆驼刺中共分离到可培养内生菌50株,分属于葡萄球菌属(Staphylococcus)、芽胞杆菌属(Bacillus)、芽胞八叠球菌属(Sporosarcina)、微杆菌属(Exiguobacterium)、气球菌属(Aerococcus)、巨型球菌属(Macrococcus)、多米杆菌(Domibacillus)、巴尔加瓦菌属(Bhargavaea)、微球菌属(Micrococcus)、棒杆菌属(Corynebacterium)、考克菌属(Kocuria)、细杆菌属(Microbacterium)、副球菌属(Paracoccus)、马西利亚菌属(Massilia)和耐辐射球菌属(Deinococcus)15个菌属。其中葡萄球菌属占绝对优势,其次为芽胞杆菌属,为环境和植物当中广泛存在的菌属,分离获得的其他细菌与骆驼刺生长环境(盐渍化严重,高辐射)有关,内生菌多样性与骆驼刺在新疆干旱、寒冷、盐碱土壤环境中的适应性机制具有密切的联系。