Using spectral analysis to confront distributions of individual species with an overall periodic pattern in semi-arid vegetation

Contrasted and periodic vegetation patterns are observed throughout thesemi-arid tropics. The relation between individual species and theoverall pattern has been investigated from a study site in NorthWest Burkina Faso (West Africa), which displayed periodic woody patterns withvarying levels of contrast and isotropy. The woody vegetation was described fromtwo field plots (320 by 320 ), within which woodyindividuals were either mapped or counted (in quadrats of 10 by10 ). A banded pattern of high intensity (tiger bush on hardsandstone, plot PTG) was compared with a less precise pattern on more favourableedaphic conditions (plot PSP). The periodic nature of the vegetation under studywas directly addressed by interpreting spatial auto- and cross-covariancefunctions through spectra of spatial frequencies (spectral analysis). Theoverall pattern of vegetation was analysed from digitised aerial photographs,while distributions of individual species were characterised from field data. Inboth plots, the densest species (Combretum micranthum G.Don), though only dominant in PTG, had a spatial distribution that closelymatched the overall pattern. Pterocarpus lucens Lepr wasco-dominant in both plots although fairly independent on the periodic pattern.Several species displayed a positive link with the periodic pattern that wasquite loose in PSP and tighter in PTG. This tighter link was concomitant withlower densities for most species. Indeed, only C.micranthum clearly benefited from the high intensity pattern with adensity seven times higher in PTG than in PSP. Consequently, species richnessand diversity were lower in PTG. A single species proved hence of overwhelmingimportance in accounting for the periodic pattern and its persistence throughtime. Spatial distributions of other species pointed rather towardsindividualistic responses to the opportunity/constraint provided by theperiodic pattern in presence of different levels of edaphic and climatic stress.     

Patterned vegetation and rainfall intermittency

We study a mathematical model for the dynamics of patterned dryland vegetation in the presence of rainfall intermittency, adopting a spatially explicit approach. We find that most results found for constant precipitation carry over to the case of intermittent rainfall, with a few important novelties. For intermittent precipitation, the functional forms of the water uptake and consequently of the vegetation growth rate play an important role. Nonlinear, concave-up forms of water uptake as a function of soil moisture lead to a beneficial effect of rainfall intermittency, with a stronger effect when vegetation feedbacks are absent. The results obtained with the explicit-space model employed here are in keeping with those provided by simpler, implicit-space approaches, and provide a more complete view of vegetation dynamics in arid ecosystems.     

Spatial variation in vegetation structure coupled to plant available water determined by two-dimensional soil resistivity profiling in a Brazilian savanna

Tropical savannas commonly exhibit large spatial heterogeneity in vegetation structure. Fine-scale patterns of soil moisture, particularly in the deeper soil layers, have not been well investigated as factors possibly influencing vegetation patterns in savannas. Here we investigate the role of soil water availability and heterogeneity related to vegetation structure in an area of the Brazilian savanna (Cerrado). Our objective was to determine whether horizontal spatial variations of soil water are coupled with patterns of vegetation structure across tens of meters. We applied a novel methodological approach to convert soil electrical resistivity measurements along three 275-m transects to volumetric water content and then to estimates of plant available water (PAW). Structural attributes of the woody vegetation, including plant position, height, basal circumference, crown dimensions, and leaf area index, were surveyed within twenty-two 100-m² plots along the same transects, where no obvious vegetation gradients had been apparent. Spatial heterogeneity was evaluated through measurements of spatial autocorrelation in both PAW and vegetation structure. Comparisons with null models suggest that plants were randomly distributed over the transect with the greatest mean PAW and lowest PAW heterogeneity, and clustered in the driest and most heterogeneous transect. Plant density was positively related with PAW in the top 4 m of soil. The density-dependent vegetation attributes that are related to plot biomass, such as sum of tree heights per plot, exhibited spatial variation patterns that were remarkably similar to spatial variation of PAW in the top 4 m of soil. For PAW below 4 m depth, mean vegetation attributes, such as mean height, were negatively correlated with PAW, suggesting greater water uptake from the deep soil by plants of larger stature. These results are consistent with PAW heterogeneity being an important structuring factor in the plant distribution at the scale of tens of meters in this ecosystem.     

Facilitation, competition, and vegetation patchiness: from scale free distribution to patterns

A new technique for the modeling of perennial vegetation patchiness in the arid/semiarid climatic zone is suggested. Incorporating the stochasticity that affects life history of seedlings and the deterministic dynamics of soil moisture and biomass, this model is flexible enough to yield qualitatively different forms of spatial organization. In the facilitation-dominated regime, scale free distribution of patch sizes is observed, in correspondence with recent field studies. In the competition controlled case, on the other hand, power-law statistics is valid up to a cutoff, and an intrinsic length scale appears.     

Late Quaternary vegetation history of the Mexican highland

Results of pollenanalytical investigations in the Highlands of Mexico (area of Puebla — Tlaxcala) are presented together with a survey of the last 35 000 years of vegetation history. After 3 pine periods from 35 000 to about 7 000–8 000 B. P., according to high and late Pleistocene condition, the Holocene vegetation history becomes more diversified: periods of alder, pine, fir and mixed oak forests alternate and end in a period of cultivated landscape.     

Holocene climate and vegetation in the Milford drainage basin,Maine, U.S.A., and their implications for human history

A 9200 ¹⁴C year fossil pollen record from a small kettle lake in central Maine, northeast U.S.A., records the development of nearby upland vegetation throughout the Archaic, Ceramic, and Historic periods of human history. The Early Archaic period (9000 to 8000 B.P.) began as open woodland dominated by Picea, Populus, and Larix, which was replaced by Pinus forest. During the Middle Archaic (8000-6000 B.P.) Tsuga-dominated forest, which developed ca. 7400 B.P., was followed by Pinus forest (ca. 6400 B.P.). The Late Archaic (6000-3000 B.P.) was a period of great transition; Tsuga forest developed again ca. 5700 B.P., but was abruptly replaced by northern hardwood forest ca. 4700 B.P. That Late Archaic expansion of hardwoods would have provided better forage for beaver. Coincidentally, boreal wetland mammals such as beaver (Castor canadensis) and muskrat (Ondatra zibethicus) increase in faunal assemblages of local archaeological sites, while remains of anadromous fish decrease. We postulate that the apparent increase in human populations throughout the region during the Late Archaic may be attributed to an increase in the resource base within both upland and wetland areas resulting from the development of hardwood forest in response to climatic cooling.     

Palaeoecological investigations towards the reconstruction of the history of forest clearances and coastal heathlands in south-western Norway

Palynological data collected over a period of 60 years have been compiled and re-interpreted in order to reveal the patterns of deforestation and health establishment in the south-western Norwegian coastal heathland. This heathland area has been divided into four sub-regions based on topography, bedrock and drift cover. The palynological investigations are from sites with pollen source areas of different sizes. The palynological signals are interpreted in terms of models that suggest an abrupt, gradual or stepwise deforestation which can be explained by terms of different pollen source areas. The deforestation seems to have been metachronous, leading to a regional mosaic pattern of different vegetation types. The deforestation process spanned more than 3600 calendar years (4000-400 B.C.), with three pronounced clearance periods at 4000-3600 B.C. (Mesolithic/Early Neolithic transition), 2500-2200 B.C. (Middle Neolithic II/Early Late Neolithic transition), and 1900-1400 B.C. (Late Neolithic to Bronze Age period II). The expansion of heathland has also been metachronous and took place over a period of ca. 4000 years between 4000-200 B.C., but was mainly completed by the end of the Bronze Age. Regional differences in the chronology of deforestation and heathland establishment are discussed. Deforestation with subsequent heathland expansion can best be explained in terms of the interaction between land-use history, topography and edaphic conditions under climatic conditions that favoured heathland development.     

Land-use history and succession of Larix decidua in the Southern Alps of Italy–An essay based on a cultural history study of Roswitha Asche

Larix decidua, the European Larch tree, is a typical forest species of the Southern Alps of North Italy growing in mixture with Picea, in isolated pure stands, or as solitary trees on meadows at 1000–2000 m elevation. Presently, the old-growth Larix forests show no regeneration, while Picea abies, Norway spruce, invades at lower elevation, and Pinus cembra, Stone pine, at higher elevation. In this study, we investigate the conditions that lead to pure stands of L. decidua in the past. It is shown that intensive land-use of grazing was essential for Larix regeneration, and that the pure stands of Larix will disappear in the future with the change of land-use, unless management will be intensified again to produce mineral soil for Larix to regenerate.     

Dose and host characteristics influence virulence of ranavirus infections

Parasites play a prominent role in the ecology, evolution, and more recently, conservation of many organisms. For example, emerging infectious diseases, including a group of lethal ranaviruses, are associated with the declines and extinctions of amphibians around the world. An increasingly important basic and applied question is: what controls parasite virulence? We used a dose-response experiment with three laboratory-bred clutches of tiger salamander larvae (Ambystoma tigrinum) to test how the size of inoculum and host genetic factors influence the dynamics and outcome of ranavirus infections. We found that infection rates increased with dose and were strongly affected by clutch identity and host life history stage. Case mortality increased with dose of inoculum, but was unaffected by host characteristics. Average survival time decreased with dose and differed among clutches, but this was largely due to differences in the time to onset of symptoms. Overall, our results suggest that dose of inoculum and host characteristics (life history stage and genetic background) influence the establishment and early virus replication, and therefore the virulence of ranavirus infections.     

Studies on the vegetation history of Lake Varna region,northern Black Sea coastal area of Bulgaria

On the basis of pollen analytical investigations of two cores from Lake Varna and Lake Beloslav, the vegetation history of the Lake Varna region is traced back to the beginning of the 6th millennium B.C. A two-fold zoning system is used whereby the pollen diagrams are divided into pollen zones, based on tree migration patterns, and settlement periods. Pollen zone 1 is characterised by the absence of Carpinus betulus and Fagus sylvatica. The spread of hornbeam started at ca. 6500 B.C. (pollen zone 2) and beech at ca. 6200 B.C. (pollen zone 3), the latter being the last tree to spread into the region and considerably enrich the forests of the study area. Of the many pollen taxa representing plants that are favoured by open habitats and hence potentially indicative of human impact, only a few taxa are regarded as reliable indicators of human activity. These include above all Triticum-type, and also Secale and to a certain extent Plantago lanceolata, Rumex and Polygonum aviculare. The spatial pattern of settlements is somewhat different in the areas represented by the two profiles. At both sites the first period of settlement occurred during the 6th millennium B.C. (early Neolithic). After the Neolithic period, the main settlement periods of the Eneolithic and the Early and Middle Bronze Age are recorded. On the other hand, land-use history during the Greek and Roman periods is poorly recorded. Studies on the stratigraphy, diatoms and molluscs indicate that the sixth Black Sea transgression (6500–5800 B.C.), which reached –10 m, had considerable influence on the limnological environment.     

Vegetation history in the Eastern Romanian Carpathians: pollen analysis of two sequences from the Mohoş crater

Two sequences of about 10.5 m originating from a peat bog in Romania were analysed for pollen (202 and 127 pollen spectra). The vegetation history, supported by 24 ¹⁴C dates is described since the Late Glacial. At the onset of the Holocene Ulmus first appears, together with Betula. Among the main components of the Quercetum mixtum (Quercus, Fraxinus, Tilia, Corylus) that became established almost simultaneously by around 9000 B.P., Quercus frequencies rarely exceed 10%. The local establishment of Carpinus is about 6000 b.p. Its maximum occurred between 4500 and 3000 b.p. Fagus pollen is regularly recorded since 8000 b.p. Its absolute dominance tooks place at about 3000 b.p. Picea pollen is present since the Late Glacial. The first indications of human activities appear at around 6500 b.p.     

A palynological investigation of Holocene vegetation change in Torres Strait, seasonal tropics of northern Australia

The islands of Torres Strait occupy a shallow area of submerged continental shelf narrowly separating Cape York Peninsula, Australia, from New Guinea. The human history of Torres Strait is unique with respect to mainland northern Australia. Island vegetation, however, exhibits a strong affinity with the environments of the western lowlands regions of Cape York Peninsula and with the vegetation of seasonal tropical Australia in general. Cape York Peninsula is both climatically and biologically diverse, yet few pollen studies have been carried out in its seasonally tropical environments. A summary presentation of palynological results, tracing the nature of vegetation change in Torres Strait, offers a possible framework for vegetation changes in similar environments on mainland Australia and also provides an opportunity to explore the relationship between Quaternary change in humid-tropical Australian environments and their seasonal-tropical counterparts.Six pollen records from Torres Strait provide evidence of vegetation change and fire history over approximately the last 8000 years. Near-shore sediments reveal a Holocene succession in vegetation incorporating lower-tidal mangrove, upper-tidal mangrove, saltmarsh and freshwater swamp communities. Extensive stable mangrove communities dominated coastal Torres Strait between approximately 6000 and 3000 radiocarbon years before present (yr BP). Inland, the strongest Myrtaceae-forest and rainforest representation occurs around the mid-Holocene only to be replaced by open sclerophyll woodlands, as tree density and diversity decline in the last 3000 years. The development of continuous island freshwater swamp conditions, at the coast and inland, is similarly restricted to the late Holocene (c. 2600 yr BP) and fire, as a prominent feature in the Torres Strait environment, is also a relatively recent phenomenon. Comparisons with regional mainland Australian palynological records reveal a degree of consistency in results from Torres Strait suggesting a similarity in late Quaternary trends through Australian humid and seasonally tropical environments. A number of differences, however, are also apparent, highlighting a degree of diversity which warrants further attention.     

Vertical patterns and duration of surface wetness in an old-growth tropical montane forest, Indonesia

In tropical montane forests, the wetness of leaf surfaces is an important parameter which may influence gas exchange, growth and vitality of leaves, and forest productivity. Thirty surface wetness sensors were operated during May–August 2004 in a vertical profile inside an old-growth lower montane rain forest of Central Sulawesi, Indonesia, with the objective to analyse spatial and temporal patterns of surface wetness and to relate wetness duration to the microclimate inside the stand. The canopy was wet during 25–30% of time in this study period. In a dry period, however, surface wetness lasted for only 5% of the time, whereas the canopy was wet during 45–55% of the time in a rainy period. In the lower shade canopy, surface wetness continuously existed for periods of up to 22 h and more, although rainfall occurred only during afternoon thunderstorms of limited duration. The long duration of surface wetness has implications for forest interception models, which assume a complete drying of the canopy between subsequent rainfall events. In periods with rainfall, leaf wetness typically occurred in the afternoon, evening and first half of the night because intercepted water persisted on the leaves until about midnight. In dry periods, in contrast, surface wetness was mainly caused by dewfall in the second half of the night, and it occurred mainly in the uppermost canopy where radiative heat losses resulted in a substantial under-cooling of the leaves. Ecophysiological and hydrological importance is suggested by the long duration of surface wetting in this stand with possible implications for gas exchange, leaf growth, leaf colonization by epiphylls and the forest water balance.     

黄土高原南缘最近10万年来的植被

通过陕西渭南剖面的花粉研究,阐明了近１０万年以来黄土高原南缘植被的演化历史．１０万年以来,该地区主要以草甸草原及草原植被为主,两者交替出现反映了温暖半湿润及寒冷干燥的气候旋回．这几个旋回可大致与氧同位素５ 期末以来各期进行对比．森林植被仅在某些相对短暂的时段出现,如榆树（Ｕｌｍ ｕｓ）林约９５．１～９０．７ ｋａ ＢＰ（９．５０～９．３２ ｍ ）;榛树（Ｃｏｒｙｌｕｓ）林约２５．１～２１．１ ｋａ ＢＰ （４．００～３．４８ｍ ）;铁杉（Ｔｓｕｇａ）林约１３．７～１１．８ ｋａ ＢＰ（２．２０～１．８０ ｍ ）．根据植被区划, 现代黄土高原南部的植被归于暖温带落叶阔叶林区．现代这里塬面缺少森林植被被认为是人类活动的结果．从渭南剖面及其它一些剖面花粉资料看,１０万年中不可能存在足以对植被产生巨大影响的人为因素．因而可以认为,现在黄土高原塬面上草原植被是原生的,无林的原因可能要从其它方面寻找,如水土流失等     

The later Holocene history of vegetation, land-use and settlements around the Ahlequellmoor in the Solling area, Germany

A pollen diagram from the Ahlequellmoor in the Solling area shows the history of vegetation and settlement over the last 7,800 years. In the early Atlantic period mixed deciduous forest with mainly Tilia together with Ulmus and Quercus grew in the area. In the late Atlantic period Quercus became most abundant. Fagus spread in the Sub-boreal period at about 2700 B.C. Since ca. 900 B.C. the Solling was covered by beech forests with some oak. In prehistoric times woodland grazing is indicated. Only in Medieval times are two settlements in the vicinity of the Ahlequellmoor reflected in the pollen diagram. The earlier one is dated to about A.D. 750–1020, and may be connected with the former Monastery of Hethis, which is thought to have existed close to the fen from A.D. 815 to 822. The second Medieval settlement dates to the 11th–12th century. The large-scale woodland destruction of late Medieval and modern times is not clearly visible. The silvicultural measures of the last 200 years are reflected by increasing values of spruce and grassland taxa.