Is microclimate-driven turnover of dung beetle assemblage structure in regenerating coastal vegetation a precursor to re-establishment of a forest fauna?

We questioned the capability of post-mining rehabilitation and successional changes in coastal vegetation to achieve restoration of dune forest, dung beetle assemblages in the Maputaland Centre of Endemism, South Africa. A repeat 2010 study of structural turnover between dung beetle assemblages across a 33 year successional sere of rehabilitating vegetation and old-growth forest (>73 years) produced comparable results to an earlier study across the 23 year chronosequence of 2000. Despite overlap, three structural patterns along the 33 year chronosequence were associated with specific stages of vegetation succession and their characteristic microclimates as in 2000. Although species biased to unshaded habitat dominated the earliest succession, there was rapid re-establishment of dominance by shade-associated forest species. In concert with progression from unshaded, post-mining vegetation to strongly shaded, early successional, Acacia shrub-woodland, there was an initial increase in similarity of the dung beetle fauna (species-poor, low abundance) to that in strongly-shaded forest (also species-poor, low abundance). However, in concert with decreasing shade cover in late successional woodland, the dung beetle fauna became species-rich with high abundance so that the early successional trajectory of increasing similarity to forest fauna either levelled off to a plateau (species in 2000; abundance in 2010) or declined (species in 2010, abundance in 2000). It remains to be seen if gaps forming in the oldest Acacia woodland permit forest tree saplings of the exposed understorey to recreate a forest canopy that would be tracked by dung beetles to re-establish a typically species-poor, deep shade, forest assemblage with low abundance.     

Succession of bee communities on fallows

Wild bee communities were studied on one- to five-year-old set-aside fields with naturally developed vegetation (n = 20). and old orchard meadows (n = 4) to analyse effects of secondary succession on species diversity, resource use and associated life history traits. General theory predicts a steady increase of species richness with age of succession. In contrast, we found a first maximum in species richness of bees on two-year-old set-aside fields and a second on old meadows. Successional changes of bee communities were related to changes of vegetation. The transition from pioneer successional stages, dominated by annuals, to early successional stages, dominated by perennials, resulted in the highest species richness of flowering plants in the second year within the first five years of succession. Species richness of flowering plants was the best predictor variable for species richness of bees, whereas the cover of flowering plants correlated with the abundance of bees. Annual plants were visited more often and perennials less often than expected from their flower cover. Halictidae tended to prefer flowers of annuals, whereas Megachilidae. Apidae and Anthophoridae significantly preferred perennials. In departure from successional theory, body size, proportion of specialised bees and proportion of parasitic bees did not significantly increase with successional age, but number of generations and the proportion of soil-nesting bees decreased with successional age. Comparison of different management types showed that set-aside fields with naturally developed vegetation supported much more specialised and endangered bee species than set-aside fields sown with Phacelia tanacetifolia.     

Does the morphology of beaver ponds alter downstream ecosystems?

Differences among lake morphologies often explain variation in characteristics of lentic ecosystems. Although beaver ponds also vary in morphology, previous studies have not examined the effects of such variation on downstream ecosystems. This study evaluated downstream effects of multiple beaver ponds in the Colorado Rocky Mountains during one low and one high-flow year. Beaver pond morphology was described as the natural log transformed ratio of beaver dam height (which determines hydraulic head) to pond surface area and related to pond spillover phytoplankton and characteristics of the ecosystem downstream (nutrient concentrations, limiting nutrients, periphyton, benthic organic matter (BOM), and benthic invertebrate consumers). Nitrate concentration increased systematically downstream of beaver ponds, but only in the low flow year when groundwater influences predominated. Effects of beaver ponds on soluble reactive phosphorus concentration depended on pond morphology, increasing downstream of small ponds with high dams, but only during the low-flow year. In situ experiments showed that neither beaver activity nor pond morphology predicted periphyton-limiting nutrients downstream. Both periphyton biomass and BOM decreased downstream of small ponds with high dams but pond morphology did not predict abundance of invertebrate grazers or detritus-feeding consumers. While suspension feeding invertebrates increased downstream from small ponds with high dams, variation in chlorophyll a from water spilling over beaver dams did not follow a similar pattern. We conclude that the effects of beaver ponds on downstream nutrients, resources and consumers are rarely systematic, but instead depend on variation in pond morphology and on annual hydrologic variation.     

Disturbance regimes and vegetation dynamics: role of floods in riverine wetlands

Abstract. This study tested whether the frequency of flood disturbances was able to slow down or stabilize vegetation succession in former braided channels over a decade. According to the Patch Dynamics Concept and to succession theory, species richness and diversity should be high but stable in the frequently (40 days/year) flooded channel, and should change over time in the infrequently (1 day/year) flooded one. Within the frequently disturbed channel, composition of vegetation as well as species richness and diversity appeared stable through dynamic equilibrium over the decade. Only one zone, because of particular geomorphological features that decreased disturbance intensity, developed highest diversity and richness as expected from the Intermediate Disturbance Hypothesis. The highest disturbance effect decreased species richness and was related to a higher spatial heterogeneity of the substrate (number of grain-size classes). In the other zones, richness and diversity appeared to be lowest where disturbance frequency was lowest or disturbance intensity was highest. From 1981 to 1987, the infrequently flooded channel underwent succession, and species richness increased in the major part of the channel, whereas diversity increased only in its extreme parts.     

荒漠土壤藻群落结构的原生演替

微生物结皮是荒漠化治理中新的热点之一,但其关键形成生物——微型藻类如何通过群落结构的变化向地衣结皮、藓类结皮转变的机理仍是未知的。本文以时空替代法,将沙坡头流沙,4、8、17、34及42龄结皮当作同一群落演替进程中的6个阶段,通过系统聚类、主分量分析的方法首次对这一问题进行了研究,结果显示该地荒漠藻群落的原牛演替朝着蓝藻总丰度和爪畦伪枝藻(Scytonema javanicum)丰度逐渐下降,纤细席藻(Phormidium tenue)、绿藻、硅藻丰度逐渐增加的方向进行;多样性随群落演替的发展而增高;生物量在初期呈正向演替,后期随地衣、藓类的入侵逐渐下降;演替速度非常缓慢,高龄结皮中的优势种仍是建群种,只是优势度略有下降;水分、植被覆盖、地形、时间,土壤理化性质都影响演替徐径和速度．特别是Mn含量对演替有重要的阈值作用。     

荒漠土壤藻群落结构的原生演替

微生物结皮是荒漠化治理中新的热点之一,但其关键形成生物--微型藻类如何通过群落结构的变化向地衣结皮、藓类结皮转变的机理仍是未知的.本文以时空替代法,将沙坡头流沙,4、8、17、34及42龄结皮当作同一群落演替进程中的6个阶段,通过系统聚类、丰分量分析的方法首次对这一问题进行了研究,结果显示该地荒漠藻群落的原生演替朝着蓝藻总丰度和爪哇伪枝藻(Scytonema javanicum)丰度逐渐下降,纤细席藻(Phormidiumtenue)、绿藻、硅藻丰度逐渐增加的方向进行;多样性随群落演替的发展而增高;生物量在初期呈正向演替,后期随地衣、藓类的入侵逐渐下降;演替速度非常缓慢,高龄结皮中的优势种仍是建群种,只是优势度略有下降;水分、植被覆盖、地形、时间,土壤理化性质都影响演替途径和速度,特别是Mn含量对演替有重要的阈值作用.     

Effects of disturbance intensity and frequency on early old‐field succession

Abstract. Early old‐field succession provides a model system for examining vegetation response to disturbance frequency and intensity within a manageable time scale. Disturbance frequency and intensity can interact with colonization and competition to influence relative abundance of earlier and later successional species and determine, respectively, how often and how far succession can be reset. We tested the joint effects of disturbance frequency and intensity on vegetation response (species richness, abundance, canopy structure) during the first six years of succession by clipping the dominant species (D) or all species (T) in spring and fall of each year (S), once per year in summer (Y1), each two years in summer (Y2), or each four years in summer (Y4). Vegetation response reflected disturbance effects on expansion of a later monospecific dominant perennial herb, Solidago altissima, and persistence of the early, richer flora of annuals. A more abundant and taller top Solidago canopy developed on plots clipped each 2 yr or less frequently. Plots clipped yearly or seasonally were richer, but had less abundant, shorter, and differently stratified canopy. Disturbance mediated the relative abundance of early and later successional species; however, frequency and intensity effects were not completely congruent. Persistence of a richer early successional flora increased through the most frequent disturbance (S), and was magnified by disturbance intensity. Disturbance as extreme as clipping all vegetation twice yearly did not cause a drop in species richness, but maintained the early successional community over the first six years of succession. We conclude that clipping disturbance influenced the rate of succession, but the early community could rebound through the range of disturbance frequency and intensity tested.     

Ecosystem engineers maintain a rare species of butterfly and increase plant diversity

We evaluated whether ecosystem engineers can accomplish two conservation goals simultaneously: (1) indirectly maintain populations of an endangered animal through habitat modification and (2) increase riparian plant diversity. We tested for effects of a prominent ecosystem engineer, the beaver Castor canadensis, on populations of St. Francis' satyr butterfly Neonympha mitchellii francisci and plant species richness and composition. We performed our test by surveying riparian vegetation communities in all stages of beaver‐influenced wetland succession. We found that beavers created wetland habitats that supported plant species not found elsewhere in riparian zones and increased plant species diversity across the landscape by creating a novel combination of patch types. Our results confirmed what others have found about engineering effects on plant diversity, but these results further demonstrated a case where ecosystem engineers indirectly maintain populations of rare animals by modifying the composition and diversity of plant communities within wetlands. Our research demonstrates how an ecosystem engineer can influence habitat availability and composition of plant communities important for an endangered insect, and maintain overall plant species diversity by increasing habitat heterogeneity.     

Lizard responses to wildfire in arid interior Australia: Long‐term experimental data and commonalities with other studies

Life in terrestrial Australian ecosystems has evolved over the past 10 million years to thrive in habitats kept in a dynamic state through fire succession cycles. Previous studies support the notion that wildfires promote species diversity in plant and animal communities by creating a heterogeneous mix of habitats, each habitat more suitable for particular subsets of species. We document population and community responses to fire in a species‐rich lizard assemblage in the Great Victoria Desert of Western Australia. Lizards were censused by pit trapping at a long‐unburned flat spinifex site in the Great Victoria Desert in Austral springs of 1992 and 1995. A controlled burn was undertaken in mid‐October of 1995, and lizards were censused thereafter in late 1995 and early 1996, and then again in the Austral springs of 1998, 2003 and 2008. Forty‐six species of lizards (2872 individuals) were collected and their stomach contents analysed over the course of a 16‐year fire succession cycle at this single study site. Most strikingly, relative abundances of two species of agamids varied inversely, responding oppositely to habitat clearing effects of fire. The military dragon Ctenophorus isolepis reached higher abundances when vegetation was dense, and decreased in abundance in open vegetation following fire. The netted dragon Ctenophorus nuchalis was rare when vegetation coverage was high but increased rapidly after fire. Abundances of five species of Ctenotus skinks, C. ariadnae, C. calurus, C. hanloni, C. pantherinus and C. piankai, tracked those of C. isolepis. Abundance of a termite‐specialized nocturnal gecko, Rhynchoedura ornata, increased in abundance following fire. Lizard diets changed during the course of the fire succession cycle, returning to near pre‐burn conditions after 16 years. In addition to short‐term fire succession cycles that contribute to structuring local communities, changes in long‐term rainfall also impact desert food webs and regional biotas.     

Soil heterogeneity effects on canopy structure and composition during early succession

Early succession from annuals to herbaceous and woody perennials on abandoned fields and grasslands is marked by vegetation heterogeneity; i.e., variation in canopy composition and structure over the field through time. Soil resource heterogeneity could promote vegetation heterogeneity. We created soil resource patchiness on two newly ploughed fields by establishing two types (fertilized, unfertilized) of checkerboard plots with two, four, or eight subplots (trenched, untrenched) to test effects of soil fertility heterogeneity scale on vegetation heterogeneity during early succession. Canopy composition and structure were censused in years 2, 4 and 6. On both fields, soil resource heterogeneity did not affect canopy composition or structure. Differential abundance of dominant species, Ambrosia trifida on one field and Solidago altissima on the other, between fertilized and unfertilized plots led to decreased vegetation heterogeneity among subplots within plots and increased vegetation heterogeneity among plots. Soil enrichment promoted taller and layered, but species-poor, canopy. In general, soil fertility effects on abundance, expansion, and dominance of individuals of dominant species promoted variation in canopy composition and structure, or vegetation heterogeneity, among plots on the two fields.     

The Effects of Peatland Restoration on Water‐Table Depth,Elemental Concentrations,and Vegetation: 10 Years of Changes

We studied the effects of restoration on water‐table depth (WTD), element concentrations of peat and vegetation composition of peatlands drained for forestry in southern Finland. The restoration aimed to return the trajectory of vegetation succession toward that of undisturbed systems through the blockage of ditches and the removal of trees. Permanent plots established on a bog and a fen were sampled 1 year before, and 1, 2, 3, and 10 years after the restoration. The restoration resulted in a long‐term rise of the water‐table in both peatlands. Ten years after restoration, the mineral element concentrations (Ca, K, Mg, Mn, and P) of peat corresponded to those reported from comparable pristine peatlands. In particular, the increase of K and Mn concentrations at both sites suggests the recovery of ecosystem functionality in terms of nutrient cycling between peat and plants. The restoration resulted in the succession of plant communities toward the targeted peatland vegetation of wetter condition at both sites. This was evident from the decreased abundance of species benefiting from drainage and the corresponding increase of peatland species. However, many species typical of pristine peatlands were missing 10 years after restoration. We conclude that the restoration led to a reversal of the effects of drainage in vegetation and studied habitat conditions. However, due to the slow recovery of peatland ecosystems and the possibility that certain failures in the restoration measures may become apparent only after extended time periods, long‐term monitoring is needed to determine whether the goals of restoration will be met.     

桂西南峰丛洼地退化植被土壤种子库的初步研究

采用野外取样和盆栽试验观察相结合的方法,对桂西南不同演替阶段退化植被的土壤种子库进行初步研究。通过统计分析,其结果:(1)厚度为20cm的表层土壤的种子库密度,其值变动于0~1125粒·m-2;(2)在物种丰富度和数量上占优势的种类均是草本植物,其中又以禾亚科、菊科的植物为主,灌木种类和数量较少,无乔木种类出现;(3)种子多集中在上层或接近上层,并且自上而下递减明显;(4)11月份采样的各演替阶段的种子库的物种丰富度和密度普遍比5月份相应演替阶段的高;(5)任两演替阶段的土壤种子库相似性较低,但出现在相邻的两个演替阶段相似性系数比相邻较远的两个演替阶段的相似性系数要高;(6)地上植被与土壤种子库的相关性不管在早期阶段还是中后期阶段都不紧密,而且从草丛阶段向乔灌林阶段演替,两者之间的相关性有降低的趋势。结果表明:对桂西南峰丛洼地退化植被,有必要开展人工诱导促进封山育林区植被恢复,从而构筑具有较高生态效益的生态防护林体系。     

中国南部亚热带森林地表植被动态变化

系统研究了南方5个亚热带森林生态系统地表植被的动态变化情况.研究方法是:在每个研究区域内,按照地形梯度分别布设50个1m2 的样方,记录样方内所有物种的频度及相关的环境变量,5个研究区域共设250个样方,每个样方分别调查两次.通过单元及多元统计方法分析表明:维管植物物种频度在一个区域明显下降,另二个区域显著增加;苔藓物种频度在一个区域有明显下降,另一个区域明显增加;苔藓物种数量在3个区域显著增加,另二个区域显著下降;维管植物物种数量显著增加在二个区域;物种组成沿着第一个植被梯度轴DCA 1没有显著变化,沿着第二个植被梯度轴DCA 2在二个区域有显著变化.综合分析表明,苔藓对气候变化及其波动反映敏感,是较好的气候变化及气候波动生物指示因子,而管植物数量及频度的变化没有明显证据显示与土壤酸化和大气污染有紧密关系.     

Experimental evidence that the ecosystem effects of aquatic herbivory by moose and beaver may be contingent on water body type

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黄土高原植被不同演替阶段优势种的光合生理特性

在黄土高原子午岭林区,按照植被的演咎序列,分别选择植被次生演替不同阶段的优势种-白羊草、铁杆蒿、沙棘、狼牙刺、山杨和辽东栎,对其土壤与叶片氮素含量、叶片气体交换参数、叶绿素含量及叶绿素荧光参数进行了观测．结果表明：随着植被演替,0—20cm土壤全氮含量呈增大趋势,植被优势种叶片氮含量先升高后降低,叶绿素含量变化与优势种叶片氮含量相似．灌木群落优势种（沙棘、狼牙刺）叶片氮含量明显高于其它群落优势种（P〈0．05）,草本群落优势种（白羊草、铁杆蒿）和灌木群落优势种的光合速率（Pn）高于早期森林群落优势种（山杨）和顶级群落优势种（辽东栎）,叶片气孔导度（ga）与Pn变化规律相似．草本群落和灌木群落优势种叶片蒸腾速率（Tr）较高,随着演替的进行t逐步下降,顶级群落优势种辽东栎Tr较低．PSⅡ最大光化学量子效率（Fv／Fm）值呈缓慢增长趋势,辽东栎〉山杨〉沙棘〉狼牙刺〉铁杆蒿〉白羊草,而PSⅡ量子效率（ΦPSⅡ）值呈先增加后降低趋势;光化学淬灭系数（qp）在演替过程中呈整体增加趋势,而非光化学淬灭系数（qNP）呈先增加后降低趋势．这说明植被不同演替阶段优势种的光合生理特征以及对微生境的适应性存在明显差异．     

Dispersal traits as indicators of vegetation dynamics in long-term old-field succession

Succession is a key ecological process that supports our understanding of community assembly and biotic interactions. Dispersal potential and dispersal strategies, such as wind- or animal-dispersal, have been assumed to be highly relevant for the success of plant species during succession. However, research yielded varying results on changes in dispersal modes between successional stages. Here, we test the hypotheses that (a) vascular plant species that use a number of dispersal modes dominate in early stages of succession while species specialized on one/few dispersal modes increase in abundance towards later stages of succession; (b) species well adapted to wind-dispersal (anemochory) will peak in abundance in early successional stages and (c) species well adapted to adhesive dispersal (epizoochory) will increase with proceeding succession. We test these hypotheses in four sites within agriculturally dominated landscapes in Germany. Agricultural use in these sites was abandoned 20–28 years ago, leaving them to secondary succession. Sites have been monitored for plant biodiversity ever since. We analyze changes in plant species richness and abundance, number of dispersal modes and two ranking indices for wind- and adhesive dispersal by applying generalized linear mixed-effect models. We used both abundance-weighted and unweighted dispersal traits in order to gain a comprehensive picture of successional developments. Hypothesis (a) was supported by unweighted but not abundance-weighted data. Anemochory showed no consistent changes across sites. In contrast, epizoochory (especially when not weighted by abundance) turned out to be an indicator of the transition from early to mid-successional stages. It increased for the first 9–16 years of succession but declined afterwards. Species richness showed an opposing pattern, while species abundance increased asymptotically. We suggest that plant-animal interactions play a key role in mediating these processes: By importing seeds of highly competitive plant species, animals are likely to promote the increasing abundance of a few dominant, highly epizoochorous species. These species outcompete weak competitors and species richness decreases. However, animals should as well promote the subsequent increase of species richness by disturbing the sites and creating small open patches. These patches are colonized by weaker competitors that are not necessarily dispersed by animals. The changes in the presence of epizoochorous species indicate the importance of plant traits and related plant–animal interactions in the succession of plant communities.     

Grasshopper response to a 40-year experimental burning and mowing regime, with recommendations for invertebrate conservation management

Grasshopper assemblages were sampled in 44 plots in each of three adjacent sites in a 40-year-old southern tall grassland experimental area in South Africa. Specific plots received particular mowing and/or burning treatments over the 40-year period. Grasshopper responses to vegetation type, and to different burning and mowing practices, were site-specific, despite the close proximity of sites. This suggests that grasshopper assemblage composition is not entirely deterministic and depends on the trajectory of plant succession. Grasshopper species richness and abundance decreased from annually to triennially burnt plots, and increased in plots mown once per year to plots mown three times per year. Burning in the first week of August (winter) was more favourable for grasshopper assemblages than burning in autumn or after the first spring rains. Mean grasshopper species richness was highest in plots mown after the first spring rains, and the mean number of individuals was highest i n plots mown early in summer. When annually burnt plots were compared with annually mown plots, grasshopper abundance and species richness were highest in the burnt plots. A rotational winter burning programme, which is practical under African conditions, is recommended for the conservation of grasshoppers and other invertebrates.     

Early post-fire plant succession in Peninsula Sandstone Fynbos: The first three years after disturbance

The early post-fire plant succession in fynbos vegetation in the Mediterranean-type climate area of South Africa was studied. Relatively little has been published on this early stage of plant succession in fynbos. Annual sampling over the first three post-fire years confirmed a steady, but relatively slow increase in plant canopy cover of shrubs and graminoids (mainly Restionaceae), whereas cover of geophytes and other herbs peaked in the first year and declined significantly, thereafter. Cover of annual plants increased each year, which may relate to the persistence of a relatively open vegetation cover by the third year. The responses of reseeder and resprouter species of the Restionaceae to the post-fire environment appeared to be habitat dependent. Cover of the reseeders increased rapidly in seep areas, but their recovery was distinctly delayed in dryland areas outside the seeps. Re-establishment of the many reseeder Erica species appeared to be delayed until the second post-fire year. Seed banks of these species were possibly negatively impacted by the fire, and required dispersal of seed from unburnt areas for recruitment. In contrast to some current generalisations, species richness appeared to increase after the fire; less certainly from the first to the second year, but more certainly from the second to the third year. Therefore, this study does not support a short-term monotonic decline in species richness after fire in fynbos.     

Effect of light stress from phytoplankton on the relationship between aquatic vegetation and the propagule bank in shallow lakes

1. The way light stress controls the recruitment of aquatic plants (phanerogams and charophytes) is a key process controlling plant biodiversity, although still poorly understood. Our aim was to investigate how light stress induced by phytoplankton, that is, independent from the aquatic plants themselves, determines the recruitment and establishment of plant species from the propagule bank. The hypotheses were that an increase in light stress (i) decreases abundance and species richness both of established aquatic plants and of propagules in the bank and (ii) decreases the recruitment success of plants from this bank. 2. These hypotheses were tested in 25 shallow lakes representing a light stress gradient, by sampling propagule banks before the recruitment phase and when the lakes are devoid of actively growing plants (i.e. at the end of winter), established vegetation at the beginning of the summer and phytoplankton biomass (chlorophyll a) during the recruitment and establishment phase. 3. The phytoplankton biomass was negatively correlated with the richness and abundance of established vegetation but was not correlated with the propagule bank (neither species richness nor propagule abundance). The similarity between the propagule bank and established vegetation decreased significantly with increasing phytoplankton biomass. 4. The contrast in species composition between the vegetation and the propagule bank at the highest light stress suggests poor recruitment from the propagule bank but prompts questions about its origin. It could result from dispersal of propagules from neighbouring systems. Propagules could also originate from a persistent propagule bank formerly produced in the lake, suggesting strong year‐to‐year variation in light stress and, as a consequence, in recruitment and reproductive success of plants.     

Seasonal Dynamics of the Plant Community and Soil Seed Bank along a Successional Gradient in a Subalpine Meadow on the Tibetan Plateau

Background

Knowledge about how change the importance of soil seed bank and relationship between seed mass and abundance during vegetation succession is crucial for understanding vegetation dynamics. Many studies have been conducted, but their ecological mechanisms of community assembly are not fully understood.

Methodology

We examined the seasonal dynamics of the vegetation and soil seed bank as well as seed size distribution along a successional gradient. We also explored the potential role of the soil seed bank in plant community regeneration, the relationship between seed mass and species abundance, and the relative importance of deterministic and stochastic processes along a successional gradient.

Principal Findings

Species richness of seed bank increased (shallow layer and the total) and seed density decreased (each layer and the total) significantly with succession. Species richness and seed density differed significantly between different seasons and among soil depths. Seed mass showed a significant negative relationship with relative abundance in the earliest successional stage, but the relationships were not significant in later stages. Seed mass showed no relationship with relative abundance in the whole successional series in seed bank. Results were similar for both July 2005 and April 2006.

Conclusions

The seed mass and abundance relationship was determined by a complex interaction between small and larger seeded species and environmental factors. Both stochastic processes and deterministic processes were important determinants of the structure of the earliest stage. The importance of seed bank decreased with succession. The restoration of abandoned farmed and grazed meadows to the species-rich subalpine meadow in Tibetan Plateau can be successfully achieved from the soil seed bank. However, at least 20 years are required to fully restore an abandoned agricultural meadow to a natural mature subalpine meadow.