Phytoplankton periodicity and sequences of dominance in an Amazonian flood-plain lake (Lago Batata,Pará, Brasil): responses to gradual environmental change

The composition of the phytoplankton of Lago Batata,a flood-plain lake connected to Rio Trombetas,undergoes a conspicuous annual cycle which is relatedto the hydrology (depth of water, rate of fluvialflushing) and the hydrography (stability, frequency ofmixing of the water) of the lake. From a sparsenanoplankton at high-water and high flushing, the lakepasses to desmid-diatom dominance and finally tofilamentous cyanobacteria when the lake is barely 2 mdeep. As it refills, the lake again becomes desmid-dominated; then, when the turbidity is least and thestratification most stable, Botryococcus becomesa major component. Eventually flushing becomes toorapid for any but the relatively fastest-growingspecies. These changes are gradual and, at the scaleof algal generation times, cannot be explained assharp or sudden disturbances. Neither do they have theproperties of ecological successions but ratherrepresent compositional responses to a progressiveenvironmental modification analogous to the floristicphenomenon of gradual climate change.     

Seasonal succession of phytoplankton and its diversity in two highly eutrophic lakes with different conditions of stratification

Seasonal succession of phytoplankton biomass, its diversity and its photosynthetic activity in two highly eutrophic lakes have been compared. In order to test the intermediate disturbance hypothesis, the lakes have been chosen with almost the same level of trophy but different conditions of stratification, through two ice-free periods of open water with different weather conditions.High phytoplankton diversity throughout the period of investigation was characteristic for the shallower Lake Lobardzu. The number of species here was usually more than 30 and the Shannon diversity changed from 1.2 to 4.2. Owing to the frequent external disturbances, periods characterized by autogenic succession with establishing dominance and declining diversity alternated with periods of biomass reduction and rises of diversity and photosynthetic activity. In the warmer summer of 1983, with more intense warming of bottom layers and predominance of blue-greens, phytoplankton biomass was higher and diversity lower than in the cold summer of 1982.In stratified Lake Rudusku, phytoplankton diversity and number of species were usually much lower. During the long summer stratification up to three-four dominant species of blue-greens and dinoflagellates become established and competitive exclusion leading to low diversity advanced. Some changes in biomass and diversity, were caused by zooplankton activity.     

Phytoplankton and physical-chemical features of Tavropos Reservoir,Greece

Phytoplankton biomass values in Tavropos Reservoir, ranging from 92 to 1071 mg m^–3, are within a range characteristic of oligotrophic waters. The seasonal sequence of biomass shows three annual peaks, differing from the monoacmic pattern seen in oligotrophic lakes. This sequence was profoundly affected by changes in water withdrawal and inflow rates. Diatoms, cryptophytes, chrysophytes and dinoflagellates, in that order, were the major constituents of the reservoir phytoplankton. The succession, from diatoms and chrysophytes in late winter-spring, to centric diatoms in late spring-summer and again to diatom-chrysophytes in late autumn was similar to that in oligotrophic lakes.     

Seasonal pattern of ammonium (methylamine) uptake by phytoplankton in an oligotrophic lake

Our primary objective was to determine if a relationship existed between seasonal change in phytoplankton and high affinity for (K _m) or uptake rates (V _maX) of ammonium which might explain seasonal phytoplankton succession in oligotrophic ecosystems. We measured ammonium uptake using [¹⁴C]-methylamine and estimatedK _m andV _max using Hanes Plots at 2-week intervals during 6 months of thermal stratification in Mountain lake, Virginia (37° 22 N, 80° 32 W). Community composition, nutrient levels, and other variables were determined in all uptake experiments. A second objective was to determine if ammonium was preferentially utilized over nitrate and to characterize further the ammonium transport system.V _max increased steadily from May until the end of July, each increase coinciding with major changes in the phytoplankton community. Cryptophyceans dominated in May, chlorophyceans in June and July, and cyanophyceans from the end of July to late October. With cyanophycean dominance,V _max declined until chlorophyceans reestablished dominance in late October. By contrast,K _m values increased from May to the end of July, but thereafter showed no correlation. Acetylene reduction experiments showed no nitrogen fixation during late summer and fall when blue-green algae were present. Preference for ammonium was implied also by negative nitrate reductase assays. Overall, the coincidence ofV _max andK _m values for [¹⁴C]-methylamine uptake and changing phytoplankton community structure suggests the possibility that successive algal communities may be changing as a result of specific species differences in ammonium affinity and uptake rates.     

Primary Productivity and Activity Coefficients of the Phytoplankton of a Mesotrophic Soft-Water Lake (Piburger See,Tirol, Austria)

Phytoplankton primary production was measured using the ¹⁴C method once per month from 1973 through 1976 as part of an intensive ecosystem study of a small eutrophic soft-water lake, under restoration since 1970. Relationships among phytoplankton production, species composition, chlorophyll a content, bacteria, zooplankton and a variety of abiotic environmental factors have been studied. Productivity normally showed one peak in spring and another in summer, whereas a minimum was reached under the ice cover in February or March. Maximum production rates in the depth profile ranged from 3 to 144 mg C · m⁻³ · d⁻¹, integral production from 6 to 510 mg C · m̄⁻² · d⁻¹. Species of Cyanophyceae, Dinophyceae, Chlorophyceae and Chrysophyceae dominated alternately and showed significant differences in the level and variation of photosynthetic activity. Maximum activity was observed in summer. A high biomass increase during late winter and spring despite low primary productivity resulted from the immigration of the dominant blue-green alga, Oscillatoria limosa, from the sediment. Energy efficiency increased not only with depth in the light-limited parts of the euphotic zone but at all depths during bad weather conditions and during the decrease of irradiance in autumn.     

Phytoplankton succession in Lake Valencia,Venezuela

Phytoplankton counts and supporting physical and chemical data were taken on Lake Valencia, Venezuela, over a five-year interval. The data are used to test the validity of a successional paradigm for class-level taxa. According to the paradigm, formulated from previous studies of Lake Lanao, Philippines, and from data on temperate lakes, the order of taxa from early to late succession is: diatoms, chlorophytes, blue-green algae, dinoflagellates. A successional episode is considered to begin when stability of a water column is restored after deep mixing. As the episode progresses, there is a steady decrease in concentration of the limiting macronutrient (in this case, N). In a test of the validity of the paradigm for Lake Valencia, dates of exceptional population increase or decrease were obtained for each taxon. Since nitrate concentration declines steadily as succession progresses, the entry of a given taxon into the successional sequence is indicated quantitatively by the mean nitrate concentration on dates of exceptional increase in population density, and exit from the successional sequence is indicated by mean nitrate concentration on dates of exceptional population declines. The successional position of each major taxon, bounded by its entry and exit in the sequence, can be mapped on the complete spectrum of nitrate concentrations observed in the lake. For Lake Valencia, the nitrate mapping procedure agrees exactly with the predictions based on the successional paradigm. Conformance of Lake Valencia phytoplankton with predictions made a priori suggests that there is a generalized pattern in the phytoplankton succession of the mixed layers of temperate and tropical lakes.     

Phytoplankton communities in navigation pool no. 7 of the Upper Mississippi River

A study of the phytoplankton community dynamics in Navigation Pool No. 7 of the Upper Mississippi River was conducted from May through October, 1982. The objectives of this study were to estimate total standing crops, determine the taxonomic composition and examine the seasonal succession of the phytoplankton community. Four sampling sites were established: two in Lake Onalaska, a large backwater lake on the Wisconsin side of the main channel; one in the main channel near Dakota, Minnesota; and one in the main channel just upstream from Lock and Dam No. 7.The phytoplankton communities at all sampling sites were dominated by diatoms except during July and August when a bloom of blue-green algae was observed. The dominant diatoms from May through mid-July were Melosira italica, Stephanodiscus niagarae, Stephanodiscus hantzschii, Stephanodiscus astrea, and Synedra ulna. Aphanizomenon flos-aquae and Microcystis aeruginosa were the most prevalent blue-green algae during the mid-summer bloom. The diatoms Melosira italica and Melosira granulata were dominant in September and October. Lesser amounts of green algae, cryptomonads and euglenoids were also observed at various times of the sampling period.Total standing crops based on cell volume were usually greatest at the Lock and Dam No. 7 site. The maximum standing crop (10.4 mm³ 1^–1) was observed at the Lock and Dam No. 7 site on 4 September; the minimum standing crop (0.4 mm³ 1^–1) was observed at the eastern Lake Onalaska site on the same date. Concentrations of nitrogen, phosphorus, and silica remained at high levels throughout the study period and did not appear to limit phytoplankton standing crops.     

Phytoplankton and zooplankton (Cladocera,Copepoda) relationship in the eutrophicated River Danube (Danubialia Hungarica,CXI)

The seasonal variation in primary production, individual numbers, and biomass of phyto- and zooplankton was studied in the River Danube in 1981. The secondary production of two dominant zooplankton species (Bosmina longirostris and Acanthocyclops robustus) was also estimated. In the growing season (April–Sept.) individual numbers dry weights and chlorophyll a contents of phytoplankton ranged between 30–90 × 10⁶ individuals, l^–1, 3–12 mg l^–1, and 50–170 µg l^–1, respectively. Species of Thalassiosiraceae (Bacillariophyta) dominated in the phytoplankton with a subdominance of Chlorococcales in summer. Individual numbers and dry weights of crustacean zooplankton ranged between 1400–6500 individuals m^–3, and 1.2–12 mg m^–3, respectively. The daily mean gross primary production was 970 mg C m^–3 d^–1, and the net production was 660 mg C m^–3 d^–1. Acanthocyclops robustus populations produced 0.2 mg C m^–3 d^–1 as an average, and Bosmina longirostris populations 0.07 mg C m^–3 d^–1. The ecological efficiency between phytoplankton and crustacean zooplankton was 0.03%.     

Phytoplankton Periodicity in a Eutrophic Coastal Water of the Baltic Sea

The phytoplankton periodicity in the Darss-Zingst bodden chain, an estuary-like coastal water of the southern Baltic Sea, was investigated from 1984 to 1990. The following functional groups were established: 1.) nitrogen-fixing Cyanobacteria plus Oscillatoria limnetica, 2.) coccoid Chlorophyceae, Gomphosphaeria pusilla, Lyngbya contorta and Stephanodiscus hantzschii, 3.) coccoid Cyanobacteria except Gomphosphaeria, 4.) diatoms except Stephanodiscus, 5.) Cryptophyceae and some other flagellates. A general seasonal pattern was observable: in cold winters group 5 dominates; in spring a diatom bloom (= group 4) occurred, which was followed by the development of group 2; steep temperature increases caused a summer bloom of nitrogen-fixing cyanobacteria (= group 1), which was followed by groups 2 and 3 in autumn; in bland winters group 2 lasts until spring. Grazing was shown to be of minor importance for the phytoplankton periodicity.     

Spontaneous Succession versus Technical Reclamation in the Restoration of Disturbed Sites

We address the question: under which circumstances can we rely upon spontaneous succession and when are technical measures more effective in restoration programs? To answer this question, the position of a disturbed site along the productivity–stress gradient was considered. The probability of attaining a target stage by spontaneous succession decreases toward both ends of the productivity–stress gradient, whereas the acceptance of technical measures generally increases. In correspondence with that, the monetary cost of restoration increases toward the ends of the gradient. Therefore, spontaneous succession is advocated especially if environmental site conditions are not very extreme.     

崇明东滩湿地高等植被演替特征

研究了崇明东滩湿地植被演替过程中生态特征以及重要值、地上部分生物量、植被地上部分氮含量以及氮容量的季节性变化.结果表明：随着高程的升高,演替早期的代表物种海三棱藨草（Scirpus mariqueter）的重要值逐渐减小,互花米草（Spartina alterniflora）和芦苇（Phragmites australis）的重要值增大.演替过程中植物的生物多样性逐渐增加.3种植物地上部分生物量在生长季节内（3—10月）均呈单峰变化,一般在夏季（7、8月）生物量最大.3种植物地上部分氮含量在生长季节内均呈降低趋势,氮容量在生长季节内呈单峰变化.估算每年崇明东滩保护区内芦苇地上部分蓄积的氮为383.4 t,互花米草为39.3 t,海三棱藨草为50.5 t.     

植物群落的演替理论

演替是植被动态的中心问题.与演替有关的理论有接力植物区系学说、初始植物区系学说、促进忍耐和抑制学说、生活史对策演替学说、资源比率学说、Odum-Margelef生态系统发展理论、McMahon系统概念模型、变化镶嵌体稳态学说、演替的尺度等级系统观点. 文章论述了演替的分类、演替的进程、演替机制、顶极群落与非平衡态、植物群落的线性与线性系统、演替的细胞学和遗传学特征、演替与进化、演替的研究方法等.     

Ecological Succession of a Relict Central European Peat Bog and Variability of Its Insect Biodiversity

The isolated habitat of the ervené Blato bog (South Bohemia, Czech Republic) and its relict insect fauna have been the subject of long-term monitoring. The species composition and abundance of Lepidoptera (light traps) and Coleoptera (pitfall traps) were monitored for 4 years (1994–1997) simultaneously on two sites – in the edaphic climax pine forest and in wetland successional habitats. The method of statistical evaluation by RDA and CCA ordination, representing the habitat preference of species of Coleoptera (Carabidae only) and Lepidoptera (all nocturnal phototactic taxa) between the edaphic climax forest and succession stages, was used. All categories of the peatland taxa (tyrphobiontic, tyrphophilous and tyrphoneutral species) were analysed. Ten highly stenotopic tyrphobiontic species and 23 tyrphophilous species of Lepidoptera (out of 487) were most characteristic of the bog habitat. Only two tyrphophilous carabid species (out of 20) were characteristic of the bog. The most important relict species (tyrphobionts) of Lepidoptera are most diverse and abundant within the successional habitats and in the open wet forest. The relict fauna of the closed climax pine forest is much less diverse and composed mostly of abundant tyrphophilous and tyrphoneutral forest species. Preservation or restoration of sufficiently constant hydrological conditions, which prevents formation of the closed forest, is the basic management for habitat conservation of all relict tyrphobiontic species of the ervené Blato bog and similar peat land habitat islands. The peat bog is a unified complex system of specific diverse and relict taxa. The most specific taxa are tyrphobiontic Lepidoptera, but a number of other vulnerable tyrphophilous and tyrphoneutral insects are associated with the peat bog as well.     

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。     

人类文明演化的生态观

自从地球上出现生命以后 ,生命就与环境构成了复杂庞大的生态系统。人类的出现使得生态系统日益复杂化 ,纯粹的天然系统逐渐被打上了人类活动的烙印 ,人类根据自身的需要 ,不断地改变原有的纯自然的生态平衡 ,创造出更适合人类生存、生活和生产的人工生态系统 ,达到新的平衡 ,不断建造了人类文明 ,因此 ,人类文明史实际上是一部人与自然环境、社会环境及心理环境竞争与共生、改造与适应的生态史。1　农业文明的兴衰在旧石器时代末 ,地球上人口总数不到 30 0万 ,到中石器时代也只有 1 0 0 0万 ,这一时期 ,人类还仅仅是自然生态系统食物网中的…