施肥时间对退化草甸草原地下芽库及其与地上植被关系的影响

气候变化与人为干扰导致我国退化草地面积持续增加;养分添加是恢复退化草地的有效措施之一。本研究以内蒙古半干旱草甸草原退化草地为对象;通过早春融雪期和夏季生长期的氮（N）磷（P）养分共同添加实验;探究地下芽库及其与地上植被关系对不同时期养分添加的响应。结果表明:夏季养分添加显著增加群落整体地下芽库与地上分株密度;而早春养分添加无显著影响;不同时期养分添加显著降低分生组织制约系数。不同植物功能群对养分添加具有差异化响应;具体表现为养分添加显著降低杂类草地上分株密度;夏季养分添加显著增加丛生禾草地下芽和地上分株密度;其分生组织制约系数在不同时期养分添加下均显著降低;不同时期养分添加显著增加根茎型禾草地下芽和地上分株密度。因此;夏季养分添加将极大增加退化草甸草原植被更新潜力;不同植物功能群对养分添加的响应差异将决定草甸草原植被恢复与演替动态。     

Characterisation of the type and extent of nutrient limitation in grassland vegetation using a bioassay with intact sods

An important methodological problem in plant ecology concerns the way in which the type and extent of nutrient limitation in terrestrial communities should be assessed. Conclusions on nutrient limitation have been founded mainly on soil extractions, fertiliser trials and tissue nutrient concentrations. In order to avoid some of the problems associated with these methods, we employed a special technique using intact sods which rooted both in the intact soil and in a nutrient solution, from which N, P and K were omitted stepwise. The method was applied to hay-field communities which differed in their history of fertiliser application. Four fields were compared which were not fertilised for 2, 6, 19 or 45 years, while hay making continued. This was done to restore former species-rich grassland communities. We tested the hypothesis that the increase in species diversity in these grasslands was attended by an increase in the number of limiting nutrients.We observed clear shifts in the type and extent of nutrient limitation. Fields which were recently fertilised were characterised by nitrogen and potassium limitation, while phosphorus limitation increased in importance towards the later stages of succession. In the last field (45 years unfertilised) N, P and K equally limited production at the community level. These conclusions differed from those drawn from a fertiliser trial in these same four fields, which failed to detect phosphorus limitation.It is concluded that the use of this method provides a valuable extra source of information while studying relationships between nutrient limitation and species diversity in grassland communities.     

草地植物生产力主要影响因素研究综述

草地是全球分布面积最大的陆地生态系统,植物初级生产力是反映草地功能的重要指标。从植物种多样性、资源有效性、放牧、退化草地恢复和气候变化等方面较系统综述了影响草地植物生产力的关键要素和驱动力。大量研究表明,植物多样性与生产力的关系尚未有一致的结论,依据试验地点、起始状态甚至度量指标不同而不同;特别是资源有效性调节着生产力水平并对植物多样性和生产力关系产生显著影响;放牧改变了植物群落特征和养分有效性进而影响生产力的形成过程,也改变了资源有效性-植物多样性-生产力之间的关系;对于退化生态系统,在退化草地恢复过程中植物与土壤资源有效性的互作效应对植物生产力的变化起着关键作用;而在未来气候变化特别是增温对植物生产力的影响因地点和生态系统的不同而异,但多数研究结果显示增温提高了草地植物生产力。与国外其它草地分布区相比,国内的相关研究不仅在数量上明显不足,更重要是欠缺机理上的深入研究。在放牧和未来气候变化背景下如何维持和提高草地生产力,如何加速退化草地生态系统的恢复,进而实现生态安全建设和经济社会协调发展,是我国当前急需解决的理论和实践问题。     

Promotion of exotic weed establishment by endangered giant kangaroo rats (Dipodomys ingens) in a California grassland

Giant kangaroo rats (Dipodomys ingens) continually modify their burrow precincts by digging tunnels, clipping plants, and other activities. In the valley grasslands of the Carrizo Plain Natural Area (San Luis Obispo County, California), this chronic disturbance to soil and vegetation promoted the establishment of exotic ruderal and early successional plant species. Erodium cicutarium, Bromus madritensis ssp. rubens, and other Mediterranean annuals were found to constitute a very large proportion of the vegetation on giant kangaroo rat precincts. When vegetation on precincts was compared with the vegetation in less disturbed intermediate areas located between precincts, species richness, cover and frequency of exotic plants were significantly greater on precincts. The reverse was found for native species. In addition, exotic species encountered in this study had significantly larger seeds than did native species, suggesting that these granivorous kangaroo rats preferentially cache large weed seeds on their precincts. Since the kangaroo rats depend on exotic plants for food and the exotic plants depend upon the kangaroo rats to disturb their habitat continually, the weed-kangaroo rat relationship is mutualistic. This strong relationship may also inhibit population growth of native grassland plants which occupy disturbed habitats but have difficulty competing with exotic weeds for resources. From a conservation perspective, this mutualism presents an intractable management dilemma. Restoration of valley grasslands where endangered giant kangaroo rats occur, to conditions where native species dominate, may be impossible.     

喀斯特不同植被恢复阶段土壤有机酸季节变化与有效氮磷的关系

植物分泌有机酸在提高土壤养分有效性方面起到重要作用。为了解喀斯特地区不同植被恢复阶段土壤有机酸含量季节性变化与氮磷有效性的关系,在灌木林和原生林各选择3种优势植物,测定雨季和旱季两个季节根际土和非根际土的有机酸含量、碳氮磷含量和比值、有效性氮磷含量及微生物生物量碳。结果表明:原生林植物根际土的草酸含量高于灌木林,而苹果酸和乙酸含量则低于灌木林;根际土草酸含量均高于非根际土; 2个植被根际土和非根际土的草酸含量在雨季高于旱季,而苹果酸和乙酸含量则低于旱季;土壤草酸含量与有机碳、全氮、全磷和N∶P值呈显著正相关,与C∶N呈显著负相关;土壤有效氮和有效磷与草酸和微生物生物量碳呈显著正相关。上述结果表明,植物分泌有机酸的季节性变化与土壤养分状态和自身养分需求相关,而有机酸耦合微生物对养分有效性的提高具有积极的作用。因此,根际土的有机酸季节变化可能是喀斯特生态系统中植物适应土壤养分限制的一种重要机制。     

草地生态学领域空斑研究进展

空斑(gap)是近几十年来草地生态学领域的重点研究对象之一,在草地植被更新、群落结构和草地生态系统物种多样性维持方面起着重要作用。本文在介绍空斑的概念、功能分类和形成的基础上,总结分析了国内外对空斑的研究现状,发现目前对草地空斑的研究主要集中在空斑大小、空斑类型对物种更新以及空斑对群落结构和物种多样性影响等方面,而对空斑小环境和土壤的研究较少,对空斑内生理生态学、机理和机制性的问题尚缺乏深入探讨;建议在今后加强对空斑内环境变化、空斑内物种的生理生态学特性和物种对空斑更新的响应机制等方面的研究。     

茂县土地岭植被恢复过程中物种多样性动态特征

植被恢复是退化生态系统重建的重要途径,植被恢复过程物种多样性的变化反映了植被的恢复程度.通过群落调查和多样性分析,研究了岷江上游土地岭植被恢复过程中群落物种多样性特征.结果表明： 恢复过程中6类不同类型群落分别表现其对于不同环境特征、干扰及更新方式等的响应;森林是较灌丛更适合当地环境状况的植被类型;人工恢复无干扰和轻度干扰群落的多样性相对较高,是较好的恢复模式.重度干扰使得1年生植物与地下芽植物比例增加,其它口食性较好的多年生草本减少.较强的干扰是群落无法更新、长期处于灌丛阶段且多样性较低的重要原因.本地区人工恢复群落在更新进程和多样性维持上优于自然更新群落,种植华山松加速了本地区植被演替进程.建议以适合恢复区域的多种恢复配置方式进行造林,并避免较强干扰,可以加速群落演替进程并保持恢复群落较高的物种丰富度与多样性.     

N, K and P deficiency in chronosequential cut summer-dry grasslands on gley podzol after the cessation of fertilizer application

With the intensification of agricultural practices, formerly species rich marginal grassland communities of high botanical value in the Netherlands have been fertilized or manured since the first part of the twentieth century. This type of land use resulted in a dramatic decrease of the original plant species-richness. In the early 1970's yearly nutrient input to many of these grasslands was ceased as a nature management practice, while hay-cropping was continued. This type of grassland management is carried out to decrease overall nutrient supplying ability of the soil to plant cover in order to restore their original high botanical richness. The effect of this management on the type and the extent of nutrient deficiency was studied by comparing the short-term shoot responsiveness of undisturbed turfs to added nutrients and the nutrient status of fieldgrown dominants of four hay-field communities which were not fertilized for 3, 7, 20 or 25 years.Contrary to expectation, hay-cropping without input of additional nutrients did not impose an increase of species-richness of grassland on gley podzol. During early vegetation change strong inadequacy of N supply and moderate inadequacy of K supply by the soil regulate (shoot) growth. P-deficiency was not established. Prolonged discontinuation of fertilizer application caused concomitant inadequate supplies of N, K and P. In the last field (25 years unfertilized), nutrient deficiencies could not be detected by shoot growth responses to added nutrients but only by a low nutrient status. It appeared that during this type of vegetation change N-deficiency is the most pronounced and that K-deficiency developes much more rapidly than P-deficiency. The strong decline in total aerial pool sizes of N, K and P also emphasizes these simultaneously occurring shifts.We conclude that cut grassland composition on gley podzol soil is regulated by co-deficiencies of at least the soil phytoavailable macronutrients nitrogen, potassium and phosphorus. The absence of change in plant species number is likely not regulated by the nutrient supplying ability of the soil. Seed dispersal from elsewhere seems to be the most important factor.     

Plant Colonizers Shape Early N-dynamics in Gopher-mounds

Disturbances by fossorial mammals are extremely common in many ecosystems, including the California annual grassland. We compared the impact of juveniles of four common plant colonizers (Aegilops triuncialis, Cerastium glomeratum, Aphanes occidentalis and Lupinus bicolor) on the pools and fluxes of N in mounds created by pocket gophers (Thomomys bottae Mewa). The mechanisms and magnitude of biotic N retention differed among plant species. In mounds colonized by Cerastium, Aphanes and Lupinus, the microbial N pool was significantly larger than the plant N pool, as is typical in California grasslands in the early spring, whereas in mounds colonized by Aegilops, there was a more equal distribution of biotic N between plant and microbial pools. A 1-day ¹⁵N pulse field experiment demonstrated that plant species significantly differed in their effects on the distribution of isotopic N, with the N-fixing Lupinus leaving most (82%) ¹⁵N as inorganic N in soil, whereas more ¹⁵N was immobilized in plants or otherwise removed from the available soil pool in mounds colonized by other species. The impacts of early colonizers on N dynamics suggest that the identity of plant species that initially colonize gopher mounds may have important consequences on the dynamics of the overall grassland community.     

内蒙古典型草原不同退化阶段植被恢复的养分限制因子解析

草地生态系统具有固碳增汇、防风固沙和维持生物多样性等多种生态服务功能。当前部分地区草地退化问题日益严重, 亟需深入解析退化草地植被恢复的限制因子, 为天然草地植被恢复实践工作提供科学理论支撑。该研究基于内蒙古典型草原的13个采样点(每个点包含4种不同退化程度的植物群落: 未退化、轻度退化、中度退化和重度退化)调查, 探究了植物群落属性(地上生物量、盖度和密度)随草地退化程度的变化规律, 并利用最小二乘回归分析、冗余分析和多元线性回归分析等多种统计分析方法解析了退化草地植被恢复的养分限制因子。结果显示: 1)随着退化程度的加剧, 内蒙古典型草原植物群落地上生物量、盖度和密度以及土壤有机碳、总氮和速效磷含量显著降低。2)整体退化阶段以及相邻的退化演替阶段之间, 土壤氮含量是对植物群落属性变化最大的影响因素, 土壤磷含量仅在草原整体退化阶段具有一定影响。上述结果表明, 土壤氮的可利用性是内蒙古典型草原退化植被恢复最重要的养分限制因子, 在退化草原恢复工作中应发展以氮肥施用为主的养分管理措施。