岷江干旱河谷灌丛土壤种子库及其自然更新潜力评估

为了解岷江干旱河谷区灌丛植被土壤种子库的特征及预测灌丛植被自然更新的潜力,利用土壤种子库\"萌发法\"(每个地段15个2m×2m样方内分土表层、0-5cm土层和5-10cm土层采集土样)及野外植被调查方法(每个地段15个1m×1m的调查样方),研究了岷江干旱河谷3个地段(河谷下游边缘汶川地段、核心茂县地段以及上游边缘松潘地段)阳坡灌丛植被土壤种子库及其与地上植物群落的关系。发现:土壤种子库发芽试验共观察到4274株幼苗,分属于113个物种。土壤种子库密度在102—103ind./m2,物种数在12—23种/0.06m2,边缘地段的土壤种子库平均种子密度(ind./m2)和平均物种数(种/0.06m2)均比中心地段(茂县)高。3个地段土壤种子库和地上植被的组成物种均多为多年生植物,地上灌丛与其土壤种子库的密度及物种数均呈不显著相关性;物种组成的Sorensen相似性指数较低,不足30%,但土壤种子库均比地上植被具有更高的物种丰富度。综合分析表明,岷江干旱河谷灌丛具有依靠土壤种子库实现自然更新的潜力,但由于物种组成相似性较低,现存灌丛植被一旦遭到破坏后,单依靠土壤种子库自然恢复到现存植被是困难的,需要在自然恢复潜力评估基础上积极充分采取人工促进自然恢复的策略,同时也应充分考虑干旱河谷植被及其自然更新潜力的空间异质性。探明岷江干旱河谷区灌丛植被的土壤种子库特征,是认识灌丛植被自然更新潜力的基础,是合理制订该区植被恢复与管理措施的重要依据。     

Shortcuts in biodiversity research: What determines the performance of higher taxa as surrogates for species?

Biodiversity research is often impeded by the time and resources required to identify species. One possible solution is to use higher taxa to predict species richness and community composition. However, previous studies have shown that the performance of higher taxa as surrogates for species is highly variable, making it difficult to predict whether the method will be reliable for a particular objective. Using 8 independent datasets, I tested whether higher taxa accurately characterize the responses of beetle and ant communities to environmental drivers. For each dataset, ordinations were carried out using species and higher taxa, and the two compared using the Procrustes m² statistic (a scale‐independent variant of Procrustes sum of squares). I then modelled the relationship between five hypothesised explanatory variables and 1) Procrustes m², and 2) the coefficient of determination (R²) for the correlation between richness of species and higher taxa. The species to higher taxon ratio, community structure, beta diversity, completeness of sampling, and taxon (beetles or ants) were all significant predictors of m², together explaining 88% of the variance. The only significant predictor of R² was the species to higher taxon ratio, which explained 45% of the variance. When using higher taxa to predict community composition, better performance is expected when the ratio of species to higher taxa is low, in communities with high evenness and high species turnover, and when there is niche conservation within higher taxa. When using higher taxa to predict species richness, effective surrogacy can be expected when the species to higher taxon ratio is very low. When it is not, surrogacy performance may be strongly influenced by stochastic factors, making predictions of performance difficult.     

环境因子对太白山高山植被物种组成和丰富度的影响

高山植被是一类具有重要生态和经济价值的植被类型,了解其物种组成和丰富度与环境因子的关系对于该类型植被保护、管理以及植物资源合理开发利用策略的制订具有重要指导意义。基于太白山高山植被和环境因子野外调查及室内实验数据,采用CCA排序法探索了环境因子对物种组成的影响,偏CCA计算了各环境因子对物种组成的总效应和净效应,GLM回归模型拟合了物种丰富度对环境因子的响应。结果表明,13个环境因子共解释了物种组成变异的31.7%,其中海拔、坡度、土壤碱解氮含量、全磷含量、坡向、岩石盖度、p H值、土壤厚度、有机质含量、有效磷含量和全氮含量对物种组成的净效应达显著水平(P0.05),但其作用强度依次减小。GLM拟合结果显示,物种丰富度与环境因子存在4种显著(P0.05)关系,即物种丰富度沿海拔和土壤厚度梯度单调递增,沿坡度和土壤全氮含量梯度单调递减,沿坡向、土壤p H值、碱解氮含量和全磷含量梯度呈单峰分布,与土壤有机质含量和全钾含量呈倒单峰关系。在这些显著的环境因子中,海拔、土壤碱解氮含量,p H值、有机质含量和坡向解释的物种丰富度变异量最大。     

Effects of habitat complexity on forest beetle diversity: do functional groups respond consistently?

We examined the responses of a beetle assemblage to habitat complexity differences within a single habitat type, Sydney sandstone ridgetop woodland, using pitfall and flight‐intercept trapping. Six habitat characters (tree canopy cover, shrub canopy cover, ground herb cover, soil moisture, amount of leaf litter, and amount of logs, rocks and debris) were scored between 0 and 3 using ordinal scales to reflect habitat complexity at survey sites. Pitfall trapped beetles were more species rich and of different composition in high complexity sites, compared with low complexity sites. Species from the Staphylinidae (Aleocharinae sp. 1 and sp. 2), Carabidae (Pamborus alternans Latreille), Corticariidae (Cartodere Thomson sp. 1) and Anobiidae (Mysticephala Ford sp. 1) were most clearly responsible for the compositional differences, preferring high complexity habitat. Affinities between general functional groupings of pitfall‐trapped beetles and habitat variables were not clear at a low taxonomic resolution (family level). The composition and species richness of flight‐intercept‐trapped beetles were similar in high and low complexity sites. Our study demonstrates that discrete responses of the various functional groups of beetles are strongly associated with their feeding habits, indicated by differing habitat components from within overall composite habitat complexity measures. Although habitat preferences by beetle species may often reflect their foraging habits, clarification of the causal mechanisms underpinning the relationships between habitat complexity and beetles are critical for the development of general principles linking habitat, functional roles and diversity.     

The biogeography of the Anura of sub-equatorial Africa and the prioritisation of areas for their conservation

There is an increasing need for protected areas to conserve biodiversity efficiently. The Anura of sub-equatorial Africa have received little attention, but we quantitatively analyse a database containing presence-only data for anurans of sub-equatorial Africa to determine patterns of distribution and species richness, and discuss the roles of present and past environmental conditions in shaping these patterns. We consider the distribution of areas rich in endemic, range-restricted and Red Data Book (RDB) species to identify areas of significance to conservation. The Eastern Highlands of Zimbabwe and adjacent area in Mozambique, southeastern Malawi and the northern coast of KwaZulu/Natal are particularly species rich, whereas the southwestern Cape of South Africa and northwestern Zambia exhibit high degrees of endemism. Four major biogeographical sub-regions are identified, which can be further subdivided into provinces. All statistically significant, current environmental factors together account for 52.6% of species richness. Annual maximum rainfall, soil type variation, minimum temperature and range of elevation were all positively correlated with species richness. Thus, both habitat influences and history appear to have influenced patterns of anuran richness in the region. Generally, areas of high species richness coincide with those high in range-restricted, endemic and RDB species. In South Africa, the northeastern coast and southwestern Cape are hypothesised to have been both refugia and centres of speciation. Results suggest that the current reserve system in sub-equatorial Africa is inadequate for the conservation of the full complement of anuran species in the region.     

太岳山油松林火烧迹地恢复初期植物群落结构特征

为研究山西太岳山油松（Pinus tabuliformis）林过火后恢复初期林下草本植物群落结构,以2019年3月太岳山油松林火烧迹地为研究对象,采用群落相似性指数、多样性指数、稳定性系数、TWINSPAN数量分类和DCA排序等方法对群落组成、多样性、类型及稳定性等进行了研究。结果表明：（1）火烧迹地恢复初期以低矮灌木和多年生草本植物为主,其中又以地面芽植物占比最大。优势植物主要为大披针薹草（Carex lanceolata）和多花胡枝子（Lespedeza floribunda）;（2）火烧迹地恢复初期各样地植物群落相似性系数和多样性指数相对较小,均匀度指数较大,但各样地恢复效果不尽相同,样地6和样地7的植物群落各项指标相对大于其他样地;（3）TWINSPAN数量分类将火烧迹地植物群落划分成：I.大披针薹草+南牡蒿（Artemisia eriopoda）+地榆（Sanguisorba officinalis）群丛、II.多花胡枝子+大披针薹草+二色棘豆（Oxytropis bicolor）群丛、III.多花胡枝子+大披针薹草+米口袋（Gueldenstaedtia verna）群丛、IV.多花胡枝子+大披针薹草+荠苨（Adenophora trachelioides）群丛、V.大披针薹草+白莲蒿（Artemisia stechmanniana）+狗娃花（Aster hispidus）群丛、VI.白莲蒿群丛、VII.大披针薹草+狗娃花+野艾蒿（Artemisia lavandulifolia）群丛;（4）DCA排序结果表明,火烧迹地恢复初期植物群落结构单一,沿样地和坡位变化较小,仅区分出样地7和其他样地两大类植物群落。（5）火烧迹地恢复初期植物群落处于不稳定的状态,但各样地间群落稳定性存在一定差别,其中样地1最大,样地5最小。总之,研究区植物群落处于演替初期,各样地间植物群落稳定性较差,多样性和整体相似性较小,但优势种群相似性较高,植物群落结构仍处于动态变化之中。研究揭示了太岳山火烧迹地恢复初期植物群落结构特征,积累了该区域火烧迹地植物群落生态学数据,同时可为该区域生态恢复提供科学依据。     

Distinguishing between signal and noise in faunal responses to environmental change

Aim We tested whether variation in snapshots of butterfly species composition and species richness taken from one to six years apart could be interpreted as an ecologically meaningful trend or whether they might merely reflect stochasticity. Location Field research was conducted in the Toquima Range and Shoshone Mountains, Lander and Nye counties, Nevada, USA. Methods We obtained data for 49 sites in the Toquima Range from 1996 to 2002 and 39 sites in the Shoshone Mountains from 2000 to 2002. Sites spanned the gradient of local topographic and climatic conditions in those mountain ranges. Data on species composition and species richness were based on comprehensive field inventories. We calculated similarity of species composition using the Jaccard index. We conducted one‐factor repeated‐measures analyses of variance to test whether the distribution of similarity of species composition and the distribution of mean species richness depended on the number of years between inventories. Results In both mountain ranges, much less of the difference in species composition was attributable to turnover of species composition within sites over time than to spatial differences among sites. Annual species richness in the Toquima Range was more variable than in the Shoshone Mountains, but again far less of the variation in species richness was attributable to year than to differences among sites. Main conclusions Despite the fact that desert ecosystems are not expected to be highly resilient to global environmental change, there may be a time lag between deterministic environmental changes and a detectable faunal response, even in taxonomic groups that are known to be sensitive to changes in climate and vegetation. Although information on species richness and similarity of species composition are among the most practical data to collect in managed landscapes, these measures may not be highly sensitive to environmental changes over the short to moderate term.     

Procedure for Predicting the Trajectory of Species Recovery Based on the Nested Species Pool Information: Dragonflies in a Wetland Restoration Site as a Case Study

Restoration of seminatural habitats in the rural agricultural landscape has become an urgent matter in environmental conservation. We propose here a procedure for predicting the trajectory of species recovery and for specifying the priority of habitat types for restoration of a rural agricultural landscape. We then apply it as a case study to the recovery of dragonfly species in the Azame restoration project that began in 2003 in northern Kyushu, Japan. We examined the nestedness of the regional distribution of dragonflies using a national database on wildlife distribution and listed the recorded species in order of their prevalence in the region. We also conducted a census of adult dragonflies currently found at the restoration site to assess species richness. By comparing these data, we identified species potentially capable of inhabiting the restoration site and, based on their habitat requirements, suggest what type of habitat (e.g., bogs and marshes, ponds, and bodies of slow‐moving water) should be restored preferentially. We observed significant nestedness in the presence–absence matrix for dragonfly species and thus predict that species recovery at the restoration site will follow the regional order of prevalence of the species. The required habitat types did not differ significantly between the currently observed species and the potential species, which indicates that all these habitat types should be restored in the project.     

Ecological impact of tobacco farming in miombo woodlands of Urambo District, Tanzania

This paper examines the ecological threat of tobacco farming in Urambo District, the leading producer of flue‐cured tobacco in Tanzania with other major producers being Tabora, Iringa and Chunya Districts. Structured interviews were conducted in four villages while 39 Modified‐Whittacker plots were laid in tobacco fallow lands for inventory of woody species to ascertain ecological performance and the impact of tobacco on species diversity, richness and standing stock functions. There was higher than expected species richness with a total of 115 tree and shrub species identified. Tobacco farming showed no significant negative effect on the floristic composition and stem density. However, the significantly reduced biomass and change in vegetation structure illustrate the potential loss in ecological function of the woodlands. Land clearing for tobacco planting account to an annual deforestation of 3.5% while on average a farmer requires 23 m³ of stacked wood only for curing per season which adds another 3% of deforestation. Shifting cultivation is no longer sustainable given the shortened fallow periods of 4 years. Improved barn structures, alternative sources of fuel like coal, tree planting, mixed cropping and cash crops that are environment friendly are recommended for ecological restoration.     

The use of Bayesian networks to guide investments in flow and catchment restoration for impaired river ecosystems

1.  The provision of environmental flows and the removal of barriers to water flow are high priorities for restoration where changes to flow regimes have caused degradation of riverine ecosystems. Nevertheless, flow regulation is often accompanied by changes in catchment and riparian land-use, which also can have major impacts on river health via local habitat degradation or modification of stream energy regimes.
2.  The challenges are determining the relative importance of flow, land-use and other impacts as well as deciding where to focus restoration effort. As a consequence, flow, catchment and riparian restoration efforts are often addressed in isolation. River managers need decision support tools to assess which flow and catchment interventions are most likely to succeed and, importantly, which are cost-effective.
3.  Bayesian networks (BNs) can be used as a decision support tool for considering the influence of multiple stressors on aquatic ecosystems and the relative benefits of various restoration options. We provide simple illustrative examples of how BNs can address specific river restoration goals and assist with the prioritisation of flow and catchment restoration options. This includes the use of cost and utility functions to assist decision makers in their choice of potential management interventions.
4.  A BN approach facilitates the development of conceptual models of likely cause and effect relationships between flow regime, land-use and river conditions and provides an interactive tool to explore the relative benefits of various restoration options. When combined with information on the costs and expected benefits of intervention, one can derive recommendations about the best restoration option to adopt given the network structure and the associated cost and utility functions.