Tropical surface temperature response to vegetation cover changes and the role of drylands

Vegetation cover creates competing effects on land surface temperature: it typically cools through enhancing energy dissipation and warms via decreasing surface albedo. Global vegetation has been previously found to overall net cool land surfaces with cooling contributions from temperate and tropical vegetation and warming contributions from boreal vegetation. Recent studies suggest that dryland vegetation across the tropics strongly contributes to this global net cooling feedback. However, observation-based vegetation-temperature interaction studies have been limited in the tropics, especially in their widespread drylands. Theoretical considerations also call into question the ability of dryland vegetation to strongly cool the surface under low water availability. Here, we use satellite observations to investigate how tropical vegetation cover influences the surface energy balance. We find that while increased vegetation cover would impart net cooling feedbacks across the tropics, net vegetal cooling effects are subdued in drylands. Using observations, we determine that dryland plants have less ability to cool the surface due to their cooling pathways being reduced by aridity, overall less efficient dissipation of turbulent energy, and their tendency to strongly increase solar radiation absorption. As a result, while proportional greening across the tropics would create an overall biophysical cooling feedback, dryland tropical vegetation reduces the overall tropical surface cooling magnitude by at least 14%, instead of enhancing cooling as suggested by previous global studies.     

Intensified plant N and C pool with more available nitrogen under experimental warming in an alpine meadow ecosystem

Nitrogen (N) availability is projected to increase in a warming climate. But whether the more available N is immobilized by microbes (thus stimulates soil carbon (C) decomposition), or is absorbed by plants (thus intensifies C uptake) remains unknown in the alpine meadow ecosystem. Infrared heaters were used to simulate climate warming with a paired experimental design. Soil ammonification, nitrification, and net mineralization were obtained by in situ incubation in a permafrost region of the Qinghai‐Tibet Plateau (QTP). Available N significantly increased due to the stimulation of net nitrification and mineralization in 0–30 cm soil layer. Microbes immobilized N in the end of growing season in both warming and control plots. The magnitude of immobilized N was lower in the warming plots. The root N concentration significantly reduced, but root N pool intensified due to the significant increase in root biomass in the warming treatment. Our results suggest that a warming‐induced increase in biomass is the major N sink and will continue to stimulate plant growth until plant N saturation, which could sustain the positive warming effect on ecosystem productivity.     

Population genomic evidence for plant glacial survival in Scandinavia

Quaternary glaciations have played a major role in shaping the genetic diversity and distribution of plant species. Strong palaeoecological and genetic evidence supports a postglacial recolonization of most plant species to northern Europe from southern, eastern and even western glacial refugia. Although highly controversial, the existence of small in situ glacial refugia in northern Europe has recently gained molecular support. We used genomic analyses to examine the phylogeography of a species that is critical in this debate. Carex scirpoidea Michx subsp. scirpoidea is a dioecious, amphi‐Atlantic arctic–alpine sedge that is widely distributed in North America, but absent from most of Eurasia, apart from three extremely disjunct populations in Norway, all well within the limits of the Weichselian ice sheet. Range‐wide population sampling and variation at 5,307 single nucleotide polymorphisms show that the three Norwegian populations comprise unique evolutionary lineages divergent from Greenland with high between‐population divergence. The Norwegian populations have low within‐population genetic diversity consistent with having experienced genetic bottlenecks in glacial refugia, and host private alleles that probably accumulated in long‐term isolated populations. Demographic analyses support a single, pre‐Weichselian colonization into Norway from East Greenland, and subsequent divergence of the three populations in separate refugia. Other refugial areas are identified in North‐east Greenland, Minnesota/Michigan, Colorado and Alaska. Admixed populations in British Columbia and West Greenland indicate postglacial contact. Taken together, evidence from this study strongly indicates in situ glacial survival in Scandinavia.     

Minimizing the biodiversity impact of Neotropical oil palm development

Oil palm agriculture is rapidly expanding in the Neotropics, at the expense of a range of natural and seminatural habitats. A key question is how this expansion should be managed to reduce negative impacts on biodiversity. Focusing on the Llanos of Colombia, a mixed grassland–forest system identified as a priority zone for future oil palm development, we survey communities of ants, dung beetles, birds and herpetofauna occurring in oil palm plantations and the other principal form of agriculture in the region – improved cattle pasture – together with those of surrounding natural forests. We show that oil palm plantations have similar or higher species richness across all four taxonomic groups than improved pasture. For dung beetles, species richness in oil palm was equal to that of forest, whereas the other three taxa had highest species richness in forests. Hierarchical modelling of species occupancy probabilities indicated that oil palm plantations supported a higher proportion of species characteristic of forests than did cattle pastures. Across the bird community, occupancy probabilities within oil palm were positively influenced by increasing forest cover in a surrounding 250 m radius, whereas surrounding forest cover did not strongly influence the occurrence of other taxonomic groups in oil palm. Overall, our results suggest that the conversion of existing improved pastures to oil palm has limited negative impacts on biodiversity. As such, existing cattle pastures of the Colombian Llanos could offer a key opportunity to meet governmental targets for oil palm development without incurring significant biodiversity costs. Our results also highlight the value of preserving remnant forests within these agricultural landscapes, protecting high biodiversity and exporting avian ‘spill‐over’ effects into oil palm plantations.     

海南岛甘什岭热带低地雨林棕榈藤空间点格局分析

以海南岛甘什岭热带低地雨林白藤(Calamus tetradactylus)、大白藤(C.faberii)、华南省藤(C.rhabdocladus)、黄藤(Daemonorops margaritae)和小钩叶藤(Plectocomia microstachys)5种棕榈藤种群为研究对象,采用点格局分析方法对棕榈藤种内和种间空间分布格局及相互关系进行分析。结果表明:(1)海南岛甘什岭热带低地雨林棕榈藤种群的空间格局与空间尺度有着密切的关系,在小尺度上,5种棕榈藤种群都更倾向于聚集分布,随着尺度的增长,各棕榈藤种群主要趋向于随机分布,形成不同的空间分布格局。(2)各藤种间的空间关联情况在整体尺度上表现出明显负关联的是白藤和黄藤、白藤和大白藤,这可能是因为它们对生存空间及养分的需求相同或相似,存在明显的竞争关系。(3)华南省藤和大白藤在整体尺度上表现出明显正关联,这可能是由于它们在生长过程中相互庇护,用于抵御动物捕食和热带雨林内多变的外部环境。(4)黄藤和小钩叶藤以及白藤和小钩叶藤呈现出明显不相关,这说明它们对环境和生存空间的依赖没有冲突性,能做到和平共存。     

褶纹冠蚌和背角无齿蚌对水体营养盐和浮游植物的影响

2009年5月31日-6月20日在广东省大沙河水库利用微型生态系统比较不同放养密度的褶纹冠蚌(Cristaria plicata)和背角无齿蚌(Anodonta woodiana)对水体氮、磷及浮游植物的影响,探讨两种蚌在控制南亚热带水库富营养化水体藻类水华上的可行性。实验结果表明,在褶纹冠蚌和背角无齿蚌处理组中,总氮、总磷和叶绿素a浓度显著增加,而铵氮的浓度显著下降;褶纹冠蚌和背角无齿蚌导致了浮游植物群落组成结构的改变和数量的增加,实验过程中绿藻所占的比例迅速上升。两种蚌之间没有显著的差异,只是在不同的作用强度下,时间上的响应不同。综合实验结果,褶纹冠蚌和背角无齿蚌难以有效地运用于我国华南地区水库的水质改善与富营养化控制。     

热带次生林林窗干热季光照特征初步分析

利用西双版纳干热季 ( 3～ 4月 )次生林林窗光照观测资料 ,探讨了林窗光照的时空变化特征。结果表明 :由于天气现象 (雾 )、太阳高度和林窗树木的共同影响 ,使得林窗区域光照强度在时空上均存在明显的差异 ;上午光照强度的时间变化不明显 ,光强高值区在林窗西南侧边缘 ;中午受太阳辐射的影响 ,各测点光强均迅速上升 ,尤以林窗偏东侧林缘最为突出 ,实际林窗边缘的光强远远大于扩展林窗边缘 ;平均光强最大区域由林窗西南侧向东北侧林缘移动 ,而林窗偏西侧受树木遮蔽影响 ,光强虽有增加 ,但由于实际林窗边缘的高光强维持时间较短 ,平均光强较小 ,特别是偏西侧的扩展林窗边缘 ,遮蔽影响较大 ,各时刻的光强均不大 ,形成平均光强的低值区 ;使得中午林窗区域光照强度不对称性更加显著 ,光强水平梯度增大 ;下午由于太阳西进 ,林窗区域均受到树木遮蔽影响 ,光强降低 ,水平梯度变化趋于和缓。在西双版纳干热季作为林窗主要热力作用面之一的林窗地表面 ,在不同时段其最大光强的数值和出现区域以及高光强维持时期均存在较大差异 ;使得林窗区域的光强分布存在时间差异和空间不对称性 ,如此的光强分布势必造成林窗不同区域热力作用的不同 ,进而导致林窗区域热量传输和热量储存的不同 ,产生不同的热力效应。本研究结果?     

Does fruiting phenology vary with fruit syndrome? An investigation on animal-dispersed tree species in an evergreen forest in south-western Cameroon

Fruit syndrome found in zoochorous plants is regarded as a result of hypothetical coevolution with a seed disperser/predator. Fruiting phenology was compared among two representative syndromes, such as bird–monkey syndrome (BM) and ruminant–rodent–elephant syndrome (RRE), plus the gravity dispersal species for comparison, in south-western Cameroon in order to examine which biotic or abiotic factors educed syndrome variation. The individual size of selected plants (> 1.6 m in height) was recorded in a 16.95-ha area for recruitment estimation and their fruiting behaviour was checked for 9 months from June 1985 to February 1986. The BM species, a suggested successful group, fruited in a less synchronous manner within species and had fruiting peaks just before and during the rainy season. The RRE species, a suggested failing group, showed greater variation within syndrome in fruiting timing, duration and synchronization. Results obtained supported no clear phenological response to corresponding vertebrates except for the case of Sacoglottis gabonensis in the RRE. The reason for concealing potential responses is probably a result of conflicting requirements for seed dispersal and offspring survival. Periodical fruiting of the BM is likely to reflect ecological constraint, such as water stress on seedlings, caused from syndrome-specific morphological limitation. In this case, the animals have indirect effects on fruiting phenology through selecting syndrome-specific fruit morphology. The greater variation of the RRE suggests a broad spectrum of dispersal tactics from faithful zoochory to alternatives, with a trade off between agent restriction and seed size and another trade off between parental investment and seed-predation risk.     

西双版纳热带季节雨林植物种类多样性的一种研究方法

一、方法1.样地的选择样地分别选取热带干性季节雨林的典型代表——以箭毒木(Antiaris toxicaria)、龙果(Pouteria grandifolia)为标志的群落,以千果榄仁(Terminalia myriocarpa)、番龙眼