Changes in species composition,diversity and biomass of herbaceous plant traits due to N amendment in a dry tropical environment of India

Aim European and North American studies have suggested that nitrogen (N) depositions reduce plant diversity and increase primary productivity due to changes in plant traits. To predict the vegetation response to future global change, experimental validations from other regions are widely needed. We assessed the effects of N treatment by urea fertilization on the diversity and biomass of the herbaceous plant traits (HPTs) in a dry tropical environment of India.Methods Diversity and biomass of different HPTs were determined on the basis of data collected in year 2010, from 135, 1 m × 1 m plots distributed over 15 locations. The plots were treated with urea fertilizer in different doses (Control, 60kgNha^-1 yr^-1 and 120kg N ha^-1 yr^-1) since 1st January 2007. The plots were ordinated and data were subjected to appropriate statistical analyses.Important findings Correspondence analysis (CA) suggested uniqueness of species composition due to N amendment. Species number and biomass of the trait categories varied due to N fertilization and traits. All studied trait categories (except N-fixers) yielded maximum mean species number at moderate level of N fertilization. Different levels of N fertilization exhibited different species diversity–primary productivity (D-P) relationships. Further, study showed reduction in plant diversity due to increase in biomass at high rates of N addition.Conclusions Tall, erect, non N-fixers, annuals, grasses HPTs were favoured by N enrichment. N dose above 60kg enhanced the biomass of fast growing, erect, annuals, non N-fixers, nitrophilic HPTs. The changes in traits with N addition, especially the increase in annuals and grasses and decrease in typically N-rich N-fixers, have implications for sustainable cattle production.     

吕梁山森林群落草本层植物物种多样性的空间格局及其对模拟增温的响应

为研究气候变暖背景下森林群落草本层植物物种多样性对温度升高的响应及其随海拔、纬度的空间分布格局,按照纬度梯度选择吕梁山系北段的管涔山和南段的五鹿山为研究区,并在每个山地的不同海拔梯度(高、中、低)分别设置对照(CK)、低度增温(OTC1)和高度增温(OTC2) 3种试验样地。于2017年植被生长季对植物多度、频度、盖度、高度进行调查,计算物种多样性指数(Simpson指数、Shannon指数、Pielou指数、Patrick指数)。结果表明:(1)吕梁山森林群落草本层植物物种多样性随海拔呈"v型"变化格局,即在中间海拔梯度处最低,且海拔梯度对各多样性指数的影响均达到极显著水平(P0.01)。(2)物种多样性随纬度升高呈递增趋势(P0.05),即较高纬度山地具有较高的物种多样性。(3)物种多样性随温度升高整体呈递减趋势(P0.05),即温度升高可抑制林下草本层植物物种多样性。(4)在增温处理下,五鹿山草本植物的Simpson指数、Shannon指数和Patrick指数呈递减趋势,Pielou指数先降低后升高;管涔山草本植物的Simpson指数、Shannon指数和Pielou指数先增加后减小,Patrick指数呈递增趋势。整体来说,在吕梁山较低海拔,持续增温会使物种多样性降低;在中等海拔,物种多样性随温度升高呈现先下降后上升的变化趋势;在较高海拔,适度增温可提高物种多样性,持续增温则抑制多样性。因此,增温对吕梁山森林群落草本植物物种多样性的影响随海拔升高整体呈下降趋势。     

Smaller species experience mild adversity under shading in an old‐field plant community

Plant competition experiments commonly suggest that larger species have an advantage, primarily in terms of light acquisition. However, within crowded natural vegetation, where competition evidently impacts fitness, most resident species are relatively small. It remains unclear, therefore, whether the size advantage observed in controlled experiments is normally realized in habitats where competition is most intense. We characterized the light environment and tested for evidence of a size advantage in competition for light in an old‐field plant community composed of perennial herbaceous species. We investigated whether larger species contributed to reduced light penetration (i.e., greater shading), and examined the impact of shade on smaller species by testing whether their abundance and richness were lower in plots with less light penetration. Light penetration in plots ranged from 0.3% to 72.4%. Significant effects were more common when analyses focused on small plants that reached reproduction (i.e., flowering rooted units); focusing on only flowering plants (i.e., excluding nonflowering rooted units) can clarify community patterns. Plots with a greater mean species height had significantly lower light penetration, and plots with lower light penetration had significantly lower flowering abundance and richness of small species. However, the impact of shade on the flowering abundance and richness of small species was relatively small (R ² values between 8% and 15%) and depended on how we defined “small species.” Synthesis: Our results confirm that light penetration in herbaceous vegetation can be comparable to levels seen in forests, that plots with taller species cast more shade, and that flowering smaller species are less abundant and diverse in plots where light penetration is low. However, variation in mean plot height explained less than 10% of variation in light penetration, and light penetration explained between 5 and 15% of variation in the flowering abundance and richness of small species. Coupled with the fact that flowering small species were present even within the most heavily shaded plots, our results suggest that any advantage in light competition by large species is limited. One explanation is that at least some small species in these communities are shade‐tolerant. Shade tolerance in predominantly herbaceous communities, particularly among small plant species, requires further research.     

赤峰市沙地油松林草本植物多样性及种间关联动态

研究了赤峰市天然沙地油松林草本植物群落物种多样性以及种间关联动态。在200m×200m的样地中,设置100个1m×1m草本样方,2009年69月份每月底调查样方内所有草本植物物种、多度、高度及盖度。分析结果表明,69月份共调查到草本植物32种,隶属于16科,24属。用多项指标进行物种多样性的测度,8月份草本植物物种数、丰富度最高。6、7月份草本植物群落的Simpson指数、Shannon-Wiener指数和均匀度指数最大,9月份最小。通过方差比率法(VR)和χ2检验的计算,对草本群落总体关联性和草本群落种间关联进行分析。结果表明,草本植物群落总体关联性在8月份为正关联,其它月份(6、7、9月份)均为负关联。69月份,草本植物群落总体关联性程度逐渐降低,由负相关逐渐变为不显著相关。群落总体相关性不显著,说明群落中物种间虽然存在一定联系,但仍然存在独立的分布格局。某一草本群落总体关联性随时间变化是在不断改变的,并不是单一的从负相关到正相关,或从相关到不相关。群落整体关联性随着生境的改变而发生变化。分析每月都出现的20个物种的种间关联,结果显示,69月份草本植物正负联结比值变动范围为0.3790.558;4个监测月份中负联结种对数均大于正联结种对数。69月份草本物种对之间的关联性也在随时间发生变化,说明随着群落内物种动态发育,群落组成在不同时期出现此消彼长的动态变化,不同物种的群落功能及相互关系也将发生改变,进而影响物种种间联结性。植物种对的正联结体现了植物利用资源的相似性和生态位的重叠性,植物种对的负联结体现了物种间的排斥性,这是长期适应不同微环境,利用不同空间资源的结果,也是生态位分离的反映。     

浑善达克沙地不同微地形的土壤物理性质和草本群落分布及其相关性分析

采用样方调查和室内检测相结合法对内蒙古浑善达克沙地迎风坡、坡顶、背风坡和丘间地不同土层(0~10、10~20和20~40 cm)的土壤物理性质(包括含水量、田间持水量、容重、总孔隙度和毛管孔隙度)及草本群落的生产力(包括盖度和地上部生物量)和物种多样性(包括Margalef丰富度指数、Simpson多样性指数、Shannon-Wiener多样性指数和Pielou均匀度指数)进行比较分析;在此基础上,采用Pearson相关性分析法对不同微地形的土壤物理性质与草本群落各指标间以及草本群落生产力与物种多样性各指标间的相关性进行分析.结果表明:4种微地形的土壤物理性质总体上差异显著,但不同土层的土壤物理性质总体上无明显差异;从丘间地、背风坡、坡顶到迎风坡,土壤的含水量、田间持水量、总孔隙度和毛管孔隙度依次递减,而土壤容重则依次递增,说明迎风坡的土壤结构较差且水分散失较多,而丘间地的土壤结构和水分状况均相对较好.不同微地形间草本群落生产力和物种多样性总体上也存在明显差异,从背风坡、丘间地、坡顶到迎风坡,草本群落的生产力和物种多样性依次递减,仅Margalef丰富度指数表现为在丘间地最高、在迎风坡最低,说明迎风坡的草本群落物种多样性较低,群落稳定性差,而背风坡和丘间地的草本群落物种多样性和生产力水平均较高,群落稳定性较好.相关性分析结果表明:该区域的草本群落生产力和物种多样性与土壤容重呈负相关,与土壤的其他物理性状呈正相关,但仅部分指标间有显著或极显著相关性;草本群落生产力与物种多样性各指标间呈正相关,但多数指标间的相关性并不显著.研究结果显示:微地形能够显著影响浑善达克沙地的土壤物理性质和草本群落的分布特征,气候和人为干扰使该沙地的土壤物理性质受到严重破坏,导致草本群落生产力降低并处于不稳定状态.     

伊洛河流域外来草本植物分布格局

外来生物入侵及其防治已经成为生态学关注的重点和热点问题.目前的研究主要集中在外来入侵种上,然而入侵种仅占外来种中很少一部分,因此,研究外来种现有分布格局对研究生物入侵及其防治有重要意义.以伊洛河流域草本植物群落中的外来种为对象,沿河从河源地到入黄河口选取典型样地,在调查流域内草本植物群落中物种组成的基础上选取外来种,并对外来种种类组成及其分布格局进行研究.结果表明:流域内有外来草本植物27种,分属于15科,种类较多的科为菊科、苋科和豆科;引入方式以有意引种为主.流域横向不同生境间,河滩地在水流的养分富集、季节性洪水物理干扰及人为活动扰动作用下,呈现出受外来种分布较多,而受人类活动扰动最强且营养丰富的农田分布较小的分布格局;纵向环境梯度下,上游河源山地属于自然植被区,人为干扰较轻,且受外来种影响较小;中游丘陵区从自然生态系统向农业生态系统的过渡区域,人类活动的扰动有所加强;下游平原农业区,人类活动强烈,区域内以人工生态系统为主,群落物种组成简单但受外来种影响最大,受自然环境和人类活动的双重影响.不同物种在不同生境间差异明显,其中,小蓬草、钻叶紫菀和反枝苋广泛分布于3种生境中.总体上,伊洛河外来草本植物分布格局在自然因素的基础上强烈受人为因素的影响,呈现出从上游到下游逐渐增多的趋势.