Bird and mammal species composition in distinct geographic regions and their relationships with environmental factors across multiple spatial scales

Global patters of species distributions and their underlying mechanisms are a major question in ecology, and the need for multi‐scale analyses has been recognized. Previous studies recognized climate, topography, habitat heterogeneity and disturbance as important variables affecting such patterns. Here we report on analyses of species composition – environment relationships among different taxonomic groups in two continents, and the components of such relationships, in the contiguous USA and Australia. We used partial Canonical Correspondence Analysis of occurrence records of mammals and breeding birds from the Global Biodiversity Information Facility, to quantify relationships between species composition and environmental variables in remote geographic regions at multiple spatial scales, with extents ranging from 10⁵ to 10⁷ km² and sampling grids from 10 to 10,000 km². We evaluated the concept that two elements contribute to the impact of environmental variables on composition: the strength of species' affinity to an environmental variable, and the amount of variance in the variable. To disentangle these two elements, we analyzed correlations between resulting trends and the amount of variance contained in different environmental variables to isolate the mechanisms behind the observed relationships. We found that climate and land use‐land cover are responsible for most explained variance in species composition, regardless of scale, taxonomic group and geographic region. However, the amount of variance in species composition attributed to land use / land cover (LULC) was closely related to the amount of intrinsic variability in LULC in the USA, but not in Australia, while the effect of climate on species composition was negatively correlated to the variability found in the climatic variables. The low variance in climate, compared to LULC, suggests that species in both taxonomic groups have strong affinity to climate, thus it has a strong effect on species distribution and community composition, while the opposite is true for LULC.     

Ecological optima and tolerances of Thelypteris limbosperma,Athyrium distentifolium,and Matteuccia struthiopteris along environmental gradients in Western Norway

The distribution and abundance of Thelypteris limbosperma, Athyrium distentifolium, and Matteuccia struthiopteris are modelled statistically in relation to 14 environmental variables along the major climatic, topographic, and edaphic gradients in western Norway. The data are from 624 stands from which measurements or estimates of mean January and mean July temperatures, humidity, altitude, aspect, and slope are available. From 182 of these stands eight soil variables have also been measured. The species responses are quantified by two numerical methods: Gaussian logit regression and weighted averaging (WA) regression. The estimated WA optima suggest that A. distentifolium has an ecological preference for low July and January temperatures, high altitudes, and soils of low-medium pH and base content. The species shows statistically significant Gaussian responses with summer temperature, humidity (= Martonnes humidity index), altitude, slope, aspect, pH, cation exchange capacity, and base saturation with optima of 8.7 °C, 188.9, 1220 m, 28°, 29°, 4.8, 13.77 mEq 100 g dry soil^-1, and 13.4%, respectively. These suggest that the occurrence and relative abundance of A. distentifolium are well predicted by summer temperature, topography, and soil pH and base status. T. limbosperma has WA optima that suggest that it favours moderately high winter and summer temperatures, high humidity, medium altitude, and soils of low pH and base content. It has significant Gaussian responses to summer temperature (optimum =12.6 °C), winter temperature (-1.8 °C), humidity (179.2), altitude (459.5 m), slope (22.5°), and Na (0.7 mg 100 g dry soil^-1). These suggest that climatic factors, altitude, and slope are significant predictors for its occurrence and abundance. M. struthiopteris has high WA optima for summer temperature, pH, Ca, Mg, K, Na, cation exchange capacity (CEC), and base saturation, and a low optima for humidity and winter temperature. Of these, summer temperature (16.0 °C), Ca (63.1 mg 100 g dry soil^-1), Mg (41.0 mg 100 g dry soil^-1), K (23.6 mg 100 g dry soil^-1), Na (5.0 mg 100 g dry soil^-1), CEC (60.7 mEq 100 g dry soil^-1), and base saturation (56.3%) have significant Gaussian logit responses, as do aspect (150.2°) and loss-on-ignition (9.4%). These results suggest that the occurrence and relative abundance of M. struthiopteris are well predicted by high soil base cations, a generally southern aspect, low organic content in the soil, and high July temperatures.     

Abrupt changes in the composition and function of fungal communities along an environmental gradient in the high Arctic

Fungi play a key role in soil–plant interactions, nutrient cycling and carbon flow and are essential for the functioning of arctic terrestrial ecosystems. Some studies have shown that the composition of fungal communities is highly sensitive to variations in environmental conditions, but little is known about how the conditions control the role of fungal communities (i.e., their ecosystem function). We used DNA metabarcoding to compare taxonomic and functional composition of fungal communities along a gradient of environmental severity in Northeast Greenland. We analysed soil samples from fell fields, heaths and snowbeds, three habitats with very contrasting abiotic conditions. We also assessed within‐habitat differences by comparing three widespread microhabitats (patches with high cover of Dryas, Salix, or bare soil). The data suggest that, along the sampled mesotopographic gradient, the greatest differences in both fungal richness and community composition are observed amongst habitats, while the effect of microhabitat is weaker, although still significant. Furthermore, we found that richness and community composition of fungi are shaped primarily by abiotic factors and to a lesser, though still significant extent, by floristic composition. Along this mesotopographic gradient, environmental severity is strongly correlated with richness in all fungal functional groups: positively in saprotrophic, pathogenic and lichenised fungi, and negatively in ectomycorrhizal and root endophytic fungi. Our results suggest complex interactions amongst functional groups, possibly due to nutrient limitation or competitive exclusion, with potential implications on soil carbon stocks. These findings are important in the light of the environmental changes predicted for the Arctic.     

象山港人工鱼礁区的网采浮游植物群落组成及其与环境因子的关系

根据2010年1月(冬)、4月(春)、7月(夏)和11月(秋)对象山港人工鱼礁区及其邻近海域的网采浮游植物样品,共鉴定出浮游植物8门74属220种,主要由硅藻(168种)和甲藻(38种)组成。春、秋、冬季全区浮游植物丰度(分别为67.85、65.88和56.77×104个/m3)显著高于夏季(7.19×104个/m3),优势种主要有琼氏圆筛藻(Coscinodiscus jonesianus)、大洋角管藻(Cerataulina pelagica)、洛氏角毛藻(Chaetoceros lorenzianus)和罗氏角毛藻(C.lauderi)等,其中琼氏圆筛藻为全年的优势种,且在春、冬季为该海域的绝对优势种。浮游植物群落参数(丰度、chl a浓度、种类数、Shannon-Wiener多样性、Pielou均匀度和Margalef丰富度等指数)和环境因子(温度、盐度、透明度、pH值、DO、悬浮物、DIN、PO4-P和SiO3-Si浓度)均存在极显著的季节变化(P<0.001),但区域(鱼礁区与对照区)间基本无显著差异。聚类、多维尺度和相似性分析结果也表明,浮游植物群落组成存在显著季节差异(P=0.001),但区域间无显著差异。可见,人工鱼礁投放对网采浮游植物群落无显著影响。究其原因:(1)可能是该海域人工鱼礁投放数量不多,仅有230个水泥鱼礁体(共5000空立方),建礁时间也较短,导致其生态效应在短期内难以显著体现;(2)对照区与人工鱼礁区的距离较近,且采样站位均靠近岛屿,潮流和岛屿对浮游植物的影响可能超过了人工鱼礁投放对其的影响。典范对应分析(Canonical correspondence analysis,CCA)显示,影响浮游植物群落的主要因子依次为温度、营养盐、盐度和悬浮物。     

The importance of biotic interactions and local adaptation for plant response to environmental changes: field evidence along an elevational gradient

Predicting the response of species to environmental changes is a great and on‐going challenge for ecologists, and this requires a more in‐depth understanding of the importance of biotic interactions and the population structuration in the landscape. Using a reciprocal transplantation experiment, we tested the response of five species to an elevational gradient. This was combined to a neighbour removal treatment to test the importance of local adaptation and biotic interactions. The trait studied was performance measured as survival and biomass. Species response varied along the elevational gradient, but with no consistent pattern. Performance of species was influenced by environmental conditions occurring locally at each site, as well as by positive or negative effects of the surrounding vegetation. Indeed, we observed a shift from competition for biomass to facilitation for survival as a response to the increase in environmental stress occurring in the different sites. Unlike previous studies pointing out an increase of stress along the elevation gradient, our results supported a stress gradient related to water availability, which was not strictly parallel to the elevational gradient. For three of our species, we observed a greater biomass production for the population coming from the site where the species was dominant (central population) compared to population sampled at the limit of the distribution (marginal population). Nevertheless, we did not observe any pattern of local adaptation that could indicate adaptation of populations to a particular habitat. Altogether, our results highlighted the great ability of plant species to cope with environmental changes, with no local adaptation and great variability in response to local conditions. Our study confirms the importance of taking into account biotic interactions and population structure occurring at local scale in the prediction of communities’ responses to global environmental changes.     

Demographic and environmental drivers of metagenomic viral diversity in vampire bats

Viruses infect all forms of life and play critical roles as agents of disease, drivers of biochemical cycles and sources of genetic diversity for their hosts. Our understanding of viral diversity derives primarily from comparisons among host species, precluding insight into how intraspecific variation in host ecology affects viral communities or how predictable viral communities are across populations. Here we test spatial, demographic and environmental hypotheses explaining viral richness and community composition across populations of common vampire bats, which occur in diverse habitats of North, Central and South America. We demonstrate marked variation in viral communities that was not consistently predicted by a null model of declining community similarity with increasing spatial or genetic distances separating populations. We also find no evidence that larger bat colonies host greater viral diversity. Instead, viral diversity follows an elevational gradient, is enriched by juvenile‐biased age structure, and declines with local anthropogenic food resources as measured by livestock density. Our results establish the value of linking the modern influx of metagenomic sequence data with comparative ecology, reveal that snapshot views of viral diversity are unlikely to be representative at the species level, and affirm existing ecological theories that link host ecology not only to single pathogen dynamics but also to viral communities.     

环境因子对大亚湾人工鱼礁上附着生物分布的影响

通过对深圳大亚湾人工鱼礁区7个月(2008-04～2008-10)挂板实验,同时监测相应的环境因子指标.以附着生物丰度数据进行了除趋势对应分析(DCA),并根据附着生物丰度数据和7个环境因子进行了典范对应分析(CCA).共鉴定出附着生物54种,物种鉴定结果表明实验试板上的常见种有华美盘管虫 (Hydroides elegans)、三角藤壶( Balanus trigonus)、细肋肌蛤(Musculus mirandus)等.DCA种类排序图可明显地看出每种附着生物都有自己的分布中心和分布区域;CCA分析结果表明深度、透明度、溶解氧是影响附着生物群落变化的最主要环境因子,其次是盐度和温度.CCA排序图较好地反映了人工鱼礁上附着生物分布与各环境因子的相互关系.     

晋西土石山区森林次生演替过程中群落结构及复杂性

在晋西黄土高原中阳县土石山区阴坡地段,选择4种典型群落次生演替阶段样地,研究了森林次生演替过程中群落结构和群落复杂性的变化规律.结果表明,群落演替过程中,群落高度级结构及径级结构呈现明显的变化规律,高大个体在群落中所占比例逐渐增加,低高度级和小径级个体数量则呈先增加后减少的趋势.按高度级结构计算的群落树种组成复杂性H(X)、层次结构复杂性H(Y|X)、群落总体复杂性H(X,Y)均呈先增加后减小的趋势:H(X)指数值在演替初期阶段为2.96,演替中期增加到3.85,至乔木林阶段又降低为3.75;H(Y|X)指数值演替初期为1.27,演替中期增加为1.66,至乔木林阶段则为1.37.     

Origin of phytoplankton and the environmental factors governing the structure of microalgal communities in lowland streams

Information on the structure of microalgal assemblages in the epiphyton and epilithon is necessary to understand the origin of phytoplankton in lowland rivers. To this end, we carried out concurrent investigations on phytoplankton, epiphyton and epilithon in 18 reaches of three Estonian rivers during the midsummers of 2002 and 2003. A total of 251 taxa was recorded, of which 192 were epiphyton species, 158 were epilithon species and 150 were phytoplankton species. Canonical correspondence analysis (CCA), based on the 31 most abundant taxa, indicated differences in the structure of the algal assemblages between the different biotopes (phytoplankton, epiphyton and epilithon) as well as between the studied rivers. The composition of the phytoplankton clearly differed from that of the other biotopes, with prevailing small flagellates, a chrysophyte (Synura uvella) and cryptophytes (Rhodomonas lacustris and Cryptomonas erosa). The epiphyton was characterized by a large number of diatoms, while the epilithic community contained filamentous cyanobacteria (Phormidium tergestinum and Planktolyngya sp.) and a green alga (Stigeoclonium tenue) in addition to diatoms. Based on redundancy analysis (RDA), phosphorous was the most relevant parameter determining the distribution of species in the phytoplankton assemblages. Shading by trees on the river bank, dissolved oxygen concentration and water temperature as well as river width determined the distribution of species in the epiphyton. The data set on the epilithon did not reveal any significant relationships between species distribution and the measured environmental parameters.     

北京地区黄檗分布与环境因子的关系

黄檗（Phellodendron amurense Rupr.）为我国二级重点保护野生植物,在北京地区黄檗多散生于阔叶林中,数量稀少。为了解北京地区黄檗分布与环境因子的关系,促进种群扩繁,在北京百花山、松山和雾灵山自然保护区共设置了12个20 m×20 m的样地,利用CCA分析方法对不同地点黄檗的生长分布状况与海拔、坡度、坡向、郁闭度、土壤pH值、碱解氮和土壤有机质等11个环境因子的关系进行了分析。结果显示,CCA排序第一轴主要反映了海拔、郁闭度和坡度的变化,第二轴主要反映了有机质含量、碱解氮含量、pH值和坡向的变化,其中海拔、碱解氮和土壤有机质是影响黄檗生长分布的重要环境因子,低海拔、低碱解氮含量以及土壤有机质高的地段适宜黄檗分布。对影响黄檗分布的环境因子进行定量分离,结果发现环境因子对黄檗样地物种分布的解释能力为84.5%,显示出较好的排序效果,黄檗分布点受人为干扰较少,其所在植物群落与环境保持了良好的对应关系;环境因子与物种分布呈显著相关（P=0.03）,表明CCA排序结果可以解释环境因子对物种分布的影响程度。     

莱州湾金城海域浮游动物群落结构及与环境因子的关系

于2009年和2010年3—12月在莱州湾金城海域对浮游动物群落结构及其环境因子进行了连续20个月份的综合调查,共记录到浮游动物75种,分属14个不同大类。浮游动物以桡足类和浮游幼虫居多,分别鉴定出22种、20类,占种类总数的29.3%、26.7%,其次为水螅水母类,鉴定出11种,端足类、被囊动物、腹足类和栉水母类分别鉴定出6种、4种、4种、2种,其它枝角类、毛颚动物、等足类、糠虾类、磷虾类以及钵水母类各鉴定出1种。主要优势种为强壮箭虫(优势度Y=0.24)、中华哲水蚤(Y=0.13)、墨氏胸刺水蚤(Y=0.07)、以及洪氏纺锤水蚤(Y=0.02)。2009年与2010年浮游动物群落结构的变化趋势比较稳定,同一季节群落结构相似度达到40%以上。浮游动物丰度分别在2009年及2010年的5月份达到最高值951.65个/m3、1348.14个/m3。种类数分别在2009年9月和2010年6月达到最高值48种、40种。多样性指数分别在2009年10月及2010年5月达到最高值2.6、2.7,呈现明显的季节变化特征。典范对应分析(Canonical correspondence analysis,CCA)显示,水温和盐度是影响浮游动物群落结构最主要的影响因子,水温与浮游动物种类数的相关系数达到0.87(P0.01)。盐度与浮游动物数量的相关系数为0.484(P0.05)。透明度、化学耗氧量、pH、叶绿素及总氮总磷等环境参数对浮游动物群落结构的影响较弱。     

Metacommunity structuring in stream networks: roles of dispersal mode,distance type,and regional environmental context

Within a metacommunity, both environmental and spatial processes regulate variation in local community structure. The strength of these processes may vary depending on species traits (e.g., dispersal mode) or the characteristics of the regions studied (e.g., spatial extent, environmental heterogeneity). We studied the metacommunity structuring of three groups of stream macroinvertebrates differing in their overland dispersal mode (passive dispersers with aquatic adults; passive dispersers with terrestrial adults; active dispersers with terrestrial adults). We predicted that environmental structuring should be more important for active dispersers, because of their better ability to track environmental variability, and that spatial structuring should be more important for species with aquatic adults, because of stronger dispersal limitation. We sampled a total of 70 stream riffle sites in three drainage basins. Environmental heterogeneity was unrelated to spatial extent among our study regions, allowing us to examine the effects of these two factors on metacommunity structuring. We used partial redundancy analysis and Moran's eigenvector maps based on overland and watercourse distances to study the relative importance of environmental control and spatial structuring. We found that, compared with environmental control, spatial structuring was generally negligible, and it did not vary according to our predictions. In general, active dispersers with terrestrial adults showed stronger environmental control than the two passively dispersing groups, suggesting that the species dispersing actively are better able to track environmental variability. There were no clear differences in the results based on watercourse and overland distances. The variability in metacommunity structuring among basins was not related to the differences in the environmental heterogeneity and spatial extent. Our study emphasized that (1) environmental control is prevailing in stream metacommunities, (2) dispersal mode may have an important effect on metacommunity structuring, and (3) some factors other than spatial extent or environmental heterogeneity contributed to the differences among the basins.     

海州湾人工鱼礁海域春、夏季浮游植物群落结构及其与环境因子的关系

根据2009年5月和8月海州湾人工鱼礁建设海域水化学和浮游生物调查资料,对浮游植物群落结构进行了研究,并运用灰色关联分析方法对浮游植物丰度与环境因子的关系进行相关性分析。结果表明,海州湾浮游植物群落组成以硅藻为主;浮游植物丰度的时间分布以夏季平均丰度为3.06×106 cells／m^3,高于春季的3.12×104 cells／m^3;空间分布表现为鱼礁区高于对照区,以夏季鱼礁区站点R5的7.97×106cells／m^3最高,其次为夏季R3的7.53×106cells／m^3;对群落多样性的研究表明,春、夏两季鱼礁区香农一威纳指数（H＇）均值均高于对照区;春季影响浮游植物丰度的主要环境因子依次为：可溶性无机氮（DIP）、BOD5和悬浮物（SS）,而活性硅酸盐（SiO3-Si）、活性磷酸盐（PO4-P）和BOD5对夏季浮游植物丰度影响较大。     

莱州湾金城海域网采浮游植物年际变化及与环境因子的关系

为了解莱州湾金城海域浮游植物群落年际变化特征,在该海域设置了15个监测站位,于2009年和2010年采用浅水Ⅲ型浮游生物网逐月连续进行24个航次浮游植物调查,同步监测其他环境因子。浮游植物样品经鲁格氏溶液固定后在OLYMPUS BX_(51)显微镜下进行分类、鉴定、计数,共鉴定出浮游植物81种,隶属于硅藻门、甲藻门、黄藻门和金藻门4门25科43属。其中硅藻16科33属67种,占种类数的82.7%;甲藻6科7属11种,占种类数的13.6%;黄藻2科2属2种,占种类数的2.5%;金藻1科1属1种,占种类数的1.2%。2009年和2010年金城海域浮游植物种类组成和比例基本一致,浮游植物丰度年际变化和种类数年际变化均呈现明显的双峰模型,每年2月和9月为高峰期,5月为全年最低值。2009年和2010年细胞丰度均值分别为465×10~4(38.4×10~4—1351×10~4)个/m~3和457×10~4(41.8×10~4—1380×10~4)个/m~3,均低于1982—1983年平均水平。浮游植物群落年际相似性在60%水平聚类分为四个类群,其中Ⅰ类为5月份样品,优势种为夜光藻和洛氏角毛藻;Ⅱ类为11—4月份样品,优势种有中肋骨条藻、旋链角毛藻和夜光藻;Ⅲ类为8、9、10月份样品,优势种为洛氏角毛藻和丹麦细柱藻;Ⅳ类为6、7月份样品,优势种为洛氏角毛藻和尖刺拟菱形藻。浮游植物群落Shannon-Winner多样性指数平均2.715 (1.446—3.807),Margalef丰富度指数平均2.418 (1.545—3.153),Pielou均匀度指数平均0.523 (0.263—0.706)。2009年和2010年多样性指数和均匀度高峰值出现在3月和10月,低值出现在7月和9月;均匀度指数年际变化低值出现在6—9月。浮游植物群落结构主要受水温和盐度环境因素的影响,其中水温与洛氏角毛藻丰度呈极显著正相关(R=0.613,P0.01),与旋链角毛藻、中肋骨条藻和夜光藻丰度呈极显著负相关(R=-0.662,-0.649,-0.649,P0.01);化学需氧量与旋链角毛藻和中肋骨条藻均呈显著负相关(R=-0.589,-0.480,P0.05);盐度与中肋骨条藻呈极显著负相关(R=-0.585,P0.01);其他环境因子与各优势种丰度相关性不明显。     

Tree species distribution in canopy gaps and mature forest in an area of cloud forest of the Ibitipoca Range,south-eastern Brazil

The tree community of both canopy gaps and mature forest was surveyed in a 5 ha plot of cloud forest in the Ibitipoca Range, south-eastern Brazil, aiming at: (a) comparing the tree community structure of canopy gaps with that of three strata of the mature forest, and (b) relating the tree community structure of canopy gaps with environmental and biotic variables. All saplings of canopy trees with 1–5 m of height established in 31 canopy gaps found within the plot were identified and measured. Mature forest trees with dbh 3 cm were sampled in four 40×40 quadrats laid on the four soil sites recognised in the local soil catena. All surveyed trees were identified, measured and distributed into three forest strata: understorey (<5 m of height), sub-canopy (5.1–15 m) and canopy (15.1–30 m). The following variables were obtained for each gap: mode of formation, age, soil site, slope grade, size, canopy openness and abundance of bamboos and lianas. A detrended correspondence analysis indicated that the tree community structure of gaps in all soil sites was more similar to that of the mature forest understorey, suggesting that the bank of immatures plays an important role in rebuilding the forest canopy and that gap phases may be important for understorey shade-tolerant species. There was evidence of gap-dependence for establishment for only one canopy tree species. Both canonical correspondence analysis and correlation analysis demonstrated for a number of tree species that the distribution of their saplings in canopy gaps was significantly correlated with two variables: soil site and canopy openness. The future forest structure at each gap is probably highly influenced by both the present structure of the adjacent mature forest and the gap creation event.     

荣成俚岛人工鱼礁区游泳动物群落特征及其与主要环境因子的关系

根据2009年5月份至2010年2月份于山东荣成俚岛人工鱼礁区和对照区4个季度月的游泳动物及同步的环境调查数据,采用Margalef种类丰富度指数,Shannon-Wiener多样性指数,Pielou均匀度指数分析了鱼礁区游泳动物群落组成和物种多样性的时空分布特征,运用梯度分析法对调查区域游泳动物群落格局与环境因子进行排序分析,结合蒙特卡罗检验确定影响鱼礁区游泳动物群落结构的控制因子。调查期间共捕获游泳动物18种,隶属于8目15科,优势种为许氏平鲉(Sebastes schlegeli)、大泷六线鱼(Hexagrammos otakii)和斑头六线鱼(Hexagrammos agrammus),其中许氏平鲉在渔获量组成中占绝对优势(41%)。鱼礁区游泳动物的渔获种类数和渔获量高于各自对照区,但差异不显著(P>0.05), 季度月平均CPUE最高值出现在近岸礁区,达到830.24 g ·网^-1·d^-1。群落组成特征值上,春秋季的参数值最大,鱼礁区与对照区间并无显著差异(P>0.05)。聚类分析表明,春季、夏季和冬季均是季度月内不同区域的样方相似性较高,而秋季的远岸礁区及其对照区样方与春季各区域样方的相似性高于秋季近岸礁区及其对照区。RDA分析表明,水温对游泳动物群落组成变化的解释量为37.1%,是主要的解释因子(P=0.002)。水温和水深等环境因子主导了俚岛人工鱼礁区游泳动物群落结构的时空变化。     

三门湾大型底栖动物时空分布及其与环境因子的关系

2006年11月、2007年1月、4月和8月在三门湾18个采样点对大型底栖动物进行调查,分析了其时空分布及其与环境因子的关系.结果表明:调查共采集到大型底栖动物124种,其中多毛类44种、软体动物34种、甲壳动物22种、棘皮动物11种、其他类动物13种;多毛类和软体动物种数占总种数的62.9％,二者构成了三门湾大型底栖动物的主要类群.双鳃内卷齿蚕、小头虫和不倒翁虫是春季三门湾大型底栖动物的优势种;不倒翁虫、双鳃内卷齿蚕和海稚虫为夏季的优势种;不倒翁虫、小头虫、双鳃内卷齿蚕和白沙箸为秋季的优势种;双鳃内卷齿蚕、不倒翁虫、小头虫和海稚虫为冬季的优势种.三门湾大型底栖动物年均生物量为17.36 g·m-2,年均栖息密度为72 ind·m-2.不同季节大型底栖动物的平均生物量和平均栖息密度存在显著性差异.大型底栖动物群落平均Shannon多样性指数在1.53 ～ 1.89,平均Margalef物种丰富度指数在2.25 ～2.96,平均均匀度指数在0.83 ～0.94,3个指数在不同季节间均存在显著性差异.经典范对应分析,影响三门湾大型底栖动物群落的主要环境因子包括海水的温度、盐度、溶解性无机氮以及表层沉积物中的有机质、总氮和总磷等,环境变量可以较好地解释主要类群的变化.     

Vertebrate metacommunity structure along an extensive elevational gradient in the tropics: a comparison of bats,rodents and birds

Aim We evaluated the structure of metacommunities for each of three vertebrate orders (Chiroptera, Rodentia and Passeriformes) along an extensive elevational gradient. Using elevation as a proxy for variation in abiotic characteristics and the known elevational distributions of habitat types, we assessed the extent to which variation in those factors may structure each metacommunity based on taxon‐specific characteristics. Location Manu Biosphere Reserve in the Peruvian Andes. Methods Metacommunity structure is an emergent property of a set of species distributions across geographic or environmental gradients. We analysed elements of metacommunity structure (coherence, range turnover and range boundary clumping) to determine the best‐fit structure for each metacommunity along an elevational gradient comprising 13 250‐m elevational intervals and 58 species of rodent, 92 species of bat or 586 species of passerine. Results For each taxon, the environmental gradient along which the metacommunity was structured was highly correlated with elevation. Clementsian structure (i.e. groups of species replacing other such groups along the gradient) characterized rodents, with a group of species that was characteristic of rain forests and a group of species that was characteristic of higher elevation habitats (i.e. above 1500 m). Distributions of bats were strongly nested, with more montane communities comprising subsets of species at lower elevations. The structure of the passerine metacommunity was complex and most consistent with a quasi‐Clementsian structure. Main conclusions Each metacommunity exhibited a different structure along the same elevational gradient, and each structure can be accounted for by taxon‐specific responses to local environmental factors that vary predictably with elevation. The structures of rodent and bird metacommunities suggest species sorting associated with habitat specializations, whereas structure of the bat metacommunity is probably moulded by a combination of species‐specific tolerances to increasingly cold, low‐productivity environs of higher elevations and the diversity and abundance of food resources associated with particular habitat types.