Indicators of ecosystem function identify alternate states in the sagebrush steppe

Models of ecosystem change that incorporate nonlinear dynamics and thresholds, such as state-and-transition models (STMs), are increasingly popular tools for land management decision-making. However, few models are based on systematic collection and documentation of ecological data, and of these, most rely solely on structural indicators (species composition) to identify states and transitions. As STMs are adopted as an assessment framework throughout the United States, finding effective and efficient ways to create data-driven models that integrate ecosystem function and structure is vital. This study aims to (1) evaluate the utility of functional indicators (indicators of rangeland health, IRH) as proxies for more difficult ecosystem function measurements and (2) create a data-driven STM for the sagebrush steppe of Colorado, USA, that incorporates both ecosystem structure and function. We sampled soils, plant communities, and IRH at 41 plots with similar clayey soils but different site histories to identify potential states and infer the effects of management practices and disturbances on transitions. We found that many IRH were correlated with quantitative measures of functional indicators, suggesting that the IRH can be used to approximate ecosystem function. In addition to a reference state that functions as expected for this soil type, we identified four biotically and functionally distinct potential states, consistent with the theoretical concept of alternate states. Three potential states were related to management practices (chemical and mechanical shrub treatments and seeding history) while one was related only to ecosystem processes (erosion). IRH and potential states were also related to environmental variation (slope, soil texture), suggesting that there are environmental factors within areas with similar soils that affect ecosystem dynamics and should be noted within STMs. Our approach generated an objective, data-driven model of ecosystem dynamics for rangeland management. Our findings suggest that the IRH approximate ecosystem processes and can distinguish between alternate states and communities and identify transitions when building data-driven STMs. Functional indicators are a simple, efficient way to create data-driven models that are consistent with alternate state theory. Managers can use them to improve current model-building methods and thus apply state-and-transition models more broadly for land management decision-making.     

Trajectories of change in sagebrush steppe vegetation communities in relation to multiple wildfires

Repeated perturbations, both biotic and abiotic, can lead to fundamental changes in the nature of ecosystems, including changes in state. Sagebrush steppe communities provide important habitat for wildlife and grazing for livestock. Fire is an integral part of these systems, but there is concern that increased ignition frequencies and invasive species are fundamentally altering them. Despite these issues, the majority of studies of fire effects in systems dominated by Artemisia tridentata wyomingensis have focused on the effects of single burns. The Arid Lands Ecology Reserve (ALE), in south-central Washington (U.S.A.), was one of the largest contiguous areas of sagebrush steppe habitat in the state until large wildfires burned the majority of it in 2000 and 2007. We analyzed data from permanent vegetation transects established in 1996 and resampled in 2002 and 2009. Our objective was to describe how the fires, and subsequent postfire restoration efforts, affected communities' successional pathways. Plant communities differed in response to repeated fire and restoration; these differences could largely be ascribed to the functional traits of the dominant species. Low-elevation communities, previously dominated by obligate seeders, moved furthest from their initial composition and were dominated by weedy, early-successional species in 2009. Higher-elevation sites with resprouting shrubs, native bunchgrasses, and few invasive species were generally more resilient to the effects of repeated disturbances. Shrub cover has been almost entirely removed from ALE, although there was some recovery where communities were dominated by resprouters. Bromus tectorum dominance was reduced by herbicide application in areas where it was previously abundant, but it increased significantly in untreated areas. Several resprouting species, notably Phlox longifolia and Poa secunda, expanded remarkably following competitive release from shrub canopies and/or abundant B. tectorum. Our results suggest that community dynamics can be understood through a state and transition model with two axes (shrub/grass and native/invasive abundance), although such models also need to account for differences in plant functional traits and disturbance regimes. We use our results to develop a conceptual model that will be validated with further research.     

气候变化对内蒙古荒漠化草原优势植物物候的影响

近年来,植物物候已成为全球变化敏感而准确的综合指示器。深入研究区域气候变化对草原优势牧草生长发育的影响和监测草原生态环境变化,对指导当地农牧业生产、作物品种的生态学分类、自然区划或农业气候区划的指标,提供有力的基础理论支持。文章基于内蒙古西部荒漠化草原乌审召和锡林高勒两个牧业气象试验站1983—2009年优势牧草的物候期数据和同期气象数据,在分析年平均气温、年降水量和牧草物候期各指标线性趋势的基础上,研究了气候变化对内蒙古荒漠化草原优势牧草返青、开花与黄枯日期早晚的影响,结果表明:(1)1983—2007年内蒙古荒漠化草原区年平均气温升高明显,气候倾向率在0.34～0.57℃/10a之间,年降水量无显著变化,气候朝着暖干化方向发展。(2)受春季气温和降水的影响,27年间内蒙古荒漠化草原区供试草种中,除乌审召的碱茅返青呈现明显的延后趋势,平均每年延后0.6 d外,大部分牧草发育期呈提早趋势,幅度为0.1～0.6 d/a;研究期间,优势牧草的开花期总体呈提早趋势,其中锡林高勒的霸王和猫头刺开花提早最为显著,二者始花日期平均每年提前0.5 d和1.1 d;在夏末初秋气温和降水的综合影响下,内蒙古荒漠化草原区不同站点优势牧草的黄枯期变化差异明显,其中乌审召的优势牧草黄枯均表现为显著或极显著的延后趋势,幅度为0.6 d～0.8 d/a;而锡林高勒优势牧草的黄枯期则大部分表现为不显著的提前态势,究其原因,是由于锡林高勒站点在牧草黄枯前1～2个月气温升高和降水量减少所致。(3)虽然荒漠化草原区各草种物候期均有所变化,但整体上在气候变暖的背景下,所有供试植物生长季均不同程度的延长。     

Inhibitive effects of three compositae plants on Microcystis aeruginosa

Based on common phenomena of biochemical interaction between plants and microorganisms, the inhibitive effects of three common terrestrial compositae plants, namely Artemisia lavandulaefolia DC., Conyza canadensis (L.) Cronq., and Kalimeris indica (L.) Sch.-Bip. on the blue algae Microcystis aeruginosa was studied. Live compositae plants are co-cultivated with algae in two different inoculation doses for 10 days in 5-pools incubators, in order to exclude the influence of bacteria and nutrients. The results show that Artemisia lavandulaefolia DC has the most inhibitive potential among the three plants as evidenced by the most drastic decrease in optical density (OD₆₈₀) of the algae. The inhibition rate is 93.3% (with initial inoculation dose of 2.0 × 10⁶ Cells/mL) and 89.3% (with initial inoculation dose of 4.0 × 10⁶ Cells/mL) respectively on the 10^th day of cultivation. The average inhibition rate during the later half of the experiment is 0.76 (with initial inoculation dose of 2.0 × 10⁶ Cells/mL) and 0.71 (with initial inoculation dose of 4.06106 Cells/mL), respectively. Logistic model analysis shows that compositae plants such as A. lavandulaefolia DC. causes the reduction of the habitat’s carrying capacity of algae. ANOVA analysis is used to determine the similarity and differences between every experimental group and an average inhibitive rate model is used to evaluate the inhibition effects. The results show that A. lavandulaefolia DC., which grow well in the aquatic environment, may have a great potential in controlling algae bloom in eutrophic water.     

Community development on subtidal temperate reefs: the influences of wave energy and the stochastic recruitment of a dominant kelp

Patterns of community development on subtidal rocky reefs in Marmion Lagoon, southwest Australia, were investigated with a settlement panel experiment. We tested the hypothesis that community development would differ between outer and inner reefs lines, because exposure to swell and wave energy was significantly greater on outer reefs. Following a 14-month deployment, we recorded pronounced variability between panels and sites, but did not detect any effect of wave exposure on the structure of panel assemblages. Subsequent data exploration suggested the importance of the presence of kelp recruits (Ecklonia radiata) in structuring the overall assemblage. Panel assemblages with kelp recruits were significantly different in structure to those without, principally because of greater space coverage of encrusting coralline algae and less coverage of red turfing algae, spirorbids, and bryozoans. Mature E. radiata act as ecosystem engineers in subtidal rocky reefs in southwest Australia. Our results suggested the importance of young, recruiting kelps in determining patterns of early community development on newly available hard substrata.     

Reproductive cycles of three dominant Calanus species in Disko Bay, West Greenland

This study describes the annual reproductive cycles of the three dominant Calanus species, C. finmarchicus, C. glacialis and C. hyperboreus, in Disko Bay (West Greenland) in relation to seasonal phytoplankton development. Relative abundance of females, copepodite stage V (CV) and males, and the developmental stage of the female gonad were examined from plankton samples collected at weekly to monthly intervals from May 1996 to June 1997 with a WP2 net or a pump. During spring and summer, egg production rates were determined. Females of all three species were present year round. Maximum relative abundance was reached by C. hyperboreus females at the beginning of February, by C. glacialis in mid-February, and by C. finmarchicus in April. All three species reproduced successfully in Disko Bay. Their reproductive cycles were considerably different with respect to the timing of final gonad maturation and spawning, and hence in their relation to seasonal phytoplankton development. In all three species, early gonad development took place during winter, before living food became plentiful, suggesting that these processes were largely food independent. Final gonad maturation and spawning in C. finmarchicus was related to the phytoplankton concentration, reflecting that final gonad maturation processes are food dependent in this species. C. glacialis females matured and spawned prior to the spring bloom. Our results indicate that first internal lipid stores and later ice alga grazing supplied final gonad maturation and egg production. Maximum egg production rates of C. glacialis were found in spring and summer, when the chlorophyll a concentration was high. Mature female C. hyperboreus were found from February until mid-April, when the chlorophyll a concentration was still low. In this species, reproductive activity was decoupled from phytoplankton development, and final maturation processes and spawning were solely fuelled by internal energy stores.     

Reconstructing the historic demography of an endangered seabird

Reducing extinction risk for threatened species requires determining which demographic parameters are depressed and causing population declines. Museum collections may constitute a unique, underutilized resource for measuring demographic changes over long time periods using age-ratio analysis. We reconstruct the historic demography of a U.S. federally endangered seabird, the Marbled Murrelet (Brachyramphus marmoratus), from specimens collected approximately 100 years ago for comparison with predictions from comparative analyses and with results from contemporary field studies using both age-ratio analysis and conventional demographic estimators. Reproduction in the late 1800s and early 1900s matched predictions from comparative analysis, but was 8-9 times greater than contemporary estimates, whereas adult survival was unchanged. Historic reproductive rates would support stable populations, but contemporary levels should result in population declines. Contemporary demographic estimates derived from age-ratio analysis were similar to estimates from conventional estimators. Using museum specimens to reconstruct historic demography provides a unique approach to identify causes of decline and to set demographic benchmarks for recovery of endangered species that meet most assumptions of age-ratio analysis.     

羌塘高原高寒草地植物地上地下碳氮生态化学计量特征及其影响因素北大核心CSCD

研究高寒草地的植物生态化学计量特征对认识极端气候背景下的草地生态系统功能与服务具有重要的意义. 选择羌塘高原高寒草地作为研究区,分析东西走向60个样点植物地上、地下部分的碳（C）、氮（N）含量与C：N的分布特征,及其各自的主要驱动因素. 结果表明：高寒草地植物地上部分C、N含量（38.22%、1.82%）均高于地下部分（31.11%、1.15%）,但C：N（22.08）却小于地下部分（28.88）,且地上部分C含量、C：N与地下部分存在显著性差异（P 〈 0.05）. 干燥指数与植物地上部分C含量（R^2 = 0.072,P 〈 0.05）以及C：N（R^2 = 0.15,P 〈 0.005）呈负相关关系,却与植物地下部分C：N（R^2 = 0.53,P 〈 0.001）呈正相关关系;此外,年均降水量（R^2 = 0.13,P 〈 0.005）与地上部分C含量呈负相关关系,总生物量（R^2 = 0.13,P 〈 0.01）及植被总盖度（R^2 = 0.12, P 〈 0.01）与地下部分C含量呈正相关关系;海拔与地上部分C：N亦呈正相关关系（R 2= 0.15,P 〈 0.005）,而年均温却与地下部分C：N呈负相关关系（R^2 = 0.31,P 〈 0.001）. 可见,水热条件是影响羌塘高原植物地上、地下C含量以及C：N差异的主要因素,而干燥指数可以作为较好的度量指标. （图7 表1 参46）     

都江堰灵岩山3种人工林优势物种叶片的有机组分特征

叶片的有机组分特征不仅是植物光合产物分配策略和养分回收的重要参数,而且是衡量凋落叶分解难易程度的重要指标.为探究不同植物群落叶片间有机组分的差异,以华西雨屏区人工林的优势乔、灌、草植物作为对象,收集其成熟叶及凋落叶,研究其水溶性组分(water soluble component,WSC)、有机溶性组分(organic...     

稀土尾矿区土壤重金属污染与优势植物累积特征

矿山废弃地不仅占用大量土地,而且还是严重的污染源,因此,矿山废弃地的生态恢复己成为一项紧迫而重要的研究课题。对广东省河源市和平县下车镇内的稀土矿区土壤的重金属污染情况进行调查,并对该区优势植物对重金属的富集特征进行分析,以期对稀土尾矿区的生态系统的恢复和重建提供理论依据。主要研究的3种植物分别是：马唐草（Digitaria sanguinalis）,香根草（Vetiveria zizanioides）,望江南（Cassia occidentalis）。采用原子吸收分光光度法测定稀土矿区废弃地土壤和植被中Mn、Pb、Zn的含量,并计算优势植物对重金属的生物富集系数BAC（Biological Accumulating Coefficient）和生物转移系数BTC（Biological Transfer Coefficient）。结果表明：研究区域的土壤中重金属含量Mn、Pb、Zn的平均含量均超出广东省土壤背景值和中国土壤背景值,土壤受Mn污染最严重,其次是Pb、Zn的污染。3种草本植物对于Pb的BAC和BTC均小于1,说明这3种植物对Pb的富集和运输能力都很弱。香根草对于Mn和Zn的BAC分别为0.9和0.4,小于1,BTC分别为3.7和1.1,大于1,说明香根草对Mn和Zn的富集能力不强,但吸收后的运输能力很强。马唐草和望江南2种植物对于Mn和Zn的BAC和BTC均大于1,说明它们对重金属Mn和Zn具有较强的吸收和转移能力,是Mn和Zn的超富集植物。马唐草覆盖率高,抗病虫能力强,可作为该矿区生态恢复的先锋植物,望江南可以间作种植。     

Increase of multi-metal tolerance of three leguminous plants by arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi colonization

A greenhouse pot experiment was conducted to investigate the effects of the colonization of arbuscular mycorrhizal fungus (AMF) Glomus mosseae on the growth and metal uptake of three leguminous plants (Sesbania rostrata, Sesbania cannabina, Medicago sativa) grown in multi-metal contaminated soil. AMF colonization increased the growth of the legumes, indicating that AMF colonization increased the plant’s resistance to heavy metals. It also significantly stimulated the formation of root nodules and increased the N and P uptake of all of the tested leguminous plants, which might be one of the tolerance mechanisms conferred by AMF. Compared with the control, colonization by G. mosseae decreased the concentration of metals, such as Cu, in the shoots of the three legumes, indicating that the decreased heavy metals uptake and growth dilution were induced by AMF treatment, thereby reducing the heavy metal toxicity to the plants. The root/shoot ratios of Cu in the three legumes and Zn in M. sativa were significantly increased (P < 0.05) with AMF colonization, indicating that heavy metals were immobilized by the mycorrhiza and the heavy metal translocations to the shoot were decreased.     

内蒙古典型草原土壤的氟含量

对内蒙古草原区典型草原不同区域内土壤氟水平及分布规律进行了研究。结果表明，典型草原土壤氟含量从东到西呈上升趋势，典型草原土壤表层氟含量平均值为２８５．４６ｍｇ／ｋｇ，与国内外有关文献值相比属中等水平，处于内蒙古土壤表层氟背景值范围内。     

贵州中部喀斯特山地三种优势灌木养分分布

选择贵州喀斯特山区广泛分布的灌木林和灌草丛生态系统,探讨了三种优势灌木养分分布格局及其与土壤的关系。结果表明：（1）三种优势灌木叶片和果实的氮和钾元素含量高于茎干和根系,果实和茎干的磷含量比其他器官高,而钙镁主要集中在茎干和叶片。（2）在灌草丛中,三种灌木根系和茎干的N：P之间差异显著且变异很大,而在灌木林中,三种灌木根系的N：P比值变异较大,但它们之间没有差异。（3）根际有效态养分含量与叶片养分含量呈正相关关系,叶片磷与根际有效态磷显著正相关     

Impacts of road deicing salt on the demography of vernal pool-breeding amphibians.

Deicing agents, primarily road salt, are applied to roads in 26 states in the United States and in a number of European countries, yet the scale of impacts of road salt on aquatic organisms remains largely under-studied. The issue is germane to amphibian conservation because both adult and larval amphibians are known to be particularly sensitive to changes in their osmolar environments. In this study, we combined survey, experimental, and demographic modeling approaches to evaluate the possible effects of road salt on two common vernal-pond-breeding amphibian species, the spotted salamander (Ambystoma maculatum) and the wood frog (Rana sylvatica). We found that in the Adirondack Mountain Region of New York (USA), road salt traveled up to 172 m from the highway into wetlands. Surveys showed that egg mass densities of spotted salamanders (A. maculatum) and wood frogs (R. sylvatica) were two times higher in forest pools than roadside pools, but this pattern was better explained by road proximity than by increased salinity. Experiments demonstrated that embryonic and larval survival were reduced at moderate (500 muS) and high conductivities (3000 muS) in A. maculatum and at high conductivities in R. sylvatica. Demographic models suggest that such egg and larval stage effects of salt may have important impacts on populations near roads, particularly in the case of A. maculatum, for which salt exposure may lead to local extinction. For both species, the effect of road salt was dependent upon the strength of larval density dependence and declined rapidly with distance from the roadside, with the greatest negative effects being limited to within 50 m. Based on this evidence, we argue that efforts to protect local populations of A. maculatum and R. sylvatica in roadside wetlands should, in part, be aimed at reducing application of road salt near wetlands with high conductivity levels.     

A grassland ecosystem model of the Xilingol steppe, Inner Mongolia, China

The natural grassland ecosystem of the Xilingol steppe has traditionally been the source of the most productive and highest quality agriculture in northern China. Unfortunately, the area is now experiencing degradation due to resource overuse. In an attempt to forecast grassland production and to sustain the ecosystem, we built a time-dependent simulation model of the ecosystem based on long-range weather forecasts (several weeks to several months). The model incorporated five state variables including above- and belowground biomass, the amount of standing dead plant material, livestock (sheep) weight, and the amount of excrement per unit ground area. Within the model, solar light energy is fixed by grassland vegetation and flows through the other variables via a variety of organism-environment interactions. The model was written using a set of simultaneous differential equations and was numerically analyzed. The values of the time-dependent parameters controlling energy flow were determined based on data accumulated in experiments and field surveys executed at a grassland experimental station located in Xilingol, as well as by reference to related literature. We used daily meteorological data including air temperature and rainfall recorded at the Xilinhot Meteorological Observatory. Simulated results for several stocking densities coincided well with the data of aboveground plant biomass observed at the experimental station in 1990, 1993, and 1997. We obtained reasonable simulation results for five stocking densities, three air temperature patterns, and five rainfall patterns. When a month-long drought, which sometimes occurs in this area, was forecast by a local weather station, a decrease in grassland production was forecast by the model. Such forecasts will assist in the management of livestock, forage preservation, and grassland conservation.     

Effects of plant species traits on ecosystem processes: experiments in the Patagonian steppe

Several experiments have shown that aboveground net primary productivity increases with plant species richness. The main mechanism proposed to explain this relationship is niche complementarity, which is determined by differences in plant traits that affect resource use. We combined field and laboratory experiments using the most abundant species of the Patagonian steppe to identify which are the traits that determine niche complementarity in this ecosystem. We estimated traits that affect carbon, water, microclimate, and nitrogen dynamics. The most important traits distinguishing among species, from the standpoint of their effects on ecosystem functioning, were potential soil nitrification, rooting depth, and soil thermal amplitude. Additionally, we explored the relationship between trait diversity and aboveground net primary production (ANPP) using a manipulative field experiment. ANPP and the fraction of ANPP accounted for by trait diversity increased with number of traits. The effect of trait diversity decreased as the number of traits increased. Here, the use of traits gave us a mechanistic understanding of niche complementarity in the Patagonian steppe.     

Using demography and movement behavior to predict range expansion of the southern sea otter

In addition to forecasting population growth, basic demographic data combined with movement data provide a means for predicting rates of range expansion. Quantitative models of range expansion have rarely been applied to large vertebrates, although such tools could be useful for restoration and management of many threatened but recovering populations. Using the southern sea otter (Enhydra lutris nereis) as a case study, we utilized integro-difference equations in combination with a stage-structured projection matrix that incorporated spatial variation in dispersal and demography to make forecasts of population recovery and range recolonization. In addition to these basic predictions, we emphasize how to make these modeling predictions useful in a management context through the inclusion of parameter uncertainty and sensitivity analysis. Our models resulted in hind-cast (1989-2003) predictions of net population growth and range expansion that closely matched observed patterns. We next made projections of future range expansion and population growth, incorporating uncertainty in all model parameters, and explored the sensitivity of model predictions to variation in spatially explicit survival and dispersal rates. The predicted rate of southward range expansion (median = 5.2 km/yr) was sensitive to both dispersal and survival rates; elasticity analysis indicated that changes in adult survival would have the greatest potential effect on the rate of range expansion, while perturbation analysis showed that variation in subadult dispersal contributed most to variance in model predictions. Variation in survival and dispersal of females at the south end of the range contributed most of the variance in predicted southward range expansion. Our approach provides guidance for the acquisition of further data and a means of forecasting the consequence of specific management actions. Similar methods could aid in the management of other recovering populations.