Phylogenetic structure of angiosperm trees in local forest communities along latitudinal and elevational gradients in eastern North America

Latitudinal and elevational gradients both represent thermal gradients. Assessing the consistency of the relationships between phylogenetic structure and climate between latitudinal and elevational gradients can provide insight into the mechanisms driving assembly of species from regional pools into local assemblages. The aim of this study is to compare patterns of phylogenetic structure measures for angiosperm tree species between latitudinal and elevational gradients, using a dataset of angiosperm tree species in 14 092 forest plots in eastern North America. We assessed whether these two gradients produce similar relationships between climate and phylogenetic structure, hypothesizing that they should differ in magnitude but not direction. We used correlation and regression analyses to assess the relation of measures of phylogenetic structure to elevation, latitude and climatic variables, which included minimum temperature, temperature seasonality, annual precipitation and precipitation seasonality. We found that 1) phylogenetic relatedness of angiosperm trees increases with decreasing temperature along both latitudinal and elevational gradients but the relationship between phylogenetic relatedness and temperature is steeper for elevational gradients than for latitudinal gradients; 2) the tip-weighted metric of phylogenetic relatedness (nearest taxon index) is more strongly correlated with climatic variables than the basal-weighted metric of phylogenetic relatedness (net relatedness index); 3) winter cold temperature exerts a stronger effect on community assembly of angiosperm trees than does temperature seasonality. These results suggest that winter cold temperature, rather than temperature seasonality, drives phylogenetic structure of plants in local forest communities, and that species distributions along elevational gradients are more in equilibrium with temperature, compared with those along latitudinal gradients.     

不同腐熟程度有机物料对土壤微生物群落功能多样性的影响

室内培养条件下,施用有机物料初期土壤微生物群落代谢功能Shannon多样性指数降低,中期又提高。有机物料种类和腐熟水平可明显影响土壤微生物群落对Biolog微平板中碳源的利用能力,土壤微生物群落利用各类碳源的能力随培养试验的延长而降低,在25d内新鲜有机物处理对碳源的利用率的下降速度低于同类腐熟有机物料处理。糖类是各处理土壤微生物群落的主要利用碳源。土壤微生物群落主成分分析表明,在施用有机物料后25d内腐熟水平是影响土壤微生物群落的主要因素,新鲜有机物处理的土壤微生物群落相似,腐熟有机物处理的土壤微生物群落相似,培养50d后各处理的土壤微生物群落无差异。     

Spatial and seasonal changes in species diversity of epilithic fungi along environmental gradients of a river

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Variation in the effects of vegetation and litter on recruitment across productivity gradients

1 We tested predictions about how the effect of vegetation and litter on seedling establishment varies among sites and herbaceous community types (sand barrens, prairies, fens). For both vegetation and litter, we also separated direct interactions from indirect interactions and interaction modifications along the gradient.
2 Although the intensity of the effects varied across sites, the direct effects of vegetation or litter alone were consistently facilitative along the productivity gradient. Predominance of facilitative effects may be due to the focus on the seedling establishment phase.
3 However, inclusion of indirect interactions and interaction modifications caused the net effects of both vegetation and litter to become largely negative. While one layer of biomass may be advantageous to ameliorate some moisture stress, the addition of another layer may be disadvantageous if this layer limits light proportionally more than it relieves moisture stress.
4 One exception to this pattern occurred at high productivity when the net effect of vegetation, even in the presence of litter, remained facilitative. The net effect of vegetation was competitive at low productivity and grew increasingly facilitative with productivity. Thus, indirect effects of litter may alter interaction patterns across this gradient.     

Functional diversity across space and time: trends in wader communities on British estuaries

Aim British estuarine ecosystems support large populations of protected migratory waders. Understanding how wader communities vary spatially and how they may be changing temporally can greatly improve the understanding of these dynamic ecosystems. Here, we explore the variation in functional diversity (using a range of morphological and ecological traits) in order to identify the processes shaping wader communities on British estuaries and how these processes may be changing. Location England, Wales and Scotland. Methods We use national survey data (Wetland Bird Survey) from 1980/1981 to 2006/2007 winter to calculate functional diversity (FD) – an index that measures trait dispersion – in wader communities on 100 estuaries. We test for evidence of non‐random patterns of diversity and explore the relative importance of two key processes, environmental filtering and competition, in shaping these communities. Results The observed FD was significantly and positively associated with species richness and to a lesser extent estuary area, followed by longitude. An increase in observed FD was observed since 1980, supported by a small but significant slope. In the majority of cases, changes in FD were mirrored by changes in species richness. Observed FD was on average lower than expected by chance, as indicated by a negative value of observed minus expected FD. However, this difference became less negative over time, with observed minus expected FD values increasing slightly, but significantly, over the study period. Main conclusions Wader FD varies across British estuaries, and the relative influence of the processes by which communities are structured appears to be changing through time. We discuss the potential drivers underlying these patterns and the importance of identifying such drivers for the protection of wader communities.     

Phylogenetic and ecological structure of Mediterranean caddisfly communities at various spatio‐temporal scales

Aim The evolutionary processes structuring the composition of communities remain unclear due to the complexity of factors active at various spatial and temporal scales. Here, we conducted ecological and evolutionary analyses of communities of caddisflies in the genus Hydropsyche (Insecta: Trichoptera) composed of ecomorphologically differentiated species. Location River ecosystems in the Iberian Peninsula and northern Morocco. Methods Nineteen environmental variables were assessed at 180 local study sites and species presence/absence at these sites was used to determine their ecological niche. The evolutionary framework for all 19 species of Hydropsyche encountered was generated by phylogenetic analysis of the mitochondrial cytochrome c oxidase subunit I gene and three nuclear genes: wingless, elongation factor 1‐alpha and 28S RNA. The phylogenetic tree was used: (1) to assess evolutionary niche conservatism by ecological trait correlation with the tree; and (2) to analyse the phylogenetic relatedness of community member species, at three spatial scales (local stream reaches, drainage basins, biogeographical regions). Results Ecological measurements grouped most species into either headwater, mid‐stream or lowland specialists, and traits presumably relevant to river zonation were found to be phylogenetically conservative. Species assemblages at local stream reaches were mostly mono‐ or dispecific. Species diversity increased at larger spatial scales, by adding species with non‐overlapping ecological niches at the level of river basins and by turnover of anciently differentiated lineages at the level of biogeographical regions. This indicates the effects of competition and niche filtering on community structure locally, and ancient ecological diversification and allopatric speciation, respectively, in building up the species pool at basin and biogeographical scales. Main conclusions The study demonstrates the importance of scale (grain size) in studying what determines community composition. Current ecological factors (i.e. competitive exclusion) in Hydropsyche were evident only when studying narrow local sites, while studies of assemblages at larger spatial scales instead demonstrated the roles of ecological niche differentiation, phylogenetic history of trait diversification and allopatric speciation. Increasing the grain size of investigation reveals different portions of correlated spatial and evolutionary processes.     

利用PLFA、CLPPs和ARDRA标记分析甲胺磷对土壤微生物群落的影响

利用磷脂脂肪酸(PLFA)、群落水平生理活性(CLPPs)和扩增核糖体DNA限制性分析(ARDRA)标记,综合评估低浓度和高浓度甲胺磷连续施用2和4 yr后对土壤微生物群落结构、功能和遗传多样性的影响。结果表明,甲胺磷胁迫使土壤微生物生物量减少而细菌(革兰氏阴性菌)数量增加,同时使微生物群落功能多样性下降而遗传多样性提高;处理2 yr后高浓度甲胺磷胁迫对微生物群落的影响较低浓度胁迫更为明显,处理4 yr后两个浓度胁迫则具有相似的显著影响,表明不同浓度甲胺磷的长期胁迫均能对微生物群落造成严重破坏。     

Underdispersion and overdispersion of traits in terrestrial snail communities on islands

Understanding and disentangling different processes underlying the assembly and diversity of communities remains a key challenge in ecology. Species can assemble into communities either randomly or due to deterministic processes. Deterministic assembly leads to species being more similar (underdispersed) or more different (overdispersed) in certain traits than would be expected by chance. However, the relative importance of those processes is not well understood for many organisms, including terrestrial invertebrates. Based on knowledge of a broad range of species traits, we tested for the presence of trait underdispersion (indicating dispersal or environmental filtering) and trait overdispersion (indicating niche partitioning) and their relative importance in explaining land snail community composition on lake islands. The analysis of community assembly was performed using a functional diversity index (Rao's quadratic entropy) in combination with a null model approach. Regression analysis with the effect sizes of the assembly tests and environmental variables gave information on the strength of under‐ and overdispersion along environmental gradients. Additionally, we examined the link between community weighted mean trait values and environmental variables using a CWM‐RDA. We found both trait underdispersion and trait overdispersion, but underdispersion (eight traits) was more frequently detected than overdispersion (two traits). Underdispersion was related to four environmental variables (tree cover, habitat diversity, productivity of ground vegetation, and location on an esker ridge). Our results show clear evidence for underdispersion in traits driven by environmental filtering, but no clear evidence for dispersal filtering. We did not find evidence for overdispersion of traits due to diet or body size, but overdispersion in shell shape may indicate niche differentiation between snail species driven by small‐scale habitat heterogeneity. The use of species traits enabled us to identify key traits involved in snail community assembly and to detect the simultaneous occurrence of trait underdispersion and overdispersion.     

Persistence and space preemption explain species‐specific founder effects on the organization of marine sessile communities

Community assembly may not follow predictable successional stages, with a large fraction of the species pool constituted by potential pioneering species and successful founders defined through lottery. In such systems, priority effects may be relevant in the determination of trajectories of developing communities and hence diversity and assemblage structure at later advanced states. In order to assess how different founder species may trigger variable community trajectories and structures, we conducted an experimental study using subtidal sessile assemblages as model. We manipulated the identity of functionally different founders and initial colony size (a proxy of the time lag before the arrival of later species), and followed trajectories. We did not observe any effects of colony size on response variables, suggesting that priority effects take place even when the time lag between the establishment of pioneering species and late colonizers is very short. Late community structure at experimental panels that started either with the colonial ascidian Botrylloides nigrum, or the arborescent bryozoan Bugula neritina, was similar to control panels allowed natural assembling. In spite of high potential for fast space domination, and hence negative priority effects, B. nigrum suffered high mortality and did not persist throughout succession. Bugula neritina provided complex physical microhabitats through conspecific clustering that have enhanced larval settlement of late species arrivals, but no apparent facilitation was observed. Differently, panels founded by the encrusting bryozoan Schizoporella errata led to different and less diverse communities compared to naturally assembled panels, evidencing strong negative priority effects through higher persistence and space preemption. Schizoporella errata founder colonies inhibited further conspecific settlement, which may greatly relax intraspecific competition, allowing resource allocation to colony growth and space domination, thus reducing the chances for the establishment of other species.     

汀棠湖轮虫主要食性功能群及其优势种群的周年动态对水环境变化的响应

为探讨轻度富营养湖泊中轮虫主要食性功能群及其优势种群的动态对水环境响应的生态机理,于2011年7月至2012年6月每月4次采集了芜湖市汀棠湖水体中的浮游动物样品,同步测定了水温、水体透明度、p H值、水体叶绿素a含量和氮磷含量,利用相关分析和多元线性回归分析方法分析了轮虫主要食性功能群及其优势种群的密度与非生物因子(如水温等)、食物资源(以粒径大小不同的藻类中的叶绿素a含量作为指标)及生物因子(枝角类、桡足类和晶囊轮虫等轮虫潜在竞争者和捕食者的密度)间的关系。结果显示:(1)汀棠湖中,掠食性轮虫的优势轮虫为针簇多肢轮虫(Polyarthra trigla);滤食性轮虫的优势种包括裂足臂尾轮虫(Brachionus diversicornis)、长三肢轮虫(Filinia longiseta)和裂痕龟纹轮虫(Anuraeopsis fissa);(2)主成分分析表明,水温、叶绿素a含量、枝角类、桡足类及其无节幼体和晶囊轮虫的密度是影响与汀塘湖轮虫群落结构有关的变动最大的水环境因子。水温和藻类叶绿素a总含量分别对滤食性轮虫和掠食性轮虫总密度的周年变动的影响最大,而轮虫的潜在竞争者和捕食者对它们的负面影响均不大;(3)轮虫的潜在竞争者和捕食者对于轮虫优势种群密度动态的负面影响也不大。水温、藻类叶绿素a总含量及小型藻类叶绿素a含量(经孔径为25μm的筛绢过滤后水样中的叶绿素a含量(Chl-a25μm))均与滤食性裂足臂尾轮虫和长三肢轮虫的密度间呈现显著或极显著的正相关关系。仅小型藻类的叶绿素a含量对裂足臂尾轮虫和长三肢轮虫密度的周年变动的影响最大。水温是影响滤食性裂痕龟纹轮虫密度动态的主要因子;(4)两食性功能群中的优势轮虫种群的卵率均未与其潜在竞争者和捕食者密度间呈现显著的负相关性。裂足臂尾轮虫、长三肢轮虫和针簇多肢轮虫种群卵率的变动受水温的影响最大,且它们之间均分别呈现显著的负相关性。研究结果表明,水温和食物资源可能是影响汀塘湖中滤食性轮虫和掠食性轮虫密度变动的重要的生态因子。     

玉米秸秆还田对土壤线虫数量动态与群落结构的影响

通过大田玉米秸秆还田试验研究了其对农田土壤线虫数量动态、属的种类及群落结构等的影响。结果表明:2013—2014连续两年试验期间,蠡玉35玉米秸秆还田(CR)与不还田对照处理(CK)共鉴定到土壤线虫36个属(CR 36个属,CK 30个属);其中,植食性线虫12个属(CR 12属,CK 10属),食细菌线虫15个属(CR 15属,CK 14属),食真菌线虫5个属(CR 5属,CK4属),捕/杂食线虫4个属(CR 4属,CK 2属)。秸秆还田处理与不还田处理相比,植食线虫和食真菌线虫的相对丰度降低,而食细菌线虫和杂/捕食线虫的相对丰度提高,且食细菌线虫的相对丰度显著提高达42.95%。此外,秸秆还田处理土壤线虫总数高于不还田对照处理,但差异不显著;而秸秆还田处理可显著增加食细菌线虫数量,增幅高达16.3%—125.6%。与不还田处理对照相比,秸秆还田处理可显著提高土壤线虫群落多样性指数(H')、属类丰富度(S)和线虫通路指数(NCR),但对群落均匀度(J)、瓦斯乐斯卡指数(WI)和总成熟指数(∑MI)的影响不显著。可见,玉米秸秆还田具有重要的生态学意义,可在一定程度上增加土壤线虫数量和种类多样性,进而使土壤生态系统向稳定健康的方向发展。     

Effects of variations in simulated changes in soil carbon contents and dynamics on future climate projections

Climatic variables have major effects on all components and processes of the global carbon (C) cycle, including soil C contents and dynamics, which in turn have significant feedback effects on the global climate. We have investigated the interactive effects between soil C and projected climatic changes using the Institute of Numerical Mathematics Climate Model (INMCM) climate–C cycle model coupled to three soil organic matter dynamics models [the Lund–Potsdam–Jena (LPJ) soil biogeochemistry, ROMUL and Q models] based on three markedly differing conceptual interpretations of soil organic matter transformation (biochemical, discrete succession and continuous quality, respectively). According to simulations using all these couplings the positive effect of CO₂ fertilization on plant productivity outweighed the negative effects of increased soil temperature on soil C, consequently soils were projected to contain 10–104 Pg more C in 2100 than in the preindustrial period. However, the projected soil respiration rates tended to be higher and additional C storage lower when the LPJ soil biochemistry model was used rather than either the ROMUL or Q models. Global temperatures for 2100 predicted by the INMCM coupled to either the ROMUL or Q models were almost identical, but 0.4 °C lower than those predicted by the INMCM coupled to the LPJ soil biochemistry model. The differences in global predictions obtained with the ROMUL and Q models were smaller than expected given the fundamental difference in their formulations of the relationship between the quality and temperature sensitivity of soil organic matter decomposition.