放牧扰动下高寒草甸植物多样性、生产力对土壤养分条件变化的响应

为了揭示高寒小嵩草草甸群落在放牧扰动下,探讨土壤养分供给水平的变化对生态系统初级生产力和多样性影响,为高寒草地的退化演替机理研究提供依据,以野外样地调查和室内分析法研究了放牧扰动下高寒草甸植物多样性、生产力对土壤养分条件变化的响应.结果表明,放牧干扰不仅改变了高寒小蒿草草甸群落土壤根系和蕴育土壤根系的"载体"量及根土比例,改变了植物群落的结构和功能,而且使土壤的物理和化学特性发生了明显的改变.随着放牧强度的增加,蕴育土壤根系的基质量逐渐减少,根土比特别是0～10 cm土层的根土比例增加;"载体"量减少导致大部分地下根系由于营养供给水平的降低而死亡,归还土壤中有机质的数量逐渐减少,加之地上部分持续利用,土壤养分也在不断消耗,土壤基质量的减少和土壤资源持续供给能力的下降,草地发生逆向演替(退化),表现在:物种数减少、多样性下降、能量的分配转向地下等;土壤性状上的某些改变(土壤容重、土壤湿度等),也会引起植被组成、物种多样性变化;放牧主要通过影响土壤环境及其养分含量来改变草地群落生物量(地上、地下);土壤表面的适度干扰和原有植物的适度破坏为新成员提供了小生境,从而允许新的植物侵入群落,并提高了植物的丰富度.但是,在受到强度干扰时,草地植物群落的主要物种的优势地位发生明显的替代变化.     

森林群落物种组成对凋落物组成的影响

在海南铜鼓岭山麓灌木林和季雨矮林固定大样地的基础上,通过收集凋落物,比较两林型的凋落物数量及其器官组成、凋落叶物种组成,探讨森林群落物种组成与凋落物组成的关系。结果表明:(1)两林型的凋落物总量及其器官组成不同,山麓灌木林(6.227 t/hm~2)比季雨矮林的年凋落量大(5.636 t/hm~2);凋落叶是凋落物的主要组成部分,能反映凋落物的凋落情况。(2)山麓灌木林凋落物优势种和主要物种为贡甲、林仔竹、橄树等15个物种,凋落叶总量占77.72%;季雨矮林的凋落物优势种和主要物种为方枝蒲桃、肖蒲桃、贡甲等17个物种,凋落叶总量占71.84%;山麓灌木林中凋落物优势种和主要物种的叶凋落量与其组成物种的株数、总断面积、树冠面积极显著正相关而季雨矮林的凋落物优势种和主要物种的叶凋落量与其组成物种的株数极显著正相关。山麓灌木林中两者的Jaccard相似性系数为20%,季雨矮林为25.93%,两林型的群落物种组成与凋落叶物种组成不一致,热带森林群落优势种不一定是凋落物优势种。     

Legacy effects of soil homogenization on tallgrass prairie restoration: toward resolved understanding of the relationship between soil heterogeneity and plant species diversity

Within plant communities, niche‐based species sorting can occur among distinct soil patches (microsites), increasing coexistence and diversity. Microsite edges (microedges) may also offer additional niche space. Therefore, in recently abandoned croplands, which often have uniform soils caused by a legacy of tillage (soil homogenization), the plant species diversity of future restoration efforts may be reduced. We conducted an experiment during the early establishment phase (3 years) of a tallgrass prairie restoration on former cropland to determine if soil homogenization decreases species diversity and alters community composition, and if microedges offer additional niche space. Heterogeneous plots with sand‐ or woodchip‐enriched patches were compared to plots made up of the same components, but distributed homogeneously, and pits and mounds were compared to flat topsoil. Homogenization decreased diversity in flat topsoil plots relative to pit plots and increased diversity in woodchip plots. In both cases, the treatments with the lowest canopy cover and greatest plant density had the greatest diversity. Sand and topographic homogenization decreased diversity, but when a drought occurred in year two, the effect was suppressed in the sand treatment and magnified in the pit plots. Microedges had properties unique from adjacent patches. Overall, variability in heterogeneity–diversity relationships was affected by interactions with plant growth patterns and environmental conditions. Our results indicate that while the addition of contrasting soil microsites has the potential to promote increased diversity in grassland restoration on former cropland, the patch components and design must be optimized to achieve this management goal.     

The factors controlling species density in herbaceous plant communities: an assessment

This paper evaluates both the ideas and empirical evidence pertaining to the control of species density in herbaceous plant communities. While most theoretical discussions of species density have emphasized the importance of habitat productivity and disturbance regimes, many other factors (e.g. species pools, plant litter accumulation, plant morphology) have been proposed to be important. A review of literature presenting observations on the density of species in small plots (in the vicinity of a few square meters or less), as well as experimental studies, suggests several generalizations: (1) Available data are consistent with an underlying unimodal relationship between species density and total community biomass. While variance in species density is often poorly explained by predictor variables, there is strong evidence that high levels of community biomass are antagonistic to high species density. (2) Community biomass is just one of several factors affecting variations in species density. Multivariate analyses typically explain more than twice as much variance in species density as can be explained by community biomass alone. (3) Disturbance has important and sometimes complex effects on species density. In general, the evidence is consistent with the intermediate disturbance hypothesis but exceptions exist and effects can be complex. (4) Gradients in the species pool can have important influences on patterns of species density. Evidence is mounting that a considerable amount of the observed variability in species density within a landscape or region may result from environmental effects on the species pool. (5) Several additional factors deserve greater consideration, including time lags, species composition, plant morphology, plant density and soil microbial effects.Based on the available evidence, a conceptual model of the primary factors controlling species density is presented here. This model suggests that species density is controlled by the effects of disturbance, total community biomass, colonization, the species pool and spatial heterogeneity. The structure of the model leads to two main expectations: (1) while community biomass is important, multivariate approaches will be required to understand patterns of variation in species density, and (2) species density will be more highly correlated with light penetration to the soil surface, than with above-ground biomass, and even less well correlated with plant growth rates (productivity) or habitat fertility. At present, data are insufficient to evaluate the relative importance of the processes controlling species density. Much more work is needed if we are to adequately predict the effects of environmental changes on plant communities and species diversity.     

基于结构方程模型分析荒漠啮齿动物优势种对不同放牧干扰的响应

放牧被认为是草地生态系统的主要干扰之一。许多研究表明,放牧影响了啮齿动物的个体条件、繁殖、种群动态、群落组成及群落多样性等多个方面。由于受传统统计学方法的限制,这些研究只是单独的对放牧作用进行假设检验,而没有将多个假设放在同一个框架内进行验证。2006—2011年,采用标志重捕法对内蒙古阿拉善荒漠区不同放牧生境中啮齿动物优势种的数量进行研究并使用结构方程建模的方法将可能影响荒漠啮齿动物优势种的环境因子(气候条件、土壤硬度、植物隐蔽、植物生物量等19个指标)与啮齿动物优势种种群动态结合后进行多假设检验,旨在找出不同放牧干扰下制约优势啮齿动物环境因子的发生途径。结果表明:气候条件对五趾跳鼠和三趾跳鼠有直接不利影响,隐蔽对于两足活动的五趾跳鼠有负效应,而对四足活动的子午沙鼠有正效应。植物生物量对五趾跳鼠有正效应,但对子午沙鼠有负效应。土壤硬度的增加间接的有利于五趾跳鼠,对子午沙鼠有直接的正效应。因此荒漠啮齿动物优势种种群动态是多个过程共同作用的结果,气候条件是驱动啮齿动物种群动态的根本原因,而放牧会因为改变植物隐蔽而影响啮齿动物在群落中的组成。     

Effects of mollusc grazing on the development of grassland species

Abstract. The effects of grazing by the molluscs Helix aspersa and Deroceros reticulatus on six plant species of early successional plant communities was studied. Mixtures of Hypochoeris radicata, Plantago lanceolata, Plantago major, Ranunculus acris and Lolium perenne were grown from seed and subjected to grazing. Percentage cover and total yield were determined for grazed and ungrazed mixtures. Grazing had a significant effect on four out of the five species and the differences between the two mollusc species were significant for four species.     

Effect of investigator disturbance in experimental forensic entomology: succession and community composition

Carrion insect succession studies have historically used repeated sampling of single or a few carcasses to produce data, either weighing the carcasses, removing a qualitative subsample of the fauna present, or both, on every visit over the course of decomposition and succession. This study, conducted in a set of related experimental hypotheses with two trials in a single season, investigated the effect that repeated sampling has on insect succession, determined by the number of taxa collected on each visit and by community composition. Each trial lasted at least 21 days, with daily visits on the first 14 days. Rat carcasses used in this study were all placed in the field on the same day, but then either sampled qualitatively on every visit (similar to most succession studies) or ignored until a given day of succession, when they were sampled qualitatively (a subsample) and then destructively sampled in their entirety. Carcasses sampled on every visit were in two groups: those from which only a sample of the fauna was taken and those from which a sample of fauna was taken and the carcass was weighed for biomass determination. Of the carcasses visited only once, the number of taxa in subsamples was compared to the actual number of taxa present when the carcass was destructively sampled to determine if the subsamples adequately represented the total carcass fauna. Data from the qualitative subsamples of those carcasses visited only once were also compared to data collected from carcasses that were sampled on every visit to investigate the effect of the repeated sampling. A total of 39 taxa were collected from carcasses during the study and the component taxa are discussed individually in relation to their role in succession. Number of taxa differed on only one visit between the qualitative subsamples and the actual number of taxa present, primarily because the organisms missed by the qualitative sampling were cryptic (hidden deep within body cavities) or rare (only represented by very few specimens). There were no differences discovered between number of taxa in qualitative subsamples from carcasses sampled repeatedly (with or without biomass determinations) and those sampled only a single time. Community composition differed considerably in later stages of decomposition, with disparate communities due primarily to small numbers of rare taxa. These results indicate that the methods used historically for community composition determination in experimental forensic entomology are generally adequate.     

局域和区域过程共同控制着群落的物种多样性:种库假说

解释群落的物种多样性大小是生态学研究的一个重要的理论和实践问题。人们提出了群落物种多样性的多种假说, Zobel等人提出的种库假说(species pool hypothesis)是生物多样性理论研究的重要发展。该假说认为, 一个群落的物种多样性不仅与环境条件和生态过程(ecological process)(如竞争、捕食)有关, 也受区域种库(regional species pool)的限制。区域种库是指一个地区可进入某一群落的潜在物种数量, 它由地史过程(如冰期、地质年代)和区域过程(物种形成、迁移扩散以及消亡)所决定。按照种库假说, 某一生境类型的面积越大, 地质年代越古老, 物种形成的机会也就越多, 因而能适应和分布于该生境的物种也就越多, 实际群落中的物种丰富度也就越高。种库在空间上主要有两个层次: 区域种库和实际种库, 前者指某一生境所拥有的潜在物种数量, 主要由生物地理过程(biogeographic processes)所决定; 后者则为调查的群落中实际出现的物种数量, 主要由竞争等生态过程和区域种库共同决定。本文对种库假说的基本概念、主要内容、种库确定方法等作了介绍, 并阐述了作者对这些问题的理解和认识。     

Intraspecific trait variation increases species diversity in a trait‐based grassland model

Intraspecific trait variation (ITV) is thought to play a significant role in community assembly, but the magnitude and direction of its influence are not well understood. Although it may be critical to better explain population persistence, species interactions, and therefore biodiversity patterns, manipulating ITV in experiments is challenging. We therefore incorporated ITV into a trait‐ and individual‐based model of grassland community assembly by adding variation to the plants’ functional traits, which then drive life‐history tradeoffs. Varying the amount of ITV in the simulation, we examine its influence on pairwise‐coexistence and then on the species diversity in communities of different initial sizes. We find that ITV increases the ability of the weakest species to invade most, but that this effect does not scale to the community level, where the primary effect of ITV is to increase the persistence and abundance of the competitively‐average species. Diversity of the initial community is also of critical importance in determining ITV's efficacy; above a threshold of interspecific diversity, ITV does not increase diversity further. For communities below this threshold, ITV mainly helps to increase diversity in those communities that would otherwise be low‐diversity. These findings suggest that ITV actively maintains diversity by helping the species on the margins of persistence, but mostly in habitats of relatively low alpha and beta diversity.     

Sensitivity of plant species to warming and altered precipitation dominates the community productivity in a semiarid grassland on the Loess Plateau

Global warming and changes in precipitation patterns can critically influence the structure and productivity of terrestrial ecosystems. However, the underlying mechanisms are not fully understood. We conducted two independent but complementary experiments (one with warming and precipitation manipulation (+ or – 30%) and another with selective plant removal) in a semiarid grassland on the Loess Plateau, northwestern China, to assess how warming and altered precipitation affect plant community. Our results showed that warming and altered precipitation affected community aboveground net primary productivity (ANPP) through impacting soil moisture. Results of the removal experiment showed competitive relationships among dominant grasses, the dominant subshrub and nondominant species, which played a more important role than soil moisture in the response of plant community to warming and altered precipitation. Precipitation addition intensified the competition but primarily benefited the dominant subshrub. Warming and precipitation reduction enhanced water stresses but increased ANPP of the dominant subshrub and grasses, indicating that plant tolerance to drought critically meditated the community responses. These findings suggest that specie competitivity for water resources as well as tolerance to environmental stresses may dominate the responses of plant communities on the Loess Plateaus to future climate change factors.     

Predicting distributions of species richness and species size in regional floras: Applying the species pool hypothesis to the habitat templet model

The species pool hypothesis is applied here to the interpretation of ‘hump-shaped’ (unimodal) species richness patterns along gradients of both habitat fertility and disturbance level (the habitat templet). A ‘left-wall’ effect analogous to that proposed for the evolution of organismal complexity predicts a right-skewed unimodal distribution of historical habitat commonness on both gradients. According to the species pool hypothesis, therefore, the distribution of opportunity for net species accumulation (speciation minus extinction) should also have a corresponding unimodal central tendency on both habitat gradients. Two assumptions of this hypothesis are illustrated with particular reference to highly fertile, relatively undisturbed habitats: (i) such habitats have been relatively uncommon in space and time, thus providing relatively little historical opportunity for the origination of species with the traits necessary for effective competitive ability under these habitat conditions; and (ii) species that have evolved adaptation to these habitats are relatively large, thus imposing fundamental ‘packing’ limitations on the number of species that can ‘fit’ within such habitats. Based on these assumptions, the species pool hypothesis defines two associated predictions that are both supported by available data: (a) resident species richness will be relatively low in highly fertile, relatively undisturbed contemporary habitats; and (b) species sizes within regional floras should display as a right-skewed unimodal (log-normal) distribution. The latter is supported here by an analysis of data for 2,715 species in the vascular flora of northeastern North America.     

Convergence of community composition during secondary succession on Zokor rodent mounds on the Tibetan Plateau

Aims The community succession theory is much debated in ecology. We studied succession on Zokor rodent mounds on the Tibetan Plateau to address several fundamental questions, among them: (i) During secondary succession, does the community composition converge towards one community state or multiple states depending on the initial colonization? (ii) Do mound communities located in different background communities exhibit different assembly trajectories?Methods In a sub-alpine meadow, we investigated a total of 80 mound communities at several successional stages in three different background communities resulting from different management histories and compared their changes in species composition. The distribution of plant communities over time was analyzed with quantitative classification and ordination methods. The co-occurrence patterns of species were evaluated at each successional stage, and the degree of convergence/divergence among communities was obtained by calculating two beta-diversity indices.Important findings During secondary succession, species richness of mound communities changed over time, and this change was dependent on the background community. Five life-form groups exhibited different dynamic patterns in species richness and plant cover. Community composition and the degree of species co-occurrence between communities increased over time since disturbance. There was much variation in species composition at earlier stages of succession, but communities on older mounds became more similar to each other and to their surrounding vegetation over the course of secondary succession. Post-disturbance succession of Zokor mound communities transitioned from 'multiple alternative states' to 'background-based deterministic community assembly' over time. Tradeoffs between competition and colonization, as well as the characteristics of different life-forms and mass effects within a limited species pool are the mechanisms responsible for convergence of mound communities.     

晋、陕、宁、蒙柠条锦鸡儿群落物种多样性对放牧干扰和气象因子的响应

根据晋、陕、宁、蒙地区13个样地的野外调查资料,采用丰富度指数、物种多样性指数以及均匀度指数,研究了柠条锦鸡儿群落物种多样性对放牧干扰和气象因子的响应。结果表明：（1）晋、陕、宁、蒙地区柠条锦鸡儿群落组成成分简单,共记录种子植物111种,分属25科,64属,灌木层优势种为柠条锦鸡儿,草本层优势种集中于禾本科、豆科、菊科蒿属和藜科;（2）受人为干扰、土壤和气候等影响,群落的组成、结构及其综合性质具有一定差异性,主要表现在群落的Patrick指数与Simpson指数、Shannon-wiener指数出现较大的波动,且波动趋势基本一致,Pielou指数表现较为稳定;（3）放牧干扰强度与群落Simpson指数、Shannon-wiener指数呈极显著相关（P＜0.01）,与Patrick指数、Pielou指数呈显著相关（P＜0.05）,群落丰富度随放牧干扰强度的增大而下降,群落多样性和均匀度指数在D2和D3时呈现峰值,表明适度干扰可以提高群落物种多样性和均匀度;（4）Patrick指数、Simpson指数和Shannon-wiener指数均与年均降水量呈极显著正相关(P＜0.01),与相对湿度呈显著正相关（P＜0.05）,共同体现了水分条件是制约柠条锦鸡儿群落物种多样性的决定性因子。     

Distinct successional patterns and processes of free-living and particle-attached bacterial communities throughout a phytoplankton bloom

1. Understanding the successional patterns of microbial communities during a phytoplankton bloom is crucial for predicting the compositional and functional stability of lake ecosystems in response to the disturbance of a bloom. Previous studies on bacterial communities associated with blooms have rarely studied the dynamics of these communities. The successional patterns of bacterial communities within different micro-habitats (i.e. water column versus particles) and mechanisms that shape these communities that differ in composition and structure remain unclear.
2. We selected a eutrophic urban lake to investigate the succession of bacterial communities during a bloom. We divided the bacterial communities into free-living (FL) and particle-attached (PA) groups based on their different lifestyles. The amplicon-based 16S rRNA gene high-throughput sequencing technology was used to obtain bacterial community composition and phylogenetic structure.
3. Our study showed distinct successional patterns between FL and PA bacterial communities, and the two bacterial lifestyles showed different responses and resilience to the bloom, in terms of diversity and relative abundance of bacterial taxa. Alpha-diversity of the PA bacterial community decreased during the bloom, whereas that of the FL bacterial community increased. More taxa in the FL bacterial community showed resilience after the disturbance than in the PA bacterial community.
4. The influence of phytoplankton blooms on the assembly of the bacterial community can be viewed as niche selection that led to the decrease in the relative importance of stochastic processes in shaping both FL and PA bacterial communities. This study shows the ecological significance of the bacterial community response to bloom events in lakes. It also shows that assembly processes differ for bacterial communities that have different lifestyles in lake ecosystems disturbed by phytoplankton blooms.

     

Gastropod grazing of epiphytic lichen-dominated communities depends on tree species

Tree species differ in longevity, canopy structure, and bark texture, chemistry and water storage. Tree species-specific traits play a role in shaping epiphytic vegetation and likely influence the community assembly of organisms feeding on epiphytes. Lichenivorous gastropods, species with calcium-rich shells in particular, need calcium and likely occur more abundantly in and around tree species with high available calcium. We quantified gastropod grazing on the epiphytic lichens Lobaria pulmonaria and Lobaria scrobiculata transplanted to blocks of adjacent trunks of Acer platanoides, Quercus robur and Tilia cordata. We tested the hypothesis that tree species known to have more available Ca, exhibit more grazing damage on transplanted lichens than trees with lower Ca-availability. The grazing pressure was 1.6–1.8 times higher for lichen transplants on Acer and Tilia known to produce litter with easily soluble Ca than on Quercus, which binds Ca as oxalate. Trees with a high grazing pressure on transplants had greater natural abundance of Lobaria virens than of L. pulmonaria. Gastropods preferred L. scrobiculata to L. pulmonaria, evidenced by more observed grazing marks and greater measured biomass loss. We attribute this difference to the lower concentration of carbon-based secondary compounds in L. scrobiculata. However, the strength of the preference varied between the three tree species receiving lichen transplants and was strongest on A. platanoides, while gastropods on T. cordata grazed equal amounts of each transplanted lichen. In conclusion, tree species influenced grazing patterns of gastropods on epiphytic lichens. In addition to bark pH and other factors, we have shown that tree species-specific differences in grazing pressure play a role in shaping the epiphytic macrolichen community.