白音华矿区草地群落主要物种组成及空间分布

以内蒙古白音华矿区周边草地为对象,研究了矿区草地植物群落的主要物种组成及其空间分布特征。结果表明: 草地群落共出现55种植物,优势种为大针茅、黄囊苔草和糙隐子草,常见种有羊草、冰草和知母等,该6个物种的累计相对重要值为79.6%,其密度分别为 26.6、204.7、105.4、107.1、68.2和55.1株·m^-2。对6个主要物种的种群密度通过半方差函数进行模型拟合, 其种群分布分别符合指数模型、指数模型、指数模型、球状模型、线性模型和高斯模型;对其空间分布格局进行分析,各种群的结构比分别为59.2%、97.2%、89.1%、94.5%、62.6%和72.1%,表明黄囊苔草、糙隐子草和羊草种群的空间自相关性程度均较高, 主要受结构性因素影响, 而大针茅、冰草和知母种群主要受随机性因素影响。对分形维数进行分析发现, 大针茅、黄囊苔草、糙隐子草和冰草种群分布格局较简单,空间依赖性较强,而羊草和知母种群分布格局较复杂,空间依赖性较弱,结合2D及3D图看, 大针茅和知母呈现出梯度扩散,而黄囊苔草、糙隐子草、羊草和冰草则主要呈现斑块化分布,表明矿区草地群落主要物种的空间分布与开矿无显著关联性。     

封育对黄土高原草地深层土壤pH的影响

土壤酸碱度变化, 直接影响植被类型及植物对土壤养分的吸收效率, 同时在土壤有机碳和无机碳相互转化过程中起重要作用, 为明确草地封育过程中土壤酸碱度的变化特征。以黄土高原云雾山自然保护区放牧草地(封育0年)、封育15年草地、封育30年草地为研究对象, 采用空间代替时间方法, 研究封育过程中深层(0-500 cm)土壤酸碱度变化特征。结果表明: (1)3个封育年限草地土壤pH随着土层深度的增加而增加, 放牧草地土壤pH变化范围为8.54-9.26、封育15年草地土壤pH变化范围为8.56-8.97、封育30年草地土壤pH变化范围为8.12-8.74。(2)不同封育年限0-500cm土壤各粒级差异较大, 放牧草地在40-60 cm土层, 3-2 mm土壤团粒结构的土壤pH最低为8.38, 显著低于其它粒级(P˂0.05); 封育15年草地土壤pH各粒级差异较小; 封育30年草地土壤pH整体呈上升趋势, 0-20 cm各粒级土壤pH差异显著。(3) 在0-500 cm, 封育30年草地土壤pH显著低于放牧草地和封育15年草地(P˂0.05), 其平均值分别为8.50、8.94和8.87。因此, 长期封育显著降低土壤pH值。     

Interactive climate factors restrict future increases in spring productivity of temperate and boreal trees

Climate warming is currently advancing spring leaf‐out of temperate and boreal trees, enhancing net primary productivity (NPP) of forests. However, it remains unclear whether this trend will continue, preventing for accurate projections of ecosystem functioning and climate feedbacks. Several ecophysiological mechanisms have been proposed to regulate the timing of leaf emergence in response to changing environmental cues, but the relative importance of those mechanisms remains unclear. Here, we use 727,401 direct phenological observations of common European forest trees to examine the dominant controls on leaf‐out. Using the emerging mechanisms, we forecast future trajectories of spring arrival and evaluate the consequences for forest carbon dynamics. By representing hypothesized relationships with autumn temperature, winter chilling, and the timing of spring onset, we accurately predicted reductions in the advance of leaf‐out. There was a strong consensus between our empirical model and existing process‐based models, revealing that the advance in leaf‐out will not exceed 2 weeks over the rest of the century. We further estimate that, under a ‘business‐as‐usual’ climate scenario, earlier spring arrival will enhance NPP of temperate and boreal forests by ~0.2 Gt per year at the end of the century. In contrast, previous estimates based on a simple degree‐day model range around 0.8 Gt. As such, the expected NPP is drastically reduced in our updated model relative to previous estimates—by a total of ~25 Gt over the rest of the century. These findings reveal important environmental constraints on the productivity of broad‐leaved deciduous trees and highlight that shifting spring phenology is unlikely to slow the rate of warming by offsetting anthropogenic carbon emissions.     

Shifts in the temperature‐sensitive periods for spring phenology in European beech and pedunculate oak clones across latitudes and over recent decades

Spring phenology of temperate trees has advanced worldwide in response to global warming. However, increasing temperatures may not necessarily lead to further phenological advance, especially in the warmer latitudes because of insufficient chilling and/or shorter day length. Determining the start of the forcing phase, that is, when buds are able to respond to warmer temperatures in spring, is therefore crucial to predict how phenology will change in the future. In this study, we used 4,056 leaf‐out date observations during the period 1969–2017 for clones of European beech (Fagus sylvatica L.) and pedunculate oak (Quercus robur L.) planted in 63 sites covering a large latitudinal gradient (from Portugal ~41°N to Norway ~63°N) at the International Phenological Gardens in order to (a) evaluate how the sensitivity periods to forcing and chilling have changed with climate warming, and (b) test whether consistent patterns occur along biogeographical gradients, that is, from colder to warmer environments. Partial least squares regressions suggest that the length of the forcing period has been extended over the recent decades with climate warming in the colder latitudes but has been shortened in the warmer latitudes for both species, with a more pronounced shift for beech. We attribute the lengthening of the forcing period in the colder latitudes to earlier opportunities with temperatures that can promote bud development. In contrast, at warmer or oceanic climates, the beginning of the forcing period has been delayed, possibly due to insufficient chilling. However, in spite of a later beginning of the forcing period, spring phenology has continued to advance at these areas due to a faster satisfaction of heat requirements induced by climate warming. Overall, our results support that ongoing climate warming will have different effects on the spring phenology of forest trees across latitudes due to the interactions between chilling, forcing and photoperiod.     

Vegetation monitoring in a 100-year-old calcareous grassland reserve in Germany

Calcareous grasslands harbor specialized species and are cultural relics. Therefore, they are prime habitates for conservation and restoration, but negative effects of inappropriate management, eutrophication and fragmentation continue to exist. These effects also influence grasslands which serve as target for restoration. Unfortunately, monitoring of long-term vegetation dynamics in calcareous grassland is rare. Here, we studied such changes over 35 years in the nature reserve ‘Garchinger Heide’, which is well known for its high abundance of rare species. Furthermore, it has been managed for conservation for more than 100 years. Therefore, species composition, total species richness, numbers of habitat specialists, red-list species and the proportion of graminoids were examined in 42 plots with frequency recording (1984–2018), and in 40 plots based on vegetation relevés (2003–2018). Ellenberg indicator values, specific leaf area, seed mass, and canopy height were analysed to detect patterns in trait response to environmental change. Within 35 years there were considerable vegetation dynamics. Specialist plants of calcareous grassland and red list species decreased, and insect-pollinated species declined in contrast to wind-pollinated species. Ellenberg N as well as graminoid abundance, canopy height, seed mass, and multi-trait functional dispersion increased, while specific leaf area showed no such change. Our results suggest that environmental change like deposition of atmospheric nitrogen, management regime, pollinator decline or isolation could be correlated with vegetation dynamics, while these correlations would need experimental confirmation. The grassland management certainly helped achieving several conservation goals, although it was not able to stop a decrease of rare species. The results show that also in nature reserves with long-term conservation management monitoring is essential to detect vegetation dynamics and to adjust the management to these changes.     

Conservation and restoration of Nardus grasslands in the Swiss northern Alps

Aim: Species‐rich Nardus grasslands are high nature‐value habitats. In Switzerland, many of these grasslands are degraded even though they have been under protection since the 1980s. Degradation shows two divergent trends: Nardus grasslands are either dominated by Nardus stricta or by eutrophic plants, both trends leading to the disappearance of typical Nardus grassland species. With this study, we aim to identify the factors that could be adjusted to conserve the integrity of this habitat. Location: Bernese Alps, Switzerland. Methods: In 2016, we investigated the underlying causes of this degradation process by assessing vegetation composition in 48 Nardus grasslands located in the Swiss northern Alps of canton Bern and linking it to soil, management and environmental variables. To explore the effect of the degradation on higher trophic levels, orthopteran species richness and densities were assessed. Results: Results show that Nardus meadows (mown) are rarely degraded compared to Nardus pastures (grazed). Within pastures, eutrophic plants are most abundant on small pastures with low soil carbon/nitrogen ratio, indicating high nutrient availability. Nardus stricta dominance is most problematic on north‐exposed slopes and in summer pastures. A plausible driver of both degradation trends is the grazing management regime: within small pastures at low elevation where the grazing periods are short but intense, soil carbon/nitrogen ratio is low because of high dung deposition, thus the eutrophic species become dominant. Contrastingly, on large summer pastures with low‐intensity and long‐term grazing, N. stricta becomes dominant due to selective grazing. Both degradation trends show a negative impact on the orthopteran density. Conclusion: Species‐rich Nardus grasslands are a precious alpine habitat for specialised plant species and orthopterans. With an extensive mowing regime or a more controlled grazing regime that homogenises intensity in time and space, species‐rich Nardus grasslands can be conserved in Switzerland.     

Physiological and growth responses of switchgrass (Panicum virgatum L.) in native stands under passive air temperature manipulation

In the central Great Plains of North America, climate change predictions include increases in mean annual temperature of 1.5–5.5 °C by 2100. Ecosystem responses to increased temperatures are likely to be regulated by dominant plant species, such as the potential biofuel species Panicum virgatum (switchgrass) in the tallgrass prairie. To describe the potential physiological and whole‐plant responses of this species to future changes in air temperatures, we used louvered open‐sided chambers (louvered OSC; 1 × 1 m, adjustable height) to passively alter canopy temperature in native stands of P. virgatum growing in tallgrass prairie at varying topographic positions (upland/lowland). The altered temperature treatment decreased daily mean temperatures by 1 °C and maximum temperatures by 4 °C in May and June, lowered daytime stomatal conductance and transpiration, decreased tiller density, increased specific leaf area, and delayed flowering. Among topographic contrasts, aboveground biomass, flowering tiller density, and tiller weight were greater in lowland sites compared to upland sites, with no temperature treatment interactions. Differences in biomass production responded more to topography than the altered temperature treatment, as soil water status varied considerably between topographic positions. These results indicate that while water availability as a function of topography was a strong driver of plant biomass, many leaf‐level physiological processes were responsive to the small decreases in daily mean and maximum temperature, irrespective of landscape position. The varying responses of leaf‐level gas exchange and whole‐plant growth of P. virgatum in native stands to altered air temperature or topographic position illustrate that accurately forecasting yields for P. virgatum in mixed communities will require greater integration of physiological responses to simulated climate change (increased temperature) and resource availability over natural environmental gradients (soil moisture).     

Identification of SNP markers for inferring phylogeny in temperate bamboos (Poaceae: Bambusoideae) using RAD sequencing

Phylogenetic relationships among temperate species of bamboo are difficult to resolve, owing to both the challenge of detecting sufficiently variable markers and their polyploid history. Here, we use restriction site–associated DNA sequencing to identify candidate loci with fixed allelic differences segregating between and within two temperate species of bamboos: Arundinaria faberi and Yushania brevipaniculata. Approximately 27 million paired‐end sequencing reads were generated across four samples. From pooled data, we assembled 67 685 and 70 668 de novo contigs from partial overlap among paired‐end reads, with an average length of 240 and 241 bp for the two species, respectively, which were used to investigate functional classification of RAD tags in a blastx search. Analysed separately by population, we recovered 29 443 putatively orthologous RAD tags shared across the four sampled populations, containing 28 023 sequence variants, of which c. 13 000 are segregating between species, and c. 3000 segregating between populations within each species. Analyses based on these RAD tags yielded robust phylogenetic inferences, even with data set constructed from surprisingly few loci. This study illustrates the potential for reduced‐representation genome data to resolve difficult phylogenetic relationships in temperate bamboos.