Warming increases soil carbon input in a Sibiraea angustata-dominated alpine shrub ecosystem

Plant-derived carbon (C) inputs via foliar litter, root litter and root exudates are key drivers of soil organic C stocks. However, the responses of these three input pathways to climate warming have rarely been studied in alpine shrublands. By employing a 3-year warming experiment (increased by 1.3 °C), we investigated the effects of warming on the relative C contributions from foliar litter, root litter and root exudates from Sibiraea angustata, a dominant shrub species in an alpine shrubland on the eastern Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau. The soil organic C inputs from foliar litter, root litter and root exudates were 77.45, 90.58 and 26.94 g C m⁻², respectively. Warming only slightly increased the soil organic C inputs from foliar litter and root litter by 8.04 and 11.13 g C m⁻², but significantly increased the root exudate C input by 15.40 g C m⁻². Warming significantly increased the relative C contributions of root exudates to total C inputs by 4.6% but slightly decreased those of foliar litter and root litter by 2.5% and 2.1%, respectively. Our results highlight that climate warming may stimulate plant-derived C inputs into soils mainly through root exudates rather than litter in alpine shrublands on the Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau.     

Increase in size and shrub cover improves bird functional diversity in Neotropical urban green spaces

Latin American cityscapes are growing fast, posing risks to many bird communities and ecosystem services (e.g. seed dispersal and arthropod population control), but few studies have addressed how bird functional diversity respond to urbanization in Neotropical cities. In this study, we tested which biotic (i.e. vegetation characteristics and human and pet disturbances) and abiotic variables (i.e. area size, number of vehicles, and glass panes) influence functional diversity indices of insectivores, frugivores-nectarivores, migrants, residents, and total bird community at urban green spaces in São Paulo megacity, southeastern Brazil. A rich avian community (235 species) from 25 studied sites was recorded. Generalized linear models (GLM) analyses showed that large-sized areas of urban green spaces and shrub cover are the main characteristics that drive high bird functional diversity. Small-sized sites were less favourable for preserving bird functional diversity. We showed that these areas were related to some negative impacts for bird species (e.g. absence of shrub layer, heavy traffic and massive presence of glass panes, and domestic animals), thus causing declines in avian functional diversity. Off-leash and homeless dogs and cats may cause declines in bird ecological functions (e.g. insect control, seed dispersal and pollination), which are essential to sustain biodiversity. Therefore, as management actions to improve bird diversity and better provisioning of ecosystem functions, we recommend that urban planners and managers should prioritize large-sized areas with high shrub cover. Additionally, we highlight the need to mitigate the negative impact on birds caused by glass panes, traffic of vehicles, and off-leash and homeless dogs and cats.     

基于遥感信息的黄土高原主要灌溉农业分布区生态安全特征

生态安全是区域经济社会可持续发展的重要保证.本研究基于2000-2018年间的遥感数据,系统分析了黄土高原4个主要灌溉农业分布区(银川平原、河套平原、汾河谷地和渭河平原)植被覆盖度(FVC)和遥感生态指数(RSEI)的变化特征.结果 表明:2000-2018年间,研究区FVC整体呈下降趋势,但4个不同灌溉农业分布区FV...     

An improved indicator of simulated grassland production based on MODIS NDVI and GPP data: A case study in the Sichuan province,China

Grassland monitoring is important for both global change research and regional sustainable development. Gross primary production (GPP) is one of the key factors for understanding grass growing conditions. Methods for estimating GPP are plentiful, and the light use efficiency (LUE) model based on remote sensing data is widely used. The MODIS GPP product, which is employed by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), is calculated using the LUE model and the surface reflection data from the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer onboard the Terra/Aqua satellite. The MODIS GPP product harbors its own uncertainties arising from the sources and parameters, such as FPAR and light use efficiency (ɛ). In this study, we propose an improved indicator for monitoring grassland based on MODIS GPP and NDVI data. Fractional vegetation coverage and the percentage of grass area (1 km²) were used to reduce the mixed pixel effect. A function of NDVI was used to simulate the light use efficiency and FPAR. The modified GPP data were calculated and validated with in situ measured data from the Sichuan province, China, 2011. The results indicated that the modified GPP data were a more accurate indicator for monitoring grassland than previous indicators, and the precision of grass production simulated by SsGPP_ndvi reached 85.6%. Spatial statistic results were consistent with the practical condition in most cases. Since MODIS data are available twice a day, the improved indicator can meet the actual requirement of grassland monitoring at regional scale.     

How to optimize the precision of allele and haplotype frequency estimates using pooled‐sequencing data

Sequencing pools of individuals rather than individuals separately reduces the costs of estimating allele frequencies at many loci in many populations. Theoretical and empirical studies show that sequencing pools comprising a limited number of individuals (typically fewer than 50) provides reliable allele frequency estimates, provided that the DNA pooling and DNA sequencing steps are carefully controlled. Unequal contributions of different individuals to the DNA pool and the mean and variance in sequencing depth both can affect the standard error of allele frequency estimates. To our knowledge, no study separately investigated the effect of these two factors on allele frequency estimates; so that there is currently no method to a priori estimate the relative importance of unequal individual DNA contributions independently of sequencing depth. We develop a new analytical model for allele frequency estimation that explicitly distinguishes these two effects. Our model shows that the DNA pooling variance in a pooled sequencing experiment depends solely on two factors: the number of individuals within the pool and the coefficient of variation of individual DNA contributions to the pool. We present a new method to experimentally estimate this coefficient of variation when planning a pooled sequencing design where samples are either pooled before or after DNA extraction. Using this analytical and experimental framework, we provide guidelines to optimize the design of pooled sequencing experiments. Finally, we sequence replicated pools of inbred lines of the plant Medicago truncatula and show that the predictions from our model generally hold true when estimating the frequency of known multilocus haplotypes using pooled sequencing.     

The effect of fire and ants on the seed-bank of a shrub in a semi-arid grassland

Abstract Invasion of grasslands by woody plants following the introduction of domestic stock is a worldwide phenomenon. Burning is frequently recommended as a remedial measure but for a pastoral enterprise it is costly and the frequency of the fires required is of critical economic importance. The size and longevity of the soil seed-bank is an essential part of the response of shrub populations to prescribed fire regimes. In this study the seed-bank of the semi-arid zone shrub Dodonaea attenuata in Eragrostis eriopoda tussock grassland was examined in relation to harvesting by ants and the burning history of the sites. On unburnt sites, more than 3500 seeds per m2 entered the seed-bank in the summer 1984–85 but sites burnt 5 years previously produced less than one-third of that number. Burnt shrubs did not flower for 5 years and no seeds survived in the soil through to 1985. Burning immediately prior to seed ripening destroyed the seed crop but burning after seed-fall stimulated a greater germination in the following spring than on unburnt treatments. Ants rapidly harvested most of the seeds produced and after 20 months the combined effects of ant harvesting and germination had reduced the seed-bank at unburnt sites to 8–21 seeds per m2 and at sites burnt 7 years previously to less than two seeds per m2. Seeds were initially harvested in summer by Pheidole spp. of ants for their elaiosome and then discarded in middens outside the entrance to the ant nest. During the subsequent cool season the seeds were taken back into the nest and stored at depths ranging from 2 to 30cm. It was concluded that ants provided short-range dispersal (< 10 m) and promoted the contagious distribution of D. attenuata, which is advantageous for a fire-susceptible, arid-zone shrub invading a grassland liable to be burnt: seedlings derived from seeds in ant storage chambers near the soil surface and in sparse grass situations caused by competition from shrubs may obtain some survival advantage. Prescribed fire has potential as a management tool for controlling population density of D. attenuata because, depending upon season and frequency, it reduces seed rain by killing shrubs, suppresses flowering activity and destroys seed crops on the plant. Under the influence of a regime of regular burning, such as prevailed prior to the European pastoral industry, the limited soil seed-bank would have been a major constraint on D. attenuata populations.     

The mating system of the tropical understory shrub Ardisia escallonioides (Myrsinaceae)

Electrophoretic analysis of progeny arrays was used to determine whether Ardisia escallonioides (Myrsinaceae). a self-compatible tropical understory shrub in south Florida, exhibits a mixed-mating system. Ten seedlings from seven to 16 maternal plants from four populations were analyzed using five polymorphic enzyme systems. Multilocus population out-crossing rates ranged from 0.39 to > 1, with three populations showing high levels of selfing. Both single and multilocus inbreeding coefficients (F) indicated excess homozygosity in seedlings but not adults for three of the four populations. Population outcrossing rate was not positively correlated with increased numbers of flowering plants. The importance of annual variation in population outcrossing rates is discussed with regard to the high temporal variability in seedling recruitment in this species.