Climate change and the invasion of California by grasses

Over the next century, changes in the global climate are expected to have major consequences for plant communities, possibly including the exacerbation of species invasions. We evaluated this possibility in the grass flora of California, which is economically and ecologically important and heavily invaded. We used a novel, trait‐based approach involving two components: identifying differences in trait composition between native and exotic components of the grass flora and evaluating contemporary trait–climate relationships across the state. The combination of trait–climate relationships and trait differences between groups allows us to predict changes in the exotic‐native balance under climate change scenarios. Exotic species are more likely to be annual, taller, with larger leaves, larger seeds, higher specific leaf area, and higher leaf N percentage than native species. Across the state, all these traits are associated with regions with higher temperature. Therefore, we predict that increasing temperatures will favor trait states that tend to be possessed by exotic species, increasing the dominance of exotic species. This prediction is corroborated by the current distribution of exotic species richness relative to native richness in California; warmer areas contain higher proportions of exotic species. This pattern was very well captured by a simple model that predicts invasion severity given only the trait–climate relationship for native species and trait differences between native and exotic species. This study provides some of the first evidence for an important interaction between climate change and species invasions across very broad geographic and taxonomic scales.     

Different inter‐annual responses to availability and form of nitrogen explain species coexistence in an alpine meadow community after release from grazing

Plant species and functional groups in nitrogen (N) limited communities may coexist through strong eco‐physiological niche differentiation, leading to idiosyncratic responses to multiple nutrition and disturbance regimes. Very little is known about how such responses depend on the availability of N in different chemical forms. Here we hypothesize that idiosyncratic year‐to‐year responses of plant functional groups to availability and form of nitrogen explain species coexistence in an alpine meadow community after release from grazing. We conducted a 6 year N addition experiment in an alpine meadow on the Tibetan Plateau released from grazing by livestock. The experimental design featured three N forms (ammonium, nitrate, and ammonium nitrate), crossed with three levels of N supply rates (0.375, 1.500 and 7.500 g N m^?2 yr^?1), with unfertilized treatments without and with light grazing as controls. All treatments showed increasing productivity and decreasing species richness after cessation of grazing and these responses were stronger at higher N rates. Although N forms did not affect aboveground biomas s at community level, different functional groups did show different responses to N chemical form and supply rate and these responses varied from year to year. In support of our hypothesis, these idiosyncratic responses seemed to enable a substantial diversity and biomass of sedges, forbs, and legumes to still coexist with the increasingly productive grasses in the absence of grazing, at least at low and intermediate N availability regimes. This study provides direct field‐based evidence in support of the hypothesis that idiosyncratic and annually varying responses to both N quantity and quality may be a key driver of community structure and species coexistence. This finding has important implications for the diversity and functioning of other ecosystems with spatial and temporal variation in available N quantity and quality as related to changing atmospheric N deposition, land‐use, and climate‐induced soil warming.     

Intraspecific Chromosome Number Variation and Prairie Restoration—A Case Study in Northeast Iowa,U.S.A

Genome duplication has played an important role in plant evolution. Variation in genome size within species is common, particularly in grasses, but rarely considered when planning restorations. We surveyed ploidy variation within one habitat (tall grass prairie) in one region (northeast Iowa, U.S.A.) to assess the risk of ploidy mismatch in restoration plantings. Genome sizes were estimated using flow cytometry for samples from 19 remnant prairies, 5 restoration plantings, and 2 seed sources. Intraspecific ploidy variation in remnant prairie populations was found for two species of grasses, Andropogon gerardii (big bluestem) and Panicum virgatum (switchgrass). Restoration seeds differed from remnants in ploidy for three species of grass, P. virgatum, Sorghastrum nutans (Indian grass), and Spartina pectinata (prairie cordgrass), and for one species of forb, Amorpha canescens (lead plant). In the case of S. pectinata, local ecotype seeds were found to consist of two different ploidy levels. Restorations in grasslands in the United States and elsewhere are likely to create mixed ploidy populations, probably resulting in lower reproductive success for the remnant population. Prevention of mixed ploidy populations will require the screening of restoration seed sources and regional surveys for ploidy variation.     

基于数字标本探究绿绒蒿属植物花期的变化

近年来,随着全球气温的明显升高,气候变化引起的全球变暖受到人们的广泛关注.气候变暖会使植物物候发生改变,花期的变化能够直观地反映出植物对周围环境的适应,尤其是高山植物对气候变化更为敏感,因此探究高山植物的花期更具有代表性.为了解植物在气候变暖背景下花期的变化特征,并制定出合理的植物保护措施,该文以典型的高山植物绿绒蒿属...     

季节性冻融期间川西亚高山/高山森林土壤净氮矿化特征

气候变暖情景下季节性冻融格局的改变可能显著影响高寒森林土壤氮素矿化过程.本文采用原状土壤移位培养的方法,以海拔梯度形成的温度差异模拟气候变暖,研究了川西亚高山/高山森林在生长季节和季节性冻融期间土壤的净氮矿化量和净氮矿化速率.结果表明： 在川西亚高山/高山森林,土壤铵态氮和硝态氮含量均表现为从生长季节至冻结初期明显下降,完全冻结期明显增加,而在融化初期明显降低的变化过程.季节性冻融期土壤的净氮矿化量和净氮矿化速率显著低于生长季节,并且出现明显的氮素固持现象.与低海拔相比,中海拔森林土壤的氮素固持作用相对较大,高海拔相对较小,可能与不同海拔梯度土壤温度变化及引起的冻融循环密切相关.在生长季节,土壤净氮矿化量和矿化速率均随海拔的降低呈明显增加趋势,尤其在低海拔处土壤的氮素矿化作用最为强烈.在气候变暖背景下,温度的增加明显促进了生长季节土壤氮素矿化,并且通过提高冻融循环频次、缩短冻结时间来影响土壤氮素矿化速率.这一过程可能受到微环境的影响.     

九寨沟国家自然保护区4个典型树种叶片凋落物在林下及高山湖泊中的分解及养分释放特征

叶片凋落物分解对生态系统的养分循环和生产力有着重要意义。该文利用网袋分解法对九寨沟国家自然保护区内黄果冷杉(Abies ernestii)、油松(Pinus tabulaeformis)、红桦(Betula albo-sinensis)和高山柳(Salix cupularis) 4个典型树种叶片凋落物在林下及高山湖泊中的分解及养分释放特征进行了对比研究。结果表明: 1)叶片凋落物分解质量损失规律符合Olson的负指数衰减模型(r > 0.93, p < 0.01), 4个树种叶片在林下完全分解(99%)的时间依次为: 高山柳(6.80 a) <红桦(10.34 a) <黄果冷杉(18.88 a) <油松(27.21 a), 且分别是其在水体中分解的1.48倍、1.55倍、1.80倍和1.65倍。2)分解1年后凋落物质量剩余率(MR)和氮素剩余率(NR)均与叶片初始N含量极显著负相关, 而与叶片初始C:N值极显著正相关。3)不同树种间叶片N和P释放特征差异明显, 且在林下和水体间的释放模式也存在差异; 高山柳叶片凋落物在林下和水体分解过程中N元素从分解初期便开始释放, 而其他树种叶片凋落物N元素释放前存在明显的富集过程; 各树种叶片凋落物P元素释放模式为释放—富集—释放。研究表明: 叶片凋落物分解是一个受其自身性质和外界环境因素共同作用的复杂过程, 而凋落物在高山湖泊中的快速分解将对保护区现有的水体景观产生潜在影响。     

Mixed reproduction strategy and polyploidy facilitate dominance of Kobresia pygmaea on the Tibetan Plateau

Aims The sedge Kobresia pygmaea is the dominant species of high-altitude pastures in Tibet, and it is the most important source of forage in animal husbandry. We present the first comprehensive reproduction study for this perennial key species that adopts a molecular approach and tests how sexual and vegetative reproduction, as well as ploidy, relate to survival and dominance under harsh conditions.Methods We assessed inflorescence numbers of K. pygmaea across two Tibetan alpine pastures with differing grazing regimes. Germination was tested in untreated diaspores and then following mechanical and chemical scarification. In a 4-year experiment, we assessed diaspore viability and seed bank formation. Using eight microsatellite markers, we recorded multilocus genotypes in hierarchical grids and measured their ploidy using flow cytometry. Adjusted analysis of variance models were used to analyse data on sexual reproduction, while the complement of the Simpson index and the Shannon diversity index were used to characterize the spatial distribution of multilocus genotypes and clonal richness.Important findings Inflorescence production was high and differed significantly between years (2010: 617±460 SD; 2012: 2015±1213 SD) but not between grazing regimes. Diaspore viability was high (94%) and gradually decreased after 3 and 4 years of storage in the soil. Diaspores not exposed to further scarification failed to germinate, while mechanical and chemical (H 2 SO 4) scarification increased germination to 9 and 44%, respectively. Clonal diversity was high, although in situ germination was rarely observed. Multilocus genotypes intersected and covered a mean area of 0.74 m 2. Most individuals were found to be tetraploid, with only 0.8% of all ramets being triploid. We conclude that K. pygmaea survives on the Tibetan Plateau by employing a mixed reproduction strategy involving both sexual and clonal propagation. The species' adaptability and dominance is further facilitated by its polyploidy. As pasture restoration using diaspores would be difficult, existing Kobresia pasture should be managed more sustainably.     

Precipitation regulates plant gas exchange and its long-term response to climate change in a temperate grassland

Aims Climate change largely impacts ecosystem carbon and water cycles by changing plant gas exchange, which may further cause positive or negative feedback to global climate change. However, long-term global change manipulative experiments are seldom conducted to reveal plant ecophysiological responses to climatic warming and altered precipitation regimes.Methods An 8-year field experiment with both warming and increased precipitation was conducted in a temperate grassland in northern China. We measured leaf gas exchange rates (including plant photosynthesis, transpiration and instantaneous water use efficiency [WUE]) of two dominant plant species (Stipa sareptana var. krylovii and Agropyron cristatum) from 2005 to 2012 (except 2006 and 2010) and those of other six species from 2011 to 2012.Important findings Increased precipitation significantly stimulated plant photosynthetic rates (A) by 29.5% and 19.9% and transpiration rates (E) by 42.2% and 51.2% for both dominant species S. sareptana var. krylovii and A. cristatum, respectively, across the 8 years. Similarly, A and E of the six plant functional types were all stimulated by increased precipitation in 2011 and 2012. As the balance of A and E, the instantaneous WUEs of different plant species had species-specific responses to increased precipitation. In contrast, neither warming nor its interaction with increased precipitation significantly affected plant leaf gas exchange rates. Furthermore, A and E of the two dominant species and their response magnitudes to water treatments positively correlated with rainfall amount in July across years. We did not find any significant difference between the short-term versus long-term responses of plant photosynthesis, suggesting the flexibility of leaf gas exchange under climate change. The results suggest that changing precipitation rather than global warming plays a prominent role in determining production of this grassland in the context of climate change.     

Satellite remote sensing of grasslands: from observation to management

Aims Grasslands are the world's most extensive terrestrial ecosystem, and are a major feed source for livestock. Meeting increasing demand for meat and other dairy products in a sustainable manner is a big challenge. At a field scale, Global Positioning System and ground-based sensor technologies provide promising tools for grassland and herd management with high precision. With the growth in availability of spaceborne remote sensing data, it is therefore important to revisit the relevant methods and applications that can exploit this imagery. In this article, we have reviewed the (i) current status of grassland monitoring/observation methods and applications based on satellite remote sensing data, (ii) the technological and methodological developments to retrieve different grassland biophysical parameters and management characteristics (i.e. degradation, grazing intensity) and (iii) identified the key remaining challenges and some new upcoming trends for future development.Important findings The retrieval of grassland biophysical parameters have evolved in recent years from classical regression analysis to more complex, efficient and robust modeling approaches, driven by satellite data, and are likely to continue to be the most robust method for deriving grassland information, however these require more high quality calibration and validation data. We found that the hypertemporal satellite data are widely used for time series generation, and particularly to overcome cloud contamination issues, but the current low spatial resolution of these instruments precludes their use for field-scale application in many countries. This trend may change with the current rise in launch of satellite constellations, such as RapidEye, Sentinel-2 and even the microsatellites such as those operated by Skybox Imaging. Microwave imagery has not been widely used for grassland applications, and a better understanding of the backscatter behaviour from different phenological stages is needed for more reliable products in cloudy regions. The development of hyperspectral satellite instrumentation and analytical methods will help for more detailed discrimination of habitat types, and the development of tools for greater end-user operation.     

松嫩草地80种草本植物叶片氮磷化学计量特征

以松嫩草地常见草本植物为研究对象, 分析了各生活型和功能群叶片氮磷化学计量特征。结果显示: 松嫩草地80种草本植物的叶片氮、磷质量浓度分别为(24.2 ± 0.96) mg·g ^-1和(2.0 ± 0.10) mg·g ^-1, 面积浓度分别为(13.0 ± 0.54) mg·cm ^-2和(1.0 ± 0.05) mg·cm ^-2, 氮磷比为13.0 ± 0.39, 氮磷比与叶片磷质量浓度、叶片氮、磷面积浓度有显著相关关系; 松嫩草地植物生长受到氮限制。一年生植物叶片氮、磷质量浓度和变异系数高于其他生活型, 各生活型之间氮面积浓度和氮磷比差异不显著。豆科植物叶片氮的质量浓度、面积浓度和氮磷比高于其他功能群。在不同生活型或功能群之间, 植物叶片磷的面积浓度差异不显著, 都在1.0 mg·cm ^-2左右; 适当地增加群落中豆科植物的比例, 可能有助于提高松嫩草地产量和质量。