Interactions between soil heterogeneity and freezing: Implications for grassland plant diversity and relative species abundances

Plant stress resulting from soil freezing is expected to increase in northern temperate regions over the next century due to reductions in snow cover caused by climate change. Within plant communities, soil spatial heterogeneity can potentially buffer the effects of plant freezing stress by increasing the availability of soil microsites that function as microrefugia. Moreover, increased species richness resulting from soil heterogeneity can increase the likelihood of stress‐tolerant species being present in a community. We used a field experiment to examine interactions between soil heterogeneity and increased freezing intensity (achieved via snow removal) on plant abundance and diversity in a grassland. Patches of topsoil were mixed with either sand or woodchips to create heterogeneous and homogeneous treatments, and plant community responses to snow removal were assessed over three growing seasons. Soil heterogeneity interacted significantly with snow removal, but it either buffered or exacerbated the snow removal response depending on the specific substrate (sand vs. woodchips) and plant functional group. In turn, snow removal influenced plant responses to soil heterogeneity; for example, adventive forb cover responded to increased heterogeneity under ambient snow cover, but this effect diminished with snow removal. Our results reveal that soil heterogeneity can play an important role in determining plant responses to changes in soil freezing stress resulting from global climate change. While the deliberate creation of soil microsites in ecological restoration projects as a land management practice could increase the frequency of microrefugia that mitigate plant community responses to increased freezing stress, the design of these microsites must be optimized, given that soil heterogeneity also has the potential to exacerbate freezing stress responses.     

Natural Establishment of Specialist Plant Species after Topsoil Removal and Soil Perturbation in Degraded Calcareous Sandy Grassland

Specialist plant species in calcareous sandy grasslands are threatened by acidification and high nutrient levels in the topsoil. We investigated whether topsoil removal and soil perturbation in degraded sandy grasslands could lead to establishment of specialist species belonging to the threatened xeric sand calcareous grassland habitat. Restoration actions performed in 2006 resulted in increased soil pH and reduced nitrogen availability. We found early colonisztion of the perennial key species Koeleria glauca after both deep perturbation and topsoil removal, and high seedling establishment in topsoil removal plots 5 and 6 years following the restoration treatment (2011–2012). After topsoil removal, overall vegetation composition in 2012 had developed toward the undegraded community, with target species accounting for 20% of the community after topsoil removal, compared to 30% in the undegraded vegetation, and less than 1% in untreated controls. Deep perturbation led to 7% target species, while there were almost no effects of shallow perturbation 6 years following treatment. These results demonstrate that topsoil removal can promote colonization of target species of calcareous sandy grassland and highlights the importance of considering the regeneration niche for target species when implementing restoration measures .     

Experimental evidence that soil heterogeneity enhances plant diversity during community assembly

Aims Environmental heterogeneity is a primary mechanism explaining species coexistence and extant patterns of diversity. Despite strong theoretical support and ample observational evidence, few experimental studies in plant communities have been able to demonstrate a causal link between environmental heterogeneity and plant diversity. This lack of experimental evidence suggests that either fine-scale heterogeneity has weak effects on plant diversity or previous experiments have been unable to effectively manipulate heterogeneity. Here, we utilize a unique soil manipulation to test whether fine-scale soil heterogeneity will increase plant richness through species sorting among experimental patch types.Methods This experiment was conducted in the tallgrass prairie region of south-central Kansas, USA. We utilized the inherent variation found in the vertical soil profile, which varied in both biotic and abiotic characteristics, and redistributed these strata into either homogeneous or heterogeneous spatial arrangements in 2.4×2.4 m plots. After the soil manipulation, 34 native prairie species were sown into all plots. We conducted annual censuses at peak biomass to quantify species composition and plant density by species within the experimental communities.Important findings After 2 years, species richness was significantly higher in heterogeneous relative to homogeneous plots and this pattern was independent of total plant density. In the heterogeneous plots, 13 species had higher establishment in a specific patch type representing one of the three soil strata. Conversely, no species had greater establishment in the mixed stratum, which comprised the homogeneous plots, relative to the heterogeneous strata. These species sorting patterns suggest that fine-scale heterogeneity creates opportunities for plant establishment due to niche differences, which translates into increased plant diversity at the plot scale. Species richness was more strongly related to plant density among patches comprising homogenous plots—where fine-scale heterogeneity was minimized, but weak in heterogeneous plots. This pattern is consistent with the idea that richness–density relationships dominate when neutral processes are important but are weak when niche processes operate. Unlike many previous attempts, our results provide clear, experimental evidence that fine-scale soil heterogeneity increases species richness through species sorting during community assembly.     

Invasibility and compositional stability in a grassland community: relationships to diversity and extrinsic factors

We present results from an ongoing field study conducted in Kansas grassland to examine correlates of invasibility and community stability along a natural gradient of plant diversity. Invasibility was evaluated by sowing seeds of 34 plant species into 40 experimental plots and then measuring colonization success after two growing seasons. Compositional stability, defined as resistance to change in species relative abundances over two growing seasons and in response to experimental disturbance, was measured in a separate set of 40 plots.
We found that community susceptibility to invasion was greatest in high diversity microsites within this grassland. Multiple regression analyses suggested that the positive correlation between invasibility and plant diversity was due to the direct influences of the extrinsic factors that contribute to spatial variation in diversity (soil disturbances; light availability), not to any direct impact of diversity. In addition, we found that compositional stability in response to disturbance was greatest within low diversity microsites and was strongly related to the dominance (evenness) component of diversity.     

Effect of Hay Transfer on Long-Term Establishment of Vegetation and Grasshoppers on Former Arable Fields

The transfer of seed‐containing hay is a restoration measure for the introduction of plant species of local provenance. We investigated the effect of hay transfer on species richness and on long‐term establishment of target plant and grasshopper species on former arable fields with and without topsoil removal in comparison to reference sites in a nature reserve. Plant species richness, the number of target plant species, and Red List plant species were significantly positively affected by hay transfer, both on the scale of whole restoration fields and on permanent plots of 4 m². Eight years after the start of the restoration, only few of the transferred plant species had disappeared and some target species were newly found. Grasshoppers were affected not by hay transfer but by topsoil removal. The proportion of target grasshopper and plant species and Red List grasshopper species was higher on topsoil removal sites with low standing crop and high cover of bare soil than on sites without soil removal. On topsoil removal sites without hay, however, plant species richness was very low because of the slow natural dispersal of the target species. Vegetation and grasshopper communities still differed between restoration fields and the nature reserve. Nevertheless, our results indicate that the transfer of autochthonous seed‐containing hay is a successful method to establish species‐rich grasslands with a high proportion of target species.     

高寒地区煤矿排土场植被恢复研究——以内蒙古扎哈淖尔煤矿为例

高寒煤矿排土场植被恢复是制约我国矿区绿色可持续发展亟待解决问题,内蒙古扎哈淖尔煤矿通过不同的生态措施对排土场进行人工植被恢复的实践。在2020年和2021年对该高寒煤矿排土场75个样地进行野外连续监测,对不同生态恢复措施影响高寒地区内蒙古扎哈淖尔露天煤矿排土场植物恢复过程中的群落组成、盖度、物种多样性进行分析,阐明不同恢复措施在高寒地区煤矿排土场植被恢复中的作用。研究结果表明：从2020年到2021年排土场的植物群落物种数、植被盖度和群落多样性存在显著的季节变化规律;周边原生草原的非人工种植植物随恢复时间增加而不断进入排土场,导致群落物种数显著增加;植物群落多样性在平面、坡面与田字格地形存在显著差异,田字格上Shannon-Wiener多样性指数最低;坡度显著影响群落多样性,同时受到季节变化影响;喷播加灌木种植方式与其他4种播种方式相比显著增加群落香浓维纳多样性指数;但不同坡向、土壤施肥方式和水分灌溉方式对植物群落多样性没有显著影响。研究结果可为完善草原露天煤矿植被恢复技术提供科学依据。     

Seedling emergence and survival in contrasting soil microsites in Patagonian Monte shrubland

Abstract. The potential of two perennial species (Larrea divaricata and Stipa tenuis) to colonize different soil microsites was analyzed in the Patagonian Monte shrubland. We hypothesize that the short-lived grass S. tenuis is more able to colonize the soil of microsites beneath vegetation patches where N-fertility is higher than those in bare soil, while the long-lived shrub L. divaricata colonizes different soil microsites irrespective of their N fertility. A greenhouse experiment was carried out to evaluate the emergence and survival of both species in different soil microsites at different water, inorganic N and seed densities. In all cases soil microsites were seed limited since the addition of viable seeds increased seedling emergence. Both species showed, however, different abilities to emerge and survive in different soil microsites. Microsites of bare soil were more favourable for seedling emergence and survival of L. divaricata than those beneath vegetation patches, independent of their water status. This ability of L. divaricata can not be explained on the basis of increased water or N availability, but probably because of lower salt content of bare soil. The addition of inorganic N reduced the survival of L. divaricata in both microsites but increased individual plant performance. The emergence and survival of S. tenuis was not different in both types of soil microsites but the addition of inorganic N increased seedling emergence and plant biomass. According to these results, emergence and plant performance of S. tenuis may be promoted during humid years by increased concentration of inorganic N. Since N mineralization occurs at a higher rate in soil microsites beneath vegetation patches than in those of bare soil, higher plant performance and probably establishment of S. tenuis is to be expected. These results are consistent with an existing conceptual model of plant dynamics under various grazing intensities in the Patagonian Monte shrubland based on previous field observations.     

Predictors of moss and liverwort species diversity of microsites in conifer‐dominated boreal forest

Patterns of moss and liverwort species diversity — species richness and species turnover (β‐diversity) — in three conifer‐dominated boreal forest stands of northern Alberta, Canada are described. We examined the relationship between bryophyte species diversity and micro‐environment at two sample grains, the microsite — substrate types for moss colonization: logs, stumps, tree bases, undisturbed patches of forest floor (dominated by feather moss species), and disturbed patches of forest floor — and the mesosite (25 m × 25 m plots). Microsite type and properties (e.g. decay class, hardwood vs softwood, pH) were the principal predictors of bryophyte species diversity and not micro‐environment variation among mesosites. Microsite type was the strongest predictor of microsite species richness and β‐diversity was higher among microsites and types and within microsites than among mesosites or stands. Microsite properties were significant predictors of species richness for all microsite types. Log and stump decay classes, influenced also by hardwood vs softwood predicted species richness of woody microsite types and soil pH and moisture predicted species richness of forest floor microsites. β‐diversity was highest for tree bases and disturbed patches of forest floor and lowest for logs. Mesosite β‐diversity was lower than that among microsites, and mesosite species richness was not well explained by measured environmental parameters. Results suggest that in conifer‐dominated boreal stands, species richness of microsites is only negligibly influenced by within‐stand variation at the mesosite grain and that substrate characteristics are the most important predictors of bryophyte species diversity in this ecosystem.     

Dominant plant species shape soil bacterial community in semiarid sandy land of northern China

Plant species affect soil bacterial diversity and compositions. However, little is known about the role of dominant plant species in shaping the soil bacterial community during the restoration of sandy grasslands in Horqin Sandy Land, northern China. We established a mesocosm pots experiment to investigate short‐term responses of soil bacterial diversity and composition, and the related soil properties in degraded soils without vegetation (bare sand as the control, CK) to restoration with five plant species that dominate across restoration stages: Agriophyllum squarrosum (AS), Artemisia halodendron (AH), Setaria viridis (SV), Chenopodium acuminatum (CA), and Corispermum macrocarpum (CM). We used redundancy analysis (RDA) to analyze the association between soil bacterial composition and soil properties in different plant species. Our results indicated that soil bacterial diversity was significantly lower in vegetated soils independent of plant species than in the CK. Specifically, soil bacterial species richness and diversity were lower under the shrub AH and the herbaceous plants AS, SV, and CA, and soil bacterial abundance was lower under AH compared with the CK. A field investigation confirmed the same trends where soil bacteria diversity was lower under AS and AH than in bare sand. The high‐sequence annotation analysis showed that Proteobacteria, Actinobacteria, and Bacteroidetes were the most common phyla in sandy land irrespective of soil plant cover. The OTUs (operational taxonomic units) indicated that some bacterial species were specific to the host plants. Relative to bare sand (CK), soils with vegetative cover exhibited lower soil water content and temperature, and higher soil carbon and nitrogen contents. The RDA result indicated that, in addition to plant species, soil water and nitrogen contents were the most important factors shaping soil bacterial composition in semiarid sandy land. Our study from the pot and field investigations clearly demonstrated that planting dominant species in bare sand impacts bacterial diversity. In semiarid ecosystems, changes in the dominant plant species during vegetation restoration efforts can affect the soil bacterial diversity and composition through the direct effects of plants and the indirect effects of soil properties that are driven by plant species.     

Plant community establishment in a restored wetland: Effects of soil removal

Question: This study investigated the establishment of wetland plant assemblages following soil removal and restored hydrology in a former agricultural field. The following questions were posed. Does plant community composition differ as a result of soil removal? Does soil removal reduce the frequency of non-wetland plants? Does soil removal reduce the frequency of non-native invasive plants? Location: The Panzner Wetland Wildlife Reserve (PWWR) in Summit County, northeastern Ohio, USA. Methods: During 2000–2001, restoration was conducted on two adjoining fields (3.9 ha total) by excavating the upper 40–50 cm of soil layer and establishing 12 10 m × 10 m undisturbed control plots. Preliminary data included seed bank composition and soil organic matter, estimated from three different soil depths on the control plots. In spring 2004, a 10 m × 10 m soil-removed plot was established adjacent to each control plot. Plant percent cover of all species was estimated within the center 5 m × 5 m of every plot. Above-ground biomass of all species from three 0.25-m² quadrats was collected. Environmental water measurements included water depth, temperature, dissolved oxygen, pH, and conductivity. Results: The top 10 cm of soil contained the most seeds, the highest species diversity, the greatest proportion of annual to perennial plants, and the lowest organic content. Obligate and facultative wetland plants were found in soil-removed plots while facultative upland and upland plants were found in control plots. The only plots with arable weeds were the control plots. However, plant communities on soil-removed plots in the North field, which had a higher elevation (ca. 15–20 cm), had a different species composition than soil-removed plots in the South field. Conclusions: The results of a controlled, replicated large-scale study on the effects of soil removal showed that soil removal altered both the biotic and abiotic environment, but that the proximity to the water table was the primary controlling factor in the assembly of plant communities.     

Bare soil cover and arbuscular mycorrhizal community in the first montane forest restoration in Central Argentina

Soil erosion affects extensive areas worldwide and must be urgently reduced promoting plant cover and beneficial microorganisms associated with plants, including arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF). In mountain environments, plant cover is difficult to enhance due to harsh conditions during the dry season and steep slopes. Our objective was to evaluate the percentage of the soil surface covered by plants and the AMF community associated with trees 12.5 years after planting during forest restoration efforts in microsites at different levels of soil degradation. The study was performed in the first montane forest restoration initiative of Central Argentina, where one of the trials consisted of planting Polylepis australis saplings at microsites with different levels of soil degradation: high, intermediate, and low. After 12.5 years, percentage of bare soil cover was significantly reduced by 36 and 37% in the high and intermediate degradation microsites, respectively. Low degradation microsites were initially very low in bare soil and did not significantly change. Mycorrhizal colonization, hyphae, vesicles, arbuscules, AMF diversity, and community structure were similar among microsite types. Percentage of hyphal entry points was higher at microsites with low degradation, number of spores was higher in high and intermediate degradation, and species richness was higher in high degradation. Acaulospora and Glomus were the most abundant genera in all microsites. We conclude that even in the most degraded microsites around 2.8% of the bare soil is covered by vegetation each year and that the arbuscular mycorrhizal community is highly tolerant and adapted to soils with different disturbance types.     

The role of mycorrhizal fungi and microsites in primary succession on Mount St. Helens

This study was designed to examine the role of vesicular-arbuscular mycorrhizae (VAM) and microsites on the growth of pioneer species. Flat, rill, near-rock, and dead lupine microsites were created in plots in barren areas of the Pumice Plain of Mount St. Helens. VAM propagules were added to the soil in half of the plots. Six pioneer species were planted into both VAM and non-VAM inoculated microsites. Plants in dead lupine microsites were greater in biomass than those in flat, rill, and near-rock microsites. Significant effects of VAM on plant biomass did not occur. Microsites continue to be important to plant colonization on the Pumice Plain, but VAM do not yet appear to play an important role. This may be due to limited nutrient availability and the facultatively mycotrophic nature of the colonizing plant species. It is unlikely that VAM play an important role in successional processes in newly emplaced nutrient-poor surfaces.     

Topsoil Seed Bank of an Oak–Hickory Forest in Eastern Kentucky as a Restoration Tool on Surface Mines

Typical reclamation practices in the central Appalachian coal region often use compacted spoils as a topsoil replacement, and these soils are revegetated with aggressive grasses and legumes. This restoration approach results in an herbaceous‐dominated landscape with limited natural succession by native flora. An alternative restoration method is to save topsoil prior to mining, stockpile it during mining, and then replace it on uncompacted spoils to “inoculate” the site with native plant species. In an effort to test this approach, vegetation assessments were performed at a relatively undisturbed forested site in Clay County, Kentucky, U.S.A. Eight 15 × 15–m plots were established, and soils from individual plots were used in seed bank studies both in the greenhouse and on loose‐dumped mine spoils. Bulk soil samples were removed from the plots and subjected to cold stratification for 13 weeks, after which seeds were allowed to germinate under greenhouse conditions for 1 year. Additional topsoil (approximately 1.5 m³ from the upper 0–20 cm) was removed from the plots and replaced on fresh spoil in eight 2 × 5–m plots. Controls consisted of uncompacted spoil material substrate only. A total of 105 species emerged in the greenhouse from the seed bank. On the relocated topsoil, 69 species were recorded of which 39 were also observed in pre‐mine vegetation surveys. Ten of the 17 most important pre‐mine forested site species emerged from the relocated topsoil treatments on the mine site. Our results indicate that application of topsoil could enhance plant diversity and native species reestablishment on surface‐mined lands.     

Long-Term Effects of Biosolids on Revegetation of Disturbed Sagebrush Steppe in Northwestern Colorado

A study was conducted to evaluate the long‐term effects of biosolids amendment on restoration of disturbed sagebrush steppe habitat in northwestern Colorado. Twenty‐four years after biosolids amendment, soil fertility and plant community development were studied in replicated plots receiving various biosolids amendments on two different substrates. The two substrates used were a subsoil, determined to have low initial fertility, and a topsoil over retorted shale substrate, determined to have relatively high initial fertility. Results suggest that biosolids amendments have long‐lasting effects on soil fertility and plant community composition, but these effects vary between the two substrates that were utilized. Within the plots established on subsoil, the long‐term effect of biosolids was a reduction in plant species diversity and dominance by perennial grasses. On the topsoil substrate, there was a decrease in perennial grasses and an increase in shrub dominance with increasing biosolids. Results demonstrate the importance of considering initial soil conditions, seed mixture, and biosolids application rate when using biosolids for restoration of disturbed sagebrush steppe habitat. The long‐term effects of the biosolids treatments at this site demonstrate the need to consider restoration treatment effects over longer and more ecologically meaningful time frames.     

Acidification of sandy grasslands – consequences for plant diversity

Questions: (1) Does soil acidification in calcareous sandy grasslands lead to loss of plant diversity? (2) What is the relationship between the soil content of lime and the plant availability of mineral nitrogen (N) and phosphorus (P) in sandy grasslands? Location: Sandy glaciofluvial deposits in south‐eastern Sweden covered by xeric sand calcareous grasslands (EU habitat directive 6120). Methods: Soil and vegetation were investigated in most of the xeric sand calcareous grasslands in the Scania region (136 sample plots distributed over four or five major areas and about 25 different sites). Environmental variables were recorded at each plot, and soil samples were analysed for exchangeable P and N, as well as limestone content and pH. Data were analysed with regression analysis and canonical correspondence analysis. Results: Plant species richness was highest on weakly acid to slightly alkaline soil; a number of nationally red‐listed species showed a similar pattern. Plant species diversity and number of red‐listed species increased with slope. Where the topsoil had been acidified, limestone was rarely present above a depth of 30 cm. The presence of limestone restricts the availability of soil P, placing a major constraint on primary productivity in sandy soils. Conclusions: Acidification of sandy grasslands leads to reduced abundance of desirable species, although the overall effect is rather weak between pH 5 and pH 9. Slopes are important for high diversity in sandy grasslands. Calcareous soils cannot be restored through shallow ploughing, but deep perturbation could increase the limestone content of the topsoil and favour of target species.     

Composition and diversity of herbaceous patches in woody vegetation: The effects of grazing,soil seed bank,patch spatial properties and scale

Herbaceous plants contribute much to plant diversity in Mediterranean-type ecosystems though mostly occupying relatively small patches within the dense woody vegetation. While studying species diversity in the herbaceous patches, we hypothesized that grazing, soil seed bank, and spatial properties of the patch affect plant diversity and composition at different spatial scales. The study site was in an LTER site located in the Mediterranean region in north Israel. We determined herbaceous species composition in: (1) randomly sampled quadrats in herbaceous patches in grazed and un-grazed plots; (2) soil seed bank samples taken from the same patches and germinated under optimal greenhouse conditions; (3) quadrats in the same patches sown with a homogenous mixture of local soil samples. Using GIS methods, we determined small-scale spatial characteristics of the herbaceous patches. Alpha and beta diversities were calculated at the patch and plot scales using Shannon's entropy H. Grazing increased alpha diversity of local untreated seed bank samples but decreased alpha diversity of the artificial homogenous soil seed bank mixture at both patch and plot scales. Positive relation between alpha diversity and patch area was detected only under grazing. Grazing increased beta diversity in all three treatments at the patch scale. Grazing decreased the similarity in species composition between above-ground vegetation and soil seed bank. The results indicate that moderate cattle-grazing affects species diversity in the herbaceous patches within the dense maquis. This effect is scale-dependent, and interacts with the effects of soil seed bank and patch spatial-properties: without grazing soil seed bank plays a more important role than patch spatial properties, but under grazing the size and the accessibility of the patch are more important in the determination of herbaceous species composition.     

Relationships among soil fertility,native plant diversity and exotic plant abundance inform restoration of forb‐rich eucalypt woodlands

Aim Water and nutrient availability are major limits to productivity in semi‐arid ecosystems; hence, ecological restoration often focuses on conserving or concentrating soil resources. By contrast, nutrient enrichment can promote invasion by exotic annuals, leading to restoration approaches that target reduction of soil nutrients. We aimed to explore potential biodiversity trade‐offs between these approaches by investigating relationships among soil nutrients, exotic annuals and native plant diversity and composition. In particular, we investigated the hypothesis that native plant diversity in semi‐arid to temperate woodlands reflects the productivity–diversity hypothesis, leading to hump‐backed relationships with soil nutrients such that (1) native plant diversity declines with increasing nutrient enrichment and (2) native diversity is limited at the lowest levels of soil fertility. Location Fragmented, long‐ungrazed Eucalyptus loxophleba subsp. loxophleba (York gum)–Acacia acuminata (jam) woodlands in the wheatbelt of South‐Western Australia. Methods We conducted stratified surveys of floristic composition and topsoil nutrient concentrations in 112 woodland patches. We used generalized linear models, structural equation models and ordinations to characterize relationships among soil nutrients, rainfall, exotic annuals and patch‐scale (100 m²) native plant composition and diversity. Results Patch‐scale native plant diversity declined strongly with increasing exotic abundance. This was partly related to elevated soil nutrient concentrations, particularly total nitrogen and available phosphorus. By contrast, there was little evidence for positive correlations between soil nutrients and native diversity, even at very low soil nutrient concentrations. Main conclusions Minimizing weed invasions is crucial for maximizing native plant diversity in E. loxophleba woodlands and could include nutrient‐depleting treatments without substantially compromising the functional capacity of soils to maintain native plant richness and composition. More broadly we emphasize that understanding relationships among ecosystem productivity, plant diversity and exotic invasions in the context of associated theoretical frameworks is fundamental for informing ecological restoration.     

荒漠草原“土岛”生境群落物种共存机制

经过长期破碎化, 荒漠草原原生硬质灰钙土斑块散布在广大沙化土地中, 形成类似“土岛”的土被结构。为揭示土岛生境的群落物种共存机制, 2016年在宁夏盐池县皖记沟村选取大(200-300 m²)、中(约100 m²)、小(约50 m²)土岛各3个开展调查, 采用Jaccard相异系数、物种生态位宽度和生态位重叠度、零模型、Meta分析, 综合计算和分析土岛内部与外部植物群落相似性、物种生态位宽度和生态位重叠、物种共存格局及其影响因子。研究发现, (1)随着破碎化加剧, 土岛内部植物多样性整体呈现下降趋势, 群落优势种从短花针茅(Stipa breviflora)转变为猪毛蒿(Artemisia scoparia)和短花针茅共优种, 土岛内外群落相似性增加。(2)土岛内外绝大多数物种生态位重叠较小, 生态位重叠在土岛内呈集中分布, 而土岛外则呈均匀发散分布。(3)环境过滤为主的生态过程决定了土岛生境群落物种的共存格局, 随着土岛面积减小, 环境因子对群落物种共存的调控强度降低, 关键性环境因子由土壤细砂粒和黏粒转变为粗砂粒, 显著性竞争物种共存格局在小岛出现。综上所述, 土岛生境对于维持草原物种具有重要作用, 环境过滤主导了荒漠草原物种共存格局。随着生境破碎化加剧或土岛面积减小, 物种共存格局及其调控因子发生转变。保护面积在200 m²以上的大土岛对于恢复荒漠草原区草原成分种和其物种多样性机制都十分必要。     

Restoring riparian meadows currently dominated by Artemisia using alternative state concepts ‐ the establishment component

Abstract. We evaluated the potential for restoring riparian grass and sedge meadows currently dominated by Artemisia tridentata var. tridentata with an experiment in which we burned sites with low, intermediate, and high water tables, i.e., dry, intermediate, and wet sites. To define the alternative states and thresholds for these ecosystems, we examined burning and water table effects on both abiotic variables and establishment of grasses adapted to relatively high (Poa se‐cunda ssp. juncifolia), intermediate (Leymus triticoides), or low (L. cinereus) water tables. Wet sites had lower soil temperatures and higher soil water contents than dry sites. Burning increased soil temperatures on all sites. Undershrub microsites on control plots had the lowest temperatures, while former undershrub microsites on burn plots had the highest temperatures. Surface soil water was low on burn plots early in the growing season due to desiccation, but higher at deeper depths after active plant growth began. Emergence was generally greater on wet sites, but survival was microsite‐ and species‐specific. Undershrub microsites on control plots facilitated emergence and first‐year survival, but seedlings that survived initially harsh conditions on burn plots had similar numbers alive at the end. In general, favorable environments and establishment of species adapted to mesic conditions indicate that wet sites represent an alternative state of the naturally occurring dry meadow ecosystem type, and can be restored to grass and sedge meadows. Harsh environments and lack of establishment of species adapted to mesic conditions indicate that dry sites have crossed a threshold and may represent a new ecosystem type. Understory vegetation and seed banks on dry sites have been depleted, and restoration will require burning and reseeding with species adapted to more xeric conditions.     

黄土高原蓝藻和藓类生物结皮对草本植物多样性及生物量的影响

生物结皮在干旱和半干旱气候区占据了广阔的生态位,深刻影响草本植物的空间格局,但其影响程度和作用途径目前仍存有争议。分别以黄土高原风沙土和黄绵土上的蓝藻结皮和藓结皮为对象,以无结皮为对照,通过样方法调查并测定了生物结皮与无结皮样地中草本植物的多样性和生物量,继而结合灰色关联分析和结构方程模型,对比分析了两类生物结皮对草本植物多样性和生物量的影响程度及作用途径。结果表明：（1）风沙土上,无结皮样地的优势科为禾本科和菊科,蓝藻结皮样地的优势科为藜科,藓结皮样地的优势科为禾本科,而黄绵土上无结皮样地的优势科为菊科、禾本科和豆科,蓝藻结皮样地的优势科与无结皮相似,藓结皮样地的优势科为禾本科和菊科;（2）与无结皮相比,风沙土上蓝藻结皮和藓结皮样地中多年生草本的株数分别增加了30%和16%,而黄绵土上两类生物结皮样地中多年生草本株数则分别增加了44%和减少了46%;（3）与无结皮相比,风沙土上蓝藻结皮和藓结皮样地中草本植物的Patrick和Shannon指数分别降低了1.0、0.2和3.4、0.5;而黄绵土上蓝藻结皮和藓结皮样地中两种多样性指数分别降低了4.8、0.2和4.2、0.4;（4）风沙土上蓝藻结皮和藓结皮样地的草本植物生物量比无结皮减少了111.5 g/m²和145.0 g/m²,而在黄绵土上则分别减少了127.8 g/m²和172.2 g/m²;（5）灰色关联分析显示,土壤穿透阻力对草本植物的多样性影响最大（关联系数分别为0.960和0.996）,而NH₄⁺-N和NO₃^--N含量对草本植物的生物量影响最大（两种土壤上关联系数分别为0.727和0.752）。综上,黄土高原生物结皮显著降低了草本植物的多样性和生物量,其途径为通过增加土壤穿透阻力以降低草本植物的种子萌发几率并限制幼苗根系伸展,同时通过土壤氮竞争限制了草本植物生长。