Woody Species Diversity in Forest Plantations in a Mountainous Region of Beijing,China: Effects of Sampling Scale and Species Selection

The role of forest plantations in biodiversity conservation has gained more attention in recent years. However, most work on evaluating the diversity of forest plantations focuses only on one spatial scale; thus, we examined the effects of sampling scale on diversity in forest plantations. We designed a hierarchical sampling strategy to collect data on woody species diversity in planted pine (Pinus tabuliformis Carr.), planted larch (Larix principis-rupprechtii Mayr.), and natural secondary deciduous broadleaf forests in a mountainous region of Beijing, China. Additive diversity partition analysis showed that, compared to natural forests, the planted pine forests had a different woody species diversity partitioning pattern at multi-scales (except the Simpson diversity in the regeneration layer), while the larch plantations did not show multi-scale diversity partitioning patterns that were obviously different from those in the natural secondary broadleaf forest. Compare to the natural secondary broadleaf forests, the effects of planted pine forests on woody species diversity are dependent on the sampling scale and layers selected for analysis. Diversity in the planted larch forest, however, was not significantly different from that in the natural forest for all diversity components at all sampling levels. Our work demonstrated that the species selected for afforestation and the sampling scales selected for data analysis alter the conclusions on the levels of diversity supported by plantations. We suggest that a wide range of scales should be considered in the evaluation of the role of forest plantations on biodiversity conservation.     

Oxygen Diffusion from the Roots of Woody Species

Application of the‘polarographic’ technique for studying oxygen diffusion from roots has provided preliminary results which establish that oxygen passes through the woody species Salix atrocinerea Brot., Salix fragilis L., Salix repens L., and Myrica gale L., in the gaseous phase as it does in other wetland species. Entry into the shoots occurs through the bark directly above the water table and in the willow cuttings the effective length of shoot for gas intake was the basal three centimetres above the water table. The length of shoot involved was longer in Myrica gale and the roots were of the normal (un-nodulated) type. Trials on Alnus glutinosa (L.) Gaertn. provided no conclusive results and it is thought that this was perhaps because measurements were on nodulated roots only.     

Herbicide and Tillage Effects on Volunteer Vegetation Composition and Diversity During Reforestation

Fraxinus pennsylvanica (green ash) is commonly used for reforestation of agricultural lowlands in the midwestern and eastern United States. We evaluated the effects of herbicide (untreated, glyphosate, and sulfometuron methyl) and tillage (tilled and no‐till) on F. pennsylvanica success and composition of associated volunteer vegetation 3 years after the treatment applications and reforestation of a formerly cultivated field in southern Illinois. Tillage had no effect on F. pennsylvanica growth, whereas both herbicides increased all measures of tree performance. The response of associated native and non‐native species cover was affected by an interaction between the herbicide and tillage treatments. In the presence of herbicide, cover of native species was greater in the no‐till treatment, whereas non‐native cover was higher in the tillage treatment. Both native and non‐native cover were unaffected by tillage in the absence of herbicide, and there were no differences in cover among the herbicide treatments in the presence of tillage. Total diversity was higher in the tillage treatment than the no‐till treatment, and diversity was lower in the sulfometuron methyl herbicide treatment than the control and glyphosate herbicide treatment. Lower diversity in the sulfometuron methyl treatment was attributed to greater cover of a native perennial grass, Andropogon virginicus (Broomsedge), which was inversely related to total diversity. We conclude that a single glyphosate herbicide application can enhance F. pennsylvanica growth and conserve associated species diversity in this system. Furthermore, species‐specific responses of the associated vegetation should be included in management considerations, particularly if silvicultural treatments influence dominance and diversity in the establishing understory community during reforestation.     

Plant Functional Diversity and Species Diversity in the Mongolian Steppe

Background

The Mongolian steppe is one of the most important grasslands in the world but suffers from aridization and damage from anthropogenic activities. Understanding structure and function of this community is important for the ecological conservation, but has seldom been investigated.

Methodology/Principal Findings

In this study, a total of 324 quadrats located on the three main types of Mongolian steppes were surveyed. Early-season perennial forbs (37% of total importance value), late-season annual forbs (33%) and late-season perennial forbs (44%) were dominant in meadow, typical and desert steppes, respectively. Species richness, diversity and plant functional type (PFT) richness decreased from the meadow, via typical to desert steppes, but evenness increased; PFT diversity in the desert and meadow steppes was higher than that in typical steppe. However, above-ground net primary productivity (ANPP) was far lower in desert steppe than in the other two steppes. In addition, the slope of the relationship between species richness and PFT richness increased from the meadow, via typical to desert steppes. Similarly, with an increase in species diversity, PFT diversity increased more quickly in both the desert and typical steppes than that in meadow steppe. Random resampling suggested that this coordination was partly due to a sampling effect of diversity.

Conclusions/Significance

These results indicate that desert steppe should be strictly protected because of its limited functional redundancy, which its ecological functioning is sensitive to species loss. In contrast, despite high potential forage production shared by the meadow and typical steppes, management of these two types of steppes should be different: meadow steppe should be preserved due to its higher conservation value characterized by more species redundancy and higher spatial heterogeneity, while typical steppe could be utilized moderately because its dominant grass genus Stipa is resistant to herbivory and drought.     

南亚热带森林木本植物种子萌发和储存

研究了南亚热带森林 90种木本植物的种子和果实的大小、含水量等特征及种子萌发 ,并对其中有足够萌发个体的种 (45种 )进行了萌发分析和对有足够萌发个体和足够种子的种 (41种 )进行了种子或果实储存对萌发影响的研究。肉质果实种子和肉质种子萌发率较干燥种子高 ,两者差异显著。大多数种播种 6 0d内萌发。肉质果实的种子和肉质种子较干燥种子的休眠期长 ,留土萌发种子较出土萌发种子休眠期长。大种子种与小种子种之间、夏季成熟的肉质果实的种子与冬季和春季成熟的肉质果实的种子之间休眠期长短差异不显著。萌发率与新鲜种子含水量无显著的相关 ,但种子中水分含量的减少明显影响萌发率 ,尤其是在种子自然干燥的最初 3d。当种子的水分含量减至 2 0 % (约在种子自然干燥 10～ 14d)时 ,种子萌发率降至很低。萌发率随储存时间 (密封 ,(4± 1)℃ )而下降 ,但储存一个月下降不大 (- 8.3% ) ,储存 3个月后 ,显著下降。果实储存与种子储存之间、大种子种与小种子种储存之间、肉质果实的种子和肉质种子储存与干燥种子储存之间 ,萌发率差异一般不显著。     

南亚热带森林木本植物种子萌发和储存

研究了南亚热带森林90种木本植物的种子和果实的大小、含水量等特征及种子萌发,并对其中有足够萌发个体的种(45种)进行了萌发分析和对有足够萌发个体和足够种子的种(41种)进行了种子或果实储存对萌发影响的研究.肉质果实种子和肉质种子萌发率较干燥种子高,两者差异显著.大多数种播种60 d内萌发.肉质果实的种子和肉质种子较干燥种子的休眠期长,留土萌发种子较出土萌发种子休眠期长.大种子种与小种子种之间、夏季成熟的肉质果实的种子与冬季和春季成熟的肉质果实的种子之间休眠期长短差异不显著.萌发率与新鲜种子含水量无显著的相关,但种子中水分含量的减少明显影响萌发率,尤其是在种子自然干燥的最初3 d.当种子的水分含量减至20%(约在种子自然干燥10～14 d)时,种子萌发率降至很低.萌发率随储存时间(密封,(4±1) ℃)而下降,但储存一个月下降不大(-8.3%),储存3个月后,显著下降.果实储存与种子储存之间、大种子种与小种子种储存之间、肉质果实的种子和肉质种子储存与干燥种子储存之间,萌发率差异一般不显著.     

Species Diversity and Biomass Stability

With the current accelerating rate of biodiversity extinction, there is great interest in how species diversity influences ecosystem properties. In this article, we investigate the relationship between species diversity and the stability of community biomass in the face of stochastic perturbations of species' abundances. The model explicitly includes species' interactions. We show that the pattern of species' interactions affects whether the relationship between diversity and biomass stability is positive or negative. In particular, assumptions about community structure influence the relationship between species diversity and community biomass, which in turn influences the diversity-stability relationship. We also discuss the relationship between diversity and another type of stability, the proportional change in community biomass with the extinction or introduction of a species. Regardless of community type, diversity buffers the change in biomass when a species is added or removed.     

Species Delimitation and Analysis of Cryptic Species Diversity in the XXI Century

The potentials and limitations of different approaches to revealing species boundaries and describing cryptic species are discussed. Both the traditional methods of species delimitation, mostly based on morphological analysis, and the approaches using molecular markers are considered. Besides, the prospects of species identification using digital image recognition and machine learning are briefly considered. It is concluded that molecular markers provide very important material for species delimitation; the value of these data increases manifold if they can be compared with information on morphology, geographic distribution, and ecological preferences of the studied taxa. In many cases, only a practicing taxonomist who knows his or her group thoroughly can correctly interpret the molecular data and incorporate them into the existing knowledge system in order to make a taxonomic decision.

     

Prescribed Fire and the Response of Woody Species in Willamette Valley Wetland Prairies

A single fall-season prescribed burn and two consecutive fall-season prescribed burns were conducted in 1988 and 1989 to quantify the effects of fire intensity and frequency on woody species in two Willamette Valley wet prairies. Fuel biomass, fuel properties, fire behavior, biomass consumption, and changes in woody species density and height were documented before and after the burns. Before burning, Rosa nutkana (Nootka rose) was the most abundant woody species at both sites. In 1988, burns were significantly more intense, produced more heat per unit area at Fisher Butte than at Rose Prairie, and were fairly complete, with 37% and 35% woody biomass consumption, respectively. In 1989, burns were spotty; only 11% of woody biomass was consumed at Fisher Butte. The one-burn treatment did not affect R. nutkana density in 1 × 15 m transects at either site; the two-burn treatment significantly increased its density in three of the five communities sampled. Burning significantly reduced height growth by eliminating taller individuals while stimulating sprouts from belowground tissues. Redistribution of R. nutkana and trees into shorter height classes indicates the possibility of reducing the visual dominance of woody species if periodic burns were conducted in native Willamette Valley prairie. The low-intensity burns in this study were sufficient to remove the woody shoots under 3 m tall but did not reduce their capacity to regenerate and did not reduce the density of woody species. After decades of fire suppression, two burns were not sufficient to reestablish the desired balance between native herbaceous and woody species or to reduce the presence of introduced woody species. A long-term commitment to the reintroduction of fire as a management tool will be required to maintain native wetland prairies in the Willamette Valley.     

Seed Ecology of Woody Species in a Caribbean Dry Forest

Peak flowering activity among woody species in the tropical dry forests of St. John, U.S. Virgin Islands, coincided with the brief spring rainy season but continued at moderate levels for six months, abating with the autumn rains. Fruit maturation showed a major peak in the long winter dry season and a minor crest during the summer dry season. Seeds of wind-dispersed species disseminated mainly during the winter dry season, while animal dispersal of seeds (74% of all woody species) followed the bimodal pattern (for wet and dry seasons) described for the community as a whole. Under shadehouse conditions, most dry forest tree species germinated well (> 80%) and emerged promptly (within four weeks of planting) and synchronously (90% emergence within a four-week interval). Nine of 29 species tested in the shadehouse manifested dormancy of at least six weeks. Seed germinability varied among tree species, and the viability of most species began to decline following six months of dry storage. Few species retained high germinability after nine months of dry storage. The species composition of soil seed banks did not correspond closely with above-ground communities on three forested sites of varying stand age. In the youngest stand (35 years old), dominated by the weedy, arborescent legume Leucaena leucocephala, the soil seed bank was also dominated by this species, but no seeds of any other tree species were found in the soil samples. Seeds of native trees were scarcely encountered (only one indigenous species) in soil seed bank samples of three forest sites. Local seed rain from less disturbed forest may not be sufficient for prompt recovery of the dry forest community on degraded sites.     

Termite Mounds Increase Functional Diversity of Woody Plants in African Savannas

Fine-scale spatial heterogeneity influences biodiversity and ecosystem productivity at many scales. In savanna systems, Macrotermes termites, through forming spatially explicit mounds with unique woody plant assemblages, emerge as important sources of such heterogeneity. Despite a growing consensus regarding the importance of functional diversity (FD) to ecosystem processes, no study has quantified how termite mounds affect woody plant FD. We address whether termite mounds alter the distribution of functional traits, and increase FD of woody plant communities within Africa’s largest savanna woodland, the 2.7 million km² miombo system. Using plant traits that change according to soil resources (for example, water and nutrients), and disturbance (for example, fire and elephant herbivory), we identified response functional groups and compared relative representation of these groups between mound and matrix habitats. We also asked whether mound and matrix habitats differed in their contribution to FD within the system. Although species representing most functional groups were found in both mound and matrix habitats, relative abundance of functional groups differed between mound and matrix. Mound plant assemblages had greater response diversity to soil resources than matrix plots, but there was no difference in response diversity to disturbance. High trait values on mounds included tree height, leaf nitrogen, phosphorus, and palatability. Species with root ectomycorrhizae dominated the matrix. In conclusion, these small patches of nutrient-enriched substrate emerge as drivers of FD in above-ground woody plant communities.     

Species Diversity, Biogeography, and the Evolution of Biotas

SYNOPSIS. A central scientific problem for ecologists and systematistshas been to explain spatiotemporal patterns of species diversity.One aspect of this question is how to understand the taxonomicassembly of biotas and their included ecosystems and communities.Four processes add or subtract species from a region: speciation,extinction, biotic dispersion, and long-distance dispersal.Speciation and biotic dispersion are postulated to result inhistorically structured (hierarchical) species assemblages,whereas long-distance dispersal results in assemblages thatwould be expected to be historically unstructured (nonhierarchical).Continental biotas, as exemplified by the Australian avifauna,are historically structured: they are segregated into areasof endemism having hierarchical relationships that presumablyarose as a result of their history being dominated by cyclesof biotic dispersion and vicariance. It is also proposed thatthese latter two processes are necessary, and in many casesprobably sufficient, to explain the taxonomic composition ofcommunities within these areas of endemism. Long-distance dispersalappears to play a much more minor role in the assembly of eithercontinental biotas or their communities than current ecologicaltheory would predict.     

Revisiting the Relation Between Species Diversity and Information Theory

The Shannon information function (H) has been extensively used in ecology as a statistic of species diversity. Yet, the use of Shannon diversity index has also been criticized, mainly because of its ambiguous ecological interpretation and because of its relatively great sensitivity to the relative abundances of species in the community. In my opinion, the major shortcoming of the traditional perspective (on the possible relation of species diversity with information theory) is that species need for an external receiver (the scientist or ecologist) to exist and transmit information. Because organisms are self-catalized replicating structures that can transmit genotypic information to offspring, it should be evident that any single species has two possible states or alternatives: to be or not to be. In other words, species have no need for an external receiver since they are their own receivers. Therefore, the amount of biological information (at the species scale) in a community with one only species would be log₂ 2¹ = 1 { \log }_{2} 2^{1} = 1 species, and not log₂ 1 = 0 { \log }_{2} 1 = 0 bits as in the traditional perspective. Moreover, species diversity appears to be a monotonic increasing function of log₂ 2^\textS { \log }_{2} 2^{{\text{S}}} (or S) when all species are equally probable (S being species richness), and not a function of log₂ \text S { \log }_{2} {\text{ S}} as in the traditional perspective. To avoid the noted shortcoming, we could use 2^H (instead of H) for calculating species diversity and species evenness (= 2^H/S). However, owing to the relatively great sensitivity of H to the relative abundances of species in the community, the value of species dominance (= 1 − 2^H/S) is unreasonably high when differences between dominant and subordinate species are considerable, thereby lowering the value of species evenness and diversity. This unsatisfactory behaviour is even more evident for Simpson index and related algorithms. I propose the use of other statistics for a better analysis of community structure, their relationship being: species evenness + species dominance = 1; species diversity × species uniformity = 1; and species diversity = species richness × species evenness.     

Field Measurements of the Gas Exchange of Woody Plant Species in Simulated Sunflecks

The photosynthetic responses of eight tree and shrub speciesto simulated sunflecks was measured in the field. The net carbonexchange (NCE) of Corylus avellana and Ulmus glabra increasedwith irradiance up to the maximum irradiance of 230 µmolm^–2 s^–1. The NCE of Fraxinux excelsior, Hedera helixand the sun and shade forms of Rhododendron ponticum saturatedat about 120 µmol m^–2 s^–1 whereas the NCEof Ilex aquifolium, Daphne laureola and Fagus sylvatica hadeffectively saturated at 27 µmol m^–2 s^–1. In all cases the quantum efficiency of NCE could be predictedfrom measurements of chlorophyll fluorescence and the maximumvalue for NCE from measurements of stomatal conductance. Therelationships were combined into a model for predicting NCE/irradiancecharacteristics. Corylus avellana L., Daphne laureola L., Fagus sylvatica L., Fraxinus excelsior L., Hedera helix L., Ilex aquifolium L., Prunus laurocerasus L., Rhododendron ponticum L., Ulmus glabra Huds., gas exchange, stomatal resistance, water use efficiency, chlorophyll fluorescence, quantum efficiency     

Origin of the Woody Macaronesian Sempervivoideae and the Phylogenetic Position of the East African Species of Aeonium

Evolutionary relationships among the genera of Macaronesian Sempervivoideae, Aeonium, Aichryson, Greenovia, and Monanthes, were studied using sequence variation of the chloroplast DNA trnL (UAA) - trnF (GAA) spacer and the nuclear ribosomal Internal Transcribed Spacer 2 (ITS2). Phylogenetic analysis indicates that the Moroccan Sedum sect. Monanthoidea is the sister taxon of the Macaronesian Sempervivoideae. In combination with the terminal position in the Macaronesian Sempervivoideae of the East African A. leucoblepharum, which has formerly been assumed to be the sister taxon of the other species of Macaronesian Sempervivoideae (i.e. Aichryson and Monanthes), a recent remigration to Africa is suggested. Statistical support for the terminal position of A. leucoblepharum using only spacer sequences is without homoplasy but not high since only single mutations in both the chloroplast and nuclear sequence characterize the clade containing A. leucoblepharum. A. leucoblepharum and the Canarian species with a similar growth-form share 50% of the RAPDs. Within a clade comprising woody species with yellow flowers and a herbaceous rosette, the highest genetic divergence, as determined with RAPDs, is found between A. simsii and the woody Macaronesian and African species. The extremely close genetic ties among the woody and branched (sub)shrubs indicate that, when compared to the other species of the genus, the woody, African Aeonium species are not the sister group of the Macaronesian Sempervivoideae and substantiate the view that an ancestor of A. leucoblepharum recently migrated from the Canary Islands to East Africa and Arabia through long distance dispersal, rather than being a relict of an African Aeonium flora from the Tertiary.     

Use of DNA Fluorochromes for Studying Meiosis in the Woody Species Thryptomene Calycina

The fluorescent DNA probes DAPI and Hoechst 33258 produce superior images to the traditional acetocarmine stain of the small chromosomes of the woody shrub Thryptomene calycina at all stages of microsporocyte meiosis and microspore mitosis. Hoechst 33258 was slightly superior to DAPI because of reduced background fluorescence. Binding with the DNA-specific probes required a fixative containing chloroform to remove autofluorescent materials, a pretreatment with acetic acid and a pH of least 6 during treatment. The nucleoli did not fluoresce after treatment with DAPI or Hoechst 33258. Superior resolution of chromosomes after treatment with the fluorochromes enabled easy determination of the haploid number at metaphase I, metaphase II and at metaphase of the microspore mitosis.     

Reactive Oxygen Species and Alternative Respiration in the Developing Flowers of Two Subtropical Woody Plants

Petals, sepals, pistils, and stamens from flowers of two landscape tree species (Elaeocarpus hainanensis Oliv and Michelia alba DC) were analyzed to determine the changes in levels of reactive oxygen species (ROS), lipoxygenase (LOX) activity, and alternative pathway respiration throughout flower development. Histochemical and quantitative analyses revealed that ROS levels differed among tissues and stages of flower development. ROS levels were high in all flower tissues early in development and then declined to low levels late in development. ROS levels were highest in the stamen. In contrast, LOX activity, heat energy evolution, and the percentage of total respiration represented by alternative respiration in M. alba petals increased with flower development. The results suggest that ROS are involved in the growth of various flower tissues at early developmental stages and not only located on the tip site of growing tissues. The reduction in ROS generation later in development is probably due to the significant elevation in alternative respiration. The increase in LOX activity and heat energy evolution might contribute to the formation and release of some aromatic compounds and to flower opening. LOX, however, might not mediate ROS generation in the petal during development.