磷限制下大型海藻与微藻间资源竞争理论的实验验证(英文)

用一次性培养法结合Monod方程测得海洋微藻_亚心型扁藻 (Tetraselmissubcordiformis (Wile)Hazen)与大型海藻_孔石莼 (UlvapertusaKjellm .)磷限制下的生长动力参数。孔石莼具有较低的半饱和生长常数及最大生长率 ,其分别为 0 .0 16 μmol/L和 0 .16d-1,而亚心型扁藻的半饱和生长常数和最大生长率分别是 0 .0 2 1μmol/L和 0 .83d-1。两种藻类间的营养竞争实验采用半连续培养法在磷限制条件下进行 ,实验过程中 ,分别对两者施予相同或不同的去除率 ,使两者享有相同或不同的资源需求值R 。由Monod方程所作的竞争预测与实验观察结果的比较显示 :仅在两种藻类间的资源需求值R 差异显著 (t检验 ,P <0 .0 1)时 ,Monod方程才能对竞争结果作出较为准确的预测 ;在两种藻类享有相同的资源需求值R 时 ,亚心型扁藻在竞争中取代孔石莼。Monod模型仅能部分预测大型海藻与海洋微藻间的竞争结果。     

磷限制下大型海灌与微灌间资源竞争理论的实验验证

用一次性培养结合Monod方程测得海洋微藻－亚心型扁藻（Tetraselmis subcordiformis(Wile)Hazen)与大型海藻－孔石莼（Ulva pertusa Kjellm.)磷限制下的生长动力参数。孔石莼具有较低的半饱和生长常数及最大生长率,其分别为0．016μmol/L和0．16d^-1,而亚心型扁藻的半饱和生长常数和最大生长率分别是0．021μmol/L和0.83d^-1。两种藻类间的营养竞争实验采用半连续培养法在磷限制制条件下进行,实验过程中,分别对两者施予相同或不同的去除率,使两者享有相同或不同的资源需求值R^*。由Monod方程所作的竞争预测与实验观察结果的比较显示：仅在两种藻类间的资源需求值R^*差异显著（t检验,P＜0．01）时,Monod方程才能对竞争结果作出较为准确的预测;在两种藻类享的相同的资源需求值R^*时,亚心型扁藻在竞争中取代孔石莼。Monod模型仅能部分预测大型海藻与海洋微藻间的竞争结果。     

资源竞争理论及其研究进展

介绍了国外近20年来发展起来的一种新的竞争理论——资源竞争理论。该理论包含两个主要假说,即R^*-法则和资源比假说。资源竞争理论已在微生物、微藻、高等植物及浮游动物中得到广泛的实验验证。阐述了资源竞争理论形成的基础——Monod竞争模型和Droop竞争模型。对两种模型在稳态及非稳态条件下的预测性能作了比较：对于稳态下的竞争,两种模型皆能做出较好的预测,但使用Monod模型更为简便;对于非稳态下的竞争,使用Droop模型更为合理。对资源竞争理论的发展趋势作了展望。     

病原体感染对物种间资源竞争的影响——基于资源竞争理论

病原体感染对种间竞争的影响可能是因为改变了宿主的资源利用过程,然而竞争模型（Lotka-Volterra）由于参数化竞争系数而忽略了资源的动态变化过程,因此基于此类模型的研究无法揭示病原体对宿主资源利用的影响。基于Tilman的资源竞争理论构建了病原体感染一个物种的资源竞争模型,通过分析宿主物种资源利用效率的变化探讨了病原体对种间竞争的影响。结果表明：（1）病原体降低了宿主对资源的消耗率（消费矢量变短）,抬高了对资源的最低需求（零等倾线上移）,这意味着宿主的竞争力减弱;（2）虽然感染影响了竞争物种的密度,但不会改变共存物种的共存状态;（3）病原体可以使宿主物种的竞争对手更容易入侵,形成共存局面,极大地扩大了竞争物种共存的参数范围,本质上促进了物种多样性维持;（4）病原体的传播率和毒性也复杂地影响了竞争物种共存,传播率越大越能促进物种共存,而中等强度毒性最能促进物种共存。研究结果明确了病原体对物种资源利用模式的潜在改变,强调了病原体在物种共存和生物多样性维持中的重要性。     

大型海藻龙须菜与东海原甲藻间的营养竞争

生物方法作为一种新兴的赤潮防治方法,因为其作用的专一性及较少的负效应,越来越受到人们的重视。研究了龙须菜(G racilaria lem aneif orm is)与东海原甲藻(P rorocentrum d ongha iense)之间营养盐NO3-、PO43-竞争的情况。结果显示,两者共培养时,龙须菜对营养盐的快速吸收利用,使得共培养体系中营养盐迅速降低,最终导致东海原甲藻消亡,而东海原甲藻对于龙须菜的生长不构成明显的影响。在营养盐充分的条件下,1g鲜重的龙须菜对NO3-的吸收能力相当于6.0×107个东海原甲藻细胞,对PO43-的吸收相当于2.4×107个东海原甲藻细胞。相对于东海原甲藻,龙须菜对营养盐的吸收利用更具有优势。龙须菜可作为有效吸收营养盐的大型海藻,用以降低近海水域富营养化程度及有害赤潮发生的几率。     

氮和磷浓度对中肋骨条藻和锥状斯氏藻种间竞争的影响

采用室内单养和混养方法, 设置不同的氮、磷营养条件, 研究了氮、磷对中肋骨条藻(Skeletonema costatum)和锥状斯氏藻(Scrippsiella trochoidea)种间竞争的影响。结果表明: 混养时各氮和磷浓度下均呈现培养初期中肋骨条藻为优势种、培养后期锥状斯氏藻为优势种的变化趋势, 但随着氮、磷浓度的升高, 中肋骨条藻作为优势种的时间延长; 与单养时相比, 混养中两种微藻的最大密度受到不同程度的抑制, 表现出氮、磷浓度越高, 受抑制的程度越大的特征, 且与锥状斯氏藻相比, 中肋骨条藻的最大密度受到抑制的程度更大。混养时两种微藻均是在氮、磷浓度最高时, 抑制起始点出现时间最长, 随着氮、磷浓度的降低, 抑制起始点出现时间缩短; 各氮、磷浓度条件下, 锥状斯氏藻对中肋骨条藻的竞争抑制参数明显高于中肋骨条藻对锥状斯氏藻的竞争抑制参数, 当氮浓度为512 μmol·L^-1、磷浓度为2 μmol·L ^-1时, 竞争结果是锥状斯氏藻获胜; 其余氮、磷浓度条件下为两种微藻不稳定共存。     

养分资源脉冲供给对几种微藻种间竞争的影响

以淡水生态系统常见的5种微藻为研究对象,通过稳态条件下单一培养的方式获取各微藻在氮素或磷素缺乏条件下对应的生长特征参数和R*值,同时将5种微藻在养分资源脉冲供给的方式下进行混合培养,进而检测养分资源脉冲供给对几种微藻种间竞争的影响作用,并与基于稳态条件下所预测的微藻种间竞争结果进行比较。研究结果显示,在稳态条件下具有最小R*值的纤细角星鼓藻在与其它微藻的种间竞争过程中始终保持优势地位,而其余4种微藻在混合培养状态下的相对比重亦与其稳态条件下的R*值紧密相关。然而,资源脉冲供给条件下的竞争优势种纤细角星鼓藻能与其它种群数量较小的微藻共存。此外,在氮素和磷素的不同供给比例情况下,对应微藻群落的结构也会发生相应的变化。实验养分资源脉冲作用下多种微藻的共存现象与自然水体中的观测现象相一致,显示了资源脉冲可能是维持生物多样性水平的一个重要机制。     

不同供氮条件下水稻的化感抑草作用与资源竞争分析

为探讨化感水稻在不同氮素水平下的生物干扰现象,提出了一种新的测试方法———化感竞争分离法(allelopathyandcompetitionseparation basedbioassay,ACS),成功地区分了在稻/稗共生系统中水稻化感作用与资源竞争及其在不同N条件下的反应特性.结果表明,水稻PI312777具有较强的生物干扰能力.在不同N水平下,其资源竞争能力较强且表现稳定,但化感作用潜力则随供N水平的下降而明显增强.水稻Lemont不具化感作用潜力,在供N水平正常或充足条件下,其资源竞争能力减弱,但在N胁迫下却明显增强.这是在环境资源贫乏时,稻/稗共生系统中生态位竞争加剧的结果.     

资源获得性和种内竞争对垂穗披碱草生长繁殖的影响

研究了垂穗披碱草(E lym us nutans)在不同光照强度、不同土壤养分和不同密度下的生长和繁殖特性。结果表明增加施肥量使垂穗披碱草的新增分蘖百分数、分蘖大小、营养繁殖和有性繁殖输出及其效力明显增加,贮藏生长效力相对减少;提高光照强度增加新增分蘖百分数、营养繁殖输出、有性繁殖输出和效力以及贮藏生长效力,减少营养繁殖效力;低密度下新增分蘖百分数、分蘖大小和营养繁殖效力显著增加,高密度下营养繁殖输出、有性繁殖输出和效力以及贮藏生长效力较高。在高施肥×高光照、高施肥×高密度和高光照×高密度处理下,植物有性繁殖输出和营养繁殖输出显著高于其它处理。低密度条件下新增分蘖百分数较高,高密度条件下有性繁殖效力较高。三因子互作对性状无显著作用。营养繁殖效力与有性繁殖效力无显著相关,这两者与贮藏生长效力为负相关。以上结果说明丰富的资源(高施肥、高光照)有利于植物生长和繁殖,种内竞争水平对体内的资源分配会产生很大影响。这些特性既与环境因子有关,又与植物性状间的内在联系有关,共同决定该种群在群落中的动态和稳定性。     

Species Diversity Across Nutrient Gradients: An Analysis of Resource Competition in Model Ecosystems

The capture and efficient use of limiting resources influence the competitive success of individual plant species as well as species diversity across resource gradients. In simulations, efficient nutrient acquisition or nutrient retention by species were key predictors of success when nutrients were limiting. Increased nutrient supply favored species with characteristics that improved light interception or light use. Ecological theory suggests that low diversity on fertile sites may be a consequence of competitive exclusion by one or a few species with superior light-interception characteristics. On infertile sites, competitive exclusion may be a function of superior nutrient-acquisition characteristics in species. At intermediate fertility, a shift from single-resource specialization to a balanced effort in the acquisition of multiple resources should allow for greater species diversity. Thus, a unimodal relationship between diversity and nutrient supply, vegetation biomass, or productivity is predicted. However, simulations demonstrated alternate relationships depending on the ecosystem characteristic to which diversity was compared. Diversity was greatest at intermediate total biomass but increased monotonically with net primary production and nitrogen (N) supply. The highest diversity occurred midrange on a scale of community-level leaf area to fine-root length ratios, which in the context of the model indicates that the vegetation as a whole was simultaneously limited by both N and light and that effort toward the acquisition of both resources is distributed in such a way that both resources are equally exploited. Diversity was lowered by the presence of species with a superior ability to sequester resources.     

Competition and facilitation in multispecies plant-herbivore systems of productive environments

We develop a multispecies plant-herbivore model to explore how plant competition for light and the selectivity of herbivores affect abundance patterns of plants and herbivores along productivity gradients. The model considers a small and a tall plant species, a generalist herbivore, and a selective herbivore. The selective herbivore feeds only on the small plant species. In the absence of the generalist herbivore, the tall plant species becomes increasingly dominant with increasing productivity, and the small plant and its selective herbivore disappear. The model shows that generalist herbivores can facilitate selective herbivores by suppressing competition for light. This favours the small plant species, and thereby the selective herbivores. The model predictions are qualitatively consistent with field studies of multispecies plant-herbivore systems.     

Competition between tree seedlings and herbaceous vegetation: support for a theory of resource supply and demand

1 We measured competition intensity (CI) between herbaceous vegetation and tree seedlings ( Quercus macrocarpa and Q. ellipsoidalis ) along an experimental moisture–light gradient. Contrasting theories were tested by comparing variation in competition intensity to changes in neighbour biomass and resource supply and demand.
2 CI based on survival was inversely correlated with net soil water supply (gross supply minus demand by herbaceous vegetation). CI was not positively correlated with either gross resource supply or neighbour biomass, contrary to predictions of Grime's triangular model for plant strategies.
3 Many of the inconsistencies and conflicting results that have characterized the recent literature on plant competition could be eliminated if changes in competition intensity along a resource gradient are compared with changes in net resource supply rather than changes in productivity or neighbour biomass.
4 Tree seedling success in savannas and grasslands may be strongly influenced by the intensity of competition from herbaceous vegetation. Factors that reduce soil water content are likely to increase competition intensity (and reduce seedling success) in these environments, while factors that increase soil water content will favour seedling success through decreased competition for water with herbaceous vegetation.     

Effects of Habitat on Competition Between Kit Foxes and Coyotes

Abstract: San Joaquin kit foxes (Vulpes macrotis mutica) are an endangered species with a narrow geographic range whose natural populations are limited by predation by coyotes (Canis latrans). In the warm, arid grassland and shrubland habitats where kit foxes occur, coyotes are more cover dependent than kit foxes, creating the possibility of habitat segregation. Effects of habitat variation on coyote and kit fox competition are unknown. We assessed exploitation and interference competition between coyotes and kit foxes in grassland and shrubland habitats to determine if such competition varies among habitats. With respect to exploitation competition, we evaluated habitat and spatial partitioning, diet, prey abundance, and survival for kit foxes and coyotes at the Lokern Natural Area in central California, USA, from January 2003 through June 2004. Kit foxes partitioned habitat, space, and diet with coyotes. Coyotes primarily used shrubland habitats whereas kit foxes selectively used burned grasslands. Kit foxes and coyotes had high dietary overlap with regards to items used, but proportional use of items differed between the 2 species. Kit foxes selected for Heermann's kangaroo rats (Dipodomys heermanni), which were closely tied to shrub habitats. With respect to interference competition, predation was the primary source of mortality for kit foxes, and survival of individual kit foxes was inversely related to proportion of shrub habitat within their home ranges. Our results suggest that a heterogeneous landscape may benefit kit foxes by providing habitat patches where predation risk may be lower.     

Using three pairs of competitive indices to test for changes in plant competition under different resource and disturbance levels

Questions: How do different resource and disturbance levels interact to affect competition? How do different indices of competition change the interpretation of how competition changes under different resource and disturbance conditions? Location: Greenhouse, Thompson Rivers University, Kamloops, British Columbia, Canada. Methods: Three pairs of indices that have been used to differentiate the predictions of Grime (CSR) and Tilman's (R^*) theories were used to assess competition on two species of temperate bunchgrass, (Pseudorogeneria spicata and Festuca campestris) grown in a greenhouse on stress and disturbance gradients. Stress was created by manipulating the amount of water (high, low) and concentration of nutrient solution (high, low) added to pots, while disturbance was created by clipping (clipped, unclipped) in a fully factorial design. Plants were grown individually or with a single neighbour. The three pairs of indices were: (1) absolute and relative competition; (2) competitive effect and response; and, (3) competitive importance and intensity. Results: Absolute competition and competitive importance were the only indices responsive to the resource gradient, which supports CSR theory, and also the only ones to record an effect of disturbance on the strength of competition – under high resource conditions. The other indices showed few responses along the gradients, which supports R^* theory. Measures of competitive effect and response did not differentiate the two theories. Conclusion: We show that some indices of competition show a decline with increased stress and disturbance, while other indices do not. Therefore, it is necessary to choose a competition index appropriate to the question being asked. Competitive importance and absolute competition were responsive to changes in stress and disturbance, while the other indices were not.     

Switching Between Cooperation and Competition in the Use of Extracellular Glucose

This paper addresses some questions related to the evolution of cooperative behaviors, in the context of energetic metabolism. Glycolysis can perform either under a dissipative working regime suitable for rapid proliferation or under an efficient regime that entails a good modus operandi under conditions of glucose shortage. A cellular mechanism allowing switching between these two regimes may represent an evolutionary achievement. Thus, we have explored the conditions that might have favored the emergence of such an accommodative mechanism. Because of an inevitable conflict for resources between individual interests and the common good, rapid and inefficient use of glucose is always favored by natural selection in spatially homogeneous environment, regardless of the external conditions. In contrast, when the space is structured, the behavior of the system is determined by its free energy content. If the fuel is abundant, the dissipative strategy dominates the space. However, under famine conditions the efficient regime represents an evolutionary stable strategy in a Harmony game. Between these two extreme situations, both metabolic regimes are engaged in a Prisoner’s Dilemma game, where the output depends on the extracellular free energy. The energy transition values that lead from one domain to another have been calculated. We conclude that an accommodative mechanism permitting alternation between dissipative and efficient regimes might have evolved in heterogeneous and highly fluctuating environments. Overall, the current work shows how evolutionary optimization and game-theoretical approaches can be complementary in providing useful insights into biochemical systems. Reviewing Editor: Dr. Antony Dean     

Seed sex ratio in dioecious plants depends on relative dispersal of pollen and seeds: an example using a chessboard simulation model

Two principles are important for the optimal sex ratio strategy of plants. (1) Sib mating. Because seed dispersal is restricted, sib mating may occur which selects for a female bias in the seed sex ratio. (2) Local resource competition (LRC). If a plant produces pollen its nuclear genes are dispersed in two steps: first through the pollen and then, if the pollen is successful in fertilizing an ovule on another plant, through the seed. If the plant produces an ovule, its genes are dispersed only through the seed. By making pollen instead of ovules the offspring of a single plant is then spread out over a wider area. This reduces the chance that genetically related individuals are close together and need to compete for the same resource. The effect is the strongest if pollen is dispersed over a much wider area than seeds. Less LRC for paternally vs. maternally derived offspring selects for a male bias in sex allocation. We study the above‐mentioned opposite effects in dioecious plants (with separate male and female individuals), with maternal control over the sex ratio (fraction males) in the seeds. In a two‐dimensional spatial model female‐biased sex ratios are found when both pollen and seed dispersal are severely restricted. If pollen disperses over a wider area than seeds, which is probably the common situation in plants, the seed sex ratio becomes male‐biased. If pollen and seeds are both dispersed over a wide area, the sex ratio approaches 0.5. Our results do not change if the offspring of brother–sister matings are less fit because of inbreeding depression.