Early development of plant community in a created mitigation wetland as affected by introduced hydrologic design elements

The goal of this study was to investigate early plant community development in two sites (i.e., higher and lower elevation sites—LC1 and LC2, respectively) of the Loudoun County (LC) mitigation wetland created in the Virginia Piedmont. The effects of hydrologic design elements incorporated during the construction (i.e., disking-induced microtopography—MT and site level elevation difference) on vegetative and hydrologic attributes (e.g., species richness, biodiversity, plant cover, floristic quality assessment index, wetland indicator status, soil moisture content, and water table depths) were investigated. The study was conducted at the end of two growing seasons in 2008 and 2009 (i.e., second and third growing seasons). Drought conditions that persisted into the second growing season resulted in the abundance of a seeded cover grass, Lolium multiflorum (Italian ryegrass), intentionally planted during initial seeding for erosion control. L. multiflorum was subsequently phased out and replaced by facultative wet and obligate wetland species by the third growing season when above-average precipitation occurred, leading to a decrease in total percent cover. Prevalence index changed in both LC1 and LC2, dropping from overall facultative status in 2008 to obligate status in 2009 when obligate species such as Bidens cernua, Carex frankii, and Juncus effusus thrived and expanded with the change of hydrologic regime in 2009. Microtopographic treatment (i.e., disked or undisked) positively influenced vegetation development for LC1 site in 2008, but the positive influence was not consistent for LC2, which experienced an additional month of standing water conditions in the same year, nor for either site in 2009 when above-average precipitation occurred. The site differences in elevation, and thus hydrologic regime, seemed to overwhelm the effects on vegetation of disking-induced microtopography in each site when precipitation was at or above average range. Although shown on short spatial and temporal scales in this study, incorporation of micro- and macrotopographic design elements in creating a mitigation wetland can be beneficial to the early development of diverse vegetation communities wetland under varying climate conditions.     

The ecological condition of geographically isolated wetlands in the southeastern United States: The relationship between landscape level assessments and macrophyte assemblages

Geographically isolated wetlands (GIWs) are common features of the Dougherty Plain physiographic region in southwestern Georgia. Due to lack of protection at the state and federal levels, these wetlands are threatened by intensive agricultural and silvicultural land uses common in the region. Recently, the ecological condition of such GIWs was assessed for the southeastern United States using the Landscape Development Intensity Index (LDI), a practical assessment tool that relies on remotely sensed land use and land cover (LULC) data surrounding isolated wetlands to rapidly predict wetland condition. However, no assessments have been attempted for GIWs in the Dougherty Plain specifically. Our goal was to develop a framework to guide and refine remote assessment of wetland condition within this agriculturally intense region of the southeastern USA. In this study, we characterized human disturbances associated with isolated wetlands in the Dougherty Plain, and paired the rapid assessment of GIWs using LDI with an intensive assessment of wetland plant communities. Specifically, we: (1) examined how macrophyte assemblages and vegetation metrics vary across a human disturbance gradient in the Dougherty Plain; (2) compared multiple condition assessment outcomes using variations of the LDI method that differed in spatial extent and resolution of LULC categories; and (3) determined the predicted condition of GIWs in the Dougherty Plain as indexed by LDI and compared with region-wide assessments of GIWs of the southeastern USA. Generally, the relationship between wetland plant communities and surrounding land use supported the assumptions of the LDI index in that wetlands surrounded by agricultural land use classes featured distinct plant communities relative to those surrounded by forested land use classes. Our results indicated that finer spatial resolution of LULC data improved the predictive ability of LDI. However, based on incongruence between wetland vegetation composition and LDI scores in some forested landscapes, this study identified limitations of the LDI assessment method, particularly when applied in regions in which prescribed fire is an important ecological driver of vegetation and habitat. Thus, we conclude that LDI may be biased toward an overestimation of reference condition GIWs, even though the habitat may be functionally degraded by the absence of natural processes such as fire. Regardless, relative to the assessment of the entire southeastern US, a greater proportion of total GIWs of the Dougherty Plain were identified as impaired due to the intensity of irrigated agricultural land use.     

Vulnerability assessment of wetland landscape ecosystem services using driver-pressure-state-impact-response (DPSIR) model

Wetlands exist in complex ecological conditions that are changeable in time and space in terms of function and structural diversity. In recent decades, wetlands have been exposed to a wide range of threats. Assessment of these threats is essential to develop an understanding of the state of a wetland ecosystem and to develop a suitable management strategy. This paper discusses wetland vulnerability in terms of analysis of human and environmental systems from application of the driver-pressure-state-impact-response (DPSIR) framework. This assessment presented a systematic methodology for assessment of wetland vulnerability in a social-ecological approach applying broad-scale ecosystem services and vulnerability functions. The method combined the hydro-geomorphic approach with estimations of vulnerability indicators and DPSIR analysis. The aim of this paper was to assess vulnerability of wetland ecosystem services and to characterize the threat indicators according to importance, severity, and probability of occurrence. Quantitative and qualitative methods were applied to characterize values for these three indicators. The Multi Criteria Decision Making (MCDM) method was used to prioritize threats and impacts of the wetland on the basis of experts’ opinions. The proposed methodology was applied to the Choghakhor international wetland landscape in south-western Iran. Vulnerability assessment revealed that water requirement of the lowland and the water transfer system were the most important factors threatening the wetland. Agricultural activities, settlements and urban areas, drought, tourism, population growth, and mining activities in the upland were the next most important priorities, in that order. Hydrological balance was determined as the most vulnerable function and was considered as the most important function in the Choghakhor wetland. The DPSIR model was used to determine a management strategy to reduce vulnerability of ecosystem services in response to drivers, pressures, states and impacts indicated by modelling.     

Floristic groups and plant communities of southeastern Santa Fe,Argentina

This paper is a survey of the vegetation of the southeastern departments in the Province of Santa Fe (Argentina). The vegetation was analyzed following Braun-Blanquet's approach modified by Mueller-Dombois & Ellenberg (1974). The most relevant species of the region were placed in 25 groups according to their requirements or general behaviour. Most of the communities are herbaceous, and apart from the woody and some other miscellaneous ones they were grouped into three ecologically and floristically defined sets. The first set, the Stipa grasslands and related communities, which are characterized by the more or less abundant presence of Stipa hyalina, Stipa neesiana and Stipa papposa, comprises five different communities. The second, the halophilous communities, comprises five communities, the two Spartina ssp. grasslands, the halophilous prairies of Distichlis spicata, the short sedge Scirpus americanus communities and the ‘pela-dales’. The third, the hygrophilous communities, comprises nine communities which are not so well defined as the ones in the other sets. Besides, two further communities have been included, the Paspalum quadrifarium and the Melica macra tall grasslands.     

图们江下游湿地生态系统健康评价

湿地是世界上具有独特结构与功能的生态系统,图们江流域湿地生态系统的健康对该区乃至东北亚地区综合生态系统网络的建设具有重要意义。选择图们江流域下游为研究区,基于压力-状态-响应(PSR)模型,在压力系统、状态系统、响应系统三个层面选取30个指标构建了图们江下游湿地生态系统健康评价指标体系,运用层次分析法和多级模糊综合评判法对研究区湿地生态健康状况进行综合评价,其结果为0.5878,处于亚健康状态。其中,压力系统的健康指数为0.5292,响应系统的健康指数为0.6866,状态系统的健康指数为0.5116,各等级隶属度S=(16.83%, 25.37%, 16.76%, 16.97%,24.07%)。主要表现在研究区域湿地的补水水质差,导致湿地水质污染加重,富营养化现象严重;并且由于人为因素,湿地大面积退化,景观破碎化加剧,功能逐渐丧失,生产力水平下降;急需对本区域湿地进行保护与管理。     

广州市湿地公园植物调查与分析

为更好地提高湿地公园的生态服务能力、加强湿地公园的物种保育功能并促进湿地公园建设和发展质量,对广州地区20个湿地公园植物进行了实地调查。结果表明,调查区域共有205种湿地植物;对其物种组成、生活型、生态习性、优势科属及应用频度等的分析表明,湿地公园的植物群落结构比较简单,主要植物种类同质化现象很严重,保护和珍稀植物种类应用较少等。基于此,推荐了55种本土植物作为广州市湿地公园进行生态改造和景观配置的候选物种,同时还提出了对未来湿地公园的建设和管理的若干建议。     

Plant Establishment from the Seed Bank of a Degraded Floodplain Wetland: A Comparison of Two Alternative Management Scenarios

There has been little research examining the soil seed banks of degraded floodplain wetlands and their contribution to wetland rehabilitation in Australia. Our aim was to assess the establishment of plants from the seed bank that may occur following the delivery of an environmental water allocation to Kanyapella Basin, a 2950 ha wetland located on the floodplain of the Goulburn and Murray Rivers in northern Victoria, Australia. Two hypothetical water regimes were investigated (flooded and dry) in a glasshouse experiment, where plants were left to establish from the seed bank over a period of 124 days. Differences in the establishment of plants from the seed bank indicated that the return of a flooding regime is likely to have a significant effect on the composition of the wetland vegetation. Mapping of the distribution of plant species indicated that propagules were highly dispersed across the wetland for the majority of taxa, in contrast to the localised distribution of many of the plant species represented in the extant vegetation. Inundation favoured the establishment of native wetland and floodplain plants, although many areas of Kanyapella Basin that are currently ‘weed-free’ have the potential to become colonised and potentially dominated by introduced plants if the wetland is not managed appropriately. Overall, results supported the aim of management to reestablish a wetting and drying regime through use of an environmental water allocation. This study presents a significant example of the application of seed bank investigations in wetland ecology and management.     

褐家鼠挖掘活动对上海九段沙湿地植物群落与土壤水盐的影响

上海九段沙是长江口的新生岛洲,目前处于草本植物群落演替阶段。为了探讨登岛褐家鼠的挖掘活动对九段沙湿地植物群落与土壤水盐的影响,我们调查了褐家鼠洞穴区的植物盖度、密度、高度、重要值、物种丰富度、物种均匀度、物种多样性、表层土壤含水量和电导率等与对照区的差异;同时,通过调查褐家鼠洞穴与潮沟在空间位置上的关系探讨了褐家鼠的栖息地选择策略。结果表明:在单一芦苇群落中,洞穴区芦苇的高度和盖度显著低于对照;在芦苇和海三棱藨草混合群落中,洞穴区芦苇的密度、相对密度、重要值和群落总盖度显著低于对照,而洞穴区海三棱藨草的密度、盖度、相对密度、相对高度和重要值显著高于对照;在碱菀和互花米草优势群落中,洞穴区碱菀的相对密度、相对盖度、重要值和群落的物种多样性指数显著高于对照,而互花米草的密度和盖度、芦苇的盖度、高度和相对盖度以及群落总盖度显著低于对照。距洞穴区中心区域洞口不同距离梯度的表层土壤含水量和电导率差异均显著。褐家鼠偏向于将洞穴营造在邻近潮沟处,这有利于提高褐家鼠在九段沙湿地的适应能力。褐家鼠的挖掘活动有利于增加碱菀和互花米草优势群落的物种多样性,会降低植物群落总盖度和表层土壤的水盐含量,对九段沙湿地植物群落的组成与演替具有重要影响。     

Floristic quality as an indicator of human disturbance in forested wetlands of northern New England

Across the country, degradation of freshwater wetlands has prompted a need for science-based methods for assessing and monitoring wetland condition. Floristic Quality Assessment (FQA) is an assessment that measures the health of an ecosystem. FQA is based on resilience values called Coefficients of Conservatism (C-values), preassigned to each plant species. The method has proven to signal human disturbance in most wetland types, but is understudied in forested wetlands. We compared FQA scores and Ecological Integrity Assessment (EIA) scores (Level 2) of 11 red maple − Sphagnum basin swamps (RMSBS) of New Hampshire and 12 red maple swamps (RMS) of southern Maine to test the hypothesis that FQA signals human disturbance in forested wetlands. EIA did not distinguish RMSMS from RMS, however Mean C, Cover Weighted Mean C (wC), and FQI did. In RMSBS, wC showed the strongest positive correlation with EIA scores. In RMS, Mean C showed the strongest positive correlation with EIA scores. For all sites combined, wC and Mean C were significantly correlated with EIA scores. Meaningful relationships were not observed between FQI or wFQI and EIA scores. The results indicate that Mean C and wC offer a reliable metrics for the evaluation of forested wetlands in northern New England.     

Impact of wastewater discharge on the plant diversity,community structure and heavy metal pollution of range plants in eastern Saudi Arabia

The main objectives of this study were to determine the floristic composition of the vegetation cover and to find the effects of wastewater pollution on the plant community structure in eastern Saudi Arabia. 28 stands which were distributed among polluted and unpolluted sites, were chosen for this study. A total of 42 plant species were recorded (14 in the polluted and 28 in the unpolluted sites). The recorded plants comprised of 13 perennial plant species and 29 annual plant species. Seven vegetation communities were determined using TWINSPAN and DCA classification and ordination techniques. Three in the polluted sites, two in the unpolluted sites and the remaining two were mixed communities. The (Sarcopoterium spinosum – Pistacia len‐tiscus) community in the polluted sites, had the highest values of soil moisture, salinity, sulphate, calcium and potassium. On the other hand, Juniperus phoenicea – Olea europaea community in the unpolluted site, had the lowest value of organic matter, salinity and magnesium. In respect of genetic diversity, the community of Foeniculum vulgare - Nicotiana glauca in the unpolluted site, was the most diverse, while Ricinus communis - Chrysanthemum coronarium in the polluted sites was the least one. Both soil and wastewater heavy metal analysis indicated that Pb, Cd, Cr, Cu and Ni concentrations in the polluted sites were significantly higher than those in the unpolluted ones. The impact of wastewater discharge led to the appearance of new invasive plant species that may significantly affect plant diversity and community structure in eastern Saudi Arabia. Finally wastewater discharge in open rangelands could adversely affect the growth of plant species in the rangelands and thus adversely affect plant community structure and diversity.     

基于生态系统受扰动程度评价的白洋淀生态需水研究

水是湿地生态系统最重要的影响因子,生态需水核算是对湿地进行生态保护,恢复重建的前提与基础.提出一种基于生态系统受扰动程度评价的适宜生态需水量计算方法.首先根据湿地水面面积变化率最大时对应的关键水位构建初始生态水位方案并将其离散得到一系列离散值;然后应用Mann-Kendall(M-K)法分析历史水位时间序列,找出水位发生突变前自然条件下的水位状态;最后对不同情景水位方案与自然水位状态的差异程度进行修正水文指数(APPFD)评价,确定生态系统受扰动程度在可接受范围之内的多个生态水位方案,进而确定相对应的生态需水量方案.将该方法应用于白洋淀湿地得出了7种可接受的生态水位方案,其中汛期的适宜生态水位在8.31-10.62 m之间,非汛期的适宜生态水位在7.51-9.60 m之间,全年的适宜生态需水量在3.10×108-6.47×l08m3之间.该方法能够为实际的水资源管理和分配提供多种备选方案,有较强的实用性和可操作性.     

外来植物入侵对生态系统生产力的影响研究综述

外来植物入侵已成为全球尺度生态系统面临的一个主要环境问题。分析和总结了外来植物入侵对于生态系统生物量、生产力和碳固定的影响以及主要的影响因素,多数研究结果显示外来植物入侵会增加生态系统生物量和生产力,并进而增加生态系统对于二氧化碳气体的固定,但也有些研究结果得出相反的结论;另外,造成增加或减少结果的成因也是复杂的。系统全面地研究外来植物入侵,特别是考虑到空间上异质性和入侵的时间尺度,在研究外来植物入侵对生态系统生物量、生产力以及碳固定的影响方面尤为重要。     

Arthropod community diversity and trophic structure: a comparison between extremes of plant stress

Abstract.  1. Previous studies have shown that plant stress and plant vigour impact the preference and performance of many insect species. Global climate-change scenarios suggest that some regions such as continental interiors may become increasingly subject to severe drought. In combination, these two issues suggest that drought-driven plant stress may impact insect communities on a landscape scale. While there have been many population studies relating plant stress to the life history of individual herbivore species, far less is known about how plant stress affects entire communities.
2. To study the effect of plant stress on arthropod communities, arthropods were sampled from the canopies of pinyon pines ( Pinus edulis ) growing at sites with a history of chronically high environmental stress (e.g. lower water potentials, soil moisture, and reduced growth rates), and those growing under more favourable conditions. Sampling in these environments yielded >59 000 arthropods, representing 287 species from 14 orders and 80 families, and revealed three major community patterns.
3. First, chronic stress significantly altered community composition. Second, trees growing under high stress supported about 1/10th the number of arthropods, and roughly half the species as trees growing under more favourable conditions. Third, of the 33 abundant herbivore species that exhibited a significantly skewed distribution towards either high- or low-stress trees, 73% were skewed with higher numbers on low-stress trees.
4. The pattern of potentially reduced arthropod diversity and abundance on stressed pines observed in this study may further compound the loss of species resulting from the recent, landscape-scale drought-induced mortality of pines in the southwestern USA.     

塔里木河中下游湿地及周边植物群落与环境因子的关系初探

选取塔里木河中下游湿地及周边16个典型植物群落样地调查和环境因子数据,采用主分量分析(PCA)排序技术和回归分析,定量分析湿地及周边植物群落在空间上的分布格局,以及群落结构特征和环境梯度之间的关系.结果表明,影响塔里木河中下游湿地及周边植物群落分布的第1主分量中,土壤水分和盐分影响最大,贡献率为35.70％;在第2主分量中,土壤养分的影响最大,贡献率为25.97％.植物群落分布的生境可分为沼生轻盐中营养生境、湿生中盐中营养生境、中生中盐低营养生境和中旱生重盐低营养生境4种类型.沿不同生境依次分布着沼泽植被、草甸植被、河岸疏林和盐生荒漠 盐化灌丛植被.塔里木河中下游湿地及周边植物群落的生态优势度与土壤水分和盐分复合梯度呈显著的一元线性相关.二元回归分析结果显示,塔里木河中下游湿地及周边土壤水分和盐分复合梯度与多样性指数和生态优势度二元指标呈极显著相关.     

基于熵理论的山东省国家湿地公园管理绩效评价

量化评价管理绩效能为湿地公园管理措施的优化提供理论支持。选取山东省68个国家湿地公园作为研究对象,从自然环境、社会经济角度出发,选择植被覆盖率、废水排放量等8个指标构建指标体系。结合相关数据,基于熵理论定量评价国家级湿地公园的管理绩效。结果表明,（1）山东省整体总熵流为负（-0.3018）,其中41个湿地公园为负熵流,系统趋于稳定,管理绩效提升;（2）正熵流主要来自废水排放量（0.0854±0.0434）,负熵流则主要来自环保投入（-0.0802±0.0392）;（3）国民生产总值和熵流呈现负相关关系,而第一产业产值比重和第二产业产值比重均和熵流呈现正相关关系。综合经济发展和熵流评价结果,2个市的湿地公园面临高管理风险,其中菏泽市需要引起注意;山东省近海和海岸湿地的管理绩效较低,且面临高管理风险,应当优先制定、开展保护治理规划。     

植物群落和土壤理化性质对碧塔海湿地土壤细菌群落的影响

土壤微生物是湿地生态系统中土壤-植物系统生源要素迁移转化的引擎.探究湿地生态系统地上植物群落、土壤理化性质和空间结构与土壤细菌间的相互关系是维护湿地生态系统健康和稳定的关键.本研究运用双向指示种分析法(TWINSPAN)对碧塔海湿地采集的35个样方中的植物群落进行分类,并采用高通量测序技术对样方的表层土壤细菌进行测序,...     

Soil and water erosion under different plant species in a semiarid river valley, SW China: the effects of plant morphology

The small-scale effects of plant morphology in improving soil quality and reducing runoff and soil loss have remained unclear, especially in some arid environments with sparse vegetation. We selected three representative species with contrasting morphologies (Artemisia gmelinii; Ajania potaninii; Pulicaria chrysantha) to examine the effects of plant morphology on soil quality, runoff, and soil loss in the dry-warm river valley of the upper reach of Minjiang River, SW China. Runoff events were monitored from July through October 2006 using runoff plots on a micro scale (<40 × 40 cm²) on a south-facing slope. The observation duration for rainfall and runoff events can be divided into two stages. Higher runoff depth, but lower soil loss per event occurred at the second stage as compared with the first stage due to the differences in rainfall, plant, and soil surface characteristics. The two herbs, A. gmelinii and P. chrysantha, had greater improvements on soil quality yielding high soil nutrient content and low soil compactness, while the effectiveness of the small shrub, A. potaninii, was minimal. Relative to bare surface (control treatment), the effectiveness of reducing runoff depth per event was 64.9, 66.6 and 38.0%, and reducing soil loss 65.5, 59.3 and 69.9% for A. gmelinii, A. potaninii, and P. chrysantha, respectively. All three plant species can improve soil quality and reduce runoff and soil loss, but their effects vary, which implies that plant morphology has to be considered while selecting species for ecosystem restoration.