Delimitation of the alliances Caricion firmae (Seslerietalia albicantis) and Seslerion juncifoliae (Seslerietalia juncifoliae) in the southeastern Alps and Dinaric mountains

Abstract

A syntaxonomic and phytogeographic delimitation of the calcareous open sedge swards in the alpine belt of the Alps (Caricion firmae) and subalpine and alpine tussock grasslands in wind-exposed habitats (Seslerion juncifoliae) in the area of the south-eastern Alps and of the Dinaric mountains was performed. Analyses based on hierarchical classification, ordination and chorology clearly showed the distinction between the syntaxa: stands from the Liburnian karst (Mt Sne?nik – SW. Slovenia, Mts Risnjak and Snje?nik – NW. Croatia), Li?ka Plje?ivica and the Velebit mountains belong to the Dinaric alliance Seslerion juncifoliae, whereas stands from the Trnovski gozd plateau (W. Slovenia, north-westernmost part of the Dinaric mountains), although somewhat transitional between the two alliances, and stands from the Alps, were classified in the alliance Caricion firmae. The alliance Seslerion juncifoliae of the Dinaric mountains vicariates Caricion firmae of the Alps.     

Numerical phytosociology of the subalpine belt of the Kazbegi region,Caucasus, USSR

A vegetational transect across a glacial valley was investigated. Structure and species composition, as well as influence of disturbance by biotic factors (grazing of sheep and cattle) and abiotic factors (topography, wind, water) are discussed.According to species composition and community structure, 4 main vegetation types were distinguished by comparing field data from phytosociological relevés with results of numerical treatments (3 methods of numerical classification and DCA ordination): 1) Chamaesciadium acaule-Polygonum viviparum, 2) Festuca cf. woronowii-Carex tristis, 3) Veratrum lobelianum-Taraxacum stevenii and 4) Rhododendron caucasicum-Vaccinium myrtillus communities.Species diversity (evenness, and number of species) was low in the ungrazed dwarf-shrub alpine communities, which were dominated by Rhododendron caucasicum, in comparison with the grazed meadow. The highest values of these characteristics were found in the transitions among the types.     

Vegetation changes along a precipitation gradient in Central Argentina

Changes in vegetation along a precipitation gradient in Central Argentina were studied. Floristic samples were taken along an east-west transect of about 300 km. Correlation analysis between precipitation and ordination axes was used to provide an environmental interpretation of vegetation variability.Floristic analysis produced an ordination of plant communities from evergreen forests (precipitation >500 mm) to desert shrublands and therophyte communities (precipitation <200 mm). Results showed a trend of floristic and structural impoverishment towards the west. There is a replacement of species along the transect and a shift in dominant growth forms. The first ordination axis is significantly, negatively correlated with annual precipitation.     

Vegetation analysis of the Mediterranean region of Nile Delta

Thirty-four vegetation clusters identified in the present study, after the application of TWINSPAN and DCA multivariate techniques, were assigned into 8 vegetation types, each of definite vegetation and habitat characters. The suggested vegetation types are well segregated along the DCA axis one which reflects soil moisture, salinity (as indicated by EC values), fertility (as indicated by the organic matter and nitrogen contents) and species diversity gradients. In general, soil moisture and soil fertility increase and species diversity decreases with the following sequence of vegetation types:Echinops spinosissimus-Ononis serrata on inland sand dunes,Pancratium maritimum on coastal sand dunes,Halocnemum strobilaceum-Salsola kali in saline sand deposits,Atriplex halimus-Chenopodium murale along the terraces and slopes of drains,Arthrocnemum glaucum-Tamarix nilotica in salt marshes,Chenopodium murale along the slopes of drains,Phragmites australis along the littoral zones of drains, andLemna gibba-Potamogeton crispus in the water zone. This sequence reflects also a gradient of human interference, starting with the vegetation of the less disturbed habitats (sand dunes and saline sand deposits) and ending with the fully man-made habitats (drain zones).     

云南大围山种子植物区系海拔梯度格局分析

 海拔梯度包含了多种环境因子的梯度效应,因而研究山地植物区系的海拔梯度格局对揭示植物区系的环境梯度变化规律、了解生物适应性和生物多样性沿海拔梯度的变化趋势等具有重要意义。为了探讨山地植物区系构成特征及其海拔梯度的生态意义,该文根据对大围山国家级自然保护区植被线路调查和垂直样带调查,并结合文献研究等获得的植物区系资料,分析了该保护区种子植物区系构成的基本特征及其随海拔梯度的变化趋势;利用系统聚类的方法寻找和研究大围山植物区系沿海拔梯度变化的断点位置。研究结果表明：1)大围山大多数热带成分分布的上限位于海拔1 500 m左右,以此为界划分热带雨林和常绿阔叶林是合理的。 2)湿润雨林分布于海拔700 m以下;山地雨林分布于海拔700～1 500 m;季风常绿阔叶林分布于海拔1 300～1 800 m;山地苔藓常绿阔叶林分布于海拔1 800 m以上;在海拔2 100 m以上的迎风坡面、土层瘠薄的地段分布有不甚典型的山地苔藓矮林。     

Structure,function and floristic relationships of plant communities in stressful habitats marginal to the Brazilian Atlantic rainforest

The Brazilian Atlantic rainforest consists of a typical tropical rainforest on mountain slopes, and stands out as a biodiversity hotspot for its high species richness and high level of species endemism. This forest is bordered by plant communities with lower species diversity, due mostly to more extreme environmental conditions than those found in the mesic rainforest. Between the mountain slopes and the sea, the coastal plains have swamp forests, dry semi-deciduous forests and open thicket vegetation on marine sand deposits. At the other extreme, on top of the mountains (>2000 m a.s.l.), the rainforest is substituted by high altitude fields and open thicket vegetation on rocky outcrops. Thus, the plant communities that are marginal to the rainforest are subjected either to flooding, drought, oceanicity or cold winter temperatures. It was found that positive interactions among plants play an important role in the structuring and functioning of a swamp forest, a coastal sandy vegetation and a cold, high altitude vegetation in the state of Rio de Janeiro. Moreover, only a few species seem to adopt this positive role and, therefore, the functioning of these entire systems may rely on them. Curiously, these nurse plants are often epiphytes in the rainforest, and at the study sites are typically terrestrial. Many exhibit crassulacean acid metabolism. Conservation initiatives must treat the Atlantic coastal vegetation as a complex rather than a rainforest alone.     

ORDINATION AND CLASSIFICATION OF WESTERN OAK FORESTS IN OKLAHOMA

Ordination and classification techniques were used to analyze patterns of forest vegetation, species diversity, and soil type in the Wichita Mountains Wildlife Refuge of southwestern Oklahoma. Cluster analysis based on tree species produced three general community types: 1) Quercus stellata-Q. marilandica forests; 2) Q. stellata forests; and 3) mesophytic forests. A polar ordination produced a gradient of vegetation that corresponded to a moisture gradient. Many high diversity forests were located on loamy drainageway soils or north facing slopes. Tree species diversity (H') was inversely related to the importance of Quercus stellata. Cluster analysis based on species composition of the tree seedlings produced four general community types: 1) Q. marilandica type; 2) Q. marilandica-Q. stellata-Juniperus virginiana type; 3) Ulmus americana-Celtis reticulata-Bumelia lanuginosa type; and 4) Acer saccharum type. The third seedling type occurred almost exclusively on loamy drainageway soils. There was no relationship between stand location on the first axis of the tree ordination and the first axis of the seedling ordination suggesting that trees and seedlings respond differently along the moisture gradient.     

Gradients in field-layer vegetation on an arid misty mountain plateau in the Sudan

Abstract. Earlier studies have described how moist, on-shore winds cause meso-scale vegetation patterns on arid mountains near the sea. However, all protruding objects such as trees, micro-relief, and hill slopes influence the distribution of sea-mist. The influence of the tree-canopy, aspect, and distance to the sea on the field-layer vegetation in montane savanna was investigated on 16 hills in the Red Sea Hills, at 34 - 38 km from the sea. At 32 sites, total field-layer cover, species cover, and species number were estimated in a sub-canopy plot and in a nearby open plot on seaward and leeward slopes. Cover and species number in the understorey are significantly higher than in the open. The difference is highest on seaward slopes. Detrended correspondence analysis reveals short species-axes of ca. 2 SD-units. Differences between plots are mainly in species cover. This fits a principal components ordination model. PCA and its constrained version RDA give concordant results. The explanatory variables, Tree-cover and Relative Radiation Index (aspect), have similar indirect influences on plants, and are significantly correlated with axis 1, which is interpreted as a moisture and temperature gradient. The moist seaward plots show an independent trend in species composition along axis 2, which correlates with distance to the sea. On a presence basis the variables, all representing different spatial separation, correlate on the first axis. Presumably, the species composition, at all spatial scales, is directly or indirectly related to the variation in temperature and moisture.     

Patterns of β‐diversity in a Mexican tropical dry forest

Abstract. Patterns of β‐diversity in a highly diverse tropical dry forest tree community are described; the contribution of environmental heterogeneity and distance to β‐diversity was assessed. Significant differences in elevation, insolation, slope and soil water holding capacity (p < 0.01), variables related to water availability, were found among 830 m × 100 m transects laid along contrasting slopes of a system of three parallel microbasins. A gradient in elevation and insolation was found within north‐facing transects, among 10 m × 10 m sites; south‐facing transects showed an elevation gradient while crest transects showed a gradient in water holding capacity. In total 119 species were registered, with 27 to 64 species per transect, and 4 to 16 species per site. A large β‐diversity was found among and within transects; two indices of β‐diversity consistently showed a higher β‐diversity within transects than among them. Among transects, 64% of the variance in species composition could be attributed to the environmental variables; an additional 22% to the spatial distribution of sites. Within transects, 42% of the deviance in β‐diversity values was explained by insolation, and 19% by distance. β‐diversity increased with distance and with difference in insolation among sites; north‐facing transects, those with most contrasting insolation conditions, had the steepest increase in β‐diversity with distance. Such increase was clearly associated with changes in species composition, not with changes in species richness.     

Multivariate analysis of vegetational changes in permanent woodland plots with different sewage sludge treatments

Vegetation data from an experiment on the impact of sewage sludge on woodland vegetation dynamics are analysed by ordination to examine the reaction of a forest community to sludge disturbance. Two different kinds of vegetational response are discussed in relation to horizontal patchiness of vegetation. It is suggested that the species-poor component of the vegetation mosaic observed reveals quicker recovery from sludge disturbance than the species-rich component, which is characterized by a more complicated network of interspecific relations. A high correlation between plot-scores on the first ordination axis and sludge dose is found, indicating that in the altered community the main vegetational gradient reflects the intensity of disturbance. An attempt is made to interpret the main gradients of vegetational variation in terms of ecological indicator values of species. It is concluded that the modified competitive ability of species in a changed environment plays the most important role in building up a new community structure.     

秦岭山地天然次生林群落MRT数量分类、CCA排序及多样性垂直格局

采用多元回归树(MRT)对秦岭山地天然次生林群落进行数量分类,采用典范对应分析(CCA)进行排序,分析了秦岭山地天然次生林群落物种多样性沿海拔梯度的变化规律。结果表明:(1) 275个样方共有种子植物195种,隶属61科128属。乔、灌、草3个层次物种多样性变化沿海拔梯度的变化趋势基本一致,呈单峰模型;(2)经交叉验证认为秦岭山地天然次生林群落可分为2类,Ⅰ冬瓜杨(Populus purdomii)+陇东海棠(Malus kansuensis)+蛇莓(Duchesnea indica)群落,Ⅱ锐齿槲栎(Quercus aliena var. acuteserrata)+黄栌(Cotinus coggygria)+茜草(Rubia cordifolia)群落;(3) CCA排序结果揭示了群落生境的分布范围,反映出生态轴的排序意义,较好地反映秦岭山地天然次生林群落与环境因子的关系,其结果表明,海拔、坡向、凋落层厚度和干扰情况4个变量对该地区次生林群落的分布有较大的影响。     

Diatom (Bacillariophyceae) assemblages in tidal environments of Vancouver Island,British Columbia,Canada

To understand distributions of coastal diatoms along Vancouver Island, British Columbia, Canada, this paper describes diatom assemblages observed in 47 surface sediment samples from intertidal environments. One hundred and eighty-four diatom taxa were identified from five transects crossing tidal flats, salt marshes, and freshwater forests in Tofino, Ucluelet, and Port Alberni. Distributions of the diatom assemblages were consistent with those reported elsewhere in the Pacific Northwest, but a few diatom taxa show different trends in their distributions. For example, one benthic species Denticula subtilis shows widespread distributions along the transect in Tofino. An ordination shown by Detrended Correspondence Analysis (DCA) using a combined dataset indicated overlapped scatter plots of diatom assemblages, suggesting that assemblages with similar species compositions are observed in more than one location. Hierarchical and k-means clustering analyses using Euclidean distance recognized unique small groups along each transect. Rank abundance curves show different trends for richness and evenness of diatom assemblages among the five transects.     

Mediterranean v. continental small mammal communities and the environmental degradation of the Dinaric Alps

In order to test for the existence of distinct, regionally-based small mammal faunas, distributional patterns were examined in thirty one species of small mammals (insectivores and rodents) inhabiting the Dinaric Alps (western Balkans). The small mammal fauna was found to consist of three groups: a group of ‘generalist’ species that occurred throughout the study area, plus distinct coastal and continental small mammal assemblages. The continental small mammal assemblage is considerably more species-rich, whilst that of the coastal zone is largely restricted to generalists and species with geophilic or fossorial life-styles (many of which are also commensal with humans). The two assemblages appear to be associated with different vegetation types, and the transition between them lies on the coastal slopes of the Dinaric Alps at c. 700–900 m of altitude. We discuss possible determinants of assemblage composition and species richness, and particularly the possible role of prehistoric environmental degradation in the context of the reduced species-richness of the coastal zone.     

Significant variables for the conservation of mountain invertebrates

Conserving biodiversity on mountains holds particular challenges, with topographic species beta diversity being high. In turn, conserving mountain biodiversity in the heart of a biodiversity hotspot, with intense urbanization on its lower slopes, poses further challenges. We investigate here an iconic mountain at the southern tip of Africa, which is under multiple human pressures, while receiving much conservation attention. We sought here some general principles to guide conservation management of this and other similar mountains. Our focal organisms were surface-active invertebrates, as they are abundant, diverse, and environmentally sensitive at point localities. We show that vegetation structure and elevation were the most important environmental variables determining this diversity. Type of fynbos vegetation, proximity of forest to a river, aspect, and abundance of the alien Argentine ant Linepithema humile, had no significant influence. Suburban woodland species richness and abundance had a non-significant difference to that of natural forest. Fynbos had high species beta diversity of invertebrates, suggesting that large areas of this dominant vegetation type should be conserved. However, many specialist and highly local endemic species were in forest, highlighting the irreplaceability of forest habitats. Such a mountain, with its complex topography, requires total protection, as there is no room for loss of any part of the mountain. We emphasize that, while the upper slope and summit are well protected, the lower slopes are in need of urgent attention, a situation which mirrors that in Europe.     

Pattern diversity analysis of a clearing in a Quercus cerris wood

Linear transects were used to examine the spatial structure of the vegetation in a clearing in a Quercus cerris wood in Central Italy. A grassland-margin-shrubland-woodland gradient was identified.Multivariate classification and ordination methods and pattern diversity analysis were used to detect both floristic variation and spatial organization. One of the transects shows a clear gradient of variation as a function of space, crossing the floristically and structurally most heterogeneous part of the clearing. For the detailed analysis of this transect a sectorization is achieved. Each sector is characterized according to its floristic types and to the internal spatial organization.The pieces of information derived from the different analyses were concordant. In particular, the validity of the floristic types in the qualification of the different forms of spatial organization is confirmed.     

半干旱区湿地-干草原群落交错带边缘效应研究

以宁夏盐池四儿滩湿地为例,于2005年和2006年7~8月份沿湿地—干草原生境梯度按东、东北、西、西北4条样线进行实地植被调查,并采用TWINSPAN数量分类和植物群落结构指数计量研究湿地—干草原交错带边缘效应。结果表明:(1)四儿滩湿地生态系统植物群落分为沼泽植被、草甸植被、干草原植被3个类型。(2)四儿滩湿地植物群落结构指数除群落均匀度指数外,生态优势度、丰富度和物种多样性均是交错带最大,其次是旱生带,湿生带最小。(3)四儿滩湿地—干草原交错带不同方向群落结构差异较大,各项植物群落结构指数均是东北样线最大,西北样线最小。造成不同样线间边缘效应差异的主要因素是人为干扰程度和地形抬升程度不同。     

Linking woody species diversity with plant available water at a landscape scale in a Brazilian savanna

Question: How is the diversity of woody species in a seasonally dry savanna related to plant available water (PAW)? Location: Savannas in central Brazil. Methods: Two‐dimensional soil resistivity profiles to 10‐m depth previously measured along three 10 m × 275 m replicate transects revealed differences in belowground water resources among and within transects: (1) driest/most heterogeneous; (2) wettest/least heterogeneous; and (3) PAW‐intermediate. All woody plants along these transects were identified to species, and height and basal circumference measured. Species diversity was evaluated for the whole transect (total diversity), 100‐m² plots (alpha‐diversity) and dissimilarity among 100‐m² plots within transects (beta‐diversity). Correlation analyses were conducted between PAW and vegetation variables at the 100‐m² scale. Results: The driest/most heterogeneous transect had the lowest total species diversity, while the wettest/least heterogeneous transect showed the lowest beta‐diversity. Floristic variation was correlated with PAW in all transects. In the most heterogeneous transect, species density was positively correlated with PAW in the 0‐400 cm soil layer. Evenness and Simpson's diversity were negatively correlated with PAW in the 700‐1000 cm soil layer. Conclusion: Woody species diversity was related to PAW at a fine spatial scale. Abundant PAW in the top 4 m of soil may favour many species and increase species total diversity. Conversely, abundant PAW at depth may result in lower evenness and total diversity, probably because the few species adapted to obtaining deep soil water can become dominant. Environmental changes altering soil water availability and partitioning in soil layers could affect the diversity of woody plants in this savanna.     

Bryophyte Species Richness and Composition along an Altitudinal Gradient in Gongga Mountain,China

An investigation of terrestrial bryophyte species diversity and community structure along an altitudinal gradient from 2,001 to 4,221 m a.s.l. in Gongga Mountain in Sichuan, China was carried out in June 2010. Factors which might affect bryophyte species composition and diversity, including climate, elevation, slope, depth of litter, vegetation type, soil pH and soil Eh, were examined to understand the altitudinal feature of bryophyte distribution. A total of 14 representative elevations were chosen along an altitudinal gradient, with study sites at each elevation chosen according to habitat type (forests, grasslands) and accessibility. At each elevation, three 100 m × 2 m transects that are 50 m apart were set along the contour line, and three 50 cm × 50 cm quadrats were set along each transect at an interval of 30 m. Species diversity, cover, biomass, and thickness of terrestrial bryophytes were examined. A total of 165 species, including 42 liverworts and 123 mosses, are recorded in Gongga mountain. Ground bryophyte species richness does not show any clear elevation trend. The terrestrial bryophyte cover increases with elevation. The terrestrial bryophyte biomass and thickness display a clear humped relationship with the elevation, with the maximum around 3,758 m. At this altitude, biomass is 700.3 g m⁻² and the maximum thickness is 8 cm. Bryophyte distribution is primarily associated with the depth of litter, the air temperature and the precipitation. Further studies are necessary to include other epiphytes types and vascular vegetation in a larger altitudinal range.