热带雨林的孢粉垂直分布规律——以海南岛现代孢粉雨为例

热带地区环境变化对研究全球气候变化显得越来越重要,热带地区的古环境记录,特别是孢粉记录是恢复过去气候的重要方法,东亚热带地区在冰期－间冰期的气候影响下,生态环境主要表现为山地植被带的垂直升降,因此,定量恢复热带地区第四纪植被垂直移动的幅度,以及作为古气候的替代性指标进行数量化转换是热带地区孢粉研究的关键,然而,我国热带地区现代孢粉雨和植被的关系研究程度较低,给热带第四纪孢粉古生态的恢复和对比带来困难,本研究较系统地总结了海南岛从低地平原到五指山1860m的垂直植被带表土的孢粉散布规律,为热带地区孢粉古环境的重建提供了新的基础数据。研究结果表明,孢粉组合的变化与垂直植被带紧密相关,孢粉的多样性随海拔升高而降低,其中针叶类随海拔升高而增加,蕨类孢子则相应减少,在低地和低山丘陵,孢粉组合显示出为干扰的影响,如防风雨的主要树种木麻黄（Casuarina),行道树台湾相思（Acacia richii)和人为砍伐后大面积生长的芒箕（Dicranopteris)群落等在一些孢粉谱中特别高,尽管如此,孢粉组合反映的垂直植被带变化仍然是清楚的,海南岛由下至上可划分出5个表土孢粉组合带－低地人类强烈干扰带（＜400m):Mallotus,Casuarina,Pinus,Myrica,Palmae,Poaceaae,Dicranopteris:--低地质陵地带（400－800m):Quercus,Castanopsis,Mallotus,Myrica,Platea,Meliaceae和大量孢子（包括Dicranopteris);--山地下带（800-1200m):Castanopsis,Quercus,Podocarpus,Dacrydium,Cyathea和单缝孢子;－－山地上带（1200-1600m):Dacrydium,Pinus,Altingia,Quercus,Castanopsis;－－山顶带（＞1600m):Pinus,Rhododendron,Dacrydium,Symplocos.     

Plant diversity patterns and their relationships with soil and climatic factors along an altitudinal gradient in the middle Tianshan Mountain area, Xinjiang, China

Patterns of plant diversity along the altitudinal gradient of Tianshan in central Xinjiang, China were examined. Plant and environment characteristics were surveyed from higher, south of Bogeda peak, to lower, north of Guerbantonggute desert. There were a total of 341 vascular plant, 295 herbage, 41 shrub, and seven tree species in the sampled plots. The plant richness of vegetation types generally showed a unimodal pattern along altitude, with a bimodal change of plant species number at 100-m intervals of altitudinal samples. The two belts of higher plant richness were in transient areas between vegetation types, the first in areas from dry grass to forest, and the second from forest to sub-alpine grass and bush. The beta diversity varied with altitudinal changes, with herbaceous species accounting for most species, and thus had similar species turnover patterns to total species. Matching the change of richness of plant species to environmental factors along altitude and correlating these by redundancy analysis revealed that the environmental factors controlling species richness and its pattern were the combined effects of temperature, precipitation, soil water, and nutrition. Water was more important at low altitude, and temperature at high altitude, and soil chemical and physical characters at middle altitudes. This study provides insights into plant diversity conservation of Bogeda Natural Reserve Areas in Tianshan Mountain. Nomenclatures: the scientific name for plants follows Flora of China (Compiling Committee of Flora of China).     

Phytogeographical data and modern pollen rain of the puna belt in southern Peru (Nevado Coropuna, Western Cordillera)

Aim To improve knowledge of the distribution of species and modern pollen dispersal in the puna vegetation belt (central Andes) for palaeoenvironmental analysis and reconstructions. Location Puna belt, Nevado Coropuna, Western Cordillera, Peru. Methods The vegetation facies and belts of the area were mapped by remote sensing using a March 1998 SPOT4 image. This was complemented by the interpretation of aerial photographs, by field sampling, and by the identification of plants. Data from 1940 to 1994 from the Peruvian meteorological station network were modelled to characterize the relationship between climate and vegetation. Twenty‐four soil‐surface samples were collected in the various vegetation facies identified on the map, and standard palynological techniques were applied to analyse these samples. A principal components analysis was performed on the pollen data set. Results The map shows three bioclimatic belts and seven facies in the puna sensu lato, and identifies the main plants that are characteristic of each bioclimatic area. The pollen results fit the vegetation facies and belts, including the plant species of the distinct facies that are well represented in the pollen assemblages. The mesotropical belt is characterized by the predominance of Asteraceae‐type Ambrosia; the supratropical belt shows significant frequencies of Asteraceae‐type Senecio; the orotropical belt is characterized by high frequencies of Apiaceae and includes Polylepis woodland and peat bogs; and the cryorotropical belt shows significant frequencies of Asteraceae‐type Senecio and Apiaceae. Main conclusions The pollen grains of the plants that grow on the puna sensu lato are generally entomophilous and are therefore not transported far from their plant source. The distinct bioclimatic facies and belts identified by the cartography can thus be well distinguished by their pollen production and deposition. We were therefore able to characterize the relationship between pollen, vegetation and climate that can be used for palaeoenvironmental reconstructions. An altitudinal pollen gradient on the western slopes of the central Andes was revealed by the pollen study, with the succession of Asteraceae‐type Ambrosia (1800–2200 m), Malvaceae (2700–3300 m), Asteraceae‐type Senecio (3500–4100 m) and Apiaceae (above 4600 m).     

Integrated palaeoecological evidence for biodiversity at the floodplain-forest margin

This paper presents the results of a combined palynological and palaeoentomological investigation into the changing diversity of Holocene floodplain forest biota at Bole Ings in the lower reaches of the River Trent. The aim in combining the two techniques represents an attempt to overcome some of the inherent differences of scale and resolution which characterize different types of fossil species data. The two lines of ecofactual evidence, pollen and beetle remains indicate changes in the biodiversity of the floodplain, both in terms of the diversity and abundance of individual species, habitats and ecosystem structure. The results of the study demonstrate the potential of this approach in tracing the decline in plant and entomofaunal diversity at the floodplain forest margin. Although there are recognized limitations imposed by taphonomic uncertainties, taxonomic resolution and restricted ecological data, the combined results provide added details of variations in both species composition and structural diversity within the landscape. The results emphasize the need for multidisciplinary research design in palaeoecological investigations of biodiversity.     

猫儿山不同海拔植被带土壤微生物群落功能多样性

为研究中亚热带森林土壤微生物群落功能多样性特征及其随海拔梯度的变化,应用Biolog微平板技术,对猫儿山不同海拔植被带(常绿阔叶林(EBF)、落叶阔叶混交林(DBF)、针阔混交林(CBF))土壤微生物群落功能多样性差异进行了比较。结果表明,不同海拔植被带土壤微生物群落功能多样性差异显著。土壤平均颜色变化率(AWCD)随培养时间延长而逐渐增加,随着海拔升高,土壤AWCD值逐渐降低,大小顺序为EBFDBFCBF。土壤微生物群落Shannon指数和丰富度指数的总体趋势为EBF最高,DBF次之,CBF最低。不同海拔植被带土壤微生物群落均匀度指数之间差异不显著。不同海拔植被带土壤微生物对不同碳源的利用能力存在差异,其中EBF利用率最高,CBF利用率最低,氨基酸类、胺类和酯类碳源为各海拔植被带土壤微生物利用的主要碳源。主成分分析结果表明,主成分1和主成分2分别能解释变量方差的40.42%和15.97%,在主成分分离中起主要贡献作用的是酯类、胺类和氨基酸类碳源。土壤理化性质与土壤微生物群落功能多样性之间的相关性分析结果表明,微生物群落多样性的Shannon指数与全钾(TK)呈极显著正相关(P0.01),与含水量呈极显著负相关(P0.01),与总有机碳(TOC)、全氮(TN)、速效氮(AN)、有效P(AP)之间的相关性显著(P0.05)或极显著(P0.01),且为负相关。土壤TK含量和含水量可能是造成不同海拔土壤微生物群落功能多样性差异的主要原因。     

Vegetation, climate and palaeoaltitude reconstructions of the Eastern Alps during the Miocene based on pollen records from Austria, Central Europe

Aim To reconstruct the flora, vegetation, climate and palaeoaltitude during the Miocene (23.03–5.33 Ma) in Central Europe. Location Six outcrop sections located in different basins of the Central Paratethys in Austria. Methods Pollen analysis was used for the reconstruction of the vegetation and climate. The altitude of the Eastern Alps that are adjacent to the Alpine Foreland and Vienna basins has been estimated using a new quantification method based on pollen data. This method uses biogeographical and climatological criteria such as the composition of the modern vegetation belts in the European mountains and Miocene annual temperature estimates obtained from fossil pollen data. Results Pollen changes from Early to Late Miocene have been observed. The vegetation during the Burdigalian and Langhian (20.43–13.65 Ma) was dominated by thermophilous elements such as evergreen trees, typical of a present‐day evergreen rain forest at low altitudes (i.e. south‐eastern China). During the Serravallian and Tortonian (13.65–7.25 Ma) several thermophilous elements strongly decreased, and some disappeared from the Central European region. This kind of vegetation was progressively substituted by one enriched in deciduous and mesothermic plants. Middle‐altitude (Cathaya, Cedrus and Tsuga) and high‐altitude (Abies and Picea) conifers increased considerably during the Langhian and later on during the Serravallian and Tortonian. Main conclusions Pollen changes are related to climatic changes and to the uplift of the Alpine massifs. The vegetation during the Burdigalian and Langhian reflects the Miocene climatic optimum. The decrease in thermophilous plants during the Serravallian and Tortonian can be interpreted as a climatic cooling and can be correlated with global and regional climatic changes. This study shows that the palaeoaltitude of the eastern part of the Eastern Alps during the Burdigalian was not high enough for Abies and Picea to form a forest. Therefore, we inferred that the summits of most of the mountains would have been less than 1800 m. The substantial increase of middle‐ and high‐altitude conifers in the pollen spectra suggests that the uplift rate increased during the Langhian in this region. Based on higher palaeoaltitude estimations for the pollen floras from the studied sections of Austria, we infer that the uplift of the easternmost part of the Alpine chain continued during the Serravallian and Tortonian.     

Numerical analysis of surface and fossil pollen spectra from northern Fennoscandia

Aim Determination of the main directions of variance in an extensive data base of annual pollen deposition, and the relationship between pollen data from modified Tauber traps and palaeoecological data. Location Northern Finland and Norway. Methods Pollen analysis of annual samples from pollen traps and contiguous high‐resolution samples from a peat sequence. Numerical analysis (principal components analysis) of the resulting data. Results The main direction of variation in the trap data is due to the vegetation region in which each trap is located. A secondary direction of variation is due to the annual variability of pollen production of some of the tree taxa, especially Betula and Pinus. This annual variability is more conspicuous in ‘absolute’ data than it is in percentage data which, at this annual resolution, becomes more random. There are systematic differences, with respect to peat‐forming taxa, between pollen data from traps and pollen data from a peat profile collected over the same period of time. Main conclusions Annual variability in pollen production is rarely visible in fossil pollen samples because these cannot be sampled at precisely a 12‐month resolution. At near‐annual resolution sampling, it results in erratic percentage values which do not reflect changes in vegetation. Profiles sampled at near annual resolution are better analysed in terms of pollen accumulation rates with the realization that even these do not record changes in plant abundance but changes in pollen abundance. However, at the coarser temporal resolution common in most fossil samples it does not mask the origin of the pollen in terms of its vegetation region. Climate change may not be recognizable from pollen assemblages until the change has persisted in the same direction sufficiently long enough to alter the flowering (pollen production) pattern of the dominant trees.     

Pollen-vegetation richness and diversity relationships in the tropics

Tracking changes in biodiversity through time requires an understanding of the relationship between modern diversity and how this diversity is preserved in the fossil record. Fossil pollen is one way in which past vegetation diversity can be reconstructed. However, there is limited understanding of modern pollen-vegetation diversity relationships from biodiverse tropical ecosystems. Here, pollen (palynological) richness and diversity (Hill N₁) are compared with vegetation richness and diversity from forest and savannah ecosystems in the New World and Old World tropics (Neotropics and Palaeotropics). Modern pollen data were obtained from artificial pollen traps deployed in 1-ha vegetation study plots from which vegetation inventories had been completed in Bolivia and Ghana. Pollen counts were obtained from 15 to 22 traps per plot, and aggregated pollen sums for each plot were >?2,500. The palynological richness/diversity values from the Neotropics were moist evergreen forest?=?86/6.8, semi-deciduous dry forest?=?111/21.9, wooded savannah?=?138/31.5, and from the Palaeotropics wet evergreen forest?=?144/28.3, semi-deciduous moist forest?=?104/4.4, forest-savannah transition?=?121/14.1; the corresponding vegetation richness/diversity was 100/36.7, 80/38.7 and 71/39.4 (Neotropics), and 101/54.8, 87/45.5 and 71/34.5 (Palaeotropics). No consistent relationship was found between palynological richness/diversity, and plot vegetation richness/diversity, due to the differential influence of other factors such as landscape diversity, pollination strategy, and pollen source area. Palynological richness exceeded vegetation richness, while pollen diversity was lower than vegetation diversity. The relatively high global diversity of tropical vegetation was found to be reflected in the pollen rain.     

Numerical Characteristics of Pollen Assemblages of Surface Samples from the West Kunlun Mountains

A total of 31 suface sediment samples were collected from West Kunlun Mountain in south Xinjiang Autonomous Region in northwest China. These samples are from seven types of vegetation: Picea schrenkiana Fisch. et Mey. forest, Sabina Spach. woodland, sub-alpine steppe, alpine meadow, desert vegetion, cushion-vegetation and vegetation adjancent to glaciers. Pollen percentages and pollen concentrations were calculated in all samples. The dominant pollen types in the region are Chenopodiaceae, Artemisia, Picea, Ephedra, Gramineae, Cyperaceae, Rosaceae, Leguminosae, Compositae etc. In order to reveal the relationship between pollen composition and the vegetation type from which the soil sample was collected, principal component analysis and group average cluster analysis were employed on the pollen data. The results revealed that the major vegetation types in this region could be distinguished by pollen composition: a. Samples from desert vegetation were dominated by pollen of Chenopodiaceae (about 60195%). The percentages of all other pollen types were low. b. Picea forest samples were rich in Picea pollen (about 20%) Sabina forest had more Sabina pollen grains than other vegetation types (about 5%, others <1%). Pollen percentages of Artemisia, Chenopodiaceae and Ephedra were comparatively higher (each about 20%) in these samples from the two types of vegetations. C. Pollen percentages of Artemisia, Cyperaceae, Gramineae and Chenopodiaceae were high in both sub-alpine steppe and alpine meadow. But steppe containal more Artemisia and Chenopodiaceae (steppe 33.75% and 32.30%, meadow 15.57% and 19.48% in average), less Cyperaceae and Gramineae (steppe 2.58% and 7.60%, meadow 22.35% and 12.93% in average) than meadow. d. Samples from cushion-vegetation and vegetation adjacent to glaciers were mainly composed of pollen grains transported from other sites. It was not easy to distinguish them from other vegetation types. Principal component analysis and cluster analysis distinguish samples from Picea forest, Sabina woodland, sub-alpine steppe, alpine meadow and desert vegetation. Therefore we think it will be possible to apply the module to reconstruct past vegetation in this region and other similar regions. Regression analysis was also applied to reveal the relationships between pollen and plant percentages of Artemisia, Chenopodiaceae, Cyperaceae and Gramineae. The results indicated that a linear relationship existed between pollen and plant percentages for Artemisia, Chenopodiaceae and Cyperaeeae.     

Sporo-Pollen Dissemination and Quantitative Character of Surface Sample of Manzhouli-Dayangshu Region

According to the profile of modern vegetation and pollen analysis of surface samples, the character of sporo-pollen assemblages from the steppe of Huluengbar to forest of Daxinganling mountain being investigated, indicated that, there existed a sylvosteppe zone in between the steppe and forest zones, in which the percentage of A. P. is a little more than that of N. A. P. (about 30%～70%). At the same time a nonlinear correlation was found between the percentage of pollen and the abundance of maternal plant. There were three states in the of plant/pollen system: (1)inferior position with abundance of pollen or the maternal plant both less than 30% or 20% .(2) dominant position with both over 70% and (3) mixed pisition with both between 30%～70%. In the first state, there existed a value of Po (pollen from another place) or Vo (short of pollen, or if none at all) in the second state, the linear correlation of pollen and plant became nonlinear and only in the third state, did the correction factor (value of R) approach constant.     

Interpretation of the last‐glacial vegetation of eastern‐central Europe using modern analogues from southern Siberia

Aim Interpretation of fossil pollen assemblages may benefit greatly from comparisons with modern palynological and vegetation analogues. To interpret the full‐ and late‐glacial vegetation in eastern‐central Europe we compared fossil pollen assemblages from this region with modern pollen assemblages from various vegetation types in southern Siberia, which presumably include the closest modern analogues of the last‐glacial vegetation of central Europe. Location Czech and Slovak Republics (fossil pollen assemblages); Western Sayan Mountains, southern Siberia (modern pollen assemblages). Methods Eighty‐eight modern pollen spectra were sampled in 14 vegetation types of Siberian forest, tundra and steppe, and compared with the last‐glacial pollen spectra from seven central European localities using principal components analysis. Results Both full‐ and late‐glacial pollen spectra from the valleys of the Western Carpathians (altitudes 350–610 m) are similar to modern pollen spectra from southern Siberian taiga, hemiboreal forest and dwarf‐birch tundra. The full‐glacial and early late‐glacial pollen spectra from lowland river valleys in the Bohemian Massif (altitudes 185–190 m) also indicate the presence of patches of hemiboreal forest or taiga. Other late‐glacial pollen spectra from the Bohemian Massif suggest an open landscape with steppe or tundra or a mosaic of both, possibly with small patches of hemiboreal forest. Main conclusions Our results are consistent with the hypothesis that during the full glacial and late glacial, the mountain valleys of the north‐western Carpathians supported taiga or hemiboreal forest dominated by Larix, Pinus cembra, Pinus sylvestris and Picea, along with some steppic or tundra formations. Forests tended to be increasingly open or patchy towards the west (Moravian lowlands), gradually passing into the generally treeless landscape of Bohemia, with possible woodland patches in locally favourable sites.     

Food selection by the guanaco (Lama guanicoe) along an altitudinal gradient in the Southern Andean Precordillera (Argentina)

Wild ungulates like the guanaco are exposed to important changes in climate and plant diversity along altitudinal gradients in the Andes Mountains, such as in the Southern Andean Precordillera where three phytogeographic provinces are present in altitudinal belts. The guanaco’s diet and food availability were seasonally analyzed using microhistological analysis and point-quadrat transects at six sampling sites, representative of the phytogeographic belts along the altitudinal gradient. Plant cover and diversity decreased with growing altitude. Richness of plant species was poorer at the summit than in the lower altitudes, whereas the proportion of species eaten by guanacos increased with altitude. The diet included 77 species. Grasses were preferred and shrubs were avoided all year round. The grass Poa spp. occupied more than 50 % of the diet at all altitudes. Grasses were the main dietary item even at low altitudes, where shrubs constituted the main food available. Decreasing generalism with descending phytogeographic belts agrees with the prediction for altitudinal gradients. The increase of diversity in the diet during the winter decline of plant cover at high and middle altitudes follows that expected from the optimal foraging theory. The winter decline of vegetation and the dietary shift from grazing to browsing proved to be stronger as altitude increases and the climate become more rigorous. Plant species richness, food scarcity, and climate severity are relevant variables to explain altitudinal and seasonal changes in the diet of adaptive ungulates in mountain environments, such as the guanaco in the Southern Andean Precordillera.     

Thresholds of potential concern as benchmarks in the management of African savannahs

In the Kruger National Park (KNP), South Africa, ecosystem managers use a series of monitoring endpoints, known as thresholds of potential concern (TPCs), to define the upper and the lower levels of accepted variation in ecosystems. For woody vegetation, the current TPC suggests that woody cover should not drop by more than 80% of its 'highest ever' value. In this paper, we explore the utility of palaeoecological data in informing TPCs. We use calibrated fossil pollen data to explore variability in vegetation at two sites over the past 5000 years, to provide a long-term record of changes in woody vegetation cover and a context for interpreting more recent vegetation change. The fossil pollen data are calibrated using studies of modern pollen and vegetation from KNP; arboreal pollen percentage was simulated using pollen-landscape modelling software for savannah landscapes of varying woody vegetation cover, and the relationship between vegetation and pollen data was quantified using nonlinear regression. This quadratic equation was then applied to fossil pollen data in order to estimate woody vegetation cover from arboreal pollen percentages. Our results suggest that the TPCs have not been exceeded during the period represented in the pollen record, because estimated woody vegetation cover has remained above 20% of its highest ever value. By comparing the fossil pollen data with TPCs, our study demonstrates how palaeoecological data can be presented in a form that is directly relevant to management objectives.     

Long-term trajectories of non-native vegetation on islands globally

Human-mediated changes in island vegetation are, among others, largely caused by the introduction and establishment of non-native species. However, data on past changes in non-native plant species abundance that predate historical documentation and censuses are scarce. Islands are among the few places where we can track human arrival in natural systems allowing us to reveal changes in vegetation dynamics with the arrival of non-native species. We matched fossil pollen data with botanical status information (native, non-native), and quantified the timing, trajectories and magnitude of non-native plant vegetational change on 29 islands over the past 5000 years. We recorded a proportional increase in pollen of non-native plant taxa within the last 1000 years. Individual island trajectories are context-dependent and linked to island settlement histories. Our data show that non-native plant introductions have a longer and more dynamic history than is generally recognized, with critical implications for biodiversity baselines and invasion biology.     

On the interpretation of fossil Poaceae pollen in the lowland humid neotropics

Poaceae pollen is abundant in fossil records and is often used as a paleoclimatic indicator. A common interpretation is to link increases in Poaceae pollen abundance to increased regional aridity. However, the representation of Poaceae pollen is influenced by a number of factors, such as the proportion of other plants in the flora that are anemophilous, the size of local marshes, and the influence of humans on the landscape. Abundant anemophilous trees are likely to mask the contribution of Poaceae pollen, whereas floras that are primarily entomophilous are likely to produce a pollen spectrum containing an over-representation of Poaceae. As most fossil pollen data are drawn from flooded settings, it is critically important that palynologists recognize the Poaceae pollen contribution derived from floating grasses and marshes that surround their coring site. Interpretations that ignore changes in effective lake size and assume that Poaceae percentage is a simple indicator of regional vegetation change are likely to overstate ‘dry’ episodes and transitions from wet forest to scrub environments. Human occupation of a site is sometimes manifested in increased Poaceae pollen abundance in lake sediments. The duration, intensity and land-use associated with occupation are all variables that influence Poaceae pollen representation. Very high (50–90%) abundances of Poaceae pollen provide a strong indicator of savanna habitats, but trying to determine transitional vegetation types between savanna and wet forest is best determined using other taxa. Indeed, reliance on Poaceae abundance as an indicator of paleoprecipitation is potentially very misleading when it is in the fossil record at moderate abundances.     

Modern vegetation–pollen–climate relationships for the Pampa grasslands of Argentina

Aim To analyse the relationships between potential natural vegetation, pollen and climate in order to improve the interpretation of fossil pollen records and provide the background for future quantitative palaeoclimatic reconstructions. Location Pampa grasslands of Argentina, between 33–41° S and 56–67° W. Methods Modern pollen data were obtained from a pollen data base developed by the Grupo de Investigación de Paleoecología y Palinología, Universidad Nacional de Mar del Plata, Argentina (143 surface samples and 17 pollen types). Analysis of pollen and climate data involved multivariate statistics (cluster analysis and principal components analysis), scatter diagrams, Pearson’s correlation and isopoll mapping. Results Vegetation patterns at regional scales (grasslands and xerophytic woodlands) and local scales (edaphic communities) were identified by cluster analysis of pollen surface samples. The main climatic variables that appear to constrain the vegetation distribution and abundance of taxa are mean annual precipitation, annual effective precipitation and summer temperature. Individual pollen types such as Chenopodiaceae, Apiaceae, Cyperaceae, Prosopis, Schinus, Condalia microphylla and other xerophytic taxa are good indicators of moisture regime. Many pollen types are significantly correlated with summer temperature. The modern vegetation–pollen–climate relationships vary in a broadly predictable manner, supporting the contention that fossil pollen assemblages can be related to particular climatic characteristics. Main conclusions An expanded suite of modern analogues facilitated new insights into vegetation–pollen–climate relationships at the regional scale in Pampa grasslands. Relationships between individual pollen types and climate are appraised at a regional scale and new modern analogues are presented. The results provide the basis for improved vegetation and climate reconstruction from fossil records of the study area.     

Intraspecific variation in morphology of spiny pollen grains along an altitudinal gradient in an insect-pollinated shrub

• Intraspecific variations in pollen morphological traits are poorly studied. Interspecific variations are often associated with pollination systems and pollinator types. Altitudinal environmental changes, which can influence local pollinator assemblages, provide opportunities to explore differentiation in pollen traits of a single species over short distances. The aim of this study is to examine intraspecific variations in pollen traits of an insect-pollinated shrub, Weigela hortensis (Caprifoliaceae), along an altitudinal gradient.
• Pollen spine phenotypes (length, number and density), pollen diameter, lipid mass (pollenkitt) around pollen grains, pollen production per flower and pollinator assemblages were compared at four sites at different altitudes.
• Spine length and the spine length/diameter ratio of pollen grains were greater at higher altitudes but not correlated with flower or plant size. Spine number and density increased as flower size increased, and pollen lipid mass decreased as plant size increased. Bees were the predominant pollinators at low-altitude sites whereas flies, specifically Oligoneura spp. (Acroceridae), increased in relative abundance with increasing altitude.
• The results of this study suggest that the increase in spine length with altitude was the result of selection favouring longer spines at higher-altitude sites and/or shorter spines at lower-altitude sites. The altitudinal variation in selection pressure on spine length could reflect changes in local pollinator assemblages with altitude.

     

Palynological richness and evenness: insights from the taxa accumulation curve

Palynology provides the opportunity to make inferences on changes in diversity of terrestrial vegetation over long time scales. The often coarse taxonomic level achievable in pollen analysis, differences in pollen production and dispersal, and the lack of pollen source boundaries hamper the application of diversity indices to palynology. Palynological richness, the number of pollen types at a constant pollen count, is the most robust and widely used diversity indicator for pollen data. However, this index is also influenced by the abundance distribution of pollen types in sediments. In particular, where the index is calculated by rarefaction analysis, information on taxonomic richness at low abundance may be lost. Here we explore information that can be extracted from the accumulation of taxa over consecutive samples. The log-transformed taxa accumulation curve can be broken up into linear sections with different slope and intersect parameters, describing the accumulation of new taxa within the section. The breaking points may indicate changes in the species pool or in the abundance of high versus low pollen producers. Testing this concept on three pollen diagrams from different landscapes, we find that the break points in the taxa accumulation curves provide convenient zones for identifying changes in richness and evenness. The linear regressions over consecutive samples can be used to inter- and extrapolate to low or extremely high pollen counts, indicating evenness and richness in taxonomic composition within these zones. An evenness indicator, based on the rank-order-abundance is used to assist in the evaluation of the results and the interpretation of the fossil records. Two central European pollen diagrams show major changes in the taxa accumulation curves for the Lateglacial period and the time of human induced land-use changes, while they do not indicate strong changes in the species pool with the onset of the Holocene. In contrast, a central Swedish pollen diagram shows comparatively little change, but high richness during the early Holocene forest establishment. Evenness and palynological richness are related for most periods in the three diagrams, however, sections before forest establishment and after forest clearance show high evenness, which is not necessarily accompanied by high palynological richness, encouraging efforts to separate the two.     

Species diversity of butterflies in Changbai Mountain in China

Using a modified belt transect method, we investigated the butterfly communities in five different vertical vegetation belts of Changbai Mountain in China from 1992 to 2009; these belts were broadleaf deciduous forest, coniferous–deciduous mixed forest, coniferous forest, erman’s birch forest and alp tundra. We determined the number of species and abundance of butterflies in each belt and in the coniferous–deciduous mixed forest belt, we also compared these parameters among different months. Preston’s lognormal distribution was used to model the species abundance distributions and five indicators (Shannon–Wiener diversity index (H′), Pielou uniformity index (J), Simpson predominance centralization index (C), Margalef abundance index (E) and Jaccard similarity coefficients) were used to analyze the butterfly community diversity. We found four main results. (1) Across all five vertical vegetation belts, 9641 butterflies were collected, belonging to 7 families, 98 genera and 196 species. As altitude increased, the number of butterfly genera and species gradually reduced. There was a relationship between the distribution of dominant species and the total species between each belt and the distribution of vascular plants. (2) The species abundance distribution was successfully modeled as a Preston’s lognormal distribution; the best fit was obtained when α = 0.326, the determinant coefficient of the equation was 0.74798. The species abundance distribution indicates that Changbai Mountain provides a suitable environment for butterflies; there was high species richness and an even distribution of butterfly species. There were few very common and very rare species, with most species having an intermediate abundance. (3) As altitude increased, H′ and E gradually became smaller, while C showed the opposite pattern, and J did not significantly change. The similarity coefficients analysis demonstrated a clear difference among belts; the farther apart any two belts, the smaller the similarity coefficient, indicating less similarity in the butterfly communities. The similarity coefficient between the deciduous forest and the coniferous–deciduous mixed forest belt was the largest (0.651) while that between the deciduous forest and the alp tundra was the smallest (0.141). (4) Comparison of the butterfly species communities among different months in the coniferous–deciduous mixed forest found that H′ and E showed similar directional changes, while the opposite pattern was found with C; the changes in J did not necessarily reflect the actual change in diversity.     

黄土高原草地植物多样性与群落稳定性的关系及其驱动因素

植物多样性对维持生态功能的稳定发挥具有重要作用。以黄土高原不同植被带草地为研究对象,基于野外调查和实验分析,探究黄土高原不同植被带草地植物多样性与群落稳定性特征和二者之间的关系以及影响因素。结果表明：黄土高原草地群落结构特征(地上生物量、地下生物量)与植物多样性具有明显的纬度分布格局,草地植物多样性和生物量均表现出自东南向西北沿森林草原带—森林带—草原带—草原荒漠带逐渐递减趋势。森林草原带草地植物多样性和群落稳定性显著高于森林带、草原带和草原荒漠带;植物多样性与群落稳定性之间存在显著正相关关系,可以作为衡量群落稳定性的指标,其稳定性大小表现为森林草原带>森林带>草原带>草原荒漠带。降雨量是影响植物多样性和群落稳定性的主要因素,并通过改变土壤含水量影响群落稳定性。研究结果揭示了草地植物多样性与群落稳定性之间的关系及驱动机制,为维持黄土高原草地生态系统的群落稳定性提供了科学依据。