Influence of aspect and location of stands on biodiversity in a Sal mixed broadleaved forest in Kumaun central Himalaya

In the present study total 21 forest stands on different aspects and locations (Hill base, mid slope and ridge top) on the slope were studied to assess the importance of these two parameters in supporting species regeneration and biodiversity in a mixed broadleaved forest between 380 and 850 m elevation in the Kumauau Himalayan region. A total of 36 tree species were recorded in the forest. In all aspects the tree, sapling and shrub richness was higher at hill base stands in comparison to mid slope and ridge top stand. Maximum tree richness (average across all aspects) was 9.7 and shrub richness was 9.3. Higher richness at hill base may be attributed to more soil moisture and deeper soils which accumulate the hill base where the slope steepness declines. The tree richness was higher in the northern aspect whereas southern aspect was more suitable for the shrub species. From the present study it becomes evident that the base of the hills can support higher biodiversity and are instrumental in supporting regeneration of several tree and shrub species in sal mixed broadleaved forest.     

青藏铁路沿线北段植被物种丰富度及盖度的动态变化

通过青藏铁路沿线北段西大滩至唐古拉山北坡范围内植被样带的抽样调查,对植物物种丰富度（〖WTBX〗S〖WTBZ〗）、植被盖度由北至南的动态变化特征以及两者的相关关系进行了分析。结果表明：（1）在青藏沿线北段高海拔地区,由北至南植物物种丰富度呈逐渐升高的趋势,1m2样方平均物种数量由沿线北部样带的5或6种,逐渐升高至南部样带的9或10种。多重比较表明,相邻或相近的植被样带间单位面积物种丰富度多差异不显著,而当样带间距加大时,则表现出显著性差异。（2）由北至南各样带1m2样方平均盖度呈不规则的动态变化,多重分析表明,多数样带间1m2样方盖度间存在显著差异,说明植被盖度与物种丰富度相比更多地受到地形、土壤理化性质等小环境因素的影响。（3）研究区域北部各样带1m2样方平均盖度与物种丰富度呈现较显著的正相关关系,且多以乘幂指数方程拟合精度较高。而在研究区域南部,则未表现出显著的相关关系,这是因为这些样带中群落盖度主要受少数优势种盖度所控制,而与群落物种数量相关性不大。最后,提出今后需要加强青藏铁路沿线高寒地区植被分布格局及其环境解释的相关研究,以便深入分析区域植被分布的格局和成因。     

Effect of three georges reservoir (Yangzi River) on the plant species richness in drawdown zone downstream the tributary river (Pengxihe River)

In order to understand the spatial pattern of plant community and the maintenance mechanism of biodiversity in littoral zone of Three Gorges Reservoir, 110 km stretches of Pengxihe River (from estuary to the backwater of Three Gorges) were chose to study. We investigated species composition and environmental variables along 50 m long stretches of riverbank between the high-water level and the lowest summer water level, at a 5 km interval. The results showed that: (1) along longitudinal gradients, longitudinal species richness, longitudinal shrub species richness and longitudinal herb species richness were significantly related to distance to estuary; (2) along lateral gradient, there were visible different changes in all kinds of types (lateral species richness, lateral tree species richness, lateral shrub species richness, lateral herb species richness). Along lateral gradient, species richness and herb species richness first increased with the elevation then reduced with it, trees and shrubs species richness increased with the elevation. (3) Correlation analyses showed that substrate types were correlated with the longitudinal species richness, without considering the distance to estuary. Soil moisture and substrate heterogeneity were correlated with lateral, species richness. These results indicated that, along longitudinal gradient of the river, distance to estuary plays an important role in species richness, and along lateral gradient spatial heterogeneity due to inundation and flooding plays an important role in forming a new pattern of plant community in the littoral zone of Three Gorges Reservoir Region. Because of special hydrological dynamics, plant in the littoral zone of Three Gorges, are gradually form a unique spatial pattern to some extent, though it had the same change law with riparian plant of a natural river.     

Modelling land use change across elevation gradients in district Swat, Pakistan

District Swat is part of the high mountain Hindu-Kush Himalayan region of Pakistan. Documentation and analysis of land use change in this region is challenging due to very disparate accounts of the state of forest resources and limited accessible data. Such analysis is, however, important due to concerns over the degradation of forest land leading to deterioration of the protection of water catchments and exposure of highly erodible soils. Furthermore, the area is identified as hotspot for biodiversity loss. The aim of this paper is to identify geophysical and geographical factors related to land use change and model how these relationships vary across the district. For three selected zones across the elevation gradient of the district, we analyse land use change by studying land use maps for the years 1968, 1990 and 2007. In the high-altitude zone, the forest area decreased by 30.5 %, a third of which was caused by agricultural expansion. In the mid-elevation zone, agriculture expanded by 70.3 % and forests decreased by 49.7 %. In the lower altitudes, agriculture expansion was 129.9 % consuming 31.7 % of the forest area over the forty-year time period. Annual deforestation rates observed were 0.80, 1.28 and 1.86 % in high, mid and low altitudes, respectively. In the high-altitude ecosystems, accessibility (distance to nearest road and city) had no significant role in agriculture expansion; rather land use change appears significantly related to geophysical factors such as slope, aspect and altitude. In the low-elevation zone, accessibility was the factor showing the closest association with agriculture expansion and abandonment. The analysis illustrates that land use change processes vary quite considerably between different altitudinal and vegetation cover zones of the same district and that environmental constraints and stage of economic development provide important contextual information.     

Effects of urbanization on avian community in southwestern China

Surveys at southwestern China were conducted from November 2004 to July 2005 in three habitat types. A total 3319 individual of 69 bird species were recorded. Although urbanization was presumed to be responsible for decreasing species richness and diversity, our results showed bird species richness, diversity and density in urban habitats were not different in rural habitats. Whereas, the wasteland with low human disturbances, was the lowest bird species richness, diversity and density than others habitats. We inferred habitats structural complexity, large forest patches, native trees and human litter sustain many bird species in campus and park. However, human disturbances, habitats substrate and predation from domestic animals may reduce species richness and diversity. Therefore, we suggested that high vegetative cover should be in urban areas, because it may increase the number of bird species, support larger populations of insectivores, and perhaps create suitable habitat for some ground nesters. Moreover, by recreating or preserving natural islands decreased human disturbance and predation from domestic animals.     

三峡库区森林植被分布的地形分异特征

基于森林植被GIS数据库和群落调查,对三峡库区森林植被分布的地形分异特征进行分析。结果表明：（1）三峡库区森林植被主要分布在海拔400~1200 m,随海拔上升和坡度增大,森林覆盖率逐步提高,海拔为400 m以下区间森林覆盖率最低。（2）不同海拔级的优势森林类型分别为灌木林（400 m以下、1 200~1 600 m、1 600~2 000 m和2 000 m以上）、马尾松林（400~800 m和800~1 200 m）。各森林类型分布面积占该类型总面积百分比在不同海拔级上的分布都为单峰型,海拔由低到高出现峰值的森林类型依次为竹林、经济林和柏木林（800 m以下）、暖温性针叶林（1 600 m以下）、针叶混交林和针阔叶混交林（400~1 600 m）、阔叶林（800~2 000 m）、温性针叶林（1 200~2 000 m）。（3）柏木林、马尾松林、杉木林、温性松林、针叶混交林及针阔混交林主要分布在坡度低于35°区域,竹林和经济林主要分布在坡度小于25°区域。在坡度低于5°、6°~15°和16°~25°的区域,马尾松面积均最大,在坡度为26°以上的区域,灌木林分布面积均最大。（4）各类植被类型在各个坡向上分布面积变化不大。研究结果为三峡库区生态规划和建设提供科学依据.     

Forest structure and regeneration along the altitudinal gradient in the Binsar Wildlife Sanctuary,Uttarakhand Himalaya,India

Forest structure and regeneration were studied along the altitudinal gradient in the Binsar Wildlife Sanctuary of Uttarakhand Himalaya in India. Stratified random sampling of tree species was done by placing minimum 15 quadrats of 10 × 10 m at each aspect and altitude. The results reveal that along the altitudinal gradient there were three types of forest communities in the Sanctuary viz., chir pine (Pinus roxburghii), oakchir pine (Quercus leucotrichophora and Pinus roxburghii) and oak (Quercus floribunda and Quercus leucotrichophora). Rhododendron arboreum, Cornus macrophylla and Lyonia ovalifolia were main associates of these forest communities. The oak forests had larger shrub population as compared to chir pine. Myrsine africana was the most dominant shrub across the altitudinal gradient, whereas few shrub species were restricted to a certain altitudinal range. The regeneration of chir pine was best at lower altitude on south and east aspects, which indicates that it mostly regenerates on warm and dry slopes. In general, the regeneration potential in most of the tree species declines with the altitude. The density of saplings and seedlings also represented the dominant species at each altitudinal range, which indicates the cyclic regeneration of forests in the Sanctuary area.     

Impact of climate change on vulnerability of forests and ecosystem service supply in Western Rhodopes Mountains

The vulnerability of forest ecosystem services to climate change is expected to depend on landscape characteristic and management history, but may also be influenced by the proximity to the southern range limit of constituent tree species. In the Western Rhodopes in South Bulgaria, Norway spruce is an important commercial species, but is approaching its current southern limit. Using climate sensitive forest models, we projected the impact of climate change on timber production, carbon storage, biodiversity and soil retention in two representative landscapes in the Western Rhodopes; a lower elevation landscape (1000–1450 m a.s.l) dominated by mixed species forests, and a higher elevation landscape (1550–2100 m a.s.l.) currently dominated by spruce. In both landscapes climate change is projected to induce a shift in forest composition, with drought-sensitive species, such as Norway spruce, being replaced by more drought-tolerant species such as Scots pine and black pine at lower elevations. In the higher elevation landscape a reduction in spruce growth is projected, particularly under the more severe climate change scenarios. Under most climate scenarios a reduction in growing stock is projected to occur, but under some scenarios a moderate increase in higher elevation stands (>1500 m a.s.l.) is expected. Climate change is projected to negatively influence carbon storage potential across landscapes with the magnitude depending on the severity of the climate change scenario. The impact of climate change on forest diversity and habitat availability is projected to differ considerably between the two landscapes, with diversity and habitat quality generally increasing at higher elevations, and being reduced at lower elevations. Our results suggest that if currently management practices are maintained the sensitivity of forests and forest ecosystem services in the Western Rhodopes to climate change will differ between low and higher elevation sites and will depend strongly on current forest composition.     

The effect of natural and anthropogenic disturbance in forest canopy and its effect on species richness in forests of Uttarakhand Himalaya,India

Pinus roxburghii (chir-pine) and Quercus leucothchophora (banj-oak) are dominant forests of mountainous part of the Uttarakhand Himalaya. The continued anthropogenic disturbance is opening the canopy, forming canopy gaps and as a result forest fragments are developing. Thus, the present study aims to analyze variations in species richness and vegetational parameters in relation to canopy gaps in forests. Total species richness was greater in open canopied forest compared to moderate and close canopied forests. In comparison between oak and pine forest, it was greater in oak forest while the proportion of common species was low between oak—pine forests. Mean species richness did not significantly vary from one canopy gap to another as well as in oak and pine dominated forest. This indicated that dominant forest types played an important role to form the community structure. The shrubs richness were greater in closed canopy and between the forests it was greater in pine forest. Tree and shrub density was low in open canopy while herb density was high in moderate canopy. Thus, this study indicated that the dominant canopy species play an important role in deciding the community structures especially the distribution of under canopy species. These parameters should be considered for conservation and maintenance of plant biodiversity of a region.     

三峡水库蓄水对长江干流河岸植物组成的影响

三峡水库采取“冬蓄夏泄”的水位调度方式,导致淹没区的原河岸带和陆地植物及其群落的大量消失,并将逐渐形成适应消落带环境的植物群落。在忠县选择长江干流北岸典型区域建立固定样区,对蓄水前（2007年）后（2015年）158~173 m高程段植物组成变化进行研究。结果发现：（1）蓄水前,样区共有维管束植物106种（隶属47科96属）,优势植物生活型为多年生草本、一年生草本和灌木;蓄水后维管束植物种类下降了45.28%,只有58种（隶属26科51属）,其中多年生草本所占比例由蓄水前的40.57%上升为43.10%,一年生草本由蓄水前的28.30%上升为48.28%,灌木已不再是优势植物生活型。（2）蓄水后,狗牙根（Cynodon dactylon）的重要值由蓄水前的1.72%增大到45.06%,荩草（Arthraxon hispidus）和白茅（Imperata cylindrica）则由之前的6.81%和16.48%下降到0。样区下部的优势物种由蓄水前的荩草、白茅和喜旱莲子草（Alternanthera philoxeroides）变为狗牙根、稗（Echinochloa crusgalli）和水蓼（Polygonum hydropiper）;样区中部的优势物种由蓄水前的荩草和白茅变为狗牙根、苍耳（Xanthium sibiricum）、鬼针草（Bidens pilosa）和喜旱莲子草;样区上部的优势物种由蓄水前的白茅变为狗牙根、鬼针草和狗尾草（Setaria viridis）。（3）蓄水前,158~173 m物种数范围为42~66,各高程段物种数无明显变化趋势;蓄水后,158~173 m物种数范围为14~43,各高程段物种数差异明显,且呈现出随高程上升而增加的趋势,而物种多样性指数和物种均匀度指数均未随高程变化呈现出明显的变化趋势。研究表明,三峡水库运行导致消落带植物种类下降了近50%,许多不适应水淹的物种消失或优势度减小;一些克隆能力强的多年生草本竞争优势明显,部分种子扩散能力强的一年生草本依靠种子休眠的形式躲避冬季长期淹水,也能适应消落带这种特殊的生境;不同高程段消落带生态系统受淹水深度、淹水时间、淹水频率的影响不同,导致植物群落的物种组成和物种分布存在显著差异,特别是优势种变化明显。 关键词： 狗牙根;一年生草本;多年生草本;物种丰富度;水位变动     

Differences in plant species diversity between conifer (<Emphasis Type="Italic">Pinus tabulaeformis</Emphasis>) plantations and natural forests in middle of the Loess plateau

We compared differences in plant species diversity between conifer (Pinus tabulaeformis) plantations and natural secondary forests in the middle of the Loess plateau. The goal of the study was to examine the differences in the effect of stand development on species diversity and in species responses to changes between forest types and between forest layers. To clarify the effects of differences in forest management, we emphasized the functional types of plant species occurring in each forest type. The result as follow: (1) The H′ and S of tree layer were significantly lower in natural conifer forest than old conifer and secondary forest, but were not different compared with mid aged conifer forest. The H′ and S of shrub layer were significantly lower in mid aged conifer forest compared with other forest types. The H′ of herb layer showed no significant differences in the four forest types. The evenness index (J′) of tree layer of mid aged conifer forest was lower than other forest communities and its J′ of shrub layer was highest although its richness of shrub layer was lower than in the other forest types. (2) The analysis of β diversity index also indicated large differences between conifer plantations and natural forests. Although the tree layer species were similar in old plantation and natural conifer forests, they differed greatly between the natural conifer and secondary forests. The natural conifer and secondary forest species composition in shrub layer differed significantly from those in plantation and secondary plots. Tree species were significantly less common in plantations than in abandoned coppice forests. Species composition in the herb layer of different forest types was similar. (3) The management of P. tabulaeformis plantations alters plant species composition considerably; the number of sub tall-tree species is increased in old aged conifer forest, especially species dispersed by animals. Plantation management appears to affect ecological processes through seed dispersal. From the perspective of management, the change in the structure and composition of the canopy in plantations could affect the behavior of dispersers and regeneration.     

Specific features of the oribatid fauna in high-mountain pine forests of the Eastern Caucasus in relation to altitudinal zonality

The abundance, structure, and distribution of oribatid communities in high-mountain pine forest biotopes of the Eastern Caucasus are described in dependence on elevation above sea level. The oribatid fauna of high-mountain pine forests proved to be characterized by high abundance, an assortment of dominants, and species richness. It was shown that, as the elevation increases, specific dominants typical of particular altitudinal zones appear in communities, and changes in the mass species occur. These species are stable in terms of their long-term dynamics, and zonal groups (communities) demonstrate a high species diversity.     

Comparative assessment of forest plant tolerance in different regions of the Russian Far East

The regional ecological scales developed previously (Komarova et al., 2003) are applied to the comparative assessment of ecological tolerance of different plant species with respect to factors of moisture supply, active soil richness, and temperature regime of habitats in forest areas in the middle and upper mountain belts of the Southern and Northern Sikhote-Alin, on the Muraviev-Amurskii Peninsula, and in the Ussuri and Khingan nature reserves.     

Response of the Avifauna to Technogenic Environmental Pollution in the Southern Taiga Zone of the Middle Urals

The results of original studies and published data are used for evaluating the main responses of the avifauna of boreal forests to the combined effect of sulfur dioxide and heavy metals. It is shown that environmental pollution results in the reduction of species richness, biomass, and stability of the nesting bird fauna. In degraded areas, the structure of the bird community changes: (1) typical forest species are replaced by the species of open habitats, and (2) the proportion of species nesting in the upper tree layer decreases, whereas that of ground-nesting species increases.     

On ecotones as foci of ant species richness in a forest nature reserve (case study of the Voronezh Biosphere Reserve)

The role of ecotones with different (sharp or smooth) spatial boundaries between forest and meadow in ant biodiversity preservation was studied at the right-of-way of a power line in the Voronezh Reserve. The ecotone with a sharp boundary between forest and meadow (transitional zone 2 m wide) had higher species richness of ants compared to the ecotones (also 2 m wide) with smooth boundary between forest and meadow.     

Factors of Richness of Urban Floras in the Ural–Volga Region

Original data on 14 urban floras in the Ural–Volga region have been analyzed to estimate the effect of the geographic location, topography, climate, size, and age of a city on the species richness of its flora. This parameter in different cities varied from 288 to 973 species, with the proportion of alien species varying from 21 to 41%. Factors of flora richness were estimated by multiple linear regression using principal component estimates obtained by factor analysis of 13 city characteristics as predictors. It has been confirmed that the richness of urban floras depends primarily on the city size, which accounts for greater proportions of variation in the number of native species (56%), the number of alien species (91%), and the total number of species (71%). In addition, variation in the number of native species is determined by terrain elevation (22%), increasing at higher elevations. The proportion of alien species in the urban flora does not depend on the size of the city and is negatively correlated with terrain elevation.     

Carbon stock variation of Pinus roxburghii Sarg. Forest along altitudes of Garhwal Himalaya, India

The present study was undertaken in Pinus roxburghii forest along three different altitudes i.e., 1100, 1300 and 1500 meter above mean sea level of Garhwal Himalaya to understand the effect of altitudes on carbon stocks (live trees and soil) in Pinus roxburghii forest. Tree density of this forest ranged between 590 tree ha^?1 (upper altitude) to 640 tree ha^?1 (lower altitude). The highest total carbon density (TCD) of above and belowground carbon was 66.33 ± 29.92 Mg ha^?1 at lower altitude followed by 57.64 ± 16.75 Mg ha^?1 in middle altitude and 52.92 ± 6.52 Mg ha^?1 in upper altitude. Soil organic carbon was highest (33.20 ± 2.77 Mg ha^?1) at lower altitude followed by middle (22.61 ± 7.17 Mg ha^?1) and upper altitude (12.65 ± 6.10 Mg ha^?1). Total carbon stock (trees + soil) of Pinus roxburghii forest was maximum (99.53 Mg ha^?1) at lower altitude and minimum (65.57 Mg ha^?1) at upper altitude.     

Stable nitrogen isotopes (δ15N) in thalli of the lichen Hypogymnia physodes along a altitudinal gradient in the Khangai Plateau, Mongolia

Stable nitrogen isotopes (??¹⁵N) have been determined in the organic matter (OM) of thalli of the lichen Hypogymnia physodes (L.) Nyl. collected at 15 levels along an altitudinal gradient (1250?C2928 m a.s.l.) in forest and alpine meadow communities of the Khangai Plateau, Mongolia. The results show that, in the study region as a whole, no correlation between the ??¹⁵N content and elevation is observed. However, the lichen OM within the mountain forest belt is depleted of the heavy ¹⁵N isotope as elevation increases (from 1250 to 2400 m a.s.l.), whereas in the alpine meadow belt (2500?C2928 m a.s.l) it is enriched with this isotope. In addition, ??¹⁵N values in OM show an inverse dependence on the relative content of total nitrogen in the thalli.     

Land-use and land-cover effects on regional biodiversity distribution in a subtropical dry forest: a hierarchical integrative multi-taxa study

Latin American subtropical dry ecosystems have experienced significant human impact for more than a century, mainly in the form of extensive livestock grazing, forest products extraction, and agriculture expansion. We assessed the regional-scale effect of land use and land cover (LULC) on patterns of richness distribution of trees, birds, amphibians, and mammals in the Northern Argentine Dry Chaco (NADC) over c. 19 million hectares. Using species distribution models in a hierarchical framework, we modeled the distributions of 138 species. First, we trained the models for the entire Argentinean Chaco with climatic and topographic variables. Second, we modeled the same species for the NADC including the biophysical variables identified as relevant in the first step plus four LULC-related variables: woody biomass, distance to crops, density of livestock-based rural settlements (puestos), and vegetation cover. Third, we constructed species richness maps by adding the models of individual species and considering two situations, with and without LULC variables. Four, richness maps were used for assessing differences when LULC variables are added and for determining the main drivers of current patterns of species richness. We found a marked decrease in species richness of the four groups as a consequence of inclusion of LULC variables in distribution models. The main factors associated with current richness distribution patterns (both negatively) were woody biomass and density of livestock puestos. Species richness in present-day Semiarid Chaco landscapes is strongly affected by LULC patterns, even in areas not transformed to agriculture. Regional-scale biodiversity planning should consider open habitats such as grasslands and savannas in addition to woodlands.     

Analysis of trends in the formation of species richness of plant communities using syntaxonomy and ecological scales

On the basis of syntaxonomy of primary forests in the Southern Ural region, an analysis of trends in the formation of their species diversity has been performed in regard to heat supply, soil moisture, and general soil richness. The roles of environmental factors have been estimated using Landolt’s scales. The results have shown that communities of forest classes Querco-Fagetea, Brachypodio-Betuletea, and Vaccinio-Piceetea differ in the trends of changes in species richness along gradients of the above factors. In communities of all these classes, species richness depends primarily on heat supply, with soil richness being the second most important factor.