Aims Linkages formed through aquatic-terrestrial subsidies can play an important role in structuring communities and mediating ecosystem functions.Aquatic-terrestrial subsidies may be especially important in nutrient-...Aims Linkages formed through aquatic-terrestrial subsidies can play an important role in structuring communities and mediating ecosystem functions.Aquatic-terrestrial subsidies may be especially important in nutrient-poor ecosystems,such as the freshwater sand dunes surrounding Lake Michigan.Adult midges emerge from Lake Michigan in the spring,swarm to mate and die.Their carcasses form mounds at the base of plants,where they may in crease plant productivity through their nutrient inputs.However,the effect of aquatic-terrestrial subsidies on plant productivity could depend on other biotic interactions.In particular,soil microbes might play a key role in facilitating the conversion of nutrients to plant-available forms or competing for the nutrients with plants.Methods In a greenhouse experiment,we tested how carcasses from lake emerge nt midges(Chironomidae)and soil microbes indepe ndently and interactively influe need the performance of a common dune grass,Calamovilfa longifolia.To determine whether midges influenced abiotic soil properties,we measured how midge additions influe need soil nutrients and soil moisture.Important Findings Midges greatly increased plant biomass,while soil microbes in flue need the magnitude of this effect.In the absence of soil microbes plant biomass was seven times greater with midges than without midges.However,in the presence of soil microbes,plant biomass was only three times greater.The effect of midges might be driven by their nutrient inputs into the soil,as midges contained 100 times more N,10 times more P and 150 times more K than dune soils did.Our results suggest that soil microbes may be competing with plants for these nutrients.In sum,we found that midges can be an important aquatic-terrestrial subsidy that produces strong,positive effects on plant productivity along the shorelines of Lake Michigan,but that the impact of aquatic-terrestrial subsidies must be considered within the context of the complex interactions that take place within ecological communities.展开更多
Our objectives are to examine the effects of hummock-depression spatial heterogeneity on plant communities and soil properties,and to understand the process of maintaining and adjusting microtopography-mediated hydrol...Our objectives are to examine the effects of hummock-depression spatial heterogeneity on plant communities and soil properties,and to understand the process of maintaining and adjusting microtopography-mediated hydrological inputs and their spatial fluctuations that produce obvious microhabitats.We set up 36 plots(1 m×1 m)and sampled 45 plant and 225 soil samples in flooded(FH)and non-flooded hummocks(NFH)and depressions of the marshy,and the surrounding non-wetland meadows as well as in the Yellow River Source Zone,west China.We evaluated whether the alpine marshy wetland has a fertile island effect by the comparison method.Our results show that hummock presence can increase the spatial heterogeneity of the microhabitat and promote the plant diversity and soil fertility of the Kobresia tibetica community.Plant height,coverage,above-ground biomass,species richness and diversity were significantly higher in the FH and NFH microhabitat than in the areas between hummocks and surrounding non-wetland meadows.Compared with broad alpine meadows,the hummock-depression complex provided a microhabitat favorable to the growth of Cyperaceae.In the 0-50 cm soil layer,the closer the soil layer was to the ground surface,the higher its soil organic carbon and total nitrogen contents.Thus,in deeper layers,the gap between soil nutrients in wetland hummock-depression microhabitat and in the surrounding alpine meadows becomes smaller.Hence,the wetland hummock-depression microhabitat formed a fertile island pattern.Therefore,these results contribute toward improving our understanding of ecosystem restoration in alpine marshy meadows.展开更多
基金supported by the Cougar Initiative to Engage(CITE)program(to A.B.G.)the Texas Ecological Laboratory(Ecolab)program(to H.L.)the National Science Foundation(DEB-1754287 to K.M.C.).
文摘Aims Linkages formed through aquatic-terrestrial subsidies can play an important role in structuring communities and mediating ecosystem functions.Aquatic-terrestrial subsidies may be especially important in nutrient-poor ecosystems,such as the freshwater sand dunes surrounding Lake Michigan.Adult midges emerge from Lake Michigan in the spring,swarm to mate and die.Their carcasses form mounds at the base of plants,where they may in crease plant productivity through their nutrient inputs.However,the effect of aquatic-terrestrial subsidies on plant productivity could depend on other biotic interactions.In particular,soil microbes might play a key role in facilitating the conversion of nutrients to plant-available forms or competing for the nutrients with plants.Methods In a greenhouse experiment,we tested how carcasses from lake emerge nt midges(Chironomidae)and soil microbes indepe ndently and interactively influe need the performance of a common dune grass,Calamovilfa longifolia.To determine whether midges influenced abiotic soil properties,we measured how midge additions influe need soil nutrients and soil moisture.Important Findings Midges greatly increased plant biomass,while soil microbes in flue need the magnitude of this effect.In the absence of soil microbes plant biomass was seven times greater with midges than without midges.However,in the presence of soil microbes,plant biomass was only three times greater.The effect of midges might be driven by their nutrient inputs into the soil,as midges contained 100 times more N,10 times more P and 150 times more K than dune soils did.Our results suggest that soil microbes may be competing with plants for these nutrients.In sum,we found that midges can be an important aquatic-terrestrial subsidy that produces strong,positive effects on plant productivity along the shorelines of Lake Michigan,but that the impact of aquatic-terrestrial subsidies must be considered within the context of the complex interactions that take place within ecological communities.
基金Thank the members of the research team for their kind support in the experiment,and thank the Science and Technology Department of Qinghai Provincial for the funding of the application basic project(2019-ZJ-7035)Discipline Innovation and Introducing Talents Program of Higher Education Institutions(the 111 Project,D18013)Changjiang Scholars and Innovation Team Development plan(IRT_17R62).
文摘Our objectives are to examine the effects of hummock-depression spatial heterogeneity on plant communities and soil properties,and to understand the process of maintaining and adjusting microtopography-mediated hydrological inputs and their spatial fluctuations that produce obvious microhabitats.We set up 36 plots(1 m×1 m)and sampled 45 plant and 225 soil samples in flooded(FH)and non-flooded hummocks(NFH)and depressions of the marshy,and the surrounding non-wetland meadows as well as in the Yellow River Source Zone,west China.We evaluated whether the alpine marshy wetland has a fertile island effect by the comparison method.Our results show that hummock presence can increase the spatial heterogeneity of the microhabitat and promote the plant diversity and soil fertility of the Kobresia tibetica community.Plant height,coverage,above-ground biomass,species richness and diversity were significantly higher in the FH and NFH microhabitat than in the areas between hummocks and surrounding non-wetland meadows.Compared with broad alpine meadows,the hummock-depression complex provided a microhabitat favorable to the growth of Cyperaceae.In the 0-50 cm soil layer,the closer the soil layer was to the ground surface,the higher its soil organic carbon and total nitrogen contents.Thus,in deeper layers,the gap between soil nutrients in wetland hummock-depression microhabitat and in the surrounding alpine meadows becomes smaller.Hence,the wetland hummock-depression microhabitat formed a fertile island pattern.Therefore,these results contribute toward improving our understanding of ecosystem restoration in alpine marshy meadows.
