Biogeographic context is related to local scale tree demography,co-occurrence and functional differentiation

Identifying the drivers of community structure and dynamics is a major pursuit in ecology. Emphasis is typically placed on the importance of local scale interactions when attempting to explain these fundamental ecological patterns. However, regional scale phenomena are also important predictors. The importance of regional scale context should be more evident in assemblages where multiple species are close to their range margins. Here, we test the importance of regional scale context using data from a temperate forest plot that contains two species groups – one near its northern range limit and one near its southern range limit. We show the proximity of species to their southern or northern range margins is linked to local scale co-occurrence, similarity in gene expression responses to a key environmental driver, demographic performance and inter-specific variation in conspecific negative density dependence. In sum, many of the key local scale patterns and processes of interest to community ecologists are linked to biogeographic context that is frequently ignored.     

Patterns of frugivore species richness and abundance in forest islands and in agricultural habitats at Los Tuxtlas,Mexico

Destruction and fragmentation of tropical rain forest result in a loss of species and of generating capacity of the ecosystem via animal vectors such as seed dispersal agents. To gather quantitative data regarding this ecological problem, birds and mammals were censused in 30 forest fragments, 15 agricultural islands representing five types of vegetation (coffee, cacao, citrus, pepper and mixed-crops) and in three pastures in Los Tuxtlas, southern Veracruz, Mexico. More than 6000 animals of 257 species were detected thus suggesting the existence of a rich species pool in the fragmented landscape. Frugivores accounted for 60% of species, for 72% of individuals censured and for 85% of the total animal biomass recorded. Clusters of small forest fragments (<100 ha) were richer in species and individuals than clusters of large area (>100 ha) forest islands. Pastures were especially poor in forest birds and mammals. While the agricultural islands studied contributed to only 1% of the total area of vegetation sampled, they contained 58% of all species detected and 34% of all individual birds and mammals censured. Recaptures indicated inter-island movements of forest birds and mammals. Forty percent of the species were detected in forest habitats only, the rest were detected in forest and in agricultural habitats. Seeds of forest interior plants dispersed by birds and bats were detected in the agricultural habitats. The value of agricultural islands as landscape features providing some degree of biotic connectivity among fragmented animal populations is discussed.     

毛乌素沙地油蒿叶性状对光能利用效率动态的影响

目前对于荒漠灌木光能利用效率（LUE）的季节变异及其调控因素,尤其是其生物调控因素的认识非常有限,导致了荒漠生态系统生产力模型的不确定性。拟验证假设：长期干旱环境下,典型荒漠灌木油蒿光能利用效率日均值（LUE_day）的动态变化与叶片性状的季节性调整有关。试验采用Li-6400便携式光合仪定期测量了油蒿生长季叶片LUE_day的季节动态及相关叶性状指标,探究叶性状对LUE_day的影响。结果表明：LUE_day的季节波动范围为0.003-0.017 mol/mol,整体变异系数（CV）为38.75%。完全展叶期LUE_day均值相比生长季平均值降低17.37%,相比展叶期和落叶期时降低30%;8个叶性状的季节变异幅度差异较大,其中总叶绿素含量（Chl）、类胡萝卜素含量（Car）和叶氮含量（LNC）均表现出较大的季节变异性（CV ≥ 20%）,叶碳含量（LCC）和叶片相对含水量（LRWC）的变异程度最低（CV<7%）。LRWC与所有叶片化学性状（Chl、Chl a/b、Car、LNC和LCC）均存在显著相关,表明其变化与叶片的养分吸收、光合色素合成以及碳同化的运输过程密切相关;油蒿LUE_day的相对变化与LRWC、Chl a/b和LNC显著正相关,而LRWC和LNC的季节动态受空气温度（T_a）和土壤含水量（VWC）的共同调节,Chl a/b的季节波动主要由浅层土壤含水量（10 cm VWC）控制。以上研究结果强调,在未来预计极端的气候事件（如极端干旱和持续热浪事件）发生更频繁的旱地场景中,时间尺度植物叶性状对于土壤干旱和高温的适应性调整应当被充分考虑到旱地生态系统的通量建模方案中。该结果将为构建叶片尺度的光合生理模型与厘清LUE的生物调控机制提供理论依据。     

高寒草甸植物群落功能多样性对不同生长期干旱的响应机制

植物对干旱胁迫的响应表现为各功能性状的差异化表达。全球气候变化下,青藏高原地区降水格局发生改变,高寒草甸群落功能性状及功能多样性在不同生长期干旱事件下的响应机制对加深高寒草甸适应气候变化认知具有重要意义。以藏北高寒草甸为研究对象,设置截雨棚模拟生长季前期（ED）、中期（MD）和非生长季时期（ND）干旱事件,通过观测群落物种功能性状,分析高寒草甸群落功能多样性对不同生长期干旱的响应机制。结果表明：（1）叶片功能性状对干旱存在差异响应,表现为叶片小而厚且寿命长,同化速率降低,并受氮元素限制加剧;（2）生长季前期干旱对高寒草甸群落功能性状的影响最强,生长季中期干旱次之,非生长季干旱的影响最弱;（3）生长季干旱处理显著改变了群落的功能多样性,ED处理下功能分散度指数（FDiv）和功能分异度指数（FDis）显著降低（P<0.05）,而Rao二次熵指数（RaoQ）显著升高（P<0.05）,MD处理下功能均匀度指数（FEve）显著降低（P<0.05）;（4）相关性分析得出,群落功能性状与功能多样性对干旱的响应之间存在着联系。本研究发现高寒草甸植物功能性状与群落功能多样性对生长季前期和中期干旱存在差异化响应,指示着高寒草甸植物群落在响应不同时期干旱时可能采取不同的生存策略,即对生长季前期干旱采用耐旱策略、对生长季中期干旱采用避旱策略。探讨了高寒草甸植物群落功能多样性对不同生长时期干旱胁迫的响应机制,为预测未来季节性干旱事件对青藏高原高寒草甸植物功能性状、群落特征和功能多样性的影响提供科学依据。     

大陈岛海域浮游动物群落季节变化及其影响因素

为探究大陈岛海域浮游动物群落的季节变化,于2020年9月（夏季）、11月（秋季）和2021年1月（冬季）、4月（春季）分别对大陈岛海域的浮游动物及环境因子进行了4个航次的调查。结果共鉴定浮游动物90种,包括浮游幼体15类,其中夏季种类数最多（68种）,冬季最少（20种）,常见的优势种有：百陶箭虫（Sagitta bedoti）、微刺哲水蚤（Canthocalanus pauper）、中华哲水蚤（Calanus sinicus）等12种（Y>0.02）。浮游动物的年平均丰度和生物量分别为（153.40±214.73）个/m³、（411.93±561.76） mg/m³,二者存在明显的季节变化,平均丰度为春季（380.17±296.14）个/m³>夏季（135.30±112.59）个/m³>秋季（67.88±90.52）个/m³>冬季（25.30±19.11）个/m³;平均生物量为夏季（895.01±802.54） mg/m³>春季（623.39±358.73） mg/m³>秋季（91.08±82.36） mg/m³>冬季（45.96±84.95） mg/m³。多样性指数（H''）和均匀度指数（J''）的年平均值分别为1.71±0.96和0.53±0.20,均表现出夏秋季较高、冬春季较低的特征。聚类分析结果表明调查海域的浮游动物可划分为夏季类群、秋季类群、冬季类群和春季类群4组类群。Pearson相关性分析和冗余分析（RDA）结果表明,海水温度、盐度、叶绿素a浓度是影响大陈岛海域浮游动物群落特征的重要环境因素。此外,夏季大陈岛海域水母类浮游动物暴发的现象值得关注。研究结果将为大陈岛海域的生物多样性保护及渔业资源可持续开发利用提供可参考的数据资料。     

模拟酸雨对棉花子叶圆片膜保护酶活性和膜脂质过氧化作用的影响

以棉花子叶为材料研究了模拟酸雨对活性氧代谢的影响,发现酸雨使膜保护酶活性下降,膜脂质过氧化作用加强,超氧化物歧化酶在控制子叶膜脂质过氧化中起重要作用。自由基清除剂(FRS)的应用能有效地抑制伤害子叶膜脂质过氧化作用,并有利于保持较高的膜保护酶活性和维持活性氧代谢平衡。     

海南岛热带山地雨林林分生物量估测方法比较分析

本文通过对海南岛热带山地雨林林分生物量估测方法的比较分析,表明材积转换法不适宜估算海南岛热带山地雨林林分生物量,其结果与皆伐法相比较一般偏高20％—40％;而用实测资料建立的生物量回归模型,对原始林林分有较好的估测结果,除树枝和树叶生物量外,树干、树皮及地上部分生物量的回归模型值,与皆伐法的结果比较,相对误差一般在±10％以内,为允许误差范围,而对热带山地雨林的更新林生物量的估测则效果较差,应建立相应的估测模型。平均木法有工作量小的优点,且误差也在16％以下,但要注意取样的树种多样性和取样强度,在实际中应当慎用。另外本文对测定热带山地雨林生物量(原始林)的所需面积大小问题作了研究,提出了生物量-面积曲线的概念,确定其最小调查面积为2500m~2以上。     

The role of non-natural foods in the nutritional strategies of monkeys in a human-modified mosaic landscape

Many tropical animals inhabit mosaic landscapes including human-modified habitat. In such landscapes, animals commonly adjust feeding behavior, and may incorporate non-natural foods. These behavioral shifts can influence consumers' nutritional states, with implications for population persistence. However, few studies have addressed the nutritional role of non-natural food. We examined nutritional ecology of wild blue monkeys to understand how dietary habits related to non-natural foods might support population persistence in a mosaic landscape. We documented prevalence and nutritional composition of non-natural foods in monkey diets to assess how habitat use influenced their consumption, and their contribution to nutritional strategies. While most energy and macronutrients came from natural foods, subjects focused non-natural feeding activity on five exotic plants, and averaged about a third of daily calories from non-natural foods. Most non-natural food calories came from non-structural carbohydrates and least from protein. Consumption of non-natural foods related to time in human-modified habitats, which two groups used non-randomly. Non-natural and natural foods were similar in nutrients, and the amount of non-natural food consumed drove variation in nutritional strategy. When more daily calories came from non-natural foods, females consumed a higher ratio of non-protein energy to protein (NPE:P). Females also prioritized protein while allowing NPE:P to vary, increasing NPE while capitalizing on non-natural foods. Overall, these tropical mammals achieved a similar nutrient balance regardless of their intake of non-natural foods. Forest and forest-adjacent areas with non-natural vegetation may provide adequate nutrient access for consumers, and thus contribute to wildlife conservation in mosaic tropical landscapes.     

Vertically stratified frugivore community composition and interaction frequency in a liana fruiting across forest strata

Vertical stratification is a key feature of tropical forests and structures plant–frugivore interactions. However, it is unclear whether vertical differences in plant-frugivore interactions are due to differences among strata in plant community composition or inherent preferences of frugivores for specific strata. To test this, we observed fruit removal of a diverse frugivore community on the liana Marcgravia longifolia in a Peruvian rain forest. Unlike most other plants, Marcgravia longifolia produces fruits across forest strata. This enabled us to study effects of vertical stratification on fruit removal without confounding effects of plant species and stratum. We found a high number of visits of a few frugivore species in the understorey and a low number of visits of many different frugivores in the canopy and midstorey. Whereas partial and opportunistic frugivores foraged across strata with differing frequencies, obligate frugivores were only found eating fruits in the higher strata. Avian frugivores foraging in the canopy were mainly large species with pointed wings, whereas under- and midstorey avian foragers were smaller with rounded wings. Our findings suggest a continuous shift in the frugivore community composition along the vertical gradient, from a few generalized frugivores in the understorey to a diverse set of specialized frugivores in the canopy. This shift in the frugivore community leads to correlated, reciprocal changes from specialized to generalized plant-frugivore interactions. Thus, we conclude that vertical niche differentiation between species in tropical forests persists even when food resources are available across strata. This highlights its role for promoting biodiversity and ecosystem functioning.     

Evidence of biotic resistance to exotic plant invasion in degraded Bornean forests

Intact tropical forests are generally considered to be resistant to invasions by exotic species, although the shrub Clidemia hirta (Melastomataceae) is highly invasive in tropical forests outside its native range. Release from natural enemies (e.g., herbivores and pathogens) contributes to C. hirta invasion success where native melastomes are absent, and here we examine the role of enemies when C. hirta co-occurs with native Melastomataceae species and associated herbivores and pathogens. We study 21 forest sites within agricultural landscapes in Sabah, Malaysian Borneo, recording herbivory rates in C. hirta and related native Melastoma spp. plants along two 100-m transects per site that varied in canopy cover. Overall, we found evidence of enemy release; C. hirta had significantly lower herbivory (median occurrence of herbivory per plant = 79% of leaves per plant; median intensity of herbivory per leaf = 6% of leaf area) than native melastomes (93% and 20%, respectively). Herbivory on C. hirta increased when closer to native Melastoma plants with high herbivory damage, and in more shaded locations, and was associated with fewer reproductive organs on C. hirta. This suggests host-sharing by specialist Melastomataceae herbivores is occurring and may explain why invasion success of C. hirta is lower on Borneo than at locations without related native species present. Thus, natural enemy populations may provide a “biological control service” to suppress invasions of exotic species (i.e., biotic resistance). However, lower herbivory pressures in more open canopy locations may make highly degraded forests within these landscapes more susceptible to invasion.