Assessment of higher insect taxa as bioindicators for different logging-disturbance regimes in lowland tropical rain forest in Sabah, Malaysia

One of the serious environmental problems since the 1980s has been the conflict between the high rate of deforestation and maintenance of healthy ecosystem services and biological values in tropical forests. There is an urgent demand for setting up an appropriate environmental assessment to keep healthy ecosystem functions and biodiversity along with sustainable forest use based on ecology. In this study, we tried to assess logging-disturbance effects on the abundances of several flying insect groups (higher-taxon approach) in lowland tropical rain forest (Deramakot Forest Reserve, Sabah, Malaysia), while considering seasonal changes and vertical forest stratification. The season was the most important factor affecting the abundances of all the insect groups. Effects of logging disturbance were prominent in the understorey but obscure in the canopy. Changes in physical conditions caused by logging—possibly an increased evaporation due to solar radiation—may have decreased the abundance of desiccation-sensitive insects, especially in the understorey. There are also two probable reasons for the difference between events in the understorey and those in the canopy: (1) noise effects of various physical, environmental factors may have obscured insect responses to logging disturbance in the canopy; (2) higher spatio-temporal variation in quality and quantity of living food resources—such as leaves, flowers and fruits—provided in the canopy may have affected the abundance of their consumer insects independently of logging disturbance. Thus, this study suggests that the abundance of some insect groups at higher-taxon level, especially in the understorey, can be used as bioindicators for assessing effects of logging disturbance on the forest ecosystem.     

Correlation among soil enzyme activities under different forest system management practices

Soil enzyme activities were performed in three permanent no-till and unfertilised plots located in the South of Salamanca province (Spain), the first in a Castanea sativa Mill. paraclimax coppice (CC), the second in a chestnut orchard (CO) and the third in a Quercus pyrenaica Wild. climax forest (Oak), adjacent to the CO plot.We hypothesized that the activities of dehydrogenases, ureases, acid phosphatases, arylsulphatases and β-glucosidases in different forest ecosystems are involved in the carbon, nitrogen and phosphorus cycling and we report their relationship with each other and with physical, chemical and general biochemical parameters of the soils. The main aim of the study was to detect biological criteria for sustainable development in natural degenerate forests of Mediterranean Europe. For this, we used sweet Chestnut (C. sativa Mill) and Oak Q. pyrenaica Wild as models to better define the ecological conditions of these natural resources in terms of nutrient balance, physiology and biological diversity of their communities, to relate them to the conditions of exploitation and land-use changes, for the characterization of sustainable ecological systems.Furthermore, soil respiration was high and significantly different in the chestnut coppice stand than the other two stands, chestnut orchard and oak.Correlations between soil biochemical and soil microbiological variables showed that the three different forest management practices had also a strong effect on soil function conditions. In a discriminate analysis, CC and Oak were discriminated clearly, while CO was in the middle of the biplot sharing some properties with each of the two different groups. Thus, we proposed a soil property transition from the best soil structure and function properties at one chestnut management properties with low tree densities (CC and CO) to other with the worst ones at highest tree density conditions (Oak). According to natural soil conditions in Oak, we assumed that most of the enzyme activities reached their highest levels at highest C and N soil contents but at lowest soil base saturation percentage while they were not at all associated with P soil availability.     

Prioritizing non-marine invertebrate taxa for Red Listing

The IUCN Red List of threatened species is biased towards vertebrate animals, a major limitation on its utility for overall biodiversity assessment. There is a need to increase the representation of invertebrates (currently 21 % of species assessed on the List; <1 % of all invertebrates). A prioritisation system of terrestrial and freshwater groups is presented here, categorising taxa by species richness, assessment practicality, value for human land use and bioindication, and potential to act as conservation flagships. 25 major taxonomic groupings were identified as priorities, including the Annelida, Arthropoda, Mollusca, and Onycophora. Of these, the high-level taxa that emerge as highest priorities are Odonata (dragonflies and damselflies), Araneae (spiders), Mantophasmatodea (heelwalkers), Plecoptera (stoneflies), non-marine Mollusca (Bivalvia and Gastropoda), Trichoptera (caddisflies), Coleoptera (beetles), Lepidoptera (moths and butterflies), Oligochaetes (earthworms), Orthoptera (grasshoppers and crickets), Decapoda (crayfish, crabs, shrimps) and Diptera (flies). Of these Red Listing is well advanced for Decapoda, freshwater Mollusca and Odonata. This leaves eight higher taxa with currently a minimum or patchy Red List assessment coverage. We recommend that Red List assessments in future focus on these groups, as well as completion of assessments for terrestrial Molluscs and Odonata. However, we also recommend realism, and as some of groups are very large, it will be necessary to focus on subsets such as certain functionally important or charismatic taxa or on a sampled subset which is representative of a larger taxon.     

主要管理措施对人工林土壤碳的影响

人工林碳汇在全球碳循环及温室气体减排中发挥着重要作用。人工林是处于人为调控下的生态系统类型,经营管理措施是影响人工林土壤碳平衡的重要因素。通过科学合理的生态系统管理,增强人工林的土壤碳汇,对减缓气候变化具有十分重要的意义。本文综述了主要经营管理措施(造林树种、轮伐期、采伐、灌溉和施肥)对人工林土壤碳储量与碳通量影响的研究进展,结果表明:人工林经营管理措施可通过改变林地的温度、水分、养分和土壤结构,来影响土壤有机碳储量和土壤呼吸等碳循环过程。但目前人工林管理对土壤碳影响的研究还很不足,一些营林措施还未展开相关研究。未来应针对人工林管理措施对土壤碳的影响做更全面的定量研究。     

土壤微生物学特性对土壤健康的指示作用

土壤健康是陆地生态系统可持续发展的基础。作者通过概述土壤微生物学特性(土壤微生物群落结构、土壤微生物生物量、土壤酶活性)与土壤质量的关系, 阐明了土壤微生物对土壤健康的生物指示功能。研究表明: 土壤中细菌、真菌和放线菌的组成及其所占比率在一定程度上反映了土壤的肥力水平: 在土壤性质和肥水条件较好的土壤中, 细菌所占比率较高。土壤微生物生物量与土壤有机质含量密切相关, 而且土壤微生物生物量碳与土壤有机碳的比值(C_mic : C_org)和土壤微生物代谢熵(qCO2)的变化在一定程度上反映了土壤有机碳的利用效率。一般情况下, 土壤酶活性高的土壤中, 土壤微生物生物量碳、氮含量也高。因此, 土壤微生物学特性可以反映土壤质量的变化, 并可用作评价土壤健康的生物指标。     

Using the biomasses of soil nematode taxa as weighting factors for assessing soil food web conditions

We propose the use of nematode generic biomasses as weighting factors for calculation of nematode community indices. Three data sets were used to calculate the indices using guild-based weighting (i.e., fixed weighting of nematode guilds) and genus-based weighting (i.e., weighting based on the nematode generic biomasses). The genus-based weighting factors were quadratically correlated with guild-based weighting factors, but the genus-based weighting factors were highly variable within each nematode guild, indicating that important information was likely missing when guild-based weighting was used. Although variation patterns of in the indices in response to management practices and land use were often similar for the two weighting systems, they sometimes differed substantially, and the specific index values frequently differed depending on which weighting system was used. In addition, the absolute values of the indices were frequently found to be different between the two weighting systems. Based on the comparison of indices from the two systems, we found that the genus-based system was complementary rather than superior to the guild-based system. It was suggested that both weighting systems should be used for the calculation of the nematode community indices in a study in order to better distinguish the treatment effects.     

Searching for bioindicators of forest fragmentation: passerine birds in the Atlantic forest of southeastern Brazil

Aiming to evaluate the potential of Passerine birds as bioindicators of forest fragmentation, we studied the avifauna in the mountain region of the state of Rio de Janeiro by mist-netting between 2001 and 2005. We sampled six sites, including four small fragments (from 4 to 64 ha) in an agricultural area (Teresópolis), one second-growth forest (440 ha - Miguel Pereira) and a continuous forest (10,600 ha, Serra dos Org?os National Park - SONP). Indicator Species analysis and a Monte Carlo test were run to detect associations between species and sites, considering at least 30% of perfect indication and a significant value for the statistical test, only considering species with at least 10 captures. A total of 30 Passerine birds were sampled, and due to their association to the largest area (SONP), we considered Sclerurus scansor, Mionectes rufiventris, Chiroxiphia caudata and Habia rubica as the best indicators for this area. Five species were more captured not by chance in the 440 ha second-growth: Conopophaga melanops, Myiobius barbatus, Myrmeciza loricata, Philydor atricapillus and Schiffornis virescens and no species were related to any small fragment. This analysis has identified specialized Passerine species in many aspects (foraging substract, needs for nesting, rarity status), and it can be a valuable tool for detecting possible bioindicators.     

马尾松林土壤微生群落结构对不同营林处理的响应

以不同营林处理措施(对照、除灌、采伐1(15%)、采伐2(70%)后不同时期(处理后2个月,2013年12月;处理后15个月,2014年12月)三峡库区马尾松飞播林为研究对象,采用磷脂脂肪酸分析法对其土壤微生物生物量、微生物群落结构进行测定,同时比较了不同处理土壤理化性质特征,结果表明:1)处理后1年,除丛枝菌根真菌外,除灌、采伐1和采伐2微生物群落各类群生物量以及总生物量与对照相比均呈现减少的趋势,而在处理后初期并无规律性变化;2)主成分分析表明(PCA)不同处理措施在实施后初期并未对微生物群落结构产生显著影响,而在处理后1年,除灌和采伐1、采伐2的微生物群落结构显著区别于对照,且与土壤微生物群落多样性相关的2个主成分分别解释变量变化的50.40%和26.70%;3)2013年真菌生物标记(20:1 w9c)与主成分1极显著相关,而在2014年与主成分1极显著相关的生物标记物变为革兰氏阴性细菌(16:1w7c);4)冗余度分析表明,土壤湿度、土壤温湿度比值、土壤微生物熵(微生物量碳(MBC)/土壤有机碳(SOC))是影响不同时期微生物群落结构的显著环境因子(P0.05)。     

Sustainable forest management in China; the basic principles and practices

ABSTRACT

Sustainable forest management is described, in theory and in practice, especially in the regions where the forest resources have been damaged seriously for economic development. It emphasizes the need to exert the multifunctions of forest ecosystems. The paper analyses the main benefits and constraints of sustainable forest management with regard to the special natural and economic conditions of China. According to the basic principles of sustainable forest management, China has been taking the relevant actions. Six national programmes and participatory forest management for forest resources utilisation and conservation are operative as regional implementation strategies. Demonstrations, with 13 sample sites in different typical regions, and 8 Criteria and 80 Indicators based on the Montreal Process for monitoring and assessment of sustainable forest management at the national level, have been established and tested. Biological diversity conservation, plantation management for timber production, natural forest protection, non-wood products and technical training will become the priorities for sustainable forest management in China.     

The use of ground beetles (Coleoptera: Carabidae) and spiders (Araneae) as bioindicators of sustainable forest management: A review

International and Canadian national and provincial level policy have proposed the use of criteria and indicators to examine the sustainability of renewable resource management. Species suitable as ecological indicators are those whose biology are sensitive to disturbance and therefore demonstrate a negative effect of management on the processes or functioning of the ecosystem. Ground dwelling invertebrates such as carabid beetles and spiders have strong potential as ecological indicators as they are readily surveyed in sufficient numbers for meaningful conclusions to be drawn, have a stable taxonomy and, at least in the case of ground beetles, are readily identified. They are good local scale indicators of ecosystem disturbance in forested landscapes at both the short and long time scales, responding to both clearcut logging and fire differently. Ground beetles and spiders in boreal Canada may not be good indicators of disturbance at landscape scales, as little response to the creation of forest edges and habitat fragmentation has so far been observed. We propose that these bioindicators be used as part of local-level validation monitoring to test hypotheses about disturbance impacts. In this way, bioindicators are used in a research setting to evaluate silvicultural practices, providing a rating of their sustainability for a given broad forest type grouping.     

Hidden effects of forest management practices: responses of a soil stored seed bank to logging and repeated prescribed fire

Forest management practices have the potential to impact upon native vegetation. Most studies focus on the effects of management on the above‐ground vegetation communities, with little attention given to the soil stored seed bank. Here we examine the soil stored seed bank of a long‐term experimental site in south‐eastern Australia, which has experienced timber harvesting and repeated prescribed burning over a 20‐year period. At each of 213 long‐term vegetation measurement plots, 3.5 kg of soil was collected and germinated in a glasshouse over a period of 2 years. Comparisons were made between the experimental treatments considering differences in species richness, abundance and community composition of the understorey seed bank. Logged sites had a higher diversity and abundance of seedlings compared with unlogged sites, which is consistent with observed changes in standing vegetation within 10 years following logging. Prescribed burning resulted in a lower diversity and abundance of seedlings, which contrasts with the increase in species diversity observed in response to frequent fire in standing vegetation. Individual taxa that declined in the seed bank in response to frequent fire were all taxa for which germination is enhanced by exposure to smoke. Contrary to expectations, these did not exhibit a corresponding decline as standing plants. While management actions above ground are having minor impacts, greater effects were seen in the soil stored seed bank.     

Relationships between management practices and ground‐active invertebrate biodiversity in New Zealand kiwifruit orchards

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Vertical heterogeneity of a forest floor invertebrate food web as indicated by stable-isotope analysis

Diverse populations of invertebrates constitute the food web in detritus layers of a forest floor. Heterogeneity in trophic interactions within such a species-rich community food web may affect the dynamic properties of biological communities such as stability. To examine the vertical heterogeneity in trophic interactions among invertebrates in litter and humus layers, we studied differences in species composition and variations in carbon and nitrogen stable-isotope ratios (δ¹³C and δ¹⁵N) using community-wide metrics of the forest floors of temperate broadleaf forests in Japan. The species composition differed between the two layers, and the invertebrates in the litter layer were generally larger than those in the humus layer, suggesting that these layers harbored separate food webs based on different basal resources. However, the δ¹³C of invertebrates, an indicator of differences in the basal resources of community food webs, did not provide evidence for separate food webs between layers even though plant-derived organic matter showed differences in stable-isotope ratios according to decomposition state. The minimum δ¹⁵N of invertebrates also did not differ between layers, suggesting sharing of food by detritivores from the two layers at lower trophic levels. The maximum and range of δ¹⁵N were greater in the humus layer, suggesting more trophic transfers (probably involving microorganisms) than in the litter layer and providing circumstantial evidence for weak trophic interactions between layers at higher trophic levels. Thus, the invertebrate community food web was not clearly compartmentalized between the detrital layers but still showed a conspicuous spatial (vertical) heterogeneity in trophic interactions.     

Taxon specific response of carabids (Coleoptera,Carabidae) and other soil invertebrate taxa on invasive plant Amorpha fruticosa in wetlands

False indigo (Amorpha fruticosa L.) is an invasive exotic plant introduced to Europe in the early eighteenth century. Its spread has been rapid, particularly in disturbed wetland habitats, where it forms dense impermeable monospecific stands and modifies habitat conditions. The impact of A. fruticosa on native plant communities has been well analyzed, however knowledge concerning the possible effects on soil invertebrates and particularly carabid beetles is completely lacking. This study analyzed the impact of an A. fruticosa invasion on carabid beetles and other soil invertebrates. Soil fauna was sampled by pitfall traps at natural habitats, initially colonized by A. fruticosa, and habitats largely invaded by A. fruticosa. In total 2,613 carabid beetles belonging to 50 species and 72,166 soil invertebrates were collected. The invasion of A. fruticosa strongly affected the carabid beetle species composition, which clearly differed between all studied sites. Widespread euritopic carabid beetle species showed positive responses to A. fruticosa invasion, while the activity density of open habitat species strongly declined. Mean individual biomass was significantly higher at invaded sites due to increased incidence of large carabids (genus Carabus Linné, 1758). Carabid beetle activity density and abundance of soil invertebrates were considerably higher at invaded sites than in natural sites. Conversely, the impact of A. fruticosa on carabid beetle species richness and diversity was less pronounced, most likely due to immigration from adjacent habitats. Changes in carabid beetle species composition and abundance of soil invertebrates were most likely due to changes in vegetation structure and microclimate. The results suggest that A. fruticosa invasion considerably affected carabid beetles, an insect group that is only indirectly related to plant composition. Therefore, severe future changes can be expected in invertebrate groups that are closely related to plant composition, since A. fruticosa cannot be completely removed from the habitat and covers relatively large areas.     

F‐RISA fungal clones as potential bioindicators of organic and metal contamination in soil

Aims: This work has examined the effects of a polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon and selected toxic metals on fungal populations in a soil microcosm. Methods and Results: By using fungal ribosomal intergenic spacer analysis (F‐RISA) in combination with real‐time PCR quantification, four fungi (D63P2‐1, D63C2‐1, D21Cu1‐1 and D63Pb2‐2) with specific primer pairs to each were successfully evaluated for their potential as bioindicators in response to pyrene, copper (Cu) and lead (Pb), supplied singly and in combination. Conclusions: F‐RISA coupled with real‐time PCR is a useful approach for the identification of microorganisms with potential as bioindicators of organic and toxic metal contamination. Significance and Impact of the Study: These bioindicators could be monitored for their population changes that may indicate pollutant‐induced perturbations in a given system.     

管理措施对人工林土壤质量的影响

可持续性生产力是人工林发展的一个关键问题。然而,人工林培育过程中常出现土壤质量退化和人工林生产力下降等问题。管理措施是人工林发展过程中土壤质量变化的一个重要因素,正确的管理措施能够维护和提高林地的土壤质量。管理措施主要包括整地、施肥、林地收获与凋落物管理和营造混交林等。不同的整地方式、整地强度、整地时间等能改变土壤物理、化学和生物学性状,进而对其土壤质量产生一定的影响;施肥措施能改善土壤质量、提高人工林生产力,而过量施肥能够导致林地养分的流失和地下水质的恶化;木材收获和林地凋落物焚烧导致人工林系统养分的大量流失,加强对人工林系统有机物质的保护有利于林地土壤质量的改善;营造混交林在一定程度上有利于土壤质量维护,由于物种间存在复杂的相互关系,其对混交树种、混交方式和立地条件的选择等管理措施均能影响土壤质量。最后,文章对今后人工林管理措施对土壤质量影响的重点研究方向作了展望。     

土壤管理措施及环境因素对土壤微生物多样性影响研究进展

本文综述了土壤管理措施及环境因素对土壤微生物多样性影响的研究进展,并介绍了土壤微生物多样性的研究方法,土壤微生物多样性包括微生物物种多样性、遗传多样性和生态多样性。传统上,土壤微生物群落的分析依赖于培养技术,但使用该技术只能培养和分离出一部分土壤微生物群落。现在国际上普遍使用Biolog分析、磷脂脂肪酸(PLFA)分析和核酸分析等多种现代技术研究和表征土壤微生物多样性。土壤微生物多样性受土壤管理措施和多种环境因素的影响。农药可能使土壤微生物多样性减少或改变其结构和功能;施有机肥有利于维持土壤微生物的多样性及活性;但在施用无机肥的影响上目前的报道有矛盾之处。农业土壤减少耕作可能增加微生物多样性和生物量;轮作可能比单一栽培耕作更有利于维持土壤微生物的多样性及活性。土壤微生物多样性也受土壤有机质、植被、季节变化等因素的影响,且通常遭受干旱、过度放牧、营养缺乏等的胁迫作用。     

The effect of cover plants management on soil invertebrate fauna in vineyard in Northern Italy

Cover crops are largely used in vineyard management to improve ecological services such as pest and weed control, soil protection from erosion and soil water balance. Few data are available about the effects of cover crops on soil fauna and, in particular, on important generalist predators such as Carabidae and Araneae. We compare the effects of five different cover crops treatments: Sweet Alyssum, Phacelia, Buckwheat, Faba bean and a mixture of Vetch and Oat. A three years experimental trial was developed in Northern Italy. Soil fauna was investigated using pitfall traps. Cover crops seriously affected soil fauna of most taxa. Higher abundance of predators, in particular Carabidae and Staphylinidae, was present in treatments with legumes (Faba bean and Vetch and Oat) while soil Araneae seemed not to be affected. No vineyard pests seemed to be positively affected by cover crops. We confirm the importance of cover crops in increasing soil predator abundance and consequently improving pest control.