Taxonomic Shift Over a Phosphorus Gradient Affects the Stoichiometry and Fatty Acid Composition of Stream Periphyton

Phosphorus enrichment of stream ecosystems generally increases primary production in the benthos, but the consequences of eutrophication for the nutritional quality of periphyton for grazers are less clear. On short timescales, high phosphorus inputs may lead to reduced C:P ratios and high essential fatty acid contents of periphyton, which are both considered important determinants of food quality for grazers. However, nutrient enrichment may alter the taxonomic composition of periphyton and favor the growth of less palatable algal taxa. In this study, periphyton was grown under a gradient of dissolved phosphorus availability from 5 to 100 µg P · L⁻¹, to investigate eutrophication effects on periphyton taxonomy, C:N:P stoichiometry, and fatty acid composition. After 1 month, periphyton grown under oligotrophic conditions was mainly composed of diatoms (~86%). With increasing phosphorus availability, diatoms were gradually outcompeted by chlorophytes and cyanobacteria, which were the predominant taxon under eutrophic conditions. Unexpectedly, periphyton C:P ratios increased with greater phosphorus supply, from ~280 under oligotrophic conditions up to ~790 at 100 µg · L⁻¹, reflecting a tendency of chlorophytes and cyanobacteria to produce more biomass per unit of assimilated phosphorus compared to diatoms. Periphyton content of essential polyunsaturated fatty acids relative to biomass followed a unimodal relationship with phosphorus availability and peaked at intermediate phosphorus levels, likely as a result of both taxonomic and nutrient effects. Our results demonstrate that phosphorus-driven eutrophication of freshwater ecosystems may worsen periphyton nutritional quality due to taxonomic sorting, which may further lead to lower growth and reproduction of herbivores.     

Depth-Related Effects on a Meiofaunal Community Dwelling in the Periphyton of a Mesotrophic Lake

Periphyton is a complex assemblage of micro- and meiofauna embedded in the organic matrix that coats most submerged substrate in the littoral of lakes. The aim of this study was to better understand the consequences of depth-level fluctuation on a periphytic community. The effects of light and wave disturbance on the development of littoral periphyton were evaluated in Lake Erken (Sweden) using an experimental design that combined in situ shading with periphyton depth transfers. Free-living nematodes were a major contributor to the meiofaunal community. Their species composition was therefore used as a proxy to distinguish the contributions of light- and wave-related effects. The periphyton layer was much thicker at a depth of 30 cm than at 200 cm, as indicated by differences in the amounts of organic and phototrophic biomass and meiofaunal and nematode densities. A reduction of the depth-level of periphyton via a transfer from a deep to a shallow location induced rapid positive responses by its algal, meiofaunal, and nematode communities. The slower and weaker negative responses to the reverse transfer were attributed to the potentially higher resilience of periphytic communities to increases in the water level. In the shallow littoral of the lake, shading magnified the effects of phototrophic biomass erosion by waves, as the increased exposure to wave shear stress was not compensated for by an increase in photosynthesis. This finding suggests that benthic primary production will be strongly impeded in the shallow littoral zones of lakes artificially shaded by construction or embankments. However, regardless of the light constraints, an increased exposure to wave action had a generally positive short-term effect on meiofaunal density, by favoring the predominance of species able to anchor themselves to the substrate, especially the Chromadorid nematode Punctodora ratzeburgensis.     

The Effects of pH on a Periphyton Community in an Acidic Wetland, USA

Despite the importance of peatlands, the algal ecology of peatlands and the periphyton communities which are abundant in these habitats are relatively understudied. We performed an in situ manipulation of pH in an intermediate fen in northern lower Michigan in order to examine how hydrogen ion concentrations structure an epiphytic algal community. Levels of pH were manipulated in enclosures from the control level (pH = 5) to an acid treatment (pH = 4) by adding H₂SO₄ and a neutral treatment (pH = 7) by adding NaOH. Algal communities growing on sections of Chamaedaphne calyculata (L.) Moench stems were examined after 22 days of colonization. Chlorophyll a concentration was significantly greater only in the acid treatment (~5.5 mg m⁻²) relative to the control (~3.5 mg m⁻²). Taxa richness was lower in the acid treatment. The algal assemblages were dominated by filamentous green algae and a filamentous taxon, Mougeotia spp., was significantly greater in the acid treatment relative to the control. Increases in Zygnemataceae and Oedogonium spp. most likely account for the higher chlorophyll a in the acid treatment. Most treatment differences were detected in the neutral treatment, including increased abundances of Closterium polystichum Nygaard, Cosmarium sp., Peridinium inconspicuum Lemmermann, and Synedra acus Kütz. Unexpectedly, there was no strong response of the desmid community. These data can be informative in the development of algal monitoring programs in peatlands when assessment of acidification is desired.     

Spatial Variability in Light Yields Colimitation of Primary Production by Both Light and Nutrients in a Forested Stream Ecosystem

Ecosystems - Colimitation of primary production is increasingly recognized as a dominant process across aquatic and terrestrial ecosystems. In streams, both nutrient availability and light...     

Bacterial Community Composition of Stream Biofilms in Spatially Variable-Flow Environments

Streams are highly heterogeneous ecosystems, in terms of both geomorphology and hydrodynamics. While flow is recognized to shape the physical architecture of benthic biofilms, we do not yet understand what drives community assembly and biodiversity of benthic biofilms in the heterogeneous flow landscapes of streams. Within a metacommunity ecology framework, we experimented with streambed landscapes constructed from bedforms in large-scale flumes to illuminate the role of spatial flow heterogeneity in biofilm community composition and biodiversity in streams. Our results show that the spatial variation of hydrodynamics explained a remarkable percentage (up to 47%) of the variation in community composition along bedforms. This suggests species sorting as a model of metacommunity dynamics in stream biofilms, though natural biofilm communities will clearly not conform to a single model offered by metacommunity ecology. The spatial variation induced by the hydrodynamics along the bedforms resulted in a gradient of bacterial beta diversity, measured by a range of diversity and similarity indices, that increased with bedform height and hence with spatial flow heterogeneity at the flume level. Our results underscore the necessity to maintain small-scale physical heterogeneity for community composition and biodiversity of biofilms in stream ecosystems.Biofilms (attached and matrix-enclosed microbial communities) are an important form of microbial life in streams and rivers, where they can greatly contribute to ecosystem functions and even large-scale carbon fluxes (1, 3). Streams are inherently heterogeneous and are characterized by a largely unidirectional downstream flow of water that controls the dispersal of suspended microorganisms (21), biofilm community composition (7), architecture (2), and metabolism (13), for instance. However, we do not understand how diverse microorganisms assemble into biofilm communities based on flow heterogeneity and related dispersal in these ecosystems.Dispersal, as the propagation and immigration of biota, can have important consequences for biodiversity and ecosystem functioning in heterogeneous landscapes (18, 25). Landscape topography and turbulent transport affect dispersal, a relationship that is well studied in the dispersal of plant seeds (31) but not in the microbial world. Only recently have microbial ecologists begun to understand the role of dispersal in large-scale biogeographic patterns (29) and metacommunity ecology (24, 44). This growing body of research on microbial dispersal and its consequences for spatial patterns of community assembly and composition rests entirely on free-living bacteria, while no comparable data exist for microbial biofilms. The confirmation of detachment as an intrinsic behavior in many biofilms has led to the appreciation of dispersal as an insurance policy for these microbial communities to seed new habitats during resource limitation or aging of the parental biofilm (4). However, microbial ecology lacks conceptual models to predict postemigration processes, such as cell propagation, immigration, and community assembly during colonization of new surfaces. The perception of biofilms as microbial landscapes and, at the same time, as integrated parts of the landscape they inhabit offers the possibility to test models for habitat selection by dispersal cells (4). In this study, we focused on the assembly of biofilm communities by dispersal cells in spatially variable-flow environments; we did not measure dispersal as the emigration of cells from established biofilms. We adopted metacommunity ecology as a framework that encapsulates environmental heterogeneity and dispersal (18) to illuminate the mechanisms underlying community assembly.If the effects of microbial diversity on ecosystem functions are to be understood, we need to address the proper spatial resolution at which microorganisms assemble into communities and at which their functioning becomes manifest. In streams, this is typically at the level of habitats and microhabitats ranging from meters to centimeters, where characteristic geomorphological features (e.g., bedforms) and induced hydrodynamic fields develop and where spatial variations in biofilm metabolism become apparent (13). The ensemble of these small-scale variations translates into the landscape heterogeneity of the streambed.The aim of this study was to test whether spatial flow heterogeneity generating diverse microhabitats induces spatial species turnover and increases the biodiversity of microbial biofilms. Microbial metacommunity ecology predicts mass effects rather than species sorting to drive community composition in ecosystems with low residence time, such as streams (14, 18, 24). To test this prediction, we constructed six streambed landscapes from bedforms of defined dimensions differing in height; the mean flow (at flume scale) was kept constant, whereas the spatial heterogeneity of flow increased across the gradient of the six landscapes. The inoculum (i.e., the stream water and naturally contained microorganisms) and water chemistry were equal in all flumes. This allowed us to isolate flow heterogeneity as a potential driver of biofilm community composition in a high-energy ecosystem. We used terminal restriction fragment length polymorphism (T-RFLP) analysis of bacterial 16S rRNA gene sequences from winter and summer communities and related bacterial community composition and microbial biomass to the hydrodynamics in representative microhabitats using causal modeling and forward selection of explanatory variables (9, 23).     

Structure and Community Composition of Sprout-Like Bacterial Aggregates in a Dinaric Karst Subterranean Stream

The Vjetrenica cave in the Dinaric Karst hosts a worldwide extraordinarily high cave biodiversity. Beside a diverse and specialized cave fauna, sprout-like formations attached to the bed of the cave stream were observed and described, but not further characterized, almost a century ago. Here we investigated these sprout-like microbial aggregates by the rRNA approach and detailed microscopy. Based on fluorescence in situ hybridization and ultrastructural analysis, the sprout-like formations are morphologically highly organized, and their core consists of a member of a novel deep-branching lineage in the bacterial phylum Nitrospirae. This organism displays an interesting cellular ultrastructure with different kinds of cytoplasmic inclusions and is embedded in a thick extracellular matrix, which contributes to the stability and shape of the aggregates. This novel bacterium has been provisionally classified as “Candidatus Troglogloea absoloni.” The surface of the sprout-like aggregates is more diverse than the core. It is colonized by a bacterial biofilm consisting primarily of filamentous Betaproteobacteria, whereas other microbial populations present in the crust include members of the Bacteriodetes, Gammaproteobacteria, Actinombacteria, Alphaproteobacteria, and Planctomycetes, which are intermingled with mineral inclusions. This study represents the first thorough molecular and ultrastructural characterization of the elusive sprout-like bacterial aggregates, which are also found in other cave systems of the Dinaric Karst. The discovery of Ca. Troglogloea absoloni contributes to the known biodiversity of subterranean ecosystems and especially of macroscopic structures formed in caves by microorganisms, whose composition and ecological function often remain enigmatic.     

Detrital Fruit Processing in a Hawaiian Stream Ecosystem1

In temperate forested streams, fruit from riparian trees is generally a minor and seasonal component of the allo‐chthonous detritus. In contrast, riparian fruit input to tropical streams is often high and continuous. Detrital fruit is abundant in some forested Hawaiian streams compared to other forms of riparian detritus, and rates of leaf litter processing by macroscopic invertebrates are very low. These observations suggested that fruit is an important food resource for detritivores. A microcosm system was used to measure the rates at which two common detrital fruits, guava and mango, were processed by two common detritivores, the prawn Macrobrachium lar and the gastropod Tarebia granifera. Comparisons of fruit weight loss rates normalized by detritivore weight indicated that M, lar processed guavas at significantly higher rates than T. granifera, differences in rates of mango processing by M. lar and T. granifera were not significant. Microcosms containing both M. lar and T. granifera were used to test for interactions between the invertebrates that affected rates of mango processing. No interspecific interactions were detected. A field study was conducted in Kaiwiki Stream, Island of Hawaii, to determine rates of detrital fruit input and export. Detrital fruit was supplied to the study area year‐round, with peaks corresponding to summer and autumn fruiting seasons. Guavas and mangos accounted for 85 percent of the fruit biomass entering the stream and 92 percent of the fruit exported from the stream. Mean daily export rates of guava were 7 percent of input, and export rates of mango were 5 percent of input. These measurements suggested that most of the fruit entering the stream is retained and comprises a substantial food resource for detritivores. Comparisons of the biomass‐specific rates at which M. lar and T. granifera processed mangos and guavas with the rates at which mangos and guavas entered Kaiwiki Stream suggested that these invertebrates can process most of the detrital fruit in the stream.     

Effects of Viruses and Predators on Prokaryotic Community Composition

Dialysis bags were used to examine the impact of predation and viral lysis on prokaryotic community composition (PCC) over a 5-day experiment in the oligomesotrophic Lake Pavin (France). The impact of the different predator communities (protists and metazoans) of prokaryotes was estimated by water fractionation (<5 μm: treatment filtered on 5 μm, without ciliates and metazoans; UNF: unfiltered treatment with all planktonic communities). Enrichments of natural viruses (<1.2 μm: with a natural virus concentration; <1.2 μm V and VV: with enrichment leading to a double or triple concentration of viruses, respectively) were used to indirectly assess the control of virioplankton. Viral activity was estimated from the frequency of visibly infected cells (FVIC). PCC was determined by fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) and terminal restriction fragment length polymorphism (T-RFLP). In this study, PCC was affected by the eukaryote communities (especially flagellates), and viruses to a lesser extent. Cyanobacteria declined significantly during the experiment and were highly correlated with the FVIC. In addition, the 503-bp terminal restriction fragment (T-RF) disappeared in treatments with virus enrichments, suggesting possible viral-associated mortality processes, whereas the 506-bp T-RF was not affected in these treatments. On one hand, these results suggest a control of the PCC: first, by viral lysis of some dominant phylotypes and second, by interspecific competition between resistant strains for the uptake of substrates released by this lysis. The increase of Archaea may suggest that these cells benefit such resources. On the other hand, the disappearance and the stable proportion of some dominant phylotypes suggested a selection pressure due to the predatory activity on prokaryotes. In conclusion, prokaryotic abundance appears to be mainly controlled by flagellate protists, which also affected PCC, whereas viruses seemed to be essentially responsible for profound changes in PCC via direct and indirect actions.     

Effects of Nutrients and Light on Growth and Root Formation in Pisum sativum Cuttings

Cuttings obtained from seedlings of Pisum sativum L. were rooted in water solution. Shoot growth continued after excision and shoot length increased considerably before roots emerged. Increase in dry weight was strongly dependent on light supply. Continued growth was dependent on supply of mineral nutrients to the rooting solution. Mineral nutrients had no or slight influence on the number of roots formed on cuttings from stock plants grown in fertilized soil, but the growth in length of the roots was dependent on the presence of calcium in the solution. Root formation was dependent on photosynthetic products formed after excision. No roots were formed on cuttings kept in the dark. The number of roots increased with increasing irradiance given to the leafy part of the cutting. At a low level of irradiance sucrose supply through the rooting medium increased the number of roots. Light given to the basal part of the cuttings had a strongly inhibitory effect on the number of roots formed. It is concluded that the carbohydrate level easily becomes a limiting factor for root formation in growing pea cuttings. Availability of mineral nutrients influences in the first place the growth of the shoots.     

Effects of Plant Growth Characteristics on Biogeochemistry and Community Composition in a Changing Climate

Vegetation growth characteristics influence ecosystem biogeochemistry and must be incorporated in models used to project biogeochemical responses to climate variations. We used a multiple-element limitation model (MEL) to examine how variations in nutrient use efficiency (NUE) and net primary production to biomass ratio (nPBR) affect changes in ecosystem C stocks after an increase in temperature and atmospheric CO₂. nPBR influences the initial rates of response, but the magnitude and direction of long-term responses are determined by NUE. MEL was used to simulate responses to climate change in communities composed of two species differing in nPBR and/or NUE. When only nPBR differed between the species, the high-nPBR species outgrew the low-nPBR species early in the simulations, but the shift in dominance was transitory because of secondary N limitations. High-NUE species were less affected by secondary N limitations and were therefore favored under elevated CO₂. Increased temperature stimulated N release from soil organic matter (SOM) and therefore favored low-NUE species. The combined release from C and N limitation under the combination of increased temperature and elevated CO₂ favored high-NUE species. High C:N litter from high-NUE species limited the N-supply rate from SOM, which favors the dominance of the high-NUE species in the short term. However, in the long term increased litter production resulted in SOM accumulation, which reestablished a N supply rate favorable to the reestablishment and dominance of the low-NUE species. Conditions then reverted to a state favorable to the high-NUE species. Received 8 October 1998; accepted 9 April 1999.     

Fungicide Effects on Fungal Community Composition in the Wheat Phyllosphere

The fungicides used to control diseases in cereal production can have adverse effects on non-target fungi, with possible consequences for plant health and productivity. This study examined fungicide effects on fungal communities on winter wheat leaves in two areas of Sweden. High-throughput 454 sequencing of the fungal ITS2 region yielded 235 operational taxonomic units (OTUs) at the species level from the 18 fields studied. It was found that commonly used fungicides had moderate but significant effect on fungal community composition in the wheat phyllosphere. The relative abundance of several saprotrophs was altered by fungicide use, while the effect on common wheat pathogens was mixed. The fungal community on wheat leaves consisted mainly of basidiomycete yeasts, saprotrophic ascomycetes and plant pathogens. A core set of six fungal OTUs representing saprotrophic species was identified. These were present across all fields, although overall the difference in OTU richness was large between the two areas studied.     

温度与光强对高山杜鹃催花期间花芽营养物质积累的影响

以高山杜鹃为材料,研究了在3个昼/夜温度(6℃/0℃、22℃/16℃、30℃/24℃)和3个光照强度(2 000/10lx、7 500/5 500lx、10 000/8 000lx)组合成的9个光温催花条件下,高山杜鹃花芽内可溶性糖、淀粉、可溶性蛋白和游离氨基酸等营养物质的变化以及对始花期的影响。结果表明:随着昼夜温度的升高和光照强度的加强,高山杜鹃花芽内的可溶性糖和淀粉含量增加,且在整个催花过程中持续上升;可溶性蛋白含量变化整体呈先升后降的趋势,前期随温度光强增加而增加,后期则相反;游离氨基酸含量的整体变化趋势与可溶性蛋白含量相反,表现为先降后升。在30℃/24℃、10 000/8 000lx的处理下,高山杜鹃最早进入始花期,比目标日期(春节)提前18d开花。可见,适当高温和高光强(22℃/16℃~30℃/24℃,7 500/5 500~10 000/8 000lx)处理能显著提高高山杜鹃花芽内可溶性糖、淀粉、可溶性蛋白和游离氨基酸等营养物质的积累和代谢,促进了其花芽发育,有效缩短了催花时间,使植株提前进入始花期,从而达到提前上市的目的。     

Effects of Light,Flooding, and Weeding on Experimental Restoration of an Endangered Hawaiian Fern

Conservation of rare plants can be accomplished by the restoration practice of reintroduction, but subsequent management is often required. In species with narrow habitat requirements, it is especially difficult to predict which management methods will be successful at new locations. Marsilea villosa is an endangered endemic Hawaiian fern with only seven remaining populations in ephemerally flooding drylands. Among its uncommon traits are long‐lived sporocarps, a requirement of flood and drought to complete its sexual life cycle, and the potential for extensive vegetative growth. An experiment was performed to determine which restoration techniques might best facilitate growth of outplanted M. villosa. The following effects were tested in a split‐plot factorial design: flooding (once/none), light (50% shade/full sun), weeding (bi‐monthly/none), and all interactions. We hypothesized that flooding would have the largest single‐factor effect and that there would be interactions among treatments. As hypothesized, flooding had the greatest positive effect on percent cover and sporocarp production. However, shade also increased cover over full sun when the plants began to experience drought. There was an interaction of light × flooding because M. villosa grew best in flooded, shaded plots. Weeding had no significant effect except in combination with flooding. Beyond protected status, current management of M. villosa only includes weed management at some populations. This study shows that if reintroducing new populations, the need for labor‐intensive weed management might be reduced if M. villosa is planted under conditions of flooding and moderate shade.     

Influence of Algal Community Structure on Denitrification Rates in Periphyton Cultivated on Artificial Substrata

We conducted a field survey of periphyton cultivated on benthic mesh installations in freshwater aquatic systems, including two constructed wetlands and a pond, and also studied periphyton grown on a benthic mesh in laboratory mesocosms. The objectives of this study were to (1) determine if periphyton cultivated on benthic mesh denitrifies at higher rates than the underlying sediments and (2) determine if denitrification rates within periphyton vary with characteristics such as algal and bacterial community structure and biomass. We measured denitrification potential rates of field and laboratory periphyton by the acetylene inhibition method. We characterized algal community composition by algal identification and bacterial community composition by terminal restriction fragment length polymorphisms. Periphyton collected on benthic mesh from our field sites denitrified at significantly higher rates than the underlying sediments, regardless of sampling site or season. Results from both our field survey and laboratory studies indicated a significant, positive correlation between diatom presence and denitrification rate. In our laboratory studies, we found that periphyton with the highest diatom abundance showed the highest denitrification rates as well as a distinct bacterial community composition. These results suggest a synergistic relationship between diatoms and denitrifying bacteria that warrants further study.     

Light Increases Energy Transfer Efficiency in a Boreal Stream

Periphyton communities of a boreal stream were exposed to different light and nutrient levels to estimate energy transfer efficiency from primary to secondary producers using labeling with inorganic ¹³C. In a one-day field experiment, periphyton grown in fast-flow conditions and dominated by opportunistic green algae were exposed to light levels corresponding to sub-saturating (forest shade) and saturating (open stream section) irradiances, and to N and P nutrient additions. In a two-week laboratory experiment, periphyton grown in low-flow conditions and dominated by slowly growing diatoms were incubated under two sub-saturating light and nutrient enrichment levels as well as grazed and non-grazed conditions. Light had significant positive effect on ¹³C uptake by periphyton. In the field experiment, P addition had a positive effect on ¹³C uptake but only at sub-saturating light levels, whereas in the laboratory experiment nutrient additions had no effect on the periphyton biomass, ¹³C uptake, biovolume and community composition. In the laboratory experiment, the grazer (caddisfly) effect on periphyton biomass specific ¹³C uptake and nutrient content was much stronger than the effects of light and nutrients. In particular, grazers significantly reduced periphyton biomass and increased biomass specific ¹³C uptake and C:nutrient ratios. The energy transfer efficiency, estimated as a ratio between ¹³C uptake by caddisfly and periphyton, was positively affected by light conditions, whereas the nutrient effect was not significant. We suggest that the observed effects on energy transfer were related to the increased diet contribution of highly palatable green algae, stimulated by higher light levels. Also, high heterotrophic microbial activity under low light levels would facilitate energy loss through respiration and decrease overall trophic transfer efficiency. These findings suggest that even a small increase in light intensity could result in community-wide effects on periphyton in boreal streams, with a subsequent increase in energy transfer and system productivity.     

Effects of Light Regime on Antioxidant Content of Foliage in a Tropical Forest Community1

A basic tenet of plant ecology is that under high light and limiting nutrient levels, carbon becomes relatively more available for investment in anti-herbivore defense. Rarely considered in discussions of such defense investments, however, is the necessity for plants to defend themselves against oxidative damage caused by light exposure itself. To determine if the ability to respond to elevated levels of light exposure by increasing production of antioxidant compounds is a general characteristic of foliage in tropical plants, we conducted a broad survey of antioxidant content in foliage of 55 species in a tropical forest community by comparing individuals within forest gaps to conspecifics in the closed canopy forest. To do so, we devised a rapid assay to use under field conditions. Of the 41 species of shrubs, trees, and lianas demonstrating a discernible difference in antioxidant content under the two light regimes, 34 (68%) showed higher antioxidant content under high light conditions. In a quantitative laboratory-based study using four of these species, light was associated with a 15 to 45 percent increase in water-soluble antioxidants in three species; one species displayed a 118 percent increase in fat-soluble antioxidants as well. Thus, changes in the chemistry of plant foliage in response to light may reflect plant investments in defense against abiotic stress factors as well as investments in defense against biotic stress factors.     

封育对高寒草甸植物群落构成及生态位特征的影响

封育是天然草地管理的一种有效措施,利于草地生产力提高和退化草地恢复。该研究通过对青藏高原高寒草甸放牧和封育草地物种多样性、植被构成、植物种生态位特征、草地演替度等分析,解析高寒草甸植物种间关系及草地演替方向。结果表明:(1)封育显著降低了草地群落植物物种数以及α和β多样性指数,显著增加了草地1年生植物种数、地面芽植物种数和地上生物量。(2)放牧草地地上生物量以莎草科(59.7%)和禾本科(23.9%)为主,封育草地地上生物量以禾本科(85.0%)为主;放牧草地优势种为矮嵩草(Kobresia humilis)和线叶嵩草(K.capillifolia),封育草地优势种为垂穗披碱草(Elymus nutans)和早熟禾(Poasp.)。(3)放牧和封育草地的群落植物种重要值均与各自的生态位宽度变化规律一致。(4)草地植物种间竞争主要发生在不同科属植物种之间,封育增加了群落植物种整体生态位重叠值和植物种间竞争。(5)草地群落演替度为封育地放牧地,封育群落处于较稳定状态。研究认为,封育促进了高寒草甸由莎草+杂类草群落向禾草+杂类草群落演替。     

Effects of Light on the Enzymic Composition of Aegilops triaristata Seedlings

Electrophoretic patterns of enzymes, esterases, phosphatasesand peroxidases in hexaploid seedlings of Acgilops triaristatawere examined by horizontal starch gel electrophoresis. Electropherogramswere evaluated by gel densitometer traces. Comparisons weremade between organs of A. triaristata seedlings developed inlight and darkness. Each organ presented a characteristic enzymicpattern, while quantitative and qualitative differences wereobserved between organs developed in light and darkness. Thesame differences were also observed by an enzyme assay. Possiblecauses of these differences in enzyme activities, especiallyin coleoptiles, are discussed.