Calluna and its associated species: Some aspects of co-existence in communities

Summary Using heath communities (dominated byCalluna vulgaris) as an example, an attempt is made to identify those characteristics of other species wiich enable them to co-exist with the dominant. In the course of its life-span,Calluna passes through a series of growth phases (pioneer, building, mature, degenerate) during which there are marked changes in the condition affecting associated species. These display a variety of ‘complementary strategies’ which enable them to co-exist withCalluna during a part, or the whole, of the sequence. Changes with time in the flora of even-aged stands ofCalluna, produced as a result of management by burning, are accounted for in similar terms. It is also shown that invasion of heath communities by tree species (e.g.Betula spp.,Pinus sylvestris), which may eventually eliminateCalluna, is related to the sequence of growth-phases. Contribution to the Symposium on plant species and plant communities, held at Nijmegen, 11–12 November 1976, on the occasion of the 60th birthday of Professor Victor Westhoff-to whom the author conveys the good wishes of Scottish botanists and conservationists, and particularly those of the University of Aberdeen. Nomenclature follows Clapham, Tutin & Warburg (1962) for vascular plants, Watson (1968) for bryophytes, and Duncan (1970) for lichens. Following common practiceCalluna vulgaris is referred to simply asCalluna. Grateful acknowledgement is made to several present and former research students who have kindly permitted the use of their data: particularly P. Barclay-Estrup, Edith M. French, Gong Wooi Khoon, C.J. Legg, Evelyn W. Paterson, S.D. Ward. I am especially grateful to C.J. Legg for valuable discussions on the subject of this paper.     

An odd activity of an ant (Cataglyphis bicolor); ≪visiting≫

Summary An unexplained form of behaviour connecting nests of an antCataglyphis bicolor F. is described. Individuals from one nest visit another wandering around the nest entrance, for periods of up to half an hour or more. Their behaviour is quite distinct from any seen in normal foraging. These individuals come from the upper end of the range of size; more frequently but not always from a larger to a smaller nest. Nests are normally antagonistic. These ants back away rapidly from an ant of the nest visited.     

Estimating ecotoxicological risk and impact using indigenous aquatic microbial communities

Emphasis has increased on accuracy in predicting the effect that anthropogenic stress has on natural ecosystems. Although toxicity tests low in environmental realism, such as standardized single species procedures, have been useful in providing a certain degree of protection to human health and the environment, the accuracy of such tests for predicting the effects of anthropogenic activities on complex ecosystems is questionable. The use of indigenous communities of microorganisms to assess the hazard of toxicants in aquatic ecosystems has many advantages. Theoretical and practical aspects of microbial community tests are discussed, particularly in related to widely cited problems in the use of multispecies test systems for predicting hazard. Further standardization of testing protocols using microbial colonization dynamics is advocated on the basis of previous studies, which have shown these parameters to be useful in assessing risk and impact of hazardous substances in aquatic ecosystems.     

The effect of trophic/contaminant interactions on chironomid community structure and succession (Diptera: Chironomidae)

The effects of contaminants and organic pollution on the chironomid communities of two basins in Lac St. Louis, a river-lake on the St. Lawrence River above Montreal, Quebec, were assessed and compared using lake classification theory techniques and morphological deformity indices based on the ligulae and antennae ofProcladius, the dominant surviving component of the south-shore communities. Contaminants from the industrial complex around Beauharnois, Quebec, have seriously degraded communities along the south-shore gradient while the introduction of untreated domestic wastes from Laprairie, Quebec, has seriously affected the communities of the Laprairie basin. The interaction between trophic and contaminant effects constitutes a classic example of the setback or deflection in the trajectory of ecological succession in biological communities hypothesized by ODUM (1981, 1985).     

Dynamics of distribution in animal communities: Theory and analysis

Theoretical and analytical problems of the dynamics of distribution and abundance in animal communities were examined. In many communities, species with low abundance and of limited spatial occurrence (i.e., rare species) typically form a conspicuous peak when a frequency distribution of the number of species is constructed with respect to the proportion of sites occupied within an area of distribution. Models of distribution dynamics, including a new model proposed here, were compared with a range of animal community data using a new procedure to assess single- and bi-modal patterns in frequency distributions of spatial occurrence. Data reveal that single-modality with an excess of rare species occurs more frequently than bimodality. Even when bimodality is detected, the mode representing wide-spread species is in the majority of cases smaller than that for rare species. Thus, a new model in which the rate of local extinctions is assumed to be negatively related to patch occupancy (or population abundance) is in better agreement with observed data than earlier models. Some problems of analysis, in particular model assumptions and testing, are discussed.     

A phytosociological study of weed communities on the southwestern Coastal Plain of North Carolina

Summary The vegetation of cultivated, fallow and ‘old’ fields of Scotland County, N.C. was both randomly and subjectively sampled throughout the growing season of 1973. Relevés were placed in each of the above management units, and the data collected in this relevé analysis were sorted into phytosociological charts, with the aid of the digital computer. Weed associations delimited in the charts reflected the importance of edaphic factors, time (aspect), and man's agricultural activities as causal factors in the determination of characteristic assemblages of weeds. Several character and differential species were denoted, in a tentative classification of the weed associations. The cultivated and fallow stands in the spring aspect were noted to be dominated by a group of spring annuals. Summer annuals were more prevalent in homologous situations in the summer. It was determined that perennials, appearing mainly as seedlings in cultivated and fallow fields, attained dominance in ‘old’ fields, one to five years in age. Within each of the major spheres of management, and in each season, associations of weeds mainly reflected differences in edaphic factors. Many character species were noted to maintain affinities to an assortment of soil types that ranged from moist loams to xeric, sterile sands. A study of roadsides, hedgerows, field margins and other ecotonal areas inhabited by weeds was carried throughout the growing season of 1973, also. Species presence was documented in each of these habitat types and reported in Sharp (1974). The weed flora of Scotland County was found to be rich in species. A total of 506 species representing 248 genera and 80 families were encountered throughout the study. Of the total number of species listed, approximately 25 percent were of foreign origin, and 28 percent represented additions to the flora of Scotland County. This paper is the short version of a masters thesis for the Department of Botany, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. The author would like to extend his appreciation and gratitude to Professors H. Lieth, A. E. Radford and J. Hardin for their generous advice and encouragement extended through the duration of the study.     

水稻化感品种对土壤微生物的影响

通过盆栽实验研究三叶期水稻化感品种对土壤微生物种群数量的影响。结果显示,土壤细菌、放线菌、真菌、氨化细菌和好气性自生固氮菌数量在水稻化感品种P1312777和水稻非化感品种“辽粳九”、“秋光”的土壤中存在显著差异,土壤中大多数微生物被水稻化感品种所抑制,但化感品种土壤中的放线菌和好气性纤维素分解菌数量则介于两种非化感品种之间。这一研究表明,水稻化感品种能显著地影响土壤微生物种群数量。     

环境微生物群落功能研究的新方法和新策略

微生物群落在驱动生物地球化学循环中扮演着重要角色,传统的研究方法可对微生物群落进行遗传结构的解析,但不能有效地与功能研究耦联.概述了近年发展起来的基于核酸和蛋白质水平的分子生物学新方法--环境mRNA 和 rRNA同时荧光原位杂交(FISH)、寡核苷酸微阵列技术(Oligonucleotide Microarray)、 稳定性同位素联合宏基因组学(SIP-enabled Metagenomics)和环境蛋白质组学(Metaproteomics)在环境微生物群落功能研究中的应用,并且对其发展趋势进行了分析和展望.     

Interactions between larvae of the hoverfly <Emphasis Type="Italic">Eristalinus sepulchralis</Emphasis> and microorganisms in the hydrothermal springs of the Uzon caldera,Kamchatka

The physicochemical and microbial characteristics of some medium-temperature hydrotherms of Kamchatka Peninsula (Uzon caldera), habitats of the hoverfly Eristalinus sepulchralis larvae, were studied. In these hydrothermal vents, the larvae were found to use various prokaryotic and eukaryotic microorganisms as a nutrient substrate. The rates of chemo-and photosynthetic activity of the suspended microbial communities inhabiting the hydrotherms and supporting the existence of larvae were measured. By light and electron microscopy, exo-and endosymbiotic prokaryotic microorganisms were revealed in the digestive and respiratory systems of larvae.     

Seed dispersal and seedling emergence in an old field community in central New York (USA)

Summary Seed dispersal and seedling emergence of common taxa growing in a Solidago-dominated old field in central New York (USA) were monitored from May 1982 to June 1984. Over 3.5x10⁴ seeds per m² were captured on seed traps in each of the two years, with peaks occuring in July (due to Hieracium) and in November (due to Solidago). About 4.0x10³ seedling/m² emerged beneath the intact community in each of the two years. Although seedlings emerged predominantly in the early spring, a secondary peak occurred in September and October when many seedlings of introduced grasses appeared. Two additional aspects of the reproductive biology of the major taxa were related to the seasonal timing of seed dispersal: As the date of peak seed dispersal (among taxa) became progressively later in the season, (1) the duration of dispersal increased from about one week to about one-half year, and (2) the delay between the peak of seed dispersal and the peak of seedling emergence increased from a few days to about one-half year.