Rural depopulation and recent landscape changes in a Mediterranean region: Consequences to the breeding avifauna

We studied the vegetational and avifaunistic changes following rural depopulation in an area covering 2,600 ha north of Montpellier (Southern France). The study area is covered by a mosaic of Mediterranean habitats that includes cultivation, grasslands, shrublands, and woodlands and is representative of the natural features present and of the human usage practiced so far in this part of the Mediterranean. We sampled the vegetation and the bird fauna in the same 193 census plots in 1978 and in 1992. At both the habitat and landscape scales the cover of woody plants increased significantly. Open habitats tend to disappear. As a consequence the abundance of open-habitat bird species decreased significantly whereas the abundance of forest birds increased significantly. These changes favor a pool of forest species widespread in western Europe and reduce habitat availability for open habitat and shrubland species. Many of the latter are Mediterranean species whose distribution in Western Europe could become reduced under current landscape dynamics. Our observation of more woodlands and their typical birds and of less open habitats and their associated avifauna is not consistent with the traditional worry shown by the public and the managers about the regression of forests and woodlands in the Northern Mediterranean as a consequence of fire.     

Estimating dispersibility of Acer,Fraxinus and Tilia in fragmented landscapes from patterns of seedling establishment

Relative dispersibility of Tilia americana L., Acer saccharum Marsh. and Fraxinus pennsylvanica Marsh, was inferred from the ratio among species-specific regression coefficients () computed from seedling density-distance plots. Density counts were made in spatially-uniform old fields adjacent to single seed sources or monotypic fencerows. Resultant seedling shadow curves approximate the negative exponential form expected for many seeds (log y=a–X). This basic curve shape fit species of differing dispersibility, dispersal under a range of wind directions and one-year-old or all-aged cohorts. The ratios of were 1:2.6:3.2 for Tilia, Acer and Fraxinus, respectively, in order of increasing dispersibility. Vegetation patches isolated from seed sources by several hundred meters or more should have extremely low input of seeds, especially Tilia and Acer.The finding that Fraxinus disperses farther than Acer was unexpected, since the samaras of the former have faster terminal velocities. The relationship can be explained by better performance of Fraxinus samaras in the stronger winds experienced by trees in open landscapes, poorer formation of the samara abscission layer, and release of samaras following leaf abscission and during the winter when winds are the strongest. Both the samara plan and dispersal phenology need to be considered in estimating relative dispersibility among species.     

宁夏毛乌素沙地退化草原恢复演替过程中物种多样性与生产力的变化

对宁夏毛乌素沙地退化草原种植不同林龄柠条Caragana korshinskii后物种的多样性、群落结构及草地生产力进行了研究,结果表明:种植柠条林对退化草地的植被恢复有积极的作用,植物群落的多样性随柠条林龄的增加而增加,而且随林龄年份的增加,群落结构更趋于稳定.草地生产力由于土壤储水量相对较高,表现为随林龄的增加,草产量受季节降水量变化的影响较小,相对稳定的趋势.     

浑善达克沙地飞播区不同恢复阶段植物群落结构动态变化

为研究浑善达克沙地飞播区不同恢复阶段植物群落结构动态变化,揭示飞播后浑善达克沙地植被恢复的特点和变化规律,于2013—2017年在浑善达克沙地11个飞播区进行了植被调查试验,并从功能型角度出发,结合对应分析、关联度分析以及Mann-Kendall趋势分析等数据分析方法探讨了飞播区植被恢复的阶段性以及各功能型植物在群落中的地位和作用。结果显示:浑善达克沙地飞播区19 a恢复时间共分为3个恢复阶段,且飞播后,伴随恢复时间的推移,乔木、灌木半灌木、多年生杂类草、一/二年生杂类草、多年生豆科牧草、多年生禾草、一/二年生禾草7个功能型植物间的相互依赖程度逐渐减弱;随着恢复年限的增加,群落的稳定性逐渐增大。不同恢复阶段,植被恢复的主导功能型并不唯一,可在不同阶段进行适时管理,从而使植物群落的演替阶段和整体发展趋势更有利于退化沙地的植被恢复与重建。     

滇东北铅锌矿区废弃地的自然演替特征研究

为探究矿区废弃地的自然演替特征,于2020年10月对滇东北两铅锌矿区废弃地进行植物群落调查和群落土样采集分析。结果表明:两区均受到较严重的重金属污染,土壤Pb、Mn、Zn、Cu和Cd的含量均超过相关背景值。其中,两区土壤Pb和Zn以及富乐镇矿区土壤Mn和Cd的有效态占比大体上都呈现随演替进行而降低的趋势,富乐镇矿区土壤Cu的有效态占比呈现随演替发生而先增后减的趋势,矿山镇矿区土壤Mn、Cu和Cd的有效态占比在不同演替阶段呈现不规则波动。两区土壤全氮随着演替的发生均呈现先增后减的趋势;两区土壤全磷含量变化趋势不同,矿山镇矿区呈现持续增加,富乐镇矿区则呈现先减后增;两区土壤有机质含量都呈现持续增加的趋势。在矿山镇矿区中,Pb和Zn、Pb和SOM呈极显著正相关性,Pb和TP、Mn和TN、Cd和TN、Zn和SOM、SOM和TN呈显著正相关性,Pb和Cu、Zn和Cu、Cu和SOM、Cu和TP呈显著负相关性。在富乐镇矿区中,Pb和Zn呈极显著正相关性,Zn和Mn、Zn和Cu、Zn和SOM、Pb和TP、SOM和TN呈显著正相关性,Pb和Cu、Zn和Cd、Cu和Cd呈显著负相关性。研究表明,矿区次生演替过程与废弃农田和灾后森林等生境的次生演替过程相似,土壤重金属元素的有效态会随演替发生而降低。研究结果可为矿区废弃地的自然恢复提供参考借鉴。     

土壤水分对黄土丘陵区演替序列种种间竞争的影响

种间竞争是不同物种为争夺资源发生的相互关系,对群落植被演替、恢复有重要意义。同时水分是黄土丘陵区植物生长的限制因素,该区多物种种间水资源竞争研究较少,为此选取该区6种演替序列种,采用种对试验法研究其对土壤水分变化的竞争响应。结果表明:(1)除狗尾草外,其他5种植物的生长指标和土壤水分变化趋势基本一致,地下部分变化程度大于地上部分。不同植物最适水分条件不同。(2)单位竞争能力与总竞争能力相似地反映植物种间竞争状况。狗尾草和白羊草在中高水竞争力均高于同组的猪毛蒿、达乌里胡枝子,低水反之。铁杆蒿随着水分减少,竞争力低于茭蒿。受水分胁迫时,达乌里胡枝子、白羊草的竞争力茭蒿、铁杆蒿猪毛蒿、狗尾草,即演替后期种竞争能力演替中期演替初期,符合演替生态位理论。竞争的不对称随着环境生产力的增加而降低。随着演替中土壤水分的减少,物种耐水分胁迫的能力逐渐增强,从而促使演替的继续。     

吴旗柴沟流域植被物种多样性研究

为了解吴旗县植被自然恢复的基本过程及其物种多样性变化,对该县柴沟流域封禁多年的植物群落进行了研究,结果表明:柴沟流域植物种主要以猪毛蒿、达乌里胡枝子、赖草、铁杆蒿为主,阳坡的植被演替规律为猪毛蒿+狗尾草+华虫实→赖草+猪毛蒿(达乌里胡枝子、铁杆蒿、隐子草)→达乌里胡枝子+赖草(百里香、冷蒿、角蒿、铁杆蒿),阴坡植被恢复的演替规律为猪毛蒿(达乌里胡枝子、赖草)→铁杆蒿(冷蒿)。柴沟流域阴坡群落的物种丰富度、多样性、均匀度都较高,阳坡较低,混交林地的丰富度最大、均匀度最小。     

植被恢复演替初期对模拟降雨产流特征的影响

利用模拟降雨装置,研究了演替恢复初期不同植被覆盖以及不同处理下坡面降雨的产流过程和人渗率。实验研究结果表明,植被演替开始之初,由于地表土壤的土质比较疏松,土壤的人渗率比较大。随着植被演替的进行,土壤中有机质等物质的逐渐累积,土壤的理化性质发生了变化,土壤的人渗特征也随之降低。剪草降雨小区的实验研究结果说明,在降雨的初期,土壤的人渗性能相对较低,随着实验的进行,在雨滴的打击下,部分结皮被破坏,土壤的人渗率也随之增大。说明地表生物结皮的存在,降低了土壤的人渗性能。采取适当的措施破坏地表生物结皮,有利于提高土壤的人渗性能,增加干旱半干旱地区对降雨的利用程度。     

黄土高原生态系统演替进程中土壤有机质和pH值变化规律

通过对黄土高原生态系统演替进程中土壤有机质和pH值变化进行分析,结果表明:在同一演替系列中,随演替进程的推移,土壤中有机质增加,pH值减小;在不同地段上,演替高级阶段土壤的有机质高于低级阶段,pH值正好相反;人为间断干扰的生态系统土壤有机质下降,pH值升高;人为持续干扰的亚顶级生态系统土壤有机质明显降低,PH值明显升高.