Phytoplankton and physical-chemical features of Tavropos Reservoir,Greece

Phytoplankton biomass values in Tavropos Reservoir, ranging from 92 to 1071 mg m^–3, are within a range characteristic of oligotrophic waters. The seasonal sequence of biomass shows three annual peaks, differing from the monoacmic pattern seen in oligotrophic lakes. This sequence was profoundly affected by changes in water withdrawal and inflow rates. Diatoms, cryptophytes, chrysophytes and dinoflagellates, in that order, were the major constituents of the reservoir phytoplankton. The succession, from diatoms and chrysophytes in late winter-spring, to centric diatoms in late spring-summer and again to diatom-chrysophytes in late autumn was similar to that in oligotrophic lakes.     

星星草(Puccinellia tenuiflora)人工草地氮素积累对松嫩盐碱草地植被演替的影响

通过对星星草(Puccinellia tenuiflora)生长不同年数盐碱土壤氮素营养状况的比较,研究氮素积累作用的机理,并探讨其在植被演替中的可能作用.结果表明:在一维生态位空间(土壤氮含量)星星草和羊草(Leymus chinense)之间具有较小的生态位分离值和较大的生态位重叠值,表明羊草对土壤高含氮量具有较强的竞争能力.这些也许是羊草以及其他植物在星星草生长一定年数后能够侵入碱斑土壤的机制.星星草作为盐碱土壤改良和植被恢复的先锋植物,它的生长增强了盐碱草地土壤氮素的矿质化作用和生物固氮强度,并减弱了氮素随地表径流的损失.最终促进了盐碱草地的氮素沉积,达到了适合于其它物种(如羊草)生长的水平,从而使碱斑植被得以恢复.     

退化红壤植被恢复对土壤螨类群落结构的影响

对退化红壤地区的旱生性草坡、稀疏针叶林、针叶林、针阔混交林等4种植被恢复类型及裸地、顶级常绿阔叶林等2个对照样地的土壤螨类群落进行四季调查，共捕获4亚目53科，其中隐气门亚目27科（Cryptostigmata），前气门亚目（Prostigmata）17科，中气门亚目（Mesostigmata）8科，无气门亚目（Astigmata）1科，优势类群为矮汉甲螨科（Nanhermanniidae）和单翼甲螨科（Haplozetidae），常见类群包括若甲螨科（Oribatulidae）、盖头甲螨科（Tectocepheidae）等16科。应用个体密度、类群数、香农多样性、密度．类群DG指数、丰富度和均匀度、甲螨群落的MGP分析和捕食性螨类MI指数，研究其中螨类的群落结构特征。研究结果表明：不同植被类型土壤螨类群落差异显著，各项指标均以常绿阔叶林为最高，其次为稀疏针叶林，显著高于其它样地（P〈0．05），针叶林和裸地处于最低水平。甲螨群落类群结构中，各植被类型中的甲螨群落均属于M型；甲螨个体密度结构类型中，裸地属于MP型，旱生性草坡属P型，常绿阔叶林属于O型，其它均属于M型。中气门螨类的MI指数在各植被类型没有明显的变化。DCA分析将6类型分为3类：裸地、常绿阔叶林各为一类，其余各类型归为一类，这显示了土壤螨类群落对植被恢复不同类型的响应。     

Soil and Fertilizer Amendments and Edge Effects on the Floral Succession of Pulverized Fuel Ash

Plots of fresh pulverized fuel ash (PFA, an industrial waste) were inoculated with soils from existing PFA sites and fertilizers in a factorial design, then left unmanaged for 12 years during which time the floral development and soil chemistry were monitored annually. For the first 3 years, the site supported a sparse mix of chenopods (including the scarce Chenopodium glaucum ) and halophytes. As salinity declined, ruderals, legumes, and grasses plus the fire-site moss Funaria hygrometrica colonized, followed by Festuca arundinacea grassland (NVC community MG12) and Hippophae rhamnoides scrub. Dactylorhiza incarnata (orchidacea) appeared after 7 years, but only in plots that had received soil from existing orchid colonies. Four years later, a larger second generation of Dactylorhiza appeared, but only in the central zone of the site where vegetation was thinnest. By year 12, the site was dominated by coarse grasses and scrub, with early successional species persisting only in the sparsely vegetated center, where nitrate levels were lowest. This edge effect is interpreted as centripetal encroachment, a process of potentially wider concern for the conservation of low-fertility habitat patches. Overall, seed bank inoculation seems to have introduced few but desirable species ( D. incarnata , Pyrola rotundifolia , some halophytes, and annuals), whereas initial application of organic fertilizer had long-lasting (≥10 years) effects on cover and soil composition.     

Seasonality in Southern Hemisphere freshwater phytoplankton assemblages

Seasonal climatic cycles induce corresponding fluctuations in phytoplankton abundance and productivity at all latitudes, the magnitude of these fluctuations tending to increase with distance from the Equator. In equatorial regions seasonality is dependent on prevailing wind and rainfall patterns while annual temperature fluctuations exert increasing control over seasonal events at higher latitudes. The small annual temperature range of equatorial aquatic systems increases their sensitivity to localized climatic events which can bring about diel changes that exceed normal month-to-month variations. Long-term hydrological cycles with a periodicity greater than one year can also cause dramatic changes in equatorial and tropical aquatic systems leading to greater unpredictability.The factors regulating seasonal patterns of phytoplankton abundance and species composition in equatorial and low-latitude temperate regions of the Southern Hemisphere are examined and compared with similar features in the Northern Hemisphere. Despite the striking diversity of phytoplankton populations and the wide variety of habitats they occupy, seasonal succession follows a common sequence controlled, successively, by physical, chemical and biotic factors. This permits a high degree of predictability in the environmental conditions promoting growth of different taxa.Examination of Southern Hemisphere data indicates that, at class level, phytoplankton successional sequences in Southern Hemisphere aquatic systems are in agreement with the successional paradigm formulated for northern tropical and temperate latitudes. Diatoms characterize early successional episodes and these are followed by chlorophytes, and finally blue-green algae. Extreme habitat modification (e.g. hypertrophy, salinity) tends to lead to dominance of the habitat by a single taxon, often represented by a single species. Predictions of within-taxon species succession in phytoplankton assemblages are far less precise.     

Entomofauna resource distribution associated with pig cadavers in Bogotá DC

A cadaver represents a temporal energy‐loaded resource, which provides arthropods with food, protection and a place in which to find a mate. Insects are usually the first organisms to discover and colonize a cadaver; as decomposition progresses, insects colonize cadavers in a predictable sequence. This work aimed to establish cadaverous entomofauna relationships with regard to stages of decomposition and environmental conditions using multiple correspondence analysis and thereby to identify the way in which insects distribute a perishable and changing resource. Entomofauna were thus collected in a semi‐rural area near Bogotá from the cadavers of three pigs (Sus scrofa L.) which had been shot. Environmental variables were recorded for each sampling. Multiple correspondence analyses were carried out for adult forms belonging to Diptera and Coleoptera families and stages of decomposition, and for Diptera and Coleoptera adult forms and environmental conditions. Stages of decomposition were a primary determining factor for structuring four guilds of entomofauna. However, environmental conditions influenced insect activity and were therefore a relevant factor in the structure of the entomofauna community. The results showed that the insects' distribution of available resources was related to changes in the stage of decomposition.     

Scale sensitivity of synthetic long‐term vegetation time series derived through overlay of short‐term field records

Questions: Is change in cover of dominant species driving the velocity of succession or is it species turnover (1)? Is the length of the time‐step chosen in sampling affecting our recognition of the long‐term rate of change (2)1 Location: 74 permanent plots located in the Swiss National Park, SE Switzerland, ca. 1900 m a.s.l. Methods: We superimpose several time‐series from permanent plots to one single series solely based on compositional dissimilarity. As shown earlier (Wildi & Schütz 2000) this results in a synthetic series covering about 400 to 650 yr length. Continuous power transformation of cover‐percentage scores is used to test if the dominance or the presence‐absence of species is governing secondary succession from pasture to forest. The effect of time step length is tested by sub‐samples of the time series. Results: Altering the weight of presence‐absence versus dominance of species affects the emerging time frame, while altering time step length is uncritical. Where species turnover is fast, different performance scales yield similar results. When cover change in dominant species prevails, the solutions vary considerably. Ordinations reveal that the synthetic time series seek for shortest paths of the temporal pattern whereas in the real system longer lasting alternatives exist. Conclusions: Superimposing time series differs from the classical space‐for‐time substitution approach. It is a computation‐based method to investigate temporal patterns of hundreds of years fitting between direct monitoring (usually limited to decades) and the analysis of proxy‐data (for time spans of thousands of years and more).