The influence of local elevation on soil properties and tree health in remnant eucalypt woodlands affected by secondary salinity

More than 2 M ha of remnant vegetation in Australia is predicted to be at risk from shallow water tables by 2050. Currently, vegetation is considered to be at risk where the water table is predicted to be less than 2 m below the soil surface, yet casual observation of areas affected by secondary salinity in the Western Australian wheatbelt has suggested that small differences in elevation (< 0.5 m) are important in determining plant health. In this study, we investigated how small changes in elevation (and hence depth to the water table) affected soil Cl concentrations and water contents, and whether small changes in elevation were associated with major changes in tree health in two remnants of Eucalyptus wandoo Blakely woodland with secondary salinity. At one site there were strong dissimilarities between soil samples collected above or below relative elevations of 0.5 m in areas with a shallow (0.3 m deep in September 2001) and saline water table. This was reflected in almost complete tree mortality at relative elevations below 0.5 m. However, low rainfall in 2001 meant that it was unlikely that current soil conditions had caused tree death. When water table data for 1999 was overlaid over plots of tree health and transect topography, high levels of tree mortality corresponded with areas where the water table was at or above the ground surface. At the other site, there was no clear relationship between elevation, soil characteristics and tree health. Localised variation in abiotic conditions and ecosystem processes at a fine-scale may buffer, to some extent, the spatial impact of soil salinity and waterlogging in remnant vegetation. Collapses in tree health at some sites are likely to be related to extreme and episodic events, which we may have limited ability to predict.     

The contribution of nitrogen deposition to the eutrophication signal in understorey plant communities of European forests

We evaluated effects of atmospheric deposition of nitrogen on the composition of forest understorey vegetation both in space and time, using repeated data from the European wide monitoring program ICP‐Forests, which focuses on normally managed forest. Our aim was to assess whether both spatial and temporal effects of deposition can be detected by a multiple regression approach using data from managed forests over a relatively short time interval, in which changes in the tree layer are limited. To characterize the vegetation, we used indicators derived from cover percentages per species using multivariate statistics and indicators derived from the presence/absence, that is, species numbers and Ellenberg's indicator values. As explanatory variables, we used climate, altitude, tree species, stand age, and soil chemistry, besides deposition of nitrate, ammonia and sulfate. We analyzed the effects of abiotic conditions at a single point in time by canonical correspondence analysis and multiple regression. The relation between the change in vegetation and abiotic conditions was analyzed using redundancy analysis and multiple regression, for a subset of the plots that had both abiotic data and enough species to compute a mean Ellenberg N value per plot using a minimum of three species. Results showed that the spatial variation in the vegetation is mainly due to “traditional” factors such as soil type and climate, but a statistically significant part of the variation could be ascribed to atmospheric deposition of nitrate. The change in the vegetation over the past c. 10 years was also significantly correlated to nitrate deposition. Although the effect of deposition on the individual species could not be clearly defined, the effect on the vegetation as a whole was a shift toward nitrophytic species as witnessed by an increase in mean Ellenberg's indicator value.     

Assessing the ecological risk from secondary salinity: A framework addressing questions of scale and threshold responses

Abstract Assessment of the ecological risk posed to native vegetation from the development of shallow and saline water tables is considered an urgent task in southern Australia. Ecological risk can be defined as the product of the likelihood of an ecological effect and the consequences of that effect. At present, the likelihood of the development of a shallow water table is determined by hydrological modelling at the catchment scale, and this in itself is often equated to ecological risk. In contrast, the ecological consequences of secondary salinity are generally investigated at the patch scale. Translating ecological likelihood and the ecological consequences of risk across these scales has proved problematic, both conceptually and quantitatively. Here we argue that the consideration of ecological risk within the context of the patch‐ or catchment‐scale is based upon human perceptions of spatial units, rather than the ecological scales at which various processes determine vegetation dynamics. By focusing on the processes that determine vegetation dynamics, and the dimensions of these processes, both spatial and temporal scales can be built into conceptual frameworks that aim to understand vegetation change, such as frameworks of alternative stable states. We present an alternative conceptual framework of the ecological risk from secondary salinity based around using the rates of processes, such as salt accumulation in the soil or the frequency of waterlogging, at the scales at which these processes occur. This framework also integrates concepts of vegetation states and transitions between meta‐stable states and alternative stable states.     

The effects of fire on ant communities in north-western Patagonia: the importance of habitat structure and regional context

Abstract. We investigated the effects of recent fires on the native ant communities in two habitats of north-west Patagonia that differ in vegetation structural complexity. Using bait traps, we sampled ants in replicated scrub and steppe areas including paired burned and unburned sites. Fires significantly reduced plant cover and ant diversity only in scrub sites. The drop in diversity was due to (a) a reduction in the abundance of rare species associated with woody vegetation, and (b) an increase in the abundance of the dominant species, which thrive in more xeric microclimatic conditions. Consequently, ant assemblage structure of burned scrub approaches that of steppe sites. Our findings suggest that the effects of disturbances on ant assemblages depends both on habitat characteristics, which in turn determine the extent of the changes induced by the disturbance, and on the regional context of the ant fauna, which in turn determines the ability of the ants to deal with the post-disturbance conditions.     

An improved null model for assessing the net effects of multiple stressors on communities

Ecological stressors (i.e., environmental factors outside their normal range of variation) can mediate each other through their interactions, leading to unexpected combined effects on communities. Determining whether the net effect of stressors is ecologically surprising requires comparing their cumulative impact to a null model that represents the linear combination of their individual effects (i.e., an additive expectation). However, we show that standard additive and multiplicative null models that base their predictions on the effects of single stressors on community properties (e.g., species richness or biomass) do not provide this linear expectation, leading to incorrect interpretations of antagonistic and synergistic responses by communities. We present an alternative, the compositional null model, which instead bases its predictions on the effects of stressors on individual species, and then aggregates them to the community level. Simulations demonstrate the improved ability of the compositional null model to accurately provide a linear expectation of the net effect of stressors. We simulate the response of communities to paired stressors that affect species in a purely additive fashion and compare the relative abilities of the compositional null model and two standard community property null models (additive and multiplicative) to predict these linear changes in species richness and community biomass across different combinations (both positive, negative, or opposite) and intensities of stressors. The compositional model predicts the linear effects of multiple stressors under almost all scenarios, allowing for proper classification of net effects, whereas the standard null models do not. Our findings suggest that current estimates of the prevalence of ecological surprises on communities based on community property null models are unreliable, and should be improved by integrating the responses of individual species to the community level as does our compositional null model.     

The influence of distance to perennial surface water on ant communities in Mopane woodlands,northern Botswana

Studies of biodiversity along environmental gradients provide information on how ecological communities change in response to biotic and abiotic factors. For instance, distance to water is associated with several factors that shape the structure and the functioning of ecosystems at a range of spatial scales. We investigated the influence of distance to a perennial water source on ant communities in a semi‐arid savanna in northern Botswana. Ant abundance, taxonomic richness, and both alpha and beta diversity were generally higher during the wet than the dry season. However, there were strong seasonal influences on the effects of distance to water, with more pronounced effects during the wet season. While both abundance and beta diversity declined with increasing distances to water during the wet season, there was a contrasting increase in alpha diversity. There was no major effect of distance to water on taxonomic richness during either season. Beta diversity was as high across as along gradients, and we found support for modular rather than nested community structures along gradients. Our study demonstrated that small‐scale gradients in distance to water can influence several aspects of ant communities in semi‐arid savannas. However, our results also point to strong effects of small‐scale environmental variation, for instance associated with vegetation characteristics, soil properties, and plant community structure that are not directly linked to water access.     

浙江省生态公益林植被恢复过程中物种组成及多样性的变化

在浙江省生态公益林区域的现状植被中分析了6种主要群落类型的物种组成和多样性的变化格局,包括演替系列中的2种灌丛、松优势林、2种混交林和常绿阔叶林。结果表明含松较多的灌丛和松优势林常分布在环境退化较严重(土层瘠薄)的生境中,其中灌木层主要由阳性的映山红、木、白栎等组成,常绿阔叶林优势种木荷、青冈、苦槠、甜槠等在其中偶见,因此推断其自然恢复为常绿林的速度慢;含常绿阔叶树较多的灌丛及含松较少的混交林分布在土层较厚处,木荷、青冈、苦槠、甜槠等的频度和重要值都较大,较容易自然恢复为常绿阔叶林。各种群落中物种多样性指数——Gleason、Shannon-Wiener、Simpson指数基本上以常绿阔叶林为最高,其次是含松较少的混交林,含松较多的灌丛和松优势林各种多样性指数最低。本研究显示我国中亚热带东部森林植被恢复途径有3条:(1)灌草丛→针叶林(松)→针(松)阔混交林→常绿阔叶林;(2)灌草丛→针(松)阔混交林→常绿阔叶林;(3)灌草丛→常绿阔叶林。这意味着本区域的常绿阔叶林恢复可以不必经历松林阶段,在生境条件较好的地方通过人工干预、补种常绿阔叶树可以加速常绿阔叶林恢复。     

The influence of past and present climate on the biogeography of modern mammal diversity

Within most terrestrial groups of animals, including mammals, species richness varies along two axes of environmental variation, representing energy availability and plant productivity. This relationship has led to a search for mechanistic links between climate and diversity. Explanations have traditionally focused on single mechanisms, such as variation in environmental carrying capacity or evolutionary rates. Consensus, though, has proved difficult to achieve and there is growing appreciation that geographical patterns of species richness are a product of many interacting factors including biogeographic history and biological traits. Here, we review some current hypotheses on the causes of gradients in mammal richness and range sizes since the two quantities are intimately linked. We then present novel analyses using recent datasets to explore the structure of the environment-richness relationship for mammals. Specifically, we consider the impact of glaciation on present day mammalian diversity gradients. We conclude that not only are multiple processes important in structuring diversity gradients, but also that different processes predominate in different places.     

The effects of foliar pubescence and nutrient enrichment on arthropod communities of Metrosideros polymorpha (Myrtaceae)

Abstract.  1. Nutrient resource availability and host-plant foliar pubescence both influence arthropod food webs, but multifactor studies are needed to understand their interdependence and relative importance. Arthropods were sampled by clipping foliage from Metrosideros polymorpha (Myrtaceae) trees of pubescent, glabrous, and intermediate leaf forms on fertilised and unfertilised plots.
2. Fertilisation decreased leaf mass per area (LMA) but did not change the relative mass of pubescence within leaf morphological classes.
3. Fertilisation increased densities of individuals in four taxonomic orders, densities of individuals and species of all trophic levels, and the biomass of Collembola and Homoptera. Herbivore relative diversity (Shannon H ') also increased with fertilisation, but detritivore diversity declined due to increasing dominance of Salina celebensis (Schaeffer) (Collembola).
4. Detritivore density, driven again by S. celebensis , increased with decreasing leaf pubescence, but Heteroptera and Acari were most abundant on the intermediate pubescence class, and Psocoptera density and biomass increased with increasing pubescence. Trophic-level species density did not change with leaf morphological class, but relative diversity of all arthropods and of detritivores increased with increasing pubescence.
5. Both resource availability and leaf pubescence affected Metrosideros arthropod communities. However, the pervasive positive influence of fertilisation did not translate to compositional shifts, and there were no interactions with leaf morphological class. In contrast, the effects of leaf pubescence on arthropod density, biomass, and diversity were more restricted taxonomically, and non-parametric manova and redundancy analyses demonstrated significant differentiation in community composition on the pubescent morphology.     

Epilithic cyanobacterial communities and water quality: an alternative tool for monitoring eutrophication in the Alberche River (Spain)

Changes in epilithic cyanobacterial communities were determined in a river characterized by variations in nutrient content. The cyanobacterial community composition of the upstream sites was different from that of the downstream communities, where anthropogenic influences lead to an increase in nutrients (principally soluble reactive phosphate, SRP). There was a general trend in downstream sites towards a decrease in species richness, abundance, and diversity of cyanobacteria. The reduced cyanobacterial species richness in downstream locations was due largely to a marked decrease in the number of heterocystous species, although the number of non-heterocystous species also decreased. Epilithic phycobiliprotein content was positively correlated with the number of cyanobacterial cells, implying that this pigment provides information about the abundance of the cyanobacteria community in the epilithon. The lowest concentrations of phycobiliprotein in the epilithon were observed where concentrations of phosphate were highest. Similarly, the number of heterocystous and non-heterocystous species tended to decrease as the SRP increased, and as the DIN:SRP ratio decreased. However, no relation was found with dissolved inorganic nitrogen (DIN). The differences among cyanobacterial communities could be interpreted as being a consequence of variations in nutrient composition. Finally, the usefulness of cyanobacteria as an alternative tool for assessing changes in water quality is discussed. This revised version was published online in June 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

Rise of the generalists: evidence for climate driven homogenization in avian communities

Aims Biogeographical evidence suggests a strong link between climate and patterns of species diversity, and climate change is known to cause range shifts. However, there is little understanding of how shifts affect community composition and we lack empirical evidence of recent impacts of climate change on the diversity of vertebrates. Using a long‐term comprehensive dataset on bird abundance, we explore recent patterns of change in different components of species diversity and avian communities, and postulate a process to explain the observed changes in diversity and specialization. Location Britain. Methods We used Breeding Bird Survey data for Britain from 1994 to 2006 to calculate site‐specific diversity and community specialization indices. We modelled these indices using generalized additive models to examine the relationship between local climate and spatial and temporal trends in community metrics and the relationship between changes in diversity and specialization. Results Local temperature was positively associated with alpha diversity, which increased over the study period, supporting empirical and theoretical predictions of the effect of climate warming. Diversity increased in all habitats, but the rate of increase was greatest in upland areas. However, temperature was negatively associated with community specialization indices, which declined over the same period. Our modelling revealed a nonlinear relationship between community specialization and species diversity. Main conclusions Our models of diversity and specialization provide stark empirical evidence for a link between warming climate and community homogenization. Over a 13‐year period of warming temperatures, diversity indices increased while average community specialization decreased. We suggest that the observed diversity increases were most likely driven by range expansion of generalist species and that future warming is likely to increase homogenization of community structure. When assessed in combination, diversity and specialization measures provide a powerful index for monitoring the impacts of climate change.     

The effects of pitfall trap diameter on ant species richness (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) and species composition of the catch in a semi-arid eucalypt woodland

Abstract Ants play an important role in Australian biodiversity and environmental impact assessments, with pitfall-trapping being the principal sampling method. However, the relationship between trap diameter and ant species catch has not been investigated in the context of survey design. Using four different trap diameters, each at a density of one trap per 100 m2, the present study asks three questions: (i) given an equal number of traps, do traps with larger diameters catch more species than smaller-diameter traps?; (ii) do traps with small diameters bias against large or rare species?; (iii) for equal area of the trap mouth, do small but more numerous traps catch more species than fewer but large traps? A total of 84 species were sampled within the 1600 m2 study site, with numbers of species for trap diameters of: 18mm (46 species), 42mm (56 species), 86mm (62 species) and 135mm (64 species). At equal trap density, 18 mm traps caught significantly fewer species than larger traps. Traps of 86 mm and 135mm were no more efficient than 42mm traps. Only 86mm and 135mm traps caught all species > 10mm in length (6 species). For equal area of the trap mouth, small traps were more efficient than large traps. Differences in the catch of the different-sized traps were due primarily to different capture rates of the rare species (40 species): 18mm traps caught 25% of rare species, 42 mm caught 41%, 86 mm caught 44% and 135 mm caught 52%. The role of rare ant species in environmental impact studies is discussed.     

山西岚县皇姑梁小流域人工植物群落生态

应用双向指示种分析法（TWINSPAN）和除趋势对应分析（DCA）等数量分析方法,对山西岚县皇姑梁小流域人工植物群落生态关系进行研究,将该人工植被划分为12个群丛,分别位于不同的海拔高度和坡向。分类结果很好地反映了人工植物群落类型及优势种的分布与环境因子的关系,并在DCA二维排序图上得到了较好的验证。DCA排序轴反映了群落土壤含水量、坡向、海拔高度、人工植被恢复时间和物种多样性的梯度变化,表明土壤含水量、坡向、海拔高度、物种类型及其配置模式是影响人工植物群落分布和变化的主要环境因子,不同物种配置模式对群落演替和物种多样性变化有重要影响,油松＋华北落叶松．沙棘、小叶杨＋油松、油松-沙棘、油松-柠条锦鸡儿等组成的乔灌混交林的物种多样性高于柠条锦鸡儿灌木纯林,并且油松＋华北落叶松-沙棘混交林的物种多样性高于小叶杨＋油松混交林,混交林的生态恢复效果优于纯林,并且对该小流域的生态恢复作用明显。华北落叶松适合在该小流域海拔较高的梁坡顶、半阳坡、半阴坡和阴坡生长,小叶杨适合在其海拔较低的沟底、半阳坡和半阴坡生长,而油松、沙棘、柠条锦鸡儿的生态适应性强,可在其不同海拔和坡向生长。人工植物群落的演替进程,遵循地带性植物群落演替规律。随着群落演替,野生植物不断侵入,油松、华北落叶松、小叶杨等人工林郁闭度增加,沙棘、柠条锦鸡儿等逐渐退化,油松、华北落叶松、小叶杨等出现枯枝、死株现象,这是自然稀疏的结果,亟待加强管理。