Mind the wind: microclimate effects on incubation effort of an arctic seabird

The energetic costs of reproduction in birds strongly depend on the climate experienced during incubation. Climate change and increasing frequency of extreme weather events may severely affect these costs, especially for species incubating in extreme environments. In this 3‐year study, we used an experimental approach to investigate the effects of microclimate and nest shelter on the incubation effort of female common eiders (Somateria mollissima) in a wild Arctic population. We added artificial shelters to a random selection of nesting females, and compared incubation effort, measured as body mass loss during incubation, between females with and without shelter. Nonsheltered females had a higher incubation effort than females with artificial shelters. In nonsheltered females, higher wind speeds increased the incubation effort, while artificially sheltered females experienced no effect of wind. Although increasing ambient temperatures tended to decrease incubation effort, this effect was negligible in the absence of wind. Humidity had no marked effect on incubation effort. This study clearly displays the direct effect of a climatic variable on an important aspect of avian life‐history. By showing that increasing wind speed counteracts the energetic benefits of a rising ambient temperature, we were able to demonstrate that a climatic variable other than temperature may also affect wild populations and need to be taken into account when predicting the effects of climate change.     

Development of Sphagnum fallax diaspores on bare peat with implications for the restoration of cut-over bogs

1. The growth of Sphagnum fallax was studied in a glasshouse experiment. Capitulum diaspores of S. fallax were cultivated on five different types of bare peat core, representing a gradient of increasing disturbance. Increases in length and weight were measured. Three microclimates were simulated by protecting the bare peat with a shading mesh and a plastic cover in combination with two water levels.
2. Significant differences in the growth of S. fallax were observed in relation to microclimate changes. Protection techniques such as shading mesh and perforated plastic film allowed a better development of the diaspores compared to bare peat. A plastic cover caused the best growth and compensated for a low water table level.
3. Peat properties are critical when diaspores grow in direct contact with decomposed peat. The porosity, and especially its vertical pattern in the peat profile, proved to be an important factor. A particular combination of microclimate conditions at the surface of the bare peat, and physical properties of the upper peat layers, may favour the growth of S. fallax diaspores even where there is a low water
Table 4 . Restoration of Sphagnum species on cut-over bogs needs to consider both the microclimate conditions at the surface of the bare peat and the peat properties themselves. These factors are important for the diaspores, particularly in periods of climatic and hydrological stress. In such situations, commensalism with some vascular plants may be a useful trigger for Sphagnum growth.     

Alien spider introductions to Europe supported by global trade

Global trade is permanently ongoing and increases its volume every year. In this study, the occurrence of 87 unintentionally introduced spider species alien to Europe is analysed. The analysis includes (1) the introduction potential of six different origin areas of the world according to trade volume, area size, and geographical distance; (2) the body size of native and alien species; and (3) occurrence in or at buildings (synanthropic) or in natural habitats. We found the eastern Palearctic as the most influencing origin area with 44 introduced spider species to Europe. The eastern Palearctic and the Indomalayan provided a significantly higher number of introductions than expected, whereas the Nearctic, Neotropical, and Afrotropical provided a significantly lower number of introduced species than expected. This can be explained with their lower trade volume, smaller area, larger geographical distance to Europe, and stronger climate differences to Europe. Comparing the body size of introduced and native European spider species of the same family, we found for Theridiidae significantly larger alien spiders and for all other tested families a trend to a larger body size of alien species compared to the native spiders. The family affiliation of alien spiders is the most important factor for synanthropic occurrence in Europe. On the base of a very conservative estimation of spider species introductions to Europe combined with possible effects of climate change, we predict for the near future a permanent increase in the number of alien spider species in Europe.     

Habitat fragmentation impacts on biodiversity of evergreen broadleaved forests in Jinyun Mountains, China

The plant communities and their microclimates were surveyed and observed, and the soil fertilities were determined in six plots of evergreen broadleaved forests of different sizes and similar slope aspects on Jinyun Mountains of Chongqing in China from April to October, 2003. The relationships of biotic and abiotic factors were analyzed using the Simpson, Shannon—Wiener, and Hill diversity indices, and stepwise multilinear regression analyses techniques. The results showed that compared with continuous evergreen broadleaved forests, five fragmentations had a lower species diversity index, and different life forms showed differences in diversity index. With the decrease in patch areas, the daily differences in air temperature (ΔTa), ground surface temperature (ΔTs), daily differences in relative humidity (ΔRH), maximum wind velocity (Vmax), differences in photosynthetic available radiation (ΔPAR) (at noon) of both edges and interiors, all tended to increase. Maximum wind velocity (Vmax) and photo effective radiation in forest edges were higher than those in interior forest, which presented a stronger temperature-gained edge effect. In all the fragmentations of evergreen broadleaved forests, the depth of the edge effect was the nearest from interior forest in the biggest patch (about 15 meters away from interior forest), while the depth of the edge effect was the farthest from interior forest in the smallest patch (about 25 meters away from interior forest). With regard to the water conservation function, soil water content improved along with increasing species diversity. Some of the nutritional function substances of soil increased with increasing species diversity. The elements of microclimate, such as Ta, ΔTa, ΔTs, ΔRH, Vmax, and PAR, changed along with the extent of fragmented forest. Translated from Acta Ecologica Sinica, 2005, 25(7): 1642–1648 [译自: 生态学报]     

Wet-season dormancy release in seed banks of a tropical leguminous shrub is determined by wet heat

BACKGROUND AND AIMS: Hard-seeded (physical) dormancy is common among plants, yet mechanisms for dormancy release are poorly understood, especially in the tropics. The following questions are asked: (a) whether dormancy release in seed banks of the tropical shrub Parkinsonia aculeata (Caesalpiniaceae) is determined by wet heat (incubation under wet, warm to hot, conditions); and (b) whether its effect is modified by microclimate. METHODS: A seed burial trial was conducted in the wet-dry tropics (northern Australia) to compare dormancy release across different habitats (open, artificial cover, ground cover and canopy cover), burial depths (0, 3 and 20 cm) and burial durations (2, 6 and 14 weeks). Results were compared with predictions using a laboratory-derived relationship between wet heat and dormancy release, and microclimate data collected during the trial. KEY RESULTS: Wet heat (defined as the soil temperature above which seeds were exposed to field capacity or higher for a cumulative total of 24 h) was 43.6 degrees C in the 0 cm open treatment, and decreased with increasing shade and depth to 29.5 degrees C at 20 cm under canopy cover. The dormancy release model showed that wet heat was a good predictor of the proportion of seeds remaining dormant. Furthermore, dormancy release was particularly sensitive to wet heat across the temperature range encountered across treatments. This resulted in a 16-fold difference in dormancy levels between open (<5 % of seeds still dormant) and covered (82 %) microhabitats. CONCLUSIONS: These results demonstrate that wet heat is the principal dormancy release mechanism for P. aculeata when conditions are hot and wet. They also highlight the potential importance of microclimate in driving the population dynamics of such species.     

Nest orientation of the Spotted Barbtail, <Emphasis Type="Italic">Premnoplex brunnescens</Emphasis>, is strongly correlated with stream flow

The placement and orientation of bird nests may strongly influence reproductive success. For many species, nest orientation is related to the cardinal directions and has to do with prevailing winds or solar exposure. Nest orientation differs among species in different environments, variously cooling or warming nests to maintain a nest microclimate optimal for successful development of eggs and young. The Spotted Barbtail (Premnoplex brunnescens) builds mossy, enclosed nests along shaded streams in Neotropical cloud forests. It shows a unique pattern of nest orientation, whereby nests are oriented in relation to the direction of water flowing below the nest entrance, rather than compass bearing. Nests face in one of three directions in relation to the stream: downstream, upstream, or perpendicular to the flow of the water. I discuss the ability of various hypotheses to explain this pattern in the context of factors affecting nest orientation in other species. While the reasons for this pattern of orientation remain unclear, orientation is likely driven by the need to create and maintain an optimal internal nest microclimate.     

Treeline shifts in the Ural mountains affect soil organic matter dynamics

Historical photographs document that during the last century, forests have expanded upwards by 60–80 m into former tundra of the pristine Ural mountains. We assessed how the shift of the high‐altitude treeline ecotone might affect soil organic matter (SOM) dynamics. On the gentle slopes of Mali Iremel in the Southern Urals, we (1) determined the differences in SOM stocks and properties from the tundra at 1360 m above sea level (a.s.l.) to the subalpine forest at 1260 m a.s.l., and (2) measured carbon (C) and nitrogen (N) mineralization from tundra and forest soils at 7 and 20 °C in a 6‐month incubation experiment. C stocks of organic layers were 3.6±0.3 kg C m^?2 in the tundra and 1.9±0.2 kg C m^?2 in the forest. Mineral soils down to the bedrock stored significantly more C in the forest, and thus, total soil C stocks were slightly but insignificantly greater in the forest (+3 kg C m^?2). Assuming a space for time approach based on tree ages suggests that the soil C sink due to the forest expansion during the last century was at most 30 g C m^?2 yr^?1. Diffuse reflective infrared spectroscopy and scanning calorimetry revealed that SOM under forest was less humified in both organic and mineral horizons and, therefore, contained more available substrate. Consistent with this result, C mineralization rates of organic layers and A horizons of the forest were two to four times greater than those of tundra soils. This difference was similar in magnitude to the effect of increasing the incubation temperature from 7 to 20 °C. Hence, indirect climate change effects through an upward expansion of forests can be much larger than direct warming effects (Δ0.3 K across the treeline). Net N mineralization was 2.5 to six times greater in forest than in tundra soils, suggesting that an advancing treeline likely increases N availability. This may provide a nutritional basis for the fivefold increase in plant biomass and a tripling in productivity from the tundra to the forest. In summary, our results suggest that an upward expansion of forest has small net effects on C storage in soils but leads to changes in SOM quality, accelerates C cycling and increases net N mineralization, which in turn might stimulate plant growth and thus C sequestration in tree biomass.