Thinning intensity affects microbial functional diversity and enzymatic activities associated with litter decomposition in a Chinese fir plantation

Microbial functional diversity and enzymatic activities are critical to maintaining material circulation during litter decomposition in forests.Thinning,an important and widely used silvicultural treatment,changes the microclimate and promotes forest renewal.However,how thinning affects microbial functional diversity and enzymatic activities during litter decomposition remains poorly understood.We conducted thinning treatments in a Chinese fir plantation in a subtropical region of China with four levels of tree stem removal（0,30,50,and 70%）,each with three replicates,and the effects of thinning on microbial functional diversity and enzymatic activities were studied 7 years after treatment by collecting litter samples four times over a 1-year period.Microbial functional diversity and enzymatic activities were analyzed using Biolog Ecoplates（Biolog Inc.,Hayward,CA,USA）based on the utilization of 31 carbon substrates.Total microbial abundance during litter decomposition was lower after the thinning treatments than without thinning.Microbial functional diversity did not differ significantly during litter decomposition,but the types of microbial carbon-source utilization did differ significantly with the thinning treatments.Microbial cellulase and invertase activities during litter decomposition were significantly higher under the thinning treatments due to changes in the litter carbon concentration and the ratios of carbon and lignin to nitrogen.The present study demonstrated the important influence of thinning on microbial activities during litter decomposition.Moderate-intensity thinning may maximize vegetation diversity and,in turn,increase the available substrate sources for microbial organisms in litter and promote nutrient cycling in forest ecosystems.

Spatial pattern of tree diversity and evenness across forest types in Majella National Park,Italy

Background： Estimation of tree diversity at broader scale is important for conservation planning. Tree diversity should be measured and understood in terms of diversity and evenness, two integral components to describe the structure of a biological community. Variation of the tree diversity and evenness with elevation, topographic relief, aspect, terrain shape, slope, soil nutrient, solar radiation etc. are well documented. Methods： Present study explores the variation of tree diversity （measured as Shannon diversity and evenness indices） of Majella National Park, italy with five available forest types namely evergreen oak woods, deciduous oak woods, blacWaleppo pine stands, hop-hornbeam forest and beech forest, using satellite, environmental and field data. Results： Hop-hornbeam forest was found to be most diverse and even while evergreen Oak woods was the lowest diverse and even. Diversity and evenness of forest types were concurrent to each other i.e. forest type which was more diverse was also more even. As a broad pattern, majority portion of the study area belonged to medium diversity and high evenness class. Conclusions： Satellite images and other GIS data proved useful tools in monitoring variation of tree diversity and evenness across various forest types. Present study findings may have implications in prioritizing conservation zones of high tree diversity at Majella.

Quantifying forest structural diversity based on large-scale inventory data:a new approach to support biodiversity monitoring

Background: The importance of structurally diverse forests for the conservation of biodiversity and provision of a wide range of ecosystem services has been widely recognised. However, tools to quantify structural diversity of forests in an objective and quantitative way across many forest types and sites are still needed, for example to support biodiversity monitoring. The existing approaches to quantify forest structural diversity are based on small geographical regions or single forest types, typically using only small data sets.Results: Here we developed an index of structural diversity based on National Forest Inventory(NFI) data of BadenWurttemberg, Germany, a state with 1.3 million ha of diverse forest types in different ownerships. Based on a literature review, 11 aspects of structural diversity were identified a priori as crucially important to describe structural diversity. An initial comprehensive list of 52 variables derived from National Forest Inventory(NFI) data related to structural diversity was reduced by applying five selection criteria to arrive at one variable for each aspect of structural diversity. These variables comprise 1) quadratic mean diameter at breast height(DBH), 2) standard deviation of DBH, 3) standard deviation of stand height, 4) number of decay classes, 5) bark-diversity index, 6) trees with DBH ≥ 40 cm, 7) diversity of flowering and fructification, 8) average mean diameter of downed deadwood, 9) mean DBH of standing deadwood, 10) tree species richness and 11) tree species richness in the regeneration layer. These variables were combined into a simple,additive index to quantify the level of structural diversity, which assumes values between 0 and 1. We applied this index in an exemplary way to broad forest categories and ownerships to assess its feasibility to analyse structural diversity in large-scale forest inventories.Conclusions: The forest structure index presented here can be derived in a similar way from standard inventory variables for most other large-scale forest inventories to provide important information about biodiversity relevant forest conditions and thus provide an evidence-base for forest management and planning as well as reporting.

Soils Typology and Floristic Diversity of the Forest of the“Cite Scientifique”of Brazzaville,Congo

A study of the typology of soils and floristic diversity was carried out in the forest of the “Cité Scientifique” of Brazzaville. The study aimed to assess the influence of soil cover on the distribution of taxa. The study covers 18 plots of 625 m2 each, distributed in different soil profiles. The floristic inventory concerns the measurement of diameter of trees with dbh ≥ 10 cm and the counting of herbaceous and shrubs of dbh < 10 cm. The floristic composition reveals a total of 129 plant species distributed in 48 families dominated by Fabaceae and a preponderance of pioneer taxa. The Jaccard coefficients of similarity reveal a low degree of homology of woody plots, whereas for the flora as a whole, the floristic composition is heterogeneous. The Shannon biological diversity index of ligneous varies from 0.6 to 2, against a maximum diversity of 0.69 to 3. The Pielou index of ligneous (0.5 to 0.9) does not reveal any dominance. Soil cover consists of ferrallitic and podzol soils. Their texture is sandy, weakly structured, fragmentary polyhedral throughout the profile, but lumpy and/or nuciform at the surface and sub angular in depth. The porosity decreases proportionally with the depth and thickness of the horizons. The floristic analysis presents an ecosystem with a low degree of diversification for a high floristic richness. The preponderance of anthropization markers is a proof of its very advanced state of disturbance. The study shows that soil cover does not influence the distribution of timber. Indeed, the establishment and development of pioneer species are less prone to soil properties.

Isolation and species diversity of arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi in the rhizosphere of Puccinellia tenuiflora of Songnen saline-alkaline grassland,China

Salinization has led to the deterioration of the ecological environment,affected the growth of plants,and hindered the development of agriculture and forestry.Arbuscular mycorrhizal(AM)fungi,as important soil microorganisms,play significant physiological and ecological roles in promoting plant nutrient absorption and improving soil structure.Puccinellia tenuiflora(Turcz.)Scribn.et Merr.in Songnen saline-alkaline grassland was selected as the research object to observe AM fungal colonization of the roots and explore the species and diversity of AM fungi in symbiotic association with P.tenuiflora.This study showed that AM fungi colonized in P.tenuiflora roots and formed a typical Arum-type mycorrhizal structure.A significant correlation was observed between vesicular abundance and the colonization intensity of mycorrhiza.Isolation and identification revealed 40 species of AM fungi in the rhizosphere of P.tenuiflora,belonging to 14 genera,of which two species could not be identified.The richness of the genus Glomus was the highest,accounting for 30%of the total species.Funneliformis mosseae and Rhizophagus intraradices were isolated from all the samples and were the species with the widest distribution in the rhizosphere of P.tenuiflora.Correlation analysis showed that pH only had a significant impact on the distribution of a few species,such as Glomus pustulatum,Diversispora spurca,Glomus aggregatum,Rhizophagus clarum,and Acaulospora foveata.The present study provides a theoretical basis for further exploring the resources of AM fungi in saline-alkaline soil.

Can picnic influence floral diversity and vitality of trees in Bhawal National Park of Bangladesh?

We examined the impact of picnic activities on forest diversity, structure, regeneration and vitality of tree species in the Bhawal National Park of Bangladesh. The study area was classified as a non-used, occasionally used and frequently used area on the basis of the intensity of the picnic activities. A total of 43 plant species were enumerated in the whole study area. The highest plant species richness （41 species） was observed in the non-used area whereas the lowest species richness （11 species） in the frequently used area. The diversity index decreased with the increase of picnic intensity whereas the concentration of dominance increased. Density of all plant groups except mature trees, and the basal area of the mature trees showed a declining trend from the non-used to frequently used area. The frequently used area exhibited very poor regeneration. Tree vitality decreased with the increase of picnic intensity. The relevance of our study as a basis for further research to determine the impact of tourism on biodiversity in Bangladesh is discussed.

Employing Diversity and Similarity Indices to Evaluate Geopedological Soil Mapping in Miyaneh, East Azerbaijan Province, Iran

The geopedological viewpoint attempts to distinguish and introduce the smallest map unit that has the highest levels of homogeneity and uniformity with respect to landform, lithology, and soil, especially if the relationship between geomorphology and soils in the region is well defined. This research intended to investigate the degree of validity generalization of results obtained in the geopedology approach for similar landforms in the Miayneh region of East Azerbaijan Province, Iran. For this purpose, soil diversity study was conducted through measuring it in a hierarchical sequence in categories of USDA soil taxonomy and by comparing similar units in the geopedological method through employing pedodiversity and similarity indices. After preparing the initial interpretative map (based on aerial photographs) at a scale of 1:20,000, the HPu211 unit that covered the greatest delineation of study area was selected and 28 soil profiles, about 90 meters apart, were excavated, described, and sampled in this unit. The degree of validity generalization of geopedological results for the mentioned unit was determined by digging 14 other soil profiles in a similar unit, called the validation area, which was located outside of the sample area. Results indicated that the value of Shannon’s diversity index increased from the level of soil order to soil family in both the sample and the generalization areas;however, only at the soil family level were there significant differences between soil diversity in the two areas at the confidence level of 95%. As well as classification of the profiles dug in the generalization area was different from that of the profiles dug in the sample area at the category of soil family. Therefore, it is possible that management generalizability in this method, even at the detailed scale, can satisfy the related needs. Consequently, interpretative or managerial purity of geopedological units must be considered in future research.

Characterization of sugar diversity in floral and extra-floral nectar from the Coastal Coral Tree(Erythrina caffra Thunb.)in Southern California

The Coastal Coral Tree (Erythrina caffra Thunb.) produces floral nectar (FN) that serves to attract pollinating insects, but also secretes nectar from extra-floral (EFN) glands that serves to attract predatory insects, such as ants. While studies on myrmecophytes (i.e. specialized plants that attract and interact with ants) have primarily focused on interspecific evaluations of EFN chemistry, the Coastal Coral tree offers an opportunity to contrast intraspecific nectar chemistry with differing evolutionary and ecological functions. We hypothesized that the richness of (molecular) sugar species, relative concentrations, and diversity of sugars in FN and foliar EFN would diverge due to differences in the ecological role of the two types of nectar. High performance liquid chromatography with refractive index detection was used to identify the richness of sugar species (based on retention time), measure the relative concentrations, and evaluate the diversity of sugars in FN and foliar EFN secretions. We detected sugar species unique to each gland type and reported significant differences in the relative concentration of one sugar species common to both gland types. While the mean diversity index of sugars was similar for both gland types, the diversity of foliar EFN sugars was significantly more variable than that of FN sugars. The composition of FN showed little variation, and was reflective of its fundamental role in plant reproduction. Foliar EFN, however, demonstrated the variability expected of a context-dependent myrmecophyte that interacts with a facultative ant species assemblage across a mosaic of abiotic and biotic conditions.

Diversity of macrofungi and its distribution pattern of Gorakhpur District,Uttar Pradesh,India

The present study deals with the status of macrofungal diversity in Gorakhpur district and its distribution pattern.The macrofungal survey was undertaken during 2011-2014 in different localities of Gorakhpur district.A total of 114 species of macrofungi belonging to 58 genera and 33 families were collected and identified in to 31 edible species,10 excellent edible species,68 inedible species and 5 poisonous species.Agaricaceae family was found to be the dominant representing 18 species.Distribution of macrofungal species in different localities of Gorakhpur district was also evaluated on the basis of Shannon diversity index,Simpson diversity index and evenness.Highest Shannon diversity index,Simpson diversity index and evenness were found to be 3.61,0.97 and 0.90 respectively in Sahjanwan tehsil.The results indicate a very high species richness of the study site.

Diversity of endophytic fungi associated with Hedychium spicatum Ham ex Sm.and their antifungal activity against the phytopathogen Alternaria solani

Twenty eight strains of endophytic fungi including sterile mycelia were isolated from the leaf,rhizome and roots of Hedychium spicatum Ham ex.Sm.Majority of the endophytic fungi isolated belonged to the phylum Ascomycota which accounted of about 84%.The endophytic assemblage was dominated by the class Sordariomycetes.Endophytic fungal genera such as Fusarium and Penicillium were found to be common to all the plant parts.Diversity of endophytic fungi was found to be highest in the roots(H’=2.43).Mucor hiemalis,Penicillium sp.,Penicillium expansum,P.simplicissimum,Phoma medicaginis,Trichoderma sp.and T.gamsii showed above 60%inhibition against the phytopathogen Alternaria solani.

Interactions of Microplastics and Methane Seepage in the Deep-Sea Environment

Microplastics(MPs)are important exempla of the Anthropocene and are exerting an increasing impact on Earth’s carbon cycle.The huge imbalance between the MPs floating on the marine surface and those that are estimated to have been introduced into the ocean necessitates a detailed assessment of marine MP sinks.Here,we demonstrate that cold seep sediments,which are characterized by methane fluid seepage and a chemosynthetic ecosystem,effectively capture and accommodate small-scale(<100μm)MPs,with 16 types of MPs being detected.The abundance of MPs in the surface of the sediment is higher in methane-seepage locations than in non-seepage areas.Methane seepage is beneficial to the accumulation,fragmentation,increased diversity,and aging of MPs.In turn,the rough surfaces of MPs contribute to the sequestration of the electron acceptor ferric oxide,which is associated with the anaerobic oxidation of methane(AOM).The efficiency of the AOM determines whether the seeping methane(which has a greenhouse effect 83 times greater than that of CO_(2)over a 20-year period)can enter the atmosphere,which is important to the global methane cycle,since the deep-sea environment is regarded as the largest methane reservoir associated with natural gas hydrates.

Macroinvertebrates as Bio Indicators of Water Quality in Pinyinyi River, Arusha Tanzania

Rivers are important for aquatic biodiversity. Anthropogenic activities degrade rivers and decrease their capacity to offer ecosystem services. This study used macroinvertebrates to assess the impact of anthropogenic activities on the Pinyinyi River during dry and wet season. Abundance of macroinvertebrates, average score per taxon and Shannon Weiner Species Diversity Index were used to state the ecological status of Pinyinyi River. Because the abundance of macroinvertebrates can be affected by change in water quality, some of the physicochemical parameters were also measured. A macroinvertebrates hand net is used to collect the macroinvertebrates per sampling point. DO, temperature, pH, turbidity and TDS were measured in-situ using HI-9829 Multiparameter and BOD was measured in the laboratory using Oxydirect levibond method. A total of 164 macroinvertebrates were collected and identified from Pinyinyi River during dry and wet season. They belong to 13 families. The most abundant taxa were mosquito larva, Diptera (41.07%) and aquatic caterpillar, Lepidoptera (23.21%) during dry season representing about 64.28% of the total macroinvertebrates whereas the least abundant taxa were pouch snail (16.07%) and dragonflies, Odonata (19.64%) during dry season representing about 35.72% of the total macroinvertebrates. The most abundant taxa collected during wet season were aquatic earthworm, haplotaxida (19.44%), midges, Diptera (17.59%), black flies, Diptera (15.74%) and creeping water bugs, hemiptera (12.96%) whereas the least abundant were pigmy back swimmers, hemiptera (2.78%), snail (3.7%), predacious dividing beetle (4.63%) and coleopteran (4.63%). Average Score per taxon of Pinyinyi River during dry season was 5.25 and 3.6 during wet season. The Shannon Weiner Species Diversity Index was 1.318 during dry season and 2.138 during wet season. Based on the score, Pinyinyi River is moderately polluted during dry season and seriously polluted during wet season. Based on index, Pinyinyi River has low diversity of macroinvertebrates during dry season and highly in diversity of macroinvertebrates during wet season. Moreover, it was found that, agricultural activities, livestock keeping, bathing and washing alter physicochemical parameters of Pinyinyi River and hence change the abundance of macroinvertebrates as well as the quality of water. The study, therefore, recommends that the source of pollutants should be controlled and the river regularly monitored by the relevant authorities.

Analysis of effect of nicotine on microbial community structure in sediment using PCR-DGGE fingerprinting

Solid or liquid waste containing a high concentration of nicotine can pollute sediment in rivers and lakes, and may destroy the ecological balance if it is directly discharged into the environment without any treatment. In this study, the polymerase chain reaction （PCR） and denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis （DGGE） method was used to analyze the variation of the microbial community structure in the control and nicotinecontaminated sediment samples with nicotine concentration and time of exposure. The results demonstrated that the growth of some bacterial species in the nicotine-contaminated sediment samples was inhibited during the exposure. Some bacteria decreased in species diversity and in quantity with the increase of nicotine concentration or time of exposure, while other bacteria were enriched under the effect of nicotine, and their DGGE bands changed from undertones to deep colors. The microbial community structure, however, showed a wide variation in the nicotine- contaminated sediment samples, especially in the sediment samples treated with high-concentration nicotine. The Jaccard index was only 35.1% between the initial sediment sample and the sediment sample with a nicotine concentration of 0.030 μg/g after 28 d of exposure. Diversity indices showed that the contaminated groups had a similar trend over time. The diversity indices of contaminated groups all decreased in the first 7 d after exposure, then increased until day 42. It has been found that nicotine decreased the diversity of the microbial community in the sediment.

CHARACTERISTICS OF SMALL RODENT COMMUNITY IN DIFFERENT AGED CUT-OVER AREAS IN DAILING MOUNTAIN

The field investigation of small rodent community was made in Liangshui Reserve, Heilongiiang Province, in 1992. Species composition and percentage of each species of the small rodents in different aged clear-cut-over areas were analyzed. The change of rodent community was associated with the change of vegetation cover. Forest harvest, which results in change of light, temperature, water and othcr ecological factors, made change of vegetation cover and was the main cause for the change of small rodent community. The small rodents were low in number of species population and diversity index in the inatial stages after clear cutting. The diversity index of rodents in order of different aged cut-over areas were 5-year-old area >20-year-old area > 28-year-old area > 1 -year-old area > 10-year-old area.

Impact assessment of genetically modified herbicide-tolerant cotton on arthropod communities

Background:Cotton(Gossypium spp.)is one of the most important economic crops worldwide,and its production plays an important role in the economy of many countries.Genetically modified herbicide-tolerant(GMHT)crops,which were developed to minimize the losses caused by weeds,have gradually become the most widely adopted genetically modified crops in the world due to their economic and environmental benefits.However,the potential ecological and environmental risks of GMHT crops have attracted extensive attention and controversy.Arthropod communities form a promine nt part of the biodiversity of agroecosystems and are important indicators of environmental health.Elucidating the effects of GMHT crops on the diversity of arthropod communities is necessary to ensure the safety of GMHT crops.Result:In this 2-year study,we investigated the potential impact of GMHT crops on arthropod communities.The GMHT cotton variety GGK2 with glyphosate tolerance and its near-isogenic non-GMHT variety K312 were used for the experimental groups.The Shannon diversity index(H),Simpson diversity index(D),Pielou evenness index(J),and principal co-ordinates analysis(PCoA)of the Bray-Curtis distance were used to evaluate the population dynamics and biodiversity of arthropods in cotton fields.No significant differences were found between GGK2 and K312 in their total abundance of arthropod communities,and biodiversity indexes on most sampling dates.The arthropod composition in the GGK2 and K312 plots was similar.Sampling elates had a significant effect on biodiversity indexes,whereas no clear tendencies related to cotton variety or cotton variety x sampling elates interaction were recorded.In addition,PCoA revealed high similarity between the arthropod communities in the plots of the GMHT cotton variety GGK2 and its near-isogenic variety K312.Conclusion:There was no obvious difference in abundance,diversity indexes of arthropod communities between GMHT cotto n variety GGK2 and its near-isogenic variety K312 under the small-scale plan ting regime.

Efficiency,Equity and Effect:a case study on virtual water consumption characteristics

Scarcity of water is the key factor restricting the growth of social economy.The virtual water theory provides a new way to solve the problem of water scarcity.For this paper,we have calculated the virtual water consumption of each household,grouped by income,of Gansu province for 1992-2005.Then we advanced the indicator of virtual water with per-unit-of-consumption expenditure to analyze the efficiency of virtual water consumption.Additionally,we recurred to the diversity theory advanced by Ulanowicz,which is broadly employed by ecologists and biologists,to analyze the characteristics of virtual water consumption.As a result,the virtual water consumption of each group decreased yearly from 1992 to 2005,on the whole;decreasing proceeded slower during the period of 1992-1997 than during 1998-2005.Per-unit-consumption expenditure of virtual water for each group represents the same characteristics,on the whole,as virtual water consumption.The largest variation of this indicator exists in the group of the lowest income,which ranges from 1.58 to 0.18 m3/Yuan.yr;whereas the least exists in the highest income group,which is 0.58 to 0.07 m3/Yuan.yr.The virtual diversity indicator increased year by year,and the change of this indicator in 1992-1997 was more obvious than in 1998-2005.Finally,from this study we find that,in view of virtual water,we can save water by means of changing consumption patterns and increasing consumption diversity,but without degrading the quality of living and reducing the demands of living.When the problem of water scarcity becomes more and more serious in Gansu of China,this suggestion becomes more and more important.The consumption,the role of guiding production produce,is very important.An unsustainable consumption pattern is the main factor causing the deterioration of the world environment,especially in a developing country.The sustainable consumption is the only way to develop human beings and achieve the economical sustainable economics.

Phylogenetic Structure of Low Altitude Forest Communities in Baotianman Mountain

[Objectives]The paper was to reveal the phylogenetic structure of low altitude forest communities in Baotianman Mountain.[Methods]Ten 20 m×20 m plots were set at an altitude of 249-796 m in Baotianman Nature Reserve,in which 62 plant species were found.A phylogenetic tree was established on Phylomatic website,and the community related phylogenetic indexes at low altitude were calculated and analyzed,including net relatedness index(NRI),nearest taxon index(NTI),phylogenetic diversity Faith's PD index,phylogeneticβdiversity PhyloSor index and Dnn index.[Results]The NTI and NRI values of low altitude forest communities were generally greater than 0,showing phylogenetically clustered communities,and habitat filtration was the dominant factor in community construction.Combined with the species abundance matrix of plots,it was found that PD index had a significantly positive correlation with species richness.Phylogeneticβdiversity PhyloSor index was larger in the lower altitude area,which was exactly opposite to Dnn index.In other words,the more similar the community,the closer the distance between species,and the communities were phylogenetically clustered.[Conclusions]The study can provide a scientific basis for forest community management and restoration.

Landscape patterns and their evolutions in the suburban ecotone──A case study of the eastern suburb of Beijing

The characteristics and evolutions of the landscape patterns in the suburban ecotone are studied on the basis of landscape-ecological maps of different years derived from the corresponding aerial photos The relationship between landscape patterns and urban economical development is ana- lyzed. The diversity index is used to characterize the features of the landscape patterns in the ecotone and define the location of Sharp change.

Measure of Departure from Point-Symmetry for the Analysis of Collapsed Square Contingency Tables

For square contingency tables with ordered categories, there may be some cases that one wants to analyze them by considering collapsed 3 × 3 tables with some adjacent categories combined in the original table. This paper considers the point-symmetry model (Wall and Lienert, 1976) for collapsed tables and proposes a measure to represent the degree of departure from point-symmetry for collapsed tables. Also it gives approximate confidence interval for the proposed measure.