Pollination efficiency of wild bees and hoverflies provided to oilseed rape

• 1 Declining numbers in honeybees and various wild bee species pose a threat to global pollination services. The identification and quantification of the pollination service provided by different taxa within the pollinator guild is a prerequisite for the successful establishment of nature conservation and crop management regimes.
• 2 Wild bees and hoverflies are considered to be valuable pollinators in agricultural and natural systems. Although some information on pollination efficiency of individual pollinator species is available, comparative studies of both taxa at different densities are rare. In the present study, the efficiency of the solitary mason bee Osmia rufa and two hoverfly species (Eristalis tenax and Episyrphus balteatus) as pollinators of oilseed rape Brassica napus was examined in a standardized caged plant breeding regime. Honeybee Apis mellifera colonies were used as a reference pollinator taxon.
• 3 Yield parameters responded differently to pollinator density and identity. Fruit set and number of seeds per pod increased with increasing pollinator density, although these were stronger in the mason bee than the hoverfly treatment. Weight per 1000 seeds did not respond to any pollinator treatment, indicating that seed quality was not affected. Oilseed rape yield in the highest tested densities of both pollinator taxa resulted in yield values close to the efficiency of small honeybee colonies.
• 4 Hoverflies required approximately five‐fold densities of the red mason bees to reach a similar fruit set and yield. Thus, mason bees are more efficient in plant breeding and managed pollination systems. Both natural pollinator taxa, however, are of potential value in open and closed crop production systems.

     

Drivers of Collembola assemblages along an altitudinal gradient in northeast China

Altitudinal changes in the diversity of plants and animals have been well documented; however, soil animals received little attention in this context and it is unclear whether their diversity follows general altitudinal distribution patterns. Changbai Mountain is one of few well‐conserved mountain regions comprising natural ecosystems on the Eurasian continent. Here, we present a comprehensive analysis of the diversity and community composition of Collembola along ten altitudinal sites representing five vegetation types from forest to alpine tundra. Among 7834 Collembola individuals, 84 morphospecies were identified. Species richness varied marginally significant with altitude and generally followed a unimodal relationship with altitude. By contrast, the density of Collembola did not change in a consistent way with altitude. Collembola communities changed gradually with altitude, with local habitat‐related factors (soil and litter carbon‐to‐nitrogen ratio, litter carbon content, and soil pH) and climatic variables (precipitation seasonality) identified as major drivers of changes in Collembola community composition. Notably, local habitat‐related factors explained more variation in Collembola assemblages than climatic variables. The results suggest that local habitat‐related factors including precipitation and temperature are the main drivers of changes in Collembola communities with altitude. Specifically, soil and litter carbon‐to‐nitrogen ratio correlated positively with Collembola communities at high altitudes, whereas soil pH correlated positively at low altitudes. This documents that altitudinal gradients provide unique opportunities for identifying factors driving the community composition of not only above‐ but also belowground invertebrates.     

雅鲁藏布江上游高寒草甸地上生物量与多样性沿海拔梯度的变化特征

【目的】雅鲁藏布江是青藏高原最重要的河流,研究雅鲁藏布江的地上生物量和物种多样性对了解该区域的草地资源和生态保护具有重要意义。【方法】文章根据海拔梯度对雅鲁藏布江上游高寒草甸植被特征进行调查,研究不同海拔梯度下地上生物量和物种多样性的分布差异、地上生物量与物种多样性之间的关系,以及相关环境因子对地上生物量和物种多样性的影响。【结果】(1)海拔与地上生物量无显著关系;(2)海拔与多样性指数呈显著负相关关系,随海拔升高Shannon-Weiner指数、Patrick指数表现为下降趋势;(3)地上生物量与多样性之间表现为负相关关系,Shannon-Weiner指数对地上生物量的解释达到70%(P＜0.01);(4)物种多样性与温度和降水呈显著正相关关系(P＜0.05),物种多样性与海拔呈负相关关系(P＜0.05),地上生物量与海拔、温度和降水无显著关系(P＞0.05)。【结论】该研究结果有助于为雅鲁藏布江上游流域草地资源的合理利用和物种多样性保护提供依据。     

亚高山草地土壤原生生物群落结构和多样性海拔分布格局

生物多样性分布格局与维持机制即群落构建机制,是群落生态学研究的热点领域。微生物生态学中的一个关键问题是量化确定性过程和随机过程对微生物群落构建的相对贡献。尽管原生生物是土壤微生物群落中重要的组成部分,在微生物食物链中扮演着关键角色,但与细菌和真菌相比,目前对原生生物群落构建机制知之甚少。运用Illumina Miseq高通量测序技术,分析了五台山亚高山草地生态系统（海拔2000-3061 m范围内）土壤原生生物群落组成和多样性维持机制。结果表明,四个海拔梯度的土壤共获得有效序列520673条,分属于8个超群、24个门、65个纲、125个目、222个科和350个属。门水平上,丝足虫门（Cercozoa）、褐藻门（Ochrophyta）、纤毛门（Ciliophora）和顶复门（Apicomplexa）为主要优势类群。LEfSe分析显示,17个生物标志物对海拔梯度非常敏感,不同海拔梯度富集了不同的原生生物种群。尽管海拔对土壤原生生物群落的α多样性没有显著影响,但非度量多维尺度分析（NMDS）和相似性分析（ANOSIM）结果表明,原生生物群落组成和结构在海拔梯度上存在显著的差异（P<0.05）。冗余分析（RDA）显示海拔、土壤含水量、总氮和植物丰富度指数与原生生物群落结构存在显著相关性（P<0.05）。方差分解分析（VPA）和偏Mantel分析表明环境因子和空间变量对原生生物群落海拔分布格局均有显著影响,但是环境因子的相对作用（7.9%）明显大于空间变量（1.8%）。土壤原生生物群落之间的Bray-Curtis距离与海拔距离呈显著正相关关系（P<0.05）,说明选择过程可能是亚高山草地土壤原生生物群落分布格局的主要驱动因素。零模型分析进一步证实了确定性过程在原生生物群落构建中的相对作用大于随机过程。总之,五台山亚高山草地土壤原生生物群落组成和结构沿海拔梯度具有显著的变化格局,群落构建主要由确定性过程和随机过程驱动,但确定性过程占主导地位。     

Relationships between wild bees,hoverflies and pollination success in apple orchards with different landscape contexts

相似文献   

藏东南森林土壤微生物群落结构与土壤酶活性随海拔梯度的变化

【目的】针对青藏高原藏东南地区色季拉山不同海拔森林土壤,探讨微生物群落与土壤酶活性之间的联系以及受控因子。【方法】利用微生物细胞膜磷脂(PLFA)方法研究土壤微生物群落结构随海拔变化情况,分析土壤葡萄糖苷酶、酚氧化酶、蛋白酶、L-天冬酰胺酶、脲酶和酸性磷酸酶活性以及土壤理化性质随海拔的变化趋势。【结果】土壤理化性质和生化指标随海拔增高没有显著变化,如水分含量、有机碳、全氮、碳氮比、pH、无机氮和硝态氮,土壤葡萄糖苷酶、酚氧化酶、蛋白酶、L-天冬酰胺酶和酸性磷酸酶活性等;然而,微生物丰度呈现中峰优势分布规律,细菌、真菌、革兰氏阳性菌、革兰氏阴性菌和放线菌含量在海拔3 900 m和4 000 m处生物量显著高于低海拔和更高海拔。皮尔森相关性分析表明土壤pH是影响微生物群落结构的主要因子,但海拔梯度上的温度变化与微生物群落结构和酶活性不存在显著相关性;同时,有机碳、全氮、水溶性有机碳和水溶性有机氮和pH等理化指标与土壤酶活性显著相关。【结论】在藏东南色季拉山森林生态系统,海拔梯度对土壤微生物群落结构影响较大,土壤理化指标与生物特征对海拔梯度的响应较弱。     

Trophic network of aquatic macroinvertebrates along an altitudinal gradient in a Neotropical mountain river

Studies of trophic networks and the evaluation of processes that occur along altitudinal gradients in river systems are of great importance because they allow an understanding of energy flow dynamics and provide scientific tools for the planning and management of river ecosystems. This research describes the trophic network of aquatic macroinvertebrates along an altitudinal gradient of the Gaira River, a mountain Neotropical watercourse located in the Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta in northern Colombia. The organisms were collected in the upper, middle and lower reaches of the river during the rainy and dry seasons (between 2010 and 2013). Trophic relationships were evaluated through gut content analysis. The contents were determined and quantified using photographs and expert review, and a binary consumption matrix was used to determine the characteristics of the trophic network. We characterized the diet composition at each site for each season using discriminant analysis. Trophic networks during the dry seasons showed higher trophic species richness and linkage density, and the predominance of coarse particulate organic matter (CPOM) and fine particulate organic matter (FPOM) in the high and medium sections of the river. During the dry seasons the diets had a lower number of basal species, but in the low river section there was a high percentage of fungi and microalgae. During the rainy seasons, no patterns were observed for the percentage of resources. Results indicated a direct relation between periods of hydrologic stability and an increase of CPOM during dry seasons and an increase of resource diversity consumed by macroinvertebrates at all sites during the rainy season, showing that changes in trophic networks of the Gaira River were more important during seasonal periods than along the altitudinal gradient.     

Beta diversity of aquatic invertebrates increases along an altitudinal gradient in a Neotropical mountain

Mountains harbor rich biodiversity and high levels of endemism, particularly due to changes in environmental conditions over short spatial distances, which affects species distribution and composition. Studies on mountain ecosystems are increasingly needed, as mountains are highly threatened despite providing ecosystem services, such as water supply for half of the human population. We aimed to understand the patterns and drivers of alpha and beta diversities of aquatic invertebrates in headwater streams along an altitudinal gradient in the second largest South American mountain range, the Espinhaço mountains. Headwater streams were selected at each 100 m of elevation along an altitudinal gradient ranging from 800 to 1400 m asl, where three substrate types per stream were sampled: leaf litter, gravel, and cobbles. Environmental variables were sampled to represent local riparian canopy cover, instream physical habitat, water quality, climatic data, and land use. Generalized linear models and mixed models were used to test relationships between altitude and the richness and abundance of invertebrates and to assess the influence of environmental variables on the same metrics. Patterns of spatial variation in aquatic invertebrate assemblages along the altitudinal gradient were assessed using multiplicative beta diversity partitioning. The richness and abundance of aquatic invertebrates decreased with increasing altitude, whereas beta diversity increased with increasing altitude. Significant differences in assemblage composition and in relative abundance of invertebrates were observed for both substrates and altitude. We thus show that the high regional beta diversity in aquatic ecosystems in the studied site is due to the high turnover among areas. Abstract in Portuguese is available with online material.     

基于城市化梯度的中国西南地区生态系统服务权衡与协同

通过构建生态系统服务量化模型与权衡协同模型,刻画中国西南地区关键生态系统服务的时空演变过程,并结合空间静态和时间动态尺度定量测度生态系统服务之间的相互关系,进一步探究西南地区不同城市化梯度下生态系统服务之间权衡协同作用的异质特征,揭示城市化梯度下生态系统服务权衡的形成机制。研究结果表明：①近20年西南地区耕地和草地面积显著减少,建设用地和水域面积分别增长了141.19%和34.6%,其中贵州省城市扩展特征突出,四川省耕地减少最为明显。研究区生境质量指数和产水量呈下降趋势,土壤保持、粮食生产和碳储存三种生态系统服务有所增加;②动态视角下研究区61%的面积土壤保持服务和产水量服务存在权衡关系,碳储存和另外四种生态系统服务之间有着大面积（>70%）的不显著关系;③静态视角下,不同的城市化梯度区生态系统服务呈现显著的异质特征。非城市化地区与整个研究区情况类似,但土壤保持和碳储存之间的相关性逐渐减弱。城市化快速地区生态系统服务之间的权衡协同关系最为显著,特别是碳储存和生境质量的相关性最高（R²=0.541）,以往城市化地区生态系统服务的相互作用强度弱于其他两类区域,但两两生态系统服务之间均呈现正相关;④城市建设用地的快速扩张导致生态系统服务下降,尤其是对生境质量具有显著的负面效应,城市化快速地区生态服务之间的相互作用表现得更为剧烈。林地面积大幅增加使得土壤保持服务有所增加,在山区表现尤为明显,而城市化能够引起碳储存和生境质量强烈的协同下降。     

Faunal makeup of wild bees and their flower utilization in a semi-urbanized area in central Japan

The species composition of wild bees and their flower utilization patterns were surveyed from April to November in 1996 in a semi‐urbanized area adjacent to Sugao Marsh, Ibaraki, central Japan. A total of 750 individuals belonging to 43 species in six families were collected. The most dominant family was Halictidae, for which 13 species and 251 individuals were collected. The most dominant species was Colletes patellatus (120 individuals) of the Colletidae. The results at Sugao were compared with those obtained from three other areas of Ibaraki Prefecture, which have similar climatic conditions, yet have different environmental characteristics in terms of human impact. The four sites in Ibaraki can be classified into two groups: the first comprising Sugao and Mito in cultivated and/or human‐dwelling areas, and the second comprising Yamizo and Gozen’yama, in forest areas with more natural elements. The number of species at Sugao was the smallest among the four study sites. On the other hand, the values for species evenness at Sugao were the second‐highest of the four study sites. These findings show that the different characteristics of different bee communities reflect their local environmental conditions, including their floral compositions. The bees visited 36 flower species in 20 families, and 70.7% of all individuals studied visited Compositae flowers. The heavy utilization of composite flowers is possibly because of the existence of a simplified flora consisting of a few dominant composite plant species. Among these plants, Solidago altissima and Lactuca indica made large contributions to supporting autumn bees, especially Colletes patellatus and Colletes perforator, which are solitary and oligolectic on Compositae.     

Shifts in chemical and microbiological properties belowground of invader Ageratina adenophora along an altitudinal gradient

入侵植物紫茎泽兰根围土壤化学及微生物属性海拔变化格局 热带地区山地生态系统是外来植物入侵的重要区域,是研究外来植物扩散机制的“天然实验室”。本研究试图探明入侵植物紫茎泽兰(Ageratina adenophora)根围土壤化学(pH及土壤养分)和微生物(酶活性和细菌群落)特性沿海拔梯度的变化规律。本研究以哀牢山(1400–2400 m)不同海拔梯度分布的紫茎泽兰为研究对象,采集根围土,测定土壤有机碳及养分含量,以及植物根系碳和氮含量。分析与土壤有机碳、氮及磷循环的酶活性,通过计算土壤酶化学计量参数,探究微生物生长代谢利用碳、氮及磷的规律。借助高通量测序技术对16S rDNA的V4区测序,分析细菌群落结构。研究结果显示,海拔显著影响紫茎泽兰根系氮及及其根围土壤有机碳含量,且这些测量指标在海拔2000 m  出现拐点。处在低海拔,入侵植物快速生长耗竭土壤中相对缺乏的磷,磷素是限制微生物生长的重要养分元素;而在高海拔,微生物需要投入更多的能量降解有机质获取碳,导致微生物生长的碳限制。细菌群落β多样性及pH  是决定不同海拔酶化学计量参数差异的重要因子;变形菌门和酸杆菌门是决定微生物养分利用状况的主要细菌门类。这些结果阐明了不同海拔梯度上紫茎泽兰根围土壤微生物的养分利用规律,有助于认识入侵植物沿海拔扩散机制。     

青藏高原高寒草甸物种多样性的海拔梯度分布格局及对地上生物量的影响

植物物种多样性在海拔梯度上的变化规律以及物种多样性与生产力的关系是生态学研究的热点, 至今还没有得出一般性规律。本文以青海省海南藏族自治州贵德县的拉脊山(36°21′ N, 101°27′ E, 海拔3,389-3,876 m)和果洛藏族自治州的玛沁县军牧场山体(34°22′ N, 100°30′ E, 海拔4,121-4,268 m)为研究对象, 对植物高度、盖度、地上生物量和物种多样性随海拔高度的变化进行调查和统计分析, 以探讨青藏高原高寒草甸的物种多样性和地上生物量在海拔梯度上的变化规律及两者的关系。结果表明: (1)两条山体样带上地上生物量与物种多样性随海拔的变化规律一致: 随着海拔的升高, 地上生物量线性降低; Shannon-Wiener指数、Simpson指数和物种丰富度都呈单峰曲线, 在中间海拔最大, 而Pielou指数随海拔的升高线性增加。结合目前针对青藏高原高寒草甸的研究数据, 发现物种丰富度随海拔高度的变化均呈单峰曲线, 说明随着海拔的升高物种多样性先升高后降低可能是青藏高原物种多样性分布的普遍规律。(2)地上生物量与物种多样性的关系在两条山体样带上表现一致: 地上生物量随Shannon- Wiener指数、Simpson指数和Pielou指数的升高而线性降低, 但与物种丰富度不相关。综合两条山体样带所有样方数据, 发现地上生物量与Shannon-Wiener指数、Simpson指数不相关, 而随物种丰富度的升高线性增加。结合目前在青藏高原的相关研究数据, 发现地上生物量与物种丰富度呈S型曲线(logistic model)。     

新疆喀纳斯树种丰富度垂直格局特征

采用样带调查法,通过直接梯度、变异函数和分形函数分析,对新疆喀纳斯旅游区内设置的3条样带的树种比例及树种丰富度沿海拔梯度的变异特征进行了研究。结果表明：直接梯度刻画的不同树种所占比例在海拔梯度上的变化趋势各异;树种丰富度在整个调查尺度范围内随海拔的升高呈现明显的下降态势（P＜0.01）;半方差分析揭示：树种丰富度在中小尺度范围内的空间异质性主要由空间自相关引起的变异组成;分维分析反映出树种丰富度的分形维数偏大,且在中小尺度范围内无拐点,说明树种丰富度受随机生态学过程的影响在相应尺度范围内具有很强的空间异质性。     

Plant species richness and diversity along an altitudinal gradient in the Sierra Nevada, Mexico

This article presents an analysis of plant species richness and diversity and its association with climatic and soil variables along a 1300‐m elevation gradient on the Cerro Tláloc Mountain in the northern Sierra Nevada in Mexico. Two 1000‐m² tree sampling plots were created at each of 21 selected sampling sites, as well as two 250‐m² plots for shrubs and six 9‐m² plots for herbaceous plants. Species richness and diversity were estimated for each plant life form, and beta diversity between sites was estimated along the gradient. The relationship between species richness and diversity and environmental variables was modelled using simple linear correlation and regression trees. Species richness and diversity showed a unimodal pattern with a bias towards high values in the lower half of the elevation gradient under study. This response was consistent for all three life forms. Beta diversity increased steadily along the elevation gradient, being lower between contiguous sites at intermediate elevations and high – the species replacement rate was nearly 100%– between sites at the extremes of the gradient. Few species were adapted to the full spectrum of environmental variation along the elevation gradient studied. The regression tree suggests that differences in species richness are mainly influenced by elevation (temperature and humidity) and soil variables, namely A₂ permanent wilting point, organic matter and horizon field capacity and A₁ horizon Mg²⁺.     

Climatic correlates of phylogenetic relatedness of woody angiosperms in forest communities along a tropical elevational gradient in South America

Aims This study assesses the relationship between phylogenetic relatedness of angiosperm tree species and climatic variables in local forests distributed along a tropical elevational gradient in South America. In particular, this paper addresses two questions: Is phylogenetic relatedness of plant species in communities related to temperature variables more strongly than to water variables for tropical elevational gradients? Is phylogenetic relatedness of plant species in communities driven by extreme climatic conditions (e.g. minimum temperature (MT) and water deficit) more strongly than by climatic seasonal variability (e.g. temperature seasonality and precipitation seasonality)?Methods I used a set of 34 angiosperm woody plant assemblages along an elevational gradient in the Andes within less than 5 degrees of the equator. Phylogenetic relatedness was quantified as net relatedness index (NRI) and nearest taxon index (NTI) and was related to major climatic variables. Correlation analysis and structure equation modeling approach were used to assess the relationships between phylogenetic relatedness and climatic variables.Important findings Phylogenetic relatedness of angiosperm woody species in the local forest communities is more strongly associated with temperature-related variables than with water-related variables, is positively correlated with mean annual temperature (MAT) and MT, and is related with extreme cold temperature more strongly than with seasonal temperature variability. NTI was related with elevation, MAT and MT more strongly than was NRI. Niche convergence, rather than niche conservatism, has played a primary role in driving community assembly in local forests along the tropical elevational gradient examined. Negative correlations of phylogenetic relatedness with elevation and higher correlations of phylogenetic relatedness with elevation and temperature for NTI than for NRI indicate that evolution of cold tolerance at high elevations in tropical regions primarily occurred at recent (terminal) phylogenetic nodes widely distributed among major clades.     

Changes in plant biomass and species composition of alpine Kobresia meadows along altitudinal gradient on the Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau

Alpine Kobresia meadows are major vegetation types on the Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau. There is growing concern over their relationships among biodiversity, productivity and environments. Despite the im-portance of species composition, species richness, the type of different growth forms, and plant bio-mass structure for Kobresia meadow ecosystems, few studies have been focused on the relationship between biomass and environmental gradient in the Kobresia meadow plant communities, particularly in relation to soil moisture and edaphic gradients. We measured the plant species composition, her-baceous litter, aboveground and belowground biomass in three Kobresia meadow plant communities in Haibei Alpine Meadow Ecosystem Research Station from 2001 to 2004. Community differences in plant species composition were reflected in biomass distribution. The total biomass showed a de-crease from 13196.96±719.69 g/m2 in the sedge-dominated K. tibetica swamp to 2869.58±147.52 g/m2 in the forb and sedge dominated K. pygmaea meadow, and to 2153.08±141.95 g/m2 in the forbs and grasses dominated K. humilis along with the increase of altitude. The vertical distribution of below-ground biomass is distinct in the three meadow communities, and the belowground biomass at the depth of 0-10 cm in K. tibetica swamp meadow was significantly higher than that in K. humilis and K. pygmaea meadows (P<0.01). The herbaceous litter in K. tibetica swamp was significantly higher than those in K. pygnaeca and K. humilis meadows. The effects of plant litter are enhanced when ground water and soil moisture levels are raised. The relative importance of litter and vegetation may vary with soil water availability. In the K. tibetica swamp, total biomass was negatively correlated to species richness (P<0.05); aboveground biomass was positively correlated to soil organic matter, soil moisture, and plant cover (P<0.05); belowground biomass was positively correlated with soil moisture (P<0.05). However, in the K. pygnaeca and K. humilis meadow communities, aboveground biomass was posi-tively correlated to soil organic matter and soil total nitrogen (P<0.05). This suggests that the distribu-tion of biomass coincided with soil moisture and edaphic gradient in alpine meadows.