What is the role of local landscape structure in the vegetation composition of field boundaries?

Question: How distinct is the flora of field boundaries? How does the structure of field boundaries determine the composition of vegetation? Location: Estonia, six 4 km × 4 km agricultural areas. Methods: We studied the vegetation of fields and field boundaries using 2 m × 2 m sample plots. We estimated the frequency of species in both habitat types, applied an MRPP test to analyse the vegetation composition of field boundaries with various combinations of landscape features (ditches, roads, tree and bush layers) illustrating this by DCA ordination, and used indicator species analysis to determine the characteristic species of each boundary type. Results: Ca. 45% of the flora of field boundaries comprised species found on agricultural land. Most typical species in fields — agrotolerants — were also the most common in field boundaries. The vegetation of road verges and grassy boundaries consisted mainly of disturbance‐tolerant species. Woody boundaries were characterised by shade‐tolerant and nitrophilous species. Ditch banks included species typical of moist habitats and semi‐natural grasslands. Few threatened or protected species were observed. Conclusion: The vegetation composition of field boundaries varied due to the complex effects of landscape structure around and in these boundaries. Plant species in agricultural landscapes can be classified into two broad emergent groups on the basis of their different responses to agricultural disturbances — agrotolerant species and nature‐value species. Agrotolerant species are promoted by agriculture, nature‐value species include rare weeds and habitat specialists. We suggest that high‐nature‐value species should prevail in monitoring the effects of land‐use intensification on biodiversity rather than total species richness.     

Whitethroat Sylvia communis and Yellowhammer Emberiza citrinella nesting success and breeding distribution in relation to field boundary vegetation

Field boundary characteristics influencing territory establishment and nesting success of Whitethroats and Yellowhammers on farmland in Leicestershire were investigated. Hedge height had a negative influence on the presence of breeding Whitethroats. The abundance of herbaceous vegetation in field boundaries had a positive influence on both species. The relationship was strongest for Whitethroats which nested almost exclusively in herbaceous vegetation. Nesting success of Whitethroats was higher than that of Yellowhammers. Yellowhammer nests in hedges were more susceptible to predation than those in herbaceous vegetation. Maintaining low hedges and establishing uncut 2-m strips of perennial herbaceous vegetation in field boundaries would contribute to the conservation of Whitethroats and Yellowhammers on farmland.     

Correspondence of vegetation boundaries to redox barriers in a Northern European moraine plain

Little attention has been devoted to the investigation of the formation and functioning of ecotones at the interfaces between the upland and riparian zones. The margins of riparian mires act as redox geochemical barriers. Such biogeochemical hot spots retain elements that have leached from upland soils, favouring the growth of mesomorphic plants in hydromorphic soils. This paper aims to clarify the correspondence of vegetation borders to horizontal redox barriers of a Northern European moraine plain in Estonia.24 random transects were surveyed on the moraine plain, sampled across sharp soil moisture boundaries as proxies of redox barriers. The shifts in vegetation perpendicular to the boundaries were investigated. Curves of Euclidean distance were computed by moving a 20 m split-window along transects. The curves showed peaks of high dissimilarity a few metres below the redox barriers in the sites of natural soil moisture. In artificially drained sites, the relict redox barriers poorly corresponded to the vegetation borders. We conclude that in the studied moraine plain, the vegetation boundaries between riparian mires and uplands correspond to the redox barriers. The same can be set as a hypothesis for Northern European moraine plains. Related ecotones can be observed on the footslopes, revealing redox barrier in the landscape and related hot spots in cultural landscapes. In field margins, the redox barriers and corresponding ecotones occur below cultivation terraces. The ecotones may represent functional boundaries for delineating wetlands. Man-made drainage removes soil redox barriers and corresponding vegetation boundaries, making the landscape uniform and therefore vulnerable to disturbances. As a management implication, footslope ecotones should be preserved in their natural condition.     

Soil and vegetation differences across ecological boundaries in an arid South African ecosystem

Boundaries are the most reactive nodes in landscapes and may be hypersensitive to global change in climate and land use. Investigations on how soils govern vegetation boundaries are scant, particularly in arid and semiarid ecosystems. The Tankwa Karoo National Park (TKNP) is a unique arid biodiversity hotspot with an unrivalled aridity gradient from < 100 mm MAP to about 700 mm in < 10 km. We investigated the abruptness of four soil‐vegetation boundaries separating eight communities. Two 50 m transects were established across four boundaries for 24 descending point transects, in which the cover‐abundance of each plant encounter at 1 m intervals was recorded. In addition, three soil samples were collected from the top 5 cm in each of the four boundaries and twelve patches. Soil and vegetation parameters altogether indicated three boundary syndromes that were context dependent: (a) a sharp boundary, (b) a gradual boundary or (c) no boundary exists. Soil respiration recorded here, and perhaps other ecosystem processes, was mediated by the soil‐vegetation boundaries. These nodes should be the focus of ecological studies since they reveal much more than the constituent patches themselves.     

Mapping a forest mosaic – A comparison of vegetation and bird distributions using geographic boundary analysis

Many areas of ecological inquiry require the ability to detect and characterize change in ecological variables across both space and time. The purpose of this study was to investigate ways in which geographic boundary analysis techniques could be used to characterize the pattern of change over space in plant distributions in a forested wetland mosaic. With vegetation maps created using spatially constrained clustering and difference boundary delineation, we examined similarities between the identified boundaries in plant distributions and the occurrence of six species of songbirds. We found that vegetation boundaries were significantly cohesive, suggesting one or more crisp vegetation transition zones exist in the study site. Smaller, less cohesive boundary areas also provided important information about patterns of treefall gaps and dense patches of understory within the study area. Boundaries for songbird abundance were not cohesive, and bird and vegetation difference boundaries did not show significant overlap. However, bird boundaries did overlap significantly with vegetation cluster boundaries. Vegetation clusters delineated using constrained clustering techniques have the potential to be very useful for stratifying bird abundance data collected in different sections of the study site, which could be used to improve the efficiency of monitoring efforts for rare bird species.     

毛乌素沙化景观内斑块间的多种边界

1　引　　言时空异质性是自然系统的普遍特征 ,陆地景观镶嵌体由许多不同的具有内部相对同质性的斑块组成 .因此 ,当考虑整个景观时 ,相邻斑块之间的边界就成为一个不容忽视的景观组分[13 ] .长期以来 ,与边界有关的生态学问题在基础和应用生态学研究的不同领域中备受关注[5,9,10 ,15] .Ｗｉｅｎｓ等[16]提出一个研究景观生态系统空间斑块性的概念框架———边界动态 ,通过对景观镶嵌体中相邻斑块间的边界的研究 ,来揭示生态系统功能的空间结构 .为了增强对形成和维持生态学边界的各种过程的理解 ,首先应确定边界的空间位置[6] .因此许多确…     

植被气候关系与我国的植被分区

气候制约着植被的地理分布,植被是区域气候特征的反映和指示,两者之间存在密不可分的联系.揭示植被与气候之间的关系是正确认识植被分布的前提,是进行植被区划的理论基础.植被区划是植被研究的归纳和总结,是其他自然地理区划和农林业区划的基础.本文在简要回顾中国植被气候关系及植被分区的研究历史的基础上,对我国以往的主要植被分区原则、依据和方案进行了评述,对有争议的主要植被界线进行了讨论.我们认为,在当今我国大部分地区的原生植被已遭到破坏的现实情况下,根据原生植被及其衍生植被类型的分布,确定其分布与限制性气候因子的关系,以此来进行植被带(区)的划分,不仅反映植被气候间密不可分的关系,在实践上也便于操作.尽管在一些植被带的命名、具体界线的划定上有分歧,但最近的中国植被分区方案大都认为我国基本的植被区有8至9个,即针叶林、针阔叶混交林、落叶阔叶林、常绿落叶阔叶混交林、常绿阔叶林以及雨林季雨林、草原、荒漠以及高寒植被.通过分析主要植被带附近的植被、气候等特征,本文认为,1)秦岭淮河线是一条重要的水分气候带,而不是温度带,不是亚热带植被的北界;2)我国亚热带植被的北界基本上沿长江北岸,从杭州湾经太湖、安徽宣城、铜陵经大别山南坡到武汉往西,与WI值130-140 ℃·月一致;3)我国热带区域的面积极小,仅分布在海南岛的东南部和台湾南端及其以南地区; 4) 我国东部地区暖温带的水热条件南北差异甚大,建议以秦岭淮河为界,将暖温带划分为两个植被带,即落叶阔叶疏林带和落叶常绿阔叶混交林带;华北地区的地带性植被为落叶阔叶疏林.最后,本文还强调了对应于气候变化进行动态植被分区的重要性.     

Stream order controls geomorphic heterogeneity and plant distribution in a savanna landscape

We posed the question: does viewing a savanna as a network of streams linked to a matrix of terrestrial hillslopes provide a useful framework to research and understand plant distribution in these landscapes? Our study area, the Phugwane River network, lies in the semi‐arid savanna of Kruger National Park, South Africa. We examined changes in hillslope geomorphology from first‐, third‐ and fifth‐order hillslopes with regression equations. The distribution of geomorphic boundaries was enumerated by moving window analysis and the relationship between geomorphology and plant distribution was explored through ordination. First‐order hillslopes had a simple geomorphology, fewer geomorphic boundaries and a relatively homogeneous plant assemblage. By contrast, fifth‐order hillslopes were more complex in geomorphology, with more boundaries and a relatively heterogeneous vegetation pattern. Stream order classification of a savanna drainage network resulted in landscape units distinguishable by geomorphology, geomorphic boundaries and vegetation pattern. Therefore, the drainage network is a useful template to expose and organize the complexity in savanna landscapes into easily managed and researched units. This perspective should inform a shift from single‐scale phytosociological views of homogeneous vegetation units towards multi‐scale conceptualizations of savannas as water dependent ecosystems.     

How simple grazing rules can lead to persistent boundaries in vegetation communities

Natural landscape boundaries between vegetation communities are dynamically influenced by the selective grazing of herbivores. Here we show how this may be an emergent property of very simple animal decisions, without the need for any sophisticated choice rules etc., using a model based on biased diffusion. Animal grazing intensity is coupled with plant competition, resulting in reaction-diffusion dynamics, from which stable boundaries spontaneously emerge. In the model, animals affect their resources by both consumption and trampling. It is assumed that forage consists of two heterogeneously distributed competing resource species, one that is preferred (grass) over the other (heather) by the animals. The solutions to the resulting system of differential equations for three cases a) optimal foraging, b) random walk foraging and c) taxis-diffusion are presented. Optimal and random foraging gave unrealistic results, but taxis-diffusion accorded well with field observations. Persistent boundaries between patches of near-monoculture vegetation were predicted, with these boundaries drifting in response to overall grazing pressure (grass advancing with increased grazing and vice versa). The reaction-taxis-diffusion model provides the first mathematical explanation for such vegetation mosaic dynamics and the parameters of the model are open to experimental testing.     

Herbivores Enforce Sharp Boundaries Between Terrestrial and Aquatic Ecosystems

The transitions between ecosystems (ecotones) are often biodiversity hotspots, but we know little about the forces that shape them. Today, often sharp boundaries with low diversity are found between terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems. This has been attributed to environmental factors that hamper succession. However, ecosystem properties are often controlled by both bottom-up and top-down forces, but their relative importance in shaping riparian boundaries is not known. We hypothesize that (1) herbivores may enforce sharp transitions between terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems by inhibiting emergent vegetation expansion and reducing the width of the transition zone and (2) the vegetation expansion, diversity, and species turnover are related to abiotic factors in the absence of herbivores, but not in their presence. We tested these hypotheses in 50 paired grazed and ungrazed plots spread over ten wetlands, during two years. Excluding grazers increased vegetation expansion, cover, biomass, and species richness. In ungrazed plots, vegetation cover was negatively related to water depth, whereas plant species richness was negatively related to the vegetation N:P ratio. The presence of (mainly aquatic) herbivores overruled the effect of water depth on vegetation cover increase but did not interact with vegetation N:P ratio. Increased local extinction in the presence of herbivores explained the negative effect of herbivores on species richness, as local colonization rates were unaffected by grazing. We conclude that (aquatic) herbivores can strongly inhibit expansion of the riparian vegetation and reduce vegetation diversity over a range of environmental conditions. Consequently, herbivores enforce sharp boundaries between terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems.     

A GIS approach to identifying territorial resource competition

Computer simulations using a geographical information system were developed to investigate the relationships between the habitat composition of red grouse territories and the alignment of territory boundaries in relation to vegetation patterns. Field data were from a fifteen year study on Kerloch Moor, north-east Scotland, between 1963 and 1977.
In order to determine whether observed territories were arranged randomly with respect to a number of habitat characteristics, they were compared with many simulated sets of possible territory arrangements by translation of the territory boundaries to a number of different positions relative to the vegetation mosaic. A suite of summary statistics was calculated for the simulated configurations, against which the observed configurations were tested.
There was little evidence for territorial resource competition by red grouse. The positions of territories were not strongly influenced by their composition in terms of vegetation types or heather edge. Neither was there any obvious preference for territory boundaries to lie within particular vegetation types. However, there was clear evidence that physical features of the habitat (fences, walls, tracks, etc.) had a strong influence on the position of territory boundaries.
Temporal and spatial habitat heterogeneity led to a number of technical and analytical problems, and the implications of these are discussed.     

Vegetation controls vary across space and spatial scale in a historic grassland‐forest biome boundary

Ecological boundaries are critical landscape regions of transition between adjacent ecological systems. While environmental controls of boundaries may operate in a scale‐dependent manner, multiple‐scale comparisons of vegetation–environment relationships have been characterized for few boundary systems. We used approximately 250 000 point records on the occurrence of woody versus grassland vegetation in conjunction with climatic, topographical, and soils data to evaluate scale effects and spatial heterogeneity in a 650‐km section of the historic prairie–forest biome boundary of Minnesota, USA. We chose this as a model system because of the availability of historical vegetation data, a considerable spatial extent, a sharp ecological transition, and the ability to avoid confounding from more recent anthropogenic land use change. We developed modeling techniques using hierarchical variance partitioning in a spatially‐structured format that allowed us to simultaneously evaluate vegetation–environment relationships across two‐dimensional space (i.e. the prairie‐forest boundary) and across spatial scales (i.e. varying extents). Soils variables displayed the least spatial autocorrelation at shortest lag distances and tended to be the least important predictors of woody vegetation at all spatial extents. Topographical variables displayed greater spatial heterogeneity in regions dominated by forest compared with prairie and were more important at fine‐intermediate spatial scales, highlighting their likely control on fire regimes. An integrated climatic variable (precipitation minus potential evapotranspiration) displayed a trend of increasing spatial variance across the study region and was unambiguously the strongest biome boundary control, although its joint influence with fire was difficult to characterize. Spatially heterogeneous vegetation–environment relationships were observed at all scales, especially at finer scales. Our results suggest that the importance of environmental controls changes smoothly rather than discretely across scales and demonstrate the need to account for spatial non‐stationarity and scale to predict and understand vegetation distribution across ecological boundaries.     

Species performances and vegetation boundaries along an environmental gradient

A transect in grassland vegetation in the southern part of the Netherlands showing both a very gradual and a more marked transition in species composition, was sampled as regards species frequency and a number of soil variables. Clustering (TABORD) and Principal Component Analysis revealed the two types of vegetation boundaries, a strong, rigid and a weak, gradual boundary, and the gradient situation in the transect. Species performance curves were tested for Gaussian form, but less than half of the species showed this form even though limits for acceptance were mild. The few species showing a Gaussian response curve clearly illustrate the two types of vegetation boundaries in this transect in agreement with Whittaker's model for such boundaries.     

Fire weather risk differs across rain forest—savanna boundaries in the humid tropics of north‐eastern Australia

Alternative stable state theory has been applied to understanding the control by landscape fire activity of pyrophobic tropical rain forest and pyrophytic eucalypt savanna boundaries, which are often separated by tall eucalypt forests. We evaluate the microclimate of three vegetation types across an elevational gradient and their relative fire risk as measured by McArthur's Forest Fire Danger Index (FFDI). Microclimatic data were collected from rain forest, tall eucalypt forest and savanna sites on eight vegetation boundaries throughout the humid tropics in north Queensland over a 3‐year period and were compared with data from a nearby meteorological station. There was a clear annual pattern in daily FFDI with highest values in the austral winter dry season and lowest values in the austral summer wet season. There was a strong association of the meteorological station FFDI values with those from the three vegetation types, albeit they were substantially lower. The rank order of FFDI values among the vegetation types decreased from savanna, tall eucalypt forest, then rain forest, a pattern that was consistent across each transect. Only very rarely would rain forest be flammable, despite being adjacent to highly flammable savannas. These results demonstrate the very strong effect of vegetation type on microclimate and fire risk, compared with the weak effect of elevation, consistent with a fire–vegetation feedback. This study is the first demonstration of how vegetation type influences microclimate and fire risk across a topographically complex tropical forest–savanna gradient.     

A paper park—as seen from the air

Satellite imagery can be used to assess the state of vegetation in areas that are rarely visited. Here we report how satellite imagery clearly shows the outline of Mucheve Forest Reserve in Mozambique because the vegetation within the park has been severely degraded. This is contrast to several other protected areas, where the vegetation outside their boundaries is often more degraded than within. Possible reasons for the difference between the vegetation structure inside and outside the reserve are shortly discussed.     

Contracting Tasmanian montane grasslands within a forest matrix is consistent with cessation of Aboriginal fire management

The persistence of treeless grasslands and sedgelands within a matrix of eucalypt and rainforest vegetation in the montane plateaux of northern Tasmania has long puzzled ecologists. Historical sources suggest that Tasmanian Aborigines were burning these treeless patches and models seeking to explain their maintenance generally include fire, soil properties and Aboriginal landscape burning. We aimed to provide a new historical perspective of the dynamics of the vegetation mosaics of Surrey Hills and Paradise Plains in north‐west and north‐east Tasmania, respectively, and used vegetation surveys and soil sampling to explore the role of vegetation and soils in these dynamics. Sequences of historical maps (1832 and 1903) and aerial photography showed that many treeless patches have persisted in the landscape since European settlement and that forests have rapidly expanded into the treeless patches since the early 1950s. Stand structure and floristic data described an expanding forest dominated by Leptospermum, which is consistent with vegetation succession models for the region. Soils under expanding forest boundaries did not have higher soil nitrogen or phosphorus than those under stable boundaries, signalling a lack of edaphic limitation to forest expansion. The magnitude of forest expansion at Paradise Plains (granite), Surrey Hills (basalt) and south‐west Tasmania (quartzite) appears to follow a nutrient availability gradient and this hypothesis is backed by differences in soil phosphorus capital between the three systems. Given that existing vegetation boundaries in northern Tasmania do not coincide with soil nutrient gradients, we suggest that treeless vegetation was maintained by Aboriginal landscape burning and that the recent contraction of treeless vegetation is related to the breakdown of these fire regimes following European settlement. The observed rates of forest expansion could result in a substantial loss of these grasslands if sustained through this century and therefore our work supports the continuation of prescribed burning to maintain this high conservation value ecosystem.     

Vegetation Components of a Subtropical Rural Landscape in China

To assess the overall vegetation changes and their ecological significance, following landscape evolution, plant composition and physical structures of the homegardens (woodlots and vegetation patches with hedgerow fence) and field boundaries were examined in the rural landscape of subtropical China in order to determine their ecological significance. Field surveys on landscape changes and plant composition were carried out in two typical villages in the Yangtze river plain. Analysis of landscape changes and plant composition showed that the rural landscape is diverse both in terms of types of elements and plant species. The vegetation types in the area have undergone frequent alterations by human beings following major changes of landscape management due to economic and social reforms. The plant diversity of the various vegetation types in the area is related to the duration of colonization of the vegetation type, the extent of disturbance by human beings, and the physical structure diversity of the vegetation type. In the discussion, the plant diversity and heterogeneity of the physical environment in any vegetation type is of importance for the ecological sustainability of the landscape.     

A study of the phenological variability of terrestrial ecosystems in the south of the Krasnoyarsk Territory and Khakassia based on satellite data

The patterns of the phase portraits of vegetation (agrophytocenosis, woody vegetation) constructed using two-dimensional space radiation temperature values and Normalized Difference Vegetation Index were studied. An analysis of the phenological variability of vegetation in the south of the Krasnoyarsk Territory and the Republic of Khakassia during the growing seasons of 2003 and 2006 was carried out. Distinctive features of the phase portraits of agrophytocenosis and woody vegetation were revealed. The possibility of determining the boundaries of phenological states in the phytocenosis, and the transition range from one state into another was shown. Based on the complex analysis of the reflexive and radiative properties of the plant samples, an algorithm for calculating the start and end of the growing season was developed.