Research progress on the effects of soil erosion on vegetation

The relationship between vegetation and soil erosion deserves attention due to its scientific importance and practical applications. A great deal of information is available about the mechanisms and benefits of vegetation in the control of soil erosion, but the effects of soil erosion on vegetation development and succession is poorly documented. Research shows that soil erosion is the most important driving force for the degradation of upland and mountain ecosystems. Soil erosion interferes with the process of plant community development and vegetation succession, commencing with seed formation and impacting throughout the whole growth phase and affecting seed availability, dispersal, germination and establishment, plant community structure and spatial distribution. There have been almost no studies on the effects of soil erosion on seed development and availability, of surface flows on seed movement and redistribution, and their influences on soil seed bank and on vegetation establishment and distribution. However, these effects may be the main cause of low vegetation cover in regions of high soil erosion activity and these issues need to be investigated. Moreover, soil erosion is not only a negative influence on vegetation succession and restoration, but also a driving force of plant adaptation and evolution. Consequently, we need to study the effects of soil erosion on ecological processes and on development and regulation of vegetation succession from the points of view of pedology and vegetation, plant and seed ecology, and to establish an integrated theory and technology for deriving practical solutions to soil erosion problems.     

采石场废弃地的生态重建研究进展

采石场的开采严重破坏了植被和土壤,形成了大量的裸露岩石斜坡,造成宏观景观支离破碎和极端的环境条件,限制了植物的生长。由于自然恢复所需时间长久,人工恢复被广泛应用于采石场废弃地的生态重建。自然演替过程是采石场生态重建的理论基础,自然演替理论可以为人工恢复措施提供指导。植物群落演替的早期阶段,非生物因素起主要作用,随着演替的推移,生物因素的重要性增强。邻近自然植被的土壤和繁殖体通过外力的扩散,对恢复起重要作用。除了非生物和其他的限制,先到达恢复地的物种竞争能力的变化能决定了演替过程。演替过程中的干扰因素往往成为演替重要的驱动力。裸露岩石斜坡的物理稳定性对植被恢复有重要影响,有机废物的使用和施肥可以影响恢复演替的方向和生物多样性。播种一定的植物能够改变恢复演替方向,加速演替过程。乡土物种适应了当地气候,能够促进演替。随着修复时间的延长,土壤有机质含量,植被覆盖度和物种丰富度不断增加,土壤微生物生物量随之增加。开展不同地区采石场植物种类的选育、研究乡土物种的功能特性、土壤微生物群落和酶的变化、植被演替过程的定位研究、植物种间的竞争关系、自然演替和人工恢复的比较研究、探索经济高效的采石场生态重建方法是未来的研究方向。     

Habitat degradation,topography and rainfall variability interact to determine seed distribution and recruitment in a sand dune grassland

Question: Understanding the mechanisms underlying how habitat degradation, topography and rainfall variability interactively affect seed distribution and seedling recruitment is crucial for explaining plant community patterns and dynamics. Interactions between these major factors were studied together in a semiarid sand dune grassland. Location: Eastern Inner Mongolia, China. Methods: The study system used four sites of fixed, semifixed, semishifting and shifting sand dune grasslands, representing a gradient of habitat degradation. We investigated the density of germinable seeds deposited in the top 5 cm of soil and in situ seedling emergence (number of seedlings emerging early in the growing season) and establishment (number of plants recruited at the end of the growing season) at three topographic positions (dune top, windward and leeward sides) within each site over 2 years that differed in rainfall. Habitat characteristics (i.e. vegetation cover, plant species composition and diversity, soil moisture and nutrient availability and soil erodibility) of the four sites were also measured. Results: Habitat degradation (i.e. decreased vegetation cover and enhanced wind erosion rate) significantly reduced the size of the germinable soil seed bank. On average, germinable seed number from the high‐vegetation cover fixed dune was 36‐fold larger than the low‐vegetation cover shifting dune, and eight‐ and two‐fold larger, respectively, than the semishifting and semifixed dunes with intermediate vegetation cover. We observed within‐habitat variability in seed distribution, but among‐topographic position variation differed among habitats. Seedling recruitment showed large between‐year, and among‐ and within‐habitat variability, but these variations varied significantly depending on the response variables evaluated (i.e. initial seedling density, final plant density, emergence rate and recruitment rate). Path analysis revealed complex density‐dependent positive and negative, direct and indirect effects of germinable seed density and initial seedling density on recruitment, but the relative importance of these density‐dependent effects varied depending on habitat type and rainfall availability. Conclusion: Our results suggest that habitat degradation, microtopography and rainfall availability interact in shaping sand dune seed bank and plant community recruitment patterns and dynamics. Their effects were mainly mediated through changes in both the biotic and abiotic environment during the process of habitat deterioration.     

Acceleration of vegetation succession on eroded land by reforestation in a subtropical zone

Based on field investigations in the East River basin in Guangdong Province, south China, the processes of vegetation development and vegetation succession on bare slopes with high erosion rates are studied. Different reforestation measures have been applied to the slopes, which have resulted in very different processes of vegetation development and succession. On an experimental plot with burned forest but surviving roots, the vegetation restored naturally and quickly because there was little soil erosion. However, in the plots suffering from long-term severe soil erosion, natural vegetation recovery on these barren slopes is very slow. After 26 years, a barren slope has only been partly colonized by poorly developed vegetation composed of heliophilous herbages and scattered shrubs. On the other hand, plantation of some selected wood species on the slope land has dramatically accelerated the vegetation recovery and succession. The plots were reforested with plantation of Acacia auriculiformis in the early 1980s. Twelve years later, the vegetation cover of the artificial forests reached 90% and an understory vegetation community consisting of local species had naturally developed. Reforestation with suitable strategies may control erosion and greatly accelerate vegetation succession in the eroded slope land in the subtropical zones.     

草灌植被转变对草地生态系统及其水碳过程的影响研究进展

气候变暖和过度放牧的共同作用使全球草地出现明显的灌丛化现象,灌木去除是草地灌丛化控制的重要方式,识别这些草灌植被转变对生态系统、生态水文、土壤侵蚀和侵蚀碳流失的影响对草地可持续管理具有重要意义。综述了草地灌木入侵及其控制对植物群落和土壤功能(如土壤有机碳)的影响,以及这些草灌植被变化对生态水文、土壤侵蚀和土壤侵蚀碳流失等水碳耦合过程的影响机制。针对目前草地灌木入侵和去除对植物群落、植被格局、水土过程和功能影响研究的薄弱环节,对未来相关研究提出以下建议：(1)需深化草灌植被转变对碳、氮等生物地球化学循环的影响机制研究,(2)需重视核磁共振光谱、生物标志物、同位素等新技术和植被格局的指数与连通性等新方法在草灌植被转变的水、碳等生态效应研究中的应用,(3)需加强草灌植被格局和生态水文、土壤侵蚀与土壤侵蚀碳等水碳过程的多要素、多过程和多尺度的综合研究。本文旨在为灌丛化草地科学有效的生态恢复与多目标的土地利用管理提供理论支撑。     

Can the Study of Natural Vegetation Succession Assist in the Control of Soil Erosion on Abandoned Croplands on the Loess Plateau,China?

In the Loess Plateau, China, arable cultivation of slope lands is common and associated with serious soil erosion. Planting trees or grass may control erosion, but planted species may consume more soil water and can threaten long‐term ecosystem sustainability. Natural vegetation succession is an alternative ecological solution to restore degraded land, but there is a time cost, given that the establishment of natural vegetation, adequate to prevent soil erosion, is a longer process than planting. The aims of this study were to identify the environmental factors controlling the type of vegetation established on abandoned cropland and to identify candidate species that might be sown soon after abandonment to accelerate vegetation succession and establishment of natural vegetation to prevent soil erosion. A field survey of thirty‐three 2 × 2–m plots was carried out in July 2003, recording age since abandonment, vegetation cover, and frequency of species together with major environmental and soil variables. Data were analyzed using correspondence analysis, classification tree analysis, and species response curves. Four vegetation types were identified and the data analysis confirmed the importance of time since abandonment, total P, and soil water in controlling the type of vegetation established. Among the dominant species in the three late‐successional vegetation types, the most appropriate candidates for accelerating and directing vegetation succession were King Ranch bluestem (Bothriochloa ischaemum) and Lespedeza davurica (Leguminosae). These species possess combinations of the following characteristics: tolerance of low water and nutrient availability, fibrous root system and strong lateral vegetative spread, and a persistent seed bank.     

湿地土壤种子库与地上植被相似性关系研究评述

土壤种子库与地上植被的关系是土壤种子库研究的重要组成部分。当前,湿地生态系统面临严重威胁,研究湿地土壤种子库和地上植被关系既可以加强对土壤种子库和植物群落特征的认识,又可以为湿地保护与管理提供理论指导。检索了科学引文索引扩展版(SCIE)数据库中收录的1900—2012年间研究湿地土壤种子库与地上植被关系的文献,通过分析土壤种子库与地上植被的Srensen相似性系数,结果发现:不同湿地类型的土壤种子库和地上植被的相似性存在显著差异,河流湿地中两者的相似性最小;不同植被类型中土壤种子库与地上植被的相似性差异显著:草本群落的相似性大于乔木群落;不同气候带的湿地中两者的相似性也存在显著差异,其中亚热带地区相似性最小。总结了湿地种子库与地上植被相似性关系的时空变化特征。二者的相似性通常随着植物群落的演替而减小,在空间上也随着环境梯度而变化。分析了两者关系的影响因素,如种子传播、环境条件和繁殖策略等。对研究中存在的问题及发展方向提出建议。     

Plant responsiveness to variation in precipitation and nitrogen is consistent across the compositional diversity of a California annual grassland

Question: How does responsiveness to water and Nitrogen (N) availability vary across the compositional and functional diversity that exists in a mesic California annual grassland plant community? Location: Northern California annual grassland. Methods: A mesocosm system was used to simulate average annual precipitation totals and dry and wet year extremes observed in northern California mesic grasslands. The effects of precipitation and N availability on biomass and fecundity were measured on three different vegetation types, a mixed grass forb community, and a forb and a grass monoculture. The treatment effects on plant community composition were examined in the mixed species community. Results: While growth and seed production of the three vegetation types was inherently different, their responses to variation in precipitation and N were statistically similar. Plant density, shoot biomass, and seed production tended to increase with greater water availability in all vegetation types, with the exception of a consistent growth reduction in high precipitation (1245 mm) plots in the first year of the study. Shoot biomass responded positively to N addition, an effect that increased with greater water availability. Nitrogen addition had little effect on plant density or seed production. In the mixed grass‐forb community, biomass responsiveness to water and N treatments were consistently driven by the shoot growth of Avena barbata, the dominant grass species. Conclusions: Vegetation responses to changes in precipitation and N availability were consistent across a range of composition and structural diversity in this study. Plant growth and seed production were sensitive to both increased and decreased precipitation totals, and the magnitude of these responses to N availability varied depending on soil moisture conditions. Our results suggest the impacts of changing precipitation regimes and N deposition on annual productivity of California grasslands may be predictable under different climate scenarios across a range of plant communities.     

The role of reproductive plant traits and biotic interactions in the dynamics of semi-arid plant communities

The dynamics of semi-arid plant communities are determined by the interplay between competition and facilitation among plants. The sign and strength of these biotic interactions depend on plant traits. However, the relationships between plant traits and biotic interactions, and the consequences for plant communities are still poorly understood. Our objective here was to investigate, with a modelling approach, the role of plant reproductive traits on biotic interactions, and the consequences for processes such as plant succession and invasion. The dynamics of two plant types were modelled with a spatially-explicit integrodifferential model: (1) a plant with seed dispersal (colonizer of bare soil) and (2) a plant with local vegetative propagation (local competitor). Both plant types were involved in facilitation due to a local positive feedback between vegetation biomass and soil water availability, which promoted establishment and growth. Plants in the system also competed for limited water. The efficiency in water acquisition (dependent on reproductive and growth plant traits) determined which plant type dominated the community at the steady state. Facilitative interactions between plant types also played an important role in the community dynamics, promoting establishment in the driest conditions and recovery from low biomass. Plants with vegetative propagation took advantage of the ability of seed dispersers to establish on bare soil from a low initial biomass. Seed dispersers were good invaders, maintained high biomass at intermediate and high rainfall and showed a high ability in taking profit from the positive feedback originated by plants with vegetative propagation under the driest conditions. However, seed dispersers lost competitiveness with an increasing investment in fecundity. All together, our results showed that reproductive plant traits can affect the balance between facilitative and competitive interactions. Understanding this effect of plant traits on biotic interactions provides insights in processes such as plant succession and shrub encroachment.     

What determines emergence and net recruitment in an early succession plant community? Disentangling biotic and abiotic effects

Question: How do different regeneration scenarios shape species composition at two stages of plant community establishment (emergence and net recruitment) in an early succession? Location: Northern Spain. Methods: In a recently ploughed field, we created eight regeneration scenarios with light, water and nitrogen availability (five replicates each). Seedlings of all species were monitored from emergence to death during one year. Abiotic and biotic variables were measured per quadrat, i.e. soil texture, nutrient contents, seed bank densities and composition, neighbour plant species densitiy and cover. We used partial ordination methods in order to separate the effect of each environmental variable on species composition during emergence and adult net recruitment. Results: Light treatment determined annual plant density at time of emergence and recruitment, while water addition controlled the recruitment of perennials. Resource levels explained the emerged species composition; this effect was not translated into the recruited species composition. N‐addition and N + water addition were strongly associated to species abundances at the time of emergence. Seedling composition in summer was correlated with seed abundance of Cerastium spp. Neighbour species density and cover (mainly Arrhenatherum bulbosum, Agropyron repens and Picris echioides) explained significant fractions of species composition in the emergence and recruitment of the different cohorts. Interactions between species seem to vary in intensity among cohorts and in the key plant species that determined species abundance along succession. Conclusions: Our scenarios exerted contrasting and multilevel effects on the development of our early succession community. Resource availability differently affected plant density and species composition at different life stages. It is relevant to consider different life stages in plant community studies. However, regeneration conditions and other abiotic factors are not enough to explain how community composition varies.     

干旱荒漠区人工植物群落演替模式及其生态学机制研究

以我国干旱荒漠区包兰铁路沙坡头地段人工植被防护林体系作为研究对象,研究了区域植被建立与发展过程中,优势植物种的种群动态和人工植物群落的演替模式,探讨了植物群落演替的内在动因和生态学机制．结果表明,该区人工植被经过40余年的演变,其植物种组成发生了很大的变化,已由原来的灌木、半灌木人工植物群落演变为一年生草本植物占优势的人工-天然荒漠植物群落．在此演替过程中,人工栽植的灌木种如柠条、花棒等的重要值不断减少,逐渐从人工植物群落中退出;而天然繁衍的一年生草本植物如小画眉草、雾冰藜、刺蓬、虎尾草等相继侵入,并逐渐成为该区的优势植物种;油蒿由于具有天然下种自行更新能力,在群落中始终占有重要地位．这种物种替代模式与该地区降水资源严重匮乏以及沙地表面结皮的增厚,致使沙子下层含水量降低。深根系的灌木及多年生草本的繁衍受到限制密不可分．     

内蒙古草原退化群落恢复演替的研究I. 退化草原的基本特征与恢复演替动力

 本项研究自1983年起在锡林河中游对放牧退化的冷蒿(Artemisia frigida)占优势的草原群落变型进行封育恢复实验与长期监测。每年在植物生长季以15天为间隔进行取样测定,即每年测定9期,每期做10或20个1m×1m的样方。测定项目包括：群落中各植物种群的地上现存生物量、密度、高度、花(果)枝数等。还采用改进的样方方差法监测植物种群空间分布格局的动态。并同时在保护良好的羊草+大针茅(Leymus chinensis+Stipa grandis)群落中进行测定取得完全对应的数据,作为对照系列。以上两种群落的土壤水分与养分动态的长期监测由本站土壤组承担。根据连续十二年监测数据的分析,对退化草原群落的性质与特征提出以下的认识,并对退化草原恢复演替的驱动因素进行厂探讨。1．草原退化演替阶段是与一定强度的放牧压力保持平衡而相对稳定的群落变形,退化阶段取决于牧压强度与持续的年代。2．当群落退化到冷蒿为主要优势种的阶段时,与原生群落的种类组成相比,只发生一定的数量消长变化,对群落的物种丰富度影响不大。3．退化群落植物种群空间格局的均匀性较高,随着恢复演替的进展,因一些种群斑块增大而使空间不均匀性增强。4．退化群落与其原生群落的种—生物量关系呈对数正态模式,其演替过渡阶段成为分割线段模式,也反映出群落资源分配格局与群落空间格局的关系。5．退化草原的显著特征是植被生产力下降,冷蒿群落的生物量下降到原生群落的30％～40％,家畜嗜食的植物种减少50％～70％总生产力不足原生群落的30％。6．退化群落在自然封育条件下能够迅速恢复的原因,可归结为植物在削除放牧干扰后的种群拓殖能力与群落资源(水分,矿质养分等)的剩余。群落资源条件是种群拓殖的物质基础,从而成为恢复演替的动力。     

Seed population dynamics on badland slopes in southeastern Spain

Abstract. The dynamics of seed population on slope surfaces were studied to test the hypothesis that the lack of vegetation on badlands is caused by seed removal by erosion. The initial soil seed bank and two years of seed rain and seed removal by erosion were estimated in two small catchments, and a seed balance was constructed. In addition, six rainfall simulation experiments were performed to test the susceptibility of seeds to be removed by overland flow. A variety of soil surface conditions, rainfall characteristics and plot sizes were used in these experiments. Soil seed bank densities are low, but enough for the development of plant cover. Seed losses due to erosion after natural rains were low (< 13 %), and in agreement with seed losses from simulated rainfall experiments. After two years, seed inputs in the seed rain were greater than seed outputs through seed removal, which resulted in a continuous increase in the numbers of seeds in the soil bank. These results point out that seed removal by erosion is not the key factor explaining the lack of vegetation on badlands. It is suggested that other factors, such as those related to seed germination and seedling survival, may play an important role.     

Does aboveground vegetation composition resemble soil seed bank during succession in specialized vegetation on gypsum soil?

This paper evaluates the aboveground vegetation in relation to the soil seed bank throughout a 60-year succession process following agricultural abandonment in a semi-arid Mediterranean gypsum habitat. There is little information regarding the relationship between these two community components in the context of succession on semi-arid gypsum soils. Aboveground vegetation and the corresponding seed bank of gypsum plant communities were sampled through a chronosequence of 24 abandoned fields. Generalized linear models were used to model seed species richness and density, redundancy analyses to model the effect of time since abandonment and the effect of soil physicochemical parameters on seed bank species composition, and Mantel tests to analyze resemblance between above- and belowground species composition. In this last case, the effect of time since abandonment was controlled using a partial Mantel test. Mantel correlograms using time intervals instead of distances were used to describe the resemblance of above- to belowground species occurrence in different aged fields. No significant variability in seed species richness, seed density, or species composition due to time since abandonment was found. Differences in seed species composition were mainly due to small spatial scale predictors such as slope and soil calcium content. High correlations between species composition in the soil seed bank and the aboveground vegetation were detected during succession. The lack of a significant trend in aboveground species replacement over time was also reflected in seed bank composition. We concluded that the rapid establishment of strict gypsophyte species relied mainly on the long-term persistence of these species in the seed bank.     

Comparison of floristic changes on vegetation affected by different levels of soil erosion in Miocene clays and Eocene marls from Northeast Spain

Increased soil erosion on Eocene marls from N Aragón (NE Spain) tends to reduce vegetation cover and plant species number, but little is known about its effect in the neighbouring Miocene clays. In this study, the vegetation of strongly eroded areas on Miocene clays was analysed in terms of erosion intensity and compared with Eocene marls. Relevés were carried out on uniform patches of vegetation affected by different levels of erosion. The degeneration of vegetation cover explained 34% of the variation in species number as opposed to 48% in marls, and a clear pattern of species replacement through the destruction of the vegetation cover was not observed. Approximately 25% of the species decreased significantly and 4% increased, as opposed to 47% and 0% in marls, respectively. Erosion on marls may be more severe (more disturbance) and less stressing for vegetation (more water availability) than on clays. The few species that colonized intermediate degeneration stages and highly eroded sites were more common in non-eroded areas in drier bioclimatic belts. Thus, the degeneration of vegetation by soil erosion favoured the establishment of xeric species. The ecological range of erosion-resistant species was not wider than non-resistant species. Overall, increased soil erosion selected for different plant species in marls than in clays.     

Establishment and reproduction of Aeschynomene virginica (L.) (Fabaceae) a rare,annual, wetland species in relation to vegetation removal and water level

Aeschynomene virginica is a rare annual plant found in freshwater tidal wetlands of the eastern United States. We hypothesized that standing vegetation and water inundation were two important environmental factors in its population dynamics. To test these hypotheses, we sowed seeds into plots with undisturbed vegetation or plots with all aboveground vegetation removed in 1998 and 1999. Presence/absence of seedlings was noted and seedling survival to reproduction, final size, and seed set were measured throughout both growing seasons. Seedling establishment from germination to the first true leaf stage increased with decreasing water depth. Vegetation removal plots had greater seedling establishment, higher seedling survival, and higher seed set per plant than non-removal plots. In a greenhouse study designed to test the effects of water level on seed germination and seedling establishment, no seedlings established in submerged soils, and seed germination and seedling establishment were lower in waterlogged soil than in wet soil. Physical stress associated with deeper water likely limits the distribution of A. virginica to higher elevations, where seeds that colonize patches with low vegetative cover are more likely to produce reproductive adults that produce more seeds relative to patches with established vegetation. A. virginica appears to be a fugitive species specializing on open habitat patches in tidal wetlands. This species may be dependent on disturbances for population establishment and maintenance.     

Vegetation Re‐development After Fen Meadow Restoration by Topsoil Removal and Hay Transfer

We investigated the effects of different restoration treatments on the development of fen meadow communities: (1) depth of topsoil removal, with shallow (circa 20 cm) and deep (circa 40 cm) soil removal applied, (2) transfer of seed‐containing hay, and (3) access of large animals. We carried out a full factorial experiment with all combinations of these factors and monitored it for 4 years. We studied the effect of seed availability in the soil seed bank on species abundance in the vegetation and compared it to the effect of species introduction by hay. We observed large differences in species composition between different treatments after 4 years. The combination of hay transfer, deep soil removal, and exclusion of large animals resulted in a community with highest similarity to the target vegetation. We found that the transfer of seeds with hay had a larger effect on species abundance than the soil seed bank. Hay transfer appeared to have important consequences on vegetation development because it speeded up the establishment of the target vegetation.     

Temporal vegetation dynamics and recolonization mechanisms on different-sized soil disturbances in tallgrass prairie

Assessing the various mechanisms by which plants revegetate disturbances is important for understanding the effects of disturbances on plant population dynamics, plant community structure, community assembly processes, and ecosystem function. We initiated a 2-yr experiment examining temporal vegetation dynamics and mechanisms of recolonization on different-sized soil disturbances created to simulate pocket gopher mounds in North American tallgrass prairie. Treatments were designed to assess potential contributions of the seed rain, soil seed bank, clonal propagation from the edges of a soil mound, and regrowth of buried plants. Small mounds were more rapidly recolonized than large mounds. Vegetative regrowth strategies were the dominant recolonization mechanisms, while the seed rain was considerably less important in maintaining the diversity of forbs and annuals than previously believed. All recolonization mechanisms influenced plant succession, but stem densities and plant mass on soil mounds remained significantly lower than undisturbed controls after two growing seasons. Because natural pocket gopher mounds are indistinguishable from undisturbed areas after two seasons, these results suggest that multiple modes of recruitment concurrently, albeit differentially, contribute to the recolonization of soil disturbances and influence tallgrass prairie plant community structure and successional dynamics.     

种子重量的生态学研究进展

作为植物生活史中的一个关键性特征,种子重量与其它许多植物性状和生态因子有关,种子重量的分异与其它一些植物性状及环境的变化关系在进化生物学上已经成为一个非常有意义的研究内容,且具有一定的实践意义。种子重量被发现与下列的一些植物学和群落学性状有关:植物的生活型、种子的散布能力、种子的散布方式、植物的高度、植物的冠幅、植物的比叶面积、植物的寿命、动物的捕食、植被中植物的数量或多度、土壤中种子的数量或多度、种子的休眠、种子在土壤中的持久性和植物的净初级生产力等,另外生态因子如降雨、温度、坡向、海拔、经度、纬度、光强和干扰等都影响种子的重量。种子的重量被认为是在大量小种子和少量大种子之间的进化折衷,在一定的能量限度内,较大重量的种子一般具有较少的数量,而较小重量的种子一般数量较多,这是种子重量和数量方面具有的一种反向关系。与其它性状相比,很多研究都表明种子重量和植物的生活型的关系密切。没有散布结构或风散布的种子比以动物和水作为散布媒介的种子重量要小。种子重量与捕食的关系现发现有3种格局。种子重量和形状与种子在土壤中的持久性的关系有4种格局。在干旱和阴暗的环境条件下,种子有变大的趋势。大重量种子比小种子赋予幼苗较优势的竞争地位,其原理尚有争论,尚不清楚是否是幼苗阶段的竞争决定了世界上大部分植被类型的物种组成。未来的研究方向主要有以下几个方面:1) 种子重量与植物系统学相结合,探索种子重量的变化规律;2)调查群落三向(纬度、经度和海拔)性的种子重量谱变化规律;3) 群落演替与群落种子重量谱的变化;4) 种子重量与群落中植物个体和种子的数量的关系及机理研究;5) 微生境、微地形如坡向、坡位和林间隙等对种子重量的影响;6) 全球气候变化和种子重量变化的关系。     

Relationships between seed banks and spatial heterogeneity of North American alvar vegetation

Abstract. This is the first quantitative study of seed bank characteristics in North American alvar habitats. We assessed seed bank density, species richness, and species composition in 75 plots distributed among five alvar sites in Bruce Peninsula National Park, Ontario, Canada, each of which displayed areas of high and low vegetation cover within the alvar and a fully forested perimeter area. Forested habitats immediately adjacent to alvar patches contained minimal seed banks for species restricted to the alvar patches. Open alvars contained less than 1% seeds from woody forest species. This suggests that forest is not invading adjacent alvar habitat via seeds and that adjacent forest does not contain a reservoir of alvar seeds. When compared to areas on the alvar with high vascular plant cover, areas with low cover contained a slightly smaller viable seed bank, but seed banks from high and low vegetation cover plots had similar species composition and species richness. High vegetation cover plots had slightly higher mean and maximum soil depths compared with low cover plots, but no differences in other physical and chemical parameters. Thus, spatial heterogeneity in plant cover is associated only weakly with heterogeneity in below‐ground factors. Despite the availability of seed and soil resources, vegetation dynamics are constrained in areas with low plant cover, and thus alvar community development seems to respond non‐linearly to resource availability.