雅鲁藏布江河岸植物物种丰富度分布格局及其环境解释

沿环境梯度物种多样性的分布格局及其环境影响因子的研究是生态学研究的重点内容之一。雅鲁藏布江是我国海拔最高的大河, 目前还没有针对其流域的河岸植物群落物种丰富度分布格局的系统研究。作者沿海拔梯度从雅鲁藏布江上游源头区至下游共设置了15个海拔样带, 在每个海拔样带随机取6个5 m×5 m样方, 共对90个样方的河岸植物群落物种组成和植被类型进行了调查, 共记录到238种维管束植物。DCA排序结果表明物种组成变化主要受海拔和经度控制。CCA排序区分出5种大的植被类型, 即高寒草甸或高寒草原、高山草原、两种亚高山灌丛草原和林缘灌丛植被。各植被类型的分布和变化主要受海拔和经度影响。雅鲁藏布江河岸植物物种丰富度沿海拔和经度梯度呈浅“U”形分布格局, 物种丰富度与年均降水量和植被盖度成显著正相关。     

中国植物细根碳、氮、磷化学计量学的空间变化及其影响因子

为了研究中国陆地植物细根碳(C)、氮(N)、磷(P)的空间变化模式, 揭示细根在“温度-植物生理假说”及“生长速率假说”等方面的规律, 该文收集已发表的有关中国陆地植物细根研究的文献, 从中提取细根C、N、P元素含量及其相关数据, 分析了细根C、N、P含量及其比例与经纬度之间的关系。结果表明: 细根N、P元素含量均随纬度增加而增加, P含量随经度增加而降低, N:P随经度增加而增加。细根N、P含量与年平均气温、年降水量均呈负相关关系, 与土壤养分呈正相关关系。在土壤养分、温度、降水量3个非生物因素中, 土壤养分对细根N、P含量的影响最大。该文中细根和粗根的C:P、N:P差异变化不完全支持“生长速率假说”。根系和叶片一样, N、P含量与纬度呈正相关关系, 支持“温度-植物生理假说”, 反映了植物对自然环境的适应策略。     

祁连圆柏针叶解剖结构对高原寒旱环境的适应性分析北大核心CSCD

祁连圆柏(Juniperus przewalskii)是青海省森林生态系统的重要组成部分,为揭示祁连圆柏对高原寒旱环境的适应特性,该研究以青海省祁连圆柏当年生针叶为研究对象,采用石蜡切片法制片,测定其叶宽、叶厚、下角质层厚、下表皮细胞厚、叶维管束木质部及韧皮部厚,并利用回归分析及偏相关分析探讨了针叶解剖结构对经纬度、海拔、坡向的响应特征。结果表明:(1)祁连圆柏针叶解剖结构在经纬度上无显著变化,其解剖结构与经纬度均无显著相关性。(2)祁连圆柏针叶解剖结构与海拔关系存在阶段性和结构间的差异性,在环境压力较小的低海拔段(<3 200 m)无显著变化;在海拔3 200 m以上,祁连圆柏叶宽、叶厚、下角质层厚、下表皮细胞厚随海拔升高而不同程度地增厚;当海拔高于3 680 m时各针叶解剖结构增长趋势变缓,尤其是叶宽、叶厚增速下降比例更大;下角质层厚和下表皮细胞厚与海拔相关性最强,其次是叶厚、叶宽,但叶维管束木质部厚以及韧皮部厚与海拔始终均未表现出显著相关性。(3)6个地区阴坡祁连圆柏针叶下角质层厚均高于阳坡,且下角质层厚与坡向显著相关。研究认为,祁连圆柏对高原寒旱环境适应性强,经纬度变化、低海拔段和阳坡的环境压力不足以使其产生相应结构变化;在阴坡其通过增厚针叶下角质层厚来提高耐寒性,在高海拔段其通过增厚下角质层、下表皮细胞层以及叶宽、叶厚来适应极寒极旱等复杂的环境压力。     

Cranial ontogeny, diet, and ecogeographic variation in African lorises

A series of 22 craniodental measurements were obtained for the three subspecies of potto (Perodicticus) and angwantibos (Arctocebus). To describe patterns of variation in Perodicticus, a discriminant function analysis (DFA) was performed with adult data. To investigate the ecogeographic correlates of size variation in Perodicticus, adult cranial dimensions were compared with field data on latitudinal and longitudinal coordinates for available specimens as well as altitudinal data for a more limited sample. Ontogenetic series for larger-bodied Perodicticus and smaller-bodied Arctocebus were compared to test the hypothesis that inter- and intrageneric variation in skull form results from the differential extension/truncation of shared patterns of relative growth, and to assess morphological variation in the masticatory complex of sister taxa with differing dietary habits. Analyses of relative growth indicate that skull proportions in Perodicticus subspecies are largely ontogenetically scaled. In comparisons between Perodicticus and Arctocebus, most facial dimensions also are ontogenetically scaled, with all but one of the seven divergent comparisons (interorbital breadth) representing a feature of the masticatory apparatus. The DFA provided independent support for prior classifications of Perodicticus into three taxa. Size differentiation in African lorises appears to be correlated with altitudinal variation (Bergmann's Rule) as well as character displacement. The smallest pottos, P. p. potto, occupy low-lying coastal habitats in western Africa, whereas the larger, eastern forms inhabit higher, presumably colder elevations. The largest potto, P. p. edwardsi, is sympatric throughout most of its range with the smallest and most insectivorous African lorises (Arctocebus). A basis for intrageneric taxonomic variation in Perodicticus is supported by such nonclinal size variation, as well as divergences in the ontogeny of masticatory proportions corresponding to interspecific variation in dietary proclivities.     

Known unknowns,Google Earth,plate tectonics and Mt?Bellenden Ker: some thoughts on locality data

Latitude/longitude data in locality records should be published with spatial uncertainties, datum(s) used and indications of how the data were obtained. Google Earth can be used to locate sampling sites, but the underlying georegistration of the satellite image should be checked. The little-known relabelling of a set of landmarks on Mt Bellenden Ker, a scientifically important collecting locality in tropical north Queensland, Australia, is documented as an example of the importance of checking records not accompanied by appropriately accurate latitude/longitude data.     

我国甜菜夜蛾间歇性暴发频度的大尺度地理差异及其成因分析

【目的】为探索我国甜菜夜蛾Spodoptera exigua(Hübner)间歇性大暴发频度的大尺度地理差异及其成因,作者研究和分析了我国1956—2008年52年间共发生的121次甜菜夜蛾大暴发频次地理分布的行政区域特征、纬度特征和经度特征。【方法】首先查阅和整理我国历代以来有关甜菜夜蛾记载和研究的文献,并按时间序列方式进行归纳和总结,得出中国1956—2008年52年间共发生甜菜夜蛾大暴发频次为121年次,然后分别按中国省级行政区域、纬度分级区域和经度分级区域进行重新整理分析,在此基础上,进一步细分出中国不同省区及不同经纬度地区甜菜夜蛾有暴发记录的历年总频次数,然后进行统计分析。【结果】分析结果表明:按省级行政区域进行统计,中国有17省(直辖市)有甜菜夜蛾暴发的记录;按暴发频次多少可分为低频暴发区(记录1~4次的共有8省市,即天津1、北京1、海南1、湖南1、云南2、广西3、辽宁3、福建3)、中频暴发区(记录5~9次的共有5省市,即湖北5、安徽7、上海8、江西8、陕西8,占总频次的29.8%)和高频暴发区(记录10次以上的4省市,即山东10、河南13、浙江13、江苏34,占总频次的58%)。按经纬度值进行统计,中国甜菜夜蛾有暴发记录的纬度范围为21.44°~41.97°N,即从中国南部的福建莆田至北部的辽宁抚顺都有甜菜夜蛾暴发的记录,经度范围为107.09°~123.97°E,即从中国西部的陕西关中至东部的辽宁抚顺都有甜菜夜蛾暴发的记录。而暴发最频繁的纬度范围是28°~38°N,约占总频次的89.3%;暴发最频繁的经度范围是113°~121°E,约占总频次的81.8%。【结论】中国甜菜夜蛾间歇性暴发区以华北平原和长江中下游平原地区为主,暴发寄主以蔬菜和棉花为主,暴发季节以7—10月为主。甜菜夜蛾间歇性高频暴发区,其地理特征主要为低海拔地区,即平均海拔低于500 m(也有极少部分发生在平均海拔为1 000~2 000 m之间的盆地);其气候特征主要为暖温带3 400℃≤活动积温≤4 500℃及亚热带地区4 500℃≤活动积温≤8 000℃、湿润(年降水量≥800 mm)及半湿润地区(400≤年降水量≤800 mm)和亚热带及温带季风气候区(该两个气候区的共同特点是夏季高温多雨,冬季低温少雨或寒冷干燥)。     

The impact of urbanization on body size of Barn Swallows Hirundo rustica gutturalis

Urbanization implies a dramatic impact on ecosystems, which may lead to drastic phenotypic differences between urban and nonurban individuals. For instance, urbanization is associated with increased metabolic costs, which may constrain body size, but urbanization also leads to habitat fragmentation, which may favor increases in body mass when for instance it correlates with dispersal capacity. However, this apparent contradiction has rarely been studied. This is particularly evident in China where the urbanization process is currently occurring at an unprecedented scale. Moreover, no study has addressed this issue across large geographical areas encompassing locations in different climates. In this regard, Barn Swallows (Hirundo rustica) are a suitable model to study the impact of urbanization on wild animals because they are a widely distributed species tightly associated with humans. Here, we collected body mass and wing length data for 359 breeding individuals of Barn Swallow (H. r. gutturalis) from 128 sites showing different levels of urbanization around the whole China. Using a set of linear mixed‐effects models, we assessed how urbanization and geography influenced body size measured using body mass, wing length, and their regression residuals. Interestingly, we found that the impact of urbanization was sex‐dependent, negatively affecting males’ body mass, its regression residuals, and females’ wing length. We also found that northern and western individuals were larger, regarding both body mass and wing length, than southern and eastern individuals. Females were heavier than males, yet males had slightly longer wings than females. Overall, our results showed that body mass of males was particularly sensitive trait to urbanization, latitude, and longitude, while it only showed a weak response to latitude in females. Conversely, while wing length showed a similar geographical pattern, it was only affected by urbanization in the case of females. Further research is needed to determine whether these phenotypic differences are associated with negative effects of urbanization or potential selective advantages.     

Explaining global variation in the latitudinal diversity gradient: Meta‐analysis confirms known patterns and uncovers new ones

Aim

The pattern of increasing biological diversity from high latitudes to the equator [latitudinal diversity gradient (LDG)] has been recognized for > 200 years. Empirical studies have documented this pattern across many different organisms and locations. Our goal was to quantify the evidence for the global LDG and the associated spatial, taxonomic and environmental factors. We performed a meta‐analysis on a large number of individual LDGs that have been published in the 14 years since Hillebrand's ground‐breaking meta‐analysis of the LDG, using meta‐analysis and meta‐regression approaches largely new to the fields of ecology and biogeography.

Location

Global.

Time period

January 2003–September 2015.

Major taxa studied

Bacteria, protists, plants, fungi and animals.

Methods

We synthesized the outcomes of 389 individual cases of LDGs from 199 papers published since 2003, using hierarchical mixed‐effects meta‐analysis and multiple meta‐regression. Additionally, we re‐analysed Hillebrand's original dataset using modern methods.

Results

We confirmed the generality of the LDG, but found the pattern to be weaker than was found in Hillebrand's study. We identified previously unreported variation in LDG strength and slope across longitude, with evidence that the LDG is strongest in the Western Hemisphere. Locational characteristics, such as habitat and latitude range, contributed significantly to LDG strength, whereas organismal characteristics, including taxonomic group and trophic level, did not. Modern meta‐analytical models that incorporate hierarchical structure led to more conservative and sometimes contrasting effect size estimates relative to Hillebrand's initial analysis, whereas meta‐regression revealed underlying patterns in Hillebrand's dataset that were not apparent with a traditional analysis.

Main conclusions

We present evidence of global latitudinal, longitudinal and habitat‐based patterns in the LDG, which are apparent across both marine and terrestrial realms and over a broad taxonomic range of organisms, from bacteria to plants and vertebrates.     

中间锦鸡儿叶表皮微形态的经度格局及其影响因素

环境因子是影响植物种内变异的主要因素,而叶片是植物体最易受环境影响的器官。为了探究中间锦鸡儿植物叶表皮微形态是否具有经度变异及其影响因素,该研究在内蒙古高原调查了8个中间锦鸡儿种群叶片的气孔密度、气孔指数、表皮毛密度、气孔器长、气孔器宽,并利用回归分析探究其变异程度以及影响因子。结果表明：(1)锦鸡儿上下表皮均被有单细胞非腺毛,角质层粗糙,气孔下陷,为抗旱特征;中间锦鸡儿上表皮气孔密度、气孔指数、表皮毛密度、气孔器长和气孔器宽的均值分别为302.81个/mm²、9.94、204.81个/mm²、11.78 μm和5.95 μm,而叶片下表皮分别为272.83个/mm²、10.43、187.45 个/mm²、12.49 μm和6.18 μm。(2)中间锦鸡儿叶片的气孔密度与气孔指数随经度的增加而增加,而表皮毛密度随经度的增加却减小。(3)叶片上下表皮的可塑性指数排序均为：表皮毛密度>气孔密度>气孔指数>气孔器宽>气孔器长;中间锦鸡儿的叶表皮主要通过调节表皮毛密度及气孔密度来响应环境的变化,环境因子中日照时数、有效积温、相对湿度、土壤全碳、全磷、全氮含量显著影响叶片表皮的微形态特征。