Variable sensitivity of plant communities in Iceland to experimental warming

Facing an increased threat of rapid climate change in cold‐climate regions, it is important to understand the sensitivity of plant communities both in terms of degree and direction of community change. We studied responses to 3–5 years of moderate experimental warming by open‐top chambers in two widespread but contrasting tundra communities in Iceland. In a species‐poor and nutrient‐deficient moss heath, dominated by Racomitrium lanuginosum, mean daily air temperatures at surface were 1–2°C higher in the warmed plots than the controls whereas soil temperatures tended to be lower in the warmed plots throughout the season. In a species‐rich dwarf shrub heath on relatively rich soils at a cooler site, dominated by Betula nana and R. lanuginosum, temperature changes were in the same direction although more moderate. In the moss heath, there were no detectable community changes while significant changes were detected in the dwarf shrub heath: the abundance of deciduous and evergreen dwarf shrubs significantly increased (>50%), bryophytes decreased (18%) and canopy height increased (100%). Contrary to some other studies of tundra communities, we detected no changes in species richness or other diversity measures in either community and the abundance of lichens did not change. It is concluded that the sensitivity of Icelandic tundra communities to climate warming varies greatly depending on initial conditions in terms of species diversity, dominant species, soil and climatic conditions as well as land‐use history.     

Extent and spatial patterns of grass bald land cover change (1948–2000), Oregon Coast Range,USA

Globally, temperate grasslands and meadows have sharply declined in spatial extent. Loss and fragmentation of grasslands and meadows may impact biodiversity, carbon storage, energy balance, and climate change. In the Pacific Northwest region of North America, grasslands and meadows have declined in extent over the past century. Largely undocumented in this regional decline are the grass balds of the Oregon Coast Range, isolated grasslands in a landscape dominated by coniferous forests. This study was conducted to quantify the spatial extent and patterns of grass bald change. Five balds in the Oregon Coast Range were evaluated using historical aerial photographs and recent digital orthophoto quadrangles (DOQ). Over the time period of study (1948/1953 to 1994/2000), bald area declined by 66%, primarily from forest encroachment. The number and average size of bald vegetation patches declined, while edge density increased. Tree encroachment into balds was inversely related to distance from nearest potential parent trees. Spatial patterns of bald loss may result from a forest to bald gradient of unfavorable environmental conditions for tree establishment and/or seed dispersal limitation. Species dependent on balds may be at risk from loss of bald area and increased fragmentation, although metrics of habitat fragmentation may not reflect species-specific habitat requirements. Tree encroachment patterns and increased bald edge densities suggest increasing rates of bald loss in the future. The remote sensing nature of this study cannot determine the fundamental causes of bald decline, although prior research suggests climate change, cessation of native burning, successional changes in response to prior wildfires, and cessation of livestock grazing all may have potential influence.     

Greater deciduous shrub abundance extends tundra peak season and increases modeled net CO2 uptake

Satellite studies of the terrestrial Arctic report increased summer greening and longer overall growing and peak seasons since the 1980s, which increases productivity and the period of carbon uptake. These trends are attributed to increasing air temperatures and reduced snow cover duration in spring and fall. Concurrently, deciduous shrubs are becoming increasingly abundant in tundra landscapes, which may also impact canopy phenology and productivity. Our aim was to determine the influence of greater deciduous shrub abundance on tundra canopy phenology and subsequent impacts on net ecosystem carbon exchange (NEE) during the growing and peak seasons in the arctic foothills region of Alaska. We compared deciduous shrub‐dominated and evergreen/graminoid‐dominated community‐level canopy phenology throughout the growing season using the normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI). We used a tundra plant‐community‐specific leaf area index (LAI) model to estimate LAI throughout the green season and a tundra‐specific NEE model to estimate the impact of greater deciduous shrub abundance and associated shifts in both leaf area and canopy phenology on tundra carbon flux. We found that deciduous shrub canopies reached the onset of peak greenness 13 days earlier and the onset of senescence 3 days earlier compared to evergreen/graminoid canopies, resulting in a 10‐day extension of the peak season. The combined effect of the longer peak season and greater leaf area of deciduous shrub canopies almost tripled the modeled net carbon uptake of deciduous shrub communities compared to evergreen/graminoid communities, while the longer peak season alone resulted in 84% greater carbon uptake in deciduous shrub communities. These results suggest that greater deciduous shrub abundance increases carbon uptake not only due to greater leaf area, but also due to an extension of the period of peak greenness, which extends the period of maximum carbon uptake.     

Disturbance Frequency and Community Stability in Native Tallgrass Prairie

Ecological communities are spatially and temporally variable in response to a variety of biotic and abiotic forces. It is not always clear, however, if spatial and temporal variability leads to instability in communities. Instability may result from strong biotic interactions or from stochastic processes acting on small populations. I used 10-15 yr of annual data from the Konza Prairie Long-Term Ecological Research site to examine whether plant, breeding bird, grasshopper, and small mammal communities in tallgrass prairie exhibit stability or directional change in response to different experimentally induced fire frequencies. Based on ordination and ANOVA, plant and grasshopper communities on annually burned sites differed significantly from plant and grasshopper communities on less frequently burned sites. Breeding birds and small mammals differed among sites as well, but these differences were not clearly related to disturbance frequency. A modified time series analysis indicated that plant communities were undergoing directional change (unstable) on all watersheds, regardless of fire frequency. Contrary to expectations, directional change was greatest on the annually burned sites and lowest on the infrequently burned sites. Unlike the plant communities, breeding bird, grasshopper, and small mammal communities were temporally stable, despite high-compositional variability from 1 yr to the next. Stability among the consumer communities within these dynamic plant communities occurs because three-dimensional vegetation structure does not change over time, despite changes in plant species composition. Evidence suggests that instability in the plant community results from strong biotic interactions among temporally persistent core species and stochastic dynamics among infrequent satellite species. Overall, community stability cannot be assessed if the pattern of temporal dynamics is unknown. Long-term empirical studies of different taxa under different disturbance regimes are needed to determine over what time frames and spatial scales communities may be stable. Such studies are essential for the development of generalities regarding the relationship between disturbance frequency and community stability in terrestrial and aquatic systems.     

乌蒙山峨眉栲、华木荷群落特征研究

乌蒙山位于中国西部半湿润常绿阔叶林与东部湿润常绿阔叶林交界区,是云南省唯一分布峨眉栲、华木荷群系(Formation Castanopsis platyacantha,Schima sinensis)的地区,该群系处于中国西部常绿阔叶林向东部常绿阔叶林过渡的地带,群落更加复杂多样。为了更深入地了解该群系的群落特征,同时找出其与东部湿润常绿阔叶林的联系,该文对该类型群落进行了数量分类研究,分析了聚类归并的各群落类型的乔灌优势种特征(径级结构、高度结构和重要值),同时采用DCA,CCA和DCCA排序分析进行群落特征分异的环境解释,并与四川峨眉山同类群落进行特征对比。结果表明:(1)乌蒙山峨眉栲、华木荷群落可划分为6个类型:峨眉栲群落,峨眉栲、华木荷群落,峨眉栲、十齿花群落,水青冈(Fagus longipetiolata)、华木荷、峨眉栲群落,华木荷、硬斗石栎(Lithocarpus hancei)群落,十齿花(Dipentodon sinicus)、华木荷群落。(2)乌蒙山峨眉栲、华木荷群落中,峨眉栲大树比例较高,华木荷小苗数量巨大,灌木层常以竹类为优势种。(3)海拔、坡度和太阳年辐射值是影响群落分布的主导因素。(4)峨眉山同类群落中优势种种群呈稳定型或增长型,而乌蒙山峨眉栲、华木荷群落中,峨眉栲和水青冈呈现下降型的特点。     

临安次生灌丛植物多样性对林火烈度空间异质性的响应

以同一过火3a后临安市太阳镇天然次生灌丛为对象,采用样地调查法按不同林火烈度设置火干扰样地进行植物群落调查,以检验林分内部的林火烈度异质性是否与局部的植物多样性变化相关。结果表明:研究区共有高等植物83种,分属于38科67属,群落区系组成以亚热带科属为主,表现出常绿阔叶林已退化过渡到位于演替早期阶段的落叶次生灌丛群落的性质;低林火烈度对灌木层的树种组成有影响,但不明显;中烈度林火对灌木层的物种组成影响较大;低、中林火烈度下草本层的物种组成变化都很明显;灌木层的物种数和多样性指数都表现出低烈度火未火烧中烈度火的趋势;草本层的物种数、多样性指数和均匀度指数表现出中烈度火低烈度火未火烧的趋势;草本层的物种组成和多样性受林火烈度的影响较灌木层更大。研究表明次生灌丛群落过火区内部林火烈度异质性在初期会引起植物多样性的响应差异;低烈度火干扰可以增加次生灌丛生物多样性、促进群落更新;中烈度火干扰下木本植物物种多样性丧失较大,而草本植物多样性显著增加,不利于群落的正向演替。     

Responses of moist non-acidic arctic tundra to altered environment: productivity, biomass, and species richness

In arctic Alaska, researchers have manipulated air temperature, light availability, and soil nutrient availability in several tundra communities over the past two decades. These communities responded quite differently to the same manipulations, and species responded individualistically within communities and among sites. For example, moist acidic tundra is primarily nitrogen (N)‐limited, whereas wet sedge tundra is primarily phosphorus (P)‐limited, and the magnitude of growth responses varies across sites within communities. Here we report results of four years of manipulated nutrients (N and/or P) and/or air temperature in an understudied, diverse plant community, moist non‐acidic tussock tundra, in northern Alaska. Our goals were to determine which factors limit above‐ground net primary productivity (ANPP) and biomass, how community composition changes may affect ecosystem attributes, and to compare these results with those from other communities to determine their generality. Although relative abundance of functional groups shifted in several treatments, the only significant change in community‐level ANPP and biomass occurred in plots that received both N and P, driven by an increase in graminoid biomass and production resulting from a positive effect of adding N. There was no difference in community biomass among any other treatments; however, some growth forms and individual species did respond. After four years no one species has come to dominate the treatment plots and species richness has not changed. These results are similar to studies in dry heath, wet sedge, and moist acidic tundra where community biomass had the greatest response to both N and P and warming results were more subtle. Unlike in moist acidic tundra where shrub biomass increased markedly with fertilization, our results suggest that in non‐acidic tundra carbon sequestration in plant biomass will not increase substantially under increased soil nutrient conditions because of the lack of overstory shrub species.     

中国中亚热带东部常绿阔叶林主要类型的群落多样性特征

 本文通过10个地区61个样地资料分析,研究了中亚热带东部常绿阔叶林群落多样性特征及其随纬度、海拔梯度的变化。结果表明,中亚热带东部常绿阔叶林群落丰富度为49±17种(样地面积400m2),各层次的多样性表现为灌木层(包括幼树与幼苗)>乔木层>草本层。常绿阔叶林各类型间的差异远比落叶阔叶林与多样性较低的常绿阔叶林之间的差异大。各层次中变化幅度从大到小的顺序为：草本层>乔木层>灌木层。在所研究地区常绿阔叶林的群落多样性没有表现出明显的随纬度梯度和海拔梯度的变化规律。     

Short- and Long-term Changes in Elk Use and Forage Production in Sagebrush Communities Following Prescribed Burning

Burning shrub and grassland communities often leads to increases in plant production and nutritional quality that benefit herbivores, resulting in increased herbivore use of burned areas. Increased use has been ascribed more specifically to changes in plant community structure, community composition and diversity, nutritional quality, and seasonal availability. These hypotheses can be evaluated more precisely if changes in plant communities following burning are monitored concurrently with changes in herbivore use, especially in longer-term studies. From 1988 to 1999, we examined responses of elk (Cervus elaphus) following prescribed burning of areas burned in 1984 and 1988 that had been formerly dominated by mountain big sagebrush (Artemisia tridentata ssp. vaseyana) in south-central Montana (USA), with concurrent monitoring of changes in plant production, nutritional quality, and community composition. Elk made increased use of burned sites up to 15 years after burning. Burning transformed big sagebrush-dominated communities into native herbaceous communities that persisted for 15 years without sagebrush reinvasion. Forage biomass and protein content remained higher on burned sites for 15 years, although differences were not significant in every year and declined as time elapsed after burning. Forage production, forage protein, and elk use were temporally correlated, suggesting the possibility that grazing by elk might have contributed to persistence of elevated plant production and protein levels on burned sites.     

Post‐fire regeneration of Mediterranean plant communities at a regional scale is dependent on vegetation type and dryness

Question: We tested whether (1) the change in composition and structure of whole plant communities after fire is directly related to regeneration of the dominant tree species in the canopy; (2) the change in structure and composition of plant communities several years after fire decreases with the proportion of obligate seeders and (3) the proportion of obligate seeders in plant communities increases with the dryness gradient. Location: Catalonia (NE Spain) Methods: We measured floristic differences between burned and long‐since burned sites in eight vegetation types across a climate gradient. We compared 22 sites burnt in 1994 in paired plots with 22 sites that had not been burnt since the 1940s. In each site we placed plots in burned and long‐since burned areas, where we identified the presence and abundance of all plant species. Results: When the tree canopy recovers, structure and composition of the vegetation also return to the long‐since burned community; when tree canopy does not recover, composition of the post‐fire community varies compared to the long‐since burned one. A higher proportion of obligate seeders in the pre‐fire community promotes quicker regeneration of the original community. The proportion of obligate seeders increased along the dryness gradient. Conclusions: Regeneration of plant communities after fire depends on the vegetation type before the fire. Regeneration increases when the dominant tree or shrub species persists after fire and with a higher proportion of obligate seeders in the pre‐fire community. The proportion of obligate seeders varies along the dryness gradient, which suggests that vegetation in drier areas (when seeders are more abundant) recovers earlier than in moister areas.     

Wildfire induced changes in aquatic invertebrate communities and mercury bioaccumulation in the Okefenokee Swamp

Fire is an important natural disturbance in the Okefenokee Swamp. From April–June 2007, wildfire burned 75% of the wetland area. With the existence of extensive pre-fire data sets on community structure and total mercury of invertebrates, the fire presented an opportunity to assess impacts of wildfire on invertebrates. Post-fire collection of samples occurred in September, December, and May, 2007–2009. Sample sites included 13 burned and 8 non-burned (reference) sites. Comparisons of data among pre-fire, post-fire reference, and post-fire burned sites revealed that the major difference between pre-fire communities and post-fire communities was a decrease in the number of water mites. We also found a decrease in mercury concentrations in amphipods, odonates, and crayfish post-fire. The differences between pre-fire and post-fire samples may be confounded by drought conditions during the baseline study. NMDS ordinations and ANOSIM tests suggested that habitat was an important factor; communities in burned cypress differed from reference cypress. Unexpectedly, burned sites had lower mercury concentrations in odonates and crayfish, with variation again being greatest in cypress stands. These findings and others suggest mercury levels do not follow a predictable pattern but can vary with pre-fire concentrations, variation in water levels, and burn intensity. We found that wildfire in the Okefenokee had little impact on invertebrates in prairies and scrub-shrub thickets, but can affect indicator organisms (Oecetis, Ischnura, and Sigara) in cypress stands. Our study suggests that vegetation type and burn intensity may have impacts on the invertebrate communities and mercury concentrations of organisms.     

江西井冈山地区沟谷季雨林及其超地带性特征

江西井冈山地区位于中国东部中亚热带地区南缘,属北半球湿润区。该地区地处罗霄山脉中段,地势高耸,沟谷深切,生境极富多样化,在其沟谷地区保存有典型亚热带季风常绿阔叶,常称季雨林。选择6个典型沟谷季雨林群落,开展群落生态学和生物地理学的研究,结果表明:(1)群落组成以典型的热带性科属为特征,如樟科Lauraceae、壳斗科Fagaceae、山茶科Theaceae、茜草科Rubiaceae、金缕梅科Hamamelidaceae等;种子植物属的地理成分以热带-亚热带成分占优势,占总属数的64.71%—77.94%,高于同纬度地区其他山体,接近甚至高于南亚热带季风常绿阔叶林中的热带性成分。(2)群落结构具有多优势种及明显的特征性标志种,与具单优势种或少数优势种的亚热带常绿阔叶林有明显差异。(3)Shannon-Wiener指数为4.44—5.46之间,物种多样性较丰富,表现出明显的南亚热带植被特征。(4)其它热带雨林性质的特征还包括:大型木质藤本,板根现象,绞杀现象,滴水叶尖,丰富的寄生、附生植物、兰科植物、树蕨等。整体上,井冈山地区亚热带沟谷季雨林群落具有热带雨林向亚热带常绿阔叶林过渡的明显特征,与南亚热带季雨林性质相似,在演替上常被称为侵入群落,或为历史时期长期演化形成的超地带性植物群落。     

Can burning restrict eucalypt invasion on grassy balds?

Abstract: Eucalyptus tereticornis seedlings occurring on the edges of grassy balds on the Bunya Mountains were burnt by four separate fires. From the results, a logistic model demonstrated that lignotuber size was positively related and fire temperature negatively related to survivorship. While mortality was high for young seedlings there was no mortality of 5‐year old survivors from these trials subject to repeat burning. The model predicted that burning every 2 years will not substantially limit seedling establishment. This prediction was strengthened by results verifying that management fires on the grassy balds are generally of low intensity. Fire intensity is weakly related to a Fire Danger Index, indicating that the timing of burning in relation to weather conditions will not substantially enhance opportunities for more intense fires. Thus, even with biennial burning under optimal conditions eucalypt forest will replace grassy balds where they adjoin. Regular burning by aborigines may have maintained grassy bald‐rainforest boundaries, but not boundaries with eucalypt forest. Seed dispersal and migration barriers may have limited the expansion of eucalypt forest. It is concluded that under current conditions the long‐term preservation of the grassy balds is only possible where they are entirely surrounded by rainforest and are regularly burnt.     

The age of Calluna stands moderates post‐fire regeneration rate and trends in northern Calluna heathlands

Questions: Does stand age influence the direction and rate of post‐fire successional dynamics in coastal Calluna heaths and can old degraded heath vegetation be restored through reintroduction of fire? Location: Coastal heaths in the Tarva archipelago, central Norway. Methods: We investigated revegetation dynamics after experimental fires set in young (8 years since last fire) and old (>50 years since last fire) grazed heath stands. A repeated measures design was used, with floristic data recorded in permanent plots in the post‐fire successions (n=12) over a 7‐year period. The data were analysed using multivariate ordination techniques (PCA, RDA and PRC) and mixed effects models. Results: The age of Calluna stands strongly influenced post‐fire succession, different trends due to age explained 10.4% of variation in floristic data. Young heath showed faster succession towards pre‐fire community composition than old heath, and this could partially be explained by succession‐related factors: young heath had lower cover of mosses and lichens in the pre‐burned vegetation, and lower cover of litter early in succession. Young heath had a less pronounced overall community response to fire than old heath. Vegetative regeneration of C. vulgaris was absent in both old and young heath, but Calluna still re‐established as the dominant species within 5–7 years in both young and old stands. Regeneration dynamics were also affected by habitat conditions, different trends due to habitat explained 6% of variation. Conclusions: Our study demonstrates that old stands do develop characteristic heathland vegetation and structure after fire, and while potential invasives into the system such as trees and rhizomatous species are present, they do not impair Calluna regeneration or vegetation development towards the target heathland community composition and structure. Further, as our young stands are only in their second fire rotation after restoration, we suggest that characteristic dynamics of managed heathlands can re‐establish relatively rapidly, even in severely degenerated sites (>50 years since last fire). Site‐specific factors also need to be considered. We conclude that there is restoration potential in old heaths, despite slow dynamics in the first rotation.     

Early stages of Calluna vulgaris regeneration after burning of coastal heath in central Norway

Questions: How does Calluna vulgaris regenerate after burning wet and dry heaths of different age? Location: Central Norway. Methods: Patches of Calluna dominated old and young wet heath and old dry heath were burned. The mean temperatures reached in the categories of heath were measured. Cover, frequency, height and number of seedlings of Calluna were studied in plots. Results: The mean burning temperatures varied from 680 to 740°C, and were highest in wet heath that had not been burned for at least 50 years. Regeneration of Calluna was evident in the year of burning, but only from seeds. Even heath with a short burning interval lacked vegetative regeneration. Calluna cover increased yearly and exceeded 50 % three years after burning. Regeneration was evident in the year of burning, and was highest in heath with a short burning interval. The height increased regularly at all sites, but was most rapid in dry heath, probably because of better microclimatic conditions. There were more seedlings in the heath with a short burning interval. Conclusions: Calluna only regenerates from seeds afterburning in central Norway. The density of Calluna increased rapidly, which is positive for the conservation and management of coastal heaths in central Norway.     

贵州施秉喀斯特地区林地土壤甲螨的群落组成及多样性（英文）

【目的】为了解施秉喀斯特地区林地土壤甲螨的分布和群落组成特点,明确中国西南喀斯特地区林地类型对土壤甲螨群落密度、组成和物种多样性的影响,对该区林地土壤甲螨的群落结构及多样性进行了的调查和分析。【方法】2012年8月选取了中国西南施秉喀斯特地区典型生境中的8个样地,每个样地9个取样点,用Berlese-Tullgren装置分离土样24 h。多样性分析采用常见的多样性指数;群落相似性分析采用Jaccard相似性系数(C_J);群落聚类分析分别采用Marczewski Steinhaus 距离(C_ms)和Bray-Curtis距离,应用R 2.11程序进行类平均法聚类。【结果】结果显示,中国西南喀斯特8个样地中土壤甲螨由少数的优势属和数量众多的稀有属组成。其中全菌甲螨属 Perscheloribates (22.48%)和长单翼甲螨属 Protoribates (11.45%)个体数量最为丰富。长单翼甲螨属 Protoribate、上罗甲螨属Epilohmannia、小奥甲螨属 Oppiella、小盾珠甲螨属 Suctobelbella 和盖头甲螨属 Tectocepheus 分布广泛。本区的甲螨组成（属级水平）表现出明显热带和亚热带地区特点。在天然常绿落叶阔叶林中,甲螨的个体数量和种类数较多,但多样性不高,而在人工针叶林中甲螨多样性最高。甲螨群落组成和分布特征多样,异质性高,特别是在天然常绿落叶阔叶林中突出。【结论】研究表明,施秉喀斯特生态系统的不同林分影响甲螨的物种多样性和群落稳定性,天然常绿落叶阔叶混交林是甲螨的“避难所”。     

Draining the Pool? Carbon Storage and Fluxes in Three Alpine Plant Communities

Shrub communities have expanded in arctic and alpine tundra during recent decades. Changes in shrub abundance may alter ecosystem carbon (C) sequestration and storage, with potential positive or negative feedback on global C cycling. To assess potential implications of shrub expansion in different alpine plant communities, we compared C fluxes and pools in one Empetrum-dominated heath, one herb- and cryptogam-dominated meadow, and one Salix-shrub community in Central Norway. Over two growing seasons, we measured Gross Ecosystem Photosynthesis, Ecosystem Respiration (ER), and C pools for above-ground vegetation, litter, roots, and soil separated into organic and mineral horizons. Both the meadow and shrub communities had higher rates of C fixation and ER, but the total ecosystem C pool in the meadow was twice that of the shrub community because of more C in the organic soil horizon. Even though the heath community had the lowest rates of C fixation, it stored one and a half times more C than the shrub community. The results indicate that the relatively high above-ground biomass sequestering C during the growing season is not associated with high C storage in shrub-dominated communities. Instead, shrub-dominated areas may be draining the carbon-rich alpine soils because of high rates of decomposition. These processes were not shown by mid-growing season C fluxes, but were reflected by the very different distribution of C pools in the three habitats.     

Effects of natural and artificial disturbance on landscape and forest structure in Tiantong National Forest Park,East China

This paper aims to understand the ecological effects of disturbance on broadleaved evergreen forest in East China. We used a manipulative field experiment approximating the common natural and artificial disturbance types in this area to investigate the community physiognomy, floristic composition, and 5-year recovery dynamics of the post-disturbance forest community. The results indicated that the landscape and forest structure have degraded into shrub communities, structure-damaged evergreen broadleaved communities, and so on. The post-disturbance communities presented different means of plant recruitment and vegetation recovery patterns at an early successional stage. The recovery of disturbed forests primarily depended on external seed sources and re-sprouting from stumps, rather than on soil seed banks, as few buried seeds were found. Re-sprouting thus appears to be key in allowing rapid vegetation recovery in evergreen broadleaved forest. Disturbances seem to be one of the most important factors that can contribute to regional species coexistence across temporal and spatial scales in evergreen broadleaved forests.     

桂西北喀斯特人为干扰区植被自然恢复22年后群落特征

采用全面调查和样方调查的方法,以坡面为尺度,以顶极群落为对照,运用干扰理论和多样性分析方法,研究了桂西北喀斯特4类典型干扰区自然恢复22a之后植被特征及空间分布的变化。结果表明,干扰区的物种多样性丧失严重,共出现维管束植物91科206属241种,仅有自然保护区的26．6％,6种植被类型的顺向演替系列为石漠化稀疏草丛→草丛→灌丛→藤刺灌丛→落叶阔叶林→常绿落叶阔叶混交林片段。随着坡位的上升,群落的高度、盖度、生物量和物种多样性急剧下降。密度则呈少、多、次少的单峰分布状态,各项指标均远低于自然保护区。不同干扰方式对植被自然恢复的影响不同,其中整坡火烧＋垦殖的破坏性最大,呈现了石漠化景观,整坡火烧＋放牧次之,采樵属选择性干扰,采樵＋放牧＋坡脚火烧的恢复相对较快,没有放牧干扰的采樵＋坡脚火烧恢复更好。此外还针对性地提出了桂西北喀斯特干扰区在不同立地类型上人工与自然相结合的4条植被恢复途径。对因各种人为干扰导致的桂西北喀斯特生态系统处于极度退化状态下的植被恢复建设和生态重建具有重要的理论价值和实际意义。     

广西隆安屏山石灰岩山地飞机草群落特征分析

对隆安屏山石灰岩山地有害的入侵杂草飞机草(Eupatorium odoratum)群落的区系组成、地理成分、生活型、结构及物种多样性进行统计分析,结果表明:该群落内常见的维管植物约有62种,隶属38科58属。植物地理分布以泛热带类型最多,有15属,占总属数的34.88%;其次是热带亚洲分布类型,有8属,占18.6%。按Raunkiaer生活型统计,高位芽植物占48.39%,一年生植物占17.74%,地面芽植物占12.90%,地上芽植物占11.29%。群落内植物叶的性质以草质、单叶、小型叶和全缘为主。群落垂直结构简单,分层不明显,只分为灌木层和草本层,并有少量的层间植物。灌木层种间相遇机率指数和Shannon-Wiener指数较高,表明该群落目前仍相对稳定,该地区外来飞机草目前处于种群建立时期。