Decomposition and litter production in a northern bald cypress swamp

Abstract. Primary production as measured by annual mean litter fall in the Lower Cache near Perks, Illinois, was the lowest recorded for cypress swamps (2345.5 kg/ha/yr). This swamp is continuously flooded with a low input of phosphorus (< 0.24 mg 1). Rates of leaf litter decomposition were higher in the Lower Cache for Taxodium distichum than in swamps to the south of the region. The winter rates of leaf litter decomposition in the Lower Cache were slower than summer rates for Cephalanthus occidentalis, Echinochloa muricata, Polygonum pensylvanicum, Jussisaea repens, Taxodium distichum, and Eleocharis obtusa, but not for Typha latifolia. Because the 99% turnover rates for these species (0.69–5.10 years) often exceeds one year, undecomposed litter can be expected to accumulate or be exported from the system. Most leaves are shed in the autumn (October through December; 83.6%).     

Spatial structure and regeneration of Tetramerista glabra in peat swamp rain forest in Indonesian Borneo

We examined the spatial structure and regeneration of Tetramerista glabra, a dominant canopy tree in peat swamp rain forest in Borneo (West Kalimantan, Indonesia). T. glabra has strong spatial structure that changes dramatically during the life cycle; seedlings were highly aggregated, saplings were random and trees were evenly distributed. Germination and seedling relative growth were highest within canopy gaps, but seedling densities were highest at gap edges. Concentration of seedlings in gap edges, rather than localized seed dispersal, was responsible for seedling patchiness. The slope of the relationship between relative growth rate and seedling height decreased from gap, to gap edge to understory habitats, suggesting that competition within the seedling layer is more important in gaps than in the understory. The processes that break down seedling aggregation, leading to over-dispersion of trees, must be density dependent, but remain unknown.     

Fungal succession and decomposition of beech cupule litter

Beech cupule litter is the second largest (next to leaf litter) component of total annual litterfall in mast years, and makes an important contribution to carbon budgets in beech forest soils. We investigated the decomposition processes of beech cupule litter over a 30-month period with reference to the role of fungal succession in the decomposition of acid-unhydrolyzable residue (AUR) and holocellulose. During the study period, weight loss of holocellulose occurred, while there was little weight loss of AUR, and 77?% of the original cupule weight remained at the end of the study period. Xylaria sp.1, Geniculosporium sp. and Nigrospora sp. that can attack holocellulose selectively caused mass loss of holocellulose and were responsible for the cupule weight loss. Although the beech cupule is a woody phyllome and its lignocellulose composition is similar to that of coarse woody debris (CWD) rather than leaf litter of beech, the selective decomposition of holocellulose by fungi was similar to the decay process of leaf litter rather than CWD.     

Leaf litter decomposition in a tropical peat swamp forest in Peninsular Malaysia

It has long been assumed that the peat underlying tropical peat swamp forests accumulates because the extreme conditions (water logged, nutrient poor, anaerobic and acidic—pH 2.9–3.5) impede microbial activity. Litterbag studies in a tropical Malaysian peat swamp (North Selangor peat swamp forest) showed that although the sclerophyllous, toxic leaves of endemic peat forest plants (Macaranga pruinosa, Campnosperma coriaceum, Pandanus atrocarpus, Stenochlaena palustris) were barely decomposed by bacteria and fungi (decay rates of only 0.0006–0.0016 k day⁻¹), leaves of M. tanarius, a secondary forest species were almost completely decomposed (decay rates of 0.0047–0.005 k day⁻¹) after 1 year. Thus it is intrinsic properties of the leaves (that are adaptations to deter herbivory in the nutrient poor environment) that impede microbial breakdown. The water of the peat swamp was very high in dissolved organic carbon (70–84 mg l⁻¹ DOC). Laboratory studies revealed initial rapid leaching of DOC from leaves (up to 1,720 mg l⁻¹ from 4 g of leaves in 7 days), but the DOC levels then fell rapidly. The leaching of DOC resulted in weight loss but the physical structure of the leaves remained intact. It is suggested that the DOC is used as a substrate for microbial growth hence lowering the concentration of DOC in the water and transferring energy from the leaves to other trophic levels. This would explain how nutrient poor tropical peatswamps support diverse, abundant flora and fauna despite low nutrient levels and lack of rapid litter cycling such as occurs in other types of tropical rainforests.     

Spatial succession and metabolic properties of functional microbial communities in an anaerobic baffled reactor

The spatial successions of bacterial and archaeal communities in anaerobic digestion were investigated in a glucose-degrading five-compartment anaerobic baffled reactor (ABR). The distributions of H₂-producing acetogens, H₂-utilizing acetogens and methanogens in different anaerobic-digestion stages were quantitatively analyzed using functional probes. The results show that the acidogenesis stage and acetogenesis stage were located in the first two compartments, while the methanogenesis were located in the last two compartments. In acidogenesis/acetogenesis stage of anaerobic digestion, H₂-producing acetogens (19.7%) and H₂-utilizing acetogens (8.3%) were the dominant bacterial community. While in methanogenesis stage, methanogens became the dominant (40.2%) with H₂-producing acetogens and H₂-utilizing acetogens only accounting for 6.6% and 4.8%, respectively. With the bacterial population decreasing from 7.2 ± 0.5 × 10¹² cells mL⁻¹ to 0.6 ± 0.3 × 10¹² cells mL⁻¹ along water flowing direction, their diversity increased from 2.79 to 299. The acidogenic bacteria, such as Lactococcus sp., Uncultured Firmicutes bacterium, and Uncultured Clostridium sp., etc., dominated in the acidogenesis/acetogenesis stage, while Uncultured Desulfobacterales bacterium became dominant in the methanogenesis stage. A two-stage anaerobic process may be suitable for easily degradable organic matters removal.     

Spatial relationships between plant litter,gopher disturbance and vegetation at different stages of old‐field succession

Abstract. Fine‐scale spatial patterns of small mammal disturbances and local accumulation of plant litter were studied together with the spatial pattern of vegetation in different stages of old‐field succession at Cedar Creek Natural History Area, Minnesota, USA. Seven stands from one to 66 years old were sampled. Presence of living plant species, local soil disturbances by pocket gophers (Geomys bursarius) and plant litter accumulation were recorded in 10 cm × 10 cm contiguous microquadrats along elliptical transects. Spatial patterns and associations were analyzed using information theory models. Dominant grasses were spatially independent, while subordinate functional groups were strongly dependent on the existing patchwork of dominant species, plant litter and gopher disturbances. Litter had consistent negative associations with subordinate functional groups in all but the initial years. Gopher disturbances were abundant but had weak and variable associations with vegetation. These results suggest that gopher disturbance does not facilitate the colonization of native prairie species and that diversity can be improved by controlling litter accumulation in Minnesota old‐fields.     

放牧干扰下若尔盖高原沼泽湿地植被种类组成及演替模式

以若尔盖高原退化沼泽植被为研究对象,应用多重比较、双因素方差分析、物种累积曲线、PCA排序、方差分解等方法分析了不同放牧压力、放牧季节下物种丰富度、多度、生活型组成、群落演替的变化。结果表明:不同放牧季节物种丰富度格局不尽相同,其中6、9、10月在各牧压梯度间无显著差异,7、8月均以极重度和极度阶段(中生草甸)的最高,原生沼泽的最低。在物种累积速率上,沿牧压梯度以极重度和极度阶段的最高,沿放牧季节以7、8月最高;双因素方差分析结果进一步表明物种丰富度与放牧季节无显著关系,但与放牧压力关系显著。放牧压力和放牧季节共解释了物种多度总方差的47.6%,其中放牧压力解释了50.1%,放牧季节以及二者方差交集均为负值;沿牧压梯度,沼泽植被逆向演替模式倾向于沼泽→草甸,沼泽化草甸阶段不明显,但是演替方向未发生变化,建群种替代规律为:乌拉草→木里苔草→栗褐苔草,生活型组成中直立型植物比例较少,莲座型和匍匐型植物增加。总之,放牧季节对物种丰富度无显著影响,但在一定程度上改变了其牧压梯度格局,降低了物种累积速率。放牧压力改变了群落物种丰富度、生活型组成和演替模式,但放牧可能仅为沼泽植物群落物种多样性格局和演替的驱动力之一。     

Decomposition and element concentrations of silver birch leaf litter as affected by boron status of litter and soil

Inadequate boron (B) nutrition can affect the structural integrity and chemical composition of plant tissues. The changes in mass and element concentrations were studied using silver birch (Betula pendula Roth) leaf litter from seedlings grown with or without added B (B_litter+ or B_litter?). The litter was produced in a growth room, and it was incubated in either B fertilised or control forest plots (B_soil+ or B_soil?) between the moss and humus layers in two Norway spruce stands for 13 months. Additionally, the field decomposition experiment included long-term N and P application treatments (N_soil and P_soil). B_litter+ somewhat reduced the remaining litter mass. In contrast, B_soil+ increased it, possibly because of lower soil pH. The +N_soil treatment reduced the remaining mass. B_litter+ increased the remaining P, S, Cu, Cd, Ni and Zn but reduced Pb. Remaining B was high in the B_litter– which also accumulated B from soil. B_soil increased remaining Ca, Cd, Mg, Na, Pb, and slightly reduced N (in N fertilised plots). These changes in decomposition and element release have a potential to affect nutrient, carbon, and heavy-metal cycles in areas where B deficiencies are common, and where B fertilisation is practised.     

Herbivory modifies the genetic structure of birch populations

We studied the effects of selective herbivory on genetic diversity in seedling populations of silver birch ( Betula pendula ), a light-demanding pioneer tree species. The experimental populations consisted of 20 families competing with each other in dense stands. The seedling stands were randomly assigned to insect and vole exposure and fertilization treatments. The study covered the first two growing seasons, during which considerable thinning occurred within the experimental populations. We compared the observed mortality to a simulated control representing random mortality. Our results show that mortality resulted in decreased diversity compared to the simulated control. When insect and vole herbivory and nutrient enrichment treatments were compared to each other, taking into account differences in mortality due to the treatments, vole herbivory led to increased diversity among the tallest seedlings (i.e. canopy layer). This is noteworthy, since the canopy layer includes those with the best prospects of surviving in competition for light. When mortality was accounted for, 2-year natural exposure to insects had no effect on diversity; but cluster analysis showed that insect herbivory changed the genetic composition of the experimental populations. Our results demonstrate the importance of herbivores in shaping the genetic structure of plant populations during the thinning phase.     

Plant traits, litter quality and decomposition in a Mediterranean old-field succession

Human-induced changes in land use lead to major changes in plant community composition which have strong effects on ecosystem processes. Here, we tested the hypothesis that changes in traits of living plants induced by such changes resulted in changes in the quality and decay properties of the litter produced by the different communities. This was done in the context of a secondary succession following land abandonment in the Mediterranean region of Southern France. During the course of succession, species with high specific leaf area (the ratio of leaf area to leaf mass), low leaf dry matter content (the ratio of leaf dry mass to leaf fresh mass) and high leaf nitrogen concentration were progressively replaced by species with opposite characteristics. Accordingly, the initial litter concentrations of carbon (C) and nitrogen (N) decreased, while their C:N ratio and their hemicellulose concentration increased with time after abandonment. Early-successional communities had faster rates of litter decay and N release from litter, but these differences damped out with decomposition time. Nitrogen release from litter was related to initial litter chemical composition, particularly to its N concentration. This also held for litter decay rate, but only during the first 18 months of decomposition. Community functional parameters (i.e. trait values weighed according to the relative abundance of species) were tightly linked to initial litter N concentration, and thereby to litter decay and N loss rates. The strongest correlations were found with leaf dry matter content, which therefore appears as a powerful marker of litter properties. This provides further evidence that characteristics of living leaves persist in litter, and that some ecosystem processes can be inferred from plant functional traits. Responsible Editor: Alfonso Escudero     

干扰与生态系统演替的空间分析

演替不光是生态系统在时间序列上的替代过程,而且也是生态系统在空间上的动态演变。演替的空间属性有演替系列的格局、范围、尺度、演替方向和速率、稳定的程度、多样性、以及在自然和人为干扰下的恢复等。干扰破坏了生态系统的稳定性,形成生态系统结构和功能的破损,使生态系统处于一种过渡状态。但是干扰也是生态系统演替的外在驱动力,自然的和人为的干扰引起的生态系统的对称性破缺,推动了系统的进化和演变。外界因素作用于生态系统的干扰因子包含了很多种类,如火、风倒、洪水、病虫害、人类活动等。干扰的属性有范围、频度、季节、强度、损害度、返回时间和循环周期。讨论了这些干扰的类型和生态系统演替所具有空间的特征,并且介绍了干扰和生态系统演替空间分析常用的方法,如空间解绎和辨识、空间统计分析、空间格局分析和地理信息系统的空间分析、以及空间模拟。利用了一些典型的实例来深入阐明空间分析在干扰和生态系统演替中的应用。利用美国加利福尼亚北部火干扰的历史和空间分布的记录,进行了火干扰的空间分析的研究;用Spies等在美国俄勒冈州西部1972～1988年的多时段的变化的实例说明了收获干扰的影响;利用俄勒冈州东部山地的主要两个虫害(山地松树甲虫(Mountain Pine Beetle)和云杉蚜虫(Spruce Budworm))22a的数据分析了病虫害干扰的空间分布格局及其与海拔、温度、降水和植被类型的关系。在生态系统演替的空间分析方面,以美国俄勒冈州西部的历史和现实植被演替格局的分析为例,讨论了如何利用空间分析方法研究区域尺度生态系统的演替,同时比较了历史和现实植被的空间格局指数的变化;用两个实例来说明空间分析在辨识大陆和国家尺度生态系统变迁中的应用,一个是美国原生的老森林(Old～growth)植被从1620年到1920年,300a的空间格局变化,另外一个是加拿大植被从1600年到2000年,大约400a的空间分布变化。最后,对生态系统演替的空间分析的一些重要问题作了探讨,例如：空间分析可否帮助确定地带性顶极群落;如何将外貌与成分结合更好地识别生态系统演替的空间格局与演变趋势;以及如何利用空间分析研究由于人类活动干扰加剧所造成的生态系统自然演化规律的异化。     

Seasonal succession of a microphagotroph community in a small pond during litter decomposition

Temporal dynamics of a lentic microphagotroph community were studied during leaf litter decomposition from December to May. Small plastic vessels containing leaf litter were placed on a pond bottom. They were sampled periodically to collect microphagotrophs. Three abiotic factors and abundance of two food items were also measured to analyze the autogenic and allogenic phenomena during a microphagotroph succession. Three behavior types were recognized in dominant taxa: a free-swimming type, a vagile (creeps on substratum, sometimes swims) type, and a voluntarily fixed type. Dominant taxa changed from the free-swimming to the vagile type up to mid-March, and the reverse change occurred from mid-April. Principal component analysis (PCA) indicated four factors affecting the dynamics of the community: water temperature as a seasonal factor, detritus volume on the litter surface as a habitat factor, and densities of bacteria and small flagellates as food factors. Taxa replacement appeared to occur through two mechanisms. (1) Dominance of small holotrichs, a free-swimming type, was brought about by a high bacterial density caused by seasonal events, i.e., leaf fall in December and detritus formation by litter feeders in mid-April. This is an allogenic aspect of community dynamics. (2) The free-swimming type was replaced by the vagile one during the period with high taxa diversity. This replacement occurred through intertaxa competition for scarce food and/or selective predation by larger microphagotrophs. It is an autogenic process within the community.     

天童常绿阔叶林五个演替阶段凋落物中的土壤动物群落

为探讨森林凋落物中土壤动物群落的结构特征以及土壤动物群落随植被演替而发生的变化 ,于 2 0 0 3年冬季 ,对浙江天童常绿阔叶林 5个演替阶段凋落物中的土壤动物群落 ,按代表不同分解阶段的新鲜凋落物层、腐叶层和腐殖土层进行了调查研究。共获得土壤动物 13381只 ,分别隶属于 2门 8纲 2 0目。优势类群为蜱螨目 (Arcarina)和弹尾目 (Collem bola) ,二者共占总数的 94 .2 4 % ,A/ C为 7.6 6 ;常见类群为双翅目 (Diptera)。研究结果表明 :(1)凋落物中的土壤动物群落存在明显的有别于真土层的垂直分布 ,类群数和个体数总体表现为向下递增的趋势。共有 19类、5 9.0 3%的土壤动物分布在底部腐殖土层 ,仅 8类、5 .35 %的土壤动物分布在新鲜凋落物层 ,其余共 8类分布在中间腐叶层。而且 ,不同类群在各演替阶段的分布表现出一定的差异 ;(2 )凋落物中土壤动物群落随植物群落的演替而发生明显的变化 :个体总数和类群总数在演替顶极阶段最高 ,其次为中期阶段 ,演替初期最低。但是 ,在目这一分类等级上 ,各演替阶段凋落物中土壤动物群落的主要类群基本一致 ,均为蜱螨目、弹尾目、双翅目和鳞翅目 (L epidoptera) ;(3)相似性分析表明 ,演替中期凋落物中土壤动物群落与顶极阶段最为相似 ;但它们的Shannon- Wiener多样性     

云冷杉天然次生林死木分布格局及空间关联性

为揭示天然次生林群落演替规律,以吉林省汪清林业局金沟岭林场的云冷杉天然次生林为对象,采用相邻网格法调查样地(100 m×100 m)内每株林木(DBH≥1 cm)的基本特征及坐标位置,研究死木的分布格局及空间关联性.结果 表明:死木的径级分布呈左偏单峰山状分布,其中枯倒木呈多峰山状分布;各树种的死木株数与该树种的总株数...     

滇西北高原碧塔湖滨沼泽植物群落分布与演替

滇西北高原碧塔海湖滨带狭长型沟谷和宽广型沟谷设置了两条沼泽研究样带,研究了沼泽群落种类组成特征、群落分布与演替规律及其驱动因素.结果表明:两条样带总计调查到43种植物,隶属21科35属;群落中均以稀有种占多数,但总体上狭长型沟谷沼泽群落的均匀程度高于宽广型沟谷;α多样性各指数与沼泽水位均呈显著正相关,但β多样性与沼泽水位无相关性;沿水分梯度,沼泽群落呈现出挺水植物群落→沼泽植物群落→沼泽化草甸植物群落的生态序列分布,但是也在局部微地形作用下形成群落复合体;生态序列分布与湖岸特点和沟谷类型有关:狭长型沟谷具有陡坡湖岸,沼泽群落倾向于间断分布,宽广型沟谷具有缓坡湖岸,沼泽群落倾向于连续分布.以水分因子为主、以地形等因子为辅的综合环境因素是决定碧塔海湖滨沼泽群落植物多样性和生态序列分布格局的驱动因素,相应地植物群落演替特点为渐变式演替和跳跃式演替两种模式并存,但演替方向一致.     

Colonization and succession of fungi during decomposition of Swida controversa leaf litter

Decomposition processes of Swida controversa leaves were investigated in initially sterilized (fungi-excluded) and nonsterilized freshly fallen leaves to examine the relationship between chemical changes and fungal succession during decomposition and the effect of exclusion of previously established phyllosphere fungi from leaves on subsequent decomposition and fungal succession. Fifteen species were isolated frequently from decomposing leaves with surface-disinfection and washing methods. These fungi were divided into early and late colonizers according to their occurrence during decomposition. The 1.5 y decomposition process was divided into three stages characterized by different dominant organic chemical constituents. A clear relationship was demonstrated between chemical changes and fungal succession. Total hyphal length and frequencies of some early colonizers were reduced in initially sterilized leaves at 3 wk, but this had no significant effect on loss of litter mass or chemical changes during the first 3 wk or on the subsequent decomposition and fungal succession.     

Genetic structure of introduced swamp buffalo subpopulations in tropical Australia

High densities of introduced herbivores can damage sensitive ecosystems, increase the risk of extinction of native biota, and host and spread disease. An essential step in managing large ‘feral’ animal populations is to quantify how they use habitats so that management interventions, such as culling, can be targeted to reduce densities and to minimize migration into areas from which animals have been removed. An effective method to quantify animal movements is by measuring landscape‐scale genetic population structure. We describe the genetic population structure of one of Australia's more destructive introduced mammals – the Asian swamp buffalo (Bubalus bubalis). We collected 524 skin samples from buffalo across their range in the Northern Territory of Australia. Allelic diversity in the Northern Territory population was low compared to those reported from populations in their native Asian habitats. The Australian population is tentatively made of three subpopulations; Melville Island, Eastern Arnhem and Central‐Western Arnhem populations. The Melville Island population is represented by a single cluster, while the Eastern Arnhem population has three clusters and the Central‐Western Arnhem population seven clusters. We found some support for isolation by distance across all the sampled populations, but little evidence for this relationship when comparing the two well‐mixed mainland meta‐populations. Despite their small founder populations and limited genetic variation, the persistence of buffalo in Australia has likely been aided by release from high predation, parasitism and disease typical of their native habitats.     

Macroinvertebrate succession during leaf litter breakdown in a perennial karstic river in Western Brazil

Leaf litter is a major basal resource to stream ecosystems, but few studies addressed their role in karst systems, mainly in intermittent springs and lakes. Patterns of resource use in perennial rivers are poorly known, although the input of leaf litter strongly influences macroinvertebrate assemblage structure. In this study, we evaluated the structure of macroinvertebrate assemblages along the decomposition of leaf litter in a tropical karst river, using leaf litter cages made of coarse nylon mesh (25 mm) to allow colonization by macroinvertebrates. The experiment was followed weekly for 10 weeks. The assemblages were dominated by snails (90.5% of total fauna), hyalellid amphipods, and larval chironomid midges, with highest abundances in the intermediate stages of the experiment, resulting in a gradient in assemblage structure. The large abundance of snails, which are common in other karst systems, suggest that this group may have an important role in decomposer food webs, facilitating or directly contributing to leaf breakdown. Electronic supplementary material Electronic supplementary material is available for this article at and accessible for authorised users.     

鼎湖山3种演替群落凋落物及其水分特征及对比研究

对鼎湖山3种演替群落凋落物及其水分特征研究表明,凋落物现存量为针叶林＞混交林＞阔叶林,年凋落量阔叶林＞混交林＞针叶林,说明针叶林凋落物分解较阔叶林迟缓,针叶林凋落物中叶所占的比例最大,而阔叶林最小,枝和花果所占的比例以阔叶林最大,针叶林最小,与它们的林木分枝多少以及林冠幅度大小有关,凋落物的最大持水率为针叶林＞混交林＞阔叶林,但差异不明显,凋落物含水量以阔叶林最大,混交林次之,针叶林最小,与凋落物最大持水率恰恰相反,说明凋落物的含水量受林地环境条件的制约,凋落物饱和含水时相对自由水面蒸发率阔叶林为78．95％,混交林为82．45％,针叶林为91．22％,说明在相同的环境条件下,阔叶林凋落物水分损失较难,而针叶林凋落物水分损失较容易,这也是阔叶林具有较小的最大持水量而却有较大叶林凋落物态含水量的原因之一。