利用花粉-气候响应面恢复察素齐泥炭剖面全新世古气候的尝试

利用花粉气候响应面模型进行古气候重建是通过将化石花粉数据与花粉气候响应面模型进行相似性对比分析来实现的,研究结果表明,在内蒙古中部地区１万年来经历了凉湿期→冷暖干湿剧烈波动期,且有凉湿、温干的气候组合→全新世温暖期→气候波动期的气候变化。经与传统、常规直观分析方法对比,利用响应面模型恢复的古气候数据基本上与采用常规方法得到的结论相符,但它能够提供更多的气候变迁细节,且能提供定量的古气候数据,便于据此检验全球变化模型的可靠性及可信度。据此可以认为,利用响应面恢复古气候是很有前途的一种新方法,对于两种方法所得结论的矛盾之处,还需要在增加用于建模的表土花粉数据的基础上继续进行研究     

利用花粉—气候响应恢复察素齐泥岩部面全新世古气候的尝试

利用共向应面模型进行古气候重建是通过将化石花粉数据与花粉－气候响应模型进行相似对比分析来实现,研究结果表明,在内蒙古中部地区１万年来经历了凉湿期→冷暖干湿剧烈波动期,且有显、温干的气候组合→全新世温暖期→气候波动期的气候变化。     

基于响应面法的白蜡属花粉离体萌发培养基优化

基于Box-Behnken设计(Box-Behnken design,BBD)的响应面法,对绒毛白蜡(Fraxinus velutina)、新疆小叶白蜡(F.sogdiana)和美国白蜡(F.americana)3个树种花粉的离体萌发培养基成分进行了研究。以花粉萌发率为响应指标,建立了3种培养基成分(蔗糖、CaCl2和H3BO3)与花粉萌发率间的响应关系模型。在此基础上,通过无约束优化设计得到了3个树种花粉的最佳萌发条件。结果表明,蔗糖是影响花粉萌发的最主要因素,当蔗糖浓度一定时,CaCl2和H3BO3之间交互作用明显。同时还对响应面建模优化后得到的最佳萌发培养基进行了验证,结果表明:上述3种花粉的实际萌发率依次为58.33%、69.71%和59.42%,均与优化得到的理论响应值相吻合,同时也验证了基于BBD响应面模型进行花粉离体萌发条件优化方法的有效性。     

响应面法优化麻疯树花粉离体萌发培养基的研究

麻疯树因其种子含油率较高,种子油提炼的生物柴油可部分替代汽油,而成为一种极具潜能的能源作物,但由于产量低,麻疯树在热带、亚热带的发展受到极大限制。杂交育种是提高产量的重要手段,杂交亲本花粉生活力的高低直接影响到育种的成效。因此,寻求麻疯树离体花粉萌发的最适培养基配方,探明花粉萌发培养基中各主要培养基成分间的交互作用对生产上麻疯树杂交结实率和种子产量的提高具有重要意义。该研究以麻疯树开花初期雄花上花药刚散粉时的成熟花粉粒为材料,采用Box-Behnken设计(Box-Behnken design,BBD)的响应面法,对麻疯树花粉离体萌发培养基中各主要培养基成分的浓度配比及各主要培养基成分的交互作用进行了研究。以花粉萌发率为响应指标,建立了4种营养成分(蔗糖、硼酸、硝酸钙、硝酸钾)与花粉萌发率的响应面模型,并对各主要培养基成分的浓度配比进行了优化。通过R软件进行响应面分析的结果表明:4因素对花粉萌发率的影响顺序为蔗糖硼酸硝酸钙硝酸钾;蔗糖与硼酸、蔗糖与硝酸钙、蔗糖与硝酸钾之间的交互作用显著。响应面建模优化后的最佳培养基为13.77%蔗糖+32.14 mg·L~(-1)硼酸+22.21 mg·L~(-1)硝酸钙+19.95 mg·L~(-1)硝酸钾+200 mg·L~(-1)硫酸镁,在此条件下的理论萌发率为99.73%。采用此培养基成分配比得到麻疯树花粉离体试验萌发率为98.97%,与理论响应值相吻合,同时也表明利用BBD设计的响应面模型进行麻疯树花粉离体萌发培养条件优化方法的有效性。     

基于响应面法的白蜡属花粉离体萌发培养基优化

基于Box-Behnken设计(Box-Behnken design, BBD)的响应面法, 对绒毛白蜡(Fraxinus velutina)、新疆小叶白蜡(F. sogdiana)和美国白蜡(F. americana)3个树种花粉的离体萌发培养基成分进行了研究。以花粉萌发率为响应指标, 建立了3种培养基成分(蔗糖、CaCl₂和H₃BO₃)与花粉萌发率间的响应关系模型。在此基础上, 通过无约束优化设计得到了3个树种花粉的最佳萌发条件。 结果表明, 蔗糖是影响花粉萌发的最主要因素, 当蔗糖浓度一定时, CaCl₂和H₃BO₃之间交互作用明显。同时还对响应面建模优化后得到的最佳萌发培养基进行了验证, 结果表明: 上述3种花粉的实际萌发率依次为58.33%、69.71%和59.42%, 均与优化得到的理论响应值相吻合, 同时也验证了基于BBD响应面模型进行花粉离体萌发条件优化方法的有效性。     

中国沙拐枣属植物花粉形态及其在地层研究中的意义

通过光学显微镜和扫描电镜观察了中国沙拐枣属(Calligonum L.)11种植物的花粉形态。按扫描电镜下的外壁纹饰分类,该属花粉可分为4种类型,即:网纹-穴状具圆形或近圆形网眼、网纹-穴状具多角型网眼、网纹-穿孔和网纹-穿孔或小沟渠。它们的演化趋势是从前面类型依次向后面类型演化。根据花粉内孔的形状,沙拐枣属植物花粉可区别于蓼科其它属植物三孔沟类型花粉。     

我国主要杉科花粉扫描电镜特征及化石水松的花粉形态鉴别

本文运用扫描电子显微镜(SEM)和光学显微镜(LM)观察了水松属、柳杉属、杉木属和落羽杉属等代表性物种的花粉形态和细微结构,利用SEM对花粉外壁上附着的微颗粒进行了测量、统计和分析。研究发现,杉木花粉和落羽杉花粉外壁微颗粒及其小刺形态很容易与水松花粉区分开来。然而,水松属与柳杉属花粉形态较为相近,两者主要特点均为近球形,远极面乳头状突起较高,外壁附着的微颗粒具有刺状突起等。本文根据电子显微镜2-4万倍放大观察,分析研究了花粉表面附着的微颗粒大小以及微颗粒之上小刺的数目关系,发现水松与柳杉花粉仍可以通过花粉表面附着的微颗粒特征进行区分。此外,本文还对比了福建天湖山THD-1钻孔晚全新世化石杉科花粉,并认为绝大部分化石杉科花粉与水松花粉形态基本一致。本研究为第四纪化石花粉的属种鉴别提供了新的依据。     

第四纪地层中壳斗科植物花粉化石及其与气候地理条件的关系

壳斗科植物花粉化石是被子植物花粉化石最为丰富的类群之一,在地史上自第三纪以来一直是中国各地质历史时期中植物区系的一个主要成分。据初步统计,我国第四纪地层中共发现壳斗科花粉化石有6属:Castanea,Castanopsis,Lithocarpus,Cyclobalanopsis,Fagus及Quercus,后者还分出含常绿栎类Quercus(E)和落叶栎类Quercus(D)两种类型。文中对6属中花粉形态相似的Castanea,Castanopsis和Lithocarpus 3属,以及Cyclobalanopsis和Quercus(E)花粉,从花粉粒形状和大小、萌发孔数量和形状、极面×赤道面的平均大小、最长极轴与最长赤道轴比以及外壁表面纹饰等多方面进行详细数值对比和照片对照,提出鉴定要点,希望能提高壳斗科花粉化石鉴定的准确性。同时,文中还讨论中国壳斗科各属植物生长的气候地理条件和生态环境。Castanopsis和Lithocarpus花粉化石分布中心范围在北纬28°—20°,反映该两属生长气候要求大约是年平均气温不低于15℃,年降水量不少于1 000mm;Cyclobalanopsis和Fagus花粉化石的产地在秦岭—淮河一线以南,生长的地理气候条件要求是1月份气温不低于0℃,年均温在8—15℃以上,年降水量不少于800mm的温暖湿润的生态环境;Castanea和Quercus花粉化石在全国各地均有发现,分布北界达北纬36°—50°,反映该两属生长的生态幅度较Castanopsis/Lithocarpus宽得多,基本的生长气候范围在年均温3.5—23℃,能够忍受1月份低于―10℃的寒冷,也能够经受7月份近30℃的高温考验,年均降水量约为500—1 700mm。希望该研究能为提高再造第四纪古植被和古环境,提供一些有说服力的气候地理条件的原始资料。     

紫斑牡丹单瓣与半重瓣花粉超微结构及生理生化特性比较北大核心CSCD

该研究以3个紫斑牡丹品种(‘象牙白’、‘美人面’、‘紫金冠’)的单瓣与半重瓣花粉为材料,对其超微结构和生理生化特性进行观察分析,并对其花粉培养基进行筛选优化,探讨单瓣和半重瓣花粉的超微结构与花粉萌发率以及物质代谢与花粉萌发率之间的关系。结果表明:(1)紫斑牡丹花粉萌发的最适宜培养基为100 g·L^(-1)蔗糖+0.15 g·L^(-1)硼酸+10 g·L^(-1)琼脂。(2)花粉饱满率是影响花粉萌发的主要原因。(3)3个紫斑牡丹品种的单瓣花粉离体培养萌发率均显著高于半重瓣的花粉。(4)‘象牙白’、‘美人面’、‘紫金冠’单瓣花粉可溶性蛋白含量均高于半重瓣花粉,但三者单瓣花粉的MDA含量和3种保护酶(CAT、SOD、POD)活性均低于半重瓣花粉。研究认为,花粉体内蛋白质亏损和MDA、CAT、SOD、POD的积累可能是引起半重瓣紫斑牡丹花粉萌发率较低的生理原因之一。     

孢粉-植被-气候关系研究进展

随着全球变化研究的不断深入 ,第四纪孢粉学研究已取得了长足的进步 ,特别是近些年来 ,孢粉 植被 气候关系研究已成为世界孢粉学界的热点之一。空气孢粉学的研究在大气环境污染监测、花粉过敏症、农业收成预报和第四纪植被与环境重建等方面得到了广泛应用 ,并不断发展 ;近年来 ,为开展全球范围的古环境研究 ,各大洲相继建立了孢粉数据库 ,大量开展表土孢粉研究。中国第四纪孢粉数据库的建立 ,汇集了我国近半个世纪积累的孢粉资料 ,并利用中国第四纪孢粉数据 ,系统开展了中国现代表土孢粉、6kaBP(中全新世 )及 1 8kaBP(末次盛冰期 )的生物群区模拟及重建 ,建立了花粉 气候转换函数和响应面模型 ,并取得了良好的结果 ;冲积物孢粉学和环境考古孢粉学研究 ,也取得了一定成果 ,但研究还有待于深入 ;特征指示种花粉雨研究 ,对古生态环境重建也具有重要的意义。     

Diversity and Abundance of Biological Soil Crust Taxa in Relation to Fine and Coarse-Scale Disturbances in a Grassy Eucalypt Woodland in Eastern Australia

Over the last 200 years the box woodlands of eastern Australia have been considerably altered by European farming practices. These changes have been accompanied by a reduction in the size and number of patches of vegetation as well as the quality of the understorey vegetation and underlying soil surface. We measured diversity and abundance of soil crust taxa in relation to habitat complexity, remnant area and width, diversity of vascular plants as well as the number, size and separation of patches of vegetation and grass butts (coarse-scale patchiness), and an index of surface stability derived from measures of seven soil surface features of small microsites (patches of bare/crusted, litter- or grass-covered soil; micro-scale) on both coarse- and fine-textured soils at 35 sites in south-eastern Australia. Fifty taxa were recorded from the 35 sites, and there were more taxa from sites with fine-textured soils (12.7) compared with coarse-textured soils (4.4). The soil crust community was dominated by a few relatively common species, with many species occurring at only a few sites. Half the number of species accounting for <1% of total abundance. Bare and crusted microsites supported more species and greater cover compared with grassy microsites. Crust diversity declined with increasing coarse-level disturbances (i.e. declines in habitat complexity, remnant area and width, and diversity of vascular plants) but the results were not consistent between soil types. No measures of fine-scale disturbance were related significantly to any of the crust diversity or abundance measures, and there was no evidence of a recent grazing effect on crust composition. The fact that few sites had many species (and visa versa) suggests to us that many sites are probably required to conserve soil crust taxa in these highly fragmented landscapes     

Plant Functional Traits Show Non-Linear Response to Grazing

The trait-based approach aims to detect functional patterns in vegetation beyond specific sites or taxa. In most cases, plant traits are assumed to be linearly related to environmental gradients such as grazing intensity. To generalize results beyond specific sites, it is important to know to which extent environment-trait relationships are non-linear. Non-linearity can be a source of inconsistency among different studies according to length and studied portion of a gradient. In this study, we test if and to what extent traits relate non-linearly to a grazing gradient using data from a grassland-matorral interface in the Mediterranean rangeland of “La Crau” (SE France). Because quantification of grazing by itinerant sheep flocks is difficult, we use a marker plant, Phillyrea angustifolia, and several independent pasture indicators to estimate grazing intensity. First, we related traits to grazing using a multivariate three-table ordination method (RLQ), which assumes linear reactions of traits. To evaluate the importance of non-linearity, we applied generalized additive models (GAMs) to our data. This revealed that a third of traits studied here showed non-linear relationships to grazing. These non-linear responses cover a large spectrum including seed mass, life form, phenology dispersal- and leaf traits. The high part of non-linear relations compromises a general assumption of linear trait-environment relationships. Future works should therefore more often consider non-linear relationships using methods with no constraints on shape of response, e.g., GAM in the analysis of functional trait studies. In this way, non-linear relationships can reveal new aspects of species and community response to global change and deepen our understanding of trait-environment relations.     

Surber and kick sampling: a comparison for the assessment of macroinvertebrate community structure in streams of south-western Australia

Macroinvertebrate community structure was compared in benthic samples taken by Surber and kick methods from a lotic system in south-western Australia. Eleven sites were sampled concurrently in winter, spring and summer 1987.Surber samples contained fewer individuals and more taxa, particularly those with a low frequency of occurrence. This was attributed to the lower surface area, but greater intensity of Surber sampling. It is proposed that the Surber method is more suited to taking cryptic and closely adherent taxa in sites with a highly heterogeneous substratum.Percentage similarity between paired Surber and kick samples was determined by Sorensen's and Czekanowski's coefficients, with mean values of 66% and 60% for June, 61% and 49% for September and 66% and 49% for December respectively. Ordination demonstrated a division of upland from lowland sites on axis 1, with a separation of paired-samples on axis 2. This pattern held across qualitative and quantitative datasets, with and without a downweighting on rare taxa. At each level of classification fewer paired-samples separated in qualitative than quantitative datasets.Kick sampling provided a substantial saving in costs over Surber sampling, particularly when qualitative data were utilised, making the method suitable for routine, biological monitoring. However, the initial use of replicated Surber sampling, particularly in areas that have not been previously sampled is recommended for environmental impact studies to detect rare taxa, that may be endangered.     

The effect of patch disturbance on stream invertebrate community structure: the influence of disturbance history

The effect of disturbance history on the recovery of benthic invertebrate communities following disturbance was investigated in four streams in the Southern Alps of New Zealand. Two of the streams had a history of fluctuating discharge and temperature while the others did not. Recovery from disturbance was tested experimentally using baskets of cobbles, a third of which were disturbed every week for 9 weeks, a further third every 3 weeks and the final third left undisturbed. Algal biiomass, number of invertebrate taxa and total number of invertebrates all declined in baskets disturbed more frequently. Although the relative abundance of some taxa declined with time since the last disturbance, no taxa showed a significant decline in absolute abundance. However, several taxa showed marked increases in relative abundance in the less disturbed treatments particularly at the more stable sites. In contrast to the predictions of ecological theory, numbers of taxa and total invertebrates appeared to recover more quickly in the more complex communities at the stable sites. However, if these communities are considered to represent only stable communities, they do support the view that more complex communities will be more resilient. Community structure at the stable sites was also more similar between baskets in the undisturbed treatment than at the unstable sites, suggesting communities had reached a constant state more quickly. The more rapid recovery of communities measured at the stable sites may have been a consequence of experimental scale; disturbed patches were only 0.045 m² in area and the higher densities of invertebrates at the stable sites meant a larger pool of colonists was available following each experimental disturbance. Nevertheless, ideas of stability in ecological theory and the scale of most spate events suggest this is the appropriate scale for examining community recovery. Furthermore, the larger pool of available colonists could not explain all the differences in community response, as patterns of change in community structure at the stable sites differed considerably more from those expected by purely random colonisation processes than at the unstable sites.     

The effect of environmental stability on hyporheic community structure

Interstitial water samples were collected from two well depths (30 and 60 cm) from 8 rivers in the Cass-Craigieburn region, South Island (New Zealand) during January 1998 to assess the hyporheos in streams of differing stability. Hyporheic water chemistry was more similar to surface water chemistry at unstable sites than at stable sites. The greatest diversity of both epigean and hypogean animals occurred at intermediate levels of disturbance; however, invertebrate density declined with increasing bed movement. Abundance of epigean animals also increased with declining environmental stability (i.e., increasing bed movement). Water chemistry was most like the river channel at unstable sites, probably because less stable substrates had increased interstitial flow facilitating a greater supply of water from the surface channel. In contrast, stable sites were spring fed and groundwater had a greater influence. Thus, substrate stability may influence hyporheic water chemistry and porosity by changing the interaction between ground and surface waters. Epigean taxa may be less abundant at stable sites because the chemical nature of the water is least like the river channel (e.g. low dissolved oxygen, higher temperature and higher conductivity), while the abundance of hypogean animals is greater, as these taxa are more tolerant of this water chemistry, and are thus capable of persisting in the stable substrates.     

Large-scale terrestrial gastropod community composition patterns in the Great Lakes region of North America

Abstract: Previous ordination studies of land snail community composition have been limited to four or fewer habitat types from sites separated by no more than 300 km. To investigate the nature of large-scale patterns, North American land snail assemblages at 421 sites, representing 26 habitat types and covering a 1400 × 800 km area, were ordinated using global, nonmetric multi-dimensional scaling (NMDS). These data were then subjected to model-based cluster analysis and kmeans clustering to identify the main compositional groups and most important environmental covariables. Six primary compositional groups were identified. Three of these largely represent upland forest and rock outcrop sites, while the remaining largely represent either lowland forest, lowland grassland or upland grassland habitats. The geographical location and moisture level of sites also influences community composition. A strong compositional difference exists between sites having duff vs. turf soil surface layers. Only 8% of sites were improperly classified when soil surface architecture was used as the sole predictor variable. Fully 43% of taxa exhibited significant preferences towards one of these surface types, while only 15% of relatively common (10 + occurrence) taxa showed no preferences. Twelve groups of closely related taxa within the same genus had members that favoured different surface types, indicating that differential selection pressures have existed over evolutionary time scales. While turf faunas appeared unaffected by anthropogenic disturbance, duff faunas were strongly impacted, suggesting that their conservation will require protection of soil surface architecture.     

The effect of excluding diatom taxa and reducing taxonomic resolution on multivariate analyses and stream bioassessment

The goal of the present study was to evaluate whether the Eastern Canadian Diatom Index (IDEC: Indice Diatomées de l’Est du Canada), which was built on fine-scale taxonomic resolution and included all observed diatom taxa, would perform similarly if a number of taxa were excluded from the analyses or if a reduced level of taxonomic resolution was used. The effects of excluding taxa and reducing the taxonomic resolution were evaluated by studying community structure variations in ordination analyses, and more specifically by comparing IDEC values calculated from the original diatom matrix with IDEC values obtained from simplified diatom matrices. The results showed that the exclusion of taxa based on the relative abundance criterion is the most appropriate, while the exclusion of taxa based on the frequency of occurrence criterion greatly affected the structure of the ordination. More specifically, taxa with a maximum relative abundance <2% can be excluded from the CA without markedly affecting the results. As a result, 125 taxa (40%) were excluded from the 311 taxa included in the original matrix without significantly affecting the performance of the IDEC. Excluding a greater number of taxa still allows for the distinction between impacted and reference sites, although subtle changes in the ecological status are lost. Ordinations based on presence/absence or genus-level identification resulted in a loss of information on subtle changes, but gross separation between impacted and reference sites was still possible.     

Distribution of High Bacterial Taxa Across the Chronosequence of Two Alpine Glacier Forelands

Little is known about the changes in abundance of microbial taxa in relation to the chronosequence of receding glaciers. This study investigated how the abundances of ten bacterial phyla or classes varied along successional gradients in two glaciers, Ödenwinkelkees and Rotmoosferner, in the central Alps. Quantitative PCR was used to estimate the abundance of the different bacterial taxa in extended glacier chronosequences, including 10- to 160-year-old successional stages, the surface of the glacier, and a fully established soil. Actinobacteria (15–30%) was the dominant group within the chronosequences. Several taxa showed significant differences in the number of taxa-specific 16S rRNA gene copies per nanogram of DNA and/or in the ratio of taxa-specific to the total bacterial 16S rRNA gene copies (i.e., the relative abundance of the different taxa within the bacterial community) between the established soils or the glacier surface and the 10- to 160-year-old successional stages. A significantly higher proportion of Βetaproteobacteria (20%) was observed on the surface of both glaciers. However, no differences were observed between the 10- to 160-year-old successional stages in the number of taxa-specific 16S rRNA gene copies per nanogram of DNA or in the ratio of taxa-specific to the total bacterial 16S rRNA gene copies for the different taxa. Nevertheless, when the relative abundance data from all the studied taxa were combined and analyzed altogether, most of the sites could be distinguished from one other. This indicates that the overall composition of the bacterial community was more affected than the abundance of the targeted taxa by changes in environmental conditions along the chronosequences.     

Interspecific competition between stream-dwelling brown trout and Alpine bullhead

Density and composition of benthic invertebrates and the diet of brown trout Salmo trutta and Alpine bullhead Cottus poecilopus were studied at two sites in one Norwegian stream. The sites were separated by an impassable waterfall, and brown trout density was five to 10 times higher at the upper, allopatric site than downstream where it lived in sympatry with the Alpine bullhead. Benthic invertebrate communities did not differ between sites; however, the size distribution of chironomids and trichopterans were skewed towards lighter individuals at the sympatric site. Diet composition suggested that sympatric brown trout foraged more on invertebrate drift and from the surface than allopatric brown trout. Alpine bullhead diet did not differ significantly from brown trout diet, except that the Alpine bullhead fed on heavier individual prey within a few taxa and did not consume chironomid pupae or surface insects. The collected data support the hypothesis that brown trout living in sympatry with Alpine bullhead feed at locations with higher predation risk, which is a probable explanation for their lower population density.     

Assessing the ecological value of small testate amoebae (<45 μm) in New Zealand peatlands

Methodological advances are essential for robust ecological research. Quantitative reconstructions of environmental conditions using testate amoebae rely on sound taxonomy. While the taxonomy of large species is relatively well resolved, this is not the case for most small taxa (typically <45 μm long). In New Zealand, peatlands contain a diversity of both cosmopolitan and characteristic large southern endemic taxa, but also have a high abundance of small taxa. The latter are often lumped into morphotypes reducing their value as ecological indicators. In this study, we demonstrate how (a) lumping small taxa versus splitting them into unique types, and (b) including or excluding them from community analysis influenced their ecological inference. We assessed testate amoeba composition in six peat bogs from New Zealand, three that were moderately-to-highly impacted, and three that were non-impacted. Environmental variables were measured at each sampling site and the surface testate amoeba community patterns and community-environment relationships compared. We found a clear division between impacted and non-impacted sites. Several distinct small taxa were more strongly related to water-table depth and conductivity, while the larger taxa were more correlated to pH. These results show that improved taxonomic resolution of small taxa can provide more informed environmental assessment.