In and out: Effects of shoot- vs. rooted-presence sampling methods on plant diversity measures in mountain grasslands

Plant diversity measures (e.g., alpha- and beta-diversity) provide the basis for a number of ecological indication and monitoring methods. These measures are based on species counts in sampling units (plots or quadrats). However, there are two alternative conventions for defining a vascular plant species as “present” in a plot, i.e. “shoot presence” (a species is recorded if the vertical projection of any above-ground part falls within the plot) and “rooted presence” (a species is recorded only when an individual is rooted inside the plot). Very few studies addressed the effects of the two sampling conventions on species richness and diversity indices. We sampled mountain dry grasslands in Italy across different plot sizes and vegetation types to assess how large is the difference in alpha- and beta-diversity values and in sample-based rarefaction curves between the two methods. We found that the difference is greatly dependent on plot size, being more relevant, both in absolute and percentage values, at smaller grain; it is also dependent on habitat type, being larger in shallow-soil communities, as they have a sparser vegetation structure and host life-form types with a larger lateral spread. At fine spatial scales (<1 m²) the difference is large enough to bias statistical inference, and we conclude that at such scales one should not attempt to compare plant diversity indices if they were not obtained with the same sampling convention.     

西藏色季拉山蕨类植物资源特征

为了摸清色季拉山蕨类植物资源的种类和资源特征,为该区蕨类开发利用提供依据。该研究通过查阅《西藏植物志》和标本,结合色季拉山多年植物调查名录,对该区野生蕨类植物进行统计分析,并对其用途进行了描述。结果显示:(1)色季拉山共有蕨类植物资源29科、57属、196种(包括变种和变型),分别占西藏蕨类植物总科、属、种的65.91%、45.24%、41.70%;优势科为鳞毛蕨科(3属/50种)、水龙骨科(9属/31种)、蹄盖蕨科(7属/22种)、中国蕨科(6属/14种),优势属为鳞毛蕨属(27种)、耳蕨属(19种)。(2)色季拉山蕨类植物的地理成分以热带类型的科和属占优势(分别占非世界分布科、属的80.00%、68.18%),具有明显的热带性质;生态分布类型以陆生为主(118种,占60.20%),其次为附生(45种,占22.96%)。(3)色季拉山共有药用蕨类植物66种,且以清热药种类最多(30种);观赏蕨类植物共有71种(其中新增加23种);食用蕨类植物共有14种,且多以嫩叶或嫩茎或根状茎为食;少数蕨类还具有指示、工业原料、饲料和绿肥等方面的作用。研究表明,色季拉山蕨类植物资源种类丰富,在西藏蕨类植物区系中占很大比例,具有很高的开发利用价值。     

步行友好的绿道评价研究——以南京环紫金山绿道为例

绿道步行友好性评价丰富了绿道的研究内容,评价结果可为绿道的规划建设提供科学依据。以南京环紫金山绿道为例,在梳理步行友好的绿道概念的基础上,通过层次分析法评价了各段绿道的步行友好程度。结果表明：环紫金山绿道整体步行友好程度虽然较高,但各区段之间差异较大。另外,在绿道建设质量较高的前提下,步行爱好者更关注绿道的可达性、线路的安全性、清晰的标识系统、舒适宜人的服务设施以及绿道沿线高质量的视觉景观等几方面,而对绿道本身功能性要素并不是太在意。因此,规划建设城市休闲绿道时,在满足步行功能的前提下,应将行人的步行感受放在首位,而不是过度注重绿道本身的形式美。     

Functional diversity research of forest communities in the Xiaowutai Mountain National Nature Reserve,Hebei

Plant functional traits are the plant physiological characteristics which can response to the changes of the living environment and have a certain impact on the ecosystem structure and function. The objective of our study was to explore characters of present functional diversity indices, the relationships between functional diversity and environmental variables, the relevance of species diversity and functional diversity. In this paper, habitat type, seed dispersal, pollination method, life cycle, life form, leaf form, leaf hair type, flowering period and flowering time were chosen as functional traits, and the research were done in the typical forest communities in the Xiaowutai Mountain National Nature Reserve, Hebei. One hundred and forty-eight quadrats (10 m × 10 m) of forest communities were established along altitude gradients, at the same time, species composition, functional traits, and environmental variables were measured in each quadrat. The results showed that functional diversity indices in forest communities that were calculated by functional distances varied greatly. Functional diversity indices (FAD, MFAD, FDp, FDc, FRic, Rao and FDis) had highly significantly positive correlation with Patrick index and showed a linear increasing trend. All the nine functional diversity indices (FAD, MFAD, FDp, FDc, FRic, Rao, FEve, FDiv, FDis) had significantly correlation with Shannon-Wiener index and Pielou index. Only FDiv showed significantly negative correlation, and the other eight functional diversity indices showed positive correlation. Environmental filtering was important to functional diversity pattern, and functional diversity indices showed correlation with environmental variables. Altitude was a significant factor to functional diversity in forest communities. Except for FDiv, other functional diversity indices displayed a decreasing trend along altitude gradients. Among all the functional diversity indices, only Rao and FDis showed significantly positive correlation with aspect. The functional diversity indices (FAD, MFAD, FDp, FDc, FRic, Rao and FDdis) showed a negative correlation with slope, slope position, litter layer thickness, soil thickness, while, they showed a positive correlation with soil temperature and disturbance. All the nine indices were proved successful in the analysis of functional diversity in forest communities with different effectiveness. They were divided into three categories, functional richness (FAD, MFAD, FDp, FDc, FRic), functional divergence (Rao, FDis), functional evenness (FEve, FDis). Meanwhile, each category was highly inter-correlated and each category was relatively independent with other categories. The study of functional diversity provides a number of ecological indication and monitoring methods for the forest, and it can address a wide range of important ecological questions that links species and ecosystems through mechanisms in biodiversity research.     

Resistance to Bark Beetle Attack in Caribbean Pine: Potential Role of 4‐Allylanisole1

In the Neotropics, Caribbean pine is subject to epidemic attack by southern pine beetle. We found significantly higher levels (>2.5%) of 4‐allylanisole in the monoterpenoid fraction of the oleoresin of trees in stands with high beetle‐induced mortality, and a negative association between magnitude of attack and levels of 4‐allylanisole in individual trees. Results also suggest that individual trees with low 4‐allylanisole levels may escape attack if they occur in stands characterized by high levels of this compound.     

浙江天台山七子花群落种群分布格局研究

以浙江省天台山七子花群落为研究对象,采用相邻格子样方法取样数据,应用方差／均值比的t检验法、负二项参数、扩散型指数、Cassie指标、丛生指标、平均拥挤指数和聚块性指数等方法,分析了七子花群落各优势种群以及七子花种群在各样地中的分布格局,并分立木级对七子花种群在不同样地内的集群强度进行了测定。结果是：群落中各优势种群均呈集群分布;七子花种群在各样地亦呈集群分布,但集群强度有差异;各样地中七子花种群小树的集群强度均大于中树,种群呈扩散趋势。