Alien plants of coastal dune habitats in southern Spain

Alien plants from psammophilous ecosystems have been studied in southern Spain. Sixteen sites, which are included in the Andalusian Network of Protected Spaces, have been chosen along 1100 km of Andalusian coasts in order to verify the degree of abundance and influence of these species on different communities. Out of the 26 localized species, the increase of some invasive plants, such as Arctotheca calendula, Agave americana, A. sisalana, Cortaderia selloana, Lantana camara and Opuntia dillenii, affects the conservation of some natural coastal ecosystems.     

两类植物型沙丘上植物群落的异同及其对沙丘形态的响应

为探究相同环境条件下发育的两类植物型沙丘上植物群落的异同点,以及相异点与沙丘形态的关系,对毛乌素沙地南缘盐碱地上相间分布的抛物线形沙丘和白刺灌丛沙丘分别进行形态学、植物群落学及土壤理化性质的调查分析。结果显示:抛物线形沙丘的水平尺度虽为白刺灌丛沙丘的12-23倍,但两类沙丘上物种数相当,其植物分属12科31属39种和12科30属33种,均以菊科、藜科、禾本科、豆科植物为主(占70%以上),其中共有植物17种,群落相似度0.66;两类沙丘上的群落建群种不同,优势种的重叠度较低,抛物线形沙丘的不同部位共统计到7个植物群丛,可分为沙生植物群落和喜湿耐盐碱群落,白刺灌丛沙丘上均以白刺为建群种,油蒿、冰草、雾冰藜、沙蓬、狗尾草为主要优势种;沙丘形态造成其不同部位风沙活动及土壤水分、PH值和全盐含量的差异是两类沙丘上植物群落相异的重要影响因素。     

Dealing with scarce data to understand how environmental gradients and propagule pressure shape fine‐scale alien distribution patterns on coastal dunes

Questions: On sandy coastal habitats, factors related to substrate and to wind action vary along the sea–inland ecotone, forming a marked directional disturbance and stress gradient. Further, input of propagules of alien plant species associated to touristic exploitation and development is intense. This has contributed to establishment and spread of aliens in coastal systems. Records of alien species in databases of such heterogeneous landscapes remain scarce, posing a challenge for statistical modelling. We address this issue and attempt to shed light on the role of environmental stress/disturbance gradients and propagule pressure on invasibility of plant communities in these typical model systems. Location: Sandy coasts of Lazio (Central Italy). Methods: We proposed an innovative methodology to deal with low prevalence of alien occurrence in a data set and high cost of field‐based sampling by taking advantage, through predictive modelling, of the strong interrelation between vegetation and abiotic features in coastal dunes. We fitted generalized additive models to analyse (1) overall patterns of alien occurrence and spread and (2) specific patterns of the most common alien species recorded. Conclusion: Even in the presence of strong propagule pressure, variation in local abiotic conditions can explain differences in invasibility within a local environment, and intermediate levels of natural disturbance and stress offer the best conditions for spread of alien species. However, in our model system, propagule pressure is actually the main determinant of alien species occurrence and spread. We demonstrated that extending the information of environmental features measured in a subsample of vegetation plots through predictive modelling allows complex questions in invasion biology to be addressed without requiring disproportionate funding and sampling effort.     

Habitat degradation,topography and rainfall variability interact to determine seed distribution and recruitment in a sand dune grassland

Question: Understanding the mechanisms underlying how habitat degradation, topography and rainfall variability interactively affect seed distribution and seedling recruitment is crucial for explaining plant community patterns and dynamics. Interactions between these major factors were studied together in a semiarid sand dune grassland. Location: Eastern Inner Mongolia, China. Methods: The study system used four sites of fixed, semifixed, semishifting and shifting sand dune grasslands, representing a gradient of habitat degradation. We investigated the density of germinable seeds deposited in the top 5 cm of soil and in situ seedling emergence (number of seedlings emerging early in the growing season) and establishment (number of plants recruited at the end of the growing season) at three topographic positions (dune top, windward and leeward sides) within each site over 2 years that differed in rainfall. Habitat characteristics (i.e. vegetation cover, plant species composition and diversity, soil moisture and nutrient availability and soil erodibility) of the four sites were also measured. Results: Habitat degradation (i.e. decreased vegetation cover and enhanced wind erosion rate) significantly reduced the size of the germinable soil seed bank. On average, germinable seed number from the high‐vegetation cover fixed dune was 36‐fold larger than the low‐vegetation cover shifting dune, and eight‐ and two‐fold larger, respectively, than the semishifting and semifixed dunes with intermediate vegetation cover. We observed within‐habitat variability in seed distribution, but among‐topographic position variation differed among habitats. Seedling recruitment showed large between‐year, and among‐ and within‐habitat variability, but these variations varied significantly depending on the response variables evaluated (i.e. initial seedling density, final plant density, emergence rate and recruitment rate). Path analysis revealed complex density‐dependent positive and negative, direct and indirect effects of germinable seed density and initial seedling density on recruitment, but the relative importance of these density‐dependent effects varied depending on habitat type and rainfall availability. Conclusion: Our results suggest that habitat degradation, microtopography and rainfall availability interact in shaping sand dune seed bank and plant community recruitment patterns and dynamics. Their effects were mainly mediated through changes in both the biotic and abiotic environment during the process of habitat deterioration.     

宁夏东部风沙区固定沙丘土壤性质小尺度空间变异特征

随着流动沙丘的不断固定,不同地形部位的土壤机械组成、有机碳(SOC)和全氮(TN)含量的变化存在差异。为了探明固定沙丘的土壤机械组成与土壤养分空间变异特征,本研究以宁夏黄沙古渡固定沙丘为对象,分析了固定沙丘不同部位、不同土层的风沙土机械组成、SOC和TN特征。结果表明: 各土层土壤机械组成均以中沙和细沙为主。SOC和TN有明显的表聚作用,SOC和TN含量最大值分别为5.781和0.412 g·kg^-1,分布在丘间地,脊线和背风坡含量最少。随着土层深度的增加,背风坡和迎风坡的SOC含量逐渐减少,丘间地的SOC含量先减少后增加。SOC和TN在小尺度上均表现出明显的空间异质性;SOC和TN与粉沙和极细沙含量呈显著正相关,与中沙和粗沙含量呈显著负相关。土壤机械组成对SOC和TN含量有明显影响,而且SOC和TN含量随着细颗粒含量的增加而增加,表明土壤细颗粒对有机质的吸附和积累起着重要作用。     

两种生物型芦苇胚性悬浮培养物对渗透胁迫的生理响应 Ⅱ．抗氧化酶类活性的变化

渗透胁迫处理下,沙丘芦苇和沼泽芦苇培养细胞的H2O2含量变化不大,MDA含量随时间延长而降低。抗氧化酶中,沙丘芦苇的SOD、CAT、POD和APx的活力均显著高于沼津芦苇,显示出比沼泽芦苇更强的ROS清除能力。胁迫初期（0．5h-1d)沙丘芦苇细胞中主要表现出SOD、CAT活力的提高,胁迫2d后4种酶活力均明显被诱导。两种生态型芦苇的PEG适应性培养物APx及SOD酶活力显著提高,POD活性仅沼泽芦苇中升高。提示SOD、CAT主要参与沙丘芦苇在渗透胁迫下的短期响应,而APx与长期响应有关。     

沙丘微地形生境蚁丘分布特征及其对恢复过程的响应

为了阐明沙丘微地形生境蚁丘特征及分布规律对沙丘固定过程的响应规律,以科尔沁沙地为研究区,选择不同固沙阶段沙丘的4个方位（西北、东南、西南、东北）布设调查样地,测定了不同样地的蚁丘密度、直径和高度,分析了不同样地蚁丘特征及空间分布规律。结果表明：（1）流动沙丘背风向（即东南方位）蚁丘密度显著高于其他方位,但从流动沙丘到半流动沙丘,背风向（即东南方位）蚁丘密度显著低于其他方位;从半固定沙丘开始,半固定和固定沙丘微地形对蚁丘密度分布的影响较小。（2）在流动沙丘、半流动沙丘、半固定沙丘,不同微地形生境中蚁丘直径和高度均呈现出相似的分布规律,即东南方位均小于其他方位。在固定沙丘,蚁丘高度表现为东南方位亦较低,但蚁丘直径表现为西南和东北方位显著小于西北方位。（3）在流动沙丘,西北、西南和东南方位上蚁丘空间分布均表现为均匀分布型,而在半流动、半固定和固定沙丘,4个方位上蚁丘空间分布均表现为聚集分布型。（4）相关性分析表明,不同固沙阶段不同微生境下蚁丘密度、高度、直径与植物密度、多样性间的相关性不同。随着固沙阶段演替,不同微生境下蚁丘特征与植物密度、多样性的相关性增强。研究表明,在科尔沁沙地,随着流动沙丘固定和生境逐渐恢复,沙丘不同空间方位上蚁丘密度分布差异缩小,而蚁丘直径和高度仍存在沙丘微地形间显著差异性,并且蚁丘空间方位上均呈现聚集分布状态。