Patterns of phenological changes in migratory birds

The phenology of avian migration appears to be changing in response to climate change. Seemingly contradictory differences in the timing of these annual cycles have been reported in published studies. We show that differences between studies in the choice of songbird species, as well as in the measurements of migration phenology, can explain most of the reported differences. Furthermore, while earlier spring arrival is evident across these studies, trends in timing of departure show large variation between species and according to individual timing of migration (early-arriving vs. late-departing individuals). Much of the variation in departure between species could be explained by each species’ migratory status. We present a detailed analysis of migrants recorded at a Danish migration site, and reveal that although shifts in migration timing can be demonstrated for almost all species, these shifts are either most pronounced in the early arriving/late departing individuals or the changes are similar. Thus most individuals do not seem to change their breeding-area residence time (BART). As BART is likely to reflect ecologically important factors, e.g. number of clutches, we expect that only small effects have been exerted on the breeding ecology of the studied species in the time period investigated. Electronic supplementary material Supplementary material is available in the online version of this article at and is accessible for authorized users.     

树木木质部生长动态及其调节机制研究进展

全球变化对树木木质部生长产生了深远影响,进而影响了森林生态系统的固碳功能以及全球生态系统能量和物质的循环过程。树木木质部生长动态主要包括形成层活动开始和结束的时间、生长季长度以及分裂速率等,其受到多种因素的共同调节,如植物激素、碳水化合物、氮素和气象因子等。通过在精细的时间尺度上对比研究树木木质部生长动态,揭示木质部形成的决定因子,可以加深对树木生长生理机制的理解,从而提高其对气候变化响应的预测精度。对近年来在木质部的形成动态及其调节机制方面取得的研究进展进行了综述,并对未来的研究方向进行了展望。     

中国竹类植物基本形态学功能性状的比较

竹类植物作为一种克隆植物, 无次生生长过程, 具有独特的生长和繁殖特性。但有关不同类群竹类植物功能性状的变异规律所知甚少。本文以在中国分布的34属534种竹类植物为研究对象, 从Flora of China中收集和整理其秆高、直径、节间长、竹壁厚、叶长、叶宽等基本形态学功能性状, 根据竹类植物生物学特性, 按地下茎划分为丛生、散生和混生3个类群, 按出笋季节划分为春、夏、秋、冬4个类群, 按分布范围划分为中国特有(371个中国特有种)和非特有2个类群, 再采用方差分析和多重比较探讨不同类群竹类植物在基本形态学性状上的分异格局, 采用主成分分析揭示各个功能性状之间的内在关联, 剖析不同类群竹类植物功能性状的变异。结果表明: 丛生竹、散生竹和混生竹之间功能性状差异显著, 丛生竹具有最大的秆高、直径、节间长、竹壁厚, 最小的叶长和叶宽, 散生竹次之, 而混生竹则具有最小的秆性状和最大的叶性状。中国特有种在秆高、直径、竹壁厚、叶长方面显著小于非特有种。竹类植物秆高、直径、节间长、竹壁厚之间均呈显著正相关, 叶长和叶宽之间存在显著正相关。竹类植物在垂直方向上的大小性状(主要包括直径、秆高和竹壁厚)在第一主轴具有较大的贡献率, 而在水平方向上的叶片功能性状(叶长和叶宽)在第二主轴上贡献率最大。由此可见, 竹类植物在水平方向和垂直方向上对光资源的捕获差异可能是驱动竹类植物系统演化、特有性分布和出笋季节差异的关键因素。     

栽培因子对长江流域早熟棉花短季栽培产量影响及建成模型研究

长江流域棉花生育期长,不利于棉油两熟制种植。通过调控栽培因子缩短棉花生育期,实现棉油单作,提高种植效益。本文以棉花早熟品种JX0010为试验材料,采用二次最优回归设计(311设计),研究了栽培因子施氮量、种植密度、播种期对棉花产量形成的影响。根据回归模型分析表明,各栽培因子与籽棉产量的单因子效应分析得出其对籽棉产量的影响顺序为:播种期>密度>施氮量。播种期对籽棉产量有明显的负效应,施氮量、密度对籽棉产量有明显的正效应。两因子互作效应对籽棉产量影响的大小顺序为:施氮量与密度的互作>密度与播种期的互作>施氮量与播种期的互作。因此,在生产上应当充分发挥施氮量与密度的互作效应,同时结合适当的播种期,以促进棉花增产。     

Species‐specific and temporal scale‐dependent responses of birds to drought

Global climate change is increasing the frequency and intensity of weather extremes, including severe droughts in many regions. Drought can impact organisms by inhibiting reproduction, reducing survival and abundance, and forcing range shifts. For birds, considering temporal scale by averaging drought‐related variables over different time lengths (i.e., temporal grains) captures different hydrologic attributes which may uniquely influence food supplies, vegetation greenness/structure, and other factors affecting populations. However, studies examining drought impacts on birds often assess a single temporal grain without considering that different species have different life histories that likely determine the temporal grain of their drought response. Furthermore, while drought is known to influence bird abundance and drive between‐year range shifts, less understood is whether it causes within‐range changes in species distributions. Our objectives were to (a) determine which temporal grain of drought (if any) is most related to bird presence/absence and whether this response is species specific; and (b) assess whether drought alters bird distributions by quantifying probability of local colonization and extinction as a function of drought intensity. We used North American Breeding Bird Survey data collected over 16 years, generalized linear mixed models, and dynamic occupancy models to meet these objectives. Different bird species responded to drought at different temporal grains, with most showing the strongest signal at annual or near‐annual grains. For all drought‐responsive species, increased drought intensity at any temporal grain always correlated with decreased occupancy. Additionally, colonization/extinction analyses indicated that one species, the dickcissel (Spiza americana), is more likely to colonize novel areas within the southern/core portion of its range during drought. Considering drought at different temporal grains, along with hydrologic attributes captured by each grain, may better reveal mechanisms behind drought impacts on birds and other organisms, and therefore improve understanding of how global climate change impacts species and the landscapes they inhabit.     

内蒙古锡林郭勒盟白枕鹤的繁殖记录

2014年7月,在内蒙古锡林郭勒盟苏尼特左旗记录到4个带幼鸟的白枕鹤家庭和1对未带幼鸟的成鸟。经查阅文献,发现本次调查将白枕鹤的繁殖分布区向南推进了约1个纬度。     

大鳞裂峡鲃繁殖生物学特征

2009、2010和2013年在云南省西双版纳自治州勐腊县境内的南腊河共收集大鳞裂峡鲃(Hampala macrolepidota)样本438尾。研究结果表明:大鳞裂峡鲃雌性群体初次性成熟体长228 mm、体重270.3 g,雄性群体初次性成熟体长205 mm、体重172.5 g,对应年龄均为4龄。大鳞裂峡鲃雌、雄繁殖群体的成熟系数年度变化趋势基本一致。成熟系数值在1月、3月、4月呈逐渐增大趋势,5月显著上升,6月达到最高峰,7月急速下降,8月至9月趋于平缓。繁殖活动每年4月开始,一直可持续至10月,主要集中在5~6月。大鳞裂峡鲃雌雄性比为1︰1.19,与鲃亚科其他部分鱼类雌性数量多于雄性的情况相反;繁殖盛期则雌性数量多于雄性。繁殖群体由4~8龄共5个年龄组组成,雌、雄群体均以5龄组所占比例最大。大鳞裂峡鲃属单次产卵鱼类。平均卵径1.18 mm;绝对繁殖力为63 393粒,相对繁殖力为70.04粒/g。与鲃亚科其他部分鱼类比较,大鳞裂峡鲃的卵径相对较小而繁殖力较大。     

四川瓦屋山金色林鸲的巢址选择和繁殖记录

2010~2011年4~7月,在四川省瓦屋山自然保护区对金色林鸲(Tarsiger chrysaeus)的繁殖生态和巢址选择进行了研究。共发现26巢,金色林鸲2010年和2011年的繁殖成功率分别为43.8%和44.4%,孵化率分别为52.5%和60.0%;育雏成功率分别为85.7%和100.0%。主成分分析表明,影响金色林鸲巢址选择的主要因子包括巢位因素、苔藓盖度因素和乔木郁闭度因素。步道两侧的土坎为金色林鸲巢址选择提供了适宜条件。在瓦屋山,人类活动是影响金色林鸲繁殖、巢址选择、巢的分布和数量的重要因素,并存在两面性;人行步道的修建为金色林鸲提供了更多适宜的巢址,而游客的频繁活动限制了金色林鸲的繁殖活动。     

Modelling snow cover duration improves predictions of functional and taxonomic diversity for alpine plant communities

Background and Aims Quantifying relationships between snow cover duration and plant community properties remains an important challenge in alpine ecology. This study develops a method to estimate spatial variation in energy availability in the context of a topographically complex, high-elevation watershed, which was used to test the explanatory power of environmental gradients both with and without snow cover in relation to taxonomic and functional plant diversity.Methods Snow cover in the French Alps was mapped at 15-m resolution using Landsat imagery for five recent years, and a generalized additive model (GAM) was fitted for each year linking snow to time and topography. Predicted snow cover maps were combined with air temperature and solar radiation data at daily resolution, summed for each year and averaged across years. Equivalent growing season energy gradients were also estimated without accounting for snow cover duration. Relationships were tested between environmental gradients and diversity metrics measured for 100 plots, including species richness, community-weighted mean traits, functional diversity and hyperspectral estimates of canopy chlorophyll content.Key Results Accounting for snow cover in environmental variables consistently led to improved predictive power as well as more ecologically meaningful characterizations of plant diversity. Model parameters differed significantly when fitted with and without snow cover. Filtering solar radiation with snow as compared without led to an average gain in R² of 0·26 and reversed slope direction to more intuitive relationships for several diversity metrics.Conclusions The results show that in alpine environments high-resolution data on snow cover duration are pivotal for capturing the spatial heterogeneity of both taxonomic and functional diversity. The use of climate variables without consideration of snow cover can lead to erroneous predictions of plant diversity. The results further indicate that studies seeking to predict the response of alpine plant communities to climate change need to consider shifts in both temperature and nival regimes.     

Changes in autumn senescence in northern hemisphere deciduous trees: a meta-analysis of autumn phenology studies

Background and Aims Many individual studies have shown that the timing of leaf senescence in boreal and temperate deciduous forests in the northern hemisphere is influenced by rising temperatures, but there is limited consensus on the magnitude, direction and spatial extent of this relationship.Methods A meta-analysis was conducted of published studies from the peer-reviewed literature that reported autumn senescence dates for deciduous trees in the northern hemisphere, encompassing 64 publications with observations ranging from 1931 to 2010.Key Results Among the meteorological measurements examined, October temperatures were the strongest predictors of date of senescence, followed by cooling degree-days, latitude, photoperiod and, lastly, total monthly precipitation, although the strength of the relationships differed between high- and low-latitude sites. Autumn leaf senescence has been significantly more delayed at low (25° to 49°N) than high (50° to 70°N) latitudes across the northern hemisphere, with senescence across high-latitude sites more sensitive to the effects of photoperiod and low-latitude sites more sensitive to the effects of temperature. Delays in leaf senescence over time were stronger in North America compared with Europe and Asia.Conclusions The results indicate that leaf senescence has been delayed over time and in response to temperature, although low-latitude sites show significantly stronger delays in senescence over time than high-latitude sites. While temperature alone may be a reasonable predictor of the date of leaf senescence when examining a broad suite of sites, it is important to consider that temperature-induced changes in senescence at high-latitude sites are likely to be constrained by the influence of photoperiod. Ecosystem-level differences in the mechanisms that control the timing of leaf senescence may affect both plant community interactions and ecosystem carbon storage as global temperatures increase over the next century.