Germination in Baltic coastal wetland meadows: similarities and differences between vegetation and seed bank

The abundance and variety of seedlings in Baltic coastal grasslands was studied in cattle grazed and ungrazed areas in seashore and delta on the western coast of Finland. The vegetation, seed bank and environmental conditions of the same sites were also studied. Altogether 4609 seedlings were observed in 79 field plots (20 cm× 20 cm) making an average of 1458.54 seedlings/m². The majority of the seedlings were dicots (67.5%) and perennials (96.8%). Altogether 44 species and an average of 4.14 species per plot were identified as seedlings. The most abundant taxon, Carex formed 23.2% of all the seedlings observed in the field. In the delta the seedling density was two times that found at the seashore. Also, the numbers of species of seedlings per plot were significantly higher in the delta than in the seashore, but in total, more species germinated from the seashore than from the delta even though the number of plots was higher in the delta (n = 51) than in the seashore (n = 28). The numbers of species and seedlings per plot were smaller in grazed sites than in ungrazed ones similar to the pattern earlier reported concerning the mature vegetation and seed bank. The mean numbers of seedlings were the highest at lower geolittoral plots (about 20 cm elevation), where the seed bank was also densest. About 60.0% of the mature species in the plots were also detected as seedlings and 91.4% of the seedling species were found in the mature vegetation of the plots. The number of seedlings was positively correlated with the cover of mature vegetation giving support to the nurse effect theory. Seedling numbers were negatively correlated with the abundance of litter indicating that litter restricts germination because it is a mechanical barrier but also decreases the amount of light. The number of seedlings and species, both in total and per unit area, were greater in the seed bank than in the field seedling population. The seedling population was more similar to the mature vegetation than to the seed bank. This revised version was published online in August 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

Degradation stages of the oak forests in the area of Algiers

Long lasting human impact on the natural Mediterranean vegetation is the reason for its degradation. Uncontrolled felling of trees, fire and overgrazing are the most important ecological causes of this process.Geobotanical investigations made in the area of Algiers facilitated the characterization of degradation changes in the structure of vegetation and in the floristic composition in all the degradation stages.Under the influence of the degradation factors, mentioned above, the oak forests, growing on different, more or less calcareous substrates, are transformed into various shrub formations, mainly into many types of maquis and garrigue. The floristic composition of these communities is given in Table 2.Further degradation leads to widespread Cistus-formations and then to palmitto, a formation created by the dwarf palm (Chamaerops humilis).When the anthropopressure becomes stronger even this dwarf palm retreats. Loose swards, replacing the palmitto formation, often cannot stop the subsequent degradation. Bare rock is the extreme, relatively rare stage of forest degradation in this area.The most common form of natural regeneration is the invasion of Pinus halepensis, observed in all degradation stages identified. This pine is also one of trees, most commonly planted on mountain slopes to prevent their erosion.     

The role of geologic grazing refuges in structuring Mediterranean grassland plant communities

We tested the hypothesis that small rock-enclosed geologic refuges have an important role in maintaining grazing-sensitive species in grassland with a long history of intense grazing. The study was carried out in Mediterranean grassland in a basalt landscape in northern Israel. Community composition was compared in 63 sites between samples of 1 m² quadrats in two microhabitats: (1) rock-enclosed, presumed “refuges” and (2) rock-adjacent, “near refuges” but just outside them, accessible to cattle grazing. Median refuge area was 2.75 m², median rock height and diameter around refuges were 1.10 m and 1.50 m. Median height of residual dry herbage was 1.41 m in refuges, compared to 0.38 m outside, indicating the difference in grazing intensity. Species richness at three scales (quadrat, site, all sites) was significantly greater in the near-refuge than in the refuge habitat. In the latter, many annuals were excluded by dominance of tall perennials. Twelve species (of 103) had significantly higher cover in refuges, including tall perennial grasses, tall annuals, climbers, and a shrub. A total of 53 species with a strong significant negative response to refuges were mostly small and medium height annuals. The intermediate group of 38 species with weak or non-significant responses to refuges included, among others, dominant tall grasses that were abundant both in refuges and just outside them. The latter, as well as most refuge-positive species had shown a positive response to protection in exclosures. The results support the hypothesis that small rock-enclosed habitats—more so than artificial exclosures—are effective grazing refuges for rare, grazing-susceptible species. The contribution of refuges to species richness at the landscape scale is much greater than their proportion of the area. Dispersion from refuges maintains small populations of rare species near refuges and can initiate expansion into the landscape when grazing pressure is lowered.     

Threatened Alvar Grasslands in NW Russia and their Relationship to Alvars in Estonia

Alvar grasslands are thin-soil calcareous grasslands on Silurian and Ordovician limestone bedrock. They are considered unique plant communities for northern Europe and America with a high conservation value. Until now, European alvar grasslands have only been described in Sweden and Estonia. We described species-rich alvar grasslands on the Izhora plateau, NW Russia and compared this vegetation with that of Estonian alvar grasslands. Floristic composition and environmental conditions of Russian alvars were similar to Estonian alvar grasslands on thicker dry soil. Russian alvars are isolated from similar communities in Estonia, but extensive transport of domestic animals from Estonia to NW Russia in past centuries has probably enhanced species dispersal. Some characteristic Estonian alvar species were missing in NW Russia because it lies outside their natural ranges. Other differences in vegetation were explained by higher atmospheric nitrogen deposition and younger age of Russian sites. In NW Russia the alvar grasslands were small, but several red-listed plant species were present. In order to preserve European alvar vegetation effectively, Russian alvar grasslands need further study and conservation as an outpost of this threatened vegetation type.     

Vegetation patterns,regeneration rates and divergence in an old-field succession of the high tropical Andes

Vegetation restoration during old-field succession was studied in an alpine Andean ecosystem (paramo). 123 plots with different fallow times (1 to 12 years) and 8 plots under natural vegetation were sampled. The results indicate that secondary succession in the paramo, like in other extreme environments, can be interpreted as an autosuccession: there are mainly changes in species relative abundance and little floristic relay (i.e. species turnover). Only a few herbaceous species, mostly introduced (e.g. Rumex acetosella), act as strict pioneers and strongly dominate the early stages. Then, they undergo a progressive decline, while native forbs (e.g. Lupinus meridanus) and grasses (e.g. Vulpia myuros) have their peak abundance in intermediate stages. The characteristic paramo life forms, sclerophilous shrubs (e.g. Baccharis prunifolia, Hypericum laricifolium) and giant rosettes (e.g. Espeletia schultzii), appear very early and gradually increase in abundance during succession, becoming dominant in the late stages and showing a dual behaviour, both as ruderal and stress tolerant species. The 1st axis of a Detrended Correspondence Analysis arranges the sites according to their fallow time. The 2nd and 3rd axes, associated with diverging pathways of regeneration, are correlated with topographic factors and physio-chemical soil characteristics. Hence, structural divergence between plots increases along succession as community composition starts to reflect the conditions of each site. We found evidence of a constant rate of succession during the first 12 years, contradicting the generally accepted hypothesis in the succession literature of a continous slow down up to the climax. Regeneration of vegetation physiognomy is relatively fast, questioning the prevailing idea of slow restoration in alpine ecosystems. However, 12 years of fallow are insufficient to attain the species richness of the natural paramo. Under the current trend of fallow length reduction observed in traditional potato cultivation in the Andes, our results raise doubts about the conservationist value of this management strategy.     

松嫩平原羊草草地植物功能群组成及多样性特征对水淹干扰的响应

为研究草地植被对水淹干扰的响应 ,在松嫩平原羊草 (Aneurolepidiumchinense)草地 1998年部分遭受水淹的吉林省大安市三家甸子草场内设置了经历不同水淹强度的样带 ,并对这些样带的植被组成及物种多样性特征进行了比较研究。结果表明 :1)在植被的水分生态类型功能群组成中 ,随水淹干扰强度的增加 ,湿生、湿中生类植物功能群的优势度比例基本上是逐渐增加的 ,中生、中旱生类植物功能群的优势度比例则逐渐减小 ;2 )在植被的生活型功能群组成中 ,随水淹干扰强度的增加 ,一年生植物的优势度比例呈单峰型变化 ,地下芽植物比例增加 ,地面芽植物比例减小。某些单个物种优势度比例的不规则变化和功能群组成的规则变化表明 ,生态补偿作用不仅仅存在于植物群落的各个功能群之间 ,而且存在于同一功能群内部的不同物种之间 ;3)群落的物种丰富度、多样性在经历中等强度水淹干扰的样带上较高 ,而在未受干扰的对照样带和受干扰较为严重的样带都较低 ,这有力地支持了中度干扰假说。     

Plant species richness and spatial organization at different small scales in western Mediterranean landscapes

The relationship between plant species richness and the space organization of the community at different small scales was studied. The study was based on 51 sites distributed along a belt from Central Spain to Portugal. Each site was analyzed with a transect cutting across the boundary between two neighboring patches of shrubland and grassland. Local spatial organization of vegetation was analyzed at different levels of detail and each transect was divided into successively smaller portions. The first division coincides with a physiognomic perception of the site in two patches (shrubland and grassland). The average spatial niche width of the species was used to calculate the spatial organization of the vegetation of each division in each site. The correlation between species richness and spatial organization depended on the block size under consideration. A physiognomic criterion, sectorizing the sites into patches of shrubland and grassland, determines noteworthy floristic changes but does not enable us to express satisfactorily the variability in plant richness. In order to account for this variation, other factors must be taken into account which act at a more detailed small-scale and which determine the internal variability of these patches. In the case studied, the species richness of the sites increases along with an increase in the percentage of species whose occupation of the space is relatively restricted within the site. Many of these species are, however, frequent within the whole of the territory studied. The results highlight the importance of the level of local scale at which the factors influencing occupation of the space, and consequentially, plant richness, preferentially act. This circumstance ought to be taken into consideration in strategies for the conservation of biological diversity, and based on the delimitation of protected spaces with criteria frequently linked to the physiognomy of the vegetation.Nomenclature: Follows T.G. Tutin et al. 1964-1980. Flora Europaea. Cambridge University Press, Cambridge     

芜湖发电厂灰渣场植被状况

经实地考察发现,芜湖火力发电厂灰渣场自然定居的高等植物有30种,隶属于14个科29个属,主要包括菊科,禾本科和豆科,全部植物中,1,2年生草本植物18种,多年生草本植物9种,木本植物2种,影响植物分布的主要因素是灰渣的理化性质和灰渣场的自然改造程度。     

大明山中山植被恢复过程植物物种多样性的变化

对大明山中山退化生态系统植被恢复过程植物物种多样性的发展研究表明：大明山中山植被恢复过程物种数量的增减总是伴随着阳性先锋物种的衰退和中生性顶极种的发展。恢复过程中植物物种数量呈前期（２～２０年）迅速增加,中期（５０～６０年）减少,后期（１５０年以上）维持一定水平的发展趋势。中山区退化生态系统的植被恢复是朝着地带性植被类型的方向发展的,此过程可以不经过马尾松先锋林阶段,而直接进入以阔叶树种为优势的先锋群落。因此,大大缩短了中山山地退化生态系统植被向中生性顶极植被恢复的进程。     

Biodiversity correlates with regional patterns of forest litter pools

We compared litter pools of more than 1,000 forests differing in tree species diversity over a large scale in Catalonia (NE Spain). Monospecific forests always had smaller litter pools than mixed (from 2 to 5 tree species) forests. Whether there was a positive effect beyond two species mixtures depended on the species and functional identity of the dominant tree species. In sclerophyllous forests the positive effect of diversity was a step-function from one to more species. However, in conifers, litter pools increased constantly with tree diversity. The identity of the dominant tree species and functional type had also a significant effect on litter pools. For instance, forests dominated by sclerophyllous tree species had larger litter pools than forests dominated by deciduous and conifer tree species. When other forest structure parameters (i.e. tree basal area, wood production, successional stage, shrub cover and leaf area index) and environmental factors (i.e. mean annual temperature, mean annual precipitation, annual evapotranspiration and hillside position) where included in the analysis only leaf area index, basal area, wood production and mean temperature influenced litter pools positively. Our analysis emphasizes that at the regional scale, the litter compartment can be as influenced by biodiversity components as by other forest structure and climate components. In mixed forests, species and functional identity of the trees determine whether litter pools increase with tree diversity.     

樟村坪磷矿废弃地植被状况

工业及矿山废弃地的植被恢复是当前植物生态学的一个重要研究领域〔1～ 4〕。樟村坪是湖北省宜昌县的一个山区小镇 ,位于长江中游 ,属于长江防护林建设地带。该镇由于具有丰富的磷矿资源 ,近年来磷矿业发展十分迅速 ,矿区的数量及开采范围增加较快。该地区大多数矿区采用矿井方式开采 ,虽然没有造成大面积的植被破坏 ,但由于开采废渣的大量堆积 ,形成了磷矿废弃地 ,较多的矿区又没有采取相应措施治理废渣堆积地 ,从而造成了水土流失、河床因矿渣冲积而抬高以及废水污染等不良影响。笔者通过对该地区磷矿渣堆积地植被的实地调查 ,分析了其组…     

放牧干扰下高原鼢鼠栖息地选择因素

以祁连山东段高寒草甸栖息的高原鼢鼠(Myospalax baileyi)为研究对象,探讨放牧干扰下高原鼢鼠适合栖息地选择的影响因素,为合理控制草原鼠害和保护生物多样性提供科学依据。在5个不同放牧强度小区中,连续3年监测高原鼢鼠相对种群密度变化,同时获取植被和土壤的变化数据。分析高原鼢鼠相对种群密度、植被(盖度、高度、频度、植被生物量、植被均匀度、丰富度、多样性和地下根系生物量)和土壤(紧实度、容重、水分)之间的关系。中度放牧干扰下,高原鼢鼠相对种群密度最低,不利于对栖息地的选择,轻度、次轻度放牧区的高原鼢鼠相对种群密度高于重度、次重度放牧区的;轻度放牧干扰的草地有利于高原鼢鼠种群数量的增加。高原鼢鼠相对种群密度与土壤紧实度、容重呈显著负相关(R=﹣0.921、﹣0.883,P0.05);与土壤水分呈显著正相关(R=0.879,P0.05);高原鼢鼠相对种群密度与地下根系生物量呈极显著正相关(R=0.982,P0.01),与植被丰富度呈显著正相关(R=0.921,P0.05),与地上植被总盖度呈显著正相关(R=0.909,P0.05),与地上生物量、均匀度、多样性呈不显著正相关(P0.05)。在草地放牧干扰系统中,非生物因素土壤紧实度、水分可能是高原鼢鼠栖息地选择的首要选择因素,食物资源也许是次要选择因素。