Biophysical indicators based on spatial hierarchy for informing land reclamation: The case of the Lower Athabasca River (Alberta,Canada)

In the Lower Athabasca region of Alberta (Canada), surface mining for bitumen from oil sands creates highly disturbed environments, which need to be restored, after mine closing, to equivalent land capability in terms of biodiversity and ecosystem services. We demonstrate a method to characterize ecosystem diversity and conditions using biophysical indicators of the Lower Athabasca meant for informing land reclamation planning and monitoring by identifying and creating a typology of the main assemblages of topography, soil and forest vegetation at the watershed, landform and ecosite scales, and analysing the relationships among land units of various scales. Our results showed that watersheds could be classified into distinct groups with specific features, even for a region with a generally flat or gently rolling topography, with slope, surficial deposits and aspect as key drivers of differences. Despite the subtle topography, the moisture regime, which is linked to large-scale cycles that are dependent on the surrounding matrix, was of primary importance for driving vegetation assemblages. There was no unique and homogeneous association between topography and vegetation; the specific landforms each displayed a range of ecosites, and the same ecosites were found in different landforms. This suggests that landscapes cannot be defined in a qualitative manner but rather with quantitative indicators that express the proportion occupied by each class of ecological units within the coarser units, therefore requiring during land reclamation that sufficient care is given to create heterogeneity within a given landform in terms of soil texture and drainage so that a mosaic of ecosite conditions is created.     

青海祁连地区不同生境类型蝶类多样性研究

于1997－1999年对青海祁连地区不同生境类型中蝴蝶多样性进行了研究。研究中依据海拔高度、气候、土壤和植被的不同将该地区的蝴蝶生境划分为5种类型：山缘农田、山地草原、森林草原、高寒灌丛草甸、裸岩。共收集蝴蝶4367只,隶属于6科35属53种,计算了5种生境类型中蝶类物种丰富度、相似性系数、多样性指数,其中,蝶类物种丰富度由小到大的顺序为：裸岩（6种）＜山地草原（13种）＜森林草原（14种）＜高寒灌丛草甸（22种）＜山缘农田（H′＝2.7071）、高寒灌丛草甸（H′=2.7734）;森林草原和山缘农田的相似性系数最高（0.3704）,其次为山地草原和高寒灌丛草甸（0.2500,裸岩与其他生境类型的相似性系数最低。     

小五台亚高山草甸与生境关系分析

该文结合野外植被调查,在获取更为详细的景观尺度生境数据基础上,探讨了小五台亚高山草甸植物群落与直接环境因子之间的定量关系。典范对应分析(CCA)的结果表明:1) 在小五台的亚高山草甸分布地段,热量、养分和水分条件构成了其生境特征差异的基本格局;2) 用效应温度和太阳直接辐射量所表征的热量因子,指示出研究区植物群落最基本的分化,说明热量条件是制约研究区草甸群落分布的最重要的因子;3) 养分状况的差异,除了说明生境条件本身的差异外,也在一定程度上指示了放牧干扰对群落分布的影响;4) 由地形等因素控制的土壤表层水分状况,则反映了草甸植物群落分布所受到的水分条件影响。     

西藏高原高寒草原生态系统植被C／N值的分布特征及其影响因素

以西藏高原高寒草原生态系统的4个自然地带（高山草原、高山灌丛草甸、山地半荒漠与荒漠以及山地灌丛草原）的19个草地型植被为研究对象,采用野外调查与室内分析相结合的方法,对高寒草原生态系统植被C／N值的分布特征及其影响因素进行了研究。结果表明：西藏高原高寒草原植被C／N值总体上呈现出东西部低而中间高的态势以及斑块状交错分布的格局。不同自然地带间和不同草地型间植被地上部分和根系的C／N值有明显差异,且地上部分的C／N值均大于根系。19个草地型植被地上部分的平均C／N值为34．17,变异系数为35．87％;根系的平均C／N值为29．58,变异系数为40．02％。4个自然地带植被地上部分的平均C／N值为31．98,变异系数为13．82％;根系的平均C／N值为31．86,变异系数为16．92％。回归分析结果显示：植被地上部分C／N值与地上部生物量以及土壤全N和全K含量呈显著正相关、与植被高度呈显著负相关;根系C／N值与海拔和20～30em土壤容重呈显著正相关、与年均降水量和年均蒸发量呈显著负相关,这些因子均为影响西藏高原高寒草原植被C／N值的关键环境因子。总体上看,地理因子、气候因子和土壤物理因子对西藏高原高寒草原生态系统植被C／N值的影响不显著,而植被因子和土壤化学因子则对其有显著影响。     

Environmental heterogeneity as a universal driver of species richness across taxa,biomes and spatial scales

Environmental heterogeneity is regarded as one of the most important factors governing species richness gradients. An increase in available niche space, provision of refuges and opportunities for isolation and divergent adaptation are thought to enhance species coexistence, persistence and diversification. However, the extent and generality of positive heterogeneity–richness relationships are still debated. Apart from widespread evidence supporting positive relationships, negative and hump‐shaped relationships have also been reported. In a meta‐analysis of 1148 data points from 192 studies worldwide, we examine the strength and direction of the relationship between spatial environmental heterogeneity and species richness of terrestrial plants and animals. We find that separate effects of heterogeneity in land cover, vegetation, climate, soil and topography are significantly positive, with vegetation and topographic heterogeneity showing particularly strong associations with species richness. The use of equal‐area study units, spatial grain and spatial extent emerge as key factors influencing the strength of heterogeneity–richness relationships, highlighting the pervasive influence of spatial scale in heterogeneity–richness studies. We provide the first quantitative support for the generality of positive heterogeneity–richness relationships across heterogeneity components, habitat types, taxa and spatial scales from landscape to global extents, and identify specific needs for future comparative heterogeneity–richness research.     

天山北坡植物土壤生态化学计量特征的垂直地带性

生态化学计量工作专注于植物与土壤的元素比例关系及其环境解释等问题上,还需要分析在连续环境梯度上元素比例关系的变化规律以进一步加深已有的认识。受水热梯度的影响,植被与土壤在天山北坡均存在明显的垂直地带性,这为探讨植物土壤生态化学计量特征的垂直带谱提供了有利条件。在天山中段北坡海拔1000—3840m范围内,按海拔梯度对植物和土壤分别采样,测定其C、N、P含量。结果表明:(1)随海拔的升高,植物C、N、P含量及其计量比变化规律各不相同,C含量随海拔变化保持不变,仅山地针叶林显著低于亚高山灌丛草甸、高山垫状植被和山前灌木(P0.05);N含量、C∶P、N∶P随海拔先升高后降低,山地针叶林和亚高山灌丛草甸显著高于山地荒漠草原、山地草原、高山垫状植被(P0.05);P含量、C∶N则是随海拔先降低后升高,高山垫状植被显著高于其他植被类型,山地荒漠草原、山前灌木和高山草甸显著高于山地草原、针叶林和亚高山灌丛草甸(P0.05)。(2)从生活型角度,乔木、灌木和草本C、N含量、C∶N差异不显著,灌木P含量、C∶P、N∶P显著高于草本(P0.05);乔木和灌木更受P限制,草本更受N限制。(3)随海拔的升高,土壤C、N、P含量、C∶P、N∶P均先升高后降低,其中山地针叶林和亚高山灌丛草甸均显著高于山地荒漠草原和山地草原(P0.05),土壤C∶N表现为一直降低,山地荒漠草原显著高于其他植被类型(P0.05)。(4)植物C、N、P及计量比与土壤相关性分析中,仅植物C∶P与土壤C∶P相关性显著,且植物C、N、P含量与土壤相关系数小于植物C∶P、N∶P与土壤相关系数。在垂直地带性上,土壤主要通过生态化学计量比影响植物的生长。     

Shrub range expansion alters diversity and distribution of soil fungal communities across an alpine elevation gradient

Global climate and land use change are altering plant and soil microbial communities worldwide, particularly in arctic and alpine biomes where warming is accelerated. The widespread expansion of woody shrubs into historically herbaceous alpine plant zones is likely to interact with climate to affect soil microbial community structure and function; however, our understanding of alpine soil ecology remains limited. This study aimed to (i) determine whether the diversity and community composition of soil fungi vary across elevation gradients and to (ii) assess the impact of woody shrub expansion on these patterns. In the White Mountains of California, sagebrush (Artemisia rothrockii) shrubs have been expanding upwards into alpine areas since 1960. In this study, we combined observational field data with a manipulative shrub removal experiment along an elevation transect of alpine shrub expansion. We utilized next‐generation sequencing of the ITS1 region for fungi and joint distribution modelling to tease apart effects of the environment and intracommunity interactions on soil fungi. We found that soil fungal diversity declines and community composition changes with increasing elevation. Both abiotic factors (primarily soil moisture and soil organic C) and woody sagebrush range expansion had significant effects on these patterns. However, fungal diversity and relative abundance had high spatial variation, overwhelming the predictive power of vegetation type, elevation and abiotic soil conditions at the landscape scale. Finally, we observed positive and negative associations among fungal taxa which may be important in structuring community responses to global change.     

青藏高原各主要植被类型特征及环境差异

青藏高原高海拔引起的地形、气候和土壤空间差异造就了其独特的植被类型及其空间变化,当前研究缺乏针对青藏高原全域范围内各植被类型特征和环境差异的定量与系统性分析。针对青藏高原特殊的地理环境和植被类型,选用植被、地形、土壤、气候4个维度共计58个空间化指标,采用频数分布统计方法对这些指标开展了定量分析,系统揭示了青藏高原全域范围内各主要植被类型的特征及环境差异。通过定量分析发现,大部分的环境及植被特征指标对青藏高原各主要植被类型的区分度较高,其中,遥感归一化植被指数、植被净初级生产力、裸地覆盖度、海拔、土壤温度、年最低温度、年总蒸散发7个指标对青藏高原各主要植被类型的区分度较高。揭示的青藏高原各主要植被类型的特征及环境差异,可提高灌丛和草地之间、各草地类型之间、高山苔原-垫状-稀疏植被与其他植被类型之间的可区分性,有助于解决青藏高原植被精细分类中广泛存在的灌丛和草地区分、草地类型细分、高山苔原-垫状-稀疏植被识别和山地垂直地带植被识别四个难点问题。研究结果一方面可服务于青藏高原的植被精细分类,另一方面也可服务于青藏高原的自然地带划分、生物多样性和生态系统功能评估、地表物质循环研究等。     

北京九龙山地区的植被及其对生境类型的指示意义

 本研究在对北京西郊九龙山地区植被(以次生灌丛和灌草丛为主)全面调查的基础上,分析了该地区的植物区系和植物群落特性。采用系统聚类的方法,以各样方包含的主要植物种类为属性,对120个样方进行了系统聚类分析,阐明了一定地段上的植物种类组成对生境条件(尤其是土壤条件)的指示意义。进而对九龙山植被及其生境进行了分类,并指出了各植物群落类型的组成、结构和分布规律及其与土壤厚度、土壤水分状况等生境条件的密切关系。文章还讨论了京郊低山地各生境类型的改造和利用途径。     

Tree formations in relation with soil and grasses in a dry savanna in Mali, West Africa

The relationship between trees, grass and soil in a dry savanna in Mali was investigated, to identify variables that are most relevant to assess vegetation units. A 65 ha plateau was inventoried using a systematic square grid sampling pattern. Thirteen soil or topography variables, and tree and grass characteristics were measured at each sampling point. Multivariate analysis was used to separately analyse soil, tree and grass data, and to characterize tree–grass and tree–soil relationships. Four units of soils, four units of tree formations, and four units of grass formations were identified. There was a correspondence between these groups, indicative of four vegetation units: thicket, bare land, shrub savanna and tree savanna. Soil depth and soil texture were the soil variables that best related to tree vegetation. A negative correlation was found between tree basal area and grass dry biomass. Finally, vegetation units, as identified from tree species composition, had contrasted diameter structures and densities.     

A rapid assessment of anthropogenic disturbances in East African wetlands

The use of East African freshwater wetlands for agriculture has increased in recent decades, raising concerns about potential impacts on wetlands and the long-term sustainability of such land use trends. WET-health is an indicator-based rapid wetland assessment approach developed in South Africa. It allows determining the conditions of wetlands in four assessment modules (hydrology, geomorphology, vegetation, and water quality) by observing the degree of deviation of a wetland from its anticipated natural reference state. We tested the transferability of the WET-health concept for East African inland valley swamps and floodplain wetlands based on 114 assessment units at four study sites. Due to large wetland areas and different environmental settings in East Africa, we modified the original approach using a random selection of assessment units and an assessment scheme based on disturbance types (Appendices A and B). Estimated WET-health impact scores were matched with biophysical and socioeconomic variables using a generalized linear mixed model. Land use included largely undisturbed wetland units occurring side by side with seasonally cropped or grazed units, and drained, permanently cultivated units. A strong differentiation of impact scores between the four assessment modules was apparent with highest scores for vegetation and lowest scores for geomorphology. Vegetation and water quality responded most sensitively to land use changes. The magnitude of wetland disturbance is predominantly determined by management factors such as land use intensity, soil tillage, drainage intensity, and the application of agrochemicals and influences vegetation attributes and the provision of ecosystem services. The proposed modification of WET-health enables users to assess large wetland areas during relatively short periods of time. While further studies will be required, WET-health appears to be a promising concept to be applied to wetlands in East Africa and possibly beyond.     

Seasonal comparison of bacterial communities in rhizosphere of alpine cushion plants in the Himalayan Hengduan Mountains

Positive associations between alpine cushion plants and other species have been extensively studied. However, almost all studies have focused on the associations between macrofauna. Studies that have investigated positive associations between alpine cushion plants and rhizospheric microbes have been limited to the vegetation growing season. Here, we asked whether the positive effects that alpine cushion plants confer on rhizospheric microbe communities vary with seasons. We assessed seasonal variations in the bacterial diversity and composition in rhizosphere of two alpine cushion plants and surrounding bare ground by employing a high throughput sequencing method targeting the V3 region of bacterial 16S rRNA genes. Soil properties of the rhizosphere and the bare ground were also examined. We found that cushion rhizospheres harbored significantly more C, N, S, ammonia nitrogen, and soil moisture than the bare ground. Soil properties in cushion rhizospheres were not notably different, except for soil pH. Bacterial diversities within the same microhabitats did not vary significantly with seasons. We concluded that alpine cushion plants had positive effects on the rhizospheric bacterial communities, even though the strength of the effect varied in different cushion species. Cushion species and the soil sulfur content were probably the major factors driving the spatial distribution and structure of soil bacterial communities in the alpine communities dominated by cushion plants.     

海南岛热带森林景观类型多样性

依据景观生态学原理,按地貌、气候、土壤、植被和土地利用方式的分异,以带、域、省、区、类型为5个基本单位及亚、组等为辅助单位,组建海南岛热带森林景观类型分类体系。把海南岛热带森林景观作为省级单位,它隶属于全球热带林景观带、亚洲（东方）热带林景观域、中国热带林景观亚域,其下划分为东部潮湿森林景观、西部半干旱森林景观、中南部山地森林景观、热带常绿针叶林景观、热带竹林景观和热带人工林景观6个森林景观区;以热带低地沟谷热带雨林为代表的11个森林景观亚区;以热带低地沟谷龙脑香森林景观为代表的26个森林景观类型组;以热带低地沟谷青皮林为代表的54个森林景观类型。海南岛热带森林景观类型分类体系较全面地表达了海南岛热带森林景观类型多样性。     

山地城市坡向对地表温度的影响——以重庆市主城区为例

为揭示坡向对山地城市地表温度的影响,以重庆市主城区为例,由Landsat TM影像反演地表温度,提取各坡向上的地表温度,进行方差分析。结果发现,东南和南坡向的地表温度较高,而西北和北坡向的地表温度较低,8坡向分类时,各坡向的平均地表温度的差异具有显著性;用地类型没有坡向偏好,对于同一种用地类型,各坡向的平均地表温度没有显著差异。不同的用地类型上的城市建设强度和生产、生活活动差异是引起地表温度变化的主要因素,而坡向对城市地表温度的影响相比强烈的城市人为活动产生的环境效应而言是微弱的。     

Impacts of snow cover duration on vegetation spring phenology over the Tibetan Plateau

Aims Snow cover occupies large percentage of land surface in Tibetan Plateau. Snow cover duration (SCD) during non-growing seasons plays a critical role in regulating alpine vegetation’s phenology by affecting the energy budgets of land surface and soil moisture conditions. Different period’s snow cover during non-growing season may have distinct effect on the vegetation’s phenology. Start of season (SOS) has been observed advanced under the ongoing climate change in the plateau, but it still remains unclear how the SCD alters the SOS. This study attempts to answer the following questions: (i) What is the pattern of spatial and temporal variations for SCD and grassland SOS? (ii) Which period’s SCD plays a critical role in grassland’s SOS?     

Effect of available burrow densities of plateau pika (Ochotona curzoniae) on soil physicochemical property of the bare land and vegetation land in the Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau

The available burrow densities of plateau pika (Ochotona curzoniae) regulate the soil physicochemical property in alpine meadow. A field survey was conducted to investigate the effect of available burrow densities of plateau pika on soil physicochemical property of bare land (bare patch produced by burrowing behavior of plateau pika) and vegetation land (land covered with vegetation). This study indicated that the increase in available burrow of plateau pika caused the soil water content at 0–10 cm layer of bare land and that at 10–20 cm of vegetation land to reduce, and caused the soil water content at 10– 20 cm layer of bare land and that at 0–10 cm layer of vegetation land to firstly increase and then decline. In the increasing process of available burrow of plateau pika, the soil silt content firstly increased and then decreased, and soil sand content firstly decreased and then increased. With the increase of available burrow of plateau pika, the soil porosity at 0–10 cm layer of bare land and that at 10–20 cm layer of vegetation land decreased, while the soil porosity at 10–20 cm layer of bare land and that at 0–10 cm of vegetation land firstly increased and then decreased. Soil pH value, soil organic matter, total nitrogen and total phosphorus content firstly increased and then decreased, peaking at 14 available burrows per 625 m², while total soil potassium content did not respond to available burrow densities of plateau pika. This study suggested that the proper available burrows existing in the alpine meadow increased soil permeability, accelerated soil moisture to penetrate deeply, increased the proportion of soil silt, and improved the soil nutrient; however, this beneficial effect was strongly influenced by the available burrow density of plateau pika, implying that plateau pika did not benefit soil structure when its available burrow was over 34 number/625 m².     

Past and present vegetation ecology of Laetoli, Tanzania

We are attempting to set up a new protocol for palaeoecological reconstruction in relation to the fossil hominin site Laetoli, Tanzania. This is based on the premise that habitat variability in the past was at least as great as at present; that this variability at the landscape level is a function of variations in geology, soils, and topography rather than climate; and that vegetation type at the landscape level can be reconstructed from these environmental variables. Measurable variation in climate in tropical Africa today occurs over distances of at least 100 km, so that ranges of habitat variation within the limited area of Laetoli today can be reconstructed in relation to soils and topography, and the effects of climate changes are then estimated in relation to these other factors. In order to document the modern vegetation, we have made voucher collections of plants in the Laetoli region, recorded distributions of plants by habitat, climate, soil, and topography, and mapped the vegetation distributions. Results show that areas of low relief have soils with impeded drainage and dense Acacia drepanolobium woodland, having low canopies when disturbed by human action, higher when not; shallow brown soils on volcanic lavas have four woodland associations, two dominated by Acacia species, two by Combretum-Albizia species; shallow volcanic soils to the east have a woodland association with Croton-Dombeya-Albizia species; elevated land to the east on volcanic soils has two associations of montane-edge species, one with Croton-Celtis-Lepidotrichilia, and the other with Acacia lahai; the eastern highlands above 2,750 m have montane forest; seasonal water channels flowing from east to west have three Acacia riverine woodland associations; three deep valleys to the north of the area have dense riverine woodland with Celtis, Albizia, Euclea, Combretum, Acacia spp.; emergence of springs at Endulen feed a perennial stream with closed gallery forest with Ficus-Croton-Lepidotrichilia; and, finally, recent ash falls have produced immature alkaline soils with calcrete formation and short grass vegetation. All of these vegetation associations have been modified by human disturbance to greater or lesser degrees, and we have attempted to allow for this both by basing the associations on the least modified areas and by predicting how the associations, or parts of associations, have been altered by human action. Past land forms at Laetoli have been based on the geology and geomorphology of the area. Past vegetation patterns were estimated by superimposing present distributions of plant associations on equivalent landforms in the past, assuming similar climate to the present. This indicates the overall pattern of vegetation at Laetoli to have been a mosaic of low and tall deciduous woodlands and with riverine woodland and forest associations along water courses. Low woodlands would have been dominated by Acacia species, and tall woodlands by Combretum-Albizia species, with increasing increments of montane species, such as Croton species, to the east of the area. Riverine woodlands would have been dominated by Acacia-Euclea species, with wetter associations (downriver or linked with spring activity) supporting gallery forest with Ficus, Celtis, and Croton species. These are all species associations common in the area today, and with landforms little changed in the past, and assuming similar climate, there is every reason to predict that they would have been present in the past. Moreover, Pliocene environments lack the human disturbance that has destroyed much of the present day vegetation. Presence of woodlands is supported by fossil wood attributed to several of the tree species present in the area today and by similarities in the mammalian community structure between past and present. Having established the pattern for Pliocene vegetation based on climatic variables existing today, we then predict the effects of past variations in climate.     

The vegetation of the Øvre Heimdalen valley

The catchment area of Øvre Heimdalsvatn reaches from the upper half of the subalpine birch forest zone to the lowermost part of the high-alpine subzone within the alpine zone. The units dominating the area include mountain birch forest, tall herb meadow, mire vegetation, bilberry heath, snowbed communities, chionophobous heath vegetation, and areas without a continuous vegetation layer. It is shown that the potential natural vegetation corresponds closely to the actual vegetation distribution.     

Management,winter climate and plant–soil feedbacks on ski slopes: a synthesis

Owing to the increasing popularity of skiing and the upslope movement of the snow reliability line in mountain regions, more and more alpine environments are being turned into skiing areas, with strong impacts on ecosystem functions and biodiversity. Creation and management of ski slopes cause physical disturbance to soil and vegetation, while (artificial) snow supplements affect soil structure, chemistry, moisture and temperature regimes as well as shifts in snow season and growing season length. Vegetation–soil feedbacks may influence the outcome of these interactive effects on soil and vegetation, with possible consequences for soil erosion. Moreover, climate warming will lead to changing snow cover and duration, which will interact with ski slope management effects on soil and vegetation and its feedbacks. Based on a conceptual framework we review the main elements of these interactive effects on soil and vegetation on new and established ski slopes. We also set a research agenda with specific studies that could further advance our understanding of interacting ski slope management, winter climate, vegetation–soil feedbacks and ecosystem functioning. In such new investigations, alpine climate change ecology can probably learn much from the “experimental” disturbance and snow manipulations on ski slopes and vice versa.