Permanent swamp vegetation of the Upper Nile

This paper describes vegetation in the nothern Sudd area of the Sudan. A visit by boat was made in April 1978 along the White Nile from Malakal to Lake No; to the inflow regions of the Bahr el Jebel, the Bahr el Zeraf and to the Bahr el Ghazal. Only the vegetation along the fringe of the rivers was observed as plants were tall and dense and it was not possible to penetrate into the inner swamps.The outer edge of the vegetation was fringed by extensive mats of free-floating Eichhornia crassipes which was easily dislodged and formed floating islands to be carried downstream. The main rivers, excluding the Bahr el Ghazal, were too deep and turbid to support beds of submerged species but plants such as Ceratophyllum demersum could be found amongst floating plants. Vossia cuspidata usually produced a broad zone to the landward of Eichhornia. It dominated the shallow water with a floating raft of stems growing out from the shore over the water surface. Massive stands of Cyperus papyrus and/or Phragmites karka, over 5 metres tall, dominated the vegetation behind and sometimes excluded the Vossia zone. The papyrus could form dense, floating rafts of rhizomes at the water's edge, but Phragmites always remained firmly rooted to the bottom. Floating papyrus and Vossia would become detached from the main beds and drifted downstream with Eichhornia.Creepers were common amongst papyrus but less common amongst Phragmites where the vegetation was generally more dense. Large stands of Typa domingensis were observed behind the fringe vegetation.The vegetation of the Bahr el Ghazal, in marked contrast to the rest, was stunted, and reasons for this are suggested. Species diversity was greater and the less turbid waters allowed considerable development of floating-leaved and submerged species.Estimates of fresh weights and heights of dominant vegetation types were attained but methods were very laborious and alternative ways have been suggested. The fresh weight of Eichhornia from a one metre square quadrat in the White Nile was around 70 kg. The shoots of Phragmites weighed 18.5 kg and Cyperus papyrus, 11.0 kg m^–2.     

Spatial heterogeneity of understory vegetation and soil in an Alaskan upland boreal forest fire chronosequence

In this study we characterized spatial heterogeneity of soil carbon and nitrogen pools, soil moisture, and soil pH of the first 15?cm of the soil profile; depth of the organic horizon; forest floor covers; and understory vegetation abundances in three sites (1999, 1987 and 1920 wildfires) of a boreal forest chronosequence of interior Alaska. We also investigated the cross-dependence between understory vegetation distribution and soil characteristics. Our results showed higher microbial respiration rates and microbial biomass in the oldest site and greater net N mineralization rates in the mid-successional site. Although spatial heterogeneity was absent at the scale studied for the majority of soil variables (60%), understory vegetation abundances and forest floor cover, spatial heterogeneity decreased with time after fire for the depth of organic horizon, soil microbial biomass, N mineralization rates and feathermoss cover. Our results also showed that increasing time after fire decreased the number of correlations between understory vegetation and soil characteristics while it increased between forest floor covers and soil characteristics. Overall, our study suggest that fire initially creates a patchy mosaic of forest floor cover, from fire hot spots, where high intensity burning exposes mineral soil, to practically unburned areas with intact mosses and lichens. As time since fire passes, forest floor cover and soil characteristics tend to become more uniform as understory species fill in severely burned areas.     

Floristics and environmental relations in two extreme desert zones of western Egypt

• 1 The present study provides quantitative estimates of soil, vegetation structure and species distribution in 144 stands along two transects in two extreme desert zones of western Egypt. This study had two aims: (1) to describe the floristic composition of the accidental type of vegetation growing in parts of the Western Desert of Egypt; and (2) to analyse the distribution of species in relation to certain environmental factors by multivariate data analysis.
• 2 Eight environmental variables were recorded: salinity, pH, calcium carbonate, soil moisture, organic matter content, and percentages of sand, silt and clay. A total of 60 species belonging to 19 families of the angiosperms and Ephedra alata was recorded. Chamaephytes and therophytes were the most frequent, denoting a typical desert life‐form spectrum, mainly of Saharo‐Arabian distribution.
• 3 The samples were classified into eight twinspan groups. Detrended correspondence analysis (DCA) showed that these groups could be distinguished by the first two DCA axes. They could also be effectively interpreted and explained with canonical correspondence analysis (CCA). Based on forward regression, salinity, fine sediments, organic matter and soil moisture content related closely to the first three canonical axes, and accounted for 84.1% of the species–environment relationship among the stands.
• 4 Both classification and ordination resulted in a clear demonstration of the vegetation pattern in the study area. Other twinspan groups were characterized in addition to those identified previously. In conclusion, the study area has a transitional character where the Nubian Desert and the Northern Mediterranean vegetation meet.

     

The saltmarsh and brackish swamp vegetation of the Fife peninsula

Summary

A study of saltmarshes in Fife shows that they are far more widespread than previously thought. In this paper the saltmarsh and brackish swamp vegetation is described and classified at plant community level. Of particular interest are the small, rocky shore beach-head saltmarshes, which are often very species-rich and contain several plant communities having a predominantly north-western distribution in Britain. The Fife marshes are compared with those described from other regions, and it is suggested that the beach-head marshes are floristically more closely related to western Scottish marshes than those elsewhere on the east coast. However, some communities suggest certain affinities with the saltmarshes of south-eastern Britain, which lends weight to the view that the Firth of Forth lies on the boundary between ‘southern’ and ‘northern’ saltmarsh types in Britain.     

Standard survey designs drive bias in the mapping of upland swamp communities

Vegetation maps are critical biodiversity planning instruments, but the classification of vegetation for mapping can be strongly biased by survey design. Standardization of survey design across different vegetation types is therefore increasingly recommended for vegetation mapping programs. However, some vegetation types have complex small‐scale vegetation patterns that are important in characterizing these vegetation types, and standard designs will often not capture these patterns. The objective of this paper was to investigate the magnitude of potential map bias that results from survey design standardization and recommend approaches to deal with this bias. We surveyed upland swamps of the Greater Blue Mountains World Heritage Area Australia using two contrasting survey designs, including the standard 400 m² single quadrat design recommended and used by authorities. We then derived a classification for these swamps and tested the effect of survey design on this classification, species richness and the type of species detected (obligate or facultative swamp species). Species richness and species type were not significantly different among survey techniques. However, more than 40% of swamps clustered differently among survey designs. Thus, one of the 10 derived communities (which is floristically consistent with a previously mapped endangered community) was indistinct, and some individual swamps misclassified using the standard survey design. An effect of landscape position on swamp floristic patterns and a significant trend for high similarity scores among swamps surveyed with multiple small quadrats compared to the standard survey design was also determined. Australian upland swamps are classified at the global scale as shrub‐dominated wetlands, and complex floristic patterns have been recorded in shrub‐dominated wetlands in both northern and southern hemispheres. We therefore advocate either multiple survey designs or different survey standards for upland swamp communities and other vegetation types that have complex floristic patterns at small scales.     

The zooplankton of various water reservoirs in the Polistovo-Lovatskaya upland swamp system

The zooplankton of various water reservoirs in the Polistovo-Lovatskaya upland swamp system was investigated. The studied reservoir types included primary lakes, as well as secondary marsh reservoirs of the margin, intermediate, and central zones of the swamp, which were characterized by a high humification level (permanganate values of 50–100 mg O l⁻¹) and low pH values (3.5–5.5). The trophic structure of the zooplankton community was modelled both on the original data on species abundance and literature data on the feeding preferences of the studied species. Significant differences in the taxonomic and trophic structures of the studied primary and secondary marsh water reservoirs were discovered, including species lists and the balance of the various trophic groups.     

Interdependence of peat and vegetation in a tropical peat swamp forest

The visual uniformity of tropical peat swamp forest masks the considerable variation in forest structure that has evolved in response to differences and changes in peat characteristics over many millennia. Details are presented of forest structure and tree composition of the principal peat swamp forest types in the upper catchment of Sungai Sebangau, Central Kalimantan, Indonesia, in relation to thickness and hydrology of the peat. Consideration is given to data on peat geochemistry and age of peat that provide evidence of the ombrotrophic nature of this vast peatland and its mode of formation. The future sustainability of this ecosystem is predicted from information available on climate change and human impact in this region.     

林线附近主要植被类型下土壤非生长季磷素形态

采用Hedley磷素分级方法,比较研究了岷江上游林线附近不同植被类型(高寒灌丛草甸、雪山杜鹃灌丛和岷江冷杉林)非生长季0—20cm土壤无机磷和有机磷形态。结果表明,研究区内土壤总磷平均含量(857.32mg·kg-1)较高,但活性磷含量仅占总磷的10%左右。生物态磷含量占总磷含量的60%以上,表明土壤磷素受生物作用影响较大。3种植被类型下土壤无机磷主要以D.HCl-Pi(稀盐酸提取无机磷)和C.HCl-Pi(浓盐酸提取无机磷)形态存在,活性无机磷和NaOH-Pi含量较少。高寒灌丛草甸土壤D.HCl-Pi和C.HCl-Pi含量均显著高于岷江冷杉,表明其含有更多的钙结合态磷。土壤有机磷与土壤有机碳呈显著正相关,NaOH-Po是有机磷主要的构成形态,占总磷含量的39.39%—53.69%。不同植被类型下土壤有机磷形态间差异较大,岷江冷杉林下土壤NaHCO3-Po和NaOH-Po含量最高,高寒灌丛草甸则含有更多的C.HCl-Po。低温和凋落物积累是造成林线附近土壤有机磷含量较高的重要原因。     

Floristics of soil seed banks on agricultural and disturbed land cleared of tropical forests

Little is known about how soil seed banks vary in germination, composition, and density under different land uses after tropical forest conversion. Seed banks can potentially act as one source of regeneration for reforestation of old agricultural lands. Our study documents the composition and density of germinants in soil seed banks from four land uses types surrounding the Sinharaja forest in southwest Sri Lanka. These include: (1) kekilla fern lands; (2) pine plantations; and (3) tea. These were compared to the adjacent (4) mature rainforest. During the 6‐month period of monitoring, we recorded 1,674 germinants (0.036 germinants/cm³ soil), representing 46 species. Germinants of tree and shrub species were restricted to the pine and rainforest soils and all of them are considered pioneers. The soils of the rainforest had the lowest species richness, density, and diversity of germinants; tea lands comprised much higher richness, Shannon diversity, and density. However, almost all germinants in tea were grasses and herbs as compared with other land uses. A multivariate analysis of the germinants of soil seed banks revealed that the four land use types comprise very different compositions and abundances, some of which can be associated with differences in growth habit (trees, shrubs, vines, herbs, grasses). Our results suggest that pine plantations may facilitate some tree and shrub regeneration. However, the seed banks beneath tea and kekilla fern land do not comprise any woody plant species. This may explain why agricultural lands such as tea do not revert back to forest easily.     

Long-term dynamics of vegetation and disturbance of a southern boreal spruce swamp forest

Abstract. Analysis of pollen, charcoal and loss-on-ignition in peat cores from a Picea aèies-dominated swamp forest in central Sweden show the vegetation changes and disturbance patterns over 9500 yr. Six major sequences of local vegetation development are identified: (A) Pinus period, ca. 9500–7000 cal. BP; (B) Open mire period (ca. 7000–4500 cal. BP; (C) Betula period, ca. 4500–2300 cal. BP; (D) Picea period (ca. 2300–1000 cal. BP; (E) Human impact period (ca. 1000–100 cal. BP); and (F) Period of human abandonment during the last ca. 100 yr. The swamp forest has been highly dynamic in response to various natural and anthropogenic disturbance agencies. Several fires have heavily influenced the vegetation development. During the last ca. 900 yr human influence has been important, initially from grazing and trampling by domesticated animals (ca. 1000–500 cal. BP), and subsequently small-scale cereal growing (ca. 400–100 BP). Cutting, burning and animal browsing influenced the structure and dynamics of the swamp forest by creating a more open stand and suppressing tree regeneration. Recent cessation of human impact has led to increased tree regeneration and a denser swamp forest stand. The present high biodiversity, and subsequent conservation interest does not result from long-term stability or absence of fire and human impact. However, in spite of repeated disturbances, a continuity of old and senescent trees produced a forest type with abundant dead wood. With the relatively minor importance of fire over long periods of time, the swamp forest developed a structure maintaining a high biological diversity. An important issue for maintaining long-term biodiversity in the boreal landscape must be to create a mosaic where different forest types are present, with a variety of structures, substrates and processes, to provide a certain degree of freedom for species to move around in the landscape.     

Random Forest characterization of upland vegetation and management burning from aerial imagery

Aim The upland moorlands of Great Britain form distinctive landscapes of international conservation importance, comprising mosaics of heathland, acid grassland, blanket bog and bracken. Much of this landscape is managed by rotational burning to create gamebird habitat and there is concern over whether this is driving long‐term changes in upland vegetation communities. However, the inaccessibility and scale of uplands means that monitoring changes in vegetation and burning practices is difficult. We aim to overcome this problem by developing methods to classify aerial imagery into high‐resolution maps of dominant vegetation cover, including the distribution of burns on managed grouse moors. Location  Peak District National Park, England, UK. Methods Colour and infrared aerial photographs were classified into seven dominant land‐cover classes using the Random Forest ensemble machine learning algorithm. In addition, heather (Calluna vulgaris) was further differentiated into growth phases, including sites that were newly burnt. We then analysed the distributions of the vegetation classes and managed burning using detrended correspondence analysis. Results Classification accuracy was c. 95% and produced a 5‐m resolution map for 514 km² of moorland. Cover classes were highly aggregated and strong nonlinear effects of elevation and slope and weaker effects of aspect and bedrock type were evident in structuring moorland vegetation communities. The classification revealed the spatial distribution of managed burning and suggested that relatively steep areas may be disproportionately burnt. Main conclusions Random Forest classification of aerial imagery is an efficient method for producing high‐resolution maps of upland vegetation. These may be used to monitor long‐term changes in vegetation and management burning and infer species–environment relationships and can therefore provide an important tool for effective conservation at the landscape scale.     

铜污染旱地红壤的络合诱导植物修复作用

研究EDTA和低分子量有机酸对污染旱地红壤Cu形态变化及金属忍耐－富集型植物印度芥菜生长和Cu吸收的影响,以探讨Cu污染土壤的有机络合诱导植物吸取修复作用,结果表明,在芥菜营养生长旺盛期施用EDTA可显著提高土壤Cu的活性,土壤水浸提态Cu和交换态Cu均显著上升;这种活化效应随外加Cu浓度的上升和EDTA用量的增加而增大;柠檬酸和酸对土壤Cu的活化效应小,只对水浸提态Cu略有影响;EDTA可显著增加芥菜茎叶、根的Cu浓度和吸收量,等摩尔量柠檬酸和苹果酸对土壤铜形态变化和芥菜Cu吸收没有显著作用。     

A 38‐year study of relations between weather and vegetation dynamics in road verges near Bibury, Gloucestershire

1 The Bibury long‐term data set contains information on annual fluctuations in the abundance of over 100 grasses and forbs in roadside verge vegetation over the period from 1958 to the present. Monitoring has been carried out every July by the same individual. The data set represents a unique long‐term record of the dynamics of a complete plant community.
2 Records for the most abundant taxa (including bare ground and litter) were used to determine the effect of climate variability on the year‐to‐year performance of the selected species. Residuals about the long‐term mean log biomass of each species (de‐trended where the species showed a significant increase or decrease in abundance over time) were correlated against indices of interannual climate variability. Plant and weather records were compared over 3‐month seasonal periods (March–May, June–August, September–November, December–February) or 6‐month seasonal periods (March–August, September–February), with time lags of 0, 1 and 2 years.
3 Principal components analysis (PCA) was used to formulate annual weather indices, using either conventional weather variables (temperature, rainfall and sunshine) or the Lamb catalogue of daily weather types.
4 Between 5% and 70% more correlations were observed than might be expected to occur by chance, depending on the season and the PCA index, indicating markedly non‐random plant–weather relationships. Total vegetation production was positively correlated with minimum spring temperature. The distribution of correlations was generally evenly distributed across the three lag periods.
5 In general, those species favoured by environmental stress or disturbance were promoted following warm dry springs and summers, whereas those favoured by more productive conditions were promoted following a wet growing season.     

Restoration of grazing management and its effect on vegetation in an upland grassland

Question: How are plant species and functional group composition, and potential sward height affected by implementation of different grazing regimes on previously abandoned semi-natural grassland? Location: The Jizerské mountains, northern Czech Republic. Methods: We established a randomized block experiment with the following treatments: unmanaged control (U), intensive (IG) and extensive (EG) continuous grazing, first cut followed by intensive (ICG) and first cut followed by extensive (ECG) continuous grazing for the rest of the growing season. The percentage cover of all vascular plant species was recorded in 40 permanent plots. Results: Total plant species richness increased in all managed treatments, whereas species number was reduced in U at the end of the experiment. Tall forbs (Aegopodium podagraria, Galium album, Anthriscus sylvestris, Cirsium arvense) as well as tall grasses (Elytrigia repens and Alopecurus pratensis) were more abundant in U. Species associated with both grazing treatments (IG, EG) were Dactylis glomerata, Festuca rubra agg. and Phleum pratense. Agrostis capillaris, Taraxacum spp., Trifolium repens, Ranunculus repens and Cirsium vulgare were promoted by ECG and ICG. Abundance of tall grasses and tall forbs reflected the intensity of management in the order U>EG, ECG>IG, ICG. Prostrate forbs, on the other hand, increased their cover with increasing intensity: ICG>IG>ECG>EG. Conclusions: Plant species composition of semi-natural grasslands is affected by the defoliation regime. Continuous grazing on abandoned grassland alters the sward structure towards a permanent pasture with short, light-sensitive grasses and prostrate forbs. To maintain or enhance plant species richness in semi-natural grasslands, understanding the effects of different grazing regimes on plant species composition is necessary.     

生物质炭与氮肥配施对红壤线虫群落的影响

利用生物质炭改良土壤近年来受到关注,但仍缺乏对土壤动物群落变化的认识.基于野外定位试验,研究了不同用量的生物质炭(0、10、20、30、40 t·hm^-2)与氮肥(60、90、120 kg N·hm^-2)配施对干旱期和湿润期红壤理化性质和线虫群落的影响.结果表明： 施用生物质炭在干旱期和湿润期均显著影响土壤含水量和pH.随生物质炭施用量的增加,土壤含水量先增加后降低,而土壤pH保持增加的趋势.土壤微生物生物量碳氮、碳氮比及基础呼吸均受到生物质炭和氮肥的显著影响,且低量生物质炭对微生物生物量碳氮、碳氮比及基础呼吸有刺激作用,而高量生物质炭则对其有抑制作用.如生物质炭施用量低于30 t·hm^-2时,在干旱期和湿润期均促进土壤微生物活性.此外,生物质炭的效果也依赖于不同采样时期.如在施用量高于30 t·hm^-2时,微生物生物量碳在干旱期显著高于对照,在湿润期与对照无显著差异;而微生物生物量氮则呈相反趋势.可溶性有机物和矿质氮在干旱期受到生物质炭和氮肥的显著影响,但是在湿润期仅受到氮肥的影响.生物质炭、氮肥及二者的交互作用在干旱期和湿润期均显著影响线虫数量及营养类群的结构.高量生物质炭和氮肥配施能够提高土壤线虫的数量.值得注意的是,生物质炭显著提高了干旱期食真菌线虫的比例,尤其在干旱期趋势明显,暗示在生物质炭作用下土壤食物网结构趋向于以真菌主导的能流通道.总之,生物质炭对红壤的效果呈现出复杂的影响趋势,不仅依赖于生物质炭的施用量及与氮肥的交互作用,而且与红壤的采样时期有关,表明今后生物质炭的研究应结合多种生态因子.     

长期施肥对红壤旱地作物产量和土壤肥力的影响

历时14年的田间定位试验表明,红壤旱地磷素最为缺乏,施用磷肥对提高作物产量效果最好;施用石灰和微量元素对作物产量没有明显增产作用．施肥可以提高花生植株磷、钾的浓度,表明作物的养分含量受土壤养分供应水平的影响．土壤中赢余(亏损)的养分在养分库重建中的作用可以用速效养分库重建效率来表示．研究表明,当红壤旱地N、P2O5、K2O养分赢余1kg·hm^-2时,可分别使土壤中水解氮、有效磷、交换性钾含量提高0．6～6．26、0．20～0．28和1．1～8．5mg·kg^-1．红壤旱地氮和磷通过径流等损失较大,不同处理之间的变化幅度也较大．红壤每年可固定磷43．5kg·hm^-2,通过自身风化作用每年可提供氮48．1kg·hm^-2和钾40．5kg·hm^-2,以满足作物生长所需．     

Nectar depletion and its implications for honeyeaters in heathland near Sydney

Several researchers have attempted to calculate whether depression of nectar resources by Australian honeyeaters is likely to limit their densities. Such calculations can be misleading, however, and do not directly test whether birds depress nectar availability. I monitored changes in nectar availability during the 8–9 months that honeyeaters bred in heathland near Sydney, and caged inflorescences to test whether nectar availability was being depressed by birds. There were pronounced seasonal changes in nectar availability in each of 2 years, and caging substantially increased the amounts of nectar in inflorescences during months when nectar production was low. The effects of caging must have resulted from exclusion of honeyeaters, as: (i) open-ended cage controls showed that the effects of caging resulted from exclusion of foragers, not from artifacts of caging; (ii) day-only and night-only caging showed that nectar was depleted only during the day: and (iii) observations showed that cages did not exclude any diurnal foragers other than honeyeaters. Resident honeyeaters spent more time foraging during months when nectar was scarce, implying that the rates at which they could obtain nectar were affected by changes in nectar availability. It is therefore possible that the depletion of nectar by honeyeaters could have limited their densities. However. I argue that such limitation could only be inferred safely if nectar-supplementation experiments showed survival and/or reproduction to be limited by nectar availability.     

Impact of encroaching woody vegetation on nest success of upland nesting waterfowl

Grassland managers often regard woody vegetation as hostile habitat that potentially reduces the abundance and fecundity of wildlife that use grasslands. We tested that assumption for waterfowl by examining patterns of nest success on study areas that differed in current extent and previous management of woody vegetation. We located and monitored 1,064 waterfowl nests on 33 federally owned Waterfowl Production Areas (WPAs) in western Minnesota during 2008–2010. Sites contained 0.3–15.1% woodland and also varied markedly in extent of shrubs and scattered trees. Average nest success was low (12.9%), but ranged from 1.5% to 38.7% among site-years. Nests were more likely to succeed when located in landscapes containing more grass (500-m scale) and fewer wetlands (100-m scale), but none of 8 variables measuring woody vegetation were negatively associated with nest survival and 1 variable (abundance of lone trees) was positively associated with nest survival. Our results indicate that management efforts focusing on removing woody vegetation are unlikely to provide improvements in nest survival rates for breeding waterfowl, except to the extent that such management is necessary to maintain large tracts of grassland. © 2012 The Wildlife Society.     

A vegetation analysis of the pastoral landscapes of upland Wales,UK

Abstract. The upland moorlands of Wales are situated on the oceanic fringe of western Europe, and have experienced a long history of pastoral management. Recent vegetation data are analysed to assess the relative contribution of abiotic and anthropogenic factors to variation in habitat composition among the major upland ranges of this region. From a numerical analysis of plant community cover data, recorded from 65 sites covering 260 000 ha, a six‐cluster site classification emerged with striking biogeographical coherence. Direct gradient analysis and variance partitioning revealed strong correlation between vegetation composition and spatially‐structured climatic gradients, in particular temperature, rainfall and oceanicity; differences in bedrock geology appear to have a lesser role. The analysis also indicates a close correlation between habitat variation and anthropogenic parameters, especially grazing intensity, burning frequency, and sulphur and nitrogen deposition levels. At this regional scale, anthropogenic impacts appear to have accentuated, rather than obscured, vegetation patterns which are primarily determined by climate and other abiotic variables. The findings have considerable relevance for conservation planning and also for predictive studies on the consequences of climatic change for the biota of the uplands of southern Britain.