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Yang X, Feng Q, Zhu M, Zhang J, Yang L, Zhang C, Wang Z, Feng Y. Vegetation communities and soil properties along the restoration process of the Jinqianghe mine site in the Qilian Mountains, China. FRONTIERS IN PLANT SCIENCE 2024; 15:1358309. [PMID: 38711611 PMCID: PMC11070538 DOI: 10.3389/fpls.2024.1358309] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/19/2023] [Accepted: 03/28/2024] [Indexed: 05/08/2024]
Abstract
The study explores the impact of mine grassland restoration on plant communities and soil properties in alpine grasslands, a subject of significant interest due to the observed relationship between grassland changes, plant communities, and soil properties. While prior research has mainly focused on the consequences of grassland degradation on plant diversity and soil characteristics, the specific effects of varying restoration degrees in alpine mining grasslands at the regional scale remain poorly understood. To address this knowledge gap, we established 15 sampling plots (0.5m×0.5m) across five different restoration degrees within alpine mining grasslands in the Qilian Mountains, China. Our objective was to assess the variations in plant diversity and soil properties along these restoration gradients. We conducted comprehensive analyses, encompassing soil properties [soil water content (SWC), available nitrogen (AN), total phosphorus (TP), nitrate nitrogen (NO3-N), ammonium nitrogen (NH4-N), total nitrogen (TN), available phosphorus (AP), soil organic carbon (SOC), nitrate nitrogen, soil pH, and electrical conductivity (EC)], plant characteristics (height, density, frequency, coverage, and aboveground biomass), and plant diversity indices (Simpson, Shannon-Wiener, Margalef, Dominance, and Evenness indexes). Our findings included the identification and collection of 18 plant species from 11 families and 16 genera across the five restoration degrees: Very Low Restoration Degree (VLRD), Low Restoration Degree (LRD), Moderate Restoration Degree (MRD), High Restoration Degree (HRD), and Natural Grassland (NGL). Notably, species like Carex duriuscula, Cyperus rotundus, and Polygonum viviparum showed signs of recovery. Principal component analysis and Pearson correlation analysis revealed that soil pH, SWC, SOC, NO3-N, and AN were the primary environmental factors influencing plant communities. Specifically, soil pH and EC decreased as restoration levels increased, while SWC, AN, TP, NH4-N, TN, AP, SOC, and NO3-N exhibited a gradual increase with greater restoration efforts. Furthermore, the HRD plant community demonstrated similarities to the NGL, indicating the most effective natural recovery. In conclusion, our study provides valuable insights into the responses of plant community characteristics, plant diversity, and soil properties across varying restoration degrees to environmental factors. It also elucidates the characteristics of plant communities along recovery gradients in alpine grasslands.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xiaomei Yang
- Key Laboratory of Ecohydrology of Inland River Basin, Alax Desert Eco-hydrology Experimental Research Station, Qilian Mountains Eco-Environment Research Center in Gansu Province, Northwest Institute of Eco-Environment and Resources, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Lanzhou, China
| | - Qi Feng
- Key Laboratory of Ecohydrology of Inland River Basin, Alax Desert Eco-hydrology Experimental Research Station, Qilian Mountains Eco-Environment Research Center in Gansu Province, Northwest Institute of Eco-Environment and Resources, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Lanzhou, China
| | - Meng Zhu
- Key Laboratory of Ecohydrology of Inland River Basin, Alax Desert Eco-hydrology Experimental Research Station, Qilian Mountains Eco-Environment Research Center in Gansu Province, Northwest Institute of Eco-Environment and Resources, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Lanzhou, China
| | - Jutao Zhang
- Key Laboratory of Ecohydrology of Inland River Basin, Alax Desert Eco-hydrology Experimental Research Station, Qilian Mountains Eco-Environment Research Center in Gansu Province, Northwest Institute of Eco-Environment and Resources, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Lanzhou, China
| | - Linshan Yang
- Key Laboratory of Ecohydrology of Inland River Basin, Alax Desert Eco-hydrology Experimental Research Station, Qilian Mountains Eco-Environment Research Center in Gansu Province, Northwest Institute of Eco-Environment and Resources, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Lanzhou, China
| | - Chengqi Zhang
- Key Laboratory of Ecohydrology of Inland River Basin, Alax Desert Eco-hydrology Experimental Research Station, Qilian Mountains Eco-Environment Research Center in Gansu Province, Northwest Institute of Eco-Environment and Resources, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Lanzhou, China
| | - Zhiyang Wang
- Technology Innovation Center for Mine Geological Environment Restoration in the Alpine and Arid Regions, Ministry of Natural Resources, Lanzhou, China
| | - Yonglin Feng
- Technology Innovation Center for Mine Geological Environment Restoration in the Alpine and Arid Regions, Ministry of Natural Resources, Lanzhou, China
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Ma F, Wang S, Sang W, Zhang S, Ma K. Spatial Distribution and Sustainable Development of Living Woody and Coarse Woody Debris in Warm-Temperate Deciduous Broadleaved Secondary Forests in China. PLANTS (BASEL, SWITZERLAND) 2024; 13:638. [PMID: 38475484 DOI: 10.3390/plants13050638] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/30/2023] [Revised: 02/21/2024] [Accepted: 02/24/2024] [Indexed: 03/14/2024]
Abstract
The investigation into the spatial patterns of living woody (LWD) and coarse woody debris (CWD) in warm-temperate deciduous broadleaved secondary forests serves as a foundational exploration of the mechanisms governing coexistence and mortality in forest ecosystems. The complete spatial randomness null model (CSR) was employed to analyze spatial distribution patterns, with the independent component null model (IC) and canonical correspondence analysis (CCA) utilized to elucidate spatial correlations and topographic influences. All three models were applied to LWD and CWD across various size classes within a 20-hectare plot in the Dongling Mountains. The study's findings indicate that both LWD and CWD predominantly exhibited aggregated patterns, transitioning to a random distribution as the size class increased. Both increasing abundance and maximum diameter at breast height (DBH) also have a significant influence on the distribution of species. Notably, rare species exhibited higher aggregation compared to common and abundant species. The spatial correlation results between LWD and CWD across various size classes predominantly showed positive correlations and uncorrelated patterns within the sampled plots. CCA analysis further revealed that elevation, convexity, slope, and aspect significantly influenced the spatial patterns of LWD and CWD across different size classes. Within the sample site, trees display a tendency to grow and die in clusters. Biotic factors have a more significant influence on species distribution than abiotic factors.
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Affiliation(s)
- Fang Ma
- State Key Laboratory of Urban and Regional Ecology, Research Center for Eco-Environmental Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100085, China
| | - Shunzhong Wang
- State Key Laboratory of Vegetation and Environmental Change, Institute of Botany, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100093, China
| | - Weiguo Sang
- College of Life and Environmental Sciences, Minzu University of China, #27 Zhongguancun South Avenue, Beijing 100081, China
| | - Shuang Zhang
- State Key Laboratory of Urban and Regional Ecology, Research Center for Eco-Environmental Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100085, China
| | - Keming Ma
- State Key Laboratory of Urban and Regional Ecology, Research Center for Eco-Environmental Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100085, China
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Qin-Yuan Z, Quan-Min D, Fang-Cao W, Yu-Zhen L, Bin F, Xiao-Xia Y, Yang Y, Chun-Ping Z, Quan C, Wen-ting L. Cascading effects of seed-stem-individual spatial patterns along a grazing gradient. FRONTIERS IN PLANT SCIENCE 2023; 14:1137726. [PMID: 37008474 PMCID: PMC10050678 DOI: 10.3389/fpls.2023.1137726] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/04/2023] [Accepted: 03/02/2023] [Indexed: 06/19/2023]
Abstract
Studying the seed trait-stem trait-individual spatial pattern system is helpful for understanding the developmental direction of plant dynamics and populations under grazing disturbance as well as the antagonistic relationship between animals and plants, but few systematic analyses of this spatial pattern system have been carried out. Kobresia humilis is the dominant species in alpine grasslands. We studied K. humilis seed traits and their relationship with K. humilis reproductive individuals, the relationship between reproductive and vegetative stems, and the weights and spatial patterns of reproductive and nonreproductive individuals under four grazing treatments: no grazing (control), light grazing, moderate grazing and heavy grazing. We explored the relationship among seed size and seed number with reproductive stems and vegetative stems along the grazing gradient and assessed the spatial pattern changes between reproductive and nonreproductive individuals. The results showed the following: (1) Seed size increased with increasing grazing intensity, and the coefficient of variation for seed size and seed number in the heavy grazing treatment was greater than 0.6. (2) The structural equation model showed that grazing treatment had a positive effect on seed number, seed size and reproductive stem number and a negative effect on reproductive stem weight. (3) Grazing treatment did not affect the resource allocation to reproductive stems and vegetative stems per unit length of reproductive K. humilis individuals. (4) Compared with the number of reproductive individuals in the no grazing treatment, the number in the heavy grazing treatment decreased significantly, and the negative correlation between reproductive individuals and nonreproductive individuals changed from a full-scale negative correlation to a small-scale negative correlation and a large-scale positive correlation. Our study showed that grazing could activate and change the resource allocation pattern of dominant species in a grassland and have significant positive effects on reproductive stem number, reproductive stem weight, seed number and seed size. Along a grazing intensity gradient, with the increase in distance between reproductive and nonreproductive individuals, the transformation of intraspecific relationships from a negative correlation to a positive correlation is an ecological strategy conducive to population survival.
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Spatial distribution pattern of dominant tree species in different disturbance plots in the Changbai Mountain. Sci Rep 2022; 12:14161. [PMID: 35986205 PMCID: PMC9391346 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-022-18621-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/14/2022] [Accepted: 08/16/2022] [Indexed: 11/30/2022] Open
Abstract
The effects of disturbance on spatial patterns and species interactions provide critical information on community structure and species coexistence. Two standard plots of 1-ha were set, one of them was a sample plot with retrograde succession after disturbance, and the other one was undisturbed. Spatial indices and Spatial patterns statistics were used to analyze the spatial pattern and inter-specific correlation of main tree species in two plots. Our results showed that the diameter distributions of different species have reverse J-shape, unimodal and bimodal distribution in the disturbed plot, while bell-shaped curves were observed in the undisturbed plot. The distributions of tree species were mainly showed clustered patterns in almost all scales through univariate pair correlation function. Some similar results of the classification of Wiegand scheme of species association consistent with the consequences of the bivariate pair correlation. The mark variograms showed positive autocorrelation at a coarse scale. The current study may aid in efforts of forest management planning and ecosystem services. Meanwhile, different research methods of spatial distribution also help to improve the accuracy of spatial distribution and the interspecific association of tree species.
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Fine-scale topographic influence on the spatial distribution of tree species diameter in old-growth beech (Fagus orientalis Lipsky.) forests, northern Iran. Sci Rep 2022; 12:7633. [PMID: 35538117 PMCID: PMC9090739 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-022-10606-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/30/2021] [Accepted: 04/04/2022] [Indexed: 11/30/2022] Open
Abstract
The Hyrcanian forest in northern Iran is threatened by human use and encroachment and has suffered degradation in some areas. The forest has been declared a World Heritage Site and management in the region is shifting from timber production to conservation. There is considerable interest in developing a greater understanding of these diverse forest communities to inform forest management and multiple use plans to maintain the diversity and resilience of these forests. The Hyrcanian forest is characterized by a complex topography of catenas ranging up mountain slopes. Topographic gradients greatly influence microhabitat conditions which in turn impact tree distribution. To date there has been limited research on the impacts of this diverse topography on the spatial distribution of tree species and tree diameters in Hyrcanian forests. Such information is necessary to better understand the regional traits of tree diameters in these natural mixed temperate forests before forest management occurs. We examined the influence of the area’s catena topography on the spatial pattern of tree species and on species stand structure in terms of tree diameter distribution. To quantify these dynamics, we conducted a complete enumeration inventory of all trees with dbh >12 cm within a 7.947 ha study area that included three C-shaped (concave) and three V-shaped (convex) catenas. Geostatistical variogram analysis and Clark and Evans aggregation index were utilized to study the spatial distribution of tree diameters. Beech, alder, hornbeam, linden and Persian maple exhibited clustered patterns, and sour cherry, ash, and oak exhibited random patterns. Geostatistical analysis clearly revealed the substantial influence of catena topography on the diameter distributions of alder and linden, more subtle influence on the diameter distributions of beech, and a possible influence on Persian maple, providing valuable insight into stand structure over neighborhood-based indices alone. Alder and linden both exhibited strong spatial structure in their diameter distributions (56% and 86%, respectively) where their diameter was strongly correlated with trees within 108 m and 83 m, respectively, sharing more similar diameters to each other than trees beyond that distance. Beech, maple, and hornbeam exhibited very weak if any spatial structure over short distances. These findings can be used to support the alignment of forest management practices in managed Hyrcanian forests with goals of protecting and maintaining biodiversity and sustainable forest ecosystems, and to inform geospatial modeling of species diameter distributions in areas where a complete stem-map is not feasible.
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Chen J, Micheas AC, Holan SH. Hierarchical Bayesian modeling of spatio-temporal area-interaction processes. Comput Stat Data Anal 2022. [DOI: 10.1016/j.csda.2021.107349] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
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Bai X, Zhao W, Wang J, Ferreira CSS. Precipitation drives the floristic composition and diversity of temperate grasslands in China. Glob Ecol Conserv 2021. [DOI: 10.1016/j.gecco.2021.e01933] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/19/2022] Open
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Luambua NK, Hubau W, Salako KV, Amani C, Bonyoma B, Musepena D, Rousseau M, Bourland N, Nshimba HS, Ewango C, Beeckman H, Hardy OJ. Spatial patterns of light-demanding tree species in the Yangambi rainforest (Democratic Republic of Congo). Ecol Evol 2021; 11:18691-18707. [PMID: 35003702 PMCID: PMC8717288 DOI: 10.1002/ece3.8443] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/01/2021] [Revised: 07/25/2021] [Accepted: 11/23/2021] [Indexed: 12/02/2022] Open
Abstract
Most Central African rainforests are characterized by a remarkable abundance of light-demanding canopy species: long-lived pioneers (LLP) and non-pioneer light demanders (NPLD). A popular explanation is that these forests are still recovering from intense slash-and-burn farming activities, which abruptly ended in the 19th century. This "human disturbance" hypothesis has never been tested against spatial distribution patterns of these light demanders. Here, we focus on the 28 most abundant LLP and NPLD from 250 one-ha plots distributed along eight parallel transects (~50 km) in the Yangambi forest. Four species of short-lived pioneers (SLP) and a single abundant shade-tolerant species (Gilbertiodendron dewevrei) were used as reference because they are known to be strongly aggregated in recently disturbed patches (SLP) or along watercourses (G. dewevrei). Results show that SLP species are strongly aggregated with clear spatial autocorrelation of their diameter. This confirms that they colonized the patch following a one-time disturbance event. In contrast, LLP and NPLD species have random or weakly aggregated distribution, mostly without spatial autocorrelation of their diameter. This does not unambiguously confirm the "human disturbance" hypothesis. Alternatively, their abundance might be explained by their deciduousness, which gave them a competitive advantage during long-term drying of the late Holocene. Additionally, a canonical correspondence analysis showed that the observed LLP and NPLD distributions are not explained by environmental variables, strongly contrasting with the results for the reference species G. dewevrei, which is clearly aggregated along watercourses. We conclude that the abundance of LLP and NPLD species in Yangambi cannot be unambiguously attributed to past human disturbances or environmental variables. An alternative explanation is that present-day forest composition is a result of adaptation to late-Holocene drying. However, results are inconclusive and additional data are needed to confirm this alternative hypothesis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nestor K. Luambua
- Faculty of Renewable Natural Resources ManagementUniversity of KisanganiKisanganiDemocratic Republic of Congo
- Service of Wood BiologyRoyal Museum for Central AfricaTervurenBelgium
- Faculté des sciences AgronomiquesUniversité Officielle de MbujimayiMbujimayiDemocratic Republic of Congo
| | - Wannes Hubau
- Service of Wood BiologyRoyal Museum for Central AfricaTervurenBelgium
- Department of EnvironmentLaboratory of Wood TechnologyFaculty of Bioscience EngineeringGhent UniversityGhentBelgium
- School of GeographyUniversity of LeedsLeedsUK
| | - Kolawolé Valère Salako
- Laboratoire de Biomathématiques et d’Estimations ForestièresFaculty of Agronomic SciencesUniversity of Abomey‐CalaviCotonouBenin
- Service d'Évolution Biologique et ÉcologieUniversité Libre de BruxellesBrusselsBelgium
| | - Christian Amani
- Faculty of Sciences and Applied SciencesUniversité Officielle de Bukavu Departement de la BiologieBukavuDemocratic Republic of Congo
- Center for International Forestry ResearchBogor (Barat)Indonesia
| | - Bernard Bonyoma
- Section de la ForesterieInstitut National pour l'Etude et la Recherche AgronomiqueYangambiDemocratic Republic of Congo
| | - Donatien Musepena
- Section de la ForesterieInstitut National pour l'Etude et la Recherche AgronomiqueYangambiDemocratic Republic of Congo
| | - Mélissa Rousseau
- Service of Wood BiologyRoyal Museum for Central AfricaTervurenBelgium
| | - Nils Bourland
- Service of Wood BiologyRoyal Museum for Central AfricaTervurenBelgium
- Center for International Forestry ResearchBogor (Barat)Indonesia
- Resources & Synergies Development Pte LtdSingaporeSingapore
| | - Hippolyte S.M. Nshimba
- Department of Ecology and Flora Resources ManagementFaculty of SciencesUniversity of KisanganiKisanganiDemocratic Republic of Congo
| | - Corneille Ewango
- Faculty of Renewable Natural Resources ManagementUniversity of KisanganiKisanganiDemocratic Republic of Congo
| | - Hans Beeckman
- Service of Wood BiologyRoyal Museum for Central AfricaTervurenBelgium
| | - Olivier J. Hardy
- Service d'Évolution Biologique et ÉcologieUniversité Libre de BruxellesBrusselsBelgium
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Competition Restricts the Growth, Development, and Propagation of Carpinus tientaiensis: A Rare and Endangered Species in China. FORESTS 2021. [DOI: 10.3390/f12040503] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/12/2023]
Abstract
The protection and propagation of rare and endangered species are key to the preservation of their population development; however, due to the scarcity of individuals, the potential effects and status of rare and endangered species in the whole forest ecosystem are still poorly understood. Using data from a 60 × 140 m forest dynamic monitoring sample of the Carpinus tientaiensis (Betulaceae) species in Zhejiang of Southeast China. We assessed the population distribution and diameter at breast height (DBH) structure of the Carpinus tientaiensis species, which was a rare and endangered species, as well as intra- and interspecific correlation with other species. The results show that saplings (1 cm ≤ DBH < 5 cm) and juveniles (5 cm ≤ DBH < 10 cm) were more aggregated than larger individuals (DBH ≥ 20 cm) of Carpinus tientaiensis. The DBH size structure of all the trees shows an obvious inverted “J” distribution. With an increase in the DBH size category, the number of individuals gradually decreases. Due to the diffusion limitation, the spatial distribution patterns of all the tree individuals and roof geese in the sample land are increased at a small spatial scale, and as the spatial scale increases, the degree of aggregation decreases gradually. The relationship between different diameter stages of the population of Carpinus tientaiensis showed a consistent general trend. The spatial distribution of individuals with a large diameter on a small scale was significantly positively correlated (p < 0.001). With an increase in the scale, there was no significant correlation (p > 0.05) between individuals with a large diameter and individuals with a small diameter. There was no significant correlation (p > 0.05) between the population of Carpinus tientaiensis and other species in the sample, and the strong unidirectional competition of other species in the sample can be seen by the competition index. We found that interspecific competition restricts the growth and expansion of Carpinus tientaiensis, and it has adopted different ecological strategies to coexist with a population of common tree species occupying a similar living space.
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Ribeiro KFO, Martins VF, Wiegand T, Santos FAM. Habitat filtering drives the local distribution of congeneric species in a Brazilian white-sand flooded tropical forest. Ecol Evol 2021; 11:1797-1813. [PMID: 33614004 PMCID: PMC7882942 DOI: 10.1002/ece3.7169] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/01/2020] [Revised: 12/08/2020] [Accepted: 12/10/2020] [Indexed: 01/29/2023] Open
Abstract
The investigation of ecological processes that maintain species coexistence is revealing in naturally disturbed environments such as the white-sand tropical forest, which is subject to periodic flooding that might pose strong habitat filtering to tree species. Congeneric species are a good model to investigate the relative importance of ecological processes that maintain high species diversity because they tend to exploit the same limiting resources and/or have similar tolerance limits to the same environmental conditions due to their close phylogenetic relationship. We aim to find evidence for the action and relative importance of different processes hypothesized to maintain species coexistence in a white-sand flooded forest in Brazil, taking advantage of data on the detailed spatial structure of populations of congeneric species. Individuals of three Myrcia species were tagged, mapped, and measured for diameter at soil height in a 1-ha plot. We also sampled seven environmental variables in the plot. We employed several spatial point process models to investigate the possible action of habitat filtering, interspecific competition, and dispersal limitation. Habitat filtering was the most important process driving the local distribution of the three Myrcia species, as they showed associations, albeit of different strength, to environmental variables related to flooding. We did not detect spatial patterns, such as spatial segregation and smaller size of nearby neighbors, that would be consistent with interspecific competition among the three congeneric species and other co-occurring species. Even though congeners were spatially independent, they responded to differences in the environment. Last, dispersal limitation only led to spatial associations of different size classes for one of the species. Given that white-sand flooded forests are highly threatened in Brazil, the preservation of their different habitats is of utmost importance to the maintenance of high species richness, as flooding drives the distribution of species in the community.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kelly F. O. Ribeiro
- Programa de Pós‐Graduação em EcologiaInstitute of BiologyUniversity of Campinas ‐ UNICAMPCampinasBrazil
| | - Valéria F. Martins
- Department of Natural Sciences, Maths and EducationFederal University of São Carlos ‐ UFSCarArarasBrazil
- Department of Plant BiologyInstitute of BiologyUniversity of Campinas ‐ UNICAMPCampinasBrazil
| | - Thorsten Wiegand
- Department of Ecological ModellingHelmholtz Centre for Environmental Research – UFZLeipzigGermany
- German Centre for Integrative Biodiversity Research (iDiv) Halle‐Jena‐LeipzigLeipzigGermany
| | - Flavio A. M. Santos
- Department of Plant BiologyInstitute of BiologyUniversity of Campinas ‐ UNICAMPCampinasBrazil
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Shen G, Wang X, He F. Distance-based methods for estimating density of nonrandomly distributed populations. Ecology 2021; 101:e03143. [PMID: 33448350 DOI: 10.1002/ecy.3143] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/04/2019] [Revised: 03/13/2020] [Accepted: 06/09/2020] [Indexed: 11/09/2022]
Abstract
Population density is the most basic ecological parameter for understanding population dynamics and biological conservation. Distance-based methods (or plotless methods) are considered as a more efficient but less robust approach than quadrat-based counting methods in estimating plant population density. The low robustness of distance-based methods mainly arises from the oversimplistic assumption of completely spatially random (CSR) distribution of a population in the conventional distance-based methods for estimating density of non-CSR populations in natural communities. In this study we derived two methods to improve on density estimation for plant populations of non-CSR distribution. The first method modified an existing composite estimator to correct for the long-recognized bias associated with that estimator. The second method was derived from the negative binomial distribution (NBD) that directly deals with aggregation in the distribution of a species. The performance of these estimators was tested and compared against various distance-based estimators by both simulation and empirical data of three large-scale stem-mapped forests. Results showed that the NBD point-to-tree distance estimator has the best and most consistent performance across populations with vastly different spatial distributions. This estimator offers a simple, efficient and robust method for estimating density for empirical populations of plant species.
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Affiliation(s)
- Guochun Shen
- ECNU-Alberta Joint Lab for Biodiversity Study, Zhejiang Tiantong Forest Ecosystem National Observation and Research Station, School of Ecology and Environmental Science, East China Normal University, Shanghai, 200241, China.,Shanghai Institute of Pollution Control and Ecological Security, 1515 North Zhongshan Road (No. 2), Shanghai, 200092, China
| | - Xihua Wang
- ECNU-Alberta Joint Lab for Biodiversity Study, Zhejiang Tiantong Forest Ecosystem National Observation and Research Station, School of Ecology and Environmental Science, East China Normal University, Shanghai, 200241, China.,Shanghai Institute of Pollution Control and Ecological Security, 1515 North Zhongshan Road (No. 2), Shanghai, 200092, China
| | - Fangliang He
- ECNU-Alberta Joint Lab for Biodiversity Study, Zhejiang Tiantong Forest Ecosystem National Observation and Research Station, School of Ecology and Environmental Science, East China Normal University, Shanghai, 200241, China.,Department of Renewable Resources, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta, T6G 2H1, Canada
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Villegas P, Cavagna A, Cencini M, Fort H, Grigera TS. Joint assessment of density correlations and fluctuations for analysing spatial tree patterns. ROYAL SOCIETY OPEN SCIENCE 2021; 8:202200. [PMID: 33614102 PMCID: PMC7890483 DOI: 10.1098/rsos.202200] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/02/2020] [Accepted: 12/07/2020] [Indexed: 06/12/2023]
Abstract
Inferring the processes underlying the emergence of observed patterns is a key challenge in theoretical ecology. Much effort has been made in the past decades to collect extensive and detailed information about the spatial distribution of tropical rainforests, as demonstrated, e.g. in the 50 ha tropical forest plot on Barro Colorado Island, Panama. These kinds of plots have been crucial to shed light on diverse qualitative features, emerging both at the single-species or the community level, like the spatial aggregation or clustering at short scales. Here, we build on the progress made in the study of the density correlation functions applied to biological systems, focusing on the importance of accurately defining the borders of the set of trees, and removing the induced biases. We also pinpoint the importance of combining the study of correlations with the scale dependence of fluctuations in density, which are linked to the well-known empirical Taylor's power law. Density correlations and fluctuations, in conjunction, provide a unique opportunity to interpret the behaviours and, possibly, to allow comparisons between data and models. We also study such quantities in models of spatial patterns and, in particular, we find that a spatially explicit neutral model generates patterns with many qualitative features in common with the empirical ones.
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Affiliation(s)
- P. Villegas
- Istituto dei Sistemi Complessi, Consiglio Nazionale delle Ricerche, via dei Taurini 19 00185 Rome, Italy
| | - A. Cavagna
- Istituto dei Sistemi Complessi, Consiglio Nazionale delle Ricerche, via dei Taurini 19 00185 Rome, Italy
- Dipartimento di Fisica, Università Sapienza, 00185 Rome, Italy
| | - M. Cencini
- Istituto dei Sistemi Complessi, Consiglio Nazionale delle Ricerche, via dei Taurini 19 00185 Rome, Italy
| | - H. Fort
- Institute of Physics, Faculty of Science, Universidad de la República, Iguá 4225, Montevideo 11400, Uruguay
| | - T. S. Grigera
- Istituto dei Sistemi Complessi, Consiglio Nazionale delle Ricerche, via dei Taurini 19 00185 Rome, Italy
- Instituto de Física de Líquidos y Sistemas Biológicos—CONICET and Universidad Nacional de La Plata, La Plata, Argentina
- CCT CONICET La Plata, Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas, Argentina
- Departamento de Física, Facultad de Ciencias Exactas, Universidad Nacional de La Plata, La Plata, Argentina
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13
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Sasal Y, Amico GC, Morales JM. Host spatial structure and disperser activity determine mistletoe infection patterns. OIKOS 2020. [DOI: 10.1111/oik.07771] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Yamila Sasal
- Laboratorio Ecotono, INIBIOMA, CONICET‐UNCO, S. C. de Bariloche Río Negro Argentina
| | - Guillermo C. Amico
- Laboratorio Ecotono, INIBIOMA, CONICET‐UNCO, S. C. de Bariloche Río Negro Argentina
| | - Juan M. Morales
- Grupo de Ecología Cuantitativa, INIBIOMA, CONICET‐UNCO, S. C. de Bariloche Río Negro Argentina
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14
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Furniss TJ, Larson AJ, Kane VR, Lutz JA. Wildfire and drought moderate the spatial elements of tree mortality. Ecosphere 2020. [DOI: 10.1002/ecs2.3214] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/09/2023] Open
Affiliation(s)
- Tucker J. Furniss
- Wildland Resources Department and Ecology Center Utah State University Logan Utah84322USA
| | - Andrew J. Larson
- Wilderness Institute and Department of Forest Management University of Montana Missoula Montana59812USA
| | - Van R. Kane
- School of Environmental and Forest Sciences University of Washington Seattle Washington98195USA
| | - James A. Lutz
- Wildland Resources Department and Ecology Center Utah State University Logan Utah84322USA
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15
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Meyer JJM, Schutte CE, Hurter JW, Galt NS, Degashu P, Breetzke G, Baranenko D, Meyer NL. The allelopathic, adhesive, hydrophobic and toxic latex of Euphorbia species is the cause of fairy circles investigated at several locations in Namibia. BMC Ecol 2020; 20:45. [PMID: 32746816 PMCID: PMC7397633 DOI: 10.1186/s12898-020-00313-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/28/2020] [Accepted: 07/22/2020] [Indexed: 11/17/2022] Open
Abstract
Background In this multidisciplinary study we present soil chemical, phytochemical and GIS spatial patterning evidence that fairy circles studied in three separate locations of Namibia may be caused by Euphorbia species. Results We show that matrix sand coated with E. damarana latex resulted in faster water-infiltration rates. GC-MS analyses revealed that soil from fairy circles and from under decomposing E. damarana plants are very similar in phytochemistry. E. damarana and E. gummifera extracts have a detrimental effect on bacteria isolated from the rhizosphere of Stipagrostis uniplumis and inhibit grass seed germination. Several compounds previously identified with antimicrobial and phytotoxic activity were also identified in E. gummifera. GIS analyses showed that perimeter sizes and spatial characteristics (Voronoi tessellations, distance to nearest neighbour ratio, pair correlation function and L-function) of fairy circles are similar to those of fairy circles co-occurring with E. damarana (northern Namibia), and with E. gummifera (southern Namibia). Historical aerial imagery showed that in a population of 406 E. gummifera plants, 134 were replaced by fairy circles over a 50-year period. And finally, by integrating rainfall, altitude and landcover in a GIS-based site suitability model, we predict where fairy circles should occur. The model largely agreed with the distribution of three Euphorbia species and resulted in the discovery of new locations of fairy circles, in the far southeast of Namibia and part of the Kalahari Desert of South Africa. Conclusions It is proposed that the allelopathic, adhesive, hydrophobic and toxic latex of E. damarana, E. gummifera, and possibly other species like E. gregaria, is the cause of the fairy circles of Namibia in the areas investigated and possibly in all other areas as well.
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Affiliation(s)
- J J Marion Meyer
- Department of Plant and Soil Sciences, University of Pretoria, Pretoria, 0002, South Africa. .,ITMO University, 9 Lomonosov Street, St Petersburg, 191002, Russia.
| | - Christiaan E Schutte
- Department of Plant and Soil Sciences, University of Pretoria, Pretoria, 0002, South Africa.,Department of Geography, Geoinformatics and Meteorology, University of Pretoria, Pretoria, 0002, South Africa
| | - Jan W Hurter
- Department of Plant and Soil Sciences, University of Pretoria, Pretoria, 0002, South Africa
| | - Nicole S Galt
- Department of Plant and Soil Sciences, University of Pretoria, Pretoria, 0002, South Africa
| | - Petunia Degashu
- Department of Plant and Soil Sciences, University of Pretoria, Pretoria, 0002, South Africa
| | - Greg Breetzke
- Department of Geography, Geoinformatics and Meteorology, University of Pretoria, Pretoria, 0002, South Africa
| | - Denis Baranenko
- ITMO University, 9 Lomonosov Street, St Petersburg, 191002, Russia
| | - Nicole L Meyer
- Department of Plant and Soil Sciences, University of Pretoria, Pretoria, 0002, South Africa
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16
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Wu Y, Dai L, Wang Y, Xie L, Zhao S, Liu Y, Zhang M, Zhang Z. Coexistence mechanisms of Tamarix chinensis and Suaeda salsa in the Yellow River Delta, China. ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE AND POLLUTION RESEARCH INTERNATIONAL 2020; 27:26172-26181. [PMID: 32358756 DOI: 10.1007/s11356-020-08883-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/05/2020] [Accepted: 04/13/2020] [Indexed: 06/11/2023]
Abstract
To examine how two dominant species coexist within a tidal wetland in the Yellow River Delta, we studied the spatial distribution patterns and ecological relationships of Tamarix chinensis and Suaeda salsa. We also analyzed the relationship between these two plant species and soil chemical properties. Nine quadrats were established, and aerial photography was carried out in July 2018 in the study area to investigate plants and soil. Results showed that T. chinensis showed an aggregation distribution at scales of 0-10 m, 0-30 m, and 0-50 m from the sea to inland. Unlike T. chinensis, S. salsa showed an aggregation distribution at approximately 0-50 m in the study area, which meant the aggregation distributions of T. chinensis and S. salsa were found at different scales and S. salsa tended to aggregate distribution compared with T. chinensis. Meanwhile, T. chinensis and S. salsa had negative correlations far from the sea at a scale of 0-20 m and at the offshore area at a scale of 0-30 m. However, in the intermediate area, S. salsa and T. chinensis showed a positive correlation at a scale of 0-30 m. In general, the relationship between the two groups tends to be negatively correlated in a small range. Given that the tidal action decreased from the sea to inland, the driving factors of population aggregation gradually changed from tidal flooding to an interspecific relationship. The different characteristics of the different species may also have had an effect. And the aggregation of adult plant species had a beneficial impact on the establishment and growth of seedlings and plants. Furthermore, soil properties comprised complex actions including environmental conditions and ecological processes. The soil chemical properties such as soil salinity and nutrients were also influenced by the species' canopy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yanan Wu
- College of Ecology and Nature Conservation, Beijing Forestry University, Beijing, 100083, China
| | - Liyi Dai
- College of Ecology and Nature Conservation, Beijing Forestry University, Beijing, 100083, China
| | - Yu Wang
- College of Ecology and Nature Conservation, Beijing Forestry University, Beijing, 100083, China
| | - Lumeng Xie
- College of Ecology and Nature Conservation, Beijing Forestry University, Beijing, 100083, China
| | - Shiqiang Zhao
- College of Ecology and Nature Conservation, Beijing Forestry University, Beijing, 100083, China
| | - Ying Liu
- College of Ecology and Nature Conservation, Beijing Forestry University, Beijing, 100083, China
| | - Mingxiang Zhang
- College of Ecology and Nature Conservation, Beijing Forestry University, Beijing, 100083, China.
| | - Zhenming Zhang
- College of Ecology and Nature Conservation, Beijing Forestry University, Beijing, 100083, China.
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17
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Wang X, Jiang C, Jia C, Tai Y, Hou Y, Zhang W. A new digital method of data collection for spatial point pattern analysis in grassland communities. Ecol Evol 2020; 10:7851-7860. [PMID: 32760569 PMCID: PMC7391328 DOI: 10.1002/ece3.6512] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/15/2020] [Revised: 05/20/2020] [Accepted: 06/03/2020] [Indexed: 11/06/2022] Open
Abstract
A major objective of plant ecology research is to determine the underlying processes responsible for the observed spatial distribution patterns of plant species. Plants can be approximated as points in space for this purpose, and thus, spatial point pattern analysis has become increasingly popular in ecological research. The basic piece of data for point pattern analysis is a point location of an ecological object in some study region. Therefore, point pattern analysis can only be performed if data can be collected. However, due to the lack of a convenient sampling method, a few previous studies have used point pattern analysis to examine the spatial patterns of grassland species. This is unfortunate because being able to explore point patterns in grassland systems has widespread implications for population dynamics, community-level patterns, and ecological processes. In this study, we developed a new method to measure individual coordinates of species in grassland communities. This method records plant growing positions via digital picture samples that have been sub-blocked within a geographical information system (GIS). Here, we tested out the new method by measuring the individual coordinates of Stipa grandis in grazed and ungrazed S. grandis communities in a temperate steppe ecosystem in China. Furthermore, we analyzed the pattern of S. grandis by using the pair correlation function g(r) with both a homogeneous Poisson process and a heterogeneous Poisson process. Our results showed that individuals of S. grandis were overdispersed according to the homogeneous Poisson process at 0-0.16 m in the ungrazed community, while they were clustered at 0.19 m according to the homogeneous and heterogeneous Poisson processes in the grazed community. These results suggest that competitive interactions dominated the ungrazed community, while facilitative interactions dominated the grazed community. In sum, we successfully executed a new sampling method, using digital photography and a geographical information system, to collect experimental data on the spatial point patterns for the populations in this grassland community.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xinting Wang
- School of Energy and Power EngineeringInner Mongolia University of TechnologyHohhotChina
| | - Chao Jiang
- Key of Laboratory of Grassland Ecology and RestorationInstitute of Grassland ResearchMinistry of AgricultureChinese Academy of Agriculture SciencesHohhotChina
| | - Chengzhen Jia
- Ecological and Agricultural Meteorological Center of Inner MongoliaHohhotChina
| | - Yang Tai
- Inner Mongolia Coral Environmental Technology Co., LtdHohhotChina
| | - Yali Hou
- School of Energy and Power EngineeringInner Mongolia University of TechnologyHohhotChina
| | - Weihua Zhang
- School of Energy and Power EngineeringInner Mongolia University of TechnologyHohhotChina
- Inner Mongolia Coral Environmental Technology Co., LtdHohhotChina
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18
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Mitchell EG, Bobkov N, Bykova N, Dhungana A, Kolesnikov AV, Hogarth IRP, Liu AG, Mustill TMR, Sozonov N, Rogov VI, Xiao S, Grazhdankin DV. The influence of environmental setting on the community ecology of Ediacaran organisms. Interface Focus 2020; 10:20190109. [PMID: 32642052 DOI: 10.1098/rsfs.2019.0109] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 04/14/2020] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
Abstract
The broad-scale environment plays a substantial role in shaping modern marine ecosystems, but the degree to which palaeocommunities were influenced by their environment is unclear. To investigate how broad-scale environment influenced the community ecology of early animal ecosystems, we employed spatial point process analyses (SPPA) to examine the community structure of seven late Ediacaran (558-550 Ma) bedding-plane assemblages drawn from a range of environmental settings and global localities. The studied palaeocommunities exhibit marked differences in the response of their component taxa to sub-metre-scale habitat heterogeneities on the seafloor. Shallow-marine (nearshore) palaeocommunities were heavily influenced by local habitat heterogeneities, in contrast to their deeper-water counterparts. The local patchiness within shallow-water communities may have been further accentuated by the presence of grazers and detritivores, whose behaviours potentially initiated a propagation of increasing habitat heterogeneity of benthic communities from shallow to deep-marine depositional environments. Higher species richness in shallow-water Ediacaran assemblages compared to deep-water counterparts across the studied time-interval could have been driven by this environmental patchiness, because habitat heterogeneities increase species richness in modern marine environments. Our results provide quantitative support for the 'Savannah' hypothesis for early animal diversification-whereby Ediacaran diversification was driven by patchiness in the local benthic environment.
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Affiliation(s)
- Emily G Mitchell
- Department of Zoology, University of Cambridge, Downing Street, Cambridge CB2 3EJ, UK
| | - Nikolai Bobkov
- Trofimuk Institute of Petroleum Geology and Geophysics, 3, Ac. Koptyuga ave., Novosibirsk 630090, Russian Federation.,Novosibirsk State University, Novosibirsk, Novosibirsk Oblast 630090, Russian Federation
| | - Natalia Bykova
- Trofimuk Institute of Petroleum Geology and Geophysics, 3, Ac. Koptyuga ave., Novosibirsk 630090, Russian Federation.,Department of Geosciences, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, VA 24061, USA
| | - Alavya Dhungana
- Department of Earth Sciences, Durham University, Lower Mountjoy, South Road, Durham DH1 3LE, UK
| | - Anton V Kolesnikov
- Trofimuk Institute of Petroleum Geology and Geophysics, 3, Ac. Koptyuga ave., Novosibirsk 630090, Russian Federation.,Geological Institute, Russian Academy of Sciences, Pygevsky 7, Moscow 119017, Russia.,Faculty of Geography, Moscow State Pedagogical University, Kibalchicha str. 16, Moscow 129626, Russia
| | - Ian R P Hogarth
- Department of Chemical Engineering, University of Cambridge, Philippa Fawcett Drive, Cambridge CB3 0AS, UK
| | - Alexander G Liu
- Department of Earth Sciences, University of Cambridge, Downing Street, Cambridge CB2 3EQ, UK
| | - Tom M R Mustill
- Department of Earth Sciences, University of Cambridge, Downing Street, Cambridge CB2 3EQ, UK
| | - Nikita Sozonov
- Trofimuk Institute of Petroleum Geology and Geophysics, 3, Ac. Koptyuga ave., Novosibirsk 630090, Russian Federation.,Novosibirsk State University, Novosibirsk, Novosibirsk Oblast 630090, Russian Federation
| | - Vladimir I Rogov
- Trofimuk Institute of Petroleum Geology and Geophysics, 3, Ac. Koptyuga ave., Novosibirsk 630090, Russian Federation
| | - Shuhai Xiao
- Department of Geosciences, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, VA 24061, USA
| | - Dmitriy V Grazhdankin
- Trofimuk Institute of Petroleum Geology and Geophysics, 3, Ac. Koptyuga ave., Novosibirsk 630090, Russian Federation.,Novosibirsk State University, Novosibirsk, Novosibirsk Oblast 630090, Russian Federation
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19
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Ren H, Shi FX, Mao R, Guo YD, Zhao WZ. Response of individual sizes and spatial patterns of Deyeuxia angustifolia to increasing water level gradient in a freshwater wetland. ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE AND POLLUTION RESEARCH INTERNATIONAL 2020; 27:17085-17092. [PMID: 32146663 DOI: 10.1007/s11356-020-08283-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/06/2019] [Accepted: 03/02/2020] [Indexed: 06/10/2023]
Abstract
The wetland plants are very sensitive to hydrological regimes. In this study, the individual sizes of a widely distributed species (i.e., Deyeuxia angustifolia) at three typical marshes with different water table depths (i.e., wet meadow (WM) marsh; seasonal inundated (SI) marsh; perennial inundated (PI) marsh) were investigated in the Sanjiang Plain of Northeast China. Concurrently, three primary point pattern processes (homogeneous Poisson (HP) process, homogeneous Thomas (HT) process, and inhomogeneous Thomas (IT) process) were used to model spatial patterns in the distribution at 0-50 cm scale for this tillering-cloning species. The plant height, diameter at breast height (d.b.h), internode number, branches number, and individual aboveground biomass of D. angustifolia decreased sharply with rising water level; however, its density and coverage increased first and then decreased as water level increases. The distribution of D. angustifolia totally diverged from the complete spatial randomness (CSR) model (i.e., HP process) suggesting strong aggregation at 0-50 cm scale in all marshes, and aggregated intensity enhanced with increasing water level. Interestingly, the spatial distribution of D. angustifolia fits better with the nested double-cluster model (i.e., IT process) at all scales in WM and SI marshes, indicating that there is a series of clustered patterns under the slight flood stress. However, the spatial pattern fits well with the Poisson cluster model (i.e., HT process) at all scales in PI marsh, implying the small-scale clustering disappeared with the intensification of flooding stress. Our results highlight that the D. angustifolia population could adapt to flooding stress in a certain degree via individual miniaturization strategies and multi-aggregation mechanisms in the freshwater wetlands.
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Affiliation(s)
- Heng Ren
- Linze Inland River Basin Research Station, Key Laboratory of Inland River Basin Ecohydrology, Northwest Institute of Eco-Environment and Resources, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Lanzhou, 730000, Gansu, China
- University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100049, China
| | - Fu-Xi Shi
- Key Laboratory of State Forestry and Grassland Administration on Forest Ecosystem Protection and Restoration of Poyang Lake Watershed, College of Forestry, Jiangxi Agricultural University, No. 1101 Zhimin Road, Nanchang, 330045, China.
| | - Rong Mao
- Key Laboratory of State Forestry and Grassland Administration on Forest Ecosystem Protection and Restoration of Poyang Lake Watershed, College of Forestry, Jiangxi Agricultural University, No. 1101 Zhimin Road, Nanchang, 330045, China
| | - Yue-Dong Guo
- Key Laboratory of Wetland Ecology and Environment, Northeast Institute of Geography and Agroecology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Changchun, 130102, China
| | - Wen-Zhi Zhao
- Linze Inland River Basin Research Station, Key Laboratory of Inland River Basin Ecohydrology, Northwest Institute of Eco-Environment and Resources, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Lanzhou, 730000, Gansu, China
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20
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Ekström M, Sandring S, Grafström A, Esseen P, Jonsson BG, Ståhl G. Estimating density from presence/absence data in clustered populations. Methods Ecol Evol 2020. [DOI: 10.1111/2041-210x.13347] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Magnus Ekström
- Department of Statistics USBEUmeå University Umeå Sweden
- Department of Forest Resource Management Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences Umeå Sweden
| | - Saskia Sandring
- Department of Forest Resource Management Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences Umeå Sweden
| | - Anton Grafström
- Department of Forest Resource Management Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences Umeå Sweden
| | - Per‐Anders Esseen
- Department of Ecology and Environmental Science Umeå University Umeå Sweden
| | | | - Göran Ståhl
- Department of Forest Resource Management Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences Umeå Sweden
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21
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Characterizing Tree Spatial Distribution Patterns Using Discrete Aerial Lidar Data. REMOTE SENSING 2020. [DOI: 10.3390/rs12040712] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
Abstract
Tree spatial distribution patterns such as random, regular, and clustered play a crucial role in numerical simulations of carbon and water cycles and energy exchanges between forest ecosystems and the atmosphere. An efficient approach is needed to characterize tree spatial distribution patterns quantitatively. This study aims to employ increasingly available aerial laser scanning (ALS) data to capture individual tree locations and further characterize their spatial distribution patterns at the landscape or regional levels. First, we use the pair correlation function to identify the categories (i.e., random, regular, and clustered) of tree spatial distribution patterns, and then determine the unknown parameters of statistical models used for approximating each tree spatial distribution pattern using ALS-based metrics. After applying the proposed method in both natural and urban forest sites, our results show that ALS-based tree crown radii can capture 58%–77% (p < 0.001) variations of visual-based measurements depending on forest types and densities. The root mean squared errors (RMSEs) of ALS-based tree locations increase from 1.46 m to 2.51 m as the forest densities increasing. The Poisson, soft-core, and hybrid-Gibbs point processes are determined as the optimal models to approximate random, regular, and clustered tree spatial distribution patterns, respectively. This work provides a solid foundation for improving the simulation accuracy of forest canopy bidirectional reflectance distribution function (BRDF) and further obtain a better understanding of the processes of carbon and water cycles of forest ecosystems.
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22
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Spatial Patterns and Interspecific Associations During Natural Regeneration in Three Types of Secondary Forest in the Central Part of the Greater Khingan Mountains, Heilongjiang Province, China. FORESTS 2020. [DOI: 10.3390/f11020152] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
Abstract
Seedling and sapling spatial patterns are important in community regeneration, and understanding the natural regeneration mechanisms of tree species in relation to spatial patterns will help improve forest management and community restoration efficiency. Based on data from three fixed plots established in birch forests (BF), coniferous and broadleaved mixed forests (CBMF) and coniferous mixed forests (CMF) in the central Greater Khingan Mountains in Heilongjiang Province, China, in 2017, we used the univariate and bivariate O-ring functions of the point pattern analysis method to evaluate the spatial patterns and associations of the main tree species in these three forest types at different development stages and identified the community successional stages according to the interspecific associations between dominant tree species and other tree species. The results showed that Betula platyphylla and Larix gmelinii in BF exhibited identical spatial distribution patterns and had a tendency to transition from an aggregated to a random distribution from saplings to adult trees, whereas every tree type in CBMF generally showed a random distribution. Adult trees of the main tree species in CMF, i.e., L. gmelinii and Picea koraiensis, mainly showed a random distribution, but P. koraiensis at other size classes generally showed an aggregated distribution. The intraspecific associations of the main tree species in BF and CMF at different development stages were constrained by the spatial scale within a given scope, while those in CBMF at different development stages were not significantly constrained by spatial scale. The results also show that the density of the three forest types was affected by the distance between the individuals of the various tree classes and adult trees, with different levels of influence. We analyzed the interspecific associations between dominant tree species and other tree species and then assessed community succession progress and found that the BF and CMF exhibited medium-term community succession, while the CBMF was in the primary stage. Our results further show that the spatial distribution patterns of the tree species in the small-diameter classes were jointly affected by adjacent habitats and diffusional limitations and that scale dependence existed in the intraspecific and interspecific associations. The analysis of the natural regeneration of spatial distribution and interspecific associations represents an efficient way to explore the stability of forest communities and dynamic changes in interspecific relationships during succession. The study results thus provide a theoretical basis for developing rational forest management measures.
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23
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Bastias CC, Truchado DA, Valladares F, Benavides R, Bouriaud O, Bruelheide H, Coppi A, Finér L, Gimeno TE, Jaroszewicz B, Scherer‐Lorenzen M, Selvi F, De la Cruz M. Species richness influences the spatial distribution of trees in European forests. OIKOS 2019. [DOI: 10.1111/oik.06776] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Cristina C. Bastias
- LINCGlobal, Dept of Biogeography and Global Change, National Museum of Natural Sciences, MNCN, CSIC ES‐28006 Madrid Spain
| | - Daniel A. Truchado
- Dept of Biodiversity, Ecology and Evolution, Faculty of Biology, Complutense Univ. of Madrid Madrid Spain
| | - Fernando Valladares
- LINCGlobal, Dept of Biogeography and Global Change, National Museum of Natural Sciences, MNCN, CSIC ES‐28006 Madrid Spain
- Area of Biodiversity and Conservation, Dept of Biology and Geology, E.S.C.E.T., Univ. Rey Juan Carlos Móstoles Spain
| | - Raquel Benavides
- LINCGlobal, Dept of Biogeography and Global Change, National Museum of Natural Sciences, MNCN, CSIC ES‐28006 Madrid Spain
| | - Olivier Bouriaud
- Faculty of Forestry, Stefan cel Mare Univ. of Suceava Suceava Romania
| | - Helge Bruelheide
- Inst. of Biology/Geobotany and Botanical Garden, Martin Luther Univ. Halle‐Wittenberg Halle (Saale) Germany
- German Centre for Integrative Biodiversity Research (iDiv) Halle‐Jena‐Leipzig Leipzig Germany
| | | | - Leena Finér
- Natural Resources Inst. Finland (Luke) Joensuu Finland
| | - Teresa E. Gimeno
- Basque Centre for Climate Change (BC3) Leioa Spain
- IKERBASQUE, Basque Foundation for Science Bilbao Spain
| | - Bogdan Jaroszewicz
- Białowieża Geobotanical Station, Faculty of Biology, Univ. of Warsaw Białowieża Poland
| | | | - Federico Selvi
- Dept of Agriculture, Food, Environment and Forestry Laboratories of Botany, Univ. of Firenze Firenze Italy
| | - Marcelino De la Cruz
- Area of Biodiversity and Conservation, Dept of Biology and Geology, E.S.C.E.T., Univ. Rey Juan Carlos Móstoles Spain
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24
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Mitchell EG, Harris S, Kenchington CG, Vixseboxse P, Roberts L, Clark C, Dennis A, Liu AG, Wilby PR. The importance of neutral over niche processes in structuring Ediacaran early animal communities. Ecol Lett 2019; 22:2028-2038. [PMID: 31515929 PMCID: PMC6899650 DOI: 10.1111/ele.13383] [Citation(s) in RCA: 27] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/20/2019] [Revised: 08/01/2019] [Accepted: 08/11/2019] [Indexed: 01/22/2023]
Abstract
The relative influence of niche vs. neutral processes in ecosystem dynamics is an on-going debate, but the extent to which they structured the earliest animal communities is unknown. Some of the oldest known metazoan-dominated paleocommunities occur in Ediacaran age (~ 565 million years old) strata in Newfoundland, Canada and Charnwood Forest, UK. These comprise large and diverse populations of sessile organisms that are amenable to spatial point process analyses, enabling inference of the most likely underlying niche or neutral processes governing community structure. We mapped seven Ediacaran paleocommunities using LiDAR, photogrammetry and a laser line probe. We found that neutral processes dominate these paleocommunities, with niche processes exerting limited influence, in contrast with the niche-dominated dynamics of modern marine ecosystems. The dominance of neutral processes suggests that early metazoan diversification may not have been driven by systematic adaptations to the local environment, but instead may have resulted from stochastic demographic differences.
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Affiliation(s)
- Emily G. Mitchell
- Department of Earth SciencesUniversity of CambridgeDowning StreetCambridgeCB2 3EQUK
| | - Simon Harris
- British Geological SurveyNicker HillKeyworth, NottinghamNG12 5GGUK
| | | | - Philip Vixseboxse
- School of Earth SciencesUniversity of BristolWills Memorial Building, Queens RoadBristolBS8 1RJUK
| | - Lucy Roberts
- Department of ZoologyUniversity of CambridgeDowning StreetCambridgeCB2 3EJUK
| | - Catherine Clark
- Department of Earth SciencesUniversity of CambridgeDowning StreetCambridgeCB2 3EQUK
| | - Alexandra Dennis
- Department of Earth SciencesUniversity of CambridgeDowning StreetCambridgeCB2 3EQUK
| | - Alexander G. Liu
- Department of Earth SciencesUniversity of CambridgeDowning StreetCambridgeCB2 3EQUK
| | - Philip R. Wilby
- British Geological SurveyNicker HillKeyworth, NottinghamNG12 5GGUK
- School of Geography, Geology & the EnvironmentUniversity of LeicesterUniversity RoadLeicesterLE1 7RHUK
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25
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Yılmaz OY, Kavgacı A, Sevgi O, Örtel E, Tecimen HB, Çobanoğlu A, Yeşil İ. Scale-dependent intraspecific competition of Taurus cedar ( Cedrus libani A. Rich.) saplings in the Southern Turkey. Ecol Evol 2019; 9:12802-12812. [PMID: 31788215 PMCID: PMC6875569 DOI: 10.1002/ece3.5757] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/25/2019] [Revised: 09/18/2019] [Accepted: 09/27/2019] [Indexed: 11/10/2022] Open
Abstract
Better understanding of the competitive interaction at the early development stages of the stand is crucial to help schedule silvicultural treatments for young stands and for the better management of the future stands. We used scale-dependent analysis to improve our understanding of sapling dynamics in the pure Taurus cedar (Cedrus libani A. Rich.) stands in Southern Turkey. Using data from nine plots established at the western Taurus Mountains, diameter, height, and crown radii of saplings were compared, and spatial point pattern analyses were performed. We found significant differences for the mean diameter and height, and crown radii of saplings among the plots. Univariate pair correlation function showed that sapling pattern was regular only at small scales (r < 0.4 m) but was predominantly random. Bivariate pair correlation function revealed no evidence of spatial interaction between tall saplings and short saplings. Univariate mark correlation function revealed that strong intraspecific competition was detected at small scales (up to 0.55 m). This distance is reasonable for the juvenile age tending of Taurus cedar saplings and should be under consideration during silvicultural treatments to use the site productivity more efficiently.
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Affiliation(s)
- Osman Yalçın Yılmaz
- Department of Forest EngineeringFaculty of ForestryIstanbul University‐CerrahpasaIstanbulTurkey
| | - Ali Kavgacı
- Southwest Anatolia Forest Research InstituteAntalyaTurkey
| | - Orhan Sevgi
- Department of Soil Science and EcologyFaculty of ForestryIstanbul University‐CerrahpasaIstanbulTurkey
| | - Erdal Örtel
- Aegean Forestry Research InstituteUrlaTurkey
| | - Hüseyin Barış Tecimen
- Department of Soil Science and EcologyFaculty of ForestryIstanbul University‐CerrahpasaIstanbulTurkey
| | | | - İsmet Yeşil
- Eskişehir Regional Directorate of ForestryEskisehirTurkey
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Nield AP, Enright NJ, Ladd PG, Perry GLW. Detecting plant spatial pattern change after disperser loss: A simulation and a case study. POPUL ECOL 2019. [DOI: 10.1002/1438-390x.12006] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/08/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Andrew P. Nield
- Terrestrial Ecology Research Group Environment and Conservation Science, Murdoch University, Murdoch Western Australia Australia
| | - Neal J. Enright
- Terrestrial Ecology Research Group Environment and Conservation Science, Murdoch University, Murdoch Western Australia Australia
| | - Philip G. Ladd
- Terrestrial Ecology Research Group Environment and Conservation Science, Murdoch University, Murdoch Western Australia Australia
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27
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Albert-Green A, Braun WJ, Dean CB, Miller C. A hierarchical point process with application to storm cell modelling. CAN J STAT 2019. [DOI: 10.1002/cjs.11485] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/05/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Alisha Albert-Green
- Department of Statistical and Actuarial Sciences; University of Western Ontario; London Ontario Canada
| | - W. John Braun
- Computer Science, Mathematics, Physics and Statistics; University of British Columbia - Okanagan; Kelowna British Columbia Canada
| | - Charmaine B. Dean
- Department of Statistical and Actuarial Sciences; University of Western Ontario; London Ontario Canada
| | - Craig Miller
- Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering; University of Western Ontario; London Ontario Canada
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29
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Pair correlation functions and limiting distributions of iterated cluster point processes. J Appl Probab 2018. [DOI: 10.1017/jpr.2018.50] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/06/2022]
Abstract
Abstract
We consider a Markov chain of point processes such that each state is a superposition of an independent cluster process with the previous state as its centre process together with some independent noise process and a thinned version of the previous state. The model extends earlier work by Felsenstein (1975) and Shimatani (2010) describing a reproducing population. We discuss when closed-form expressions of the first- and second-order moments are available for a given state. In a special case it is known that the pair correlation function for these type of point processes converges as the Markov chain progresses, but it has not been shown whether the Markov chain has an equilibrium distribution with this, particular, pair correlation function and how it may be constructed. Assuming the same reproducing system, we construct an equilibrium distribution by a coupling argument.
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Das Gupta S, Pinno BD. Spatial patterns and competition in trees in early successional reclaimed and natural boreal forests. ACTA OECOLOGICA-INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF ECOLOGY 2018. [DOI: 10.1016/j.actao.2018.05.003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/16/2022]
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31
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Mitchell EG, Kenchington CG. The utility of height for the Ediacaran organisms of Mistaken Point. Nat Ecol Evol 2018; 2:1218-1222. [DOI: 10.1038/s41559-018-0591-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 32] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/01/2018] [Accepted: 05/23/2018] [Indexed: 11/09/2022]
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32
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Du H, Hu F, Zeng F, Wang K, Peng W, Zhang H, Zeng Z, Zhang F, Song T. Spatial distribution of tree species in evergreen-deciduous broadleaf karst forests in southwest China. Sci Rep 2017; 7:15664. [PMID: 29142282 PMCID: PMC5688135 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-017-15789-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 32] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/02/2017] [Accepted: 11/02/2017] [Indexed: 11/08/2022] Open
Abstract
Understanding the spatial distribution of tree species in subtropical evergreen-deciduous broadleaf karst forest is fundamental to studying species coexistence and karst species diversity. Here, complete spatial randomness and heterogeneous Poisson process models were used to analyze the spatial distribution patterns of 146 species with at least one individual per ha in a 25-ha plot in southwest China. We used canonical correspondence analysis (CCA) and the torus-translation test (TTT) to explain the distributions of observed species. Our results show that an aggregated distribution was the dominant pattern in Mulun karst forests; the percentage and intensity of aggregated decreased with increasing spatial scale, abundance, mean diameter at breast height (DBH), and maximum DBH. Rare species were more aggregated than intermediately abundant and abundant species. However, functional traits (e.g., growth form and phenological guild) had no significant effects on the distributions of species. The CCA revealed that the four analyzed topographic variables (elevation, slope, aspect, and convexity) had significant influences on species distributions. The TTT showed that not all species have habitat preferences and that 68.5% (100 out of 146 species) show a strongly positive or negative association with at least one habitat. Most species were inclined to grow on slopes and hilltops.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hu Du
- Key Laboratory of Agro-ecological Processes in Subtropical Region, Institute of Subtropical Agriculture, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Changsha, 410125, Hunan, China
- Huanjiang Observation and Research Station for Karst Ecosystems, Institute of Subtropical Agriculture, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Huanjiang, 547100, Guangxi, China
| | - Fang Hu
- Key Laboratory of Agro-ecological Processes in Subtropical Region, Institute of Subtropical Agriculture, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Changsha, 410125, Hunan, China
- Huanjiang Observation and Research Station for Karst Ecosystems, Institute of Subtropical Agriculture, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Huanjiang, 547100, Guangxi, China
| | - Fuping Zeng
- Key Laboratory of Agro-ecological Processes in Subtropical Region, Institute of Subtropical Agriculture, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Changsha, 410125, Hunan, China
- Huanjiang Observation and Research Station for Karst Ecosystems, Institute of Subtropical Agriculture, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Huanjiang, 547100, Guangxi, China
| | - Kelin Wang
- Key Laboratory of Agro-ecological Processes in Subtropical Region, Institute of Subtropical Agriculture, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Changsha, 410125, Hunan, China
- Huanjiang Observation and Research Station for Karst Ecosystems, Institute of Subtropical Agriculture, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Huanjiang, 547100, Guangxi, China
| | - Wanxia Peng
- Key Laboratory of Agro-ecological Processes in Subtropical Region, Institute of Subtropical Agriculture, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Changsha, 410125, Hunan, China
- Huanjiang Observation and Research Station for Karst Ecosystems, Institute of Subtropical Agriculture, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Huanjiang, 547100, Guangxi, China
| | - Hao Zhang
- Key Laboratory of Agro-ecological Processes in Subtropical Region, Institute of Subtropical Agriculture, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Changsha, 410125, Hunan, China
- Huanjiang Observation and Research Station for Karst Ecosystems, Institute of Subtropical Agriculture, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Huanjiang, 547100, Guangxi, China
| | - Zhaoxia Zeng
- Key Laboratory of Agro-ecological Processes in Subtropical Region, Institute of Subtropical Agriculture, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Changsha, 410125, Hunan, China
- Huanjiang Observation and Research Station for Karst Ecosystems, Institute of Subtropical Agriculture, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Huanjiang, 547100, Guangxi, China
| | - Fang Zhang
- Key Laboratory of Agro-ecological Processes in Subtropical Region, Institute of Subtropical Agriculture, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Changsha, 410125, Hunan, China
- Huanjiang Observation and Research Station for Karst Ecosystems, Institute of Subtropical Agriculture, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Huanjiang, 547100, Guangxi, China
| | - Tongqing Song
- Key Laboratory of Agro-ecological Processes in Subtropical Region, Institute of Subtropical Agriculture, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Changsha, 410125, Hunan, China.
- Huanjiang Observation and Research Station for Karst Ecosystems, Institute of Subtropical Agriculture, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Huanjiang, 547100, Guangxi, China.
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Ramage BS, Johnson DJ, Gonzalez-Akre E, McShea WJ, Anderson-Teixeira KJ, Bourg NA, Clay K. Sapling growth rates reveal conspecific negative density dependence in a temperate forest. Ecol Evol 2017; 7:7661-7671. [PMID: 29043023 PMCID: PMC5632615 DOI: 10.1002/ece3.3298] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/08/2017] [Revised: 06/27/2017] [Accepted: 07/03/2017] [Indexed: 01/25/2023] Open
Abstract
Local tree species diversity is maintained in part by conspecific negative density dependence (CNDD). This pervasive mechanism occurs in a variety of forms and ecosystems, but research to date has been heavily skewed toward tree seedling survival in tropical forests. To evaluate CNDD more broadly, we investigated how sapling growth rates were affected by conspecific adult neighbors in a fully mapped 25.6 ha temperate deciduous forest. We examined growth rates as a function of the local adult tree neighborhood (via spatial autoregressive modeling) and compared the spatial positioning of faster‐growing and slower‐growing saplings with respect to adult conspecific and heterospecific trees (via bivariate point pattern analysis). In addition, to determine whether CNDD‐driven variation in growth rates leaves a corresponding spatial signal, we extended our point pattern analysis to a static, growth‐independent comparison of saplings and the next larger size class. We found that negative conspecific effects on sapling growth were most prevalent. Five of the nine species that were sufficiently abundant for analysis exhibited CNDD, while only one species showed evidence of a positive conspecific effect, and one or two species, depending on the analysis, displayed heterospecific effects. There was general agreement between the autoregressive models and the point pattern analyses based on sapling growth rates, but point pattern analyses based on single‐point‐in‐time size classes yielded results that differed markedly from the other two approaches. Our work adds to the growing body of evidence that CNDD is an important force in temperate forests, and demonstrates that this process extends to sapling growth rates. Further, our findings indicate that point pattern analyses based solely on size classes may fail to detect the process of interest (e.g., neighborhood‐driven variation in growth rates), in part due to the confounding of tree size and age.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Daniel J Johnson
- Earth and Environmental Sciences Division Los Alamos National Laboratory Los Alamos NM USA
| | - Erika Gonzalez-Akre
- Conservation Ecology Center Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute Front Royal VA USA
| | - William J McShea
- Conservation Ecology Center Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute Front Royal VA USA
| | - Kristina J Anderson-Teixeira
- Conservation Ecology Center Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute Front Royal VA USA.,Center for Tropical Forest Science Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute Panama City Panama
| | - Norman A Bourg
- Conservation Ecology Center Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute Front Royal VA USA.,U.S. Geological Survey National Research Program - Eastern Branch Reston VA USA
| | - Keith Clay
- Department of Biology Indiana University Bloomington IN USA
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Illian JB, Burslem DFRP. Improving the usability of spatial point process methodology: an interdisciplinary dialogue between statistics and ecology. ASTA-ADVANCES IN STATISTICAL ANALYSIS 2017. [DOI: 10.1007/s10182-017-0301-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/19/2022]
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35
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Zhang S, Huang Y, Zang R. The assembly and interactions of tree species in tropical forests based on spatial analysis. Ecosphere 2017. [DOI: 10.1002/ecs2.1903] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
Affiliation(s)
- Shuzi Zhang
- Key Laboratory of Forest Ecology and Environment; The State Forestry Administration; Institute of Forest Ecology, Environment and Protection; Chinese Academy of Forestry; Beijing 100091 China
- Co-Innovation Center for Sustainable Forestry in Southern China; Nanjing Forestry University; Nanjing Jiangsu 210037 China
| | - Yunfeng Huang
- Key Laboratory of Forest Ecology and Environment; The State Forestry Administration; Institute of Forest Ecology, Environment and Protection; Chinese Academy of Forestry; Beijing 100091 China
- Co-Innovation Center for Sustainable Forestry in Southern China; Nanjing Forestry University; Nanjing Jiangsu 210037 China
| | - Runguo Zang
- Key Laboratory of Forest Ecology and Environment; The State Forestry Administration; Institute of Forest Ecology, Environment and Protection; Chinese Academy of Forestry; Beijing 100091 China
- Co-Innovation Center for Sustainable Forestry in Southern China; Nanjing Forestry University; Nanjing Jiangsu 210037 China
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36
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Choo J, Carasco C, Alvarez-Loayza P, Simpson BB, Economo EP. Life history traits influence the strength of distance- and density-dependence at different life stages of two Amazonian palms. ANNALS OF BOTANY 2017; 120:147-158. [PMID: 28549080 PMCID: PMC5737847 DOI: 10.1093/aob/mcx051] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/12/2017] [Accepted: 04/05/2017] [Indexed: 06/01/2023]
Abstract
Background and Aims Natural enemies are known to be important in regulating plant populations and contributing to species coexistence (Janzen-Connell effects). The strength of Janzen-Connell effects (both distance- and density-effects) varies across species, but the life history traits that may mediate such a variation are not well understood. This study examined Janzen-Connell effects across the life stages (seed through adult stages) of two sympatric palm species with distinct phenologies and shade tolerances, two traits that may mediate the strength and timing of Janzen-Connell effects. Methods Populations of two common palm species, Attalea phalerata and Astrocaryum murumuru , were studied in Manu National Park, Peru. Seed predation experiments were conducted to assess Janzen-Connell effects at the seed stage. In the post-seed stages, spatial point pattern analyses of the distributions of individuals and biomass were used to infer the strength of distance- and density-effects. Key Results Seed predation was both negative distance- and density-dependent consistent with the Janzen-Connell effects. However, only seedling recruitment for asynchronously fruiting Attalea phalerata was depressed near adults while recruitment remained high for synchronously fruiting Astrocaryum murumuru , consistent with weak distance-effects. Negative density-effects were strong in the early stages for shade-intolerant Attalea phalerata but weak or absent in shade-tolerant Astrocaryum murumuru. Conclusions Distance- and density-effects varied among the life stages of the two palm species in a manner that corresponded to their contrasting phenology and shade tolerance. Generalizing such connections across many species would provide a route to understanding how trait-mediated Janzen-Connell effects scale up to whole communities of species.
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Affiliation(s)
- Juanita Choo
- Okinawa Institute of Science and Technology Graduate University, 1919-1 Tancha, Onna-son, Okinawa, Japan 904-0495
| | - Cecilia Carasco
- Universidad Nacional San Antonio Abad del Cusco, Jr. Victoria Palestina FF-2 Santiago, Departamento de Cusco, Peru
| | | | - Beryl B. Simpson
- Department of Integrative Biology, The University of Texas at Austin, 1 University Station CO930, Austin, TX 78712, USA
| | - Evan P. Economo
- Okinawa Institute of Science and Technology Graduate University, 1919-1 Tancha, Onna-son, Okinawa, Japan 904-0495
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Song H, Xu Y, Hao J, Zhao B, Guo D, Shao H. Investigating distribution pattern of species in a warm-temperate conifer-broadleaved-mixed forest in China for sustainably utilizing forest and soils. THE SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 2017; 578:81-89. [PMID: 27499497 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2016.07.218] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/21/2016] [Revised: 07/30/2016] [Accepted: 07/30/2016] [Indexed: 06/06/2023]
Abstract
The maintaining mechanisms and potential ecological processes of species diversity in warm temperate- conifer-broadleaved-mixed forest are far from clear understanding. In this paper, the relative neighborhood density Ω was used to analyze the spatial distribution patterns of 34 species with ≥11 individuals in a warm- temperate-conifer-broadleaved-mixed forest, northern China. Then we used canonical correspondence analysis (CCA) and Torus-translation test (TTT) to explain the distribution of observed species. Our results show that aggregated distribution is the dominant pattern in warm-temperate natural forest and four species regular distribution at the spatial scale >30m. The aggregated percentage and intensity decline with spatial scale, abundance and size classes increasing. Rare species are aggregated more than intermediate and abundant species. These results prove sufficiently the effects existence of scale separation, self-thinning and Janzen-Connell hypothesis. In addition, functional traits (dispersal modes and shade tolerance) also have a significant influence on distribution of species. The results of CCA confirm that slope and convexity are the most important factors affecting the distribution of tree species distribution, elevation and slope of shrub species though the combination of topographic variables only explained 1% of distribution of tree species and 2% of shrub species. Most species don't have habitat preference; however 47.1% (16/34) species including absolutely dominant tree (Pinus tabulaeformis and Quercus wutaishanica) and shrub species (Rosa xanthina) and most other species with important value in the front, are strongly positively or negatively associated with at least one habitat. The valley and ridge are most distinct habitat with association of 12 species in the plot. However, high elevation slope with 257 quadrats is the most extensive habitat with only four species. Therefore, there is obvious evidence that habitat heterogeneity play an important role on shaping spatial distribution of species in warm temperate forest. Our research results provide significant evidence that dispersal limitation and habitat heterogeneity have a contribution jointly to regulating the spatial distribution pattern of species in warm-temperate-forest in China.
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Affiliation(s)
- Houjuan Song
- College of Environment and Resource, Shanxi University, Taiyuan 030006, China
| | - Yudan Xu
- College of Environment and Resource, Shanxi University, Taiyuan 030006, China
| | - Jing Hao
- College of Environment and Resource, Shanxi University, Taiyuan 030006, China
| | - Bingqing Zhao
- School of Land Sciences & Technology, China University of Geosciences, Beijing 100083, China
| | - Donggang Guo
- College of Environment and Resource, Shanxi University, Taiyuan 030006, China.
| | - Hongbo Shao
- Institute of Agro-biotechnology, Jiangsu Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Nanjing 210014, China.
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Jácome-Flores ME, Delibes M, Wiegand T, Fedriani JM. Spatial patterns of an endemic Mediterranean palm recolonizing old fields. Ecol Evol 2016; 6:8556-8568. [PMID: 28031807 PMCID: PMC5167057 DOI: 10.1002/ece3.2504] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/10/2016] [Revised: 08/20/2016] [Accepted: 08/30/2016] [Indexed: 11/10/2022] Open
Abstract
Throughout Europe, increased levels of land abandonment lead to (re)colonization of old lands by forests and shrublands. Very little is known about the spatial pattern of plants recolonizing such old fields. We mapped in two 21-22-ha plots, located in the Doñana National Park (Spain), all adult individuals of the endozoochorous dwarf palm Chamaerops humilisL. and determined their sex and sizes. We used techniques of spatial point pattern analysis (SPPA) to precisely quantify the spatial structure of these C. humilis populations. The objective was to identify potential processes generating the patterns and their likely consequences on palm reproductive success. We used (1) Thomas point process models to describe the clustering of the populations, (2) random labeling to test the sexual spatial segregation, and (3) mark correlation functions to assess spatial structure in plant sizes. Plants in both plots showed two critical scales of clustering, with small clusters of a radius of 2.8-4 m nested within large clusters with 38-44 m radius. Additional to the clustered individuals, 11% and 27% of all C. humilis individuals belonged to a random pattern that was independently superimposed to the clustered pattern. The complex spatial pattern of C. humilis could be explained by the effect of different seed-dispersers and predators' behavior and their relative abundances. Plant sexes had no spatial segregation. Plant sizes showed a spatial aggregation inside the clusters, with a decreasing correlation with distance. Clustering of C. humilis is strongly reliant on its seed dispersers and stressful environmental conditions. However, it seems that the spatial patterns and dispersal strategies of the dwarf palm make it a successful plant for new habitat colonization. Our results provide new information on the colonization ability of C. humilis and can help to develop management strategies to recover plant populations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Miguel E Jácome-Flores
- Department of Conservation Biology Estación Biológica de Doñana (EBD-CSIC) Seville Spain
| | - Miguel Delibes
- Department of Conservation Biology Estación Biológica de Doñana (EBD-CSIC) Seville Spain
| | - Thorsten Wiegand
- Department of Ecological Modelling Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research GmbH - UFZ Leipzig Germany; German Centre for Integrative Biodiversity Research (iDiv) Halle-Jena-Leipzig Leipzig Germany
| | - José M Fedriani
- Department of Conservation Biology Estación Biológica de Doñana (EBD-CSIC) Seville Spain; Department of Ecological Modelling Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research GmbH - UFZ Leipzig Germany; Technical University of Lisbon Institute of Agronomy Centre for Applied Ecology Lisboa Portugal
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39
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Fardeeva MB. Some patterns of spatial-ontogenetic structure in populations of tuber orchids. CONTEMP PROBL ECOL+ 2016. [DOI: 10.1134/s199542551605005x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/23/2022]
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Abstract
In this paper we introduce Lévy-driven Cox point processes (LCPs) as Cox point processes with driving intensity function Λ defined by a kernel smoothing of a Lévy basis (an independently scattered, infinitely divisible random measure). We also consider log Lévy-driven Cox point processes (LLCPs) with Λ equal to the exponential of such a kernel smoothing. Special cases are shot noise Cox processes, log Gaussian Cox processes, and log shot noise Cox processes. We study the theoretical properties of Lévy-based Cox processes, including moment properties described by nth-order product densities, mixing properties, specification of inhomogeneity, and spatio-temporal extensions.
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Abstract
In this paper we introduce Lévy-driven Cox point processes (LCPs) as Cox point processes with driving intensity function Λ defined by a kernel smoothing of a Lévy basis (an independently scattered, infinitely divisible random measure). We also consider log Lévy-driven Cox point processes (LLCPs) with Λ equal to the exponential of such a kernel smoothing. Special cases are shot noise Cox processes, log Gaussian Cox processes, and log shot noise Cox processes. We study the theoretical properties of Lévy-based Cox processes, including moment properties described by nth-order product densities, mixing properties, specification of inhomogeneity, and spatio-temporal extensions.
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Waud M, Wiegand T, Brys R, Lievens B, Jacquemyn H. Nonrandom seedling establishment corresponds with distance-dependent decline in mycorrhizal abundance in two terrestrial orchids. THE NEW PHYTOLOGIST 2016; 211:255-64. [PMID: 26876007 DOI: 10.1111/nph.13894] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/10/2015] [Accepted: 01/13/2016] [Indexed: 05/04/2023]
Abstract
In plant species that critically rely on mycorrhizal symbionts for germination and seedling establishment, distance-dependent decline of mycorrhizal fungi in the soil can be hypothesized to lead to significant spatial clustering as a result of nonrandom spatial patterns of seedling establishment. To test this hypothesis, we investigated the abundance and distribution of mycorrhizal fungi in the soil and how they relate to spatial patterns of adults and seedling recruitment in two related orchid species. We combined assessments of spatial variation in fungal abundance using quantitative PCR (qPCR) with spatial point pattern analyses based on long-term demographic data and cluster point process models. qPCR analyses showed that fungal abundance declined rapidly with distance from the adult host plants. Spatial point pattern analyses showed that successful recruitment in both species was clustered significantly around adult plants and that the decline in the neighborhood density of recruits around adults coincided with the decline of fungal abundance around adult plants. Overall, these results indicate that the distribution and abundance of fungal associates in the soil may have a strong impact on the aboveground distribution of its partner.
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Affiliation(s)
- Michael Waud
- Department of Biology, Plant Conservation and Population Biology, KU Leuven, B-3001, Leuven, Belgium
- Laboratory for Process Microbial Ecology and Bioinspirational Management (PME&BIM), Department of Microbial and Molecular Systems (M2S), KU Leuven, Campus De Nayer, B-2860, Sint-Katelijne-Waver, Belgium
| | - Thorsten Wiegand
- Department of Ecological Modelling, UFZ Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research, Permoserstrasse 15, 04318, Leipzig, Germany
- German Centre for Integrative Biodiversity Research (iDiv) Halle-Jena-Leipzig, Deutscher Platz 5e, 04103, Leipzig, Germany
| | - Rein Brys
- Research Institute for Forest and Nature, Kliniekstraat 25, B-1070, Brussels, Belgium
| | - Bart Lievens
- Laboratory for Process Microbial Ecology and Bioinspirational Management (PME&BIM), Department of Microbial and Molecular Systems (M2S), KU Leuven, Campus De Nayer, B-2860, Sint-Katelijne-Waver, Belgium
| | - Hans Jacquemyn
- Department of Biology, Plant Conservation and Population Biology, KU Leuven, B-3001, Leuven, Belgium
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Yang QS, Shen GC, Liu HM, Wang ZH, Ma ZP, Fang XF, Zhang J, Wang XH. Detangling the Effects of Environmental Filtering and Dispersal Limitation on Aggregated Distributions of Tree and Shrub Species: Life Stage Matters. PLoS One 2016; 11:e0156326. [PMID: 27227538 PMCID: PMC4882024 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0156326] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/08/2016] [Accepted: 05/12/2016] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
The pervasive pattern of aggregated tree distributions in natural communities is commonly explained by the joint effect of two clustering processes: environmental filtering and dispersal limitation, yet little consensus remains on the relative importance of the two clustering processes on tree aggregations. Different life stages of examined species were thought to be one possible explanation of this disagreement, because the effect of environmental filtering and dispersal limitation are expected to increase and decrease with tree life stages, respectively. However, few studies have explicitly tested these expectations. In this study, we evaluated these expectations by three different methods (species-habitat association test based on Poisson Clustering model and spatial point pattern analyses based on Heterogeneous Poisson model and the jointly modeling approach) using 36 species in a 20-ha subtropical forest plot. Our results showed that the percentage of species with significant habitat association increased with life stages, and there were fewer species affected by dispersal limitation in later life stages compared with those in earlier stages. Percentage of variance explained by the environmental filtering and dispersal limitation also increases and decreases with life stages. These results provided a promising alternative explanation on the existing mixed results about the relative importance of the two clustering processes. These findings also highlighted the importance of plant life stages for fully understanding species distributions and species coexistence.
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Affiliation(s)
- Qing-Song Yang
- School of Ecological and Environmental Science, East China Normal University, Shanghai, China
- Tiantong National Station of Forest Ecosystem, Chinese National Ecosystem Observation and Research Network, Ningbo, China
| | - Guo-Chun Shen
- School of Ecological and Environmental Science, East China Normal University, Shanghai, China
- Tiantong National Station of Forest Ecosystem, Chinese National Ecosystem Observation and Research Network, Ningbo, China
| | - He-Ming Liu
- School of Ecological and Environmental Science, East China Normal University, Shanghai, China
- Tiantong National Station of Forest Ecosystem, Chinese National Ecosystem Observation and Research Network, Ningbo, China
| | - Zhang-Hua Wang
- Shanghai Chenshan Plant Science Research Center, Chinese Academy of Sciences / Shanghai Chenshan Botanical Garden, Shanghai, China
| | - Zun-Ping Ma
- School of Ecological and Environmental Science, East China Normal University, Shanghai, China
- Tiantong National Station of Forest Ecosystem, Chinese National Ecosystem Observation and Research Network, Ningbo, China
| | - Xiao-Feng Fang
- School of Ecological and Environmental Science, East China Normal University, Shanghai, China
- Tiantong National Station of Forest Ecosystem, Chinese National Ecosystem Observation and Research Network, Ningbo, China
| | - Jian Zhang
- School of Ecological and Environmental Science, East China Normal University, Shanghai, China
- Tiantong National Station of Forest Ecosystem, Chinese National Ecosystem Observation and Research Network, Ningbo, China
| | - Xi-Hua Wang
- School of Ecological and Environmental Science, East China Normal University, Shanghai, China
- Tiantong National Station of Forest Ecosystem, Chinese National Ecosystem Observation and Research Network, Ningbo, China
- * E-mail:
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Li K, Vandermeer JH, Perfecto I. Disentangling endogenous versus exogenous pattern formation in spatial ecology: a case study of the ant Azteca sericeasur in southern Mexico. ROYAL SOCIETY OPEN SCIENCE 2016; 3:160073. [PMID: 27293786 PMCID: PMC4892448 DOI: 10.1098/rsos.160073] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/01/2016] [Accepted: 04/26/2016] [Indexed: 06/06/2023]
Abstract
Spatial patterns in ecology can be described as reflective of environmental heterogeneity (exogenous), or emergent from dynamic relationships between interacting species (endogenous), but few empirical studies focus on the combination. The spatial distribution of the nests of Azteca sericeasur, a keystone tropical arboreal ant, is thought to form endogenous spatial patterns among the shade trees of a coffee plantation through self-regulating interactions with controlling agents (i.e. natural enemies). Using inhomogeneous point process models, we found evidence for both types of processes in the spatial distribution of A. sericeasur. Each year's nest distribution was determined mainly by a density-dependent relationship with the previous year's lagged nest density; but using a novel application of a Thomas cluster process to account for the effects of nest clustering, we found that nest distribution also correlated significantly with tree density in the later years of the study. This coincided with the initiation of agricultural intensification and tree felling on the coffee farm. The emergence of this significant exogenous effect, along with the changing character of the density-dependent effect of lagged nest density, provides clues to the mechanism behind a unique phenomenon observed in the plot, that of an increase in nest population despite resource limitation in nest sites. Our results have implications in coffee agroecological management, as this system provides important biocontrol ecosystem services. Further research is needed, however, to understand the effective scales at which these relationships occur.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kevin Li
- School of Natural Resources and the Environment, University of Michigan, Dana Samuel Trask Building, 440 Church Street, Ann Arbor, MI 48109, USA
| | - John H. Vandermeer
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of Michigan, Kraus Natural Science Building, 830 North University, Ann Arbor, MI 48109, USA
| | - Ivette Perfecto
- School of Natural Resources and the Environment, University of Michigan, Dana Samuel Trask Building, 440 Church Street, Ann Arbor, MI 48109, USA
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Lara-Romero C, de la Cruz M, Escribano-Ávila G, García-Fernández A, Iriondo JM. What causes conspecific plant aggregation? Disentangling the role of dispersal, habitat heterogeneity and plant-plant interactions. OIKOS 2016. [DOI: 10.1111/oik.03099] [Citation(s) in RCA: 33] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Carlos Lara-Romero
- Biodiversity and Conservation Area, ESCET, Univ. Rey Juan Carlos; C/Tulipán s/n ES-28933 Móstoles Madrid Spain
| | - Marcelino de la Cruz
- Biodiversity and Conservation Area, ESCET, Univ. Rey Juan Carlos; C/Tulipán s/n ES-28933 Móstoles Madrid Spain
| | | | - Alfredo García-Fernández
- Biodiversity and Conservation Area, ESCET, Univ. Rey Juan Carlos; C/Tulipán s/n ES-28933 Móstoles Madrid Spain
| | - Jose M. Iriondo
- Biodiversity and Conservation Area, ESCET, Univ. Rey Juan Carlos; C/Tulipán s/n ES-28933 Móstoles Madrid Spain
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Simpson D, Illian JB, Lindgren F, Sørbye SH, Rue H. Going off grid: computationally efficient inference for log-Gaussian Cox processes. Biometrika 2016. [DOI: 10.1093/biomet/asv064] [Citation(s) in RCA: 90] [Impact Index Per Article: 11.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/14/2022] Open
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47
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Mensah S, Assogbadjo AE, Salako VK, Ago EE, Glèlè Kakaï R. Accounting for tree spatial distribution in a comparison of plot sizes and shapes in dense forest and woodland in Benin (West Africa). Afr J Ecol 2016. [DOI: 10.1111/aje.12269] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Sylvanus Mensah
- Laboratory of Biomathematics and Forest Estimations, Faculty of Agronomic Sciences; University of Abomey-Calavi; 03 BP 2819 Cotonou Benin
- Department of Forest and Wood Sciences; Stellenbosch University; Private Bag X1, 7602 Matieland South Africa
| | - Achille Ephrem Assogbadjo
- Laboratory of Biomathematics and Forest Estimations, Faculty of Agronomic Sciences; University of Abomey-Calavi; 03 BP 2819 Cotonou Benin
- Laboratory of Applied Ecology, Faculty of Agronomic Sciences; University of Abomey-Calavi; 03 BP 2819 Cotonou Benin
| | - Valère Kolawole Salako
- Laboratory of Biomathematics and Forest Estimations, Faculty of Agronomic Sciences; University of Abomey-Calavi; 03 BP 2819 Cotonou Benin
| | - Expédit Evariste Ago
- Laboratoire d'Hydraulique et de Maîtrise de l'Eau (LHME), Faculty of Agronomic Sciences; University of Abomey-Calavi; 03 BP 2819 Cotonou Benin
| | - Romain Glèlè Kakaï
- Laboratory of Biomathematics and Forest Estimations, Faculty of Agronomic Sciences; University of Abomey-Calavi; 03 BP 2819 Cotonou Benin
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Ledo A. Nature and Age of Neighbours Matter: Interspecific Associations among Tree Species Exist and Vary across Life Stages in Tropical Forests. PLoS One 2015; 10:e0141387. [PMID: 26581110 PMCID: PMC4651535 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0141387] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/25/2015] [Accepted: 10/06/2015] [Indexed: 11/20/2022] Open
Abstract
Detailed information about interspecific spatial associations among tropical tree species is scarce, and hence the ecological importance of those associations may have been underestimated. However, they can play a role in community assembly and species diversity maintenance. This study investigated the spatial dependence between pairs of species. First, the spatial associations (spatial attraction and spatial repulsion) that arose between species were examined. Second, different sizes of trees were considered in order to evaluate whether the spatial relationships between species are constant or vary during the lifetime of individuals. Third, the consistency of those spatial associations with the species-habitat associations found in previous studies was assessed. Two different tropical ecosystems were investigated: a montane cloud forest and a lowland moist forest. The results showed that spatial associations among species exist, and these vary among life stages and species. The rarity of negative spatial interactions suggested that exclusive competition was not common in the studied forests. On the other hand, positive interactions were common, and the results of this study strongly suggested that habitat associations were not the only cause of spatial attraction among species. If this is true, habitat associations and density dependence are not the only mechanisms that explain species distribution and diversity; other ecological interactions, such as facilitation among species, may also play a role. These spatial associations could be important in the assembly of tropical tree communities and forest succession, and should be taken into account in future studies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alicia Ledo
- University of Aberdeen, Aberdeen, Scotland, United Kingdom
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49
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Reconstructing the reproductive mode of an Ediacaran macro-organism. Nature 2015; 524:343-6. [PMID: 26237408 DOI: 10.1038/nature14646] [Citation(s) in RCA: 66] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/27/2015] [Accepted: 06/08/2015] [Indexed: 11/08/2022]
Abstract
Enigmatic macrofossils of late Ediacaran age (580-541 million years ago) provide the oldest known record of diverse complex organisms on Earth, lying between the microbially dominated ecosystems of the Proterozoic and the Cambrian emergence of the modern biosphere. Among the oldest and most enigmatic of these macrofossils are the Rangeomorpha, a group characterized by modular, self-similar branching and a sessile benthic habit. Localized occurrences of large in situ fossilized rangeomorph populations allow fundamental aspects of their biology to be resolved using spatial point process techniques. Here we use such techniques to identify recurrent clustering patterns in the rangeomorph Fractofusus, revealing a complex life history of multigenerational, stolon-like asexual reproduction, interspersed with dispersal by waterborne propagules. Ecologically, such a habit would have allowed both for the rapid colonization of a localized area and for transport to new, previously uncolonized areas. The capacity of Fractofusus to derive adult morphology by two distinct reproductive modes documents the sophistication of its underlying developmental biology.
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Waagepetersen R, Guan Y, Jalilian A, Mateu J. Analysis of multispecies point patterns by using multivariate log-Gaussian Cox processes. J R Stat Soc Ser C Appl Stat 2015. [DOI: 10.1111/rssc.12108] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
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