Spacing patterns of an Acacia tree in the Kalahari over a 61-year period: How clumped becomes regular and vice versa

Nearest tree neighbour distances and the tree spatial formation on a large scale over time and space replicates were examined. The study was conducted in a natural savanna ecosystem in the Southern Kalahari, South Africa. Nearest tree neighbour and point pattern analysis methods were used to investigate changes in the spatial pattern of trees in two plots. Trees larger than 2 m canopy diameter were mapped. We used aerial photographs of the study area from 1940, 1964, 1984, 1993, and a satellite image from 2001 to follow two plots over time. Field work was carried out too for classification accuracy. We were able to identify and individually follow over 2400 individual trees from 1940 until 2001. Nearest neighbour analysis results indicate that dead trees were on average closer to their nearest neighbouring trees than living trees were to their neighbours. Most dead trees were on average 6 m from their nearest neighbours, while most living trees were about 20 m apart. Point pattern analysis results show a cyclical transition from clumped to random and sequentially to regular tree spacing. These transitions were not correlated across two plots. Generally, decreases in small-scale clumping coincided with periods of high mortality. Our findings show that regular, clumped, and random tree pattern can occur, pending on time, location, and scale within the location.     

Variability in Energy Influences Avian Distribution Patterns Across the USA

Habitat transformations and climate change are among the most important drivers of biodiversity loss. Understanding the factors responsible for the unequal distribution of species richness is a major challenge in ecology. Using data from the North American Breeding Bird Survey to measure species richness and a change metric extracted from the MODerate resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS), we examined the influence of energy variability on the geographic distribution of avian richness across the conterminous U.S. and in the different ecoregions, while controlling for energy availability. The analysis compared three groups of birds: all species, Neotropical migrants, and permanent residents. We found that interannual variability in available energy explained more than half of the observed variation in bird richness in some ecoregions. In particular, energy variability is an important factor in explaining the patterns of overall bird richness and of permanent residents, in addition to energy availability. Our results showed a decrease in species richness with increasing energy variability and decreasing energy availability, suggesting that more species are found in more stable and more productive environments. However, not all ecoregions followed this pattern. The exceptions might reflect other biological factors and environmental conditions. With more ecoclimatic variability predicted for the future, this study provides insight into how energy variability influences the geographical patterns of species richness. PR designed study, performed research, analyzed data and wrote paper. CAL, MAL, AMP, VCR, PDC, and EFL designed study and wrote paper.     

Global diversity of island floras from a macroecological perspective

Islands harbour a significant portion of all plant species worldwide. Their biota are often characterized by narrow distributions and are particularly susceptible to biological invasions and climate change. To date, the global richness pattern of islands is only poorly documented and factors causing differences in species numbers remain controversial. Here, we present the first global analysis of 488 island and 970 mainland floras. We test the relationship between island characteristics (area, isolation, topography, climate and geology) and species richness using traditional and spatial models. Area is the strongest determinant of island species numbers ( R ² = 0.66) but a weaker predictor for mainlands ( R ² = 0.25). Multivariate analyses reveal that all investigated variables significantly contribute to insular species richness with area being the strongest followed by isolation, temperature and precipitation with about equally strong effects. Elevation and island geology show relatively weak yet significant effects. Together these variables account for 85% of the global variation in species richness.     

Low oxygen pressure as a driving factor for the altitudinal decline in taxon richness of stream macroinvertebrates

The objective of this study was to explore the altitudinal decrease in local richness of stream macroinvertebrates. I compared the explicatory power of a mid-domain effect (MDE) null model and a number of selected contemporary ecological variables, with a special emphasis on the altitude-mediated decrease in temperature and oxygen availability as possible driving factors for the observed pattern. Benthic macroinvertebrates were sampled at 30 stream sites between 2,600 and 4,000 m a.s.l. in northern Ecuador. All four measures of local richness (total number of taxa, taxa in Surber samples, Fisher’s α index and rarefied richness) decreased with increasing altitude. The MDE null model, water temperature and dissolved oxygen also decreased with altitude, while other measured variables were uncorrelated with altitude. Minimum oxygen saturation had the highest explanatory power of the density-corrected Fisher’s α and rarefied richness (R = 0.48 and 0.52, respectively), but also minimum temperature (R = 0.48 and 0.41) and the MDE null model (R = 0.48 and 0.46) correlated significantly. Multiple regression analyses using several predictive variables showed that oxygen saturation had the greatest and only significant effect on density-corrected richness. The relationship between richness and oxygen corrected for the effect of altitude (using analyses of double residuals) was significant, whereas that of richness versus temperature was not. The results indicate that the decrease in richness with increasing altitude is mainly caused by a decrease in oxygen saturation rather than by a decrease in temperature. Levels of oxygen saturation such as those found at high altitudes do not appear to be lethal to any species, but could affect macroinvertebrates through long-term, sub-lethal effects. I suggest that low oxygen availability may limit biodiversity at high altitudes not only in the aquatic, but also in the terrestrial environment. Electronic supplementary material The online version of this article (doi:) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.     

Scots pine root distribution derived from radial sap flow patterns in stems of large leaning trees

This study characterizes whole tree root system distribution in a non-destructive way based on its functional parameters, particularly the sap flow patterns in stems. This approach particularly considers sap flow variation across stems, both radial and circumferential patterns of flow that are usually used for a better integration of sap flow density at the whole tree level. We focused at: (1) Showing examples of sap flow variation across stems at a defined situation (high midday values at the period of non-limiting water supply; (2) Analyzing radial flow patterns in terms of root distribution; (3) Validating these results at the stand level (mean data of series of individual trees) using results of classical biometric methods used at the same site; and (4) Applying the results for evaluation of root distribution around leaning trees. Sap flow rate was measured by the heat deformation method on a set of 14 trees at an experimental pine forest stand in Brasschaat (Belgium) during the growing season of 2000. Sap flow variation across stems was measured at a total of 700 points. Amounts of water supplied by superficial (horizontally oriented) and sinker (vertically oriented) roots were estimated from sap flow patterns. The vertical distribution of absorbing roots as derived from the analysis of sap flow patterns in stem sapwood was very similar to the distribution determined by the classical biometric analysis of fine roots. Trees leaning to the East had stem radii at the stump level and crown radii enhanced in the leaning direction. Sinker roots showed higher absorption activities in the leaning direction, but superficial roots were more absorbing in the opposite direction. The application of the above-described method allows for a better evaluation of the whole-tree behavior and facilitates the evaluation of tree and stand properties in traditional forest stands, which are not equipped for detailed scientific research. This may also facilitate practical applications in landscape-level studies.     

Grassland gross carbon dioxide uptake based on an improved model tree ensemble approach considering human interventions: global estimation and covariation with climate

Grassland ecosystems act as a crucial role in the global carbon cycle and provide vital ecosystem services for many species. However, these low‐productivity and water‐limited ecosystems are sensitive and vulnerable to climate perturbations and human intervention, the latter of which is often not considered due to lack of spatial information regarding the grassland management. Here by the application of a model tree ensemble (MTE‐GRASS) trained on local eddy covariance data and using as predictors gridded climate and management intensity field (grazing and cutting), we first provide an estimate of global grassland gross primary production (GPP). GPP from our study compares well (modeling efficiency NSE = 0.85 spatial; NSE between 0.69 and 0.94 interannual) with that from flux measurement. Global grassland GPP was on average 11 ± 0.31 Pg C yr^?1 and exhibited significantly increasing trend at both annual and seasonal scales, with an annual increase of 0.023 Pg C (0.2%) from 1982 to 2011. Meanwhile, we found that at both annual and seasonal scale, the trend (except for northern summer) and interannual variability of the GPP are primarily driven by arid/semiarid ecosystems, the latter of which is due to the larger variation in precipitation. Grasslands in arid/semiarid regions have a stronger (33 g C m^?2 yr^?1/100 mm) and faster (0‐ to 1‐month time lag) response to precipitation than those in other regions. Although globally spatial gradients (71%) and interannual changes (51%) in GPP were mainly driven by precipitation, where most regions with arid/semiarid climate zone, temperature and radiation together shared half of GPP variability, which is mainly distributed in the high‐latitude or cold regions. Our findings and the results of other studies suggest the overwhelming importance of arid/semiarid regions as a control on grassland ecosystems carbon cycle. Similarly, under the projected future climate change, grassland ecosystems in these regions will be potentially greatly influenced.     

施肥对水曲柳生长及开花结实的影响

为了研究施肥对水曲柳生长及开花结实的影响,以2年生水曲柳嫁接苗、13年生水曲柳幼树、29年生已开花水曲柳大树为材料,采用氮、磷、钾3因素3水平正交试验设计,连续三年进行施肥处理。通过测量嫁接苗的树高、地径;幼树的树高、胸径;已开花大树的开花率、结实率等生长发育指标研究不同配方施肥对水曲柳生长发育状态的影响,得出促进水曲柳生长发育的施肥最优组合。结果显示：施肥处理对水曲柳的生长发育具有促进作用。3种肥料对2年生水曲柳嫁接苗生长的影响顺序为氮肥 > 磷肥 > 钾肥,施肥最优组合为氮肥每株0.006 kg、磷肥每株0.012 kg、钾肥每株0.008 kg;对13年生水曲柳幼树生长的影响顺序为氮肥 > 磷肥 > 钾肥,施肥最优组合为氮肥每株0.15 kg、磷肥每株0.3 kg、钾肥每株0.2 kg;对已开花水曲柳大树开花率及结实率的影响顺序为氮肥 > 钾肥 > 磷肥,施肥最优组合为氮肥每株0.3 kg、磷肥每株0.6 kg、钾肥每株0.4 kg。结果表明合理施肥可以促进水曲柳的生长和开花结实,本试验结果也为水曲柳合理施肥提供了技术依据。