Ellenberg indicator values for macromycetes – a methodological approach and first applications

Ellenberg indicator values (EIVs) describe the realized niche of species and habitat parameters, and are commonly used for vascular plants, bryophytes, and lichens. We provide a methodology for EIVs and an EIV list for nearly 650 species of macromycetes. We propose a new EIV scale, namely substrate openness (O). We also give the results of two applications and compare EIV values related to the Red List classification with those related to lifestyle classification. Mycorrhizal species on average have higher demands on substrate openness and are less tolerant of high nutrient levels than saprotrophic or parasitic species. Critically endangered species have on average distinctly higher demands on openness of habitat and substrate than not threatened or less strongly threatened species, which in turn have higher demands for nutrient availability. This pattern clearly highlights the points of threat for many macromycete species.     

中国外来入侵植物区系组成的大尺度格局及其气候解释

外来入侵物种的空间分布格局及其影响因子的研究是外来物种管理和控制的基础。本研究利用文献数据和气候资料,探讨了中国外来人侵植物（属）区系组成的大尺度格局及其与气候因子之间的联系。从植物区系的总体构成来看,热带区系成分所占比重较大,其次为温带成分和世界分布成分,说明研究区域内外来人侵植物主要起源于热带地区,其次为温带地区。从空间格局来看,从南到北,热带区系成分所占比重呈递减趋势,而温带区系成分所占比重则呈递增趋势。这说明,在南部区域,外来入侵植物更多的来自于热带地区,但在北部区域,来自于温带地区的外来入侵植物可能占据主导地位。热量水平显著影响外来入侵植物的空间格局,随着热量水平的提高,热带区系比重呈递增趋势,而温带区系成分所占比重则呈递减趋势,这可能与不同区系成分植物的生态特性有关。     

Stable isotope ecology of Miocene large mammals from Sandelzhausen,southern Germany

The carbon, oxygen, and strontium isotope composition of enamel from teeth of large Miocene herbivorous mammals from Sandelzhausen (MN5, late Early/early Middle Miocene) in the North Alpine foreland basin, were analyzed to infer diet and habitat. The mean enamel δ¹³C value of −11.4 ± 1.0‰ (n = 53) for the nine taxa analyzed (including proboscideans, cervids, suids, chalicotheres, equids, rhinocerotids) indicates a pure C₃ plant diet for all mammals. ⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr ratios of ~0.710 higher than those from teeth of the western Molasse Basin (0.708–0.709) seem to indicate preferential feeding of the mammals in the northeastern Molasse Basin. The sympatric herbivores have different mean δ¹³C and δ¹⁸O values which support diet partitioning and/or use of different habitats within a C₃ plant ecosystem. Especially the three sympatric rhinoceroses Plesiaceratherium fahlbuschi, Lartetotherium sansaniense, and Prosantorhinus germanicus show clear partitioning of plants and/or habitats. The palaeomerycid Germanomeryx fahlbuschi was a canopy folivore in moderately closed environments whereas Metaschizotherium bavaricum (Chalicotheriidae) and P. germanicus (Rhinocerotidae) were browsers in more closed forest environments. The horse Anchitherium aurelianense was probably a more generalized feeder than assumed from its dental morphology. The forest hog Hyotherium soemmeringi has the highest δ¹³C and lowest δ¹⁸O value of all analyzed taxa, possibly related to a frugivorous diet. Most taxa were water-dependent browsers that record meteoric water δ¹⁸O values of about −5.6 ± 0.7‰ Vienna Standard Mean Ocean Water (VSMOW). Using a modern-day mean annual air temperature (MAT)– relation a MAT of 19.3 ± 1.5°C can be reconstructed for Sandelzhausen. A Gomphotherium subtapiroideum tusk serially sampled for δ¹⁸O values does not record a clear pattern of seasonality. Thus most taxa were C₃ browsers in a forested and humid floodplain environment in the Molasse Basin, which experienced a warm-temperate to subtropical climate and possibly low seasonality.      

Spatial patterns of foliar stable carbon isotope compositions of C<Subscript>3</Subscript> plant species in the Loess Plateau of China

The spatial pattern of foliar stable carbon isotope compositions (δ¹³C) of dominant species and their relationships with environmental factors in seven sites, Yangling, Yongshou, Tongchuan, Fuxian, Ansai, Mizhi and Shenmu, standing from south to north in the Loess Plateau of China, was studied. The results showed that in the 121 C₃ plant samples collected from the Loess Plateau, the foliar δ¹³C value ranged from −22.66‰ to −30.70‰, averaging −27.04‰. The foliar δ¹³C value varied significantly (P<0.01) among the seven sites, and the average δ¹³C value increased by about 1.69‰ from Yangling in the south to Shenmu in the north as climatic drought increased. There was a significant difference in foliar δ¹³C value among three life-forms categorized from all the plant samples in the Loess Plateau (P<0.001). The trees (−26.74‰) and shrubs (−26.68‰) had similar mean δ¹³C values, both significantly (P<0.05) higher than the mean δ¹³C value of herbages (−27.69‰). It was shown that the trees and shrubs had higher WUEs and employed more conservative water-use patterns to survive drier habitats in the Loess Plateau. Of all the C₃ species in the Loess Plateau, the foliar δ¹³C values were significantly and negatively correlated with the mean annual rainfall (P<0.001) and mean annual temperature (P<0.05), while being significantly and positively correlated with the latitude (P<0.001) and the annual solar radiation (P<0.01). In general, the foliar δ¹³C values increased as the latitude and solar radiation increased and the rainfall and temperature decreased. The annual rainfall as the main influencing factor could explain 13.3% of the spatial variations in foliar δ¹³C value. A 100 mm increment in annual rainfall would result in a decrease by 0.88‰ in foliar δ¹³C values.     

Decomposition of urea by size-fractionated planktonic community in a eutrophic reservoir in Japan

Free bacterial populations were separated from an intact planktonic community in water of a eutrophic reservoir in Japan by filtration through Whatman GF/ C glass fiber filters (mean porosity 1.2 µm). Urea decomposition by the free bacterial populations and the intact planktonic community was determined in six different months.The separated free bacteria apparently did not take part in urea-decomposition in waters of the reservoir through the year: the number of free heterotrophic bacteria increased during the urea-decomposition experiments, however, the concentration of urea did not decrease. Whereas, in five cases out of six, urea was decomposed by the intact planktonic community. Probably, phytoplankton were responsible for most of the urea-decomposition. On the assumption that the decomposition of urea obeyed first-order kinetics, rate constants were calculated to be 0.00–0.63 day^–1 with a mean value of 0.21 day^–1.     

Effect of season and photoperiod on the follicle-stimulating hormone receptors in a subtropical bird

Annual changes in and photoperiodic influence oh the weight of gonads, a parameter of gonadal activity, are much smaller in female birds than in males. Effect of season and photoperiod on the follicle-stimulating hormone receptors in the testis or ovary was studied using a subtropical weaver finch. The number of follicle-stimulating hormone binding sites per unit testicular weight showed a peak in the non-breeding phase; while the total number of binding sites per two testes was maximal in the breeding phase and minimal in the regressive phase. In contrast, seasonal changes in follicle-stimulating hormone binding sites in the ovary were less marked. Exposure to short-day during the breeding phase induced marked decreases in the numbers of binding sites per unit testicular weight and per two testes. These numbers markedly increased after transfer to long-day during the non-breeding phase. However, there was no significant effect of short-day or long-day exposure on follicle-stimulating hormone binding sites in the ovary. These results suggest that photoperiod is an effective environmental factor in the regulation of follicle-stimulating hormone receptors in the testis and the effect is manifested by pronounced changes in the testicular weight during annual breeding cycle.     

Coefficient of variation as a measure of relative wetness of different stations in India

Assessment of relative wetness in different months is a prerequisite for proper planning and utilization of available water resources of an area. Using monthly rainfall data of four different stations in India, the present paper shows thatC _v, the coefficient of variation, can be used as a measure of relative wetness/dryness. It was further observed that the amount of rainfall for a given probability level can be quickly computed in terms of percentile values.C _v is exponentially related to P₆₀, the sixtieth percentile of the amount of rainfall.     

Effects of seed release timing on plant life-history and seed production in a population of a desert annual,shape Blepharis sindica (Acanthaceae)

Growth, phenology, survivorship, and seed production were observed in a population of a desert annual, Blepharis sindica, with reference to the variation in the timing of seedling emergence. The population consisted of several cohorts induced by rain-cued seed release within a growing season. The fate of 100 individuals of six cohorts was monitored throughout the growing season. Earlier-established cohorts had significantly larger plant sizes and higher reproductive outputs than later cohorts. The time and duration of each phenological stage varied among the cohorts, and they were also influenced by plant size. Mortalities at the seedling stage, vegetative stage, and reproductive stage increased with the delay of seed release. Seed release was concentrated in the early growing season. Fecundity was highest in the earliest cohort and decreased monotonically in later cohorts. The results suggested that even in temporally varying environments, the superiority of early emergent plants was evident. The seed release patterns in temporally fluctuating desert environments are discussed as a compromise between 'diversified bet-hedging' and an optimal timing for maximizing the reproductive success in a growing season.     

Reproductive cycles in a reared strain of the mummichog, a daily spawner

Annual, lunar, and diel samplings were taken from a strain of mummichog (Arasaki strain) reared in outdoor tanks under natural conditions, to examine gonadal maturity. Gonads of yearling fish were quite immature in September. During late autumn and winter, a gradual increase in the GSI of both sexes was observed, and the growth of cortical alveolus phase oocytes in females and basal spermatogenesis in males progressed. In late February, a rapid increase in the GSI of both sexes, vitellogenesis in females, and active spermatogenesis in males, occurred. The spawning period of the yearling fish was from late March to August judging from the presence of milt-producing males and ovulated females. The spawning period of the underyearling fish started in the same month as the yearlings, but terminated 1 month earlier. Plasma levels of oestradiol-17 β (E₂) in females and testosterone in males were high during the spawning period in the yearlings. In the underyearlings, however, E₂ levels peaked in early spring, and declined in the latter part of the spawning period. Neither a lunar nor semilunar cycle was evident in the reproductive activity of this fish, which proved to be a typical daily spawner. Females showed an apparent daily reproductive cycle; oocyte maturation commenced at about 1200 hours, germinal vesicle breakdown (GVBD) occurred at about 2400 hours, and ovulation was completed by 2400 hours, 24 h after GVBD. Such clear annual and daily reproductive cycles make this strain of mummichog a suitable model for the study of environmental and endocrine regulation of reproductive cycles in marine and estuarine teleosts.     

Confidence interval for a coefficient of dispersion in nonnormal distributions

A new confidence interval for the coefficient of dispersion (mean absolute deviation from the median divided by median) is proposed and is shown to perform better than the BCa bootstrap confidence interval.     

岷江上游黑水河流域不同景观结构小流域径流系数的比较

在GIS技术支持下,结合岷江上游黑水河流域1988-2002年多年平均降水量和蒸散量空间分布,对不同景观结构的小流域多年平均径流系数进行比较.结果表明:不同土地覆盖类型组合流域多年平均径流系数大小关系依次为林灌流域《林灌草复合流域《森林流域《林草流域,这与流域土地利用类型、流域海拔分布和迎风坡向分布特征有关;对于森林流域和灌木流域,其多年平均径流系数主要受多年平均降水量、多年平均蒸散量和平均坡度共同影响;对于林草流域和林灌草复合流域,其多年平均径流系数主要受流域的多年平均降水量、多年平均蒸散量和多林草面积比共同影响.     

Expectations for habitat-adapted symbiosis in a winter annual grass

The habitat-adapted symbiosis hypothesis predicts that the most positive effects of symbiosis are expected in the most stressful sites for a plant host. Stress varies with site characteristics but also during the life cycle of a plant, with winter annuals experiencing the most stress after fall emergence. For Bromus tectorum, fecundity can vary tremendously from a few to thousands of seeds per plant. We used endophytic Sordaria fimicola to test the hypothesis in three sites in western Montana. We hypothesized that the effects of S. fimicola inoculation would be most positive in the most stressful site after fall application. As predicted, the most positive effects on growth and fecundity were observed in the most stressful site after fall application of S. fimicola. However, the effects of treatments varied within and between sites considerably, and are best understood as an example of context-dependency in plant-microbe interactions rather than habitat-adapted symbiosis.     

天山雪岭云杉林土壤CNP化学计量特征随水热梯度的变化

生态化学计量学是研究有机体所需碳(C)、氮(N)、磷(P)等营养元素之间多重平衡关系的科学。本研究以天山雪岭云杉林为研究对象,分析土壤C、N、P化学计量的特征及其与温度和降水的关系,并利用冗余分析(Redundancy analysis,RDA)技术分析了土壤C、N、P化学计量特征与理化因子的关系。结果表明,0—10 cm层C、N、P含量的变化范围分别是44.6—143.4、0.190—0.940、0.086—0.286 g/kg,10—30 m层C、N、P含量分别介于23.0—131.0、0.122—0.589、0.032—0.178 g/kg之间,30—80cm层三者的变化范围分别为14.5—67.0、0.149—0.397、0.062—0.169 g/kg。0—10 cm层C、N、P含量与年均温度存在显著的相关关系,0—10 cm和10—30 cm层P含量与年降水量之间的相关性显著; 0—10 cm层C∶P比与年均温度之间存在显著线性关系,0—10 cm与10—30 cm层N∶P比均随年均温度和年降水量的增大而增大。冗余分析结果表明,在0—30 cm层中,土壤含水量和容重是土壤C、N、P化学计量特征的主要驱动因子,土壤含水量与C∶P和N∶P值成正相关关系,容重与N∶P值成负相关关系;在30—80 cm层中,土壤含水量和土壤粘粒含量是土壤C、N、P化学计量特征的主要驱动因子,土壤含水量与N和P值成正比,容重与C、C∶N、C∶P和N∶P成正比,与N和P成反比;电导率和pH对土壤C、N、P化学计量特征的影响并未达到显著程度,可能是研究区土壤的电导率和pH的差异较小。     

On the evolution of epistasis II: a generalized Wright-Kimura framework

The evolution of fitness interactions between genes at two major loci is studied where the alleles at a third locus modify the epistatic interaction between the two major loci. The epistasis is defined by a parameter epsilon and a matrix structure that specifies the nature of the interactions. When epsilon=0 the two major loci have additive fitnesses, and when these are symmetric the interaction matrices studied here produce symmetric viabilities of the Wright [1952. The genetics of quantitative variability. In: Reeve, E.C.R., Waddington, C.H. (Eds.), Quantitative Inheritance. Her Majesty's Stationary Office, London]-Kimura [1956. A model of a genetic system which leads to closer linkage by natural selection. Evolution 10, 278-281] form. Two such interaction matrices are studied, for one of which epistasis as measured by |epsilon| always increases, and for the other it increases when the linkage between the major loci is tight enough and there is initial linkage disequilibrium. Increase of epistasis does not necessarily coincide with increase in equilibrium mean fitness.     

Variation within species and inter-species comparison of seed dormancy and germination of four annual Lamium species

In an ecological context, knowledge of intra-species variation in dormancy and germination is necessary both for practical and theoretical reasons. We used four or five seed batches (replicates) of four closely related annuals co-occurring in arable fields in Sweden: Lamium amplexicaule, L. confertum, L. hybridum and L. purpureum. Seeds used for experiments stemmed from plants cultivated on two sites, each site harbouring one population of each species, thereby ensuring similar environmental history of seeds. Seeds were tested for germination when fresh and after three different pre-treatments (cold or warm stratification, or dry storage) for up to 24 weeks. Seeds were also sown outdoors. Despite substantial intra-species variation, there were clear differences between species. The general seed dormancy pattern, i.e. which environmental circumstances that affect dormancy, was similar for all species; dormancy reduction occurred during warm stratification or dry storage. Even though the response to warm stratification indicates a winter annual pattern, successful plants in Sweden were mostly spring emerged. Germination in autumn occurred, but plants survived winters poorly. Consequently, as cold stratification did not reduce dormancy, strong dormancy in combination with dormancy reduction during dry periods might explain spring germination. It is hypothesised that local adaptations occur through changes mainly in dormancy strength, i.e. how much effort is needed to reduce dormancy. Strong dormancy restricts the part of each seed batch that germinate during autumn, and thus reduces the risk of winter mortality, in Sweden.     

Annual movement and migration of adult pikeperch in a lowland river

The downstream migration of 46–66 cm radio-tagged adult pikeperch Stizostedion lucioperca , in the River Gudenaa, Denmark, from late September to late December, coincided with a reduction in the frequent occurrence of prey fish in the tagging area, and hence was interpreted as a feeding migration. The upstream migration from March to mid-April in spring took place prior to spawning which occurred from late April to June.