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Jin Y, Xu J, He H, Li MH, Tao Y, Zhang Y, Hu R, Gao X, Bai Y, Wang H, Han Y. The Changbai Alpine Shrub Tundra Will Be Replaced by Herbaceous Tundra under Global Climate Change. PLANTS 2019; 8:plants8100370. [PMID: 31557891 PMCID: PMC6843343 DOI: 10.3390/plants8100370] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/24/2019] [Revised: 09/18/2019] [Accepted: 09/23/2019] [Indexed: 11/27/2022]
Abstract
Significant replacement of shrub species by herbaceous species has been observed in the Changbai alpine tundra zone, China, since the 1990s. This study used plot surveys to analyze variations in the spatial distribution of dominant plants and to ascertain the changing mechanisms of dominant species in the alpine tundra zone. We found that the two previously dominant shrubs, Rhododendron chrysanthum and Vaccinium uliginosum, differed markedly in their distribution characteristics. The former had the highest abundance and the lowest coefficient of variation, skewness, and kurtosis, and the latter showed the opposite results, while the six herb species invaded had intermediate values. R. chrysanthum still had a relatively uniform distribution, while the herbaceous species and V. uliginosum had a patch distribution deviating from the normal distribution in the tundra zone. Micro-topography and slope grade had stronger effects on the spatial distribution of the eight plant species than elevation. Herbs tended to easily replace the shrubs on a semi-sunny slope aspect, steep slope, and depression. Overall, the dominance of dwarf shrubs declined, while the herbaceous species have encroached and expanded on the alpine tundra zone and have become co-dominant plant species. Our results suggest that various micro-topographic factors associated with variations in climatic and edaphic conditions determine the spatial distribution of plants in the alpine tundra zone. Future climate warming may cause decreased snow thickness, increased growing season length, and drought stress, which may further promote replacement of the shrubs by herbs, which shows retrogressive vegetation successions in the Changbai alpine tundra zone. Further studies need to focus on the physio-ecological mechanisms underlying the vegetation change and species replacement in the alpine tundra area under global climate change.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yinghua Jin
- Key Laboratory of Geographical Processes and Ecological Security in Changbai Mountains, Ministry of Education, School of Geographical Sciences, Northeast Normal University, Changchun 130024, China.
| | - Jiawei Xu
- Key Laboratory of Geographical Processes and Ecological Security in Changbai Mountains, Ministry of Education, School of Geographical Sciences, Northeast Normal University, Changchun 130024, China.
| | - Hongshi He
- Key Laboratory of Geographical Processes and Ecological Security in Changbai Mountains, Ministry of Education, School of Geographical Sciences, Northeast Normal University, Changchun 130024, China.
- School of Natural Resources, University of Missouri, Columbia, MO 65211, USA.
| | - Mai-He Li
- Key Laboratory of Geographical Processes and Ecological Security in Changbai Mountains, Ministry of Education, School of Geographical Sciences, Northeast Normal University, Changchun 130024, China.
- Swiss Federal Institute for Forest, Snow and Landscape Research WSL, CH-8903 Birmensdorf, Switzerland.
| | - Yan Tao
- Key Laboratory of Geographical Processes and Ecological Security in Changbai Mountains, Ministry of Education, School of Geographical Sciences, Northeast Normal University, Changchun 130024, China.
| | - Yingjie Zhang
- Key Laboratory of Geographical Processes and Ecological Security in Changbai Mountains, Ministry of Education, School of Geographical Sciences, Northeast Normal University, Changchun 130024, China.
| | - Rui Hu
- Key Laboratory of Geographical Processes and Ecological Security in Changbai Mountains, Ministry of Education, School of Geographical Sciences, Northeast Normal University, Changchun 130024, China.
| | - Xiang Gao
- Key Laboratory of Geographical Processes and Ecological Security in Changbai Mountains, Ministry of Education, School of Geographical Sciences, Northeast Normal University, Changchun 130024, China.
| | - Yunyu Bai
- Key Laboratory of Geographical Processes and Ecological Security in Changbai Mountains, Ministry of Education, School of Geographical Sciences, Northeast Normal University, Changchun 130024, China.
| | - Huiyun Wang
- Key Laboratory of Geographical Processes and Ecological Security in Changbai Mountains, Ministry of Education, School of Geographical Sciences, Northeast Normal University, Changchun 130024, China.
| | - Yingying Han
- Key Laboratory of Geographical Processes and Ecological Security in Changbai Mountains, Ministry of Education, School of Geographical Sciences, Northeast Normal University, Changchun 130024, China.
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Araujo JF, de Castro AP, Costa MMC, Togawa RC, Júnior GJP, Quirino BF, Bustamante MMC, Williamson L, Handelsman J, Krüger RH. Characterization of soil bacterial assemblies in Brazilian savanna-like vegetation reveals acidobacteria dominance. MICROBIAL ECOLOGY 2012; 64:760-770. [PMID: 22570118 DOI: 10.1007/s00248-012-0057-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 47] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/10/2011] [Accepted: 04/10/2012] [Indexed: 05/31/2023]
Abstract
The Brazilian Cerrado is the second largest biome in Brazil and is considered a biodiversity hotspot. In this work, we compared the bacterial communities in Cerrado soil associated with four types of native vegetation (Cerrado Denso, Cerrado sensu stricto, Campo Sujo, and Mata de Galeria) by ribosomal RNA intergenic spacer analysis, terminal fragment restriction length polymorphism and pyrosequencing. The fingerprinting results were very similar. The bacterial communities of Cerrado Denso and Cerrado sensu stricto grouped together and were distinct from those in Campo Sujo and Mata de Galeria. Pyrosequencing generated approximately 40,000 16S rRNA gene sequences per sample and allowed the identification of 17 phyla in soil samples under Cerrado vegetation. Acidobacteria were dominant in all areas studied with a relative frequency of 40-47 %, followed closely by Proteobacteria accounting for 34-40 % of the sequences. Results from all molecular techniques used suggested that the bacterial communities of Cerrado sensu stricto and Cerrado Denso are very similar to each other, while Campo Sujo forms a separate group, and Mata de Galeria is the most distinct with higher species richness. This is the first extensive study of native Cerrado soil microbiota, an important but endangered biome.
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Affiliation(s)
- Janaina F Araujo
- Genomic Sciences and Biotechnology Program, Universidade Católica de Brasília, Brasilia, Federal District, Brazil
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Barboza FR, Gómez J, Lercari D, Defeo O. Disentangling diversity patterns in sandy beaches along environmental gradients. PLoS One 2012; 7:e40468. [PMID: 22792340 PMCID: PMC3391285 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0040468] [Citation(s) in RCA: 38] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/22/2012] [Accepted: 06/07/2012] [Indexed: 11/23/2022] Open
Abstract
Species richness in sandy beaches is strongly affected by concurrent variations in morphodynamics and salinity. However, as in other ecosystems, different groups of species may exhibit contrasting patterns in response to these environmental variables, which would be obscured if only aggregate richness is considered. Deconstructing biodiversity, i.e. considering richness patterns separately for different groups of species according to their taxonomic affiliation, dispersal mode or mobility, could provide a more complete understanding about factors that drive species richness patterns. This study analyzed macroscale variations in species richness at 16 Uruguayan sandy beaches with different morphodynamics, distributed along the estuarine gradient generated by the Rio de la Plata over a 2 year period. Species richness estimates were deconstructed to discriminate among taxonomic groups, supralittoral and intertidal forms, and groups with different feeding habits and development modes. Species richness was lowest at intermediate salinities, increasing towards oceanic and inner estuarine conditions, mainly following the patterns shown for intertidal forms. Moreover, there was a differential tolerance to salinity changes according to the habitat occupied and development mode, which determines the degree of sensitivity of faunal groups to osmotic stress. Generalized (additive and linear) mixed models showed a clear increase of species richness towards dissipative beaches. All taxonomic categories exhibited the same trend, even though responses to grain size and beach slope were less marked for crustaceans and insects than for molluscs or polychaetes. However, supralittoral crustaceans exhibited the opposite trend. Feeding groups decreased from dissipative to reflective systems, deposit feeders being virtually absent in the latter. This deconstructive approach highlights the relevance of life history strategies in structuring communities, highlighting the relative importance that salinity and morphodynamic gradients have on macroscale diversity patterns in sandy beaches.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | | | - Omar Defeo
- UNDECIMAR, Department of Ecology and Evolution, Faculty of Science, University of the Republic, Montevideo, Uruguay
- * E-mail:
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