The Akchagylian flora and vegetation of the Udmurtian Kama River Region

A paleobotanical study of Akchagylian deposits exposed by a borehole in the Udmurtian Kama River Region was performed. The characteristics of the vegetation cover of the Early, Middle, and Late Akchagylian are provided. The composition of the fossil flora as revealed by palynological and carpological analyses are described. The significance of paleobotanical studies for the subdivision and correlation of Pliocene deposits is shown.     

Neotropical savannas: Their flora and vegetation

Covering approximately three million km(2), the savannas, the second largest major plant formation in the American tropics, are gaining increasing importance for land planning and occupational strategies. There has been much recent research on the floristic and ecological characteristics of these herbaceous ecosystems, resulting in considerable progress in the understanding of their complex ecological interrelationships. Hitherto little-known savanna "islands" within the Amazon region are being intensively studied, offering interesting information on their origin and dynamic relationships with the surrounding forests. Important gaps remain to be filled, however, before a critical evaluation of the great variety of neotropical savanna ecosystems is achieved and the preservation of at least some of these unique plant formations is assured.     

Evolutionary trends in Mediterranean flora and vegetation

Summary The vegetation of the Mediterranean Basin was originally composed of evergreen forests; during the Pleistocene deciduous forests expanded, chiefly in the mountains. In historical time the forest belt was strongly reduced by human activity and substituted by anthropogenous vegetation types (macchia, garigue, weed-communities). The frequency of polyploids in the present vegetation types support this interpretation. Reciprocal relationships between the vegetational system and social system are discussed and a terminology is proposed. During ancient times and the middle ages a reciprocal control of vegetation and human activity was possible (cyclic system), stabilizing the vegetation in a steady state; the technological impact modified these conditions in a linear sense, and now the vegetation is menaced by irreversible changes.Contribution to the Symposium on Plant species and plant communities, held at Nijmegen, 11–12 November 1976, on the occasion of the 60th birthday of Professor Victor Westhoff.     

The diatom flora and limnology of lakes in the Amery Oasis,East Antarctica

The diatom flora of three lakes in the ice-free Amery Oasis, East Antarctica, was studied. Two of the lakes are meltwater reservoirs, Terrasovoje Lake (31 m depth) and Radok Lake (362 m depth), while Beaver Lake (>435 m depth) is an epishelf lake. The lakes can be characterized as cold, ultra-oligotrophic and alkaline, displaying moderate (Radok and Terrasovoje lakes) to high (Beaver Lake) conductivities. There was no diatom phytoplankton present in any of the three lakes. While 34 benthic diatom taxa were identified from modern and Holocene sediments of Terrasovoje and Radok lakes, a 30-cm long sediment core recovered in Beaver Lake was barren. Five species (Luticola muticopsis, Muelleria peraustralis, Pinnularia cymatopleura, Psammothidium metakryophilum, P. stauroneioides) are endemic to the Antarctic region. All identified taxa are photographically documented and brief notes on their taxonomy, biogeography and ecology are provided. The most abundant diatom taxa are Amphora veneta, Craticula cf. molesta, Diadesmis spp, M. peraustralis and Stauroneis anceps. This is the first report on the diatom flora in lakes of the Amery Oasis.This revised version was published online in May 2004 with corrections to Figure 1.     

北京四座楼自然保护区植物区系及植被分析

通过样地法对北京市四座楼自然保护区的植被进行了调查,在本底调查的基础上分析了四座楼自然保护区维管植物的区系成分和植被分布规律：该保护区有北京新记录种1个：麦李（Prunus glandulosa Thunb．）;国家三级保护植物3种,即：紫椴（Tilia amurensis Rupr．）、黄檗（Phellodendron amurense Rupr．）和刺五加[Acanthopanax senticosus（Rupr．et Maxim．）Harms];并分布有较大面积的天然侧柏[Platycladus orientalis（Linn．）Franco]林。该保护区共有维管植物约869种,分别属于127科431属,其中蕨类植物共有16科19属33种,裸子植物共有3科4属4种,被子植物共有108科408属832种,其中野生植物有772种,占北京所具有的野生植物种类的1／3以上。四座楼自然保护区野生种子植物共有15个分布区类型,其中北温带分布类型最多,表明本保护区的植物分布具有温带性质。     

Notes on the flora and vegetation of Canna and Sanday

Summary

During a visit to Canna and Sanday we recorded 26 species of vascular plant and 64 species of bryophyte that do not appear to have been recorded from these islands before. We list these species, plus nine additional vascular plants recently recorded by E. Anderson and P. Castro and seven species seen by us, recorded by Heslop Harrison (1939) but not included for the grid square containing Canna and Sanday by Perring and Walters (1976) or Jermy et al. (1978). Notes on some of the more interesting vegetation types are also included.     

The structure of the vegetation of Khakasia

A diagram of the vegetation structure of Khakasia, made up with the use of a generalized large-scale map, shows the main variety of the phytocoenoses. It is particularly important for the analysis of the vegetation of mountaincous regions.Differentiated areas of phytocoenoses are used to distinguish the region borders in fractional geobotanical regionalization.Khakasia belongs to three geobotanical provinces of the Altal-Saijan geobotanical region — provinces of Minusinsk depression, West Saijan and Kuznetsk Alatau. In Khakasia, geobotanical districts are distinguished by altitudinal zonation and phytocoenotic structure. The vegetation cover is comprehensively described in a special monograph.Nomenclature follows (Flora USSR. Ed. Acad. Sc. Leningrad Vol. I–XXX, 1934–1960). This paper was presented at the International Botanical Congress, USSR, Leningrad, July 1975.     

Interpreting some outstanding features of the flora and vegetation of Madagascar

Six features are covered. (1) The high endemism, which is not discussed in detail, is all-pervasive, and has resulted from the isolation of Madagascar from Africa some 125 million years ago and their present separation by 430 km. (2) The great richness in plant species (especially relative to Africa), seen particularly in the families of woody species in the wetter vegetation-types, involves both sympatry and allopatry within genera, and is explicable in terms of much less extreme drying out than in Africa during the Pleistocene and effective ‘species-pumping’ rather than mass extinctions during that period. (3) The abundance and species-richness of palms, pandans, tree-ferns, bamboos, and certain families of dicot trees (notably Lauraceae, Monimiaceae, Myrsinaceae and Myristicaceae) in the lowland rain forests also appears to be a result of both past and present wetness of the climate, while it is hypothesized that the low stature of most lowland rain forests, paucity of large-girth trees, and small size and sparsity of broad-leaved herbs, are a result of most rain forest soils being old and relatively nutrient-poor. (4) Within the dry evergreen forest region where rainfall is moderate (900–1600 mm yr⁻¹) a sub-set of trees with fire-resistant bark seems to have evolved at sites prone to frequent ground fires, some perhaps spreading out of adjacent palm savanna on seasonally flooded sites. (5) Both the evolution of thicket rather than grassy woodland in the driest areas (300–600 mm yr⁻¹), and the abundance of evergreen trees and shrubs on ordinary soils – not confined to run-on sites – are explicable in terms of there being a finite chance of rain throughout the year rather than one short wet season, coupled with relatively high values for air humidity throughout the year. The same factors probably explain the abundance and variety of succulents in the thicket; they are found throughout and not just on rocks. (6) Concerning physical defence against herbivores, the rain forests, dry evergreen forests and deciduous forests all show a complete lack of plants with physiognomic features plausibly related to browsing by extinct giant birds (a strong contrast with New Zealand), but in the semi-deciduous thicket there are many tiny-leaved, mostly non-spiny shrubs and small trees, whose dense branching and impenetrability have plausibly evolved as a defence against browsing by elephant birds. The Didiereaceae of the thicket are spiny (unlike members of the same family in Africa), and are giant analogues of the ‘ocotillo’ (Fouquieria splendens) in western North America rather than of Cactaceae; their spines appear to be protecting the leaves more than the stems against arboreal primates, spine length paralleling leaf length.     

Indirect effects of fish community structure on submerged vegetation in shallow,eutrophic lakes: an alternative mechanism

The loss of submerged macrophytes during eutrophication of shallow lakes is a commonly observed phenomenon. The proximate reason for this decline is a reduction of available light due to increasing phytoplankton and/or epiphyton biomass. Here we argue that the ultimate cause for the transition from a macrophyte-dominated state to a phytoplankton-dominated state is a change in fish community structure. A catastrophic disturbance event (e.g. winterkill) acting selectively on piscivores, cascades down food chains, eventually reducing macrophyte growth through shading by epiphyton, an effect that is reinforced by increasing phytoplankton biomass. The transition back from the phytoplankton to the macrophyte state depends on an increase in piscivore standing stock and a reduction of planktivores. A conceptual model of these mechanisms is presented and supported by literature data and preliminary observations from a field experiment.     

云南高原湖泊放线菌区系及资源的研究

1983—1987年从云南高原的滇池等12个湖泊采集底泥和水样,用不同方法从中分离了放线菌,同时筛选了产生纤维蛋白溶酶等的菌株,结果如下： 1．放线菌的数量和组成与湖泊的理化特性有关。 2．在12个湖泊的底泥样品中,小单孢菌占有明显优势。这是湖泊放线菌区系的一个显著特点。 3．杞麓湖、异龙湖、大屯海的放线菌总数达2991—3542x 103／g干土。 4．从这些湖泊分离到马牡拉放线菌,小多孢菌,小四孢菌,糖单孢菌,糖多孢菌。这在有关淡水湖泊放线菌的研究中还未报道过。还发现了以下新种：暗绿小单孢菌,云南糖单孢菌,黄玫瑰小四孢菌,程海马杜拉放线菌,绿黄马杜拉放线菌。 5．放线菌在湖内甲壳素、纤维素及某些有毒物质的降解中起显著的作用。 6．湖生放线菌是各种有用产品(如纤维蛋白溶酶等)的一个来源。     

湖泊水位变动对水生植被的影响机理及其调控方法

水位的高低及其变动范围、频率、发生的时间、持续的时长和规律性等是影响湖泊水生植被的核心因子.水位变动有短期、年内季节性和年际变动3种,对湖泊水生植被有不同的影响机理.水位短期变动通过对水体中的悬浮物、透明度、光衰减系数等的影响而对水生植被产生作用;周期性的年内季节性和年际水位变动可对水生植被的生态适宜性产生影响,并进而改变其时空分布;长期的高水位和低水位以及非周期性的水位季节变动会破坏水生植被长期以来对水位周期性变化所产生的适应性,从而影响了植被的正常生长、繁衍和演替.植被的极端深度和物种多样性是水位调控的核心表征指标,可通过经验数据分析法、生态模型法和参照法等方法来确定湖泊的适宜水位变动范围和时间.研究对象选择、研究方法、管理中的应用以及重要环境变化所产生的影响等是今后相关研究的核心问题.     

Bryophyte flora and vegetation of serpentine sites in the French Massif Central

Eight major serpentine sites in the French Massif Central have been bryofloristically surveyed and their specific assemblages studied by performing systematic relevés. Seventy bryophyte taxa are reported from these serpentine areas. Archidium alternifolium, Bryum gemmilucens, Cephaloziella stellulifera, Grimmia dissimulata, Racomitrium fasciculare, R. lanuginosum and Riccia subbifurca are dominant and characteristic species. Soil and rock communities harbour typical combinations of specialized and ubiquitous taxa. The occurrence of saxicolous species (Grimmia) on the ground may be a typical feature of serpentine communities. The scarcity of liverworts is underlined, as is the complexity of the controlling factors. Lack of competition and periodic submergence are probably ecological factors of prime importance. Successional pathways are certainly insufficiently known, especially as far as bryophytes are concerned. The causes of negligible succession on skeletal soils would benefit from renewed studies. Grazing of serpentine grasslands, generally considered the most relevant management tool, should be evaluated further.     

Mechanisms regulating abundance of submerged vegetation in shallow eutrophic lakes

Shallow eutrophic lakes tend to be either in a turbid state dominated by phytoplankton or in a clear-water state dominated by submerged macrovegetation. Recent studies suggest that the low water turbidity in the clear-water state is maintained through direct and indirect effects of the submerged vegetation. This study examined what mechanisms may cause a recession of the submerged vegetation in the clear-water state, and thereby a switch to the turbid state. The spatial distribution of submerged vegetation biomass was investigated in two shallow eutrophic lakes in the clear-water state in southern Sweden. Biomass of submerged vegetation was positively correlated with water depth and wave exposure, which also were mutually correlated, suggesting that mechanisms hampering submerged vegetation were strongest at shallow and/or sheltered locations. The growth of Myriophyllum spicatum, planted in the same substrate and at the same water depth, was compared between sheltered and wave exposed sites in two lakes. After 6 weeks the plants were significantly smaller at the sheltered sites, where periphyton production was about 5 times higher than at the exposed sites. Exclosure experiments were conducted to evaluate the effects of waterfowl grazing on macrophyte biomass. Potamogeton pectinatus growth was decreased by grazing, whereas M. spicatum was not affected. The effects were greater at a sheltered than at a wave-exposed site, and also negatively related to distance from the reed belt. These results suggest that competition from epiphytes and waterfowl grazing hamper the development of submerged vegetation at sheltered and/or shallow locations. An increased strength of these mechanisms may cause a recession of submerged vegetation in shallow eutrophic lakes in the clear-water state and thereby a switch to the turbid state. Received: 24 June 1996 / Accepted: 8 September 1996     

Spatial and typological structure and organization of bird communities in the Lower Amur region

Exemplified by the Lower Amur region, the bird distribution over various habitats from undisturbed to urban ones is described on the basis of the results of long-term investigations. The trends of territorial changes in overall characteristics of bird complexes are established. The spatial-typological structure of bird complexes and the main structure-forming environmental factors are revealed, and their role in the organization of bird communities in the Lower Amur Region is estimated.     

Factors affecting the diversity of flora and vegetation in central European settlements

Published data on the number of plant species and/or communities were gathered for 77 European cities and 85 villages. The relationships between the floristic and vegetation diversity and some environmental variables were analysed. Species number in cities showed log linear increase with city size (expressed as the population size or city area). A linear increase in the species number with size was found in the village flora. The richness of both city and village flora was not significantly related to any climatic variable. On the contrary, the number of communities in both villages and cities was correlated not only with settlement size but also with altitude and mean annual temperature. The diversity of village vegetation was closely related to the climax type of the respective region. The features of human settlements that make it possible to consider them as landscape islands are discussed.     

Some changes in the flora and vegetation of algae in freshwater environments

Changes in the flora and vegetation of algae are discussed with regard to the following aspects: (1) Changes in the distribution of an individual taxon (new colonizations and extinctions); (2) Changes within one group of algae over some decades (examples: desmids of two nature reserves between 1925 and 1980, and charophytes in the region of Berlin since 1800) or over longer periods of time (for example: analysis of diatom frustules in lake sediments since the glacial periods); (3) Changes in the algal flora within a region (for example: the phytoplankton of a small lake in Berlin in 1909 in connection with the restoration of this lake by R. Kolkwitz as compared with the phytoplankton in 1983, or the attempt to show the development in the algal flora in Berlin (West) by a survey of all data available and by planned investigations). — The interpretation of these data often proves difficult due to the problems regarding nomenclature, taxonomy and determination as well as the discontinuity in research, and the different methods applied. Finally, the importance of old reports and the need for modern research are emphasized. “Red Lists” of algae point to the urgent necessity of maintaining as many natural ecosystems as possible.     

Submerged vegetation of the Rotorua and Waikato lakes 3. Lake Rerewhakaiitu

The submerged and emergent aquatic macrophyte vegetation of the eutrophic Lake Rerewhakaiitu was surveyed in February–March 1973, and is described qualitatively. At the time the lowered lake level had resulted in producing a sward of normally submerged aquatics as land forms. The principal dominant in the sward is Myriophyllum propinquum, the plants being greatly reduced in length to short stems with single entire leaves. At the uppermost levels Tillaea sinclairii is a significant component of the sward, and at lower levels Lilaeopsis lacustris behaves similarly. Below the uppermost submerged belt of macrophytes there is a characean meadow of Chara fibrosa and C. australis which in deeper waters gives way to Potamogeton ochreatus with either C. australis or Nitella hookeri. The high degree of eutrophication and consequent low light penetration has resulted in a vegetation limit at 4.5–5 m, which is lower than that found in other Rotorua lakes.     

Linking lakes? The population genetic structure of Chaoborus flavicans

Larvae of Chaoborus flavicans (Diptera: Chaoboridae) are commonin various lakes and are important members of plankton communities.To assess gene flow between lakes, we sampled several populationsthroughout Europe. To explicitly test whether gene flow is higherwithin regions than between regions, we examined four regionseach containing several populations. For a detailed analysisof regional gene flow, 12 populations within a region in NorthGermany were analysed. Allozymes and mitochondrial restrictionfragment length polymorphism (RFLP) were used to estimate therelative amounts of gene flow. Results indicate that most ofthe dispersal in C. flavicans takes place between lakes withinregions. Therefore, the population genetic structure of C. flavicanssets this species apart from other planktonic organisms, whichare mainly passive dispersers and display low gene flow betweenlakes within regions. Consequently, these data are the firstevidence that C. flavicans may form an important link betweenlakes within regions. Local adaptation within lakes may be decreasedbecause of these processes, and the role of C. flavicans asa biomonitor of local lake conditions needs to be carefullyreinvestigated.     

Algal flora of lakes in the High Tatra Mountains (Slovakia)

Eighty seven from a total of 120 lakes in the Slovak part of the High Tatra Mts. have been visited since 1982. Their summer phytoplankton and algae growing on stones were collected, identified and documented. Some species that are interesting, rare, or not previously known in Slovakia have been found: Clastidium setigerum, Colacium calvum, Chroococcus subnudus, Chr. quaternarius, Coelastrum printzii, Coenocystis quadriguloides, Oocystis naegelii, Scopulonema polonicum, Thelesphaera alpina, Trochiscia prescottii. The number of algal species, found in the open water of the lakes, decrease with altitude and increase with pH.