Global synthesis of the temperature sensitivity of leaf litter breakdown in streams and rivers

Streams and rivers are important conduits of terrestrially derived carbon (C) to atmospheric and marine reservoirs. Leaf litter breakdown rates are expected to increase as water temperatures rise in response to climate change. The magnitude of increase in breakdown rates is uncertain, given differences in litter quality and microbial and detritivore community responses to temperature, factors that can influence the apparent temperature sensitivity of breakdown and the relative proportion of C lost to the atmosphere vs. stored or transported downstream. Here, we synthesized 1025 records of litter breakdown in streams and rivers to quantify its temperature sensitivity, as measured by the activation energy (E_a, in eV). Temperature sensitivity of litter breakdown varied among twelve plant genera for which E_a could be calculated. Higher values of E_a were correlated with lower‐quality litter, but these correlations were influenced by a single, N‐fixing genus (Alnus). E_a values converged when genera were classified into three breakdown rate categories, potentially due to continual water availability in streams and rivers modulating the influence of leaf chemistry on breakdown. Across all data representing 85 plant genera, the E_a was 0.34 ± 0.04 eV, or approximately half the value (0.65 eV) predicted by metabolic theory. Our results indicate that average breakdown rates may increase by 5–21% with a 1–4 °C rise in water temperature, rather than a 10–45% increase expected, according to metabolic theory. Differential warming of tropical and temperate biomes could result in a similar proportional increase in breakdown rates, despite variation in E_a values for these regions (0.75 ± 0.13 eV and 0.27 ± 0.05 eV, respectively). The relative proportions of gaseous C loss and organic matter transport downstream should not change with rising temperature given that E_a values for breakdown mediated by microbes alone and microbes plus detritivores were similar at the global scale.     

生源要素有效性及生物因子对湿地土壤碳矿化的影响

湿地土壤是全球碳存储的重要场所,湿地生态系统的碳循环过程对全球变化有重要指示作用。土壤碳矿化是湿地生态系统碳循环的重要环节,对于认知湿地生态系统生物地球化学循环过程具有重要的意义。综述了生源要素及生物因素对湿地土壤碳矿化的内在作用机制。土壤活性有机碳库通过调节土壤能源物质和微生物活性影响土壤碳库的有效性,是表征土壤碳矿化的敏感指标。湿地其它养分如N、P、S等元素的有效性也是影响土壤碳矿化的关键要素。电子受体(NO₃^-、SO₄^2-、Fe³⁺、Mn⁴⁺等)对湿地土壤碳矿化和有机碳转变的影响主要通过电子受体的还原过程完成,在厌氧分解过程中,湿地土壤利用难溶性电子受体可能是土壤C矿化的更重要途径。动物、植物、微生物群落和区系等则是土壤碳矿化的主要驱动因子。土壤动物区系在有机态养分矿化为无机态养分的过程有着独特的功能,能显著增加土壤碳矿化。土壤微生物的活性,决定着土壤中有机碎屑的降解速率,是土壤有机碳分解周转的主要诱导因素。湿地植物则通过影响根系、微生物呼吸底物的供应以及对小气候和土壤因子的调节而影响土壤有机质的分解。湿地生源要素和生物因子还极易与土壤理化性质如温度、水分、pH值和质地等环境因素形成交互和制约,共同影响土壤碳矿化。最后,提出了进一步研究生源要素和生物因素与湿地土壤碳矿化关系需要解决的一些重要问题。     

Distinct responses of soil respiration to experimental litter manipulation in temperate woodland and tropical forest

Global change is affecting primary productivity in forests worldwide, and this, in turn, will alter long‐term carbon (C) sequestration in wooded ecosystems. On one hand, increased primary productivity, for example, in response to elevated atmospheric carbon dioxide (CO₂), can result in greater inputs of organic matter to the soil, which could increase C sequestration belowground. On other hand, many of the interactions between plants and microorganisms that determine soil C dynamics are poorly characterized, and additional inputs of plant material, such as leaf litter, can result in the mineralization of soil organic matter, and the release of soil C as CO₂ during so‐called “priming effects”. Until now, very few studies made direct comparison of changes in soil C dynamics in response to altered plant inputs in different wooded ecosystems. We addressed this with a cross‐continental study with litter removal and addition treatments in a temperate woodland (Wytham Woods) and lowland tropical forest (Gigante forest) to compare the consequences of increased litterfall on soil respiration in two distinct wooded ecosystems. Mean soil respiration was almost twice as high at Gigante (5.0 μmol CO₂ m^?2 s^?1) than at Wytham (2.7 μmol CO₂ m^?2 s^?1) but surprisingly, litter manipulation treatments had a greater and more immediate effect on soil respiration at Wytham. We measured a 30% increase in soil respiration in response to litter addition treatments at Wytham, compared to a 10% increase at Gigante. Importantly, despite higher soil respiration rates at Gigante, priming effects were stronger and more consistent at Wytham. Our results suggest that in situ priming effects in wooded ecosystems track seasonality in litterfall and soil respiration but the amount of soil C released by priming is not proportional to rates of soil respiration. Instead, priming effects may be promoted by larger inputs of organic matter combined with slower turnover rates.     

Distribution and Characteristics of Dissolved Organic Matter in Mangrove Sediment Pore Waters along the Coastline of French Guiana

Mangroves represent a major environment of tropical coasts. They are highly productive, and act both as a source and a sink of organic carbon. Concentrations and characteristics (fluorescence and hydrophobic–hydrophilic fractions) of dissolved organic matter (DOM) were investigated in relation to the organic content of sediments and to the chemistry of pore waters along the coastline of French Guiana. The pore waters studied were extracted (centrifugation, soil moisture sampler) from sediments cored beneath A. germinans mangrove stands representative of development stages: pioneer, mature and senescent. In order to asses the effects of seasonal changes, two cores were performed in each location, just after dry and wet seasons, respectively. Dissolved organic carbon (DOC) concentrations in pore waters of the upper sediment were found to increase, from 0.7 mmol l⁻¹ under the pioneers to 9 under senescent mangroves. The evolution of sedimentary organic carbon (SedOC) in the same sediment paralleled that of DOC, increasing from 0.7 to 28%. On the contrary, in the lower parts of sediment cores SedOC and DOC displayed contrasting vertical trends: SedOC decreased sharply with depth while DOC increased, reaching concentrations up to 30 mmol l⁻¹ at 50 cm in the older, senescent mangroves. In addition, the Fluorescence/DOC ratios and the hydrophobic contents of DOC were higher at greater depths in most cores, expressing changes in the DOC composition. These results suggest that the DOC of the upper layers originated directly from the SedOC of the enclosing sediment, while the hydrophobic and fluorescent DOC accumulated in the anoxic bottom layer. The mechanisms responsible for this accumulation at depth requires additional research to be fully understood. However, the anoxic conditions and high pH values prevailing in the lower sediment, by lessening DOM sorption and enhancing SedOC dissolution, may be partly responsible for the high DOC concentrations and fluorescences at depth. In addition, seasonal variation may be involved. During the rainy season, water sources were mixed resulting in lower DOC concentrations in the upper sediment, whereas during the dry season, increased evapotranspiration concentrate salts and DOC, which are transported vertically with percolating water.     

Beyond Reserves: A Research Agenda for Conserving Biodiversity in Human-modified Tropical Landscapes

To truly understand the current status of tropical diversity and to forecast future trends, we need to increase emphasis on the study of biodiversity in rural landscapes that are actively managed or modified by people. We present an integrated landscape approach to promote research in human-modified landscapes that includes the effects of landscape structure and dynamics on conservation of biodiversity, provision of ecosystem services, and sustainability of rural livelihoods. We propose research priorities encompassing three major areas: biodiversity, human–environment interactions, and restoration ecology. We highlight key areas where we lack knowledge and where additional understanding is most urgent for promoting conservation and sustaining rural livelihoods. Finally, we recommend participatory and multidisciplinary approaches in research and management. Lasting conservation efforts demand new alliances among conservation biologists, agroecologists, agronomists, farmers, indigenous peoples, rural social movements, foresters, social scientists, and land managers to collaborate in research, co-design conservation programs and policies, and manage human-modified landscapes in ways that enhance biodiversity conservation and promote sustainable livelihoods.     

Applying population and community ecology theory to advance understanding of belowground biogeochemistry

Approaches to quantifying and predicting soil biogeochemical cycles mostly consider microbial biomass and community composition as products of the abiotic environment. Current numerical approaches then primarily emphasise the importance of microbe–environment interactions and physiology as controls on biogeochemical cycles. Decidedly less attention has been paid to understanding control exerted by community dynamics and biotic interactions. Yet a rich literature of theoretical and empirical contributions highlights the importance of considering how variation in microbial population ecology, especially biotic interactions, is related to variation in key biogeochemical processes like soil carbon formation. We demonstrate how a population and community ecology perspective can be used to (1) understand the impact of microbial communities on biogeochemical cycles and (2) reframe current theory and models to include more detailed microbial ecology. Through a series of simulations we illustrate how density dependence and key biotic interactions, such as competition and predation, can determine the degree to which microbes regulate soil biogeochemical cycles. The ecological perspective and model simulations we present lay the foundation for developing empirical research and complementary models that explore the diversity of ecological mechanisms that operate in microbial communities to regulate biogeochemical processes.     

Relationships among wood‐boring beetles,fungi, and the decomposition of forest biomass

A prevailing paradigm in forest ecology is that wood‐boring beetles facilitate wood decay and carbon cycling, but empirical tests have yielded mixed results. We experimentally determined the effects of wood borers on fungal community assembly and wood decay within pine trunks in the southeastern United States. Pine trunks were made either beetle‐accessible or inaccessible. Fungal communities were compared using culturing and high‐throughput amplicon sequencing (HTAS) of DNA and RNA. Prior to beetle infestation, living pines had diverse fungal endophyte communities. Endophytes were displaced by beetle‐associated fungi in beetle‐accessible trees, whereas some endophytes persisted as saprotrophs in beetle‐excluded trees. Beetles increased fungal diversity several fold. Over forty taxa of Ascomycota were significantly associated with beetles, but beetles were not consistently associated with any known wood‐decaying fungi. Instead, increasing ambrosia beetle infestations caused reduced decay, consistent with previous in vitro experiments that showed beetle‐associated fungi reduce decay rates by competing with decay fungi. No effect of bark‐inhabiting beetles on decay was detected. Platypodines carried significantly more fungal taxa than scolytines. Molecular results were validated by synthetic and biological mock communities and were consistent across methodologies. RNA sequencing confirmed that beetle‐associated fungi were biologically active in the wood. Metabarcode sequencing of the LSU/28S marker recovered important fungal symbionts that were missed by ITS2, though community‐level effects were similar between markers. In contrast to the current paradigm, our results indicate ambrosia beetles introduce diverse fungal communities that do not extensively decay wood, but instead reduce decay rates by competing with wood decay fungi.     

一株红壤溶磷菌的分离、鉴定及溶磷特性

【目的】为了提高红壤磷素利用率,探讨溶磷菌溶磷机理。【方法】利用难溶性无机盐培养基从花生根际土壤样品中分离到一株溶磷菌C5-A,结合菌落形态特征、生理生化和16S rRNA序列确定该菌株的系统发育地位;通过菌株C5-A在NBRIP液体培养基培养过程中培养液pH变化确定其溶磷能力;利用液体发酵实验测定不同的碳源、氮源对菌株C5-A溶磷的影响;通过高效液相色谱检测C5-A在不同氮源培养液中有机酸的种类和浓度。【结果】菌株C5-A鉴定为洋葱伯克霍尔德氏菌(Burkholderia cepacia),遗传稳定性较好。在FePO4和AlPO4培养液中,菌株C5-A的溶磷量和pH变化呈显著负相关;菌株C5-A对磷酸三钙、磷酸铝、磷酸铁、磷矿粉均有较强的溶解能力,最高溶磷量分别为125.79、227.34、60.02和321.15 mg/L;菌株C5-A对不同浓度的两种磷矿粉有较强的溶解能力;分别以麦芽糖和草酸铵为碳源和氮源时溶磷量最高。高效液相色谱检测出10种有机酸,分别为草酸(葡萄糖酸)、乙酸、苹果酸、琥珀酸和5种未知有机酸,然而,乙酸而非草酸似乎是影响C5-A溶磷的重要有机酸。【结论】从红壤花生根际土壤中筛选到一株对难溶性无机盐具有较强溶解能力溶的菌株C5-A,有望为开发高效红壤微生物磷肥提供种质资源。     

舟山群岛生态系统健康与旅游经济协调发展评价

在界定生态系统健康与旅游经济协调发展定义的基础上,构建了海岛目的地生态系统健康和旅游经济协调发展评价的指标体系,采用改进的TOPSIS法对2000—2012年舟山群岛生态系统健康和海岛旅游业的协调发展状况进行了定量评价,运用障碍度模型对其协调发展的障碍因素进行了分析,并使用Logistic模型对2013—2015年协调发展状态进行了预测。研究表明:(1)2000—2012年,舟山群岛海岛生态系统健康和旅游经济的静态协调度和动态协调度总体均呈持增加趋势,静态协调度由0.6453增加到0.7301,动态协调度由0.6453增加至0.6874;(2)2000—2012年,舟山群岛生态系统健康和旅游经济由初级协调发展型向中级协调发展型演化,其中2000—2007年为初级协调发展型,2008—2012年为中级协调发展型;(3)海洋经济占GDP比重、近海海域环境功能区达标率、环保投入占GDP比重、公路网密度、城镇化率是影响舟山群岛生态系统健康和旅游经济协调发展的主要障碍因子;(4)2013—2015年,舟山群岛生态系统健康和旅游经济的静态协调度预测值为0.8335、0.8442和0.8543,动态协调度的预测值为0.6885、0.6916和0.6947,说明两者的协调发展状态将持续改善。