Grazing, Environmental Heterogeneity, and Alien Plant Invasions in Temperate Pampa Grasslands

Temperate humid grasslands are known to be particularly vulnerable to invasion by alien plant species when grazed by domestic livestock. The Flooding Pampa grasslands in eastern Argentina represent a well-documented case of a regional flora that has been extensively modified by anthropogenic disturbances and massive invasions over recent centuries. Here, we synthesise evidence from region-wide vegetation surveys and long-term exclosure experiments in the Flooding Pampa to examine the response of exotic and native plant richness to environmental heterogeneity, and to evaluate grazing effects on species composition and diversity at landscape and local community scales. Total plant richness showed a unimodal distribution along a composite stress/fertility gradient ranging several plant community types. On average, more exotic species occurred in intermediate fertility habitats that also contained the highest richness of resident native plants. Exotic plant richness was thus positively correlated with native species richness across a broad range of flood-prone grasslands. The notion that native plant diversity decreases invasibility was supported only for a limited range of species-rich communities in habitats where soil salinity stress and flooding were unimportant. We found that grazing promoted exotic plant invasions and generally enhanced community richness, whereas it reduced the compositional and functional heterogeneity of vegetation at the landscape scale. Hence, grazing effects on plant heterogeneity were scale-dependent. In addition, our results show that environmental fluctuations and physical disturbances such as large floods in the pampas may constrain, rather than encourage, exotic species in grazed grasslands.     

Distribution of Molecular Scaffolds and R-Groups Isolated from Large Compound Databases

We describe an approach to isolate molecular scaffolds and R-groups from known chemical compounds in order to generate scaffold and R-group databases from two large compound collections, Optiverse^TM and Maybridge^TM. The distributions of molecular scaffolds and R-groups in the parent databases were analysed and compared. We find that a limited number of scaffolds and R-groups account for the majority of database compounds and that most of the scaffolds occur only once or twice in the compound databases. Diversity analysis suggests that the compound and scaffold databases have similar molecular diversity. Implications for library design are discussed.Electronic Supplementary Material available.     

中国耕地土壤侵蚀空间分布特征及生态背景

利用20世纪90年代中期全国土壤侵蚀遥感调查数据和耕地数据分析了全国耕地土壤侵蚀情况,20世纪90年代中期全国耕地受土壤侵蚀面积占33.15%。水力侵蚀面积较大,占耕地土壤侵蚀面积的88.43%,风力侵蚀占11.08%,冻融侵蚀占0.32%,重力侵蚀占0.04%,工程侵蚀占0.13%,土壤侵蚀以旱地为主,水田较少,旱地水力侵蚀中较为严重的地区主要分布在黄土高原,云贵高原、四川及南方丘陵地区,风力侵蚀主要分布在西北和东北地区,水田受水力侵蚀分布在西南地区,水田受风力侵蚀主要分布在黑龙江、辽宁等地区,冻融侵蚀主要分布在内蒙古、青藏高原等地区,广东省的工程侵蚀和重力侵蚀较为严重,还分析了旱地水力侵蚀与地形,植被和降雨量等生态背景的关系,利用生态环境综合指数和土壤侵蚀强度指数分析了土壤侵恂与生态背景的关系,当生态环境综合指数≤4.33时,生态背景综合指数与土壤侵蚀强度具有很强的相关性。     

A Scaling Rule for Landscape Patches and How It Applies to Conserving Soil Resources in Savannas

Scaling issues are complex, yet understanding issues such as scale dependencies in ecological patterns and processes is usually critical if we are to make sense of ecological data and if we want to predict how land management options, for example, are constrained by scale. In this article, we develop the beginnings of a way to approach the complexity of scaling issues. Our approach is rooted in scaling functions, which integrate the scale dependency of patterns and processes in landscapes with the ways that organisms scale their responses to these patterns and processes. We propose that such functions may have sufficient generality that we can develop scaling rules—statements that link scale with consequences for certain phenomena in certain systems. As an example, we propose that in savanna ecosystems, there is a consistent relationship between the size of vegetation patches in the landscape and the degree to which critical resources, such as soil nutrients or water, become concentrated in these patches. In this case, the features of the scaling functions that underlie this rule have to do with physical processes, such as surface water flow and material redistribution, and the ways that patches of plants physically “capture” such runoff and convert it into plant biomass, thereby concentrating resources and increasing patch size. To be operationally useful, such scaling rules must be expressed in ways that can generate predictions. We developed a scaling equation that can be used to evaluate the potential impacts of different disturbances on vegetation patches and on how soils and their nutrients are conserved within Australian savanna landscapes. We illustrate that for a 10-km² paddock, given an equivalent area of impact, the thinning of large tree islands potentially can cause a far greater loss of soil nitrogen (21 metric tons) than grazing out small grass clumps (2 metric tons). Although our example is hypothetical, we believe that addressing scaling problems by first conceptualizing scaling functions, then proposing scaling rules, and then deriving scaling equations is a useful approach. Scaling equations can be used in simulation models, or (as we have done) in simple hypothetical scenarios, to collapse the complexity of scaling issues into a manageable framework. Received 8 December 1998; accepted 17 August 1999.     

Morphology,Morphogenesis, and Molecular Phylogeny of a New Soil Ciliate,Sterkiella multicirrata sp. nov. (Ciliophora,Hypotrichia) from China

The morphology and morphogenesis of a new soil hypotrich ciliate, Sterkiella multicirrata sp. nov., was investigated using live observation and protargol staining. The new species is characterised by: body elliptical, 110–180 × 45–75 μm in vivo, an average of 35 adoral membranelles; usually 19 frontoventral‐transverse cirri, consisting of three frontal, five frontoventral, one buccal, four postoral ventral, two pretransverse, and four transverse cirri; four macronuclear nodules, and 2–5 micronuclei. S. multicirrata sp. nov. differs from its congeners mainly in the number of frontoventral‐transverse cirri and macronuclear nodules. Morphogenesis of the new species is similar to its congeners; the primary difference exists in the segmentation of the frontoventral‐transverse cirral anlagen, which is usually generated in a 1:2:3:3:5:5 pattern. Based on the small subunit ribosomal DNA sequence, the phylogenetic position of the new species is discussed.     

Soil Organic Carbon and Water Retention after Conversion of Grasslands to Pine Plantations in the Ecuadorian Andes

Tree plantations in the high elevations of the tropics constitute a growing land use, but their effect on ecosystem processes and services is not well known. We examined changes in soil organic carbon (C) and water retention in a chronosequence of Pinus radiata stands planted in páramo grasslands in Cotopaxi province, Ecuador. Water retention at 10, 33, and 1,500 kPa declined with stand age, with soils in the oldest pine stands retaining 39%, 55%, and 63% less water than grassland soils at the three pressures tested. Soil organic C in the 0–10-cm depth also declined with stand age, from 5.0 kg m^–2 in grasslands to 3.5 kg m^–2 in 20–25-year-old pine stands (P < 0.001); at greater depth in the A horizon, C contents decreased from 2.8 to 1.2 kg m^–2 (P = 0.047). There were no significant differences among age classes in the AC and C horizons (P = 0.15 and P = 0.34, respectively), where little or no weathering of the primary material has occurred. Inputs of C may be affected by the significantly higher carbon–nitrogen (C:N) ratio of the litter under older pine stands (P = 0.005), whereas outputs are influenced by substrate quality as well as soil environmental factors. Soil ratios at the 0–10 cm depth were significantly higher in grasslands and young pine stands (P < 0.001), whereas carbon–phosphorous (C:P) ratios at 0–10-cm depth followed a similar but not significant trend. However, there was no significant difference in short-term decomposition rates (P = 0.60) when the soils were incubated under uniform temperature and moisture conditions. In páramo ecosystems, where high soil moisture plays an important role in retarding decomposition and driving high C storage, the loss of water retention after afforestation may be the dominant factor in C loss. These results suggest that soil C buildup and water retention respond rapidly to changes in biota and need to be assessed with regard to implications for C sequestration and watershed management.     

未培养微生物的研究与微生物分子生态学的发展*

近年来现代分子技术和基因组学逐渐渗透到有关生命科学的整个领域,也为微生物生态学提供了新的研究方法和机遇。16S rRNA基因序列分析、DNA-DNA杂交、核酸指纹图谱以及宏基因组学等分子技术检查自然环境中的微生物,可以克服传统纯培养技术的不足,是一条探知未培养微生物、寻找新基因及其产物的新途径,开启了我们认识微生物多样性和获得新资源的大门。     

土壤生态学的理论体系及其研究领域

1　前　言从土壤生态学 (ＳｏｉｌＥｃｏｌｏｇｙ)思想的萌芽[1] 到Ｐｒａｓｏｌｏｖ第一次提出“土壤生态学 ( ｐｅｄｅｃｏｌｏｇｙ)”[2 ]这一术语以来 ,土壤生态学经历了一个较长的奠定和发展时期。 2 0世纪 5 0年代至 70年代 ,国内外一些学者相继出版和发表了土壤生态学的专著和论文[3～ 8] ,标志着它已成为一门独立的学科。但这些工作停留在土壤生物生态学的水平上。 2 0世纪 80年代以来 ,由于经典土壤学和生态学等在解决生产实践和一系列生态环境问题中遇到的困难及生态系统方法论在土壤生态学中的应用 ,才倍受重视 ,突破了土壤生物…     

Structure and Reactivity of a Biological Soil Crust from a Xeric Sandy Soil in Central Europe

The investigation was designed to explore the structure, composition, and activity of a biological soil crust on an acidic, sandy soil from a temperate climate. The crust covers several hundreds of square meters on the hilltop of a large terminal moraine. The conjugate alga Zygogonium ericetorum forms the essential matrix for the crust, a dense web of algal filaments with interspersed lichens and mosses. The crust is composed of three layers, with an uppermost layer consisting nearly entirely of a dense algal mat. In lower layers, a parasitic fungus, penetrating the algal cells, is another important component of the crust community. In this soil crust, photosynthetic and respiratory activity is stabilized at low water activities.     

Entomological surveillance,spatial distribution,and diversity of Culicidae (Diptera) immatures in a rural area of the Atlantic Forest biome,State of São Paulo,Brazil

Because of the high adaptive capacity of mosquitoes, studies that focus on transitional environments become very important, such as those in rural areas, which are considered as bridges between wild diseases and human populations of urban areas. In this study, a survey of the existing species of mosquitoes was performed in an Atlantic Forest area of the city of Santa Bárbara d'Oeste, São Paulo state, Brazil, using traps for immatures and analyzing the frequency and distribution of these insects over the sampling months. Five mosquito species were found: Aedes albopictus (the most frequent species), Aedes aegypti, Aedes fluviatilis, Culex quinquefasciatus, and Toxorhynchites theobaldi. The 4,524 eggs collected in ovitraps showed the presence of the tribe Aedini. Aedes aegypti and Ae. albopictus were identified after larval hatching in the laboratory, with different spatial distributions: the first of which coincides with the area of greatest diversity calculated using the Simpson index, while the second does not. The association of ecological analysis of spatial diversity with simple methods of data collection enables the identification of possible epidemiological risk situations and is a strategy that may be implemented to monitor ecological processes resulting from the interaction among different species of mosquitoes.     

红树植物分子生态与进化研究进展

红树林是热带与亚热带海洋森林和地球湿地生态系统的重要组成部分 ,是多种海洋动物及鸟类栖息繁衍的重要场所 ,在调节全球生态平衡及维持生物多样性方面起着十分重要的作用。有关红树林的生态生物学研究 ,特别是红树林及其生物多样性变化的监测研究 ,红树林的保护与管理已成为热带亚热带海洋及湿地生态学研究的重要内容。海南岛有长达 1 5 2 8ｋｍ的海岸线 ,红树林群落的分布十分广泛。孢粉学证据说明 ,海南岛滨海地区在第三纪时即有红树林出现[1 ] 。现海南岛红树林植物种类有 1 8科 2 6属 34种 ,占中国红树植物种数的 97.1 % [2 ] 。由于…     

甘肃中东部地区9种薹草属植物分布区群落特征和土壤养分状况

为探究薹草属(Carex L.)植物在不同植被类型中的分布状况,该研究对甘肃中东部地区9种薹草属(Carex L.)植物分布区的群落特征进行调查,并对土壤养分状况进行比较分析,以揭示野生薹草群落物种多样性和分布特征与土壤环境因子间的关系。结果表明：(1) 9种薹草群落物种多样性差异性较大,Shannon-Wiener多样性指数(H)、Simpson优势度指数(D_si)均以青绿薹草群落最高,亚柄薹草最低;Patrick丰富度指数(R)以异穗薹草群落最高,细叶薹草群落最低;Pielou均匀度指数(J_sw)以凹脉薹草群落最高,亚柄薹草最低。(2) 9种野生薹草属植物适宜生长的土壤pH呈中性或弱碱性,且有机质、氮素、钾素含量较丰富,磷含量偏低;土壤有机质、pH、全氮、全磷、全钾、碱解氮、速效磷、速效钾含量的平均值分别为41.07 g·kg^-1、8.35、1.16 g·kg^-1、0.65 g·kg^-1、5.60 g·kg^-1、47.94 mg·kg^-1、5.82 mg·kg^-1和100.60 mg·kg^-1。(3) 9种薹草属植物群落物种多样性与全氮、全磷、全钾、碱解氮、有机质、降雨量和海拔呈正相关关系,而与土壤pH、速效磷、速效钾呈负相关关系,且降雨量、土壤pH、速效磷和有机质对9种野生薹草属植物群落物种多样性影响较大。     

两种热带木质藤本幼苗形态、生长和光合能力对光强和养分的响应

比较了两种不同攀援习性,卷须缠绕种薄叶羊蹄甲（Bauhinia tenuiflora）和茎缠绕种刺果藤（Byttneria aspera）,木质藤本植物的形态、生长及光合特性对不同光强（4％、35％和全光照）和土壤养分（高和低）的响应。两种藤本植物大部分表型特征主要受光照的影响,而受土壤养分的影响较小。弱光促进地上部分生长,弱光下两种植物均具有较大的比叶面积（specific leaf area,SLA）、茎生物量比（stem mass ratio,SMR）和平均叶面积比（mean leaf area ratio,LARm）。高光强下,两种植物的总生物量和投入到地下部分的比重增加,具有更大的根生物量比（root mass ratio,RMR）、更多的分枝数、更高的光合能力（maximum photosynthetic rate,Pmax）和净同化速率（net assimilation rate,NAR）,综合表现为相对生长速率（relative growth rate,RGR）增加。两种藤本植物的Pmax与叶片含氮量的相关性均未达显著水平,但刺果藤的Pmax与SU志间呈显著的正相关,而薄叶羊蹄甲的Pmax与SLA之间相关性不显著。在相同光照强度和土壤养分条件下,卷须缠绕种薄叶羊蹄甲的RGR显著高于茎缠绕种刺果藤。薄叶羊蹄甲的RGR与NAR呈显著正相关,其RGR与SLA、平均叶面积比（EARm）及Pmax之间相关性不显著。刺果藤的RGR与NAR呈显著的正相关,而与SLA存在显著的负相关。上述结果表明,与土壤养分相比,光照强度可能是决定木质藤本分布更为重要的生态因子。卷须缠绕种薄叶羊蹄甲由于具有特化的攀援器官,在形态上和生理上具有更大的可塑性,这使得卷须缠绕种木质藤本在与其它植物的竞争中更具优势。     

High Foliar and Soil Nitrogen Concentrations in Central Appalachian Forests

Regional topography and climate variation yield differences in ecosystem attributes that make spatially scaled estimates of forest productivity challenging. Foliar nitrogen is a primary indicator of forest ecosystem productivity and is used in regional estimates of terrestrial productivity, but this characteristic has not been well described in the Central Appalachian region. Here we describe foliar and soil N variation among species and elevations at two spatial scales in the Central Appalachian region: (1) across the Elklick watershed in the Fernow Experimental Forest and (2) across the state of West Virginia. We found higher foliar N concentrations at both scales than those previously reported for other temperate forest regions. Canopy and soil nitrogen concentrations were also much greater in the Fernow than generally observed across West Virginia. Soil N concentrations in the Fernow were two times greater than those observed across West Virginia. Species-related differences were observed at both spatial scales, but were not always consistent. Canopy N ranges are generally consistent across elevations throughout the state of West Virginia, but should be scaled according to species-related elevation effects for studies that estimate productivity differences in response to harvest or changing species composition. The incongruence of foliar and soil N concentrations at the Fernow Experimental Forest are not explained by elevation or species composition, but are likely a consequence of greater historical N and H⁺ deposition relative to the surrounding West Virginia region.     

广佛地区典型湿地类型植物多样性与土壤因子的关系

为了解土壤影响湿地植物多样性的主要因子,在广佛地区9大湿地类型选取18个样地作为研究对象,通过样方调查以及内业试验获得湿地群落物种组成分布、植物多样性、土壤状况等数据,运用方差分析、典范冗余分析(RDA)、典范对应分析(CCA)对群落分布、植物多样性与土壤因子之间的相关性进行分析。经实地调查,统计出湿地植物312种,隶属90科198属,以禾本科(Gramineae)、莎草科(Cyperaceae)、菊科(Compositae)等为优势科。草本植物占绝对优势,占79.17%。主成分评价结果表明, 近海及海岸湿地土壤养分水平较高。RDA排序分析结果表明土壤因子对植物多样性影响较大的指标是土壤有机质、全氮、全磷、全钾、碱解氮;CCA排序结果表明土壤环境因子对湿地草本植物群落分布主要影响因子为pH、速效钾、有效磷。各研究结果表明,湿地生态系统比陆地生态系统更为复杂和脆弱,植物群落与土壤环境因子之间的关系也更为复杂,湿地植被的分布格局、群落多样性、群落结构和土壤条件及其相互关系受到人为干扰的类型和强度影响更加明显。     

缙云山森林土壤速效P的分布特征及其与物种多样性的关系研究

土壤状况直接影响着植物的生长发育 ,植物在整个生长发育过程中也能通过根系分泌物和枯落物等改善土壤的水、热、气、肥等理化性质[6 ] 。研究表明 ,土壤理化性质与种子萌发、幼苗定居密切相关 ,且幼苗在定居过程中能分泌氨基酸和有机酸作用于土壤 ,为其生长创造适宜的土壤条件[9] 。Ｍｃｋｅｅ研究指出 ,红树林的土壤理化性质影响着群落内植物种类的分布格局[10 ] 。Ｆｒａｎｃｏ ｖｉｚｃａｉｎｏ等对墨西哥加里佛尼亚沙漠的土壤性质和植物多样性的研究则表明 ,土壤的Ｃａ/Ｍｇ比例与植物多样性密切相关 ,且二者是协同发展的[11] 。可见 ,…     

长春城市森林绿地土壤肥力评价

以长春城市森林绿地为研究对象,测定9种土壤指标并参照全国第二次土壤普查分级标准对长春城市森林绿地土壤整体特征进行评级,采用内梅罗指数法分析长春城市森林绿地不同林型、行政区、环路土壤肥力,结合ArcG IS分析长春城市森林绿地土壤养分空间分布特征,以期对长春城市森林建设提供依据和建议。对比全国第二次土壤普查所确定的分类等级(6等级),土壤有机质平均含量(34.51 g/kg)及其空间分布(大部分区域30 g/kg)达到了2级、含量高的水平;全氮(均值1.37 g/kg)、碱解氮(均值133.04 mg/kg)、速效磷(均值38.47 mg/kg)及其空间分布均达到了3级以上水平;全钾(均值58.7 g/kg)和速效钾(均值255.85 mg/kg)及其空间分布达到1级、含量很高的水平;全磷平均含量0.51 g/kg,空间上大部分区域集中在0.4—0.6g/kg,为4级、含量中下水平。土壤pH为5.43—8.89,容重为1.11—1.62 g/cm~3。内梅罗综合肥力指数分析表明长春城市多数区域处于1.5—1.8之间,处于中等水平(4级制中排第3级)。不同林型间差异主要表现在pH、全氮、全磷和碱解氮(P0.05),不同环路间差异主要在pH、有机质和全磷(P0.05),而不同行政区间差异指标最多,为有机质、全氮、碱解氮、全磷、速效磷和pH(P0.05)。综合肥力指数显示:景观林单位附属林=农田防护林道路林,绿园区朝阳区南关区二道区宽城区,1环3=4环2环4环外。根据以上结果,可采取疏松土壤、枯枝落叶沤肥、增施氮磷有机肥而控制钾肥、种植固氮耐低磷植物等措施推进长春城市森林建设,提升城市植被生态服务功能。     

基于地统计学的黄土高寒区典型林地土壤水分盈亏状况研究

土壤水分是黄土高寒区水循环、地下水补给和植被恢复的关键因素,基于地统计学研究土壤水分空间分布及其盈亏状况,揭示林地土壤水分的空间分布规律、变异特征及空间结构,对于区域植被恢复具有重要价值。以大通县安门滩小流域人工林地作为研究对象,运用地统计学方法对其5月、7月和9月的土壤储水量、林地耗水量和土壤水分盈亏量进行综合分析。研究结果表明:(1)土壤储水量总体表现为9月5月7月,而林地耗水量为7月9月5月,5—7月绝大多数林地的土壤水分呈亏损状态,而7—9月所有林地土壤水分都得到了补充,总体来看,5—9月研究区多数林地的土壤水分有所盈余,土壤储水量、林地耗水量和土壤水分盈亏量均采用指数模型作为最优理论变异函数模型;(2)5月、7月和9月土壤储水量呈南高北低、西高东低的空间分异规律,且西南-东北方向变异较东南-西北方向剧烈;各月林地耗水量在西南-东北方向变异较东南-西北方向剧烈,总体表现为西南部区域低于东北部区域;在5—7月、7—9月和5—9月这三个时期内,土壤水分盈亏量的取值均呈现出东北部区域小于西南部区域的特点。综上,当地土壤水分状况与林地耗水量分布格局并不完全匹配,虽然绝大部分林分能够维持土壤水分收支平衡,但部分山脚处的青杨林地和中部区域的华北落叶松林地出现了土壤水分亏损的现象。为防止林地水分环境恶化,在之后黄土高寒区的植被建设过程中,应适当调整林分配置。