Implementing plant hydraulic architecture within the LPJ Dynamic Global Vegetation Model

Aim To implement plant hydraulic architecture within the Lund–Potsdam–Jena Dynamic Global Vegetation Model (LPJ–DGVM), and to test the model against a set of observational data. If the model can reproduce major patterns in vegetation and ecosystem processes, we consider this to be an important linkage between plant physiology and larger‐scale ecosystem dynamics. Location The location is global, geographically distributed. Methods A literature review was carried out to derive model formulations and parameter values for representing the hydraulic characteristics of major global plant functional types (PFTs) in a DGVM. After implementing the corresponding formulations within the LPJ–DGVM, present‐day model output was compared to observational data. Results The model reproduced observed broad‐scale patterns in potential natural vegetation, but it failed to distinguish accurately between different types of grassland and savanna vegetation, possibly related to inadequate model representations of water fluxes in the soil and wildfire effects. Compared to a version of the model using an empirical formulation for calculating plant water supply without considering plant hydraulic architecture, the new formulation improved simulated patterns of vegetation in particular for dry shrublands. Global‐scale simulation results for runoff and actual evapotranspiration (AET) corresponded well to available data. The model also successfully reproduced the magnitude and seasonal cycle of AET for most EUROFLUX forests, while modelled variation in NPP across a large number of sites spanning several biomes showed a strong correlation with estimates from field measurements. Main conclusions The model was generally confirmed by comparison to observational data. The novel model representation of water flow within plants makes it possible to resolve mechanistically the effects of hydraulic differences between plant functional groups on vegetation structure, water cycling, and competition. This may be an advantage when predicting ecosystem responses to nonextant climates, in particular in areas dominated by dry shrubland vegetation.     

Evaluation of ecosystem dynamics, plant geography and terrestrial carbon cycling in the LPJ dynamic global vegetation model

The Lund–Potsdam–Jena Dynamic Global Vegetation Model (LPJ) combines process‐based, large‐scale representations of terrestrial vegetation dynamics and land‐atmosphere carbon and water exchanges in a modular framework. Features include feedback through canopy conductance between photosynthesis and transpiration and interactive coupling between these ‘fast’ processes and other ecosystem processes including resource competition, tissue turnover, population dynamics, soil organic matter and litter dynamics and fire disturbance. Ten plants functional types (PFTs) are differentiated by physiological, morphological, phenological, bioclimatic and fire‐response attributes. Resource competition and differential responses to fire between PFTs influence their relative fractional cover from year to year. Photosynthesis, evapotranspiration and soil water dynamics are modelled on a daily time step, while vegetation structure and PFT population densities are updated annually. Simulations have been made over the industrial period both for specific sites where field measurements were available for model evaluation, and globally on a 0.5°° × 0.5°° grid. Modelled vegetation patterns are consistent with observations, including remotely sensed vegetation structure and phenology. Seasonal cycles of net ecosystem exchange and soil moisture compare well with local measurements. Global carbon exchange fields used as input to an atmospheric tracer transport model (TM2) provided a good fit to observed seasonal cycles of CO₂ concentration at all latitudes. Simulated inter‐annual variability of the global terrestrial carbon balance is in phase with and comparable in amplitude to observed variability in the growth rate of atmospheric CO₂. Global terrestrial carbon and water cycle parameters (pool sizes and fluxes) lie within their accepted ranges. The model is being used to study past, present and future terrestrial ecosystem dynamics, biochemical and biophysical interactions between ecosystems and the atmosphere, and as a component of coupled Earth system models.     

Representation of vegetation dynamics in the modelling of terrestrial ecosystems: comparing two contrasting approaches within European climate space

• 1 Advances in dynamic ecosystem modelling have made a number of different approaches to vegetation dynamics possible. Here we compare two models representing contrasting degrees of abstraction of the processes governing dynamics in real vegetation.
• 2 Model (a) (GUESS) simulates explicitly growth and competition among individual plants. Differences in crown structure (height, depth, area and LAI) influence relative light uptake by neighbours. Assimilated carbon is allocated individually by each plant to its leaf, fine root and sapwood tissues. Carbon allocation and turnover of sapwood to heartwood in turn govern height and diameter growth.
• 3 Model (b) (LPJ) incorporates a ‘dynamic global vegetation model’ (DGVM) architecture, simulating growth of populations of plant functional types (PFTs) over a grid cell, integrating individual‐level processes over the proportional area (foliar projective cover, FPC) occupied by each PFT. Individual plants are not simulated, but are replaced by explicit parameterizations of their growth and interactions.
• 4 The models are identical in their representation of core physiological and biogeochemical processes. Both also use the same set of PFTs, corresponding to the major woody plant groups in Europe, plus a grass type.
• 5 When applied at a range of locations, broadly spanning climatic variation within Europe, both models successfully predicted PFT composition and succession within modern natural vegetation. However, the individual‐based model performed better in areas where deciduous and evergreen types coincide, and in areas subject to pronounced seasonal water deficits, which would tend to favour grasses over drought‐intolerant trees.
• 6 Differences in model performance could be traced to their treatment of individual‐level processes, in particular light competition and stress‐induced mortality.
• 7 Our results suggest that an explicit individual‐based approach to vegetation dynamics may be an advantage in modelling of ecosystem structure and function at the resolution required for regional‐ to continental‐scale studies.

     

中国北方草地植物群落季节生长格局模拟

中国北方草地横跨干旱、半干旱及亚湿润干旱气候区,水分是限制中国北方草地植物群落生产力的主要气候因子.采用基于水分平衡过程的、简单的植物群落模型,利用460个气象站40年气象数据的月平均值,模拟中国北方7种草地类型的季节及年生长、叶片投影盖度(FPC)、蒸发系数(k)及净第一性生产力(NPP).野外观测数据对模型的验证显示模拟结果与观测值相符较好.温性草地自东向西,青藏高原自东南向西北,植物群落的k、NPP与FPC呈递减趋势,显示了中国温性草地自东向西,青藏高原自东南向西北逐渐干旱的水分梯度;其中高寒草甸的3个模拟参数值均最高,高寒草原FPC次于高寒草甸,而NPP却与温性典型草原相近,温性典型荒漠的3个参数最低.高寒草甸、高寒草原、温性草甸草原、温性典型草原、温性荒漠草原、温性草原化荒漠和温性典型荒漠等7种类型草地的畜群承载力约为每公顷5.2、2.3、3.6、2.1、1.0、0.6和0.2只羊单位,区域最适恢复植被盖度分别以93%、79% 、56%、50%、44%、38%和37%为宜.     

Carbon balance along the Northeast China Transect(NECT-IGBP)

The Northeast China Transect (NECT) along a precipitation gradient wasused to calculate the carbon balance of different vegetation types, land-use practices and temporal scales. NECT consists of mixed coniferous-broadleaved forest ecosystems, meadow steppe ecosystems and typical steppe ecosystems. Analyses of the C budget were carried out with field measurement based on dark enclosed chamber techniques and alkali absorption methods, and the application of the CENTURY model. Results indicated that: (1) soil CO2 flux had a strong diurnal and seasonal variation influenced by grassland type and land-use practices. However, the seasonal variation on soil CO2 fluxes did not show obvious changes between non-grazing and grazing Leymus chinensis dominated grasslands. (2) Hourly soil CO2 fluxes mainly depended on temperature, while daily CO2 fluxes were affected bothby temperature and moisture. (3) NPP of the three typical ecosystems showed linear relationships with inter-annual precipitation, but total soil carbon of those ecosystems did not. NPP and total soil carbon values decreased westward with decreasing precipitation. (4) Model simulation of NPP and total soil carbon showed that mean annual precipitation was the major limiting factor for ecosystem productivity along NECT. (5) Mean annual carbon budget is the largest for the mixedconiferous- broadleaved forest ecosystem (503.2 gC m-2 a-1), followed by the meadow steppe ecosystem (227.1 gC m-2 a-1), and the lowest being the typical steppe ecosystem (175.8 gC m-2 a-1). This study shows that concurrent field measurements of terrestrial ecosystems including the soil and plant systems with surface layer measurements along the water-driven IGBP-NECT are valuable in understanding the mechanisms driving the carbon cycle in different vegetation types under different land-use practices. Future transect research should be emphasized.     

漓江水陆交错带不同植被类型的土壤酶活性

水陆交错带是内陆水生生态系统与陆地生态系统之间的功能界面区,其包含了高地到低地直到水体的区域,是土壤有机质源、汇和转换器。土壤中有机物的分解以及营养物质的转化不仅影响到植物的生长,也对水体质量产生间接影响。土壤酶几乎参与土壤中有机物质的分解与合成的全过程,直接或间接影响着土壤一系列的生物化学反应,对生态系统的物质循环产生重要影响。不少学者围绕农田土壤、林地土壤以及湿地土壤探讨了不同植被下酶活性的变异。水陆交错带植被种类丰富,周期性的淹水条件加剧了土壤性质变异的复杂性。但目前水陆交错带不同植被类型土壤酶活性差异的研究不多。以漓江水陆交错带土壤为研究对象,对苔藓、草本和灌丛3种植被类型下的土壤溶解性化学成分、4种土壤水解酶即糖苷酶、几丁质酶、亮氨酸氨基肽酶和磷酸酶以及2种氧化还原酶即酚氧化酶和过氧化物酶的活性,以及土壤性质与酶活性之间的关系进行了研究。结果表明,苔藓植被下土壤的糖苷酶和酚氧化酶活性显著高于草本和灌丛,草本植被下土壤的过氧化物酶活性显著高于苔藓和灌丛,灌丛植被下土壤几丁质酶活性显著高于苔藓和草本,但不同植被类型的土壤亮氨酸氨基肽酶活性无显著差异。相关分析表明,土壤水分含量与糖苷酶和酚氧化酶活性呈显著正相关,而与几丁质酶和碱性磷酸酶活性呈显著负相关。土壤有机碳和易氧化碳均与糖苷酶和酚氧化酶活性呈极显著负相关,与几丁质酶活性呈显著正相关。土壤溶解性有机碳与亮氨酸氨基肽酶和酚氧化酶呈显著正相关。综合认为,水陆交错带不同种类土壤酶在不同植被类型间的差异有别,土壤水分含量和土壤有机碳显著影响土壤酶活性的变化。不同植被类型土壤酶活性的差异不仅与植被类型有关,与水陆交错带微地形以及土壤性质的空间异质性也有密切关系,需运用长期控制试验手段开展研究。     

Predicting physiognomic vegetation types with climate variables

A quantitative terrestrial vegetation model was produced which consists of:

1. A world classification of important terrestrial plant growth forms (life forms);
2. A set of predictive variables representing the main climatic correlates of these forms; and
3. Empirically obtained hypothetical limiting values defining an ecoclimatic envelope for each plant form (relative to the climatic variables).

The model was applied to a world climatic data-base (1 225 sites) in order to substantiate the hypothesized life-form status of the plant types by accurately predicting their actual world distributions. Particular combinations of forms are interpreted as vegetation formation types by reference to growth-form dominance considerations. Model validation was attempted by comparing predicted and actually occurring vegetation at independent sites on all continents. Prediction accuracy of 85% for individual plant types and 50% for vegetation structure (exact combination of actually occurring dominant forms) suggests that general macroclimatic conditions are much more important than any other factors (such as complex specific interactions) in determining general ecological structure on most sites.     

中国陆地植被净初级生产力遥感估算

该文在综合分析已有光能利用率模型的基础上,构建了一个净初级生产力(NPP)遥感估算模型,该模型体现了3方面的特色:1)将植被覆盖分类引入模型,并考虑植被覆盖分类精度对NPP估算的影响,由它们共同决定不同植被覆盖类型的归一化植被指数(NDVI)最大值;2)根据误差最小的原则,利用中国的NPP实测数据,模拟出各植被类型的最大光能利用率,使之更符合中国的实际情况;3)根据区域蒸散模型来模拟水分胁迫因子,与土壤水分子模型相比,这在一定程度上对有关参数实行了简化,使其实际的可操作性得到加强。模拟结果表明,1989~1993年中国陆地植被NPP平均值为3.12 Pg C (1 Pg=10¹⁵ g),NPP模拟值与观测值比较接近,690个实测点的平均相对误差为4.5%;进一步与其它模型模拟结果以及前人研究结果的比较表明,该文所构建的NPP遥感估算模型具有一定的可靠性,说明在区域及全球尺度上,利用地理信息系统技术将遥感数据和各种观测数据集成在一起,并对NPP模型进行参数校正,基本上可以实现全球范围不同生态系统NPP的动态监测。     

沿海蝗区东亚飞蝗(Locusta migratoria manilensis)产卵场所选择的Logistic回归模型

以沿海蝗区南大港水库为研究区域,通过2002和2003两年野外450,50m规则栅格取样获取东亚飞蝗卵块、植物种类及其密度、土壤特性如含盐量、5cm含水量、pH、有机质及地形（阴坡和阳坡）等数据,采用多元Logistic回归模型,运用SAS软件筛选出与飞蝗产卵场所选择密切相关的变量,建立用于预测飞蝗产卵场所选择的Logistic回归模型。结果表明用植株密度（veg—d）和土壤含水量（water）所组建的模型能较好地预测飞蝗产卵选择,log（P（Y=1）/1-P（Y=1））=21．63-76.23/water-5．43log（water）-0．86（veg_d）。利用拟合优度（Goodness of fit）、预测准确性（Predictive accuracy）及模型x^2统计（Model chi—square statistic）等指标对模型进行评价的结果表明,所组建的用于预测飞蝗产卵场所选择的Logistic回归模型是可靠的,且能较好地预测事件是否发生。研究结果为区域蝗灾早期预警提供了科学依据和方法,对今后预测飞蝗产卵地点选择及防治决策有较高的实用性和应用价值。     

Combined statistical and dynamical assessment of simulated vegetation–rainfall interactions in North Africa during the mid‐Holocene1

A negative feedback of vegetation cover on subsequent annual precipitation is simulated for the mid‐Holocene over North Africa using a fully coupled general circulation model with dynamic vegetation, FOAM‐LPJ (Fast Ocean Atmosphere Model‐Lund Potsdam Jena Model). By computing a vegetation feedback parameter based on lagged auto‐covariances, the simulated impact of North African vegetation on precipitation is statistically quantified. The feedback is also dynamically assessed through initial value ensemble experiments, in which North African grass cover is initially reduced and the climatic response analyzed. The statistical and dynamical assessments of the negative vegetation feedback agree in sign and relative magnitude for FOAM‐LPJ. The negative feedback on annual precipitation largely results from a competition between bare soil evaporation and plant transpiration, with increases in the former outweighing reductions in the latter given reduced grass cover. This negative feedback weakens and eventually reverses sign over time during a transient simulation from the mid‐Holocene to present. A similar, but weaker, negative feedback is identified in Community Climate System Model Version 2 (CCSM2) over North Africa for the mid‐Holocene.     

子午岭林区浅层滑坡侵蚀与植被的关系——以富县“7·21”特大暴雨为例

以2013年陕北富县"7·21"特大暴雨滑坡侵蚀灾害为对象,通过调查暴雨侵蚀区典型小流域植被条件及滑坡特征,测定滑坡壁不同土层的根系重量、土壤孔隙度、土壤容重等指标,研究子午岭林区暴雨滑坡侵蚀与植被根系的关系。根据不同类型植被根系深度和滑坡侵蚀特征(侵蚀深度、滑动面宽度及长度,滑坡体体积、滑动距离等),可将林区暴雨滑坡侵蚀划分为三类:以草本植被为主的A类滑坡,以灌丛植被为主的B类滑坡,以乔本植被为主的C类滑坡。结果表明,三类滑坡侵蚀的侵蚀深度与其对应植被类型的根系深度相近,且植被及其根系会加剧滑坡侵蚀的发生。在此次暴雨滑坡侵蚀中,滑坡侵蚀强度受植物根系重量、土壤孔隙度、土壤容重等因素的共同影响,但根系重量对滑坡侵蚀强度的影响占主导作用,通过建立二者之间的关系式发现,根系对滑坡侵蚀的贡献率超过80%。不同植被类型的滑坡侵蚀深度不同,且滑坡侵蚀强度也存在差异,表明植被根系不仅具有塑造滑坡侵蚀特征的作用,而且会影响滑坡侵蚀的强弱程度。在强降水基础上,特别是当降水量达到诱发滑坡灾害发生的临界值时,植被及其根系会加剧滑坡侵蚀的发生。在今后工作中,要因地制宜合理配置各类植被,同时结合其它措施,以便提高植被防治水土流失的作用,更好地发挥植被的水土保持效益。     

Life on the edge – to which degree does phreatic water sustain vegetation in the periphery of the Taklamakan Desert?

Questions: Do the vegetation‐specific patterns in the forelands of river oases of the Taklamakan Desert provide clues to the degree to which a vegetation type depends on unsaturated soil moisture, brought about by extensive floodings, or phreatic water? Location: Foreland of the Qira oasis on the southern rim of the Taklamakan Desert, Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, China. Methods: A vegetation map was prepared using a SPOT satellite image and ground truthing. Measurements of soil water contents were obtained from a flooding experiment and transformed into water potentials. Sum excedance values were calculated as the percentage of days on which different thresholds of soil water potentials were transgressed. Groundwater depth was mapped by drilling 30 groundwater holes and extrapolating the distances to the whole study area. Results: The vegetation was characterized by only six dominant or codominant species: Alhagi sparsifolia, Karelinia caspia, Populus euphratica, Tamarix ramosissima, Calligonum caput‐medusae and Phragmites australis. The vegetation patterns encountered lacked any linear features typical of phreatophytes, thus not allowing direct conclusions on the type of the sustaining water sources. Soil water potentials never transgressed a threshold of pF 5 (?10 MPa) in horizons above the capillary fringe during periods without inundation, thus representing water not accessible for plants. Depth to the groundwater ranged between 2.3 and 17.5 m among plots and varied between 1.7 and 8.0 m within a plot owing to dune relief. The seven main vegetation types showed distinct niches of groundwater depths, corresponding to the observed concentric arrangement of vegetation types around the oasis. Conclusions: Inundation by flooding and unsaturated soil moisture are irrelevant for the foreland vegetation water supply. Although distances to the groundwater table can reach about 20 m, which is exceptionally large for phreatophytes, groundwater is the only water source for all vegetation types in the oasis foreland. In consequence, successful maintenance of oasis foreland vegetation will crucially depend on providing non‐declining ground water tables.     

水热积指数的估算及其在中国植被与气候关系研究中的应用

试图利用大气年平均气温、年降水量、可能蒸散和土壤水分平衡之间的关系建立一个水热积指数,并应用年平均气温、年土壤水分盈亏值和水热积指数三个气候变量来限定植物群落组合,构成一个圆形的生命-气候图式。根据全国689个标准气象台站的气候资料,计算了中国8个植被地带和26个亚地带的年平均气温、年土壤水分盈亏和水热积指数,绘制了各气候指标在中国的分布图及散点图,较好表现了中国各植被类型与气候指标的关系和格局,包括寒温带针叶林、冷温带针阔叶混交林、暖温带落叶阔叶林、亚热带常绿阔叶林、热带雨林和季雨林、温带草原、温带荒漠、青藏高原高寒植被,并得到了中国各植被地带的气候指标范围及界限。通过分析可以看出,年平均气温的等值线较好地反映了中国大陆的热量梯度,经度和纬度方向的区分均较明显;年土壤水分盈亏曲线的等值线则比较零乱;综合了热量和水分差异的水热积指数等值线与热量梯度和水分梯度均有一定的对应性,与植被类型的对应也较好。这是在宏观尺度上进行的植被与气候关系研究的一种尝试。     

Carbon balance along the Northeast China Transect (NECT-IGBP)

The Northeast China Transect (NECT) along a precipitation gradient was used to cal-culate the carbon balance of different vegetation types, land-use practices and temporal scales. NECT consists of mixed coniferous-broadleaved forest ecosystems, meadow steppe ecosystemsand typical steppe ecosystems. Analyses of the C budget were carried out with field measurement based on dark enclosed chamber techniques and alkali absorption methods, and the application of the CENTURY model. Results indicated that: (1) soil CO_2 flux had a strong diurnal and seasonal variation influenced by grassland type and land-use practices. However, the seasonal variation on soil CO_2 fluxes did not show obvious changes between non-grazing and grazing Leymus chinensis dominated grasslands. (2) Hourly soil CO_2 fluxes mainly depended on temperature, while dailyCO_2 fluxes were affected both by temperature and moisture. (3) NPP of the three typical ecosys-tems showed linear relationships with inter-annual precipitation, but total soil carbon of those eco-systems did not. NPP and total soil carbon values decreased westward with decreasing precipita-tion. (4) Model simulation of NPP and total soil carbon showed that mean annual precipitation was the major limiting factor for ecosystem productivity along NECT. (5) Mean annual carbon budget is the largest for the mixed coniferous- broadleaved forest ecosystem (503.2 gC m~(-2)a~(-1)), followed bythe meadow steppe ecosystem (227.1 gC m~(-2)a~(-1)), and the lowest being the typical steppe eco-system (175.8 gC m~(-2)a~(-1)). This study shows that concurrent field measurements of terrestrial ecosystems including the soil and plant systems with surface layer measurements along the wa-ter-driven IGBP-NECT are valuable in understanding the mechanisms driving the carbon cycle in different vegetation types under different land-use practices. Future transect research should be emphasized.     

End-of-season soil water depletion in relation to growth of herbaceous vegetation in a sub-humid Mediterranean dwarf-shrub community on two contrasting soils

Dwarf-shrub communities of Sarcopoterium spinosum dominate large areas of the landscape on hilly, eastern Mediterranean rangelands. Colonisation of new areas depends on the establishment of seedlings that must compete for water with the ubiquitous annual herbaceous species during the spring-winter growing season and also survive the first hot, dry summer. The present study investigated the role of the herbaceous vegetation patches growing between S. spinosum shrubs on the depletion of soil water during the critical transition period between the cool, rainy season and the dry summer. Dense and sparse herbaceous vegetation stands were established in S. spinosum dwarf-shrub communities by differential use of fertiliser on two contrasting soil types – a terra rossa overlying hard limestone where seedling establishment is low and a pale rendzina overlying a soft chalk substrate where seedling establishment is high. Soil water in the main root zone of the herbaceous vegetation between the shrubs was monitored with protected gypsum block sensors permanently placed at two depths (10 and 33 cm). Soil water depletion during the transition from the wet to the dry season was significantly more rapid under dense vegetation only on the terra rossa soil where the herbaceous vegetation also matured more rapidly than on the rendzina soil. However, in both habitats and under both dense and sparse vegetation, soil water depletion during the transition period left very little available water in the rooting zone of the herbaceous vegetation to maintain shrub seedlings throughout the summer. It was concluded that the difference in shrub seedling establishment success in the two habitats mainly reflects the differences in accessibility of water below the rooting zone of the herbaceous vegetation growing on the two contrasting soil types.     

Effects of precipitation and soil water potential on drought deciduous phenology in the Kalahari

We utilized an ecosystem process model to investigate the influence of precipitation and soil water potential on vegetation phenology in the semi‐arid, drought‐deciduous ecosystems in the Kalahari region of South Africa. The timing of leaf flush was assumed to be the first day during which a rainfall event exceeded that day's estimate of potential evapotranspiration after a defined dry season. Leaf senescence was assumed to be a dynamic feedback between soil water potential and net plant carbon gain and was determined by dynamically modeling the effects of concomitant trends in soil water potential and net primary production on leaf area index (LAI). Model predictions of LAI were compared with satellite‐derived normalized difference vegetation indices (NDVI) for 3 years at two sites along the Kalahari transect. The mean absolute error for the prediction of modeled leaf flush date compared with leaf flush dates estimated from NDVI were 10.0 days for the Maun site and 39.3 days for the Tshane site. Correlations between model predicted 10‐day average LAI and 10‐day composite NDVI for both Maun and Tshane were high (ρ=0.67 and 0.74, respectively, P<0.001), suggesting that this method adequately predicts intra‐annual leaf area dynamics in these dry tropical ecosystems.     

Associations between vegetation patterns and soil texture in the shortgrass steppe

A recent conceptual model of controls on vegetation structure in semiarid regions includes the hypothesis that the balance between the dominance of woody and herbaceous species is partly controlled by soil texture. The model predicts that the dominance of woody plants is associated with coarse textured soils, and that ecotones between woody and herbaceous plant functional types are associated with soil textural changes. We analyzed vegetation and soil data (from US Soil Conservation Service maps) for an area of shortgrass steppe in Northern Weld County, Colorado, in a canonical correlation procedure to test the hypothesis at a regional scale. In support of the model, we found significant correlations between (a) a canonical vegetation variable correlated with C₃ grass biomass and shrub biomass, and a canonical soil variable correlated with sandy topsoils, and (b) a canonical vegetation variable correlated with succulent biomass, and a canonical soil variable correlated with clay soils. Relatively sharp transitions between shrub- and grass-dominated vegetation types occur in a number of areas in the shortgrass steppe of northeastern Colorado and southeastern Wyoming, and we selected four sites to test the above hypothesis at a local scale. We gathered data on vegetation cover and soil texture from transects (50 m long) positioned across the transition zones from grassland to shrubland. We conducted a further canonical correlation analysis of the vegetation and soil data to test for the relationships between vegetation structure and soil texture, and a performed regression analyses on individual site data to describe site-specific relationships between vegetation and soil texture variables. Vegetation structure along the transects, at the level of plant functional types, was similar at all four sites. The transition from grassland to shrubland encompassed a change from a C₄ grass/half-shrub complex to a shrub/C₃ grass/succulent complex. At two of the sites these transitions were associated with a change to coarser-textured soils in the shrubland zone. Within the context of the shortgrass steppe, our overall findings support the predictions of the conceptual at a regional scale, but indicate that soil texture is only one factor that can influence vegetation structure at the local scale.     

Responses of savanna lawn and bunch grasses to water limitation

The grass layer of African savannas consists of two main vegetation types: grazing lawns, dominated by short, mostly clonally reproducing grasses, and bunch grasslands, dominated by tall bunch grasses. This patchy distribution of vegetation types is mostly created by large herbivores, which selectively feed on the more nutritious lawn grass species. Besides grazing, herbivores trample the soil, thereby causing soil compaction, with possible consequences for water infiltration. This raises two questions: (i) is water more limiting in grazing lawns than in bunch grasslands and (ii) are lawn grasses more drought tolerant than bunch grasses? To study these questions, we compared drought conditions in both lawn and bunch grasslands in a South African savanna. Additionally, in a climate room, we compared the performance of three lawn and three bunch grass species under a control and a water limitation treatment. Thirdly, we investigated whether there are differences between lawn and bunch grasses in traits related to drought tolerance. Our results show that despite large differences in water availability in the field, lawn and bunch grasses did not differ in their growth response to drought. Drought reduced growth of both growth forms equally. However, we found strong intrinsic trait differences between growth forms, with lawn grasses having higher specific root length and relative growth rate and bunch grasses having a higher root:shoot ratio. These results suggest that after drought-induced plant death, lawn grasses might be more capable of recolonizing patches of bare soil.     

Relationships Between Plant Spatial Patterns, Water Infiltration Capacity, and Plant Community Composition in Semi-arid Mediterranean Ecosystems Along Stress Gradients

Water redistribution from bare soil to vegetation patches is a key feature of semi-arid ecosystems, and is responsible for their patchy vegetation patterns. The magnitude of water redistribution depends on the properties of the bare soil (which determine the amount of water run-off) and the capacity of vegetation patches to trap water run-on. We examined the relationships between plant spatial patterns, water infiltration into bare soil, and plant community composition in semi-arid sites with different hydro-physical properties (silty and gypseous soils) in NE Spain. We also studied the effect of two stressors, aridity and grazing, on water infiltration and plant spatial patterns. Our results indicate a negative correlation of bare soil sorptivity (the capacity to absorb water by capillarity) and vegetation aggregation. There was a strong positive correlation between perennial grass cover and the spatial aggregation of vegetation, but aggregation was not associated with positive associations of different plant types. The aggregation of vegetation was positively correlated with species richness and the overall extent of vegetation cover. Grazing reduced water infiltration into silty soils, which are prone to compaction. In contrast, soil crust affected the hydrology of gypseous soils, especially in the most arid sites, where grazing increased infiltration, reducing surface sealing due to breaking of the soil crust. Together, our results suggest that biotic and abiotic factors affect the hydro-physical properties of soils in the semi-arid ecosystems of NE Spain, which is linked to the plant communities through the spatial distribution of plants.     

Vegetation differentiation in the patterned landscape of the central Everglades: importance of local and landscape drivers

Aim We present a model to account for self‐assembly of the slough–ridge–tree island patterned landscape of the central Everglades in southern Florida via feedbacks among landforms, hydrology, vegetation and biogeochemistry. We test aspects of this model by analysing vegetation composition in relation to local and landscape‐level drivers. Location We quantified vegetation composition and environmental characteristics in central Water Conservation Area (WCA) 3A, southern WCA‐3A and southern WCA‐3B in southern Florida, based on their divergence in water management and flow regimes over the past 50 years. Methods In 562 quadrats, we estimated species coverages and quantified maximum, minimum and average water depth, soil depth to bedrock, normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI) and proximity to the nearest tree island. We used non‐metric multi‐dimensional scaling (NMS) to relate compositional variation to local and landscape‐level factors, and evaluated environmental differences among eight a priori vegetation types via anova . Results Water depth and hydroperiod decreased from sloughs to ridges to tree islands, but regions also differed significantly in the abundance of several community types and the hydroregimes characterizing them. NMS revealed two significant axes of compositional variation, tied to local gradients of water depth and correlated factors, and to a landscape‐scale gradient of proximity to tall tree islands. Sawgrass height and soil thickness increased toward higher ridges, and NDVI was greatest on tree islands. Main conclusions This study supports four components of our model: positive feedback of local substrate height on itself, woody plant invasion and subsequent P transport and concentration by top predators nesting on taller tree islands, compositional shifts in sites close to tree islands due to nutrient leakage, and flow‐induced feedback against total raised area. Regional divergence in the relationship of community types to current hydroregimes appears to reflect a lag of a few years after shifts in water management; a longer lag would be expected for shifts in landscape patterning. Both local and landscape‐level drivers appear to shape vegetation composition and soil thickness in the central Everglades.