喀斯特峰丛洼地原生林群落更新动态

基于木论国家级自然保护区内一个2 hm~2动态监测样地2007、2012和2017年3次植被调查数据,从物种组成、群落结构、重要值、多样性、死亡率、补员率等方面分析喀斯特峰丛洼地原生林群落动态特征。结果表明:2017年样地内木本植物包含46科95属123种,较2007增加2科,减少5属7种;较2012年增加2科,减少4属4种。10年来,该样地优势种变化不明显,重要值≥1的物种数在2017年减少了3种;但排名前5位的物种保持不变,只有个别物种的重要值排序发生了较大的变化。平均胸径、树高、生物量随时间推移而增加;第一个5年,平均胸径和树高差异不显著,但10年间差异显著。随着时间推移,Shannon-wiener指数逐渐减少,Simpson指数和Pielou指数逐渐增加。该森林群落总径级结构呈倒"J"形,总体上群落更新状态良好。10年间DBH≥1.0 cm个体的年死亡率为8.23%,年补员率为5.73%。群落中野桐(Mallotus japonicas)和枫香树(Liquidambar formosana)呈增长趋势,优势地位逐渐上升。20个物种中有约35%的物种更新不足,表现出衰退的迹象,导致群落的物种成分和结构出现较大的变化。群落内主要树种的更新和植被结构变化的分析对于预测森林未来的变化趋势具有重要意义。     

黄土丘陵区刺槐叶片-土壤-微生物碳氮磷化学计量学及其稳态性特征

明确植物和微生物在植被恢复过程中的内稳态特性,对反映生物随恢复环境变化的适应性和阐明生态系统养分循环规律有重要意义。以黄土丘陵区恢复5年、10年、20年、30年和45年的刺槐(Robinia pseudoacacia)人工林为研究对象,测定刺槐叶片、土壤和微生物生物量C、N、P含量及其化学计量学指标,重点揭示了叶片和微生物生物量养分在恢复过程中随土壤养分变化的稳态性特征。结果表明:(1)随着恢复年限的增加,土壤、叶片和微生物生物量C、N、P含量表现为增加趋势;(2)不同恢复年限叶片、土壤、微生物生物量C∶N分别为17.03—26.03、9.55—16.94、5.57—10.76、C∶P分别为465.04—634.48、19.89—65.81和39.64—110.53、N∶P分别为17.89—37.03、1.24—4.68和7.15—10.26,除叶片C∶N随恢复年限增加而降低外,其他指标均表现为随恢复年限增加而增加或先增加后降低;刺槐林生长后期可能面临P限制;(3)叶片和微生物生物量C、N、P及其计量比大部分指标与土壤指标的关系能够被内稳态模型很好地模拟(P0.01);其中叶片N∶P、微生物C、N对土壤养分变化较为敏感;其他指标比较稳定。研究表明植物和微生物在面对土壤养分变化时均会通过自我调节呈现内稳态性,说明刺槐在黄土丘陵区有较好的适应性;微生物对土壤养分的变化比植物更加敏感,其养分和计量比指标能较好地指示土壤恢复状况。     

生态保护红线修复机制法治化: 定位、困境及其出路

生态保护红线以生态系统的完整性、生态系统服务功能的一致性与生态空间的连续性为核心, 致力于保护国家的生态安全。生态保护红线修复分区分类展开, 以修复受损生态系统为目标, 具有自然修复和社会修复双重内涵。生态保护红线存在脆弱性、敏感性、复杂性与极易破坏性等特征, 它在建立修复机制法治化过程中遇到空间不可置换、治理费用高昂和治理主体责任错乱等困境。生态保护红线修复机制应建立“明确预防为主原则为指导、成立修复专项资金为手段、确定修复主体顺位为责任保障”的法治化的基本路径, 以实现重要生态系统保护和修复重大工程, 构建生态廊道和生物多样性保护网络。     

Bare soil cover and arbuscular mycorrhizal community in the first montane forest restoration in Central Argentina

Soil erosion affects extensive areas worldwide and must be urgently reduced promoting plant cover and beneficial microorganisms associated with plants, including arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF). In mountain environments, plant cover is difficult to enhance due to harsh conditions during the dry season and steep slopes. Our objective was to evaluate the percentage of the soil surface covered by plants and the AMF community associated with trees 12.5 years after planting during forest restoration efforts in microsites at different levels of soil degradation. The study was performed in the first montane forest restoration initiative of Central Argentina, where one of the trials consisted of planting Polylepis australis saplings at microsites with different levels of soil degradation: high, intermediate, and low. After 12.5 years, percentage of bare soil cover was significantly reduced by 36 and 37% in the high and intermediate degradation microsites, respectively. Low degradation microsites were initially very low in bare soil and did not significantly change. Mycorrhizal colonization, hyphae, vesicles, arbuscules, AMF diversity, and community structure were similar among microsite types. Percentage of hyphal entry points was higher at microsites with low degradation, number of spores was higher in high and intermediate degradation, and species richness was higher in high degradation. Acaulospora and Glomus were the most abundant genera in all microsites. We conclude that even in the most degraded microsites around 2.8% of the bare soil is covered by vegetation each year and that the arbuscular mycorrhizal community is highly tolerant and adapted to soils with different disturbance types.     

Comparisons of population density and genetic diversity in artificial and wild populations of an arborescent coral,Acropora yongei: implications for the efficacy of “artificial spawning hotspots”

We are developing techniques to restore coral populations by enhancing larval supply using “artificial spawning hotspots” that aggregate conspecific adult corals. However, no data were available regarding how natural larval supply from wild coral populations is influenced by fertilization rate and how this is in turn affected by local population density and genetic diversity. Therefore, we assessed population density and genetic diversity of a wild, arborescent coral, Acropora yongei, and compared these parameters with those of an artificially established A. yongei population in the field. The population density of wild arborescent corals was only 0.27% of that in the artificial population, even in a high‐coverage area. Genetic diversity was also low in the wild population compared with the artificial population, and approximately 10% of all wild colonies were clones. Based on these results, the larval supply in the artificial population was estimated to be at least 1,400 times higher than that in wild A. yongei populations for the same area of adult population.     

Carbon accumulation and vertical accretion in a restored versus historic salt marsh in southern Puget Sound,Washington, United States

Few comparisons exist between vertical accretion (VA) and carbon accumulation rates (CARs) in restored versus historic (i.e. reference) marshes. Here, we compare these processes in a formerly diked, sparsely vegetated, restored salt marsh (Six Gill Slough, SG), whose surface is subsided relative to the tidal frame, to an adjacent, relatively pristine, historic salt marsh (Animal Slough, AS). Six sediment cores were collected at both AS and SG approximately 6 years after restoration. Cores were analyzed for bulk density (BD), % loss of ignition, % organic carbon, and ²¹⁰Pb. We found that sharp changes in BD in surface layers of SG cores were highly reliable markers for the onset of restoration. The mean VA since restoration at SG (0.79 [SD = 0.29] cm/year) was approximately twice that of AS (0.41 [SD = 0.16] cm/year). In comparison, the VA at AS over 50 years was 0.30 (SD = 0.09) cm/year. VA consisted almost entirely of inorganic sediment at SG whereas at AS it was approximately 55%. Mean CARs at SG were somewhat greater than at AS, but the difference was not significant due to high variability (SG: 81–210 g C m^?2 year^?1; AS: 115–168 g C m^?2 year^?1). The mean CAR at AS over the past 50 years was 118 (SD = 23) g C m^?2 year^?1. This study demonstrates that a sparsely vegetated, restored salt marsh can quickly begin to accumulate carbon and that historic and restored marshes can have similar CARs despite highly divergent formation processes.     

Looking to the future: key points for sustainable management of northern Great Plains grasslands

The grasslands of the northern Great Plains (NGP) region of North America are considered endangered ecosystems and priority conservation areas yet have great ecological and economic importance. Grasslands in the NGP are no longer self‐regulating adaptive systems. The challenges to these grasslands are widespread and serious (e.g. climate change, invasive species, fragmentation, altered disturbance regimes, and anthropogenic chemical loads). Because the challenges facing the region are dynamic, complex, and persistent, a paradigm shift in how we approach restoration and management of the grasslands in the NGP is imperative. The goal of this article is to highlight four key points for land managers and restoration practitioners to consider when planning management or restoration actions. First, we discuss the appropriateness of using historical fidelity as a restoration or management target because of changing climate, widespread pervasiveness of invasive species, the high level of fragmentation, and altered disturbance regimes. Second, we highlight ecosystem resilience and long‐term population persistence as alternative targets. Third, because the NGP is so heavily impacted with anthropogenic chemical loading, we discuss the risks of ecological traps and extinction debt. Finally, we highlight the importance of using adaptive management and having patience during restoration and management. Consideration of these four points will help management and restoration of grasslands move toward a more successful and sustainable future. Although we specifically focus on the NGP of North America, these same issues and considerations apply to grasslands and many other ecosystems globally.     

Evolution of the field of ecological restoration over the last three decades: a bibliometric analysis

Ecological restoration studies have been widely conducted for many years to solve eco‐environmental problems. However, no publications offer a systematic and quantitative analysis of the evolution of the field of ecological restoration. To address this knowledge gap, for the first time, we applied a bibliometric analysis approach to analyze ecological restoration studies. We analyzed 3,929 articles published between 1988 and 2017 catalogued in the Science Citation Index Expanded database and the Social Sciences Citation Index database. The results show that annual article output stably increased after 2004, and the number of annual articles of each country has also increased notably since then. The United States occupies the leading position in ecological restoration studies, with China attaining a close second position in recent years. Four institutions and seven journals are outstanding in the field of ecological restoration. Academic collaborations of authors or institutions exhibit an increasing trend, but international collaboration needs to be strengthened because eco‐environmental problems are a global challenge. Forest, grassland, and wetland ecosystems have received the most attention. Biodiversity, ecosystem services, and climate change are core issues of ecological restoration studies and are predicted to remain the research hotspots in the future. Novel ecosystems are likely to become one of the most important research areas in the near future. More importantly, it is crucial for researchers to places more emphasis on social issues of ecological restoration in the future.     

Archaic and contemporary topographic diversification of Upper Mississippi River forests

Topographic diversity is an important component of environmental heterogeneity. Topographic diversity within the Upper Mississippi River floodplain has been degraded because of modifications for navigation improvement. Efforts aimed at restoring topographic diversity in the Upper Mississippi River floodplain have been extensive but have not focused on reversing the effects of forest loss and degradation. We investigated habitat features associated with Cerulean Warbler (Setophaga cerulea) locations both within and outside of river floodplains and hypothesized this species would select topographically diverse habitats. Both topographic diversity and the distance to the upland forest/floodplain forest interface were useful predictors of Cerulean Warbler presence. We conclude that incorporation of topographic diversity into floodplain forest restoration planning would likely benefit Cerulean Warblers and the other species with similar habitat requirements. Incorporating topographic diversity into floodplain forest conservation planning will be challenging on major rivers that serve multiple purposes.     

Monarch butterfly host plant (milkweed Asclepias spp.) abundance varies by habitat type across 98 prairies

The decline in migratory monarch butterflies (Danaus plexippus) over the past 20 years has been attributed to several drivers, including loss of their host plants (milkweeds Asclepias spp.). This has sparked widespread interest in milkweed ecology and restoration. We developed a model on environmental and habitat‐type variables to predict milkweed abundance by sampling 93 prairie plantings (47 conservation plantings and 46 roadsides) and 5 unplowed prairie remnants throughout the state of Iowa, United States. Milkweeds were censused in 10–25 random locations within each site, and data on plant diversity, age of planting, soil characteristics, and management were tested as predictors of abundance. Milkweed densities of all species combined were highest in remnant prairies (8,705 stems/ha), intermediate in roadside plantings (1,274 stems/ha), and lowest in conservation plantings (212 stems/ha). Most milkweeds were common milkweeds Asclepias syriaca, which were more abundant in roadside than conservation plantings. Remnants contained the most milkweed species. Total milkweed and common milkweed abundance were both predicted by higher soil pH, a more linear site shape, and lower soil bulk density across restorations. Our results indicate that common milkweed is maintained by disturbance, and establishes readily in rural roadside habitat. Remnants are important as reservoirs for multiple milkweed species and should be protected.