Why some invasive plant species transmogrify from weak competitors at home to strong competitors abroad remains one of the most elusive questions in ecology. Some evidence suggests that disproportionately high densities of some invaders are due to the release of biochemicals that are novel, and therefore harmful, to naive organisms in their new range. So far, such evidence has been restricted to the direct phytotoxic effects of plants on other plants. Here we found that one of North America's most aggressive invaders of undisturbed forest understories, Alliaria petiolata (garlic mustard) and a plant that inhibits mycorrhizal fungal mutualists of North American native plants, has far stronger inhibitory effects on mycorrhizas in invaded North American soils than on mycorrhizas in European soils where A. petiolata is native. This antifungal effect appears to be due to specific flavonoid fractions in A. petiolata extracts. Furthermore, we found that suppression of North American mycorrhizal fungi by A. petiolata corresponds with severe inhibition of North American plant species that rely on these fungi, whereas congeneric European plants are weakly affected. These results indicate that phytochemicals, benign to resistant mycorrhizal symbionts in the home range, may be lethal to na?ve native mutualists in the introduced range and indirectly suppress the plants that rely on them. 相似文献
Net primary production (NPP) is influenced by disturbance-driven fluctuations in foliar standing crop (FSC) and resource-driven fluctuations in rates of recruitment and growth, yet most studies of NPP have focused primarily on factors influencing growth. We quantified NPP, FSC, recruitment, and growth rate for the giant kelp, Macrocystis pyrifera, at three kelp forests in southern California, U.S.A., over a 54-month period and determined the relative roles of FSC, recruitment, and growth rate in contributing to variation in annual NPP. Net primary production averaged between 0.42 and 2.38 kg dry mass x m(-2) x yr(-1) at the three sites. The initial FSC present at the beginning of the growth year and the recruitment of new plants during the year explained 63% and 21% of the interannual variation observed in NPP, respectively. The previous year's NPP and disturbance from waves collectively accounted for 80% of the interannual variation in initial FSC. No correlation was found between annual growth rate (i.e., the amount of new kelp mass produced per unit of existing kelp mass) and annual NPP (i.e., the amount of new kelp mass produced per unit area of ocean bottom), largely because annual growth rate was consistent compared to initial FSC and recruitment, which fluctuated greatly among years and sites. Although growth rate was a poor predictor of variation in annual NPP, it was principally responsible for the high mean values observed for NPP by Macrocystis. These high mean values reflected rapid growth (average of approximately 2% per day) of a relatively small standing crop (maximum annual mean = 444 g dry mass/m2) that replaced itself approximately seven times per year. Disturbance-driven variability in FSC may be generally important in explaining variation in NPP, yet it is rarely examined because cycles of disturbance and recovery occur over timescales of decades or more in many systems. Considerable insight into how variation in FSC drives variation in NPP may be gained by studying systems such as giant kelp forests that are characterized by frequent disturbance and rapid rates of growth and recruitment. 相似文献
In semiarid ecosystems, physiography (landscape setting) may interact with woody-plant and soil microbe communities to constrain seasonal exchanges of material and energy at the ecosystem scale. In an upland and riparian shrubland, we examined the seasonally dynamic linkage between ecosystem CO2 exchange, woody-plant water status and photosynthesis, and soil respiration responses to summer rainfall. At each site, we compared tower-based measurements of net ecosystem CO2 exchange (NEE) with ecophysiological measurements among velvet mesquite (Prosopis velutina Woot.) in three size classes and soil respiration in sub-canopy and inter-canopy micro-sites. Monsoonal rainfall influenced a greater shift in the magnitude of ecosystem CO2 assimilation in the upland shrubland than in the riparian shrubland. Mesquite water status and photosynthetic gas exchange were closely linked to the onset of the North American monsoon in the upland shrubland. In contrast, the presence of shallow alluvial groundwater in the riparian shrubland caused larger size classes of mesquite to be physiologically insensitive to monsoonal rains. In both shrublands, soil respiration was greatest beneath mesquite canopies and was coupled to shallow soil moisture abundance. Physiography, through its constraint on the physiological sensitivity of deeply rooted woody plants, may interact with plant-mediated rates of soil respiration to affect the sensitivity of semiarid-ecosystem carbon exchange in response to episodic rainfall. 相似文献
We resurveyed the under- and overstory species composition of 94 upland forest stands in southern Wisconsin in 2002-2004 to assess shifts in canopy and understory richness, composition, and heterogeneity relative to the original surveys in 1949-1950. The canopy has shifted from mostly oaks (Quercus spp.) toward more mesic and shade-tolerant trees (primarily Acer spp.). Oak-dominated early-successional stands and those on coarse, nutrient-poor soils changed the most in canopy composition. Understories at most sites (80%) lost native species, with mean species density declining 25% at the 1-m2 scale and 23.1% at the 20-m2 scale. Woody species have increased 15% relative to herbaceous species in the understory despite declining in absolute abundance. Initial canopy composition, particularly the abundance of red oaks (Quercus rubra and Q. velutina), predicted understory changes better than the changes observed in the overstory. Overall rates of native species loss were greater in later-successional stands, a pattern driven by differential immigration rather than differential extirpation. However, understory species initially found in early-successional habitats declined the most, particularly remnant savanna taxa with narrow or thick leaves. These losses have yet to be offset by compensating increases in native shade-adapted species. Exotic species have proliferated in prevalence (from 13 to 76 stands) and relative abundance (from 1.2% to 8.4%), but these increases appear unrelated to the declines in native species richness and heterogeneity observed. Although canopy succession has clearly influenced shifts in understory composition and diversity, the magnitude of native species declines and failure to recruit more shade-adapted species suggest that other factors now act to limit the richness, heterogeneity, and composition of these communities. 相似文献
Herbivore populations may become adapted to the defenses of their local hosts, but the traits that maximize host exploitation may also carry ecological costs. We investigated the patterns and costs of local adaptation in the pine processionary moth, Thaumetopoea pityocampa, to its host plants, Pinus nigra and P. sylvestris. The two hosts differ in needle toughness, a major feeding impediment for leaf-eating insects. We observed a west-to-east gradient of increasing progeny size in the Italian Alps, matching the pattern in toughness of their respective local host plant. Eastern populations that feed on the native P. nigra with tough needles had larger eggs, and neonate larvae with larger head capsules, than western populations that feed on the native P. sylvestris and the introduced P. nigra with softer foliage. In a reciprocal transfer experiment that involved the eastern-most and the western-most populations of T. pityocampa from this region, and excluded natural enemies, we found evidence for local adaptation to the host plant. Specifically, larvae from the western population only performed well when raised on their local hosts with soft needles, and they suffered near-complete mortality on the tough foliage at the eastern site. In contrast, larvae from the eastern population survived equally well at both sites. Local adaptation involved a trade-off between progeny size and the number of offspring. We hypothesized that an additional cost, imposed by natural enemies, may be associated with increased egg size: we also observed a west-to-east gradient of increased egg parasitism. We tested this hypothesis in a common garden by exposing eggs of both populations to parasitism by two native egg parasitoids, Ooencyrtus pityocampae and Baryscapus servadeii. The eastern population suffered a higher level of parasitoid attack by O. pityocampae than the western population, and performance of hatched adults of both parasitoids was enhanced in large eggs. Thus, increased neonate quality (larger eggs yielding larger larvae) confers an advantage on tough foliage but incurs the ecological cost of increased parasitism, which may constrain further adaptation by this herbivore. 相似文献
Properly sampling soils and mapping soil contamination in urban environments requires that impacts of spatial autocorrelation
be taken into account. As spatial autocorrelation increases in an urban landscape, the amount of duplicate information contained
in georeferenced data also increases, whether an entire population or some type of random sample drawn from that population
is being analyzed, resulting in conventional power and sample size calculation formulae yielding incorrect sample size numbers
vis-à-vis model-based inference. Griffith (in Annals, Association of American Geographers, 95, 740–760, 2005) exploits spatial statistical model specifications to formulate equations for estimating the necessary sample
size needed to obtain some predetermined level of precision for an analysis of georeferenced data when implementing a tessellation
stratified random sampling design, labeling this approach model-informed, since a model of latent spatial autocorrelation
is required. This paper addresses issues of efficiency associated with these model-based results. It summarizes findings from
a data collection exercise (soil samples collected from across Syracuse, NY), as well as from a set of resampling and from
a set of simulation experiments following experimental design principles spelled out by Overton and Stehman (in Communications in Statistics: Theory and Methods, 22, 2641–2660). Guidelines are suggested concerning appropriate sample size (i.e., how many) and sampling network (i.e., where).
In the indoor environment, settled surface dust often functions as a reservoir of hazardous particulate contaminants. In many
circumstances, a major contributing source to the dust pool is exterior soil. Young children are particularly susceptible
to exposure to both outdoor derived soil and indoor derived dust present in the indoor dust pool. This is because early in
life the exploratory activities of the infant are dominated by touching and mouthing behavior. Inadvertent exposure to dust
through mouth contact and hand-to-mouth activity is an inevitable consequence of infant development. Clean-up of indoor dust
is, in many circumstances, critically important in efforts to minimize pediatric exposure. In this study, we examine the efficiency
of vacuum cleaner removal of footwear-deposited soil on vinyl floor tiles. The study utilized a 5 × 10 foot (c. 152.5 × 305 cm)
test surface composed of 1-foot-square (c. 30.5 × 30.5 cm) vinyl floor tiles. A composite test soil with moderately elevated
levels of certain elements (e.g., Pb) was repeatedly introduced onto the floor surface by footwear track-on. The deposited
soil was subsequently periodically removed from randomly selected tiles using a domestic vacuum cleaner. The mass and loading
of soil elements on the tiles following vacuuming were determined both by wet wipe collection and by subsequent chemical analysis.
It was found that vacuum cleaner removal eliminated much of the soil mass from the floor tiles. However, a small percentage
of the mass was not removed and a portion of this residual mass could be picked up by moistened hand-lifts. Furthermore, although
the post-vacuuming tile soil mass was sizably reduced, for some elements (notably Pb) the concentration in the residual soil
was increased. We interpret this increased metal concentration to be a particle size effect with smaller particles (with a
proportionately higher metal content) remaining in situ after vacuuming. 相似文献
Behavioural research on domestic pigs has included parent–offspring conflict, sibling competition, and the use of signals
which influence resource allocation. In this paper, we review key sow–piglet behavioural studies and discuss their relevance
to resource allocation theory. Sibling competition begins in the uterus and continues after birth, as piglets compete directly
for access to the sow’s teats. This competition is made more severe by a unique dentition, which newborn piglets use to lacerate
the faces of siblings during teat disputes. Competition often leads to the death of some littermates, especially those of
low birth weight. Piglets also compete indirectly for milk, apparently by stimulating milk production at the teats that they
habitually use at the expense of milk production by other teats. The complex nursing behavior of the sow appears designed
to prevent the more vigorous piglets from monopolizing the milk. Sows give vocal signals which both attract piglets to suckle
and synchronize their behavior during nursing episodes. Piglets give loud vocal signals when separated from the sow; calls
which vary in intensity and appear to be honest signals of need. Udder massage by piglets may also serve as an honest signal
of need. Parent–offspring conflict has been demonstrated experimentally in pigs. Specifically, when given the opportunity
to control contact with their piglets, sows nurse less frequently, provide less milk, and lose less weight during lactation
than sows that cannot control their level of contact. Because of this interesting natural history and because they are so
amenable to experimentation, domestic pigs provide a rich system for testing ideas drawn from resource allocation theory.
This contribution is part of the special issue “Sibling competition and cooperation in mammals” (guest editors: Robyn Hudson
and Fritz Trillmich). 相似文献