Site factors controlling epiphytic lichen abundance in northern coniferous forests

Epiphytic lichens are an important part of the vegetation of northern coniferous forests of Eurasia and North America. Much progress has been made during recent decades at disentangling relevant site factors, which control the diversity and distribution of epiphytic lichens in boreal and oroboreal forests. The present paper aims at summarizing the present state of knowledge. Relevant site factors include the microclimate, nutrient supply, structural diversity and, if applicable, air pollution. The continuity of site conditions decides over the presence of species with dispersal limitations. The effects of fire on epiphytic lichens are largely unstudied, although fire is an important ecological factor in boreal forests.     

一株高含玫红品的红树林海洋紫色硫细菌分离鉴定及特性

摘要:【目的】挖掘我国海洋紫色硫细菌物种资源、深入理解紫色硫细菌在红树林生态系统中的作用。【方法】采用琼脂振荡稀释法、显微技术、紫外可见吸收光谱法、TLC、HPLC 和MS 法。【结果】从福建泉州洛阳桥红树林潮间带泥水样分离获得一株细胞内含多个硫粒的细菌菌株,光合内膜呈囊状、含细菌叶绿素a 和螺菌黄质系类胡萝卜素,结合16S rRNA 基因序列分析和系统发育分析,表明该菌株属于海洋着色菌属(Marichromatium)。该菌株细胞球杆状;最适pH 范围5.7－6.7;最适盐度范围2%－3.5%;温度范围20℃ －35℃;能耐受3.6 mmol/L 硫化物;主要积累玫红品类胡萝卜素,而不是螺菌黄质;3 种细菌叶绿素组分中,一种为BChl aP,另2 种未见报道;不需要生长因子;可光同化固定CO2、能很好利用多种有机酸盐、多价态氮化物和硫化物,尤其能利用柠檬酸、葡萄糖、蔗糖、果糖和丙醇;对氯霉素、头孢唑林、苯、对羟基联苯、恩诺沙星、啶虫脒、HgCl2 和CdCl2的IC50 值分别为70、100、20、20、3、170、5 mg /L和25 mg/L。【结论】该菌株是一株轻度耐酸、高含玫红品类胡萝卜素的紫色硫细菌,被鉴定为Marichromatium gracile 新菌株,编号YL28。该菌株具有广泛利用多种碳源、氮源和硫源物质的能力,对抗生素氯霉素和头孢唑啉、农药啶虫脒、重金属汞和镉具有较强耐受性,对抗生素恩诺沙星较敏感。     

‘Ecologically complex carbon’– linking biodiversity values,carbon storage and habitat structure in some austral temperate forests

Aim We assessed how avian biodiversity and above‐ground carbon storage were related in different forest age‐classes, including mature stands (> 100 years), in a managed, mixed‐species eucalypt forest. Location Gippsland, south‐eastern Australia. Methods In 50 2‐ha stands ranging in age from ≤ 5 years to mature stands > 100 years, we undertook repeated avian surveys, performed detailed habitat measurements and estimated amounts of above‐ground carbon. Extensive wildfire reduced the number of sites to 28 (seven in each of four age classes) upon which analyses and inferences were made. We also analysed data on carbon storage and some bird responses from previously published studies. Results Mature vegetation (> 100 years) had the greatest richness, abundance and biomass of birds. Key ecological resources, such as tree‐hollows for nesting, generally occurred mostly in stands > 60 years. Avian richness per unit of above‐ground carbon storage was relatively low for stands of 20–60 years. While above‐ground carbon storage appeared to increase in a monotonic fashion as stands age and mature, there were quantum increases in all measures of avian biodiversity in mature stands (> 100 years). Main conclusions Our results suggest that carbon is organized in a different way, with substantially greater biodiversity benefits, in very old stands. Mature vegetation simultaneously maximizes both avian biodiversity and above‐ground carbon storage. These results bolster arguments for allocating highest priorities to the preservation of old‐growth forest stands rather than alternative investments (e.g. reafforestation for carbon sequestration).     

Carbon : nitrogen stoichiometry in forest ecosystems during stand development

Aim Carbon (C) and nitrogen (N) stoichiometry is a critical indicator of biogeochemical coupling in terrestrial ecosystems. However, our current understanding of C : N stoichiometry is mainly derived from observations across space, and little is known about its dynamics through time. Location Global secondary forests. Methods We examined temporal variations in C : N ratios and scaling relationships between N and C for various ecosystem components (i.e. plant tissue, litter, forest floor and mineral soil) using data extracted from 39 chronosequences in forest ecosystems around the world. Results The C : N ratio in plant tissue, litter, forest floor and mineral soil exhibited large variation across various sequences, with an average of 145.8 ± 9.4 (mean ± SE), 49.9 ± 3.0, 38.2 ± 3.1 and 18.5 ± 0.9, respectively. In most sequences, the plant tissue C : N ratio increased significantly with stand age, while the C : N ratio in litter, forest floor and mineral soil remained relatively constant over the age sequence. N and C scaled isometrically (i.e. the slope of the relationship between log‐transformed N and C is not significantly different from 1.0) in litter, forest floor and mineral soil both within and across sequences, but not in plant tissue either within or across sequences. The C : N ratio was larger in coniferous forests than in broadleaf forests and in temperate forests than in tropical forests. In contrast, the N–C scaling slope did not reveal significant differences either between coniferous and broadleaf forests or between temperate and tropical forests. Main conclusions These results suggest that C and N become decoupled in plants but remain coupled in other ecosystem components during stand development.     

Disentangling the relative importance of climate,size and competition on tree growth in Iberian forests: implications for forest management under global change

Most large‐scale multispecies studies of tree growth have been conducted in tropical and cool temperate forests, whereas Mediterranean water‐limited ecosystems have received much less attention. This limits our understanding of how growth of coexisting tree species varies along environmental gradients in these forests, and the implications for species interactions and community assembly under current and future climatic conditions. Here, we quantify the absolute effect and relative importance of climate, tree size and competition as determinants of tree growth patterns in Iberian forests, and explore interspecific differences in the two components of competitive ability (competitive response and effect) along climatic and size gradients. Spatially explicit neighborhood models were developed to predict tree growth for the 15 most abundant Iberian tree species using permanent‐plot data from the Spanish Second and Third National Forest Inventory (IFN). Our neighborhood analyses showed a climatic and size effect on tree growth, but also revealed that competition from neighbors has a comparatively much larger impact on growth in Iberian forests. Moreover, the sensitivity to competition (i.e. competitive response) of target trees varied markedly along climatic gradients causing significant rank reversals in species performance, particularly under xeric conditions. We also found compelling evidence for strong species‐specific competitive effects in these forests. Altogether, these results constitute critical new information which not only furthers our understanding of important theoretical questions about the assembly of Mediterranean forests, but will also be of help in developing new guidelines for adapting forests in this climatic boundary to global change. If we consider the climatic gradients of this study as a surrogate for future climatic conditions, then we should expect absolute growth rates to decrease and sensitivity to competition to increase in most forests of the Iberian Peninsula (in all but the northern Atlantic forests), making these management considerations even more important in the future.     

Environmental influences on and antimicrobial activity of the skin microbiota of Proceratophrys boiei (Amphibia,Anura) across forest fragments

The composition of the skin microbiota of amphibians is related to the biology of host species and environmental microbial communities. In this system, the environment serves as a microbial source and can modulate the hosted community. When habitats are fragmented and the environment disturbed, changes in the structure of this microbial community are expected. One important potential consequence of fragmentation is a compromised protective function of the microbiota against pathogenic microorganisms. In this study, the skin microbiota of the amphibian Proceratophrys boiei was characterized, evaluated for relationships with environmental variables and environmental sources of microbial communities, and its diversity evaluated for frog populations from fragmented and continuous forests. In addition, the antimicrobial activity of this skin community was studied in frogs from both forest types. Culture methods and 16S rRNA high‐throughput gene sequencing were used to characterize the microbial community and demonstrated that the skin microbiota of P. boiei is more closely related to the soil microbial communities than those inhabiting water bodies or fragment matrix, the unforested area around the forested fragment. The microbial diversity and abundance of P. boiei skin microbiota are different between continuous forests and fragments. This community is correlated with environmental variables, especially with temperature of microhabitat and distance to human dwelling. All individuals of P. boiei harbored bacteria capable of inhibiting the growth of pathogenic bacteria and different strains of the pathogenic fungus Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis, and a total of 27 bacterial genera were detected. The results of this study indicate that the persistence of populations of this species will need balanced and sustained interactions among host, microorganisms, and environment.     

Changes in spatial and temporal distributions of Monochamus beetles along the fire severity in burned Pinus densiflora forests

Wildfire is an important disturbance factor in forest ecosystem and could affect the distribution of insects. Because Monochamus beetles are known vector insects of pine wood nematodes in Korea and burnt pine trees can be used as oviposition habitats for Monochamus beetles, we investigated changes in the spatial (among fire severity classes) and temporal (between years) distributions of M. alternatus and M. saltuarius. From late May 2017 to early October 2018, four multi-funnel traps with pheromone lure were installed in each fire severity class (unburned, light, light-moderate edge, moderate-severe edge, and severe). All traps were replaced fortnightly from May to October for two years. The spatial distribution of the two Monochamus beetles was significantly affected by fire severity. In particular, M. alternatus showed higher catches in the severely burned sites and responded positively to the fire. A similar number of M. saltuarius individuals were observed between 2017 and 2018, while more M. alternatus were caught in 2018 compared to 2017. Consequently, it was confirmed that the dead wood of P. densiflora caused by the wildfire had a great influence on the density of insects, especially M. alternatus.