Increased water‐use efficiency during the 20th century did not translate into enhanced tree growth

Aim The goals of this study are: (1) to determine whether increasing atmospheric CO₂ concentrations and changing climate increased intrinsic water use efficiency (iWUE, as detected by changes in Δ¹³C) over the last four decades; and if it did increase iWUE, whether it led to increased tree growth (as measured by tree‐ring growth); (2) to assess whether CO₂ responses are biome dependent due to different environmental conditions, including availability of nutrients and water; and (3) to discuss how the findings of this study can better inform assumptions of CO₂ fertilization and climate change effects in biospheric and climate models. Location A global range of sites covering all major forest biome types. Methods The analysis encompassed 47 study sites including boreal, wet temperate, mediterranean, semi‐arid and tropical biomes for which measurements of tree ring Δ¹³C and growth are available over multiple decades. Results The iWUE inferred from the Δ¹³C analyses of comparable mature trees increased 20.5% over the last 40 years with no significant differences between biomes. This increase in iWUE did not translate into a significant overall increase in tree growth. Half of the sites showed a positive trend in growth while the other half had a negative or no trend. There were no significant trends within biomes or among biomes. Main conclusions These results show that despite an increase in atmospheric CO₂ concentrations of over 50 p.p.m. and a 20.5% increase in iWUE during the last 40 years, tree growth has not increased as expected, suggesting that other factors have overridden the potential growth benefits of a CO₂‐rich world in many sites. Such factors could include climate change (particularly drought), nutrient limitation and/or physiological long‐term acclimation to elevated CO₂. Hence, the rate of biomass carbon sequestration in tropical, arid, mediterranean, wet temperate and boreal ecosystems may not increase with increasing atmospheric CO₂ concentrations as is often implied by biospheric models and short‐term elevated CO₂ experiments.     

内蒙古白粉菌区系多样性

为阐明内蒙古白粉菌区系组成特点、探讨其起源和演化,对其区系多样性进行了分析.区系中含有10种以上的属为自粉菌属(Erysiphe)、单囊白粉菌属(Podosphaera)和高氏白粉菌属(Golovinomyces),3属共104种,占总种数的84.55%.根据地理分布资料,内蒙古白粉菌可划分为世界广布种(13.82%)...     

The distribution–abundance (density) relationship: its form and causes in a tropical mammal order, Primates

Aim Across a wide variety of organisms, taxa with high local densities (abundance) have large geographical ranges (distributions). We use primatology's detailed knowledge of its taxon to investigate the form and causes of the relationship in, unusually for macroecological analysis, a tropical taxon. Location Africa, Central and South America, Asia, Madagascar. Methods To investigate the form of the density–range relationship, we regressed local density on geographical range size, and also on female body mass, because in the Primates, density correlates strongly with mass. To investigate the biological causes of the relationship, we related (1) abundance (density × range size) and (2) residuals from the density–range regression lines to various measures of (i) resource use, (ii) reproductive rate and (iii) potential specialization. All data are from the literature. Analyses were done at the level of species (n = 140), genera (n = 60) and families/subfamilies (n = 17). We present various levels of results, including for all data, after omission of outlier data, after correction for phylogenetic dependence, and after Bonferroni correction of probabilities for multiple comparisons. Results Regarding the form of the relationship, Madagascar primates are clear outliers (high densities in small ranges). Among the remaining three realms, the relation of density to range is weak or non‐existent at the level of species and genera. However, it is strong, tight and linear at the level of families/subfamilies (r² = 0.6, F_1,10 = 19, P < 0.01). Although among primates, density is very significantly related to mass, at no taxonomic level is range size related to body mass. Consequently, removing the effects of mass makes little to no difference to density–range results. Regarding the biology of the relationship, only traits indicative of specialization are associated with abundance (meaning numbers): rare taxa are more specialized than are abundant taxa. The association is largely via range size, not density. Across families, no traits correlate significantly with the density–range relationship, nor with deviations from it, despite the strength of the relationship at this taxonomic level. Main conclusions We suggest that in macroecology, analysis at taxonomic levels deeper than that of the relatively ephemeral species can be appropriate. We argue that the several purely methodological explanations for the positive density–range size relationship in primates can be rejected. Of the various biological hypotheses, those having to do with specialization–generalization seem the only applicable ones. The fact that the relationship is entirely via range size, not via density, means that while we might have a biology of range size, we do not yet have one of the density–geographical range relationship. It is probably time to search for multivariate explanations, rather than univariate ones. However, we can for the first time, for at least primates, suggest that any association of abundance or range size with specialization is via the number of different subtaxa, not the average degree of specialization of each subtaxon. The implication for conservation is obvious.     

A new species and geographical variation in the Telmatochromis temporalis complex (Teleostei, Cichlidae) from Lake Tanganyika

Telmatochromis brachygnathus sp.n. is described from the southern and central parts of Lake Tanganyika. It can be distinguished from the similar T. temporalis mainly by its smaller mouth. Morphological distinct populations were found in both species.     

不同地理种群大豆蚜生长发育的形态指标

对采自广东、山东、河北和黑龙江4个省份大豆蚜Aphis glycines Matsumura种群在不同温度条件下的生长发育形态指标进行测定。结果表明,在20、25和30℃,不同地理种群大豆蚜生长发育形态指标差异不显著;在15℃,不同地理种群大豆蚜生长发育形态指标差异显著。在15～30℃,单一大豆蚜地理种群形态指标有随温度降低而增大的趋势。试验结果也表明,单一地理种群大豆蚜的Q值也有随着温度降低而增大的趋势;而在相同温度下,不同种群间的Q值变化不明显,差异性不显著。     

青藏高原高寒草原生态系统植被碳密度分布规律及其与气候因子的关系

根据青藏高原高寒草原生态系统中以降水量为主要驱动力的东西样带和以气温为主要驱动力的南北样带内植被土壤的实测数据,分析了这一区域植被碳密度的分布特征及其与气候因子之间的关系.结果表明,在南北样带内(北纬28°46′～31°40′),植被碳密度首先随纬度的增加而增加,当纬度达到约北纬30°16′处,植被碳密度达到最大值0.873 1 kg·m-2,之后,则随纬度的增加而减少,植被碳密度总体上呈现出南北低、中间高的分布特征;在东西样带内(东经80°02′～91°50′),植被碳密度随经度的增加而增加,呈现出东高西低的分布特征.在南北样带内植被碳密度与年均降水量和年均气温之间的偏相关系数均达到极显著水平,而在东西样带内植被碳密度与年均降水量和年均气温之间的偏相关系数也均达到显著水平;在南北样带内植被碳密度先随年均气温和年均降水量的增加而增加,当年均气温达到约-1.5 ℃、年均降水量达到约497.0 mm时,植被碳密度达到最大值1.329 6 kg·m-2,之后,随年均气温和年均降水量的增加而减少;在东西样带内植被碳密度也先随年均气温和年均降水量的增加而增加,当年均气温达到约0.7 ℃、年均降水量达到约409.0 mm时,植被碳密度达到最大值1.208 3 kg·m-2,之后,随年均气温和年均降水量的增加而减少.研究结果显示,青藏高原高寒草原生态系统南北样带和东西样带内的植被碳密度分布均是年均气温和年均降水量综合作用的结果,且年均降水量的作用大于年均气温.     

Rarity in the tropics: biogeography and macroecology of the primates

Aim To describe rarity and elucidate its biology in a tropical mammalian order, the Primates. Location Africa, Central and South America, Asia, Madagascar. Methods A review of the literature, with some additional analyses using data from the literature. A variety of definitions of rarity are used in order to describe it and to investigate its biology by correlating the degree of rarity with a variety of biological traits indicative of resource use (e.g. size of annual home range), reproductive rate (e.g. birth interval)and specialization (e.g. number of habitat types used). Results Few primate taxa occur outside the tropics, and most taxa are rare (small geographical range size or latitudinal extent, low density or both). Latitudinal extent is narrower at lower latitudes in Africa and Asia, but the potential resultant packing of taxa appears not to explain the taxonomic diversity gradient. Whilst primate species do not show the common, positive density by range size relationship, primate genera show a significant shallow slope, and primate families/subfamilies a strongly positive slope. Rare taxa are specialized, but neither use more resources nor breed more slowly than common taxa. The correlation of rarity and specialization is via geographical range: taxa with small ranges, or small ranges for their density, are specialized, but not taxa at low density. Common taxa are generalized because they consist of more differently specialized subtaxa, not because each subtaxon is generalized. Main conclusions Most primate taxa are rare, in which case most are presumably likely to go extinct. Rare primates are specialized, but do not necessarily use more resources, nor breed more slowly. Specialization as an explanation for rarity appears to work via constriction of range size, not of density. Common primates might be common (large range size) not because subtaxa or individuals are generalized, but because they are composed of more subtaxa. A consequence could be that persistence of even common taxa will depend on conservation of several populations scattered across the taxon's geographical range.     

Variations on a theme: sources of heterogeneity in the form of the interspecific relationship between abundance and distribution

1. A positive interspecific relationship between abundance and distribution is widely considered to be one of the most general patterns in ecology. However, the relationship appears to vary considerably across assemblages, from significant positive to significant negative correlations and all shades in between. 2. This variation has led to the suggestion that the abundance-distribution relationship has multiple forms, with the corollary that different patterns may inform about, or have different, causes. However, this variation has never been formally quantified, nor has it been determined whether the observed variation is indicative of sampling error in estimating a single effect or of real heterogeneity in such relationships. Here, we use the meta-analytical approach to assess variation in abundance-distribution relationships, and to test different hypotheses for it. 3. Analysis of 279 relationships found a mean effect size of 0.655, which was both highly significantly different from zero and indicative of a strong positive association between abundance and distribution. However, effect sizes were highly heterogeneous, supporting the contention that this relationship does indeed have multiple forms. 4. Most notably, relationships vary significantly in strength across realms, with the strongest in the marine and intertidal, intermediate relationships for terrestrial and parasitic assemblages, and the weakest relationships in freshwater systems. Effect sizes in all of the aquatic realms are homogeneous, suggesting that realm is an important source of the heterogeneity observed across all studies. We posit that this may be because the different spatial structure of the environment in each realm affects the opportunity for the dispersal of individuals between sites. 5. Some of the remaining heterogeneity in effect sizes for terrestrial assemblages could be explained by partitioning assemblages by habitat, scale, biogeographical region and taxon, but considerable heterogeneity in effect sizes for terrestrial and parasitic assemblages remained unexplained.