Tropical tree species diversity: a test of the Janzen-Connell model

To test the premises and predictions of the Janzen-Connell model (Janzen's spacing mechanism), seeds of the rainforest canopy tree, Brosimum alicastrum, were placed at different distances from the parent tree and their removal observed over 3 weeks. The number and density of naturally occurring seeds at different distances from the parent tree were also estimated. Predation was not greater near the parent tree, except on the very small spatial scale: the proportion of experimental seeds removed was greater 1 m from the trunk than it was 5–25 m from the trunk. Predation was negatively correlated with seed density, not positively as the Janzen-Connell model assumes-presumably due to predator satiation. The density of seeds after predation peaked 5 m from the tree trunk, but this is well within the crown radius of the parent tree. There is a peak in the number of potential recruits at a distance of 10 m from the parent tree, due to the peaked initial distribution of seeds. This peak is caused by the interaction between the seed density curve and the increasing area of an annulus around the parent tree at increasing distances, not by the product of the density curve and the predation curve. However, it is important to realize that it is not the presence of a peak in recruitment away from the parent that is essential to maintaining tropical tree species diversity, but frequency-dependent recruitment induced by poor recruitment near conspecifics. Predator satiation seems to be an important factor in the survival of B. alicastrum seeds, possibly at several spatial scales. The number of seeds produced by the tree is negatively correlated with the loss to predators, and trees that have a fruiting conspecific nearby also suffer lower levels of predation. Seed predation increases as one moves from the forest edge into the interior, creating an edge effect that may have long-term effects on the forest composition and tree species diversity. More studies are needed, for other species, other localities, and larger spatial and temporal scales, on both the Janzen-Connell mechanism and this edge effect.     

Plant-soil feedbacks between invasive shrubs and native forest understory species lead to shifts in the abundance of mycorrhizal fungi

Aims

Non-native shrubs are important invaders of the Eastern Deciduous Forest, dramatically altering forest structure and functioning. Study of invasion mechanisms in this system has emphasized aboveground processes, and plant-soil feedbacks are relatively unexplored as a mechanism of shrub dominance. We tested whether plant-soil feedback in this habitat is affected by competition and whether arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) are involved in plant-soil feedback.

Methods

We used a standard two-phase plant-soil feedback experiment run concurrently for each of three invasive shrub species, measuring feedback effects on AMF colonization, aboveground biomass, and the responses of native plant species in greenhouse mesocosms.

Results

Lonicera maackii and Ligustrum vulgare reduced AMF colonization of native roots, both with legacy effects (prior growth in soil) and direct effects (current growth in soil). Elaeagnus umbellata grown with natives left a legacy of increased AMF colonization of native communities.

Conclusions

Our results suggest that woody invasive species can alter the AMF associations of native plants even after the invasive is no longer present. Such consequences merit study with other native species and where environmental factors, such as light availability, might be expected to compound the effects of changes in AMF.     

庙岛群岛南五岛灌木群落结构及其对环境因子的响应

该研究对山东省庙岛群岛南五岛灌木植被及环境因子进行调查,运用TWINSPAN等级划分法和多元分析技术研究调查区域内灌木的植被分布、群落结构及其与环境因子间的关系。结果显示:(1)调查期间庙岛群岛南五岛共发现灌木27种,隶属于15科23属,荆条、扁担木、酸枣为优势种。(2)灌木群丛主要被划分为6个群丛,即桑群丛、刺槐-柘树群丛、酸枣群丛、扁担木群丛、荆条群丛、紫穗槐群丛。(3)应用典范对应分析(CCA)并采用向前引入法对环境因子进行逐步筛选,Monte Carlo置换检验结果显示,乔木层盖度、土壤pH是影响庙岛群岛南五岛灌木空间分布的关键环境因子。研究认为,CCA二维排序结果与TWINSPAN分类结果较为一致,庙岛群岛南五岛森林灌木群落主要分布于乔木层盖度适中、偏酸性土壤的环境下。     

植物-土壤反馈理论及其在自然和农田生态系统中的应用研究进展

植物-土壤反馈理论最早源于农业生产,近年来已成为生态学上研究植被动态变化、群落组成和功能,以及生态系统响应人为干扰、气候变化等众多热点问题的重要理论和方法支撑。总结了植物-土壤反馈定义和类型,分析了反馈机制,在此基础上综述了该理论在自然生态系统中的应用,包括物种入侵、群落演替、植物共存及多样性形成、植物多样性-生产力关系、多营养级交互作用以及响应气候变化等关键生态学命题。探讨了植物-土壤反馈理论在农田生态系统中的应用,介绍了该理论在提高多样化种植体系生产力、土壤污染修复、种植体系设计等方面的进展和潜在应用价值。提出了植物-土壤反馈理论在未来发展中进一步研究的方向,对应用该理论提高生态系统服务功能,促进可持续发展等方面进行了展望。     

The spatial pattern and dispersion of Lygodium microphyllum in the Everglades wetland ecosystem

Since 1958, L. microphyllum (Old World Climbing Fern), which originated from the Old World Tropics, has become a nuisance exotic and has rapidly spread and is being established system-wide in extremely remote and undisturbed areas such as the Florida Everglades. Of particular concern is that L. microphyllum is disrupting, at an alarming rate, the flora and fauna of the native ecosystem at the same time that a major 8.4 billion dollar Everglades restoration program is trying to enhance these same attributes. This research utilized IKONOS satellite data to map L. microphyllum within the 58,000-ha Loxahatchee National Wildlife Refuge wetland in south Florida. Results show that approximately 11.6% of the tree/shrub vegetation within the impoundment has been infected by L. microphyllum. These data were then utilized to explore the spatial spread patterns of L. microphyllum within the Refuge. Results suggest that L. microphyllum is more likely to establish on the southeast side of a tree/shrub island and then spread to the northwest, which corresponds to the prevailing wind direction in south Florida. Spatial pattern analysis of L. microphyllum spread indicated that it is correlated with the density and spatial distribution of tree/shrub island vegetation. It appears that the dispersion of L. microphyllum is density dependent, which can be expressed as a logistic function and has a catastrophic threshold of 160 m of mean distance between tree/shrub islands in the Everglades. It is predicted that 38% (or 1910 ha) of tree/shrub islands in the Refuge will be invaded by L. microphyllum by 2012. Tree islands in the Everglades wetland could be considered similar to oceanic islands throughout the world that are notoriously vulnerable to biological invasions.     

Rats are not the only introduced rodents producing ecosystem impacts on islands

In addition to rats, nutria (Myocastor coypus) and the North American beaver (Castor canadensis) have certainly caused damage at an ecosystem level when introduced to islands, in both cases primarily by ecosystem engineering. Of other introduced rodents successfully established on islands, the gray squirrel (Sciurus carolinensis) may be in the process of damaging entire forest ecosystems, particularly by bark-stripping. Though introduced muskrats (Ondatra zibethicus) have had ecosystem-level impacts in continental Europe, their impact on islands worldwide to which they have been introduced has been very limited. The North American red squirrel (Tamiasciurus hudsonicus) and Barbary ground squirrel (Atlantoxerus getulus) have each had substantial impacts when introduced to particular islands, but for neither species have these impacts yet been demonstrated to spread through an entire ecosystem. Introduced house mice (Mus musculus) may well generate ecosystem impacts on remote islands lacking rats, and it is possible that explosions of house mice on islands after rat eradication, a common occurrence, will lead in some instances to ecosystem impacts.     

草海国家级自然保护区华山松群落特征及物种多样性研究

为探讨喀斯特地区森林群落的演替动态和生物多样性维持机制,采用样地调查法对草海国家级自然保护区的华山松(Pinusarmandii)群落的物种组成、植物区系特征、种群结构和物种多样性等进行了分析。结果表明,样地内共有种子植物37科69属81种,其中乔木11种、灌木32种、草本38种;群落内植物的科、属区系成分类型多样,以温带成分为主;生活型谱主要以高位芽植物(46.91%)和地面芽植物(27.16%)为主;乔木层华山松的重要值达58%,为群落的单优势种;径级结构呈左偏正态型分布,树高分布集中在12～21 m,冠幅分布呈V型;乔木层与灌木层、草本层间的多样性差异显著(P0.05),物种丰富度指数S和D_M、多样性指数H和D_S均为草本层灌木层乔木层,物种均匀度指数J为灌木层草本层乔木层。因此,草海国家级自然保护区内的华山松群落特征和物种多样性具有明显的地域特点。     

Seed dispersal and establishment of endangered plants on Oceanic Islands: the Janzen-Connell model, and the use of ecological analogues

Background

The Janzen-Connell model states that plant-specific natural enemies may have a disproportionately large negative effect on progeny close to maternal trees. The majority of experimental and theoretical studies addressing the Janzen-Connell model have explored how it can explain existing patterns of species diversity in tropical mainland areas. Very few studies have investigated how the model''s predictions apply to isolated oceanic islands, or to the conservation management of endangered plants. Here, we provide the first experimental investigation of the predictions of the Janzen-Connell model on an oceanic island, in a conservation context. In addition, we experimentally evaluate the use of ecological analogue animals to resurrect the functional component of extinct frugivores that could have dispersed seeds away from maternal trees.

Methodology/Principal Findings

In Mauritius, we investigated seed germination and seedling survival patterns of the critically endangered endemic plant Syzygium mamillatum (Myrtaceae) in relation to proximity to maternal trees. We found strong negative effects of proximity to maternal trees on growth and survival of seedlings. We successfully used giant Aldabran tortoises as ecological analogues for extinct Mauritian frugivores. Effects of gut-passage were negative at the seed germination stage, but seedlings from gut-passed seeds grew taller, had more leaves, and suffered less damage from natural enemies than any of the other seedlings.

Conclusions/Significance

We provide the first experimental evidence of a distance-dependent Janzen-Connell effect on an oceanic island. Our results potentially have serious implications for the conservation management of rare plant species on oceanic islands, which harbour a disproportionately large fraction of the world''s endemic and endangered plants. Furthermore, in contrast to recent controversy about the use of non-indigenous extant megafauna for re-wilding projects in North America and elsewhere, we argue that Mauritius and other oceanic islands are ideal study systems in which to empirically explore the use of ecological analogue species in restoration ecology.     

Niche differentiation with respect to light utilization among coexisting dwarf shrubs in a subarctic woodland

Summary Canopy structure, shoot design, and photosynthetic light recruitment were used to compare four coexisting dwarf shrub species with respect to light utilization. All four species showed different shoot designs which probably result in different light interception properties. Leaves of Vaccinium uliginosum showed the highest levels of photosynthetic light saturation but in situ the shoots of this species reached their maximum photosynthetic rate at the lowest photon flux densities. No consistent differences with respect to photosynthetic light responses were found between deciduous and evergreen species. At sites dominated by one of the deciduous species (Vaccinium uliginosum or V. myrtillus), the two evergreen species studied (V. vitis-idaea and Empetrum hermaphroditum) occurred in the understory, i.e., with their leaf distribution slightly below that of the deciduous species. Sites dominated by one of the evergreen species showed less vertical differentiation in leaf distribution between species.     

Negative Plant–Soil Feedback and Positive Species Interaction in a Herbaceous Plant Community

Increasing evidence shows that facilitative interaction and negative plant–soil feedback are driving factors of plant population dynamics and community processes. We studied the intensity and the relative impact of negative feedback on clonal growth and seed germination of Scirpus holoschoenus, a ‘ring’ forming sedge dominant in grazed grassland, and the consequences for species coexistence. The structure of aboveground tussocks was described. A Lithium tracer assessed belowground distribution of functional roots. Seed rain and seedling emergence were compared for different positions in relation to Scirpus tussocks. Soil bioassays were used to compare growth on soil taken from inside and outside Scirpus tussocks of four coexisting species (Mentha acquatica, Pulicaria dysenterica, Scirpus holoschoenus and Dittrichia viscosa). We also compared plant performance of dominant plant species inside and outside Scirpus tussocks in the field. The ‘ring’ shaped tussocks of S. holoschoenus were generated by centrifugal rhizome development. Roots were functional and abundant under the tillers and extending outside the tussocks. The large roots mats that were present in the inner tussock zone were almost all dead. Seedling emergence and growth both showed a strong negative feedback of Scirpus in the inner tussock zone. Scirpus clonal development strongly reduced grass biomass. In the degenerated tussock zone, Pulicaria and Mentha mortality was lower, and biomass of individual plants and seed production were higher. This positive indirect interaction could be related to species-specific affinity to soil conditions generated by Scirpus, and interspecific competitive release in the degenerated tussock zone. We conclude that Scirpus negative feedback affects its seedling emergence and growth contributing to the development of the degenerated inner tussock zone. Moreover, this enhances species coexistence through facilitative interaction because the colonization of the inner tussock zone is highly species-specific.     

The Symbiotic Requirements of Different Medicago Spp. Suggest the Evolution of Sinorhizobium Meliloti and S. Medicae with Hosts Differentially Adapted to Soil pH

Nitrogen fixing rhizobia associated with the Medicago L. genus belong to two closely related species Sinorhizobium medicae and S. meliloti. To investigate the symbiotic requirements of different Medicago species for the two microsymbionts, 39 bacterial isolates from nodules of eleven Medicago species growing in their natural habitats in the Mediterranean basin plus six historical Australian commercial inocula were symbiotically characterized with Medicago hosts. The bacterial species allocation was first assigned on the basis of symbiotic proficiency with M. polymorpha. PCR primers specific for 16S rDNA were then designed to distinguish S. medicae and S. meliloti. PCR amplification results confirmed the species allocation acquired in the glasshouse. PCR fingerprints generated from ERIC, BOXA1R and nif-directed RPO1 primers revealed that the Mediterranean strains were genetically heterogenous. Moreover PCR fingerprints with ERIC and BOX primers showed that these repetitive DNA elements were specifically distributed and conserved in S. meliloti and S. medicae, clustering the strains into two divergent groups according to their species. Linking the Sinorhizobium species with the plant species of origin we have found that S. medicae was mostly associated with medics well adapted to moderately acid soils such as M. polymorpha, M. arabica and M. murex whereas S. meliloti was predominantly isolated from plants naturally growing on alkaline or neutral pH soils such as M. littoralis and M. tornata. Moreover in glasshouse experiments the S. medicae strains were able to induce well-developed nodules on M. murex whilst S. meliloti was not infective on this species. This feature provides a very distinguishing characteristic for S. medicae. Results from the symbiotic, genotypic and cultural characterization suggest that S. meliloti and S. medicae have adapted to different Medicago species according to the niches these medics usually occupy in their natural habitats.     

桥山栎林群落结构特征与物种多样性相关关系分析

为了解森林群落结构特征与物种多样性之间的相关关系,以黄土高原桥山林区典型麻栎纯林、麻栎阔叶混交林和麻栎油松混交林为研究对象,调查分析了群落结构特征,计算物种重要值及物种多样性,并进行了冗余分析,结果表明:(1)麻栎油松混交林主要以乔木层胸径、树高、枝下高等最高;麻栎阔叶混交林以灌木层盖度、地径、冠幅、高度等最高;麻栎纯林以草本地径、草本盖度及草本冠幅最高。(2) 3种类型林分乔木层重要值最高的均为麻栎(Quercus acutissima),灌木层为狼牙刺(Sophora viciifolia)、南蛇藤(Celastrus orbiculatus)、胡枝子(Lespedeza bicolor),草本层为苔草(Carex tristachya)。(3)麻栎油松混交林乔、灌层物种多样性较高,麻栎阔叶混交林以草本层物种多样性最高。(4)不同类型麻栎林群落结构特征与物种多样性关系有差异。松栎混交林中,对物种多样性影响最大的为乔木胸径、新稍长及灌木高度;麻栎阔叶混交林对物种多样性影响最大的为灌木层高度及冠幅;麻栎纯林中,对物种多样性影响最大的为乔木胸径。(5)麻栎油松混交林、麻栎阔叶混交林的胸径、树高、物种多样较麻栎纯林高,具有较高木材生产能力和生态防护功能,是未来森林经营培育的方向。     

福建琅岐岛台湾相思群落灌木层主要物种生态位与种间联结

为探究福建琅岐岛台湾相思(Acacia confusa)群落种间关系和群落演替动态,对其灌木层主要物种的生态位和种间联结特征进行了分析。结果表明,重要值和生态位宽度最大的物种为雀梅藤(Sageretia thea),其竞争优势、环境适应能力最强;灌木层主要物种的生态位相似性和生态位重叠较小,表明种间对环境资源的利用和要求存在较大差异,表现为较稳定的种间关系;灌木层主要物种的总体联结性为显著正联结,种对间正负联结比为1.72,检验显著率为7.35%,表明种对间联结程度较弱,独立性相对较强,物种竞争不激烈,群落处于相对后期且稳定的演替阶段;红锥(Castanopsis hystrix)与许多物种间存在垂直方向上对生境要求的互补性,生态位重叠较小,种间呈正联结关系;外来物种马缨丹(Lantanacamara)与福建胡颓子(Elaeagnus oldhamii)存在一定的竞争,与灌木层其他主要植物之间的资源竞争不激烈,其对该群落的影响相对较小。琅岐岛台湾相思群落目前已发展为地带性的顶级群落,物种竞争不激烈,种间关系较稳定;而海岛上恶劣的环境和外来物种的扩散会导致植物生境资源短缺,迫使物种聚集在...     

Comparative recruitment patterns of two non-pioneer canopy tree species in French Guiana

Summary A comparative study was conducted on the recruitment patterns of two non-pioneer tree species, one dispersed by arboreal mammals and birds (Virola michelii, Myristicaceae) and the other by rodents (Moronobea coccinea, Clusiaceae). These species differ in fruiting phenology, seed size, dispersal distance, germination time and seed nutrient exhaustion. In both species, establishment patterns were consistent with the escape hypothesis and the Janzen-Connell model. Virola seeds need not be buried to survive and germinate, and may produce a seedling carpet beneath the parent. Moronobea seedlings only establish from seeds buried by scatterhoarding rodents in the surrounding understory. One-year survival of Virola seedlings was 47.8% and was greater >10 m than < 10 m from the largest parent tree. In contrast, survival of Moronobea seedlings was 56% 3 years after seed dispersal. Survival of juveniles was greater in gaps than in the understory for Virola but not for Moronobea. Moronobea survival was greater than Virola survival in both microhabitats. Both species establish in the understory, yet both grew faster in gaps. Virola appeared to be more gap-dependent than Moronobea which may persist several years in the understory until a gap occurs. Virola and Moronobea illustrate two intermediate recruitment patterns along an hypothetical continuum of nonpioneer species replacement (Bazzaz and Pickett 1980; Swaine and Whitmore 1988).     

Medicago truncatula f.laxicycla (Leguminosae), a new taxon with loose fruit coiling promoting rapid germination of the fruit-retained seeds

Medicago truncatula is a member ofMedicago sect.Spirocarpos, in which all 34 species have coiled fruit, usually tightly coiled, that permanently retain the seeds. A variant ofM. truncatula from Libya is unique for the species in possessing very loosely coiled fruits, and is here recognized as a new forma,M. truncatula f.laxicycla E. Small. In germination tests of a number of species ofMedicago, the unusual Libyan variant proved to be the only one in which rapid and simultaneous germination of most of the seeds occurred while still within a fruit. The loose coiling of the fruit of the Libyan variety appears to facilitate water entry and seedling escape. Its rapid germination might adapt it to respond quickly to intermittently available moisture, but at the cost of abandoning the strategy of intermittent germination adopted by other populations ofMedicago sect.Spirocarpos.     

Cross-Scale Patterns in Shrub Thicket Dynamics in the Virginia Barrier Complex

Abstract To interpret broad-scale erosion and accretion patterns and the expansion and contraction of shrub thickets in response to sea level rise for a coastal barrier system, we examined the fine-scale processes of shrub recruitment and mortality within the context of the influence of ocean current and sediment transport processes on variations in island size and location. We focused on Myrica cerifera shrub thickets, the dominant woody community on most barrier islands along the coastline of the southeastern USA. Observations suggest that M. cerifera, a salt-intolerant species, is increasing in cover throughout the Virginia barrier islands, yet rising sea level in response to climate change is increasing erosion and reducing island area. Our objective was to explain this apparent paradox using pattern–process relationships across a range of scales with a focus on ocean currents and sediment transport interacting with island characteristics at intermediate scales. Multi-decadal comparisons across scales showed a complex pattern. At the scale of the entire Virginia barrier complex, modest decreases in upland area were accompanied by large increases in shrub area. Responses were more variable for individual islands, reflecting inter-island variations in erosion and accretion due to differences in sediment transport via ocean currents. Several islands underwent dramatic shrub expansion. Only for within-island responses were there similarities in the pattern of change, with a lag-phase after initial shrub colonization followed by development of linear, closed canopy thickets. Understanding the fine-scale processes of shrub seedling establishment and thicket development, in conjunction with the influence of ocean currents and sediment transport, provides a framework for interpreting island accretion and erosion patterns and subsequent effects on shrub thicket expansion or contraction across scales of time and space.     

Plant-soil interactions in Mediterranean forest and shrublands: impacts of climatic change

Background

In the Mediterranean climate, plants have evolved under conditions of low soil-water and nutrient availabilities and have acquired a series of adaptive traits that, in turn exert strong feedback on soil fertility, structure, and protection. As a result, plant-soil systems constitute complex interactive webs where these adaptive traits allow plants to maximize the use of scarce resources.

Scope

It is necessary to review the current bibliography to highlight the most know characteristic mechanisms underlying Mediterranean plant-soil feed-backs and identify the processes that merit further research in order to reach an understanding of the plant-soil feed-backs and its capacity to cope with future global change scenarios. In this review, we characterize the functional and structural plant-soil relationships and feedbacks in Mediterranean regions. We thereafter discuss the effects of global change drivers on these complex interactions between plants and soil.

Conclusions

The large plant diversity that characterizes Mediterranean ecosystems is associated to the success of coexisting species in avoiding competition for soil resources by differential exploitation in space (soil layers) and time (year and daily). Among plant and soil traits, high foliar nutrient re-translocation and large contents of recalcitrant compounds reduce nutrient cycling. Meanwhile increased allocation of resources to roots and soil enzymes help to protect against soil erosion and to improve soil fertility and capacity to retain water. The long-term evolutionary adaptation to drought of Mediterranean plants allows them to cope with moderate increases of drought without significant losses of production and survival in some species. However, other species have proved to be more sensitive decreasing their growth and increasing their mortality under moderate rising of drought. All these increases contribute to species composition shifts. Moreover, in more xeric sites, the desertification resulting from synergic interactions among some related process such as drought increases, torrential rainfall increases and human driven disturbances is an increasing concern. A research priority now is to discern the effects of long-term increases in atmospheric CO₂ concentrations, warming, and drought on soil fertility and water availability and on the structure of soil communities (e.g., shifts from bacteria to fungi) and on patching vegetation and root-water uplift (from soil to plant and from soil deep layers to soil superficial layers) roles in desertification.     

基于异速生长理论的准噶尔盆地荒漠灌丛形态研究

为了揭示荒漠灌丛形态的发生发展机制并认识其在荒漠生态系统中的功能, 从形态和结构决定功能的原理出发, 对生长在准噶尔荒漠东南部的岛状灌丛进行了形态学调查。依据Malthusian方程微分形式, 根据异速生长理论, 建立了冠幅与株高生长、灌丛表面积与体积生长的数学关系式, 利用植被调查数据进行了验证, 并最终得出不同灌丛在不同株高时的情景示意图。结果表明: 1)将荒漠灌丛形态假设成半三轴椭球体是合理的; 2)虽然灌丛形态发展趋势可以是扁平、近半球和竖直3种类型, 但是形态建成后, 一般维持在扁平和近半球两种类型; 3) 18类荒漠灌丛的体积和表面积的数量关系具有一定的一致性, 可能与同处于相同环境条件下的水分利用效率相近有关。     

基于无人机影像的阿拉善东南部荒漠灌丛植被空间格局研究

干旱区灌丛植被空间格局受多种物理和生态过程影响,能够指示生态系统的状态。研究通过量化灌丛斑块大小的空间分布来评估阿拉善高原东南部覆沙荒漠植被生态系统的状态,采用点格局分析法分析灌木种群的相互关系,以阐明不同灌木种在斑块格局形成中的作用,并结合土壤条件及下垫面粗糙度等指标验证评估的准确性,探讨灌丛空间格局差异的内在机理。结果表明,研究区样方2灌丛斑块大小符合截尾幂律分布,其他样方符合对数正态分布,前者的空间结构及生境条件均优于后者,说明植被空间格局可以准确表征生态系统状态。在局地尺度上灌木种内和种间呈现不同的相互关系,以竞争关系为主导是导致斑块破碎化的主要驱动机制。小灌木（如猫头刺）的种内互利关系有利于促进多样化斑块形态的形成,而大灌木（如沙冬青和蒙古扁桃）种间的互利作用则有利于形成异质性更强的复杂空间格局。基于灌丛斑块的空间格局评估生态系统状态,可为保护和恢复生态脆弱区受损植被提供重要的借鉴。     

Patterns of abundance of a narrow endemic species in a tropical and infertile montane habitat

We examined the entire spatial distribution of a narrow endemic shrub (Coccoloba cereifera, Polygonaceae) in Serra do Cipó, Brazil. We tested the hypothesis that a narrow endemic species would show a gradual decline in either size and density towards the edges of its distribution. The contribution of soil specificity and post-fire growth to C. cereifera abundance and distribution were also investigated. C. cereifera showed multimodal and highly aggregated distribution pattern at several scales, from 25 m² to 3000 m² (blocked quadrat variance analyses). This pattern seems to be strongly related to the predominance of clonal recruitment and to the close association of the species to sandfields, which have discrete distribution between gallery forests and rocky outcrops. Population density did not decline towards the edge of the species distribution. Plants near the distribution boundaries had slightly more leaves and more inflorescences per plant (p<0.005), but there was no significant change in the mean number of ramets per clone. The absence of large plants in some populations at the center of the species distribution may be related to the higher frequency of fire in this region, killing aerial plant parts. Nearly all aggregations had inverse-J shaped size-distribution, suggesting effective recruitment of ramets, most frequently via asexual reproduction. Similar patterns of plant abundance may be common in fire-prone habitats characterized by infertile, and well-drained soils since these areas generally have high numbers of endemic plants, with strong soil specificity. Possible mechanisms for the observed pattern are discussed considering current models concerning distribution of abundance of species.