What processes shape early-successional vegetation in fly ash and mine tailings?

Local abiotic filters and regional processes (i.e., regional pools of species that are dispersal-limited to varying degrees) interactively structure the development of vegetation in human-disturbed habitats, yet their relative contributions to this process are still to be determined. In this study conducted in the Czech Republic, we related plant species diversity and composition of 10 fly ash and 7 mine tailings to local edaphic conditions, and to vegetation from a 100-m perimeter (regional species pool). We found that the species richness and composition on the tailings were significantly associated with diversity and composition of vegetation in the surroundings, but not with the local edaphic conditions. Species from adjacent vegetation that were more abundant and those producing lighter seeds were more likely to establish on the tailings. The same characteristics also enhanced species abundance on the tailings, but the two predictors explained less than 10% in variation of establishment success or of species abundance. A non-significant relationship between species number and tailings size, but a significant association between diversity and time of vegetation development indicate that the study systems are still far from equilibrium. Our study provides evidence for a strong effect of regional processes, with a limited influence of measured edaphic conditions on plant communities developing de novo. It also highlights the necessity to consider the broader spatial context in the analysis of vegetation succession in human-disturbed habitats.     

Life-history traits and habitat preferences of colonizing plant species in long-term spontaneous succession in abandoned gravel–sand pits

The following question was asked: Species of what traits and ecological demands are the best and the least successful colonizers in the course of succession in disused gravel–sand pits?Abandoned gravel–sand pits (36) were studied in the Czech Republic. Together 224 phytosociological relevés were recorded in 5 m×5 m plots in all available seral stages ranging in age from 1 to 75 years. Complete lists of species occurring in (semi-)natural habitats were surveyed up to a distance of 100 m from each relevé. The colonization success of each species was expressed by an index between 0 and 1 which was obtained as the ratio of the number of relevés with species present in a pit/the number of relevés with the species occurrence in their surroundings. Species characteristics were taken from available databases. Data were elaborated by ordination analysis and regression tree analysis. Generally, the best colonizers of gravel–sand pits were hydrophytes with the ability to vegetatively reproduce. In particular, at the beginning of succession, anemochorous species played the most important role. Stress tolerant species, possessing light diaspores, were typical of nitrogen poor and acidic habitats. Later, sciophilous and nitrophilous species of mesic habitats increased in importance. They have heavier diaspores, and are mostly phanerophytes or geophytes, often with the ability to vegetatively reproduce as well as exhibiting higher demand for pH. Plant functional traits were recognized as powerful tools to predict the colonization success of plants available in the local species pool. They may help predict vegetation succession in various human-disturbed sites and thus be used in various restoration programmes.     

煤矿井田区地表沉陷对植被景观的影响——以山西省晋城市东大煤矿为例

借助地表沉陷预测模型,预测了地表沉陷状况,依据地表沉陷对景观的破坏程度划分出重度影响区和轻度影响区;在遥感及地理信息系统技术的支持下,把植被景观现状与地表沉陷影响区叠加,通过沉陷前后景观格局的变化分析,对山西省晋城市东大煤矿的生态影响进行了探索性评价研究。结果表明:1) 重度影响区地表会出现盆型、马鞍型和波浪型等塌陷或裂缝,土壤侵蚀的作用将导致土壤养分空间格局发生明显变化。塌陷或裂缝周围生境恶化,成为养分流失源,植被恢复困难;养分汇处土壤水、肥条件优越,植被演替迅速,适当的人为干扰可以加快区域生态环境的恢复步伐。2) 地表沉陷后,植被景观破碎及隔离程度严重,原有的稳定态景观格局被打破,随着地形、土壤的空间变化,植被开始新一轮发展演替。由于原先占绝对优势的退化植被类型白羊草(Bothriochloa ischemum)-百里香(Thymus mongolicus)型优势度下降,同时,大部分次优势景观的内部生态功能受影响不大,这对景观整体的生物多样性以及次优势景观类型的演替是有益的,但是,重度影响区对斑块的隔离呈直线性,这对物种迁移的障碍是明显的。因此,重视井田区的封育与引种工作,科学规划、合理布局,在此基础上,引导植被演替沿着白羊草-百里香型—白羊草-黄背草(Themeda japonica)型—灌木丛—阔叶林的方向发展是可行的。     

塔里木胡杨林保护区塔里木马鹿生境动态及其影响因素分析

采用GIS技术,结合实地考察数据和历史数据,通过对信息加工与处理,对1973-2003年间塔里木胡杨林自然保护区马鹿塔里木亚种(Cervus elaphus yarkandensis)分布区的生境动态情况进行了研究,同时对影响塔里木马鹿栖息地变化的主要因素进行了分析。结果表明,自1973-2003年在塔里木胡杨林自然保护区中各种生境类型的变化比较显著,其中(1)水资源严重缺乏,水量剧烈减少,水域面积大幅缩小(2)沙漠面积和低盖度植被面积略有减少,高盖度植被面积减少强烈,保护区内耕地面积快速增加,荒漠化趋势明显,总体上马鹿塔里木亚种分布区的各种生境类型处于变化状态,栖息地环境趋向恶化。     

青海湖地区植被演变趋势的研究

青海湖地区作为祁连山系中段南麓的一个大型山间盆地,是一个独具特色的地区。这里的以草原为基带及其周围山地的高寒灌丛和高寒草甸垂直系列,有其自身的特点和发展趋势。随着整个青藏高原的强烈隆升,本区植被也具有一系列的明显变化。大片森林趋于消退,仅残存有少数适应高寒生境的树种;温性植被类型局限于海拔较低处,而高寒植被类型相对分布较广。分析表明,青海湖地区的整体植被景观有向寒旱生境方向发展的演变趋势。本区植被出现上述演变趋势的主要原因在于该地区生境因抬升而趋于寒旱的过程中,植物种对其生境变化表现出不同的忍耐性和适应性所致。     

Impacts of Land Abandonment on Vegetation: Successional Pathways in European Habitats

Changes in traditional agricultural systems in Europe in recent decades have led to widespread abandonment and colonization of various habitats by shrubs and trees. We combined several vegetation databases to test whether patterns of changes in plant diversity after land abandonment in different habitats followed similar pathways. The impacts of land abandonment and subsequent woody colonization on vegetation composition and plant traits were studied in five semi-natural open habitats and two arable habitats in six regions of Europe. For each habitat, vegetation surveys were carried out in different stages of succession using either permanent or non-permanent plots. Consecutive stages of succession were defined on a physiognomic basis from initial open stages to late woody stages. Changes in vegetation composition, species richness, numbers of species on Red Lists, plant strategy types, Ellenberg indicator values of the vegetation, Grime CSR strategy types and seven ecological traits were assessed for each stage of the successional pathway. Abandonment of agro-pastoral land-use and subsequent woody colonization were associated with changes in floristic composition. Plant richness varied according to the different habitats and stages of succession, but semi-natural habitats differed from arable fields in several ecological traits and vegetation responses. Nevertheless, succession occurred along broadly predictable pathways. Vegetation in abandoned arable fields was characterized by a decreasing importance of R-strategists, annuals, seed plants with overwintering green leaves, insect-pollinated plants with hemi-rosette morphology and plants thriving in nutrient-rich conditions, but an increase in species considered as endangered according to the Red Lists. Conversely, changes in plant traits with succession within the initially-open semi-natural habitats showed an increase in plants thriving in nutrient-rich conditions, stress-tolerant plants and plants with sexual and vegetative reproduction, but a sharp decrease in protected species. In conclusion, our study showed a set of similarities in responses of the vegetation in plant traits after land abandonment, but we also highlighted differences between arable fields and semi-natural habitats, emphasizing the importance of land-use legacy.     

Assessing the conservation value of secondary savanna for large mammals in the Brazilian Cerrado

Debate about the conservation value of secondary habitats has tended to focus on tropical forests, increasingly recognizing the role of secondary forests for biodiversity conservation. However, there remains a lack of information about the conservation value of secondary savannas. Here, we conducted a camera trap survey to assess the effect of secondary vegetation on large mammals in a Brazilian Cerrado protected area, using a single‐season occupancy framework to investigate the response of individual species (species‐level models) and of all species combined (community‐level models). In addition, we investigated the cost effectiveness of different sampling designs to monitor globally threatened species in the study area. At the community level, savanna that regenerated from eucalyptus plantation had similar occupancy estimate as old growth areas. At the species level, none of the ten species individually assessed seemed to respond to succession stage, with greater support for the effect of other covariates on occupancy, such as distance from water and vegetation physiognomy. These results demonstrate that secondary vegetation does not appear to negatively impact large mammals in the study area and suggest that, given a favorable context, Cerrado mammals can recolonize and use secondary savannas that regenerated from clearcut. However, our study area should be considered a best‐case scenario, as it retained key ecological attributes of high‐value secondary habitats. Our simulations showed that a sampling design with 60 camera trap sites surveyed during nine occasions is appropriate to monitor most globally threatened species in the study area, and could be a useful starting point for new monitoring initiatives in other Cerrado areas.     

Richness, diversity, and rate of primary succession over 20?year in tropical coastal dunes

The tropical coastal dunes in central Gulf of Mexico have been stabilizing over the last decades resulting in reduced substrate mobility, and promoting primary succession. We describe changes in species richness and diversity in dune vegetation during 20?years. Our questions: (a) Do species richness and diversity increase over time as predicted by models of ecological succession or do they show a hump-backed manner similar to the observations in temperate coastal dunes?, (b) What is the interaction between vegetation cover and diversity and species richness?, (c) Is there a relationship between species diversity and succession rate and does succession rate change over time?, and (d) How do plant functional types change during succession? In order to answer these questions, we set 140 4?×?4?m permanent plots in a mobile dune area and monitored vegetation cover and species richness from 1991 to 2011. In time, diversity increased in a logistic manner toward an asymptotic value once vegetation cover surpassed 60?%. Species richness increased in a humped-back shape, also reaching a maximum peak at 60?% vegetation cover. The succession rate of diversity was measured by the Euclidean distance, and showed a significant humped-back relation, meaning that it was slower in early and late successional stages. The study supports the intermediate disturbance theory. The conservation of coastal dunes vegetation should focus on all, species-poor and species-rich habitats that help to maintain the ecological integrity of these ecosystems. The understanding of community dynamics and diversity patterns becomes an essential component of coastal dune management and conservation.     

Drivers of local densities of endangered Lycaena helle butterflies in a fragmented landscape

Due to their specialised habitat requirements, butterflies are particularly vulnerable to habitat loss and fragmentation. Understanding the drivers of local abundances of species is essential for their effective conservation in fragmented landscapes. We investigated factors affecting population densities of an endangered European butterfly, the Violet Copper (Lycaena helle), occurring in a small metapopulation near the city of Kraków, southern Poland. The environmental parameters tested as predictors of the local densities of the species included both the variables associated with spatial structure of habitats such as patch sizes, their isolation and fragmentation as well as those potentially reflecting habitat quality. Patch area and vegetation height turned out to be the only factors significantly influencing L. helle densities, both having a positive effect. The positive impact of patch area is a bit surprising, since its relationship with population densities is typically negative in butterflies. In our study system it is likely to derive from source-sink dynamics as the smaller habitat patches are apparently too small to sustain viable local populations. In turn, the positive influence of vegetation height implies that the ongoing succession does not deteriorate the quality of the recently abandoned meadows yet, whereas higher turf may provide better sheltering places. The loss of almost half of L. helle habitat patches in the study area in recent years is alarming. However, its inclusion into the Natura 2000 system should help to conserve the species as long as this act is followed by proper management of its habitats.     

A Markov approach for describing post-fire succession of vegetation

Vegetation dynamics in the coastal area of the Seto Inland Sea region in Japan, where wild fires occur frequently, were described using a stationary Markov model. In this region, vegetation types ofMiscanthus-Pleioblastus grassland,Lespedeza-Mallotus scrub,Pinus-Rhododendron forest andCrassocephalum-Erechtites community have been identified, and these show cyclic succession under the influence of fires. The model uses parameters determining fire frequency and rate of successional change to analyze the effect of variation in these parameters on the areal ratio of each vegetation type at equilibrium and on the time taken for one vegetation type to succeed another (elapsed successional time). The effect of fire frequency differs between hypothetical habitats with high and low productivity. A policy for vegetation management in areas of high and low productivity is proposed. The advantages and limitations of applying Markov models to studies of vegetation succession are also discussed.     

Role of substrate and landscape context in early succession: An experimental approach

Both local site conditions and landscape context influence the course of succession, but there is a lack of experimental studies on the relative importance of these two factors. It is hypothesised that convergence vs. divergence in succession is determined by the interplay of site factors, such as type of substrate and the nature of the surrounding landscape. In order to evaluate the role of substrate and surrounding landscape in the initial development of vegetation, experimental plots with tertiary clay, sand, peat, sterilised local soil and undisturbed local soil as a control were established in two contrasting regions, and the cover of all the species present was recorded annually for 10 years. In early succession, vegetation was affected by both the substrate and surrounding landscape, but their effects resulted in different trends. The importance of the substrate gradually decreased, while that of the landscape context increased. In the course of succession the vegetation between the two regions diverged and converged within each region. We concluded with regard to the divergence vs. convergence dichotomy in succession: if contrasting habitats occur in the same or similar landscapes, convergence is expected, whereas if similar or the same habitats are located in contrasting landscapes, divergence is expected. For the remaining combinations, i.e. contrasting habitats in contrasting landscapes or the same habitats in the same or a similar landscape, successions may exhibit no or only slight divergence or convergence.     

蝗虫生境监测方法研究进展

蝗虫是一种能对农业生产带来毁灭性打击的害虫。预测、监测蝗虫的发生、发展对于防治蝗虫、减轻蝗灾具有重要意义。在分析蝗虫的发生和消长与其生存环境的关系基础上,概述了以往蝗虫发生、发展预测、监测的主要方法。然后,从监测蝗虫生境采用的指标、卫星数据、算法等方面进一步阐述了运用现代遥感、地理信息系统技术监测蝗虫生境、预测蝗虫发生、发展的理论基础和最新进展;最后,结合现代对地观测技术、网络、快速计算和模拟等技术的发展探讨了蝗虫生境监测的发展方向。     

Climate and coastal dune vegetation: disturbance, recovery, and succession

The sand dune habitats found on barrier islands and other coastal areas support a dynamic plant community while protecting areas further inland from waves and wind. Foredune, interdune, and backdune habitats common to most coastal dunes have very different vegetation, likely because of the interplay among plant succession, exposure, disturbance, and resource availability. However, surprisingly few long-term data are available describing dune vegetation patterns. A nine-year census of 294 plots on St. George Island, Florida suggests that the major climatic drivers of vegetation patterns vary with habitat. Community structure is correlated with the elevation, soil moisture, and percent soil ash of each 1 m² plot. Major storms reduce species richness in all three habitats. Principle coordinate analysis suggests that changes in the plant communities through time are caused by climatic events: changes in foredune vegetation are correlated with temperature and summer precipitation, interdune vegetation with storm surge, and backdune vegetation with precipitation and storm surge. We suggest that the plant communities in foredune, interdune, and backdune habitats tend to undergo succession toward particular compositions of species, with climatic disturbances pushing the communities away from these more deterministic trajectories.     

演替理论与植被恢复

《昆明-蒙特利尔全球生物多样性框架》提出要高质量保护和恢复各30%的土地,最大化地实现保护生物多样性和缓解气候变化的目标,而演替理论和植被恢复可以为实现30%的保护和恢复目标服务。演替理论是植被生态学中的核心理论,演替是指在一个地点上由一群不同物种组成的生命体的结构或组成随时间而变化的过程; 植被恢复是以植物种植、配置为主,恢复或重建植物群落或天然更新恢复植物群落的过程,植被恢复是生态系统结构和功能从简单到复杂、从低级向高级变化的过程,最终目的是建立健康稳定的植物群落。演替是植被恢复的基础,植被恢复被视为对演替过程的操纵,以达到恢复受损植被生态系统的目标。演替理论可以指导植被恢复,而植被恢复对演替理论的发展有益。演替按裸地性质可以分为原生演替和次生演替,有研究建议将恢复过程视为第三演替,这将有助于理解通过人为干预促进植被恢复成功的管理选择,特别是通过强调退化生态系统中的环境和生物遗存的管理选择。此外,该文还提出了植被恢复理论和演替理论未来可能重点关注的科学和技术问题。     

基于地面调查的植被生态质量综合评估指标体系构建

植被是陆地生态系统的主体,是保障生态质量的基础,也是基于自然的生态系统增汇、实现“碳中和”的重要利器。植被是生态质量评价的核心要素,但目前的生态质量评价研究中所用到的植被指标多是通过遥感反演或者气象指数模型计算得到的,而基于典型生态系统尺度地面调查的植被观测数据更直接、更准确,数据也很丰富,却很少用于生态质量评价,也缺乏系统的评价指标体系。通过文献研究、专家研讨和问卷调查,并借鉴群落退化演替和生态系统长期监测研究的理论基础,构建基于地面调查的植被生态质量综合评估指标体系。该指标体系整体分为三级,一级综合指数由群落结构指数、物质生产指数、生物多样性指数、群落发展或者演替趋势4个二级分项指标构成,二级分项指标由12—14个三级指标组成,不同植被类型各有其特征指标。该体系将完善我国多尺度陆地生态系统的生态质量评价指标体系,为新时期国家生态质量评价提供科学建议,为我国生态文明建设提供技术支撑。     

江苏省海滩植被演替的研究

江苏省海滩植被可分为滨海盐土植被、盐沼植被及海滩沙生植被三个基本类型。本文论述了这些植被类型的演替规律。滨海盐土植被与盐沼植被的演替,外因于土壤盐分含量递减与有机质含量的递增;海滩沙生植被的演替,外因于土壤沙颗粒大小及其相应的土壤含水量的变化,所以海滩植被演替为外因动态演替。     

庐山森林景观格局变化的长期动态模拟

在以植被格局为基础的森林景观动态分析中,可通过森林演替推断景观格局的动态变化以及相应的景观生态过程。运用空间直观景观模型LANDIS,以庐山风景区为案例地,模拟森林植被在未来300 a的自然演替动态,在此基础上选取斑块面积比、聚集度、分维数、多样性指数和均匀度指数等景观格局指数,分析森林景观格局随森林演替的动态变化。结果表明：（1）阔叶林树种的绝对优势地位保证其斑块面积比呈现持续增长的稳定趋势,森林植被将朝着地带性常绿阔叶林方向演替;（2）景观聚集度特征方面,阔叶林树种在前150 a缓慢增长,而后150 a保持相对稳定,杉木林一直保持平稳,毛竹林在整个模拟阶段一直在不断下降直至演替结束;（3）各优势树种植被斑块的分维数都保持在1-1.1之间,说明各景观斑块的边缘相对较规则且变化较小;（4）景观多样性指数呈现出先上升后缓慢下降的趋势,而均匀度指数则呈现出先下降后上升再缓慢下降的变化态势。景观格局指数的变化特征与植被向顶极群落演替的趋势相吻合,该模拟结果可运用到庐山森林景观的管理实践中。从长远来看,应该继续实行严格的封山育林政策。     

三峡水库坝下江心洲植物群落及其性状对不同水淹强度的响应

三峡水库的运行,改变了其坝下游的水沙情势,使坝下游沙洲生境呈现出明显的水淹强度梯度变化。阐明这一梯度变化下沙洲植被组成、分布和性状结构特征,是理解植被与沙洲稳定关系的基础,更是阐明三峡工程对长江中下游地区生态环境影响的核心内容之一。选取上荆江河段第一个江心洲-太平口心滩作为研究样地,通过植被组成和分布特征的调查,对不同水淹强度下群落物种组成、多样性和功能特征进行了深入分析。结果表明：太平口心滩植被组成以草本植物为主,稀布小型灌木川三蕊柳。调查共记录物种21科33属39种,以禾本科和菊科植物为主要优势种。轻微（20-40 d）和极强水淹强度（100+d）条件下的生境物种组成同其他水淹强度生境具有显著性差异,轻微水淹强度下牛鞭草和节节草为主要优势种,极强水淹强度下虉草为主要优势种。不同水淹强度下物种多样性指数差异显著,功能多样性指数和生物多样性指数趋势基本一致。随着水淹时间的延长,植被更倾向于表现出花果期位于出露期、植株高度更加低矮、须根系、进行营养繁殖的功能性状。江心洲植被的群落结构和功能性状特征都在水淹梯度下呈现出明显的梯度变化特征。这些研究结果表明水淹强度的梯度变化是沙洲植物群落变化的重要驱动因子,为进一步研究沙洲植物群落动态变化以及沙洲植被协同演替机制,明晰大坝影响下的生态环境变化提供重要依据。     

SaudiVeg ecoinformatics: Aims,current status and perspectives

During the last decade many electronic databases of vegetation plots were established in many countries around the world. These databases contain valuable phytosociological information assisting both governmental and NGO (Non-governmental organizations) agencies to formulate strategies and on-ground plans to manage and protect nature resources. This paper provides an account on aims, current status and perspectives of building of a vegetation database for the Central Region (Najd) of Saudi Arabia – the founding element of the Saudi Vegetation Database (SVD). The data stored by the database are sample plots (vegetation relevés) collected according to the field techniques of the Braun-Blanquet approach (lists of taxa accompanied by semi-quantitative cover assessment), and are accompanied by general vegetation characteristics such as vegetation layering and cover, information on life-form of the recorded species, geographical coordinates, altitude, soil typology, topography and many more. More than 2900 vegetation-plot records (relevés) have so far been collected in the Najd region; of these more than 2000 have already been stored using the Turboveg database platform. These field records cover many habitats such as depressions, wadis (dry river beds), agricultural lands, sand dunes, sabkhas, and ruderal habitats. The ecological information collected in the database is currently the largest set of vegetation data collated into a database in the Middle East. These data are of great importance for biodiversity studies in Saudi Arabia, since the region is recording a loss of biodiversity at a fast rate due to environmental problems such as global warming and land-use changes. We envisage that this database would catalyze further data collection on vegetation of the entire Arabian Peninsula, and shall serve as one of the most important datasets for classification and mapping of the vegetation of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.     

黄土高原水蚀风蚀交错带不同生境植物的叶性状

研究不同生境和不同植被演替阶段的叶性状,将为区域植被建设提供重要科学指导。以黄土高原水蚀风蚀交错带的典型区——神木六道沟流域为研究地点,研究了不同生境植物叶性状的种间和种内差异、退耕地植被演替过程中叶性状的变化及其相互关系。结果表明:(1)不同生境植物的光合特征和叶片结构特征的种间差异较大,这可能是植物长期适应生态环境的结果,同时也与其本身固有的遗传特性有关。(2)在物种水平上,最大光合速率(Pmax)、光合氮素利用效率(PNUE)和比叶面积(SLA)随退耕年限的增加呈显著下降趋势,而水分利用效率(WUE)、叶氮含量(Nmass)与退耕年限相关关系不显著。在群落水平上,除SLA与退耕年限的相关性不显著以外,其它指标皆与物种水平的变化趋势一致。(3)研究区32个物种的Pmax与WUE、PNUE、Nmass呈显著正相关(P0.05),而与SLA的相关关系不显著。PNUE与WUE、SLA呈显著正相关(P0.001),而与Nmass的相关性不显著;物种的Nmass与SLA呈显著正相关(P0.001)。同其它地区相比,研究区物种的Pmax、PNUE、SLA较低。具有较低Pmax、PNUE、SLA的物种可能更适宜研究区土壤贫瘠的生境。