植物种群自疏过程中构件生物量与密度的关系

不论是在对植物种群自疏规律还是在对能量守衡法则的研究中,个体大小(M)大多针对植物地上部分生物量,地下部分和构件生物量及其动态十分重要又多被忽视。以1年生植物荞麦为材料研究了自疏种群地下部分生物量、包括地下部分的个体总生物量以及各构件生物量与密度的关系。结果表明:平均地上生物量和个体总生物量与密度的异速关系指数(γabove-ground和γindividual)分别为-1.293和-1.253,与-4/3无显著性差异(P>0.05),为-4/3自疏法则提供了有力证据;平均根生物量-密度异速指数γroot(-1.128)与-1无显著性差异(P>0.05),与最终产量恒定法则一致;平均茎生物量-密度异速指数γstem(-1.263)接近-4/3(P>0.05),平均叶生物量-密度异速指数γleaf(-1.524)接近-3/2(P>0.05),分别符合-4/3自疏法则与-3/2自疏法则;而繁殖生物量与密度的异速关系指数γreproductive(-2.005)显著小于-3/2、-4/3或-1(P<0.001)。因此,不存在一个对植物不同构件普适的生物量-密度之间的关系。光合产物在地上和地下构件的生物量分配格局以及构件生物量与地上生物量之间特异的异速生长关系导致不同构件具有不同的自疏指数。无论对于地上生物量还是个体总生物量,荞麦种群能量均守衡,而对于地下生物量,荞麦种群能量不守衡。     

Aggregated distribution of resources creates competition refuges for rainforest dung beetles

This study examines the effects of resource distribution on colonisation, intra- and interspecific aggregation, and the occurrence of low-density, competition refuges for tropical dung beetles. In field experiments from central Peru, using dung pats (resource patches) of different volumes, the numbers of interacting species and total beetle biomass at individual pats increased with increasing pat volume. In two of three separate experiments (including an experiment that also varied patch density), this represented a decrease in the biomass of beetles per unit volume (biomass-density) at larger patches. The numbers of interacting tunneller species and tunneller biomass-density were also related to the distance between pats (patch density) in one of two experiments with constant numbers of pats. Closely positioned pats had generally fewer interacting species and a lower biomass-density of beetles. For the most abundant Dichotomius species, interspecific associations increased as distances increased between dung pats. The numbers of interacting species and biomass-density declined linearly under the combined effects of increasing patch density and local patch abundance in 25 m² plots. In experimentally placed grids with large numbers of pats, colonisation of pats at the edge of the grids was generally higher than at the centre of the grids for tunnellers and Eurysternus spp. but not for ball rollers; however, at least tunnellers did not readjust to avoid patches with high densities of competitors. These results indicate that an aggregated distribution of dung and natural variability in patch size contribute to species coexistence by creating low-density refuges for weaker competitors.     

Burial disturbance leads to facilitation among coastal dune plants

There is growing evidence that interactions among plants can be facilitative as well as competitive, but knowledge of how disturbances influence these interactions and how they vary with species diversity is lacking. We manipulated plant density, species diversity (richness), and a burial disturbance in a controlled, complete factorial experiment to test theories about the relationships among species interactions, disturbance, and richness. The hypotheses tested were 1) burial disturbance reduces plant performance at all levels of density and richness, 2) burial disturbance can cause net plant interactions to become more facilitative, and 3) facilitation increases with species richness. Burial decreased plant survival by 60% and biomass by 50%, supporting the hypothesis that burial reduces plant performance. In the control (unburied) treatment, there was no difference in proportion survival or per plant biomass between low and high density plots, meaning that neither competition nor facilitation was detected. In the buried treatment, however, high density plots had significantly greater survival and greater per plant biomass than the low density plots, indicating net facilitative interactions. Thus facilitation occurred in the buried treatment and not in the unburied control plots, supporting the hypothesis that facilitation increases with increasing disturbance severity. The hypothesis that facilitation increases with increasing species richness was not supported. Richness did not affect survival or biomass, and there was no richness by burial treatment interaction, indicating that richness did not influence the response of the community to burial. The influence of the disturbance on plant interactions was thus consistent across levels of richness, increasing the generality of the relationship between disturbance and facilitation.     

Salt tolerance and stress level affect plant biomass–density relationships and neighbor effects

It has been shown that plant biomass–density relationships are altered under extreme or stressed conditions. We do not know whether variation in biomass–density relationships is a direct result of stress tolerance or occurs via changes in plant–plant interactions. Here, we evaluated biomass–density relationships and neighbor effects in six plant species that differ in salt tolerance in a salt marsh, and conducted a literature review of biomass–density relationship under higher and lower stress levels. Our field study showed that both neighbor effects and the exponent of the biomass–density relationship (α) varied among plant species with different degrees of salt tolerance. There was a positive relationship between neighbor effects (measured as relative interaction index) and α-value among the tested species. The literature review showed that α and its variation increased under higher stress. Our results indicate that plant species with different salinity tolerance differ in the direction and strength of neighbor effects, resulting in variation in biomass–density relationships. Our results support the hypothesis that differences in biomass–density relationships among species are not due to differences in stress tolerance alone, they are mediated by changes in plant–plant interactions.     

Plant–plant interactions,environmental gradients and plant diversity: A global synthesis of community-level studies

Previous syntheses on the effects of environmental conditions on the outcome of plant–plant interactions summarize results from pairwise studies. However, the upscaling to the community-level of such studies is problematic because of the existence of multiple species assemblages and species-specific responses to both the environmental conditions and the presence of neighbors. We conducted the first global synthesis of community-level studies from harsh environments, which included data from 71 alpine and 137 dryland communities to: (i) test how important are facilitative interactions as a driver of community structure, (ii) evaluate whether we can predict the frequency of positive plant–plant interactions across differing environmental conditions and habitats, and (iii) assess whether thresholds in the response of plant–plant interactions to environmental gradients exists between “moderate” and “extreme” environments. We also used those community-level studies performed across gradients of at least three points to evaluate how the average environmental conditions, the length of the gradient studied, and the number of points sampled across such gradient affect the form and strength of the facilitation-environmental conditions relationship. Over 25% of the species present were more spatially associated to nurse plants than expected by chance in both alpine and dryland areas, illustrating the high importance of positive plant–plant interactions for the maintenance of plant diversity in these environments. Facilitative interactions were more frequent, and more related to environmental conditions, in alpine than in dryland areas, perhaps because drylands are generally characterized by a larger variety of environmental stress factors and plant functional traits. The frequency of facilitative interactions in alpine communities peaked at 1000 mm of annual rainfall, and globally decreased with elevation. The frequency of positive interactions in dryland communities decreased globally with water scarcity or temperature annual range. Positive facilitation-drought stress relationships are more likely in shorter regional gradients, but these relationships are obscured in regions with a greater species turnover or with complex environmental gradients. By showing the different climatic drivers and behaviors of plant–plant interactions in dryland and alpine areas, our results will improve predictions regarding the effect of facilitation on the assembly of plant communities and their response to changes in environmental conditions.     

Facilitative interactions do not wane with warming at high elevations in the Andes

Positive interactions between species are known to play an important role in the structure and dynamics of alpine plant communities. The balance between negative and positive interactions is known to shift along spatial and temporal gradients, with positive effects prevailing over negative ones as the environmental stress increases. Thus, this balance is likely to be affected by climate change. We hypothesized that increases in temperature (a global warming scenario) should decrease the importance of positive interactions for the survival and growth of alpine plant species. To test this hypothesis, we selected individuals of the native grass species Hordeum comosum growing within the nurse cushion species Azorella madreporica at 3,600 m.a.s.l. in Los Andes (Chile), and performed nurse removal and seedling survival experiments under natural and warmer conditions. For warmer conditions, we used open-top chambers, which increased the temperature by 4 °C. After two growing seasons, we compared the effect of nurse removal on the survival, biomass, and photochemical efficiency of H. comosum individuals under warmer and natural conditions. Nurse removal significantly decreased the survival, biomass, and photochemical efficiency of H. comosum, demonstrating the facilitative effects of nurse cushions. Seedling survival was also enhanced by cushions, even under warmer conditions. However, warmer conditions only partially mitigated the negative effects of nurse removal, suggesting that facilitative effects of cushions do not wane under warmer conditions. Thus, facilitative interactions are vital to the performance and survival of alpine species, and these positive interactions will continue to be important in the warmer conditions of the future in high-alpine habitats.     

The role of biomass allocation strategy in diversity loss due to fertilization

Proposed mechanisms for explaining biodiversity loss due to fertilization include interspecific competition and assemblage-level thinning. The interspecific competition hypothesis (ICH) assumes a link between population changes and species competitive ability, which is related to functional traits such as biomass allocation patterns. Based on a 2-year fertilization experiment in an alpine meadow on the Tibetan Plateau, we attempted to explore the relationships between individual and population responses. Individual response was measured by changes in plant biomass and biomass allocation, and population response was estimated by changes in species abundance. The results suggested that following fertilization (1) changes in individual biomass differ among species and functional groups, (2) reproductive allocation tends to decrease for all species whereas leaf allocation generally increases for grasses but decreases for forbs, (3) a strong positive correlation exists between species relative abundance change and individual biomass response, and (4) species relative abundance change has a positive correlation with leaf allocation response, a negative correlation with stem allocation response, and no significant correlation with reproductive allocation response. We conclude that the individual biomass responses and biomass allocation strategy can partly explain diversity loss due to fertilization, a result consistent with the ICH.     

Altitudinal Variations in Reproductive Allocation of Bergenia purpurascens (Saxifragaceae)

The strategy of resource allocation between vegetative and reproductive functions, quantitative relationship between size and reproductive output are central aspects of plant life history. To test the tactics of resource allocation and its altitudinal trend, we examined the reproductive allocation (RA) of Bergenia purpurascens (Saxifragaceae), in six populations along a shady slope in Sejila Mountain of southeast Tibet, at an altitude gradient from 4 200 m to 4 640 m. Our results showed that (1) with increasing altitude, vegetative biomass, reproductive biomass, total aboveground biomass, flower number per plant and length of flower stalk decreased significantly, but the number of leaves did not change greatly. However, the change of RA did not show a monotonic trend when altitude increased, shifting from significantly decreasing below the tree line to slightly increasing above it; (2) vegetative biomass was positively correlated with reproductive biomass, but negatively correlated with RA in all populations, but the level of significance was different among the populations; (3) RA decreased with individual size in all populations, whereas the relationship between absolute resource allocated to reproduction and individual size was allometric; (4) reproductive allometry and a size threshold for reproduction did exist in this alpine perennial, but the obvious altitudinal trend was only found along the populations below the tree line, not above it. We then concluded the altitude could not fully explain the change of resource allocation strategy of this alpine perennial, and different effects of size and habitat on RA may result from various environmental constraints along the altitudinal gradient or genetic background. Therefore, each individual within a population will follow its own developmental trajectory shaped by its genotype and the habitats. The most innovative finding was plant adaptation and resource trade off might be sharply altered at the tree line, which is a sensitive area in alpine mountains. Further investigations are needed to better understand the relationship between the reproductive allocation and changing environmental conditions.     

岩白菜（虎耳草科）不同海拔居群的繁殖分配

资源分配策略是植物生活史研究的重要内容之一,植物用于繁殖的相对资源比例（即繁殖分配）与植株的生活史特征、个体大小及植株的生境密切相关。本文研究了藏东南色季拉山一个阴坡上海拔4200m～4640m范围内6个不同居群的虎耳草科多年生草本植物岩白菜（Bergenia purpurascens）的繁殖分配特征,结果发现：（1）繁殖器官生物量、营养器官生物量、地上部分总生物量、花数目、花序轴长度均随海拔的升高而显著降低,而叶数目随海拔变化不大,繁殖分配值则先降低后升高,转折点在林线过渡带（海拔4400m）处;（2）各居群（海拔4300m居群除外）营养器官生物量与繁殖器官生物量均显著正相关,而营养器官生物量与繁殖分配则负相关,但各居群的显著性不同;（3）各居群繁殖器官生物量与植株个体大小（营养器官生物量）呈不同程度的异速增长,而繁殖分配则与植株个体大小负相关;（4）各居群植株都存在一个繁殖所需的个体大小阈值,而且这一阈值在林线以下区域随海拔的升高而显著增大,在林线以上区域变化不显著。研究结果表明,海拔并不是影响岩白菜繁殖分配策略的唯一生态因子,不同居群的生境状况和植株个体大小都与其资源分配策略密切相关,高山地区林线的存在对植物资源的权衡方式会产生巨大影响。     

The role of belowground competition and plastic biomass allocation in altering plant mass–density relationships

Metabolic scaling theory (MST) predicts a ‘universal scaling law’ for plant mass–density relationships, but empirical observations are more variable. Possible explanations of this variability include plasticity in biomass allocation between the above‐ and belowground compartment and different modes of competition, which can be asymmetric or symmetric. Although complex interactions of these factors are likely to occur, so far the majority of modelling and empirical studies has focussed on mono‐factorial explanations. We here present a generic individual‐based model, which allows exploring the plant mass–density relationship in realistic settings by representing plasticity of biomass allocation and different modes of competition in the above‐ and belowground compartment. Plants grew according to an ontogenetic growth model derived from MST. To evaluate the behavior of the simulated plants related to the allocation patterns and to validate model predictions, we conducted greenhouse experiments with tree seedlings. The model reproduced empirical patterns both at the individual and population level. Without belowground resource limitation, aboveground processes dominated and the slopes of mass–density relationships followed the predictions of MST. In contrast, resource limitation led to an increased allocation of biomass to belowground parts of the plants. The subsequent dominance of symmetric belowground competition caused significantly shallower slopes of the mass–density relationship, even though the growth of individual plants followed MST. We conclude that changes in biomass allocation induced by belowground resource limitation explain the deviations from the mass–density relationship predicted by MST. Taking into account the plasticity of biomass allocation and its linkage to the above‐ and belowground competition is critical for fully representing plant communities, in particular for correctly predicting their response of carbon storage and sequestration to changing environmental conditions.     

植物间正相互作用对种群动态和群落结构的影响:基于个体模型的研究进展

植物间的相互作用对种群动态和群落结构有着重要的影响。大量的野外实验已经揭示了正相互作用(互利)在群落中的普遍存在及其重要性。为了弥补野外实验方法的不足, 模型方法被越来越多地应用于正相互作用及其生态学效应的研究中。该文基于个体模型研究, 探讨了植物间正相互作用对种群动态和群落结构的影响。介绍了植物间正相互作用的定义和发生机制、植物间相互作用与环境梯度的关系。正相互作用是指发生在相邻的植物个体之间, 至少对其中一个个体有益的相互作用。植物通过直接(生境改善或资源富集)或间接(协同防御等)作用使局部环境有利于邻体而发生正相互作用。胁迫梯度假说认为互利的强度或重要性随着环境胁迫度的增加而增加, 但是越来越多的经验研究认为胁迫梯度假说需要改进。以网格模型和影响域模型为例, 介绍了基于个体的植物间相互作用模型方法。基于个体模型, 对近年来国内外正相互作用对种群时间动态(如生物量-密度关系)、空间分布格局和群落结构(如群落生物量-物种丰富度关系)影响的研究进行了总结。指出未来的研究应集中在对正相互作用概念和机制的理解, 新的模型, 新的种群、群落, 甚至生态系统问题, 以及在全球变化背景下进行相关的研究。     

Extreme drought stress shifts net facilitation to neutral interactions between shrubs and sub‐canopy plants in an arid desert

The stress gradient hypothesis (SGH) predicts that the importance or intensity of competition and facilitation will change inversely along abiotic stress gradients. It was originally postulated that increasing environmental stress can induce a monotonic increase in facilitation. However, more recent models predicted that the relationship between severity and interaction exhibits a hump‐shaped pattern, in which positive interactions prevail under moderate stress but decline at the extreme ends of stress gradients. In the present study, we conducted a field experiment along a temporal rainfall gradient for five consecutive years, in order to investigate interactions in a shrub‐herbaceous plant community at the southern edge of the Badain Jaran Desert, and, more specifically, investigated the effects of Calligonum mongolicum, a dominant shrub species, on both abiotic environmental variables and the performance of sub‐canopy plant species. We found that shrubs can improve sub‐canopy water regimes, soil properties, plant biomass, density, cover, and richness and, more importantly, that the positive effect of shrubs on sub‐canopy soil moisture during the summer diminishes as rainfall decreases, a pattern that partly explains the collapse of the positive interaction between shrubs and their understory plants. These results provide empirical evidence that the positive effect of shrubs on understory plant communities in extreme arid environments may decline and become neutral with increasing drought stress.     

Plant Interactions Alter the Predictions of Metabolic Scaling Theory

Metabolic scaling theory (MST) is an attempt to link physiological processes of individual organisms with macroecology. It predicts a power law relationship with an exponent of −4/3 between mean individual biomass and density during density-dependent mortality (self-thinning). Empirical tests have produced variable results, and the validity of MST is intensely debated. MST focuses on organisms’ internal physiological mechanisms but we hypothesize that ecological interactions can be more important in determining plant mass-density relationships induced by density. We employ an individual-based model of plant stand development that includes three elements: a model of individual plant growth based on MST, different modes of local competition (size-symmetric vs. -asymmetric), and different resource levels. Our model is consistent with the observed variation in the slopes of self-thinning trajectories. Slopes were significantly shallower than −4/3 if competition was size-symmetric. We conclude that when the size of survivors is influenced by strong ecological interactions, these can override predictions of MST, whereas when surviving plants are less affected by interactions, individual-level metabolic processes can scale up to the population level. MST, like thermodynamics or biomechanics, sets limits within which organisms can live and function, but there may be stronger limits determined by ecological interactions. In such cases MST will not be predictive.     

异速生长法计算秋茄红树林生物量

采用异速生长方法,建立树干基部多分枝型秋茄生物量与分枝直径的函数模型,根据该模型计算了浙江鳌江河口人工秋茄林生物量,并比较了我国不同地区秋茄林生物量差异。结果表明,秋茄生物量(W)与分枝直径(D)之间存在极显著的回归关系,叶片(WL)、树干(WS)、根系和分枝基部(WB)及植株总生物量(WT)与分枝直径(D)的异速生长方程分别为:WL=0.187D1.855(R2=0.612,P<0.0001);WS=0.267D1.906(R2=0.821,P<0.0001);WB=4.6D1.136(R2=0.644,P<0.0001);WT=3.614D1.446(R2=0.801,P<0.0001)。我国不同地区秋茄林地上生物量与林龄和纬度之间存在显著的回归关系:lg(地上生物量)=3.123+0.84×lg(林龄)-2.019×lg(纬度),(R2=0.431,F2,11=4.161,P=0.045)。秋茄种群生物量随着林龄的增加而增加,随着纬度的升高呈现降低趋势。浙江鳌江河口3年、5年和10年龄人工秋茄林生物量分别为7.13、11.32和24.35 t/hm2,其中5年龄秋茄林生物量仅为广东湛江同龄秋茄林(自然湿地生境)生物量的18%。然而,广东深圳的3年龄秋茄林(人工湿地生境)生物量仅为该研究中同龄秋茄林生物量的9.3%。此外,以≤11年龄的人工秋茄纯林为对象,建立了种群密度与种群植株平均生物量的关系:lg(平均单株地上生物量)=8.468-2.1×lg(种群密度),(R2=0.961,F=99.764,P=0.001),秋茄种群密度越小,平均植株生物量越大,平均单株生物量较符合Yoda提出的-3/2自疏定律为快,自疏指数为-2.1。因此,纬度和林龄是秋茄种群生物量的主要影响因子,生境类型、种群密度等因素对红树林种群或群落生物量的积累也至关重要。     

祁连山东段高原鼢鼠对高寒草甸危害评价

为了客观评价高原鼢鼠(Myospalax baileyi)对高寒草甸的危害程度,在祁连山东段研究了高原鼢鼠不同种群密度与草地质量之间的关系,共设置了3个高原鼢鼠种群密度梯度,调查了3个危害等级变量(鼠丘数、鼠丘面积和鼠丘产草量)和6个生境变量(草地产草量、总盖度、可食牧草产量、植被组成、土壤水分和土壤紧实度),通过One-Way ANOVA检验法研究这些因子与高原鼢鼠危害程度的关系。结果表明:在设置的3个种群密度梯度下,草地产草量、总盖度、可食牧草产量和鼠丘产草量无显著性差异;草地植物群落结构、新鼠丘面积占调查区面积的比例无显著性差异,除高原鼢鼠采食深度(0—20 cm)外,3个种群密度区土壤紧实度无显著性差异,而0—30 cm处土壤水分存在显著性差异,说明本研究中不同高原鼢鼠种群密度区的草地质量没有显著性差异。此外,研究结果表明调查样地大小与危害评价有着密切关系,在高寒草甸区,单个样方调查面积以0.5 hm~2以上为宜。     

Do biotic interactions shape both sides of the humped‐back model of species richness in plant communities?

A humped-back relationship between species richness and community biomass has frequently been observed in plant communities, at both local and regional scales, although often improperly called a productivity-diversity relationship. Explanations for this relationship have emphasized the role of competitive exclusion, probably because at the time when the relationship was first examined, competition was considered to be the significant biotic filter structuring plant communities. However, over the last 15 years there has been a renewed interest in facilitation and this research has shown a clear link between the role of facilitation in structuring communities and both community biomass and the severity of the environment. Although facilitation may enlarge the realized niche of species and increase community richness in stressful environments, there has only been one previous attempt to revisit the humped-back model of species richness and to include facilitative processes. However, to date, no model has explored whether biotic interactions can potentially shape both sides of the humped-back model for species richness commonly detected in plant communities. Here, we propose a revision of Grime's original model that incorporates a new understanding of the role of facilitative interactions in plant communities. In this revised model, facilitation promotes diversity at medium to high environmental severity levels, by expanding the realized niche of stress-intolerant competitive species into harsh physical conditions. However, when environmental conditions become extremely severe the positive effects of the benefactors wane (as supported by recent research on facilitative interactions in extremely severe environments) and diversity is reduced. Conversely, with decreasing stress along the biomass gradient, facilitation decreases because stress-intolerant species become able to exist away from the canopy of the stress-tolerant species (as proposed by facilitation theory). At the same time competition increases for stress-tolerant species, reducing diversity in the most benign conditions (as proposed by models of competition theory). In this way our inclusion of facilitation into the classic model of plant species diversity and community biomass generates a more powerful and richer predictive framework for understanding the role of plant interactions in changing diversity. We then use our revised model to explain both the observed discrepancies between natural patterns of species richness and community biomass and the results of experimental studies of the impact of biodiversity on the productivity of herbaceous communities. It is clear that explicit consideration of concurrent changes in stress-tolerant and competitive species enhances our capacity to explain and interpret patterns in plant community diversity with respect to environmental severity.     

Nurse plants,tree saplings and grazing pressure: changes in facilitation along a biotic environmental gradient

Current conceptual models predict that an increase in stress shifts interactions between plants from competitive to facilitative; hence, facilitation is expected to gain in ecological importance with increasing stress. Little is known about how facilitative interactions between plants change with increasing biotic stress, such as that incurred by consumer pressure or herbivory (i.e. disturbance sensu Grime). In grazed ecosystems, the presence of unpalatable plants is reported to protect tree saplings against cattle grazing and enhance tree establishment. In accordance with current conceptual facilitation-stress models, we hypothesised a positive relationship between facilitation and grazing pressure. We tested this hypothesis in a field experiment in which tree saplings of four different species (deciduous Fagus sylvatica, Acer pseudoplatanus and coniferous Abies alba, Picea abies) were planted either inside or outside of the canopy of the spiny nurse shrub Rosa rubiginosa in enclosures differing in grazing pressure (low and high) and in exclosures. During one grazing season we followed the survival of the different tree saplings and the level of browsing on these; we also estimated browsing damage to the nurse shrubs. Shrub damage was highest at the higher grazing pressure. Correspondingly, browsing increased and survival decreased in saplings located inside the canopy of the shrubs at the high grazing pressure compared to the low grazing pressure. Saplings of both deciduous species showed a higher survival than the evergreens, while sapling browsing did not differ between species. The relative facilitation of sapling browsing and sapling survival – i.e. the difference between saplings inside and outside the shrub canopy – decreased at high grazing pressure as the facilitative species became less protective. Interestingly, these findings do not agree with current conceptual facilitation-stress models predicting increasing facilitation with abiotic stress. We used our results to design a conceptual model of facilitation along a biotic environmental gradient. Empirical studies are needed to test the applicability of this model. In conclusion, we suggest that current conceptual facilitation models should at least consider the possibility of decreasing facilitation at high levels of stress.     

Experimental comparison of competition and facilitation in alpine communities varying in productivity

Question. Competitive and facilitative interactions among plant species in different abiotic environments potentially link productivity, vegetation structure, species composition and functional diversity. We investigated these interactions among four alpine communities along an environmental productivity gradient in a generally harsh climate. We hypothesised that the importance of competition would be higher in more productive sites. Location. Mt. M. Khatipara (43°27′N, 41°41′E, altitude 2750 m), NW Caucasus, Russia. Communities ranged from low‐productivity alpine lichen heath (ALH) and snowbed communities (SBC), to intermediate productivity Festuca grassland (FVG), and high‐productivity Geranium‐Hedysarum meadow (GHM). Methods. We quantified the relative influence of competition and facilitation on community structure by expressing biomass of target species within each natural community proportionally to biomass of the species in a “null community” with experimental release from interspecific competition by removing all other species (for 6 years). An overall index of change in community composition due to interspecific interactions was calculated as the sum of absolute or proportional differences of the component species. Results. Species responses to neighbour removal ranged from positive to neutral. There was no evidence of facilitation among the selected dominant species. As expected, competition was generally most important in the most productive alpine community (GHM). The intermediate position for low‐productivity communities of stressful environments (ALH, SBC) and the last position of intermediately productive FVG were unexpected. Conclusions. Our results appear to support the Fretwell‐Oksanen hypothesis in that competition in communities of intermediate productivity was less intense than in low‐ or high‐productive communities. However, the zero net effect of competition and facilitation in FVG might be the result of abiotic stress due to strong sun exposure and high soil temperatures after neighbour removal. Thus, non‐linear relationships between soil fertility, productivity and different abiotic stresses may also determine the balance between competition and facilitation.     

Experimental reduction of pollinator visitation modifies plant–plant interactions for pollination

The strength of interactions between plants for pollination depends on the abundance of plants and pollinators in the community. The abundance of pollinators may influence plant associations and densities at which individual fitness is maximized. Reduced pollinator visitation may therefore affect the way plant species interact for pollination. We experimentally reduced pollinator visitation to six pollinator‐dependent species (three from an alpine and three from a lowland community in Norway) to study how interactions for pollination were modified by reduced pollinator availability. We related flower visitation, pollen limitation and seed set to density of conspecifics and pollinator‐sharing heterospecifics inside 30 dome‐shaped cages partially covered with fishnet (experimental plots) and in 30 control plots. We expected to find stronger interactions between plants in experimental compared to controls plots. The experiment modified plant–plant interactions for pollination in all the six species; although for two of them neighbourhood interactions did not affect seed set. The pollen limitation and seed set data showed that reduction of pollinator visits most frequently resulted in novel and/or stronger interactions between plants in the experimental plots that did not occur in the controls. Although the responses were species‐specific, there was a tendency for increasing facilitative interactions with conspecific neighbours in experimental plots where pollinator availability was reduced. Heterospecifics only influenced pollination and fecundity in species from the alpine community and in the experimental plots, where they competed with the focal species for pollination. The patterns observed for visitation rates differed from those for fecundity, with more significant interactions between plants in the controls in both communities. This study warns against the exclusive use of visitation data to interpret plant–plant interactions for pollination, and helps to understand how plant aggregations may buffer or intensify the effects of a pollinator loss on plant fitness.     

不同倍性冬小麦种内竞争能力的比较研究

通过3个不同倍性冬小麦材料(两倍体栽培一粒、四倍体栽培两粒、六倍体现代品种长武134),在不同水分条件下进行密度实验,研究了不同材料的株高、生物量累积和分蘖动态的变化,以及产量对密度变化的反应。结果表明随着群体的增大,不同倍性材料个体间竞争明显加剧,相互抑制作用增强,种群内部个体大小等级差异增大;在不同群体下各倍性材料的个体生长存在差异,表现为四倍体栽培两粒竞争能力两倍体栽培一粒六倍体现代品种长武134,且长武134受种群大小影响最为显著,但长武134产量累积的投入比例最高,产量最高,低竞争能力的个体更适合生产上的需求,是群体高产的基础。研究结果为旱地小麦的高产栽培和育种提供了理论基础。