土壤动物粒径谱研究进展

群落结构如何响应环境变化是生态学研究长期关注的核心问题之一。粒径谱由个体大小和多度构建而来,与营养级转换速率相关、反映生态系统过程动态以及表征生态系统稳定性,可以将其视为一个综合的功能多样性指标用于预测和表征群落的组成以及生态系统功能如何响应环境压力。粒径谱研究最初始于水生生态系统,近年来被引入到土壤动物群落生态学的研究中。简要回顾粒径谱的概念由来及理论基础,分析比较了当前粒径谱研究中的4种易混淆类型,介绍了常用的两类土壤动物粒径谱构建方法及其生态学意义,梳理了土壤动物粒径谱对环境梯度响应与生态化学计量学相结合的研究进展,并指出了应用粒径谱研究土壤动物群落的难点及限制条件。未来,在基础理论研究方面,土壤动物粒径谱应关注个体大小与营养级位置及能量利用关系;在应用方面,土壤动物粒径谱可结合传统的分类方法广泛应用于指示环境污染、生态恢复、保育生物以及土地利用变化等。

Advances in the body size spectra study of soil fauna

Community structure and their responses to environmental changes have long been a major concern in ecology. Constructed by body size and abundance, size spectra correlate with trophic transfer efficiency, respond process rate dynamics, and characterize ecological stability. Thus, body size spectra (BSS) can be an indicator of functional diversity to predict and characterize how community composition and ecosystem function respond to environmental pressures. The initial focus of BSS was in aquatic ecosystems until recently, when it was used in the community ecology of soil invertebrates. The present study briefly reviewed the concept, background, and theoretical basis of BSS. Four different but often confused BSS patterns were also distinguished. Then we showed how to construct the two frequently used types of BSS in soil fauna and their ecological significances. We introduced research progress on how the BSS of soil organisms respond to environmental gradients and relate to ecological stoichiometry. Limitations and constraints of the BSS application to soil fauna were also noted. In basic theoretical research, we should focus on the correlation of body size with trophic level and energy use in soil animals. Combined with traditional classification method, BSS of soil fauna can be widely used to indicate environmental pollution, ecological restoration, conservation biology, and land use changes.