基于CA模型的上海九段沙互花米草和芦苇种群扩散动态

基于1997年以来上海九段沙栽种芦苇和互花米草种群扩散格局的多年现场调查与遥感解译分析,并结合3S技术,构建了适合滩涂盐沼植物种群动态的元胞自动机（CA）模型．结果表明：该模型能较好地模拟九段沙上芦苇和互花米草种群扩散的格局和趋势,并验证了互花米草和芦苇的空间抢先占有模型以及锋面状连续扩散格局;土著植物芦苇与外来植物互花米草占据相同的生态位,而互花米草的种群扩散速度是芦苇的3—5倍,随着九段沙的不断淤涨,互花米草种群的快速扩展还将持续．构建的CA模型有助于深入研究外来物种扩散格局与其生态学过程之间的相互关系,对湿地生物多样性保护和资源管理具有重要意义．     

Allee效应对具有生境恢复的集合种群的影响

Allee效应与种群的灭绝密切相关,其研究对生态保护和管理至关重要。Allee效应对物种续存是潜在的干扰因素,濒危物种更容易受其影响,可能会增加生存于生境破碎化斑块的濒危物种的死亡风险,因此研究Allee效应对种群的动态和续存的影响是必要的。从包含由生物有机体对环境的修复产生的Allee效应的集合种群模型出发,引入由其他机制形成的Allee效应,建立了常微分动力系统模型和基于网格模型的元胞自动机模型。通过理论分析和计算机模拟表明:(1)强Allee效应不利于具有生境恢复的集合种群的续存;(2)生境恢复有利于种群续存;(3)局部扩散影响了集合种群的空间结构、动态行为和稳定性,生境斑块之间的局部作用将会减缓或消除集合种群的Allee效应,有利于集合种群的续存。     

崇明东滩盐沼植被扩散格局及其形成机制

长江河口盐沼植被的形成和演化是生物与其生长环境相互作用的结果。以崇明东滩盐沼植被典型扩散前沿为研究对象,2011至2012年期间调查了盐沼植被扩散前沿实生苗扩散、定居以及形成的扩散格局,同时测定了盐沼植被扩散前沿的潮滩冲淤动态和水文动力条件。研究结果表明,崇明东滩盐沼植被在扩散前沿形成了互花米草-光滩(Spartina alterniflora-Mudflat,SM)和互花米草-海三棱藨草-光滩(Spartina alterniflora-Scirpus mariqueter-Mudflat,SSM)两种典型的扩散格局。冲淤动态和水文动力条件是影响盐沼植被扩散格局的重要因子,尤其是在4—6月盐沼植物实生苗传播和定居的关键阶段。在此基础上,分析了东滩盐沼植被扩散前沿的生物-物理相互作用以及盐沼植被扩散格局的形成机制。研究结果不仅有助于理解长江河口地区盐沼植被扩散的生物物理过程,并对全球气候变化和海平面上升条件下滨海生态系统动态预测与湿地保护与管理具有重要的意义。     

旅游扰动下湿地公园植物多样性研究进展

湿地公园的生态脆弱区特性与保存湿地原生境矛盾引起国内外学者关注, 使其未来可能成为人类扰动下生态脆弱区生物多样性研究的模式基地。植物是湿地公园承受旅游活动等干扰的积极响应者, 已有研究多关注旅游对园内植物物种多样性等层面上的单一尺度影响, 忽视了其多尺度性, 使得植物在公园关键生态过程及整体功能发挥中的作用存争议。未来的工作中, 应注重开展多重时空格局下旅游扰动对自然湿地公园植物的物种、群落及景观等尺度多样性的独立和耦合影响研究, 筛选出驱动湿地公园不同尺度植物多样性变化响应的关键环境因子, 阐明其关键生态过程,探究湿地公园植物多样性对旅游扰动的多尺度响应机理, 构建湿地公园不同尺度植物多样性的保护机制。相关研究成果也将丰富生态脆弱区生物多样性研究的理论体系。     

集合种群的Allee效应研究进展

随着全球环境破坏的加剧,物种丧失的速度加快,人们日益关注生物多样性的保护。种群生物学和自然保护生物学的一些研究表明,如果一个局域种群受到Allee效应的影响,最终可能走向灭绝。从物种保护的角度考虑,分别介绍了集合种群水平上的Allee效应的和似Allee效应,比较了集合种群的Allee效应和似Allee效应产生的原因,以及集合种群的Allee效应和局域种群的Allee效应之间的关系、集合种群的似Allee效应和局域种群的Allee效应之间的关系,并提出集合种群的Allee效应还需要进一步的研究。     

互花米草入侵对滨海湿地生态系统的影响研究进展

滨海湿地受海、陆生态系统的交互影响,是典型的生态脆弱带和敏感区。互花米草是全球海岸带最为成功的外来入侵物种,对滨海湿地生态系统已经产生了重要的影响。本文对已有相关研究进行了系统梳理,揭示了互花米草入侵对滨海湿地生态系统生物地球化学循环(碳循环、氮循环、磷循环及土壤重金属迁移)和入侵地生物群落(微生物、植物和动物)的影响。并在此基础上对今后研究的重点提出了展望: 加强互花米草入侵对滨海湿地生态系统健康影响机制研究;重点关注全球变化背景下互花米草群落与湿地环境互馈耦合;开展长时序定位监测,厘清滨海湿地生态系统对互米草不同入侵阶段的响应差异,以期对互花米草的生态利用和治理提供指导。     

湿地植物间竞争和促进互作的研究进展

湿地植物间关系主要包括竞争(负效应)和促进(正效应),是湿地生态研究的核心内容之一,对植物分布、群落和生态系统组成具有重要的调节作用。本文阐述了竞争理论及影响湿地植物竞争能力的主要因素,介绍了促进作用及其在湿地生态系统中的形成机理,详细综述了植物间关系转变的主要理论以及影响湿地植物间关系转变的主要环境因子(水位、温度、盐度、生物因子)。随着环境胁迫强度的增加,植物间关系一般会从竞争转变为促进作用,即优越条件下以竞争为主,胁迫条件下以促进作用为主。针对当前湿地植物间关系的研究多集中于滨海盐生湿地,类型较单一的情况,认为将来需加强对淡水湿地、河口湿地等各类系统的研究。同时,加强湿地植物间关系转变的生物学机制、时间效应,对新研究方法的探索等方面的研究也有助于进一步理解湿地植物间竞争和促进作用的发生及转变机理。     

捕食系统时空动态对非对称的Allee效应的响应

虽然具有Allee效应的捕食系统动态已得到了广泛的研究,但很少有研究关注同一系统中不同种群受Allee效应影响情况.本文将考虑捕食、食饵种群分别受.Allee效应的影响,利用常微分方程与元胞自动机建立空间隐含(非空间)与显含的捕食模型,并讨论了Allee效应对捕食、食饵种群相互作用的非对称影响.空间隐含模型的模拟结果显示,捕食系统的稳定性与哪一个种群受Allee效应影响有关.当食饵种群受到中等强度Allee效应影响时,系统从稳定变为振荡状态.然而,捕食种群受Allee效应影响可使系统振动减弱并迅速达到稳定.空间显含模型的模拟结果表明,在概率转化模式下Allee效应可促使空间异质化,而捕食种群受Allee效应影响时空间异质化比食饵种群受影响时更强.此外,考虑统计随机性后发现两种群分别受Allee效应影响时种群呈现出两种分布模式:聚集型和界限型.特别当食饵受Allee效应,加之空间结构及统计随机性的作用,捕食系统出现一种矛盾的现象.     

互花米草防治和麋鹿保护的系统耦合作用——基于自然的解决方案

互花米草(Spartina alterniflora)是典型的外来入侵物种,因其繁殖力和适应力强难以防治,直接威胁我国滨海滩涂湿地生物多样性,改变了该生态系统的结构和功能;麋鹿(Elaphurus davidianus)是我国I级保护动物,是野生动物迁地保护和回归自然的典范,但仍面临野生种群稳定性低、与保护区环境承载力矛盾尖锐的问题。麋鹿喜食互花米草,其牧食行为可有效调控互花米草的时空分布格局,提升滨海滩涂湿地生态系统功能和稳定性,并为其自身野化回归提供良好的环境。目前针对互花米草防治和麋鹿保护的研究较多,但少有二者耦合作用的探讨。尝试借助草地农业系统理论阐释互花米草防治和麋鹿保护(互花米草&麋鹿)耦合发展的范式和潜在机制,即寻求基于自然的克服系统相悖的解决方案。以期打破珍稀物种保护和入侵物种防控各自为战的范式,探索二者耦合发展思路和陆海农业实践。同时,探讨了利用无人机等技术搭建滨海滩涂湿地互花米草&麋鹿耦合系统的空-天-地一体化监测、分析和管理体系。     

上海九段沙互花米草种群动态遥感研究

该研究应用遥感技术(RS),结合地理信息系统(GIS)、全球定位系统(GPS)和野外实地调查,对长江口新生沙洲九段沙互花米草(Spartina alterniflora)引种7年来的种群扩散过程进行了调查分析。通过不同时相遥感卫星影像的解译,结合现场调查,分析了外来种互花米草种群自1997年引种后7年期间的种群扩散动态过程。至2004年,互花米草群落已从种植的100 hm²扩展到1 014 hm²。互花米草种群扩散过程可分为3个阶段:1997年的成活定居期;1998至2000年的滞缓期;2000年以后的快速扩散期。互花米草种群的增长速度远高于土著种芦苇(Phragmites australis),显示了互花米草极强的扩散能力、竞争优势和更广的生态幅。研究结果表明,3S技术可应用于植被分类、群落动态和生物入侵动态监测。3S技术具有宏观、快速、动态和综合的优势,可为外来植物的定量调查、分布格局和扩散动态研究提供有效的手段,为滩涂资源生物多样性保护和可持续开发利用提供科学依据。     

Allee effects within small populations of Aconitum napellus ssp. lusitanicum, a protected subspecies in northern France

Plants growing at low density can suffer from Allee effects as a result of pollen limitation. Previous studies of Allee effects have focused on the effects of variation among populations in size or density on reproduction. Here, the effects of plant distribution within populations on fitness components are explored in a rare plant, Aconitum napellus ssp. lusitanicum, and ecological and genetic mechanisms underlying these effects are identified. To detect pollen limitation, seed production was compared under natural versus hand-supplemented pollinations on inflorescences of different sizes in natural patches differing both in flower density and in isolation from other patches. Germination rate and juvenile survival of seeds produced in low- and high-density patches were also compared. Pollen-supplemented flowers always produced more seeds than open-pollinated flowers, especially among small plants and plants growing at low density. Offspring produced in low-density patches exhibited lower fitness that those produced in high-density patches. This could have been caused by post-fertilization mechanisms, including inbreeding depression or differential maternal resource allocation. These results show that Allee effects on fitness components (ecological and genetic Allee effects) occur within A. napellus populations at different spatial scales. The spatial distribution of plants seems to be a crucial factor affecting reproductive output and fitness.     

To self, or not to self... a review of outcrossing and pollen-mediated gene flow in neotropical trees

Despite the typically low population densities and animal-mediated pollination of tropical forest trees, outcrossing and long-distance pollen dispersal are the norm. We reviewed the genetic literature on mating systems and pollen dispersal for neotropical trees to identify the ecological and phylogenetic correlates. The 36 studies surveyed found >90% outcrossed mating for 45 hermaphroditic or monoecious species. Self-fertilization rates varied inversely with population density and showed phylogenetic and geographic trends. The few direct measures of pollen flow (N=11 studies) suggest that pollen dispersal is widespread among low-density tropical trees, ranging from a mean of 200 m to over 19 km for species pollinated by small insects or bats. Future research needs to examine (1) the effect of inbreeding depression on observed outcrossing rates, (2) pollen dispersal in a wide range of pollination syndromes and ecological classes, (3) and the range of variation of mating system expression at different hierarchical levels, including individual, seasonal, population, ecological, landscape and range wide.     

Testing for ecological and genetic Allee effects in the invasive shrub Senna didymobotrya (Fabaceae)

For an introduced plant species to become invasive, it must be able to reproduce even in initially small populations. We tested for Allee effects (reduced reproductive performance of individuals in small populations) in the nonclonal, buzz-pollinated shrub Senna didymobotrya in its invasive range in South Africa. The species is self-compatible, but we found that in its invasive range in South Africa it requires pollinators to set seed. Nearly all stigmas (90%) received pollen, but natural fruit set was very low (3-20%). Pollen receipt and fruit set were not significantly correlated with population size. We thus found no evidence for an ecological Allee effect arising from pollen limitation in small populations. Offspring seedling performance, measured in terms of stem volume and leaf area, was also not significantly correlated with the number of plants in the source population, indicating that genetic Allee effects, such as inbreeding depression, are either absent or of such a small magnitude that they would be unlikely to limit further spread of S. didymobotrya in South Africa.     

Allee effects, aggregation, and invasion success

Understanding the factors that influence successful colonization can help inform ecological theory and aid in the management of invasive species. When founder populations are small, individual fitness may be negatively impacted by component Allee effects through positive density dependence (e.g., mate limitation). Reproductive and survival mechanisms that suffer due to a shortage of conspecifics may scale up to be manifest in a decreased per-capita population growth rate (i.e., a demographic Allee effect). Mean-field population level models are limited in representing how component Allee effects scale up to demographic Allee effects when heterogeneous spatial structure influences conspecific availability. Thus, such models may not adequately characterize the probability of establishment. In order to better assess how individual level processes influence population establishment and spread, we developed a spatially explicit individual-based stochastic simulation of a small founder population. We found that increased aggregation can affect individual fitness and subsequently impact population growth; however, relatively slow dispersal—in addition to initial spatial structure—is required for establishment, ultimately creating a tradeoff between probability of initial establishment and rate of subsequent spread. Since this result is sensitive to the scaling up of component Allee effects, details of individual dispersal and interaction kernels are key factors influencing population level processes. Overall, we demonstrate the importance of considering both spatial structure and individual level traits in assessing the consequences of Allee effects in biological invasions.     

Evidence of spatial genetic structure in a California bunchgrass population

We investigated the scale of genetic variation of purple needlegrass (Nassella pulchra), a species commonly used in California for grassland restoration. Common garden and field data revealed evidence of genetic differentiation between two intermixed microhabitats characterized by differences in soil depth and community composition. We assessed the genetic variation within a single population using randomly amplified polymorphic DNA (RAPD) data collected from clusters of five individuals in 40 locations. We found no evidence for genetic structure at the whole population level. At smaller spatial scales, however, we found strong evidence that genetic subdivision of the population occurs at the level of the maternal neighborhood. We suggest that the interaction between widespread pollen dispersal and restricted seed dispersal may be the primary factor generating these results; panmictic pollen dispersal will make detection of genetic patterning difficult at larger spatial scales while limited seed dispersal will generate local genetic structure. As a result, the detection of population genetic structure will depend on the spatial scale of analysis. Local selection gradients related to topography and soil depth are also likely to play a role in structuring local genetic variation. Since N. pulchra is widely used in California in grassland and woodland habitat restoration, we suggest that, as a general rule, care should be exercised in transferring germplasm for the purposes of conservation when little is known about the within-population genetic subdivision of a plant species. Received: 23 December 1996 / Accepted: 20 May 1997     

Population spread in patchy landscapes under a strong Allee effect

Many species of invasive insects establish and spread in regions around the world, causing enormous economical and environmental damage, in particular in forests. Some of these insects are subject to an Allee effect whereby the population must surpass a certain threshold in order to establish. Recent studies have examined the possibility of exploiting an Allee effect to improve existing control strategies. Forests and most other ecosystems show natural spatial variation, and human activities frequently increase the degree of spatial heterogeneity. It is therefore imperative to understand how the interplay between this spatial variation and individual movement behavior affects the overall speed of spread of an invasion. To this end, we study an integrodifference equation model in a patchy landscape and with Allee growth dynamics. Movement behavior of individuals varies according to landscape quality. Our study focuses on how the speed of the resulting traveling periodic wave depends on the interaction between landscape fragmentation, patch-dependent dispersal, and Allee population dynamics.     

Population Genetic Consequences of the Allee Effect and the Role of Offspring-Number Variation

A strong demographic Allee effect in which the expected population growth rate is negative below a certain critical population size can cause high extinction probabilities in small introduced populations. But many species are repeatedly introduced to the same location and eventually one population may overcome the Allee effect by chance. With the help of stochastic models, we investigate how much genetic diversity such successful populations harbor on average and how this depends on offspring-number variation, an important source of stochastic variability in population size. We find that with increasing variability, the Allee effect increasingly promotes genetic diversity in successful populations. Successful Allee-effect populations with highly variable population dynamics escape rapidly from the region of small population sizes and do not linger around the critical population size. Therefore, they are exposed to relatively little genetic drift. It is also conceivable, however, that an Allee effect itself leads to an increase in offspring-number variation. In this case, successful populations with an Allee effect can exhibit less genetic diversity despite growing faster at small population sizes. Unlike in many classical population genetics models, the role of offspring-number variation for the population genetic consequences of the Allee effect cannot be accounted for by an effective-population-size correction. Thus, our results highlight the importance of detailed biological knowledge, in this case on the probability distribution of family sizes, when predicting the evolutionary potential of newly founded populations or when using genetic data to reconstruct their demographic history.     

Density dependent dispersal decisions and the Allee effect

The decision to move between patches in the environment is among the most important life history choices an organism can make. I derive a new density dependent dispersal rule, and examine how dispersal decisions based on avoiding fitness loss associated with an Allee effect or competitive effects impact upon population dynamics in spatially structured populations with qualitatively different dynamics. I also investigate the effects of the number of patches in the system and a limit to the patch sampling time available to dispersers. Dispersing to avoid competitive pressures can destabilise otherwise stable population dynamics, and stabilise chaotic dynamics. Dispersing to avoid an Allee effect does not qualitatively change local population dynamics until eventually driving unstable populations to global extinction with a sufficiently high fitness threshold. A time limit for sampling can stabilise dynamics if dispersal is based on escaping the Allee effect, and rescue populations from global extinction. The results are sensitive to the number of patches available in the environment and suggest that dispersal to avoid an Allee effect will only arise under biologically plausible conditions, i.e. where there is a limit to the number of dispersal attempts that can be made between generations.     

外来种互花米草入侵模式与爆发机制

互花米草（Spartina alterniflora Loisel）因其促淤造陆和消浪护堤作用显著而被许多国家引种,如今却在侵入地快速蔓延并呈现爆发趋势,对生态系统造成了极大危害,被认为是研究生物入侵生态学和遗传学的模式植物。从种群的入侵力、生态系统可入侵性和入侵通道3个方面探讨互花米草的爆发机制,研究结果表明高遗传分化和基因渗入能力是互花米草爆发的遗传基础,对逆境的高抗性和强竞争力是其快速扩张的保障,而高繁殖系数是互花米草爆发的源泉。我国互花米草种群的早期扩散人为影响超过了自然过程,快速扩张呈现出点源扩散和多点爆发的特点,从而为其种群控制带来困难,同时种子的跳跃式和连续式扩散在互花米草种群维持、更新和爆发中有重要作用,强有力的克隆生长能力也为互花米草种群的连续扩张提供了保障。现阶段要完全控制和根除互花米草是不实际的,但在及时预测预警的基础上,应用成本一效益分析方法,采取有序控制和综合开发利用的策略,仍可望妥善解决互花米草入侵所带来的负面效应。