Primary Succession of Algal Community Structure in Desert Soil

荒漠土壤藻群落结构的原生演替(英文)

The microbiotic crust study is among new focuses in investigating on the desertification control. Based on determination of algal crusts with different successive ages (4-, 8-, 17-, 34-, 42-year-old) and unconsolidated sand in the desert area, species composition and clustering analyses were carried out in this study. Results on successional orientation revealed that (1) the abundance of Cyanophyta, specially of Scytonema javanicum gradually decreased; (2) the abundance of Chlorophyta, Bacillariophyta and a species of Cyanophyta, Phormidium tenue increased; (3) the biodiversity increased gradually with the community succession; and (4) biomass of microalgae increased at the early stage, but decreased at the later stage due to the abundance of lichens and mosses. But, the speed of natural succession was so slow that the community-building species was still the first dominant species after 42 years, except that its dominant degree decreased just slightly. However, successive speed and trend were affected by water, vegetation coverage, terrain, time and soil physico-chemical properties as well, especially Mn content in the soil appeared to have a threshold effect.

微生物结皮是荒漠化治理中新的热点之一,但其关键形成生物——微型藻类如何通过群落结构的变化向地衣结皮、藓类结皮转变的机理仍是未知的。本文以时空替代法,将沙坡头流沙,4、8、17、34及42龄结皮当作同一群落演替进程中的6个阶段,通过系统聚类、主分量分析的方法首次对这一问题进行了研究,结果显示该地荒漠藻群落的原生演替朝着蓝藻总丰度和爪哇伪枝藻(Scytonema javanicum)丰度逐渐下降,纤细席藻(Phormidiumtenue)、绿藻、硅藻丰度逐渐增加的方向进行;多样性随群落演替的发展而增高;生物量在初期呈正向演替,后期随地衣、藓类的入侵逐渐下降;演替速度非常缓慢,高龄结皮中的优势种仍是建群种,只是优势度略有下降;水分、植被覆盖、地形、时间,土壤理化性质都影响演替途径和速度,特别是Mn含量对演替有重要的阈值作用。