The importance of water‐retaining features for biodiversity on artificial intertidal coastal defence structures

Aim

Artificial coastal defence structures are proliferating in response to rising and stormier seas. These structures provide habitat for many species but generally support lower biodiversity than natural habitats. This is primarily due to the absence of environmental heterogeneity and water‐retaining features on artificial structures. We compared the epibiotic communities associated with artificial coastal defence structures and natural habitats to ask the following questions: (1) is species richness on emergent substrata greater in natural than artificial habitats and is the magnitude of this difference greater at mid than upper tidal levels; (2) is species richness greater in rock pools than emergent substrata and is the magnitude of this difference greater in artificial than natural habitats; and (3) in artificial habitats, is species richness in rock pools greater at mid than upper tidal levels?

Location

British Isles.

Methods

Standard non‐destructive random sampling compared the effect of habitat type and tidal height on epibiota on natural rocky shores and artificial coastal defence structures.

Results

Natural emergent substrata supported greater species richness than artificial substrata. Species richness was greater at mid than upper tidal levels, particularly in artificial habitats. Rock pools supported greater species richness than emergent substrata, and this difference was more pronounced in artificial than natural habitats. Rock pools in artificial habitats supported greater species richness at mid than upper tidal levels.

Main conclusions

Artificial structures support lower biodiversity than natural habitats. This is primarily due to the lack of habitat heterogeneity in artificial habitats. Artificial structures can be modified to provide rock pools that promote biodiversity. The effect of rock pool creation will be more pronounced at mid than upper tidal levels. The challenge now is to establish at what tidal height the effect of pools becomes negligible and to determine the rock pool dimensions for optimum habitat enhancement.

     

六盘山森林土壤中的砾石对渗透性和蒸发的影响

为了解山地土壤中的砾石对土壤水文循环的影响,测定了砾石土壤的贮水能力、渗透速率和蒸发速率。结果表明,砾石含量与土壤有效贮水量呈正相关关系,但与土壤最大贮水量无明显相关。在0-40cm土层,当砾石体积含量小于15％～20％时,稳渗速率随砾石含量增加而增大,当砾石体积含量大于15％-20％时,土壤稳渗速率随砾石含量增加而减小;在40cm以下土层,稳渗速率随砾石含量增加而提高。在土壤砾石含量为0～20％时,土壤蒸发速率随砾石含量增加而降低,但在砾石含量超过20％时,土壤蒸发速率基本保持稳定。土壤蒸发速率随砾石粒径增大有升高的趋势。     

A morpho-anatomical characterisation of Myrothamnus moschatus (Myrothamnaceae) under the aspect of desiccation tolerance

Morpho-anatomical traits of the rarely studied dicotyledonous desiccation-tolerant shrub Myrothamnus moschatus were examined and compared for the first time to Myrothamnus flabellifolius under the aspect of desiccation tolerance. Both species almost exclusively occur on rock outcrops and differ mainly in their geographic range and leaf morphology (fan-shaped in M. flabellifolius, lanceolate in M. moschatus) but have a very similar leaf and wood anatomy, except for the lack of hydathodes in M. moschatus. Both species adopt the parallel leaf venation of monocots, although this is more pronounced in M. moschatus. This provides a mechanical and protective advantage over the net venation pattern of most dicots and facilitates the reversible, drought-induced, accordion-like leaf contraction. The sclerenchyma, as a stabilising tissue, is mainly confined to vascular bundles in leaves of both species. Here, mechanical support seems to be less crucial for survival in long periods of drought than other morpho-anatomical traits (e.g. parallel leaf venation).     

木本植物对喀斯特石质生境岩石形态结构的适应性

为弄清植物对喀斯特岩石形态结构的适应性,选择3种岩石类型及7种木本群落为研究对象,基于分形、空间句法理论研究岩石结构面孔裂隙形态结构及其与群落特征的关系。结果表明:石灰岩结构面孔裂隙间隙度大、白云岩居中、白云质砂岩小,分维数则反之;白云质砂岩结构面孔裂隙整合度、控制值、密度值大,白云岩居中,石灰岩小;白云岩生境下群落物种多样性及优势种碳、氮含量高、白云质砂岩次之、石灰岩低;分形与空间句法指数间呈显著相关关系,两者能较好的揭示岩石形态结构;总体上3种岩性生境下物种多样性及优势种碳、氮含量与岩石结构面孔裂隙分形及空间句法指数具较强相关关系;大致相同的环境下白云岩形态结构适宜植物生长、白云质砂岩次之、石灰岩差;研究岩石形态结构对喀斯特植被恢复具有重要意义。     

典型小流域喀斯特石漠化演变特征及其关键表征因子与驱动因素

中国西南喀斯特区域土地石漠化生态灾难已经严重制约了经济和社会的发展,而对石漠化进行治理,其空间分布信息的准确提取是必不可少的。针对现有石漠化信息提取技术存在不可能发生喀斯特石漠化(Impossible to develop karst rocky desertification,IKRD)范围提取不准确,关于石漠化的时空演变分析较少及其驱动因子、表征因子繁杂等问题,本文以典型喀斯特流域后寨河流域为研究对象,基于高精度影像识别提取IKRD范围,利用植被覆盖度、岩石裸露率对研究区域准确提取石漠化信息,揭示该区域不同石漠化等级的时空演变规律,同时探明石漠化分布与地表反照率、坡度的相关性。研究结果表明:(1)2005年至2010年后寨河流域石漠化程度整体在恶化,在后寨河流域西南部分和中部极少区域石漠化程度有所减轻,其余区域基本未发生变化,而在2010年至2015年后寨河流域石漠化程度大部分区域都呈减轻状态,而且石漠化程度减轻强度较大,在南侧大部分区域石漠化程度都呈减轻状态,且强度较大。(2)2005年至2010年后寨河流域石漠化程度减轻、未发生变化以及加重的面积分别为4.23 km~2、25.736 km~2、20.81 km~2,各部分面积占比分别为8.3%、 50.7%、41%。(3)2010年至2015年后寨河流域石漠化程度减轻、未发生变化以及加重的面积分别为31.87 km~2、16.57 km~2、6.85 km~2,各部分面积占比分别为57.6%、30%、 12.4%。(4)石漠化区域的坡度、地表反照率主要集中在2°—22°、0.12—0.21之间,而且随着坡度值的增加,潜在石漠化、重度石漠化面积占比增高,轻度石漠化和中度石漠化面积占比降低,随着地表反照率增加潜在石漠化、轻度石漠化面积占比增高,重度石漠化面积占比降低。综上所述,在2005年至2015年间,后寨河流域石漠化演变因贵州省2008年至2010年开始实施退耕还林还草等石漠化综合治理工程而呈现先恶化,后减轻的状态,同时通过对该区域石漠化分布与地表反照率、坡度的相关分析发现,地表反照率和坡度可以作为石漠化研究的辅助表征因子和驱动因子。     

气候变化及生态恢复对喀斯特槽谷碳酸盐岩风化碳汇的影响评估

评估气候变化及生态恢复对碳酸盐岩风化碳汇（CS）的复合影响机制是当前喀斯特生态系统碳循环及气候变化研究领域的一个重要任务。基于碳酸盐岩热力学溶蚀模型估算了1992-2017年中国西南喀斯特槽谷碳酸盐岩风化碳汇通量（CSF）,利用Lindeman-Merenda-Gold模型定量评估了气候及生态恢复因子对槽谷CSF的相对贡献率。研究结果表明：（1）槽谷整体年均温及年降雨量均处于持续升高的趋势,增速分别为0.06℃/a及12 mm/a,进入21世纪之后,增速均有一定程度的放缓,年蒸散发在21世纪以前为增加的状态,2000年以后整体表现为减少的趋势;（2）槽谷植被覆盖度增加速率为0.004/a,其增加区域的面积占比达到了95.07%,槽谷生态系统恢复效果显著;（3）槽谷的年均CSF约为9.42 t C km^-2 a^-1,研究期间处于增加的状态,其年均增长速率约为0.2 t C km^-2 a^-1,CSF增加区域的面积占比约为89.28%;（4）槽谷CSF受到气候因素（降雨、蒸散发、温度）及生态恢复2方面的影响,其中降雨、温度及生态恢复反馈因子FVC与CSF呈正相关关系,ET与CSF呈负相关关系,降雨对于研究区CSF的贡献率最大,达到了70.36%;（5）本研究揭示了气候变化及生态恢复对岩石风化过程的复合影响机制。     

Robustness to thermal variability differs along a latitudinal gradient in zooplankton communities

Determining how thermal variability will affect the structure, stability, and function of ecological communities is becoming increasingly important as global warming is predicted to affect not only average temperatures but also increase the frequency of long runs of high temperatures. Latitudinal differences in the responses of ecological communities to changes in their thermal regimes have also been predicted based on adaptations over evolutionary time to different thermal environments. We conducted an experiment to determine whether variability in temperature leads to consistent changes in community structure, temporal dynamics, and ecosystem functioning in laboratory analogues of natural freshwater supralittoral rock pool communities inhabited by meiofauna and zooplankton collected from sub‐Arctic, temperate, and tropical regions. Thermal variability of +4 °C around mean temperature led to increased extinction frequency, decreases in consumer abundance, increases in temporal variability of consumer abundance, and shifts from predominately negative interactions observed under constant temperature to positive interactions in the temperate and tropical communities but not in the sub‐Arctic communities. That sub‐Arctic zooplankton communities may be more robust to thermal variability than temperate or tropical communities’ supports recent studies on macrophysiological adaptations of species along latitudinal gradients and suggests that increasing thermal variability may have the greatest effects on community structure and function in tropical and temperate regions.