Can vegetation indicate landfill cover features?

Generally, great efforts are made in measuring features of landfill covers. However, conventional physical or chemical parameters reach their limits in indicating the small scale changes of the habitats. Bio-indication is a proven tool to assess habitat conditions. The advantages of vegetation monitoring are obvious: cheap, easy, and integrating over time and space. Our study displays, how vegetation can indicate landfill cover features by adapting some common evaluation methods. Ellenberg's ecological indicator values were used, but ubiquitous species were excluded from multivariate data analysis of the Ellenberg values. Four groups of habitats were distinguished according to their cover material: (i) loamy substrates; (ii) wet hollows and areas with mature compost; (iii) fresh compost and mechanically biologically treated waste; (iv) slag from municipal solid waste incineration and leachate-influenced areas with fresh untreated waste or sewage sludge. The differences were assessed by ecological indices. The results give a promising impression of the potential vegetation monitoring has in the indication of landfill cover features.     

A new dissimilarity measure and a new optimality criterion in phytosociological classification

A new dissimilarity measure, Uppsala dissimilarity, is proposed. It is a Manhattan-type measure in between the Canberra and Gower measures, based on the differences between scores in relevés compared, but it also takes both the sums of scores and the difference between maximum and minimum score into account. The measure is considered realistic for phytosociological material.A new optimality criterion has been developed after unsatisfactory results had been obtained with the DOL criterion (Popma et al. 1983) which was developed previously by our group. Problems with DOL were especially met when the criterion was applied to the distribution of only one species over the cluster array obtained. The new criterion takes both internal cluster homogeneity and between-cluster dissimilarity into account. Between-cluster dissimilarity is calculated for all other clusters and not only for the nearest neighbour, as in DOL. The new criterion has both an unweighted form: SOM, and a form with weighting for cluster size: SWOM.This new criterion was successfully applied to the evaluation of the sharpness of distribution of individual species over cluster arrays, under the name of SIM: species indication measure and SWIM, species weighted indication measure.The measures were applied to some test data. Differences between the unweighted and weighted forms were found which could not be easily interpreted.Some remarks are made on the coherence of d-SAHN and h-SAHN approaches in agglomerative clustering within the new strategy proposed.Abbreviations DOL = Detection of Optimal Level - S(W)IM = Species (Weighted) Indication Measure - S(W)OM = Standardized (Weighted) Optimality Measure - UD = Uppsala Dissimilarity measure - WPGMA = Weighted Pair-Group Method Average linking clustering - SAHN = Sequential Agglomerative Hierarchical Non-overlapping clustering     

Microbian Indication of Pollution of the Coastal Zone of the Sea of Okhotsk and Avacha Bay

The results of microbiological analysis of a number of microorganisms of various ecological–trophic groups in plankton microbial communities of some water areas of the Sea of Okhotsk and Avacha Bay are presented. The data were compared to the hydrochemical parameters (temperature, salinity, BOD₅, dissolved oxygen, phosphates, organic phosphate, detergents) determined simultaneously. The microbian indication method is used for express assessment of water pollution of the surveyed areas. The data demonstrated that Avacha Bay was subjected to heavier anthropogenic impact than the water areas of the ports of Kholmsk and Magadan.     

Potential of endozoochorous seed dispersal by sheep in calcareous grasslands: correlations with seed traits

Questions: What is the potential of sheep to serve as seed dispersers via ingestion and defecation in calcareous grasslands? Is the presence of viable seeds from dung correlated with specific seed traits? Location: Calcareous grasslands, South Limburg, the Netherlands/Belgium. Methods: Dung samples (n=24) from sheep were collected between September 2006 and November 2007 from five sites with Mesobromion plant communities, and communities of Nardo‐Galion saxatilis. Germinability and identity of seeds in the dung samples were ascertained from germination of seedlings under glasshouse conditions. Seed traits of species with viable seeds in dung were compared with those present in the local species pool. Results: Seventy‐two plant species from 23 plant families had viable seeds in sheep dung. The plant families encountered most frequently were Gramineae and Compositae. The most abundant and frequently recorded plant species in dung samples was Urtica dioica, accounting for >80% of the total number of seeds. Mean seed density in sheep dung was 0.8 seeds g^?1 dry matter. Seeds with low seed mass and a high seed longevity index were over‐represented in dung. Viable seeds >2.5 mg were infrequent in the dung samples. Conclusions: We conclude that sheep are potentially important dispersers of plant species in Dutch calcareous grasslands. Although smaller seeds were relatively abundant in sheep dung, it cannot be excluded that this was mainly caused by differences in seed abundance.     

天山北麓典型地段植被对景观格局和动态的指示意义

景观是由气候、地貌、水文、土壤、植被等组分构成的综合体。这些组分之间相互影响、相互作用,其中植被对其它组分的反映最为敏感。研究了天山中段北坡从中山开始,向下经准噶尔盆地南缘壤质和黏土荒漠,到古尔班通古特沙漠南缘的范围内,以典型温带荒漠植被为主的天然植被格局及其与环境梯度的关系,并以此为基础探讨了干旱区荒漠植被对于景观格局及相应的景观过程的指示意义。结果表明,土壤质地对研究区植被类型有显著的影响,白梭梭-梭梭群落、梭梭群落、琵琶柴群落对细粒物质的偏好依次增大,对粗粒物质含量则有相反的规律;研究区壤质和黏土荒漠中的白梭梭-梭梭群落可以作为景观中土壤沙化过程的指示体。在对土壤含盐量的适应性方面,琵琶柴群落高于梭梭群落,分布在总盐含量更高的生境中,柽柳群落则对土壤盐分没有明显的偏好;盐生矮半灌木群落可以作为土壤盐渍化过程的指示体。在对土壤水分与地下水位的适应性方面,柽柳群落表现出较明显的对高的土壤含水率的偏好,可以指示景观中具有优良生境的斑块。荒漠化过程是干旱区重要的景观生态过程,主要表现为土壤沙化和土壤盐渍化,而这两个过程都有非常明显的植被表征,因此,在以荒漠化动态为目标的干旱区景观动态分析中,可以通过植被的演化来推断景观格局的动态变化,进而推断荒漠化动态。     

土壤动物研究综述

土壤动物是当今生态学研究的热点,其对环境的指示作用已经受到越来越多生态学家的重视.对土壤动物学的发展历史,以及我国土壤动物的研究现状和现代土壤动物学研究的一些热点领域进行了综述.     

Red (anthocyanic) leaf margins do not correspond to increased phenolic content in New Zealand Veronica spp.

Background and Aims

Red or purple coloration of leaf margins is common in angiosperms, and is found in approx. 25 % of New Zealand Veronica species. However, the functional significance of margin coloration is unknown. We hypothesized that anthocyanins in leaf margins correspond with increased phenolic content in leaf margins and/or the leaf entire, signalling low palatability or leaf quality to edge-feeding insects.

Methods

Five species of Veronica with red leaf margins, and six species without, were examined in a common garden. Phenolic content in leaf margins and interior lamina regions of juvenile and fully expanded leaves was quantified using the Folin–Ciocalteu assay. Proportions of leaf margins eaten and average lengths of continuous bites were used as a proxy for palatability.

Key Results

Phenolic content was consistently higher in leaf margins compared with leaf interiors in all species; however, neither leaf margins nor more interior tissues differed significantly in phenolic content with respects to margin colour. Mean phenolic content was inversely correlated with the mean length of continuous bites, suggesting effective deterrence of grazing. However, there was no difference in herbivore consumption of red and green margins, and the plant species with the longest continuous grazing patterns were both red-margined.

Conclusions

Red margin coloration was not an accurate indicator of total phenolic content in leaf margins or interior lamina tissue in New Zealand Veronica. Red coloration was also ineffective in deterring herbivory on the leaf margin, though studies controlling for variations in leaf structure and biochemistry (e.g. intra-specific studies) are needed before more precise conclusions can be drawn. It is also recommended that future studies focus on the relationship between anthocyanin and specific defence compounds (rather than general phenolic pools), and evaluate possible alternative functions of red margins in leaves (e.g. antioxidants, osmotic adjustment).     

Consequences of the inscription of local breeds in protected designation of origin cow cheese specifications for the genetic management of the herds

In the mountainous areas of Europe with a humid climate, dairy cattle production is a major agricultural activity, and the milk is often processed into cheese according to protected designation of origin (PDO) specifications. We analyzed the extent to which PDO specifications and/or a mountain environment influence the spatial distribution of estimated breeding values (EBVs) of cows and the herd-year effects (HYEs) for milk yield (kg/lactation) and protein and fat contents (g/kg), as well as lactation ranks and calving months. The study focused on the northern French Alps. A total of 37 023 lactations, recorded in 2006, in 1153 herds were analyzed. The cows belonged to the Montbéliarde (21 516 lactations), Abondance (10 346 lactations) and Tarentaise (5161 lactations) breeds. The two factors of variation considered were the status of the commune where the farm was located in relation to PDO (three categories: area with no PDO, area with a PDO with no milk yield limit, area with a PDO with a milk yield limit) and 'mountain' environment (four categories based on the European regulation: plain, piedmont, mountain and high mountain). In the Abondance breed, the average lactation rank increased with an increase in production constraints due to the PDO or to a mountain environment. In the Abondance and Tarentaise breeds, grouping of calving in winter was most marked in the 'PDO with a milk yield limit' and 'high-mountain' categories. In the Tarentaise breed, no significant effect on any trait and any variable was found in the 'PDO' or 'mountain' categories. In the other two breeds, the average EBV for milk yield decreased with an increase in the constraints due to PDO, with differences of 226 and 93 kg between extreme values in the Abondance and Montbéliarde breeds, respectively. The average HYE for milk yield was higher in the Abondance breed in the 'PDO with no milk yield limit' category than in the other categories (+740 and +1110 kg, respectively); HYE was not affected by the 'PDO' factor in the Montbéliarde breed or by the 'mountain' factor in either breed. Concerning the protein and fat contents, the effect of the 'PDO' and 'mountain' factors depended on the trait, the variable and the breed. The proportion of individual decisions (the farmer makes the decision) v. collective decisions (breed management) concerning herd dynamics in the face of existing constraints is discussed.     

Nitrate reductase activity in vegetation below an arctic bird cliff,Svalbard, Norway

Abstract. Vegetated sites below bird-nesting cliffs are uniquely nutrient-rich habitats in the otherwise nutrient-poor arctic environment. Plants from six distinct vegetation zones below such a cliff at 79° N, Svalbard, Norway, were collected for analysis under greenhouse conditions. Leaf nitrate reductase activity (NRA) was analysed in 42 species representing 25 % of the Svalbard vascular flora. The species mean NRA values ranged from 0.37 to 8.34 μmols of nitrite ions formed per gram of plant fresh weight per hour. Species in the vegetated zone growing closest to recent guano deposits had the highest NRA values, (mean = 4.47) whereas plants growing farther below the cliff had significantly lower values (mean = 0.55). A similar pattern was detected in a duplicate set of plants induced with 15 mM KNO₃; vegetation zone means for NRA ranged from 5.08 to 0.98 μmols of nitrite ions formed per gram of plant fresh weight per hour. Maximally induced species NRA values were highest in the first zones below the cliff and decreased downslope. This gradient paralleled the steep soil nitrate gradient, which decreased from 13.84 mg/l at the cliffbase to 1.03 mg/l downslope. Correspondingly, soil ammonium ions in the vegetation zones ranged between 1.96 mg/l at the cliff-base to 0.03 mg/l downslope. Correlations between NRA and soil nitrate provide a systematic basis for assigning scalar ‘nitrogen figures’ as indicators of habitat preference, here for the first time applied to arctic species.     

中华卷柏在恢复过去环境研究中的生态指示意义

通过研究我国蕨类植物特有种中华卷柏在现代植被中的分布及其化包子在地层剖面中的时空分布规律,并阐明了中华卷柏在现代植被分布域具有连续分布的特征。在生境上,其基本生活在具有石灰质成土母质的土壤上,多生长在山坡阴处岩石上、山顶岩石上,向阳山坡石缝中,山坡灌丛下等,是一种土壤生态类型植物。在热量和水分因子上,中华卷柏生长在温度适中的黄;多在较为湿润的地方生长。数值分析进一步表明中华卷柏的空间分布主要受年平