土壤细菌群落特征对高寒草甸退化的响应

为明确高寒草甸土壤细菌物种组成及功能结构对草地环境恶化的响应规律, 本文采用高通量基因测序技术对高寒草甸未退化、轻度退化、中度退化、重度退化和极重度退化草地土壤细菌的组成、格局和功能进行了研究。结果表明: 高寒草甸土壤优势细菌为酸杆菌门、放线菌门、浮霉菌门、变形菌门和疣微菌门, 在土壤细菌中占比分别为16%‒18%、9%‒12%、12%‒14%、23%‒29%和11%‒12%。退化草地中土壤细菌物种组成明显改变, 变形菌门细菌丰度降低, 酸杆菌门和浮霉菌门丰度增加, 不同草地科水平细菌丰度差异因土层而异。草地退化对细菌Chao1指数无影响, 轻度退化提高了细菌Simpson指数, 重度退化草地土壤细菌Shannon-Wiener指数最高。Faprotax细菌功能分组以化能异养、硝化作用、亚硝酸盐氧化及硫代谢作用为主, 草地退化改变了微生物介导的碳循环、氮循环、硫循环、铁循环和锰循环。重度及极重度退化提高了细菌氨氧化功能作用, 降低了硫化物、亚硝酸盐氧化及尿素水解作用; 草地退化过程中细菌化能异养、芳香族化合物降解及反硝化作用功能等均呈先降低后升高的变化趋势, 中度退化阶段是微生物群落生态功能结构转变的拐点。高寒草甸退化改变了土壤细菌的群落及功能结构, 土壤含水量、pH、总有机碳、全氮、全钾和有效氮磷比是土壤细菌群落及功能结构变化的主要驱动因子。     

Seed bank diversity in mesic grasslands in relation to vegetation type,management and site conditions

Questions: 1. Do different management types (i.e. hay meadow, silage meadow, meadow‐pasture, pasture) have different impact on the size and composition of the seed bank of mesic grassland (Arrhenatheretalia)? 2. How strong is the effect of management on the seed bank in relation to above‐ground vegetation, edaphic factors and land‐use history? 3. Are there differences in C‐S‐R plant strategy types and seed longevity under different management regimes? Location: Lahn‐Dill Highlands in central‐western Germany. Methods: Above‐ground vegetation and the soil seed bank of 63 plots (at 21 sites) in mesic grasslands were studied. Differences between management types in quantitative seed bank traits and functional characteristics were tested by ANOVA. The impact of management, above‐ground vegetation, site conditions and land‐use history on seed bank composition were analysed by partial CCA. Results: Management had no significant impact on species richness and density of the seed bank but significantly influenced their floristic composition and functional characteristics. CCA revealed that even after adjustment for soil chemical parameters and above‐ground vegetation management still had significant impact on seed bank composition. ANOVA revealed that silage meadows contained higher proportions of R‐strategy compared to hay meadows. In contrast, in hay meadows and meadow‐pastures proportions of S‐strategy were higher than in silage meadows. Conclusions: The type of grassland management has little impact on quantitative seed bank traits. Management types with a high degree of disturbance lead to an increase of species following a ruderal strategy in the seed bank. Irrespective of management type only a limited proportion of characteristic grassland species is likely to re‐establish from the seed bank after disappearance from above‐ground vegetation.     

Livestock exclusion reduces the spillover effects of pastoral agriculture on soil bacterial communities in adjacent forest fragments

Forest-to-pasture conversion is known to cause global losses in plant and animal diversity, yet impacts of livestock management after such conversion on vital microbial communities in adjoining natural ecosystems remain poorly understood. We examined how pastoral land management practices impact soil microorganisms in adjacent native forest fragments, by comparing bacterial communities sampled along 21 transects bisecting pasture–forest boundaries. Our results revealed greater bacterial taxon richness in grazed pasture soils and the reduced dispersal of pasture-associated taxa into adjacent forest soils when land uses were separated by a boundary fence. Relative abundance distributions of forest-associated taxa (i.e., Proteobacteria and Nitrospirae) and a pasture-associated taxon (i.e., Firmicutes) also suggest a greater impact of pastoral land uses on forest fragment soil bacterial communities when no fence is present. Bacterial community richness and composition were most related to changes in soil physicochemical variables commonly associated with agricultural fertilization, including concentrations of Olsen P, total P, total Cd, delta ¹⁵N and the ratio of C:P and N:P. Overall, our findings demonstrate clear, and potentially detrimental effects of agricultural disturbance on bacterial communities in forest soils adjacent to pastoral land. We provide evidence that simple land management decisions, such as livestock exclusion, can mitigate the effects of agriculture on adjacent soil microbial communities.     

不同恢复方式对退化高寒草甸土壤nifH和chiA微生物群落结构的影响

生物固氮和有机氮降解是土壤有效氮的主要来源,固氮和有机氮降解微生物对土壤氮素供应和地力维持具有重要作用。本研究以青藏高原4种不同利用方式的高寒草甸(未扰动、放牧、围封和围封+补播草甸)为对象,结合荧光实时定量和扩增子测序技术,研究了不同恢复方式对nifH固氮菌和chiA几丁质降解菌基因丰度及其微生物群落结构的影响。结果表明: 4种草甸的nifH和chiA基因丰度大小排序为: 未扰动草甸＞放牧草甸＞围封草甸＞围封+补播草甸,其中未扰动草甸的nifH和chiA基因丰度分别是其他3种草甸的3.4～6.3倍和3.3～8.3倍;固氮菌α多样性在放牧、围封和围封+补播草甸中显著高于未扰动草甸,而几丁质降解菌的α多样性在未扰动和放牧草甸中最高;放牧显著提高了变形菌的丰度而降低了蓝细菌和放线菌丰度;土壤含水量、养分和植被特征对nifH和chiA的基因丰度和群落结构均有显著影响。与未扰动草甸相比,放牧降低了高寒草甸的固氮和有机氮降解潜力,而10年的围封禁牧和补播植草措施对固氮和有机氮降解功能的改善作用不明显。草甸恢复时应综合考虑功能微生物特征及其影响因素,放牧草甸恢复至未扰动水平可能需要更长的封育时间或者采用更加合理的管护措施。     

围封对退化高寒草甸土壤微生物群落多样性及土壤化学计量特征的影响

围封对植被处于近自然恢复状态的退化草地有一定的修复作用,开展轻度退化草地围封过程中生物与非生物因素的协同互作研究是完整地认识草地生态系统结构和功能的基础.本试验对围栏封育10年的轻度退化草地的土壤化学计量特征进行了研究,同时采用高通量基因测序技术并结合Biolog-Eco方法,调查了土壤微生物多样性和功能的变化.结果表明:轻度退化草地实施围封后,土壤铵态氮含量显著升高,全钾含量显著降低,土壤有机碳、全氮、全磷、硝态氮、速效磷和速效钾则无明显变化.高寒草甸土壤微生物碳和氮在轻度退化和围栏封育草地间差异不显著;围栏封育后草地土壤微生物碳氮比显著高于轻度退化草地.随培养时间的延长,高寒草甸不同土层土壤微生物碳代谢强度均显著升高,土壤微生物碳代谢指数在轻度退化和围栏封育草地间差异不显著.高寒草甸土壤细菌OTUs显著高于真菌,轻度退化与围栏封育草地土壤微生物相似度为27.0%～32.7%.围封后,土壤真菌子囊菌门、接合菌门和球壶菌门相对丰富度显著升高,担子菌门显著降低,土壤细菌酸杆菌门显著低于轻度退化草地.土壤真菌和细菌群落组成在不同土层间差异较大,在轻度退化和围栏封育草地间仅有表层土壤真菌群落组成表现出较大差异.土壤细菌多样性受土壤全氮和速效钾影响较大,真菌多样性受地上生物量影响较大.土壤微生物对碳源利用能力主要受土壤速效钾影响.综上,长期围封禁牧对轻度退化草地土壤养分和土壤微生物无明显影响,且会造成牧草资源浪费,适度放牧可以保持草地资源的可持续利用.     

Diversity and community structure of ectomycorrhizal fungi in a wooded meadow

Wooded meadows are seminatural plant communities that support high diversity of various taxa. Due to changes in land use, wooded meadows have severely declined during the last century. The dominant trees in wooded meadows acquire mineral nutrients via ectomycorrhizal fungi. Using anatomotyping and sequencing of root tips, interpolation and extrapolation methods, we studied the diversity and community structure of ectomycorrhizal fungi in two soil horizons of both managed and forested parts of a wooded meadow in Estonia. Species of Thelephoraceae, Sebacinaceae and the genus Inocybe dominated the whole ectomycorrhizal fungal community of 172 observed species. Forested and managed parts of the wooded meadow harboured different communities of ectomycorrhizal fungi, whereas soil horizon had a negligible effect on the fungal community composition. Diverse soil conditions and host trees likely support the high richness of ectomycorrhizal fungi in the wooded meadow ecosystem. Direct sequencing integrated with interpolation and extrapolation methods are promising to identify the fungi at the species level and to compare species richness between communities of ectomycorrhizal fungi.     

Soil Bacterial Community Response to Differences in Agricultural Management along with Seasonal Changes in a Mediterranean Region

Land-use change is considered likely to be one of main drivers of biodiversity changes in grassland ecosystems. To gain insight into the impact of land use on the underlying soil bacterial communities, we aimed at determining the effects of agricultural management, along with seasonal variations, on soil bacterial community in a Mediterranean ecosystem where different land-use and plant cover types led to the creation of a soil and vegetation gradient. A set of soils subjected to different anthropogenic impact in a typical Mediterranean landscape, dominated by Quercus suber L., was examined in spring and autumn: a natural cork-oak forest, a pasture, a managed meadow, and two vineyards (ploughed and grass covered). Land uses affected the chemical and structural composition of the most stabilised fractions of soil organic matter and reduced soil C stocks and labile organic matter at both sampling season. A significant effect of land uses on bacterial community structure as well as an interaction effect between land uses and season was revealed by the EP index. Cluster analysis of culture-dependent DGGE patterns showed a different seasonal distribution of soil bacterial populations with subgroups associated to different land uses, in agreement with culture-independent T-RFLP results. Soils subjected to low human inputs (cork-oak forest and pasture) showed a more stable bacterial community than those with high human input (vineyards and managed meadow). Phylogenetic analysis revealed the predominance of Proteobacteria, Actinobacteria, Bacteroidetes, and Firmicutes phyla with differences in class composition across the site, suggesting that the microbial composition changes in response to land uses. Taken altogether, our data suggest that soil bacterial communities were seasonally distinct and exhibited compositional shifts that tracked with changes in land use and soil management. These findings may contribute to future searches for bacterial bio-indicators of soil health and sustainable productivity.     

Microbial Biomass and Community Structure in a Sequence of Soils with Increasing Fertility and Changing Land Use

Abstract The microbial biomass and community structure of eight Chinese red soils with different fertility and land use history was investigated. Two community based microbiological measurements, namely, community level physiological profiling (CLPP) using Biolog sole C source utilization tests and phospholipid fatty acid (PLFA) profiles, were used to investigate the microbial ecology of these soils and to determine how land use alters microbial community structure. Microbial biomass-C and total PLFAs were closely correlated to organic carbon and total nitrogen, indicating that these soil microbial measures are potentially good indices of soil fertility in these highly weathered soils. Metabolic quotients and C source utilization were not correlated with organic carbon or microbial biomass. Multivariate analysis of sole carbon source utilization patterns and PLFAs demonstrated that land use history and plant cover type had a significant impact on microbial community structure. PLFAs showed these differences more than CLPP methods. Consequently, PLFA analysis was a better method for assessing broad-spectrum community differences and at the same time attempting to correlate changes with soil fertility. Soils from tea orchards were particularly distinctive in their CLPP. A modified CLPP method, using absorbance readings at 405 nm and different culture media at pH values of 4.7 and 7.0, showed that the discrimination obtained can be influenced by the culture conditions. This method was used to show that the distinctive microbial community structure in tea orchard soils was not, however, due to differences in pH alone. Received: 1 December 1999; Accepted: 6 June 2000; Online Publication: 28 August 2000     

Plant community and soil available nutrients drive arbuscular mycorrhizal fungal community shifts during alpine meadow degradation

Arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) play an important role in maintaining the function and sustainability of grassland ecosystem, but they are also susceptible to environmental changes. In recent decades, alpine meadows on the Tibetan Plateau have experienced severe degradation due to the impact of human activities and climate change. But it remains unclear how degradation affects the AMF community, a group of functionally important root associated microorganisms, which potentially limit the development and application of microbial technologies in the restoration of degraded grasslands. In this study, we investigated AMF communities richness and composition in non-degraded (ND), moderately degraded (MD) and severely degraded (SD) alpine meadows on the Tibetan Plateau, and then explored their main biotic and abiotic determinants. Alpine meadow degradation significantly reduced plant community biomass, richness, soil organic carbon, total nitrogen, total phosphorus, available nitrogen and available phosphorus, but increased soil pH. AMF community composition and the iesdominant family and genera differed significantly among different degradation stages. Grassland degradation shifted the AMF community composition in favor of Claroideoglomus over Rhizophagus, and resulted in a marked loss of Glomeraceae and the dominance of Diversisporaceae. Alpine meadow degradation significantly increased AMF hyphal density and richness, likely working as a plant strategy to relieve nutrient deficiencies or loss as a result of degradation. The structural equation model showed that AMF community richness and composition were significantly influenced by plant community, followed by soil available nutrients. Soil available nutrients was the key contributor to the increased AMF hyphal density and richness during grassland degradation. Our findings identify the effects of alpine meadow degradation on AMF richness and highlight the importance of the plant community in shaping the AMF community during alpine meadow degradation. These results suggest that plant community restoration should be the primary goal for the ecological restoration of degraded alpine meadows, and these soil functional microorganisms should be simultaneously integrated into ecological restoration strategies and management.     

Soil Functional Diversity Analysis of a Bauxite-Mined Restoration Chronosequence

Soil microorganisms are sensitive to environmental perturbations such that changes in microbial community structure and function can provide early signs of anthropogenic disturbances and even predict restoration success. We evaluated the bacterial functional diversity of un-mined and three chronosequence sites at various stages of rehabilitation (0, 10, and 20 years old) located in the Mocho Mountains of Jamaica. Samples were collected during the dry and wet seasons and analyzed for metal concentrations, microbial biomass carbon, bacterial numbers, and functional responses of soil microbiota using community-level physiological profile (CLPP) assays. Regardless of the season, un-mined soils consisted of higher microbial biomass and numbers than any of the rehabilitated sites. Additionally, the number and rate of substrates utilized and substrate evenness (the distribution of color development between the substrates) were significantly greater in the un-mined soils with carbohydrates being preferentially utilized than amino acids, polymers, carboxylic acids, and esters. To some extent, functional responses varied with the seasons but the least physiological activity was shown by the site rehabilitated in 1987 indicating long-term perturbation to this ecosystem. Small subunit ribosomal DNA (SSUrDNA)-denaturing gradient-gel electrophoresis analyses on the microbiota collected from the most preferred CLPP substrates followed by taxonomic analyses showed Proteobacteria, specifically the gamma-proteobacteria, as the most functionally active phyla, indicating a propensity of this phyla to out-compete other groups under the prevailing conditions. Additionally, multivariate statistical analyses, Shannon's diversity, and evenness indices, principal component analysis, biplot and un-weighted-pair-group method with arithmetic averages dendrograms further confirmed that un-mined sites were distinctly different from the rehabilitated soils.     

青藏高原区退化高寒草甸植被和土壤特征

高寒草甸约占青藏高原草地的46.7%,是我国草地生态系统重要的组成部分。近年来,在气候变化和人为活动的影响下,高寒草甸生态系统退化严重,植被和土壤均呈现出不同的退化趋势。在大空间尺度上表现为草地覆盖度下降,杂草类植被增加,土壤退化甚至沙化;在微观尺度上,退化高寒草甸的土壤粒径、土壤微生物和土壤酶也发生改变。本研究从高寒草甸物种多样性、植物群落结构、植被生物量、土壤物理性质、土壤微生物、土壤酶和土壤养分等方面,分析了高寒草甸生态系统退化过程中植被和土壤的变化特征,提出当前研究中存在的一些不确定性和有待深入研究的问题,为全面了解高寒草甸的退化机制和规律、有效干预高寒草甸生态系统和恢复生态功能提供科学依据。     

基于分子生态学网络探究亚高山草甸退化对土壤微生物群落的影响

土壤微生物群落在草地生态系统功能中发挥着至关重要的作用,但目前尚不清楚微生物群落的分子生态网络如何响应亚高山草甸退化。以五台山4个不同退化阶段(未退化、轻度退化、中度退化和重度退化)亚高山草甸为研究对象,利用高通量测序和随机矩阵网络构建理论构建土壤微生物群落分子生态网络。探讨草地退化对亚高山草甸土壤微生物群落结构及网络的影响,不同退化程度下微生物网络结构中的关键微生物变化规律以及该过程中微生物之间的互作关系。研究结果表明,不同退化程度亚高山草甸土壤微生物(细菌、真菌和细菌-真菌)网络拓扑属性存在差异。总体上,退化增加了土壤细菌内部、真菌内部以及细菌-真菌群落间的相互作用,导致其网络结构更为复杂。未退化草甸土壤微生物网络具有较长的平均路径距离和较高的模块性,使其比退化草甸更能抵抗外界环境的变化,在应对人为干扰或者气候变化时可能具有更高的稳定性。退化草甸中的网络关键物种(模块枢纽和连接器)与未退化草甸明显不同。土壤含水量和pH与亚高山草甸土壤细菌、真菌以及整个微生物网络连通度均显著相关(P<0.05),总氮和硝氨态氮含量与土壤真菌和微生物网络连通度呈显著相关(P<0.05)。亚...     

Comparison of Soil Bacterial Communities Under Diverse Agricultural Land Management and Crop Production Practices

The composition and structure of bacterial communities were examined in soil subjected to a range of diverse agricultural land management and crop production practices. Length heterogeneity polymerase chain reaction (LH-PCR) of bacterial DNA extracted from soil was used to generate amplicon profiles that were analyzed with univariate and multivariate statistical methods. Five land management programs were initiated in July 2000: conventional, organic, continuous removal of vegetation (disk fallow), undisturbed (weed fallow), and bahiagrass pasture (Paspalum notatum var Argentine). Similar levels in the diversity of bacterial 16S rDNA amplicons were detected in soil samples collected from organically and conventionally managed plots 3 and 4 years after initiation of land management programs, whereas significantly lower levels of diversity were observed in samples collected from bahiagrass pasture. Differences in diversity were attributed to effects on how the relative abundance of individual amplicons were distributed (evenness) and not on the total numbers of bacterial 16S rDNA amplicons detected (richness). Similar levels of diversity were detected among all land management programs in soil samples collected after successive years of tomato (Lycopersicon esculentum) cultivation. A different trend was observed after a multivariate examination of the similarities in genetic composition among soil bacterial communities. After 3 years of land management, similarities in genetic composition of soil bacterial communities were observed in plots where disturbance was minimized (bahiagrass and weed fallow). The genetic compositions in plots managed organically were similar to each other and distinct from bacterial communities in other land management programs. After successive years of tomato cultivation and damage from two major hurricanes, only the composition of soil bacterial communities within organically managed plots continued to maintain a high degree of similarity to each other and remain distinct from other bacterial communities. This study reveals the effects of agricultural land management practices on soil bacterial community composition and diversity in a large-scale, long-term replicated study where the effect of soil type on community attributes was removed.     

Mediating Water Temperature Increases Due to Livestock and Global Change in High Elevation Meadow Streams of the Golden Trout Wilderness

Rising temperatures due to climate change are pushing the thermal limits of many species, but how climate warming interacts with other anthropogenic disturbances such as land use remains poorly understood. To understand the interactive effects of climate warming and livestock grazing on water temperature in three high elevation meadow streams in the Golden Trout Wilderness, California, we measured riparian vegetation and monitored water temperature in three meadow streams between 2008 and 2013, including two “resting” meadows and one meadow that is partially grazed. All three meadows have been subject to grazing by cattle and sheep since the 1800s and their streams are home to the imperiled California golden trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss aguabonita). In 1991, a livestock exclosure was constructed in one of the meadows (Mulkey), leaving a portion of stream ungrazed to minimize the negative effects of cattle. In 2001, cattle were removed completely from two other meadows (Big Whitney and Ramshaw), which have been in a “resting” state since that time. Inside the livestock exclosure in Mulkey, we found that riverbank vegetation was both larger and denser than outside the exclosure where cattle were present, resulting in more shaded waters and cooler maximal temperatures inside the exclosure. In addition, between meadows comparisons showed that water temperatures were cooler in the ungrazed meadows compared to the grazed area in the partially grazed meadow. Finally, we found that predicted temperatures under different global warming scenarios were likely to be higher in presence of livestock grazing. Our results highlight that land use can interact with climate change to worsen the local thermal conditions for taxa on the edge and that protecting riparian vegetation is likely to increase the resiliency of these ecosystems to climate change.     

Land-use,environment, and their impact on butterfly populations in a mountainous pastoral landscape: species richness and family-level abundance

Extensive grasslands are considered to be of high biodiversity value, but are under threat from intensification and abandonment. We studied butterfly species richness and abundance in 47 hay and grazing meadows in the Picos de Europa, northern Spain in 2004. Nine transects were walked around the perimeter of the meadows from the 1 June to 28 July with butterflies recorded to species or species-group. Land-use, abiotic, and sward variables were also recorded. Change in meadow extent was estimated by comparing a digital map of open meadows with a cadastral map with 1950s provenance. We found: A decrease in open area, mostly attributable to reduction in grazing meadows. 75 or more butterfly species with species richness principally, and positively, influenced by altitude and presence of scrub in the body of the meadow. Hay meadow management was a positive influence on richness of satyrids. When all butterflies were considered together, the only significant factor influencing abundance was Plantago lanceolata (−ve). For sub-groups of the butterfly community there was no consistent pattern, although P. lanceolata was identified as a (−ve) factor in relation to hesperiid, nymphalid, satyrid, and Viola-feeding fritillary groups. Several regression models included components that could be linked to abiotic influences (water, aspect, altitude) but many were indicative of abandonment or relaxation of management intensity (scrub, Pteridium aquilinum, Asphodelus albus), sward components, fragmentation (distance to nearest meadow, number of meadows within 100 m), and land use (hay management, summer grazing). The results are discussed in relation to changing socio-economics, including the potential impact of tourism, and the need for financial instruments to support extensive farming.     

Soil bacterial communities shaped by geochemical factors and land use in a less-explored area,Tibetan Plateau

Background

As the largest low-latitude permafrost region, the Tibetan Plateau (TP) is an important part of the earth’s terrestrial ecosystem and one of the most vulnerable areas to climate change and human activities. However, to the best of our knowledge, the bacterial communities in TP soils and their roles in biogeochemical cycles remain limited.

Results

In this study, we report the bacterial community structure and function as well as their correlation with environmental factors in TP major ecosystems (farmland, alpine meadow and oligosaline lake) by using metagenomic approaches. Compared with other soil samples in various environments, TP soils share a core set of microorganisms with a distinct abundance and composition. Among TP soil samples, the taxonomic and functional composition of bacterial communities among the upper (3-5 cm) and lower (18-20 cm) soils of farmland sites were highly similar, whereas the dissimilarities within alpine meadow samples were significantly greater than among farmland samples. A similar pattern was observed in elements cycles and pathways associated with adaption to environment and land use types. Canonical correlation analysis revealed that the bacterial communities in most of farmland and alpine meadow soil samples were also significantly correlated with geogenic variables. Specifically, the root-nodule bacteria are negatively correlated with the soil moisture and pH, while Thiobacillus associated with sulfur cycles show potential responses to low temperature and intense UV radiation.

Conclusions

These findings indicate that the bacterial community structure and functions in TP soils were influenced by both human activities and soil environmental properties, and that the bacterial communities appeared to be more homogenized in the farmland soils compared with pristine alpine meadows.

Electronic supplementary material

The online version of this article (doi:10.1186/1471-2164-14-820) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.     

高寒草毡层基本属性与固碳能力沿水分和海拔梯度的变化

高寒草毡层是高原寒区自然植被下形成的松软而坚韧且耐搬运的表土层,认识其生态功能是促进草牧业生产休养保护和工程施工主动利用的前提。通过对青藏高原东部若尔盖高原植被的广泛调查,在布设沼泽、退化沼泽、沼泽化草甸、湿草甸、干草甸和退化草甸水分梯度群落样地,以及亚高山草甸、亚高山灌丛草甸、高山灌丛草甸和高山草甸海拔梯度群落样地的基础上,通过对不同类型群落样地草毡层容重、土壤颗粒组成和土壤有机碳(SOC)含量的测定分析,比较了水分和海拔梯度下草毡层固碳能力。结果表明,草毡层厚度平均为30cm,沼泽湿地草毡层容重最小,SOC含量在300g/kg以上;退化草甸容重最高,SOC含量显著下降。不同群落草毡层SOC密度在10—24kg C/m~2之间,随着土壤水分有效性的降低而降低;高山灌丛草甸草毡层SOC密度比草甸高15%。研究得出,保持草毡层稳定的质量含水量阈值为30%,SOC含量阈值为30g/kg;高寒植被草毡层在沼泽到草甸的退化演替中,容重、紧实度变大,有机碳含量减少,碳密度和碳储量下降;灌丛草甸的固碳能力大于草甸,但灌丛草甸的生产功能降低;保持可持续发展的草地生产能力,维护固碳生态功能,需要防止草毡层退化,抑制草甸向灌丛草甸演替。     

Reduced community diversity in semi-natural meadows in southern Sweden, 1965–1990

Two data sets, one from the 1960s and one from 1990, from continuously managed semi-natural meadows (semi-natural grasslands used for hay-cutting) in Småland, southern Sweden, were analysed to describe the vegetation and in an attempt to characterise changes that have occurred in the vegetation. Based on a classification of the data set, nine plant communities were recognised. The main vegetational differences, as revealed by an ordination, were due to variation in soil moisture, which ranged from wet to dry.During the investigation period, the amount of hay meadow area decreased, particularly the area of wet-moist meadows. In addition, the total variation in the vegetation diminished, and three plant communities more or less disappeared. The turnover index of species in the data set was 36%, and most of the species that were lost had initially been uncommon. Lost species included rare taxa, such as Gentianella campestris and Linum catharticum, while the new species tended to be common in the region. Annual and biennial species accounted for a greater proportion of the lost taxa than did perennial species. The mean cover of species per plot and the relative abundance of graminoids per plot increased.The recorded changes in the vegetation may be related to the increased loads of nitrogen pollutants as well as to a decrease in management intensity. The diminished area is related to changes in land-use. The meadow sites in Småland have been part of a landscape rich in grasslands, but today they have a more or less relict status. They differ from grasslands found elsewhere in Sweden and Scandinavia. In Sweden, the majority (68%) of endangered vascular plants belong to the agricultural landscape. To ensure the survival of individual species it is important to preserve all types of meadows, not only a few selected ones, since no two meadows are alike.     

Vegetation cover of forest, shrub and pasture strongly influences soil bacterial community structure as revealed by 16S rRNA gene T-RFLP analysis

Bacterial community structure is influenced by vegetation, climate and soil chemical properties. To evaluate these influences, terminal restriction fragment length polymorphism (T-RFLP) and cloning of the 16S rRNA gene were used to analyze the soil bacterial communities in different ecosystems in southwestern China. We compared (1) broad-leaved forest, shrub and pastures in a high-plateau region, (2) three broad-leaved forests representing a climate gradient from high-plateau temperate to subtropical and tropical regions and (3) the humus and mineral soil layers of forests, shrub lands and pastures with open and restricted grazing activities, having varied soil carbon and nutrient contents. Principal component analysis of the T-RFLP patterns revealed that soil bacterial communities of the three vegetation types were distinct. The broad-leaved forests in different climates clustered together, and relatively minor differences were observed between the soil layers or the grazing regimes. Acidobacteria dominated the broad-leaved forests (comprising 62% of the total clone sequences), but exhibited lower relative abundances in the soils of shrub (31%) and pasture (23%). Betaproteobacteria was another dominant taxa of shrub land (31%), whereas Alpha- (19%) and Gammaproteobacteria (13%) and Bacteriodetes (16%) were major components of pasture. Vegetation exerted more pronounced influences than climate and soil chemical properties.     

Identifying wetland meadows in Grand Teton National Park using remote sensing and average wetland values

Six spectrally and ecologically distinct montane meadow community types were identified and mapped within Grand Teton National Park by analysis of Indian IRS-1B LISS-II imagery. A distinct to-xeric-hydric gradient among the meadow types was predicted by analysis of the satellite data. Thirty sites (five replicates for each of six meadow typ were selected for intensive field sampling. At each of the 30 sites, meadow vegetation was sampled in 20 m by 20 m square plots for canopy cover of all species. Using wetland indexes (on a scale of 1–5, where obligate wetland species = 1, facultative land = 2, facultative = 3, facultative upland = 4 and upland species = 5), average wetland values were calculated and ranged from 1.88 for A-type meadows and 2.86 for B meadows to 4.40, 4.49, 4.74, and 4.43 for C, D, E and F meadows, respectively. Because average wetland values of A and B meadows were < 3.00, they were determined to be indicative of wetlands. Eight out of ten obligate wetland plants had their greatest cover on A meadows (the wettest of the gradient) and had significant cover differe among meadow types using the non-parametric Kruskal-Wallis test. Average wetland values and plant species cover were used, in conjunction with remotely sensed data, to identify as wetlands 1,258 hectares of A meadows and 1,711 hectares of B meadows in Grand Teton National Park.