Broad‐scale vegetation‐environment relationships in Eurasian high‐latitude areas

Question: How is tundra vegetation related to climatic, soil chemical, geological variables and grazing across a very large section of the Eurasian arctic area? We were particularly interested in broad‐scale vegetation‐environment relationships and how well do the patterns conform to climate‐vegetation schemes. Material and Methods: We sampled vegetation in 1132 plots from 16 sites from different parts of the Eurasian tundra. Clustering and ordination techniques were used for analysing compositional patterns. Vegetation‐environment relationships were analysed by fitting of environmental vectors and smooth surfaces onto non‐metric multidimensional scaling scattergrams. Results: Dominant vegetation differentiation was associated with a complex set of environmental variables. A general trend differentiated cold and continental areas from relatively warm and weakly continental areas, and several soil chemical and physical variables were associated with this broad‐scaled differentiation. Especially soil chemical variables related to soil acidity (pH, Ca) showed linear relationships with the dominant vegetation gradient. This was closely related to increasing cryoperturbation, decreasing precipitation and cooler conditions. Remarkable differences among relatively adjacent sites suggest that local factors such as geological properties and lemming grazing may strongly drive vegetation differentiation. Conclusions: Vegetation differentiation in tundra areas conforms to a major ecocline underlain by a complex set of environmental gradients, where precipitation, thermal conditions and soil chemical and physical processes are coupled. However, local factors such as bedrock conditions and lemming grazing may cause marked deviations from the general climate‐vegetation models. Overall, soil chemical factors (pH, Ca) turned out to have linear relationship with the broad‐scale differentiation of arctic vegetation.     

Scale‐dependence of vegetation‐environment relationships in semi‐natural grasslands

Questions: Which environmental and management factors determine plant species composition in semi‐natural grasslands within a local study area? Are vegetation and explanatory factors scale‐dependent? Location: Semi‐natural grasslands in Lærdal, Sognog Fjordane County, western Norway. Methods: We recorded plant species composition and explanatory variables in six grassland sites using a hierarchically nested sampling design with three levels: plots randomly placed within blocks selected within sites. We evaluated vegetation‐environment relationships at all three levels by means of DCA ordination and split‐plot GLM analyses. Results: The most important complex gradient determining variation in grassland species composition showed a broad‐scale relationship with management. Soil moisture conditions were related to vegetation variation on block scale, whereas element concentrations in the soil were significantly related to variation in species composition on all spatial scales. Our results show that vegetation‐environment relationships are dependent on the scale of observation. We suggest that scale‐related (and therefore methodological) issues may explain the wide range of vegetation‐environment relationships reported in the literature, for semi‐natural grassland in particular but also for other ecosystems. Conclusions: Interpretation of the variation in species composition of semi‐natural grasslands requires consideration of the spatial scales on which important environmental variables vary.     

山西岚县皇姑梁小流域人工植物群落生态

应用双向指示种分析法（TWINSPAN）和除趋势对应分析（DCA）等数量分析方法,对山西岚县皇姑梁小流域人工植物群落生态关系进行研究,将该人工植被划分为12个群丛,分别位于不同的海拔高度和坡向。分类结果很好地反映了人工植物群落类型及优势种的分布与环境因子的关系,并在DCA二维排序图上得到了较好的验证。DCA排序轴反映了群落土壤含水量、坡向、海拔高度、人工植被恢复时间和物种多样性的梯度变化,表明土壤含水量、坡向、海拔高度、物种类型及其配置模式是影响人工植物群落分布和变化的主要环境因子,不同物种配置模式对群落演替和物种多样性变化有重要影响,油松＋华北落叶松．沙棘、小叶杨＋油松、油松-沙棘、油松-柠条锦鸡儿等组成的乔灌混交林的物种多样性高于柠条锦鸡儿灌木纯林,并且油松＋华北落叶松-沙棘混交林的物种多样性高于小叶杨＋油松混交林,混交林的生态恢复效果优于纯林,并且对该小流域的生态恢复作用明显。华北落叶松适合在该小流域海拔较高的梁坡顶、半阳坡、半阴坡和阴坡生长,小叶杨适合在其海拔较低的沟底、半阳坡和半阴坡生长,而油松、沙棘、柠条锦鸡儿的生态适应性强,可在其不同海拔和坡向生长。人工植物群落的演替进程,遵循地带性植物群落演替规律。随着群落演替,野生植物不断侵入,油松、华北落叶松、小叶杨等人工林郁闭度增加,沙棘、柠条锦鸡儿等逐渐退化,油松、华北落叶松、小叶杨等出现枯枝、死株现象,这是自然稀疏的结果,亟待加强管理。     

The importance of bryophytes in the classification of human-disturbed high arctic vegetation

Abstract. Evidence is presented from a variety of tundra cover types under human disturbance at three sites in the Canadian High Arctic to indicate that higher plants may be insufficient to differentiate among the apparently distinct geobotanical signatures of discrete surface disturbances. Unlike in the Low Arctic, woody growth forms are often minimal or lacking on heavily disturbed ground and several prominent species of ruderal herbs and especially graminoids occur on a wide variety of substrates. Therefore, cryptogams, particularly bryophytes, are important indicator taxa. Presence-absence data on bryophytes from minerotrophic and oligotrophic soils, combined with vascular cover-abundance data, enhanced detection of patch-level floristic gradients within and among disjunct coastal lowlands. However, the pool of ruderal bryophytes is limited, and ultimately factors such as frequency and abundance should be considered.     

晋西黄土丘陵与土石山区交错地带灌木种的数量分类与排序

应用TWINSPAN和DCA多元分析的方法,对晋西中阳县黄土丘陵与土石山区交错地带森林及灌丛群落中灌木种的数量特征进行了统计分析,分别对样方和物种进行了数量分类和排序。调查样方包括了该地区主要的次生森林及灌丛植被类型,共计31个样方。样方TWINSPAN分类结果表明,第一级分类可以将林下灌丛及阴坡灌丛与阳坡(或半阳坡)喜光耐旱灌丛区分开来。进一步的分类,可将各样方划分为8个组。根据各样方中灌木种的二元属性数据分析,TWINSPAN分类可将29个常见灌木种划分为4个组,这种分类可以比较明确的区分物种的空间分布特征,主要分布在土石山区的灌木种和土石山区及黄土丘陵区均有分布的物种被准确的区分开来。DCA排序结果与TWINSPAN分类结果较为一致。样方DCA排序第1轴反映了生境的水分环境条件,第2轴反应了样方海拔梯度的变化,即热量条件的差异。对角线上各样方的排列顺序综合反映了水分、热量、土壤等环境条件的差异。灌木种DCA排序图第1轴反映了各物种分布生境的水分条件,最左边多为分布在林下阴湿环境中的植物种,如美蔷薇(Rosa bella)、红瑞木(Cornus alba)等;而最右边则多为典型的干旱阳坡指示种,如对结木(Sageretia paucicostata)、山桃(Amygdalus davidiana)等。对角线上物种的排序综合反映了各物种的空间分布特征,左上方各物种多数只分布在水分条件相对优越的土石山地区,而右下方各物种不仅在土石山区有分布,而且在干旱的黄土丘陵区也多有分布。     

Modern pollen–vegetation relationships in subarctic southern Greenland and the interpretation of fossil pollen data from the Norse landnám

Aim The objective of this paper is to explore the relationships that exist between vegetation and modern pollen rain in the open, largely treeless landscape of subarctic Greenland. The implications of these results for the interpretation of fossil pollen assemblages from the time of the Norse landnám are then examined. Location The study area is the sheep farming district of Qassiarsuk in the subarctic, subcontinental vegetational and climatic zone of southern Greenland (61° N, 45° W). Between c.ad 1000–1500 this region was contained within the Norse Eastern Settlement. Methods Detrended Correspondence Analysis (DCA) of harmonized plant–pollen data sets is used to compare plant cover in 64 vegetation quadrats with pollen assemblages obtained from moss polsters at matching locations. Presence/absence data are also used to calculate indices of association, over‐ and under‐representation for pollen types. Results Good correspondence between paired vegetation–pollen samples occurs in many cases, particularly in locations where Salix glauca–Betula glandulosa dwarf shrub heath is dominant, and across herbaceous field boundaries and meadows. Pollen samples are found to be poor at reflecting actual ground cover where ericales or Juniperus communis are the locally dominant shrubs. Dominant or ubiquitous taxa within this landscape (Betula, Salix and Poaceae) are found to be over‐represented in pollen assemblages, as are several of the ‘weeds’ generally accepted as introduced by the Norse settlers. Main conclusions Due to their over‐representation in the pollen rain, many of the Norse apophytes and introductions (e.g. Rumex acetosa and R. acetosella) traditionally used to infer human activity in Greenland should be particularly sensitive indicators for landnám, allowing early detection of Norse activity in fossil assemblages. Pteridophyte spores are found to be disassociated with the ground cover of ferns and clubmosses, but are over‐represented in pollen assemblages, indicating extra‐local or regional sources and long residence times in soil/sediment profiles for these microfossils. A pollen record for Hordeum‐type registered in close proximity to a field containing barley suggests that summer temperatures under the current climatic regime are, at least on occasion, sufficient to allow flowering.     

Long‐term changes in the vegetation after the cessation of livestock grazing in Eucalyptus marginata (jarrah) woodland remnants

This paper documents changes in the floristic composition of Eucalyptus marginata Donn (jarrah) woodlands over 7 years of recovery from continual, intensive livestock grazing. In remnants of native woodland left after agricultural clearing, which have been subjected to livestock grazing, comparisons were made between the floristics of fenced exclosure plots and open plots that continued to be grazed. The vegetation in nearby remnants, which had not been subjected to livestock grazing, was also surveyed. An initial increase in annual exotic pasture species after grazing relief was only temporary and highly influenced by fluctuations in annual climatic patterns, particularly rainfall distribution and abundance. Subsequent years saw a decrease in exotic annuals in exclosure plots and an increase in native perennials, in a trend towards becoming more floristically similar to the ungrazed sites. Germination of overstorey species was observed in the exclosure plots, however, development of seedlings and saplings was sparse. Results indicate that for jarrah woodland in southwestern Australia, natural regeneration is possible after the removal of livestock, with the return (within 6 years) of native species richness to levels similar to those found in ungrazed vegetation. Re‐establishment of cover, however, appears to take longer. The floristic dynamics are described in terms of a nonequilibrium model. Two vegetation states exist, degraded remnants with an understorey dominated by annual species, and ungrazed vegetation with an understorey dominated by perennial shrubs and herbs. The former state is maintained by continual heavy grazing by livestock. Upon relief from grazing, the vegetation undergoes a transition towards floristic similarity to ungrazed vegetation. After 6 years, vegetation change in the exclosure plots appears to be continuing and therefore it is still in transition.     

长江故道湿地植被的数量分类与排序

采用双向指示种分析法（TWINSPAN）和除趋势对应分析法（DCA）对长江故道湿地植被做分类和排序研究。TWINSPAN分类将湿地植被234个样方分为28个群丛,论述了各群丛的群落学特征。DCA排序结果反映了植物群落类型与环境梯度之间的关系,表明影响群丛分布格局的主导生态因子为生境的水分条件。TWINSPAN数量分类在DCA排序图中有较为明确的分布范围和界限,两者的结合使用,能很好地反映群落与环境因子间的生态关系。     

长白山南坡苔原植被的特殊性及坡向间差异性分析

以长白山苔原带南坡植被为对象,通过植被调查,与北坡和西坡植被进行比较,研究长白山苔原植被因坡向差异导致的不同植被变化模式。结果显示:(1)长白山苔原南坡植被中灌木处于优势地位,与北坡、西坡情况一致。但在物种组成上,各坡向差异明显,为中度不相似水平;(2)在生物多样性、多度、盖度等群落特征上,南坡与西坡的差异较大、与北坡相似性较强;(3)在物种多样性的空间分布上,南坡与北坡相同,即随海拔升高呈单峰变化且峰值出现在中部,与西坡物种多样性随海拔升高呈单调递减的趋势完全不同。表明不同群落抗干扰能力以及所受干扰程度存在差异,北坡处于演替中后期,较为稳定,抗干扰能力更强。南坡因受干扰强度较小,植被处于较稳定状态;(4)长白山苔原各坡向植被变化差异较大。南坡和北坡的植被相对稳定,与西坡草本植物强烈上侵明显不同。长白山苔原带植被的坡向差异源于各坡向的本底差异、环境差异以及对全球气候变化的差异性响应,是火山、强风干扰下植被演替与响应气候变化的植被变化共同作用的结果。     

Correlation between vegetation and environment at different levels in an arid,mountainous region of China

Vegetation patterns and spatial organization are influenced by the changing environmental conditions and human activities. However, the effect of environment on vegetation at different vegetation classification levels has been unclear. We conducted an analysis to explore the relationship between environment and vegetation in the land use/land cover (LULC), vegetation group, vegetation type, and formation and subformation levels using redundancy analysis with seven landscape metrics and 33 environmental factors in the upper reaches of the Heihe River basin in an arid area of China to clarify this uncertainty. Atmospheric counter radiation was the most important factor at the four levels. The effect of soil was the second determinant factor at three levels (except in vegetation formation and subformation level). The number of variables whose relationship to vegetation reached significant levels varied from 26 to 28, and 20 variables were the same at all four levels. The factors affecting vegetation were basically the same at vegetation group level and vegetation‐type level. It was sufficient to analyze the relationship between environmental and vegetation patterns only in LULC, vegetation group and vegetation formation and subformation level in mountainous regions; different factors should be considered at different vegetation levels.     

长白山南坡苔原植被的特殊性及坡向间差异性分析

以长白山苔原带南坡植被为对象,通过植被调查,与北坡和西坡植被进行比较,研究长白山苔原植被因坡向差异导致的不同植被变化模式。结果显示：（1）长白山苔原南坡植被中灌木处于优势地位,与北坡、西坡情况一致。但在物种组成上,各坡向差异明显,为中度不相似水平;（2）在生物多样性、多度、盖度等群落特征上,南坡与西坡的差异较大、与北坡相似性较强;（3）在物种多样性的空间分布上,南坡与北坡相同,即随海拔升高呈单峰变化且峰值出现在中部,与西坡物种多样性随海拔升高呈单调递减的趋势完全不同。表明不同群落抗干扰能力以及所受干扰程度存在差异,北坡处于演替中后期,较为稳定,抗干扰能力更强。南坡因受干扰强度较小,植被处于较稳定状态;（4）长白山苔原各坡向植被变化差异较大。南坡和北坡的植被相对稳定,与西坡草本植物强烈上侵明显不同。长白山苔原带植被的坡向差异源于各坡向的本底差异、环境差异以及对全球气候变化的差异性响应,是火山、强风干扰下植被演替与响应气候变化的植被变化共同作用的结果。     

山西北部地区沙棘群落的数量分类和排序研究

采用双向指示种分析法对山西北部地区沙棘群落进行分类和排序研究,结果将山西北部地区沙棘群落划分为14个群系,并论述了各群系的特征。DCA排序进一步说明了群系的分布格局与水分和土壤的密切关系,结果表明组成沙棘灌丛的种群对群落生境具有指示作用,能客观反映群落的生境特征．     

A study on relations of vegetation,climate and soils in Shanxi province,China

Relationships of vegetation, climate and soils in Shanxi plateau wereanalyzed by use of Canonical Correspondence Analysis (CCA). Shanxi province,located at 34°35–40°43 N, 110°15–114°33 E, was divided into a series of rectangular districts of30 latitude by 20 longitude. Areas of vegetation formations and soil types ineach district were measured carefully using fine grain on the vegetation andsoil maps of Shanxi. Climatic data were mean values of 25 years records in eachdistrict. Three data matrices of climate, vegetation and soil were combined byCCA. The results showed that the distribution of vegetation is closely relatedto the variety of climates and to soils distribution.     

A study on the relationship between vegetation pattern and environment in the upstream of Minjiang River, China

The vegetation pattern in the upstream of Minjiang River, and its relationship with environment factors, such as landscape position (elevation, slope, aspect), precipitation and temperature and soil are analyzed in this paper. The data used in this paper were based on the landscape map derived from 1994 TM imagery. The results were as follows: 1) dominant landscape types were forest, shrub land and grassland, which were very similar in terms of area ratio (32.87%, 31.85% and 28.44%, respectively); 2) the patch shape of conifer forest and mixed forest was complicated while that of broad-leaved forest and cultivated land was simple; 3) the fragmentation of conifer forest and mixed forest was serious in contrast with low fragmentation of broad-leaved forest and cultivated land; and 4) closed scrub and grassland had a high contagion and good connectivity while mixed forest had a lower contagion and bad connectivity. In addition, the vegetation distribution pattern of upstream of Minjiang River was closely related with elevation and temperature, but the relationship between vegetation and precipitation was not statistically significant. __________ Translated from Journal of Beijing Normal University (Natural Science), 2005,41(4) [译自: 北京师范大学学报(自然科学版), 2005,41(4)]     

A study on the relationship between vegetation pattern and environment in the upstream of Minjiang River,China

The vegetation pattern in the upstream of Minjiang River,and its relationship with environment factors,such as landscape position(elevation,slope,aspect),precipitation and temperature and soil are analyzed in this paper.The data used in this Paper were based on the landscape map derived from 1994 TM imagery.The results were as follows:1)dominant landscape types were forest,shrub land and grassland,which were very similar in terms of area ratio(32.87%,31.85% and 28.44%,respectively);2)the patch shape of conifer forest and mixed forest was complicated while that of broad-leaved forest and cultivated land was simple;3)the fragmentation of conifer forest and mixed forest was serious in contrast with low fragmentation of broad-leaved forest and cultivated land;and 4)closed scrub and grassland had a high contagion and good connectivity while mixed forest had a lower contagion and bad connectivity.In addition,the vegetation distribution pattern of upstream of Minjiang River Was closely related with elevation and temperature,but the relationship between vegetation and precipitation was not statistically significant.     

Modern pollen–vegetation relationships along transects on the Whangapoua Estuary, Great Barrier Island, northern New Zealand

Aims To quantify pollen–vegetation relationships from saline to freshwater in an estuarine gradient from surface samples of the modern pollen rain, to allow more accurate interpretations of the stratigraphic palynological record. Location Whangapoua Estuary, Great Barrier Island, northern New Zealand. Methods Six transects were laid out along a vegetation sequence running from estuarine mud to freshwater swamp. Along these transect lines, 108 plots were sampled for vegetation and surface sediments from wet sand, mud, plant litter or moss (sand and mud sites are inundated by most tides, other sites less frequently). All sediment samples were analysed for pollen. The relationships between plant species frequency and pollen representation were examined at a community scale using twinspan and ordination analyses, and for individual species using fidelity and dispersibility indices, regression and box‐plot analyses. Results The quantitative relationships between source taxon vegetation frequency and its pollen representation varied between species due to differential pollen production and dispersal. twinspan of the surface pollen samples suggests five vegetation types: (A) mangrove (Avicennia marina); (C) Leptocarpus similis salt meadow; (D) Baumea sedges; (E) Leptospermum shrubland; and (F) Typha/Cordyline swamp forest. The (B) Juncus kraussii community is not represented palynologically owing to the destruction of its delicate pollen grains during acetolysis of samples. Detrended correspondence analysis places these communities on an estuarine‐to‐freshwater gradient. However, pollen assemblages at the seaward end of the salinity gradient are less clearly representative of the associated vegetation than those at the landward end, probably because the open vegetation at the former allows the influx of wind‐ and water‐dispersed pollen from surrounding vegetation. Main conclusions The vegetation pattern (zonation) at Whangapoua is reflected in the pollen rain. When the long‐distance and over‐represented pollen types are excluded, five out of six of the broad vegetation communities can be identified by their pollen spectra. Species with high fidelity and low‐to‐moderate dispersibility indices can be used to identify the vegetation types in the sedimentary sequences. The more open vegetation types at the ‘marine end’ of the sequence tend to be ‘overwhelmed’ by regional pollen, but the nature of the sediments and the presence of discriminatory species (e.g. A. marina, Plagianthus divaricatus, Cordyline australis), even in small amounts, will allow correct identification of the local vegetation represented in sedimentary palynological sequences. A box‐plot analysis indicates that the pollen and spore types A. marina (mangroves), Sarcocornia quinqueflora (salt meadow), P. divaricatus (sedges), Gleichenia (shrubland) and C. australis (swamp forest) are highly discriminatory in relation to vegetation type. These discriminatory palynomorphs help with the interpretation of stratigraphic pollen studies. However, salt marsh vegetation communities in the sediments must be interpreted with caution as the marine sediments are easily affected by erosion, bioturbation and tidal inundation effects.     

Long‐term vegetation stability and the concept of potential natural vegetation in the Neotropics

When vegetation trends over time are analysed from an appropriate long‐term perspective using palaeoecological records, the concept of potential natural vegetation (PNV) is unsupported because of continual vegetation changes driven by natural or anthropic forcings. However, some palaeoecological records show long‐lasting (i.e. millennial) vegetation stability at multidecadal to centennial time scales in the absence of natural and human drivers of change, which fits within the definition of PNV. A more detailed palaeoecological analysis of these records shows that they are an exception rather than a rule, and that they cannot be differentiated from other transient ecological states. Therefore, long records of vegetation stability cannot be considered to be valid evidence for PNV. From a palaeoecological perspective, the PNV concept is concluded to be unnecessary, even in cases of multidecadal to centennial vegetation stability in the absence of environmental disturbance.     

Elevational gradient and vegetation‐environmental relationships in the central Hyrcanian forests of northern Iran

Tertiary‐relict Hyrcanian (Caspian) forest along the shores of the southern Caspian Sea is a center of biodiversity. Still, there is little information on plant diversity patterns in this area. This study evaluated plant diversity, variation in life forms, and geographical distribution of the zonal vegetation types and their relationships with environmental variables, in the educational and experimental forest of Kheyrudkenar, an important protected area in the central Hyrcanian forest of northern Iran. For this purpose, 226 vegetation plots of 400 m² were laid out along two altitudinal transects from the lowlands (100 m a.s.l.) to the timberline (2000 m a.s.l.). Four vegetation types were identified using modified TWINSPAN, indirect and direct gradient analyses. Species‐related (species diversity indices, life form and phytogeographical elements) and environmental variables (climate, topographic and soil variables) were calculated and subjected to one‐way ANOVA among the vegetation types. Both constrained (CCA) and unconstrained (DCA) ordination analyses showed an almost identical variation of the floristic composition along their axes and demonstrated that there are two main gradients in the Hyrcanian forest. Elevation together with annual precipitation and mean annual temperature were the most important factors controlling the floristic composition in the area. Topographic features such as slope inclination and heat index were found to be important within an elevation zone/vegetation type. Soil physical and chemical properties were of secondary importance for the separation of the vegetation types. This knowledge will be useful for forest management and conservation practices in the Hyrcanian area with its distinct and unique flora and vegetation.