Climate–ecosystem modelling made easy: The Land Sites Platform

Dynamic Global Vegetation Models (DGVMs) provide a state-of-the-art process-based approach to study the complex interplay between vegetation and its physical environment. For example, they help to predict how terrestrial plants interact with climate, soils, disturbance and competition for resources. We argue that there is untapped potential for the use of DGVMs in ecological and ecophysiological research. One fundamental barrier to realize this potential is that many researchers with relevant expertize (ecology, plant physiology, soil science, etc.) lack access to the technical resources or awareness of the research potential of DGVMs. Here we present the Land Sites Platform (LSP): new software that facilitates single-site simulations with the Functionally Assembled Terrestrial Ecosystem Simulator, an advanced DGVM coupled with the Community Land Model. The LSP includes a Graphical User Interface and an Application Programming Interface, which improve the user experience and lower the technical thresholds for installing these model architectures and setting up model experiments. The software is distributed via version-controlled containers; researchers and students can run simulations directly on their personal computers or servers, with relatively low hardware requirements, and on different operating systems. Version 1.0 of the LSP supports site-level simulations. We provide input data for 20 established geo-ecological observation sites in Norway and workflows to add generic sites from public global datasets. The LSP makes standard model experiments with default data easily achievable (e.g., for educational or introductory purposes) while retaining flexibility for more advanced scientific uses. We further provide tools to visualize the model input and output, including simple examples to relate predictions to local observations. The LSP improves access to land surface and DGVM modelling as a building block of community cyberinfrastructure that may inspire new avenues for mechanistic ecosystem research across disciplines.     

Tropical rain forest types and soil factors in a watershed area in Guyana

Abstract. An inventory was made of the vegetation and soils of a watershed area of 480 ha in the tropical rain forest of Guyana. 252 plots of 0.05 ha were sampled. In total 111 tree species > 20 cm were recorded. A TWINSPAN analysis resulted in seven groupings. Correspondence Analysis revealed that the major environmental differentiation underlying the floristic variation is according to soil type. Finally, five main forest communities were described. Most sites in the watershed area are characterized by the dominance of one or a few species. Species distribution patterns are strongly determined by soil type and drainage class.     

Management oriented forest map of South India: thematic derivations

The principles and methods of the vegetation mapping undertaken at the French Institute, Pondicherry, are dealt with herein. Particularly, the characterisation of the different types of vegetation and especially the originality of the method: the dynamic interpretation of the vegetation and the depiction of the bioclimatic conditions. The programme of the forest map of South India at scale 1:250 000, undertaken in collaboration with the forest departments of the concerned states, is then described with special attention given to the source and the collection of data. This map has been conceived to serve as a basic document for the sustainable management of the forests. Three examples of its application are given. They concern the detection of anomalies between the existing forest cover and the prevalent climatic environment; the detection of areas for which protection is urgently needed; the selection of regions showing a particular interest in the field of nature conservation or as gene pool reserve. Finally, an example of a thematic map of sensibility of the forests is given, using the vegetation map as a basis.     

海南坡鹿围栏种群动态与食物资源关系的初步分析

1986年海南省大田国家级自然保护区在境内设立面积为95公顷的围栏,将86只海南坡鹿分隔成一个孤立的种群。经过3个繁殖年度,种群发展到158只。随着种群数量的增加,坡鹿采食植物的种类密度、高度和频率均明显减少,而坡鹿不食的植物种类则明显增加。种群出生率和年度增长率随种群数量增加而逐年降低,而种群死亡率却有增加趋势。种群密度过高产生的拥挤效应和食物资源不足是造成种群出生率和年度增长率下降的主要原因。本文还就保护区应采取的管理措施,提出了相应的建议。     

Charcoal remains from an Iron Age copper smelting slag heap at Feinan,Wadi Arabah (Jordan)

Charcoal remains were analysed from copper ore smelting at Khirbet en-Nahas, an Iron Age site in the region of Feinan between Wadi Arabah and the highland of Edom. For the first time, a section was dug into a stratified slag heap and separate charcoal samples were taken from each layer. Radiocarbon dates from the charcoal range from the 12th to the 9th century B.C. The main aim of this work was to find out whether the fuel species spectra change or remain constant over the period of metallurgical activity covered by this slag heap. Twelve samples totalling 2257 pieces amounting to 340.58 g of charcoal were analysed. The species composition is more or less the same in all samples. 14 species were identified. Approximately 50% of the material consisted of Tamarix species, 40% was Retama raetam, Phoenix dactylifera and Haloxylon persicum. Thus, the rapidly regenerating shrub vegetation within walking distance of the smelting place was used as fuel and remained unchanged during at least two to three centuries. Trees from the highland of Edom such as Juniperus phoenicea or Quercus calliprinos were not found here, although they were identified from Early Bronze Age sites a few kilometres up the wadis.     

湖北竹溪植被的基本特征

竹溪县现有种子植物１２７科４８３属８６３种。地理成分复杂,联系广泛,以温带成分占主导地位,占非世界分布属的６４．８３％,热带分布属则占２９．３９％,木本植物占种子植物总数的４２．５９％,主要植补类型计７个植补型组,１０个植被型,４９个联系。地处竹溪中南部的云雾溪是目前亚热带区域保存较为完整,具有多方面保护价值的综合区,建议辟为自然保护区。     

Variability of plant species diversity in Swedish natural forest and its relation to atmospheric deposition

Within a subprogram of Integrated Monitoring (IM), understorey vegetation in Swedish natural forests was observed at fifteen reference sites over the country for twelve seasons, 1982–1993. The main task of the subprogram was to assess the impact of atmospheric deposition, mainly sulphur and nitrogen, on natural vegetation through time. The present study is focused on the variability of plant species diversity at community level and the possible impact of sulphur and nitrogen deposition. Species richness, evenness and diversity varied greatly among the sites, and between years within each site. Regarding only coniferous forests the species richness was higher in the north than in the south. But the effects of site condition and atmospheric deposition were not clarified. Changes in species diversity through time differed from site to site. No overall temporal trend was found. The atmospheric deposition of sulphur and nitrogen demonstrated a clear geographical pattern being low in the north-west and high in the south-west. Sulphur deposition declined significantly in Southern Sweden during the period. We concluded that the species diversity of understorey vegetation at the Swedish IM sites was not significantly influenced by atmospheric deposition. The changes observed are explained as natural processes.     

Holocene vegetation and water level history in two bogs of the Cordillera de Talamanca, Costa Rica

Pollen records of Holocene sediment cores from the Costa Rican Cordillera de Talamanca (La Chonta bog, 2310 m and La Trinidad bog, 2700 m) show the postglacial development of the montane oak forest zone from ca. 9500 to 1500 yr BP. During the early Holocene (ca. 9500–700 yr BP), alder vegetation covered the La Chonta and La Trinidad bogs and their adjacent hills. The upper forest line is inferred to be at 2800–3000 m elevation. A Podocarpus-Quercus forest characterised the middle Holocene (ca. 7000–4500 yr BP). The upper forest line is located at >3000 m reaching the present-day altitudinal distribution. A Quercus forest characterised the late Holocene (ca. 4500–1500 yr BP). Compared to modern conditions, the early Holocene has similar average temperatures, but the moisture level was probably higher. Pollen evidence for the late Holocene indicates drier environmental conditions than today. In order to improve the paleoecological interpretation, we described the local vegetation and used moss samples as pollen traps at both montane bogs along strong soil moisture gradients.The Netherlands Centre for Geo-ecological Research, ICG     

深圳福田红树林区底栖大型动物群落的空间分带及灌污的可能影响

本文自１９９１年４月至１９９３年１月对深圳福田红树林中底栖大型动物的空间分带及灌污的可能影响进行了研究。结果表明,该红树林湿地中主要出现的底栖动物为拟沼螺科,黑螺科,汇螺科,沙蟹科,方蟹科和弹涂鱼科种类。红树区内底栖动物从高潮位到低潮位可分为３个群落分布带：亮泽拟沼螺带;拟黑螺－褶痕相手蟹带;弧边招潮－印尼拟蟹守螺－刻纹拟沼螺带。群落的分带可能主要由潮位线,食物适应性及底质结构因素决定。林前泥滩底栖动物种类多样性最大,生物量最高。林内动物群落则表现出低种类多样性,高种群个体数的特点。群落总栖息密度的变化基本上由软体动物所主导。生活污水排灌对红树林中底栖大型动物的影响不明显,仅在排污口端引起少数污水动物种类的出现及群落总生物量轻微的升高。     

A Technique to Analyse Succession Data from Permanent Plots

IIntroductionSuccessionstudyIsaspeclalfleldInvegetationecology（Greig—Smith1983）．ItreferstocummulatlvechangeInvegetationovertime．Florl幻IcgradientsIndicativeofsuccessionaltrendsmayemergefromconventionalordinationIfextrinsic！nformatlonallowsthemtobel－dentlfledassuch．Inthespedalcaseofforestvegetation,forInstance,Informationonthesize—classesoftreespedespresentmaypermitsuccessionalgradientslobeldentlfleddirectly（Goff1968,Carleton＆Maycock1978）．Fewauthors,however,haveattempted…