鸟类传播种子对几种树篱中侵入植物多样性的影响

2001年4月至2003年11月,在南京中山植物园内调查了冬青卫矛(Euonymus japonicus)、日本珊瑚树(Viburnum awabuki)和溲疏(Deutzia scabra)3种树篱,以及位于不同生境的2个黄杨(Buxus microphyllavar.sinica)树篱中侵入生长的杂草及杂树种类,并选择3 km外南京农业大学实验楼周围的冬青卫茅树篱作为参照。在6个树篱类型中调查到侵入生长的种子植物共计1230株,分隶于42科57属70种植物。其中适应于鸟类传播的植物有55种1047株植物;适应于风力传播的植物有10种161株植物;传播媒介不明的植物有5种22株植物。各树篱类型中,适应于鸟类传播种子的侵入植物种类数目显著多于风力传播的植物种类(t=5.086,df=10,p<0.0001)和种子传播媒介不明的植物种类(t=8.446,df=10,p<0.0001),但各树篱中适应于风力传播的侵入植物与种子传播媒介不明的植物在种类数目上无显著差异(t=1.977,df=10,p=0.076)。南京中山植物园的5个树篱类型中,适应于鸟类传播的侵入植物物种多样性的Shannon-Wiener指数都较高,为2.151至2.917,平均2.671±0.306,并且种类数目也较多,为15~36种,平均25.6±8.1种。而南京农业大学内冬青卫茅树篱的物种多样性指数最低,为1.679,并且种类数目也最少,为12种。Bray-Curtis相似性指数的聚类分析结果显示,不同树篱类型中适应于鸟类传播种子的侵入植物组成的相似性主要受到树篱周围的种子源及其距离、食果鸟类、人为干扰活动等生境因子的影响,而非简单取决于树篱种类本身。鸟类传播种子增加了单一树种构成的树篱中的种子植物多样性,同时也对树篱的景观产生了一定的不利影响,不过人工对树篱的日常修剪等管护措施严格限制了这些侵入植物实生苗及小树的正常生长。研究结果反映出种子源、鸟类传播种子和灌丛在促进植物群落的发展和演替过程中具有重要的生态意义。

Effects of bird seed dispersal on diversity of the invaded plants in several hedge types

The plants that invaded as weeds including woody weeds were surveyed in three hedge types, Euonymus japonicus(HEa), Viburnum awabuki (HV), and Deutzia scabra (HD), respectively, and two hedge types, Buxus microphylla var. sinica (HBa, HBb) cultivated in different habitats in Nanjing Botanical Garden Mem. Sun Yat-Sen (NBG), Nanjing of East China, from April 2001 to November 2002. Another hedge type, Euonymus japonicus (HEb) was also investigated as a contrast, cultivated in Nanjing Agricultural University (NAU), about 3 km away from NBG, between April and November 2003. In total, 1230 plant indi-viduals were found to have invaded these six hedge types, and were identified as belonging to 70 species in 57 genera and 42 fami-lies. Among these plants, 1047 individuals of 55 species were adapted for bird seed dispersal, and 161 individuals of 10 species were adapted for wind seed dispersal, but the seed dispersal mode of the other 22 individuals of five species was uncertain. Among the six hedge types, we found a significantly higher occurrence of bird-dispersed plant species than that of wind-dispersed species (t = 5.086, df = 10, P < 0.0001) or that of species with the unknown dispersal mode (t = 8.446, df = 10, P < 0.0001). However, the difference of occurrence between wind-dispersed species and species with the unknown dispersal mode was not significant (t = 1.977, df= 10, P = 0.076). The number of bird-dispersed plant species recorded in the five hedge types of NBG varied from 15 to 36, M ± SD = 25.6 ± 8.1, and the Shannon-Wiener indices were between 2.151 and 2.917, M ± SD = 2.671 ± 0.306. In contrast with NBG, only 12 species of bird-dispersed plants occurred in the hedge of NAU, with a lower Shannon-Wiener index of 1.679. As a result of cluster analysis, based on Bray-Curtis similarity indices of the invaded plant species adapted for bird seed dispersal, the similarity of species composition of bird-dispersed plants between hedges was influenced to a large extent by the surrounding habitat characteristics, e.g., locality, seed source diversity, distances from seed sources, seed dispersing birds, and frequency of human disturbance, rather than simply being dependent on the hedge tree species themselves. This research suggests that hedges could attract birds to utilize their interior shelter as habitats, and therefore, would have enhanced the deposition of bird-dispersed seeds, as well as have favored seed-ling survival under hedges. Consequently, avian seed dispersal has enriched the species composition of each of the six hedge types consisting of just a single tree species. Although survival and colonization of the migrated plants will inevitably cause some influ-ences on the aesthetic view of hedges, these invaded weeds or woody weeds could be managed and suppressed through regular arti-ficial pruning and by eradication. The results indicate the ecological significance of seed sources, bird seed dispersal, and shrub patches in promoting the successional development of woody vegetation.