Soil conditions and phylogenetic relatedness influence total community trait space during early plant succession

Aims The total space of traits covered by the members of plant communities is an important parameter of ecosystem functioning and complexity. We trace the variability of trait space during early plant succession and ask how trait space co-varies with phylogenetic community structure and soil conditions. Particularly, we are interested in the small-scale variability in trait space and the influence of biotic and abiotic filters.Methods We use data on species richness and soil conditions from the first 7 years of initial succession of an artificial catchment in north-eastern Germany. Total functional attribute diversity serves as a proxy to total trait space.Important findings Total trait space steadily increased during succession. We observed high small-scale variability in total trait space that was positively correlated with species richness and phylogenetic segregation and negatively correlated with total plant cover. Trait space increased with soil carbonate content, while pH and the fraction of sandy material behaved indifferently. Our results indicate that during early succession, habitat filtering processes gain importance leading to a lesser increase in trait space than expected from the increase in species richness alone.     

放牧干扰梯度下川西亚高山植物群落的组合机理

为了阐明放牧干扰对川西亚高山区域植物群落的组合过程以及群落结构的影响, 研究了放牧干扰梯度下的功能群均匀度和群落谱系结构的变化趋势。结果显示: 在干扰较轻的阔叶林与针叶林样地, 部分样方的功能群均匀度显著高于无效模型, 随着干扰梯度的增强, 功能群均匀度呈线性下降, 样方平均值从0.930降至0.840, 其高于无效模型的次数也逐渐降低, 干扰程度较大的草甸中出现部分样方的功能群均匀度显著低于无效模型。随着干扰程度的增强, 群落的谱系结构指数也呈逐渐上升趋势, 净关联指数平均值由-0.634逐渐增加至2.360, 邻近类群指数由-0.158上升至2.179。草甸与低矮灌丛受干扰较为严重, 其大部分样方的谱系结构指数显著高于随机群落, 表明干扰群落的谱系结构呈聚集分布。功能群均匀度与谱系结构的变化趋势一致, 表明生境筛滤效应与种间竞争作用的平衡决定着群落的组合过程。干扰降低了竞争作用, 促进了少数耐干扰功能群的优势地位, 造成功能群均匀度下降, 同时通过生境筛滤作用, 使群落的谱系结构呈现出聚集分布; 而未干扰的群落中由于竞争作用的效应, 功能群均匀度较高, 谱系结构也更加分散。研究区域植物群落的功能群均匀度与物种丰富度呈负相关, 表明物种间特别是相似物种间的竞争限制了群落的物种多样性。研究结果说明, 生态位分化和物种间的相互竞争在物种共存与群落组合中具有重要作用。     

Phylogenetic and functional structures of succession in plant communities on mounds of Marmota himalayana in alpine regions on the northeast edge of the Qinghai–Tibet Plateau

Few studies have examined the succession of plant communities in the alpine zone. Studying the succession of plant communities is helpful to understand how species diversity is formed and maintained. In this study, we used species inventories, a molecular phylogeny, and trait data to detect patterns of phylogenetic and functional community structure in successional plant communities growing on the mounds of Himalayan marmots (Marmota himalayana) on the southeast edge of the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau. We found that phylogenetic and functional diversities of plant communities on marmot mounds tended to cluster during the early to medium stages of succession, then trended toward overdispersion from medium to late stages. Alpine species in early and late stages of succession were phylogenetically and functionally overdispersed, suggesting that such communities were assembled mainly through species interactions, especially competition. At the medium and late stages of succession, alpine communities growing on marmot mounds were phylogenetically and functionally clustered, implying that the communities were primarily structured by environmental filtering. During the medium and late stages of succession the phylogenetic and functional structures of plant communities on marmot mounds differed significantly from those on neighboring sites. Our results indicate that environmental filtering and species interactions can change plant community composition at different successional stages. Assembly of plant communities on marmot mounds was promoted by a combination of traits that may provide advantages for survival and adaptation during periods of environmental change.     

Phylogenetic turnover during subtropical forest succession across environmental and phylogenetic scales

Although spatial and temporal patterns of phylogenetic community structure during succession are inherently interlinked and assembly processes vary with environmental and phylogenetic scales, successional studies of community assembly have yet to integrate spatial and temporal components of community structure, while accounting for scaling issues. To gain insight into the processes that generate biodiversity after disturbance, we combine analyses of spatial and temporal phylogenetic turnover across phylogenetic scales, accounting for covariation with environmental differences. We compared phylogenetic turnover, at the species‐ and individual‐level, within and between five successional stages, representing woody plant communities in a subtropical forest chronosequence. We decomposed turnover at different phylogenetic depths and assessed its covariation with between‐plot abiotic differences. Phylogenetic turnover between stages was low relative to species turnover and was not explained by abiotic differences. However, within the late‐successional stages, there was high presence‐/absence‐based turnover (clustering) that occurred deep in the phylogeny and covaried with environmental differentiation. Our results support a deterministic model of community assembly where (i) phylogenetic composition is constrained through successional time, but (ii) toward late succession, species sorting into preferred habitats according to niche traits that are conserved deep in phylogeny, becomes increasingly important.     

Change in community phylogenetic structure during tropical forest succession: evidence from New Guinea

Ecologists have recently interpreted patterns of phylogenetic distance among coexisting species as indicative of processes affecting community assembly during forest succession. We investigated plant community phylogenetic structure along a successional gradient in New Guinean lowland rain forest. We surveyed all trees with diameter at breast height ≥ 5 cm in nineteen 0.25 ha plots representing younger secondary, older secondary, and primary forest. We estimated plant community phylogeny from rbcL gene sequences to quantify change in phylogenetic structure during succession. Mean phylogenetic distance among co‐occurring trees increased with total basal area per plot, a proxy for forest age. Significant phylogenetic clustering was detected in secondary forest whereas primary forest was significantly over‐dispersed relative to null expectations. We examined the sensitivity of these patterns to various methods of branch length estimation and phylogenetic uncertainty. Power to detect community phylogenetic patterns when equal branch lengths were assumed was weak in comparison to direct molecular and time‐calibrated measures of divergence. Inferred change during forest succession was also robust to phylogenetic uncertainty so long as temporal information was incorporated in estimates of divergence. The observed patterns are consistent with processes of environmental filtering during tropical forest succession giving way to other processes in primary forests including density‐dependence.     

Bacterial Succession on the Leaf Surface: A Novel System for Studying Successional Dynamics

Succession is a widely studied process in plant and animal systems, but succession in microbial communities has received relatively little attention despite the ubiquity of microorganisms in natural habitats. One important microbial habitat is the phyllosphere, or leaf surface, which harbors large, diverse populations of bacteria and offers unique opportunities for the study of succession and temporal community assembly patterns. To explore bacterial community successional patterns, we sampled phyllosphere communities on cottonwood (Populus deltoides) trees multiple times across the growing season, from leaf emergence to leaf fall. Bacterial community composition was highly variable throughout the growing season; leaves sampled as little as a week apart were found to harbor significantly different communities, and the temporal variability on a given tree exceeded the variability in community composition between individual trees sampled on a given day. The bacterial communities clearly clustered into early-, mid-, and late-season clusters, with early- and late-season communities being more similar to each other than to the mid-season communities, and these patterns appeared consistent from year to year. Although we observed clear and predictable changes in bacterial community composition during the course of the growing season, changes in phyllosphere bacterial diversity were less predictable. We examined the species–time relationship, a measure of species turnover rate, and found that the relationship was fundamentally similar to that observed in plant and invertebrate communities, just on a shorter time scale. The temporal dynamics we observed suggest that although phyllosphere bacterial communities have high levels of phylogenetic diversity and rapid turnover rates, these communities follow predictable successional patterns from season to season.     

Relative abundance of invasive plants more effectively explains the response of wetland communities to different invasion degrees than phylogenetic evenness

入侵植物的相对多度比群落系统发育均匀度更能解释湿地群落对不同入侵程度的响应 本地植物群落普遍受到入侵植物不同程度的入侵。然而,入侵植物相对多度与群落系统发育均匀度对不同入侵程度下湿地植物群落响应入侵的相对贡献尚不明确。此外,这种贡献是否随淹水等环境 条件的变化而变化也不清楚。为了探讨这些问题,我们选择空心莲子草(Alternanthera philoxeroides)作为入侵植物,通过改变植物群落物种组成,构建了4个不同的入侵程度,并且设置了水淹和无水淹两种处理。 改变群落入侵程度的同时改变了空心莲子草的相对多度和群落的系统发育均匀度。研究结果表明,不同的入侵程度显著影响了空心莲子草和一些本地物种的单株生物量。变异分割结果表明,无论淹水情况结果如何,空心莲子草相对多度对植物群落指标变异的贡献都大于系统发育均匀度。斯皮尔曼等级相关检验结果表明,空心莲子草的相对多度与空心莲子草和部分本地物种的单株生物量显著负相关;群落系统发育均匀度仅与少数本地种性状显著正相关。其相关强度和显著性均受特定的物种和水淹环境的影响。总之,这些研究结果表明：无论淹水情况如何,入侵植物(空心莲子草)的相对多度都比群落的系统发育均匀度更能有效地解释湿地植物群落对不同入侵程度的响应。     

Importance of Seasonality for the Response of a Mesic Temperate Grassland to Increased Precipitation Variability and Warming

Timing of precipitation events within the growing season and the non-uniformity of warming might be decisive for alterations in productivity and community composition, with consequences for ecosystem functioning. The responses of aboveground production, community composition, functional group and species evenness to altered intra-annual precipitation variability and their interactions with winter or summer warming were examined in European, mesic temperate grassland. Increased precipitation variability with an induced spring drought resulted in a 17% reduction in ANPP, and late drought reduced ANPP by 18% compared to regular rainfall patterns throughout the entire growing season. Winter warming increased ANPP by 12%, whereas summer warming showed no significant effect on biomass but decreased species richness. The effects of increased precipitation variability and warming on ANPP were independent of each other. Forbs benefited from high precipitation variability with spring drought events, likely due to reduced competitive pressure by decreasing, water stressed grasses. Increased precipitation variability coinciding with higher summer temperatures led to reduced species evenness and likely promoted the establishment of specialists and drought-tolerant species. Seasonality of climatic factors, here early versus late drought events in the high precipitation variability treatments, was important in driving shifts in community composition but not for decreases in ANPP. Non-uniform warming, here winter versus summer, affected the direction of response of both community composition and ANPP. Variability of resources is affecting ecosystem processes and species interactions. Recognition of seasonality and non-uniformity of climatic factors will improve predictions of plant performance and biotic interactions in response to climate change.     

Mean conditions predict salt marsh plant community diversity and stability better than environmental variability

Environmental variability and the frequency of extreme events are predicted to increase in future climate scenarios; however, the role of fluctuations in shaping community composition, diversity and stability is not well understood. Identifying current patterns of association between measures of community stability and climatic means and variability will help elucidate the ways in which altered variability and mean conditions may change communities in the future. Salt marshes provide essential ecosystem services and are increasingly threatened by sea‐level rise, land‐use change, eutrophication and predator loss, yet the effects of temporal environmental variation on salt marshes remain unknown. We synthesized long‐term plant community monitoring data from 11 sites on both coasts of the United States. We used an information‐theoretic approach and linear models to determine the associations among long‐term mean conditions, interannual environmental variability, and plant community stability and diversity. We found that salt marsh community stability and diversity were more strongly related to long‐term means of temperature and precipitation than to interannual variation. Warm and wet environments had fewer species and less turnover among years. Our results suggest that communities in cool, dry environments may be more resilient to climate warming due to greater species richness and turnover. Mean conditions are sufficient to predict contemporary patterns of salt marsh plant community dynamics, but environmental variability may have stronger impacts as it increases with climate change.     

Phylogenetic distance among beneficiary species in a cushion plant species explains interaction outcome

Determining which drivers lead to a specific species assemblage is a central issue in community ecology. Although many processes are involved, plant–plant interactions are among the most important. The phylogenetic limiting similarity hypothesis states that closely related species tend to compete stronger than distantly related species, although evidence is inconclusive. We used ecological and phylogenetic data on alpine plant communities along an environmental severity gradient to assess the importance of phylogenetic relatedness in affecting the interaction between cushion plants and the whole community, and how these interactions may affect community assemblage and diversity. We first measured species richness and individual biomass of species growing within and outside the nurse cushion species, Arenaria tetraquetra. We then assembled the phylogenetic tree of species present in both communities and calculated the phylogenetic distance between the cushion species and its beneficiary species, as well as the phylogenetic community structure. We also estimated changes in species richness at the local level due to the presence of cushions. The effects of cushions on closely related species changed from negative to positive as environmental conditions became more severe, while the interaction with distantly related species did not change along the environmental gradient. Overall, we found an environmental context‐dependence in patterns of phylogenetic similarity, as the interaction outcome between nurses and their close and distantly‐related species showed an opposite pattern with environmental severity.     

Convergence of community composition during secondary succession on Zokor rodent mounds on the Tibetan Plateau

Aims The community succession theory is much debated in ecology. We studied succession on Zokor rodent mounds on the Tibetan Plateau to address several fundamental questions, among them: (i) During secondary succession, does the community composition converge towards one community state or multiple states depending on the initial colonization? (ii) Do mound communities located in different background communities exhibit different assembly trajectories?Methods In a sub-alpine meadow, we investigated a total of 80 mound communities at several successional stages in three different background communities resulting from different management histories and compared their changes in species composition. The distribution of plant communities over time was analyzed with quantitative classification and ordination methods. The co-occurrence patterns of species were evaluated at each successional stage, and the degree of convergence/divergence among communities was obtained by calculating two beta-diversity indices.Important findings During secondary succession, species richness of mound communities changed over time, and this change was dependent on the background community. Five life-form groups exhibited different dynamic patterns in species richness and plant cover. Community composition and the degree of species co-occurrence between communities increased over time since disturbance. There was much variation in species composition at earlier stages of succession, but communities on older mounds became more similar to each other and to their surrounding vegetation over the course of secondary succession. Post-disturbance succession of Zokor mound communities transitioned from 'multiple alternative states' to 'background-based deterministic community assembly' over time. Tradeoffs between competition and colonization, as well as the characteristics of different life-forms and mass effects within a limited species pool are the mechanisms responsible for convergence of mound communities.     

Climate change effects on plant biomass alter dominance patterns and community evenness in an experimental old‐field ecosystem

Atmospheric and climatic change can alter plant biomass production and plant community composition. However, we know little about how climate change‐induced alterations in biomass production affect plant species composition. To better understand how climate change will alter both individual plant species and community biomass, we manipulated atmospheric [CO₂], air temperature, and precipitation in a constructed old‐field ecosystem. Specifically, we compared the responses of dominant and subdominant species to our climatic treatments, and explored how changes in plant dominance patterns alter community evenness over 2 years. Our study resulted in four major findings: (1) all treatments, elevated [CO₂], warming, and increased precipitation increased plant community biomass and the effects were additive rather than interactive, (2) plant species differed in their response to the treatments, resulting in shifts in the proportional biomass of individual species, which altered the plant community composition; however, the plant community response was largely driven by the positive precipitation response of Lespedeza, the most dominant species in the community, (3) precipitation explained most of the variation in plant community composition among treatments, and (4) changes in precipitation caused a shift in the dominant species proportional biomass that resulted in lower community evenness in the wet relative to dry treatments. Interestingly, compositional and evenness responses of the subdominant community to the treatments did not always follow the responses of the whole plant community. Our data suggest that changes in plant dominance patterns and community evenness are an important part of community responses to climatic change, and generally, that such compositional shifts can alter ecosystem biomass production and nutrient inputs.     

When competition does not matter: grassland diversity and community composition

We examined whether the intense root competition in a rough fescue grassland plant community in central Alberta, Canada, was important in structuring plant species diversity or community composition. We measured competition intensity across gradients of species richness, evenness, and community composition, using pairs of naturally occurring plants of 12 species. One plant in each pair was isolated from neighbors to measure competition; community structure and environmental conditions were also measured at each pair. We used structural equation modeling to examine how competition influenced community structure. Competition intensity was unrelated to species richness and community composition, but increased competition intensity was associated with a slight decline in evenness. Size-symmetric root competition was probably unimportant in structuring this plant community because there are no feedback mechanisms through which size-symmetric competition can magnify small initial differences and eventually lead to competitive exclusion. In plant communities with little shoot competition, competition and community structure should be unlinked regardless of competition intensity. In more productive systems, we propose that interactions between root and shoot competition may indirectly structure communities by altering the overall asymmetry of competition.     

Environmental filtering mediates grassland community assembly following restoration with soil carbon additions

The application of carbon (C) substrates has been viewed as a promising tool for lowering soil nitrogen (N) availability in grassland restoration. However, experimental evidence shows that C additions can enhance, suppress, or have no effect on native species productivity, making it difficult to predict the effects of C‐additions on plant communities. We used a community assembly approach to test the roles of environmental filtering and competition on community structure after C‐additions. We applied 3 recalcitrant C‐additions (wood chips, shavings, mixed chips + shavings), monitored temporal changes in soil N and P availability and species' abundances, and used phylogenetic tools to examine changes in community structure. All 3 soil C‐additions produced significant reductions in soil N and P fertility that, in turn, were correlated with increases in taxonomic species richness, diversity, and evenness, as well as shifts in community structure. In control and C‐amended plots, however, communities were composed of taxa that were more closely related than expected by chance (phylogenetically clustered); this pattern occurred across all C‐additions and years, and in both plot level and species pair‐wise metrics. In nonamended plots, phylogenetic clustering was correlated with soil N availability, consistent with environmental filtering. In C‐addition plots, biotic (clade specialization in different C additions) and abiotic factors (soil P variability) were important in structuring the community. These findings suggest that C‐additions create a different set of environmental filters and that variations in ecological traits among phylogenetically close species may be important in understanding and predicting the effects of C‐additions.     

The effects of leaf litter evenness on decomposition depend on which plant functional group is dominant

Background and aims

Climbing plants are increasing in dominance in the subtropical forests of South China and other areas around the world, altering patterns of plant dominance and evenness in community. We investigated how changes in species’ identity and patterns of leaf litter evenness affected decomposition of litter mixtures.

Methods

We used litter-bag method to study the influence of different relative abundance mixtures (75 % : 25 %; 50 % : 50 %; 25 % : 75 %) of plant litter from two functional groups (climbing plants and trees) on decomposition rates in a subtropical forest in Guangdong, China.

Results

We found negative non-additive effects of mixing litter overall and species composition affected decomposition rates the most. In addition, when climbing plants were dominant, even mixtures decomposed slower significantly than uneven mixtures. Evenness did not affect decomposition rates, however, when trees were dominant. The magnitude of antagonistic effects increased with increasing dominance of climbing plants but decreased with time, suggesting a strong negative feedback between litter proportion of climbing plant and decomposition rates at the initial stage.

Conclusion

The evenness in leaf litter composition affects rates of decomposition, but these effects depend on which plant functional group is dominant. Thus, we should pay more attention to shifts in identity of dominant species and patterns of community evenness.     

Altitude effects on spatial components of vascular plant diversity in a subarctic mountain tundra

Environmental gradients are caused by gradual changes in abiotic factors, which affect species abundances and distributions, and are important for the spatial distribution of biodiversity. One prominent environmental gradient is the altitude gradient. Understanding ecological processes associated with altitude gradients may help us to understand the possible effects climate change could have on species communities. We quantified vegetation cover, species richness, species evenness, beta diversity, and spatial patterns of community structure of vascular plants along altitude gradients in a subarctic mountain tundra in northern Sweden. Vascular plant cover and plant species richness showed unimodal relationships with altitude. However, species evenness did not change with altitude, suggesting that no individual species became dominant when species richness declined. Beta diversity also showed a unimodal relationship with altitude, but only for an intermediate spatial scale of 1 km. A lack of relationships with altitude for either patch or landscape scales suggests that any altitude effects on plant spatial heterogeneity occurred on scales larger than individual patches but were not effective across the whole landscape. We observed both nested and modular patterns of community structures, but only the modular patterns corresponded with altitude. Our observations point to biotic regulations of plant communities at high altitudes, but we found both scale dependencies and inconsistent magnitude of the effects of altitude on different diversity components. We urge for further studies evaluating how different factors influence plant communities in high altitude and high latitude environments, as well as studies identifying scale and context dependencies in any such influences.     

深圳杨梅坑山地植物群落演替动态

以深圳市杨梅坑山地两个植物群落为调查对象,分析其物种组成、物种多样性特征、重要值的变化,探讨不同阶段植物群落的演替动态规律。结果表明,两个植物群落经过7年演替后,植物群落的丰富度有所增加,且种类组成出现明显差异,两个植物群落在不同时期所呈现的自然景观不一样。群落科、属、种的数量差异明显。原鸭脚木-九节-铁线蕨群落2013年共有26科36属39种,2018年共有19科29属30种,2019年共有32科51属61种;原绒毛润楠-瓜馥木-团羽铁线蕨群落2013年共有25科30属33种,2018年共有24科33属33种,2019年共有42科67属83种。两个植物群落乔木层、灌木层、草本层三个层次的物种多样性指数和Pielou均匀度指数几乎都呈先下降再上升的趋势。演替系列中,乔木层、灌木层和草本层的物种组成均表现出耐荫种替代非耐荫种的趋势,且植物群落的层次由简单趋向复杂。     

Influence of grazing and fire frequency on small-scale plant community structure and resource variability in native tallgrass prairie

In grasslands worldwide, grazing by ungulates and periodic fires are important forces affecting resource availability and plant community structure. It is not clear, however, whether changes in community structure are the direct effects of the disturbance (i.e. fire and grazing) or are mediated indirectly through changes in resource abundance and availability. In North American tallgrass prairies, fire and grazing often have disparate effects on plant resources and plant diversity, yet, little is known about the individual and interactive effects of fire and grazing on resource variability and how that variability relates to heterogeneity in plant community structure, particularly at small scales. We conducted a field study to determine the interactive effects of different long-term fire regimes (annual vs four-year fire frequency) and grazing by native ungulates ( Bos bison ) on small-scale plant community structure and resource variability (N and light) in native tallgrass prairie. Grazing enhanced light and nitrogen availability, but did not affect small-scale resource variability. In addition, grazing reduced the dominance of C₄ grasses which enhanced species richness, diversity and community heterogeneity. In contrast, annual fire increased community dominance and reduced species richness and diversity, particularly in the absence of grazing, but had no effect on community heterogeneity, resource availability and resource variability. Variability in the abundance of resources showed no relationship with community heterogeneity at the scale measured in this study, however we found a relationship between community dominance and heterogeneity. Therefore, we conclude that grazing generated small-scale community heterogeneity in this mesic grassland by directly affecting plant community dominance, rather than indirectly through changes in resource variability.     

高寒草甸植物群落中相似性、物种多样性与地上生物量的年际变异性

相似性似说通过物种构成的相似性来解释物种丧失是如何影响生物量的变异性的,但还没有得到检验。本研究通过设置在青藏高原东部地区的高寒草甸植物群落中的74个永久样方．采集3年(1999～2001)植物生长高峰期的群落数据,试图检验物种构成的相似性是如何解释物种多样性对地上生物量年际变异性的影响。结果表明：随着物种丰富度增加,生物量变异性降低;而随着均匀度的增加,生物量的变异性尽管在均匀度中等程度时似乎保持在同一水平,但总体上呈下降趋势;物种构成上的相似性解释了地上生物量变异性的大部分,而且随着物种构成上的相似性的增加,生物量的变异性降低;物种丰富度和均匀度均与物种构成上的相似性没有显著相关关系。这些结果表明：尽管生物多样性的丧失可能不必导致物种丰富群落中物种构成上的相似性,但相似性与地上生物量的变异性的因果联系可能是稳健的．由于本研究是在自然群落中进行的,对物种构成的相似性没有进行直接控制,因此,要深入理解相似性是如何影响生物多样性对生态系统功能变异性的效应的机制,可能还需要直接对物种构成的相似性进行控制的实验研究。     

豫西黄土高原农作区鼠类群落动态：时空尺度格局的初步分析

本文分析了豫西农业生态系统中鼠类群落局部空间尺度的短期动态格局。在区域尺度上,该群落为棕色田鼠＋大仓鼠型,群落多样性与丰富度和均匀度都有显著的正相关,丰富度的作用大于均匀度的作用。由于资源分布的斑块性,群落优势种和次优势种对环境变异的季节性反应不同,故群落的时空格局具有明显的变化。在农田中,群落在秋季分化为棕色田鼠＋大仓鼠亚群落型和大仓鼠＋棕色田鼠型,后者的生境斑块为单一的玉米田和油葵田;在作物轮作的格局下,群落多样性与丰富度和均匀度都有显著的正相关。在果园中,无论果树树龄和季节的变化,棕色田鼠的多度总是大于大仓鼠,即群落格局是不变的,而群落多样性与丰富度和多度之间均无显著的相关性。然而,灌溉可使大仓鼠与棕色田鼠的数量关系发生逆转,因此灌溉不仅影响果园中鼠类群落格局的分化,而且也将影响到农田中的这种分化。在一年弃耕地中,群落格局从夏季开始由棕色田鼠＋大仓鼠亚群落型转化为大仓鼠＋棕色田鼠亚群落型;在第３年末演替结束时,多年生植物取代一年生植物成为优势种,大仓鼠＋棕色田鼠群落格局则趋于稳定。在此过程中,群落多样性和丰富度与均匀度均无显著的相关性。本研究结果还表明,异质性可导致农作区鼠类群落的多样性