Species abundance distribution models of Toona ciliata communities in Hubei Province,China

The study of plant species abundance distribution(SAD)in natural communities is of considerable importance to understand the processes and ecological rules of community assembly.With the distribution of tree,shrub and herb layers of eight natural communities of Toona ciliata as research targets,three diff erent ecological niche models were used:broken stick model,overlapping niche model and niche preemption model,as well as three statistical models:log-series distribution model,log-normal distribution model and Weibull distribution model,to fi t SAD of the diff erent vegetation layers based on data collected.Goodness-of-fi t was compared with Chi square test,Kolmogorov–Smirnov(K–S)test and Akaike Information Criterion(AIC).The results show:(1)based on the criteria of the lowest AIC value,Chi square value and K–S value with no signifi cant diff erence(p>0.05)between theoretic and observed SADs.The suitability and goodness-of-fi t of the broken stick model was the best of three ecological niche models.The log-series distribution model did not accept the fi tted results of most vegetation layers and had the lowest goodness-of-fi t.The Weibull distribution model had the best goodness-of-fi t for SADs.Overall,the statistical SADs performed better than the ecological ones.(2)T.ciliata was the dominant species in all the communities;species richness and diversity of herbs were the highest of the vegetation layers,while the diversities of the tree layers were slightly higher than the shrub layers;there were fewer common species and more rare species in the eight communities.The herb layers had the highest community evenness,followed by the shrub and the tree layers.Due to the complexity and habitat diversity of the diff erent T.ciliata communities,comprehensive analyses of a variety of SADs and tests for optimal models together with management,are practical steps to enhance understanding of ecological processes and mechanisms of T.ciliata communities,to detect disturbances,and to facilitate biodiversity and species conservation.

Contemporary Asymmetric Genetic Introgression Between Two Pelophylax Species in Shanghai

Human disturbances are considered to break reproduction barriers among species.Significant increases in hybridization events have been reported among a large number of taxonomic groups in anthropogenic environments,providing novel insights into species evolution mechanisms and conservation management in the Anthropocene.The Eastern Golden Frog(Pelophylax plancyi)and BlackSpotted Frog(P.nigromaculatus)are two sympatric anuran species with a long history of mitochondrial genome introgression in highly urbanized continental East Asia.However,there is only limited understanding of the pattern of their contemporary hybridization and factors influencing their interspecific relationship under anthropogenic disturbances.Here,interspecific hybridization between P.plancyi and P.nigromaculatus at the population level was investigated in Shanghai.All except two haplotypes obtained from both species in Shanghai were mixed together,and located in the introgression clade,implying multiple ancient mitochondrial introgression events occurred in the populations of our study area.Asymmetric genetic introgression was detected by microsatellite markers,with 0.7%of P.plancyi and 14.6%of P.nigromaculatus identified as contemporary admixed individuals.Consistent with the trend of population density,higher genetic diversity of neutral microsatellite loci was found in the more abundant P.plancyi;however,variation in mitochondrial(Cyt-b)and nuclear(POMC)genes was higher in relatively rare P.nigromaculatus.The population density of P.plancyi and number of water patches within local habitats were significantly positively correlated with both occurrences and proportions of admixed individuals in the populations of P.plancyi and P.nigromaculatus.Considering the prevalent transformation of habitats in urbanized areas,these results imply that a high population density in isolated artificially altered habitats is likely to increase interspecific hybridization.Thus,population monitoring and improvement of landscape connectivity between habitats would be needed to control the intensity of interspecific hybridization between P.plancyi and P.nigromaculatus in anthropogenic-disturbed environments.

Species Abundance in a Forest Community in South China：A Case of Poisson Lognormal Distribution

: Case studies on Poisson lognormal distribution of species abundance have been rare, especially in forest communities. We propose a numerical method to fit the Poisson lognormal to the species abundance data at an evergreen mixed forest in the Dinghushan Biosphere Reserve, South China. Plants in the tree, shrub and herb layers in 25 quadrats of 20 m× 20 m, 5 m× 5 m, and 1 m× 1 m were surveyed. Results indicated that: (i) for each layer, the observed species abundance with a similarly small median, mode, and a variance larger than the mean was reverse J-shaped and followed well the zero-truncated Poisson lognormal; (ii) the coefficient of variation, skewness and kurtosis of abundance, and two Poisson lognormal parameters (& and μ) for shrub layer were closer to those for the herb layer than those for the tree layer; and (iii) from the tree to the shrub to the herb layer, the α and the coefficient of variation decreased, whereas diversity increased. We suggest that: (i) the species abundance distributions in the three layers reflects the overall community characteristics; (ii) the Poisson lognormal can describe the species abundance distribution in diverse communities with a few abundant species but many rare species; and (iii) 1/α should be an alternative measure of diversity.

Species Abundance Distribution Patterns of a Toona ciliata Community in Xingdoushan Nature Reserve

With the goal of model fitting species abundance distribution patterns of the tree,shrub and herb layers of the natural Toona ciliata community in Xingdoushan Nature Reserve,Enshi Autonomous Prefecture,Hubei Province,we used the data collected from the field survey and employed different ecological niche models.The models tested were the broken stick model(BSM),the overlapping niche model(ONM)and the niche preemption model(NPM),as well as three statistic models,the log-series distribution model(LSD),the log-normal distribution model(LND)and the Weibull distribution model(WDM).To determine the fitted model most suitable to each layer,the fitting effects were judged by criteria of the lowest value of Akaike Information Criterion(AIC),Chi-square and the K-S values with no significant difference(P>0.05)between the theoretical predictions and observed species abundance distribution values.The result showed:(1)The fitting suitability and goodness of fit of the tree,shrub and herb layers by using the three ecological niche models were ranked as:NPM>BSM>ONM.Of the three statistical models,by accepting the fitting results of the three layers,WDM was the best fitting model,followed by LND.By rejecting the fitting tests of the herb layer,LSD had the worst fitting effect.The goodness of the statistical models was ranked as:WDM>LND>LSD.In general,the statistical models had better fitting results than the ecological models.(2)T.ciliata was the dominant species of the tree layer.The species richness and diversity of the herb layer were much higher than those of either the tree layer or the shrub layer.The species richness and diversity of the shrub layer were slightly higher than those of the tree layer.The community evenness accorded to the following order:herb>shrub>tree.Considering the fitting results of the different layers,different ecological niche models or statistical models with optimal goodness of fit and ecological significance can be given priority to in studying the species abundance distribution patterns of T.ciliata communities.

Species Richness, Spatial Distribution and Abundance of Mbuna in Lake Malawi

Studies were carried out to determine species richness and abundance of rock-dwelling cichlids, Mbuna, in Lake Malawi. A total of 40 heterogeneous sites which yielded 10 genera, 136 species and a species-genus ratio of 13.6, were surveyed by scuba diving in transects laid at six depths on each site. Species diversity and abundance were generally high in the rocky bottom habitats with a general trend of the two variables decreasing with depth, except at Likoma and Chizumulu Islands where they increased with increasing depth. This was due to dominant species inhabiting water depths of 10 to 15 m. Relative abundance was generally low in all the sites where few species had relative abundance of more than 10%. The same was applied to relative site frequency; more than 60% of the species were rare with relative site frequency of less than 10%. These low estimates support the fact that most of the Mbuna species are endemic within localities in the lake. Southern part of the lake has lower abundance and richness of Mbuna with the exception of islands compared to the northern part of the lake. This is explained by high prevalence of sandy and muddy lake bottom in the south as opposed to rocky bottom in the north.

SPECIES-AREA RELATIONSHIP FOR POWER-LAW SPECIES ABUNDANCE DISTRIBUTION

We studied the mathematical relations between species abundance distributions （SADs） and species-area relationships （SARs） and found that a power-law SAR can be generally derived from a power-law SAD without a special assumption such as the ＂canonical hypothesis＂. In the present analysis, an SAR-exponent is obtained as a function of an SAD-exponent for a finite number of species. We also studied the inverse problem, from SARs to SADs, and found that a power-SAD can be derived from a power-SAR under the condition that the functional form of the corresponding SAD is invariant for changes in the number of species. We also discuss general relationships among lognormal SADs, the broken-stick model （exponential SADs）, linear SARs and logarithmic SARs. These results suggest the existence of a common mechanism for SADs and SARs, which could prove a useful tool for theoretical and experimental studies on biodiversity and species coexistence.

Assessing Forest Cover Distribution, Species Diversity, and Richness of the Buffer Zone for Strategic Forest Management Planning for Nimule National Park, South Sudan

Natural forest ecosystems play an essential role in the conservation of biodiversity of many plants and animals by providing them with habitat and suitable environments. Studies have shown that biodiversity-protected areas reduce the loss and degradation of natural habitats to various wild species of plants. This study examined the forest resources in five subzones by conducting tree/shrub species inventory to be able to develop an effective forest management plan for the Buffer Zone Forest Reserve for the sustainable conservation of flora and fauna of Nimule National Park. This is with the view to identify the main tree and shrub species;assess the composition, distribution, and abundance of various tree/shrub species;to determine the species diversity as well as the richness of these areas in terms of growth and performance where DBH and heights of trees/shrubs in the circular sample plots were measured. The results revealed the overall mean DBH and H of 13.83 cm and 6.61 m respectively. The highest number of trees was obtained in subzone B followed by D, while the least were found in subzone A. The overall mean tree/shrub density was 0.83 tons/ha. The mean total basal area and volume per hectare were 3252.74 m2/ha and 46,540.82 m3/ha respectively. The overall species abundance and distribution indicate Combretum spp, Cedrella spp., Grewia mollis, Acacia Sieberiana, Ziziphus abysinica, and Acacia seyal were the most dominant species, with over 12 species richness at the deposition side of the River Nile, 13 species at the western side of the Nile, the Administration site shows only 7 species, the lowland of Mt. Gordon show over 14 different species, whereas over 10 species were found on the top of Mt. Gordon. The overall mean diversity indices and evenness of H’, D, and E depicted 2.507, 0.871, and 0.840 respectively. These results yielded are relatively moderate. Therefore, conservation efforts are very necessary to improve and maintain the quality of vegetation cover.

Native Species Composition and Diversity of Valuable Woody Plants Regeneration during Fallow Period in Kamwatta, Moruca, Guyana

An intelligent method of shifting cultivation to regenerate vegetation after a long fallow period is critical information for restoration strategies. The literature review identified that the assessment of woody plant species on abandoned farmland has never been done before in Kamwatta, Moruca Region 1. In addition, more information should be available in indigenous communities and at the national level, including more documentation of the utilization of natural resources by the Warrau community. This study assessed the valuable woody plant species that grew during the fallow periods. Nine farmlands were randomly selected along a 100 m transect, each with varying fallow periods. In order to collect information on the age of farm abandonment, the researcher employed a mixed-methods approach. First, we found how long each farm had been fallow by administering a semi-structured questionnaire. Then, we conducted a flora survey to gain information on the variety and abundance of valuable plants using the age of farm abandonment as a dependent variable. The data analysis included the number of valuable woody trees with a diameter of >10 cm, seedlings and saplings with a diameter of <10 cm, the location of identified trees, and the uses of identified tree species. Microsoft Excel was used to code and analyze the questionnaire, while QGIS, Shannon’s Index of Diversity, and Simple Linear Regression were used to analyze the inventory data. The results showed that the respondents listed 38 valuable woody species, and 79% occurred in the studied area. The field verification revealed that the dominant family in the area was Mimosaceae. Species abundance increased with fallow up to 10 years before declining in the latter years. Plant diversity and abundance had a weak relationship with the age of abandoned farmlands for woody trees, while the seedlings and saplings showed no relationship.

Multi-scale analysis on species diversity within a 40-ha old-growth temperate forest

In order to better explore the maintenance mechanisms of biodiversity, data collected from a 40-ha undisturbed Pinus forest were applied to the Individual Species-Area Relationship model(ISAR) to determine distribution patterns for species richness. The ecological processes influencing species abundance distribution patterns were assessed by applying the same data set to five models: a LogNormal Model(LNM), a Broken Stick Model(BSM), a Zipf Model(ZM), a Niche Preemption Model(NPM), and a Neutral Model(NM). Each of the five models was used at six different sampling scales(10 m×10 m, 20 m×20 m, 40 m×40 m, 60 m×60 m, 80 m×80 m, and 100 m×100 m). Model outputs showed that:(1) Accumulators and neutral species strongly influenced species diversity, but the relative importance of the two types of species varied across spatial scales.(2) Distribution patterns of species abundance were best explained by the NPM at small scales(10 m-20 m), whereas the NM was the best fit model at large spatial scales.(3) Species richness and abundance distribution patterns appeared to be driven by similar ecological processes. At small scales, the niche theory could be applied to describe species richness and abundance, while at larger scales the neutral theory was more applicable.

Aquatic molluscs in high mountain lakes of the Eastern Alps (Austria): Species-environment relationships and specific colonization behaviour

Mountain lakes represent essential stages for aquatic species on their way colonizing habitats of more elevated regions. Despite extensive biological and chemical study, only little has been reported about the species number and density of freshwater molluscs in these waters. The article presented here elucidates the dispersal of aquatic gastropods and bivalves in 12 mountain lakes that are commonly situated in the Eastern Alps, Austria. Molluscs were recorded at 120 sample points, where a total of 13 species （8 gastropods and 5 bivalves） could be determined. Species distribution data as well as results from contemporarily conducted physico-chemical factor recording were subject to weighted average analysis. In addition, a global marginality coefficient indicating the particularity of a habitat inhabited by a focal species as well as a global tolerance coefficient expressing the width of a niche occupied by this species were computed. Species-environment relationships exhibited that species number and specific density decrease with increasing geographic altitude, declining water temperature, and decreasing amount of submerged vegetation. Whilst waters of the montane altitude level are partly charcterized by high number of mollusc species （〉 10）, lakes of the subalpine altitude level commonly bear 1 or 2 species with 〈〈1 ind./mz. As proposed by the results of statistics, 9 of the 13 mollusc species are characterized by a pronounced behaviour as specialists with respect to most environmental factors. The four remaining species, Pisidium casertanum, Galba truncatula, Radix labiata, and Radix balthica, act as generalists which increases their pioneering role in the long-term occupation of the Central-alpine region.

Stability of Mbuna Species Populations in Lake Malawi

The first comprehensive study of abundance, richness and distribution of Mbuna in Lake Malawi was carried out in the 1980s. The present study examined changes of species richness and abundance of Mbuna with time. Most sites demarcated during the 1980s survey were explored in order to determine changes in abundance and composition of Mbuna over a period of more than 20 years Chi-square analysis revealed significant difference （p 〈 0.05） in abundance of Mbuna between 1983 and 2005 with the exception of Chinyankhwazi and Chinyamwezi where the difference was not significant （p 〉 0.05）. Cluster analysis showed changes in species composition between 1983 and 2005 in various sites. Generally, there were more species lost in a given area than new species observed in 2005. Decline in Mbuna species richness might have been caused by siltation, harvesting of Mbuna for food and ornamental fish trade while new species were mostly introduced through translocation from one part of the lake to another.

Modeling effects of abiotic factors on the abundances of eight woody species in the Harana forest using artificial networks,random forest,and generalized linear models

Background Abiotic factors exert different impacts on the abundance of individual tree species in the forest but little has been known about the impact of abiotic factors on the individual plant,particularly,in a tropical forest.This study identified the impact of abiotic factors on the abundances of Podocarpus falcatus,Croton macrostachyus,Celtis africana,Syzygium guineense,Olea capensis,Diospyros abyssinica,Feliucium decipenses,and Coffea arabica.A systematic sample design was used in the Harana forest,where 1122 plots were established to collect the abundance of species.Random forest(RF),artificial neural network(ANN),and generalized linear model(GLM)models were used to examine the impacts of topographic,climatic,and edaphic factors on the log abundances of woody species.The RF model was used to predict the spatial distribution maps of the log abundances of each species.Results The RF model achieved a better prediction accuracy with R^(2)=71%and a mean squared error(MSE)of 0.28 for Feliucium decipenses.The RF model differentiated elevation,temperature,precipitation,clay,and potassium were the top variables that influenced the abundance of species.The ANN model showed that elevation induced a nega-tive impact on the log abundances of all woody species.The GLM model reaffirmed the negative impact of elevation on all woody species except the log abundances of Syzygium guineense and Olea capensis.The ANN model indicated that soil organic matter(SOM)could positively affect the log abundances of all woody species.The GLM showed a similar positive impact of SOM,except for a negative impact on the log abundance of Celtis africana at p<0.05.The spatial distributions of the log abundances of Coffee arabica,Filicium decipenses,and Celtis africana were confined to the eastern parts,while the log abundance of Olea capensis was limited to the western parts.Conclusions The impacts of abiotic factors on the abundance of woody species may vary with species.This ecological understanding could guide the restoration activity of individual species.The prediction maps in this study provide spatially explicit information which can enhance the successful implementation of species conservation.

Unique genes carried by abundant species enhance CH_(4) emissions during the growing season at the Tibetan Plateau

CH_(4) emission rates followed an increased pattern during the growing season at Tibetan Plateau.•Unique genes carried by abundant species were positively correlated with CH_(4) emission rates.•Climate factors influenced CH_(4) emission rates by regulating microbial community and their genes.Microorganisms play pivotal roles in soil methane(CH_(4))emissions and their functional genes are origins of a key mechanism for soil CH4-cycling.However,understanding of the roles of specific genes(e.g.,unique or shared genes carried by species)underlying CH_(4)-cycling remains elusive.Here,we measured CH_(4) emission rates and investigated variations in microbial community and the abundance of genes carried by species during the growing season in alpine meadow on the Tibetan Plateau.We discovered that CH_(4) emission rates increased from 394.4,745.9,and 1092.7µg CH4 m−2 h−1,in April,June,and August,respectively,and had a positive correlation with unique genes carried by abundant species during the growing season.Moreover,we found that unique genes carried by abundant species involved in methanogenesis processes have a higher abundance than methanotrophic processes.Further analysis indicated that climate factors(i.e.,mean monthly temperature(MMT)and mean monthly precipitation(MMP))influenced microbial community and their functional genes,and therefore affected the CH_(4) emission rates.Overall,the present study provides a novel insight into the variation of soil CH4 emissions from a functional gene perspective,highlighting the important roles of unique genes carried by abundant species in CH4 emissions in the Tibetan Plateau under seasonal variation.

Plant diversity and community structure of Brazilian Páramos

In Eastern South America, high altitude grasslands represent a mountain system that has a high number of endemic species. However, studies on the ecology of plant communities in these environments remain scarce. We aimed to evaluate the patterns of biodiversity and structure of plant communities from rocky outcrops in high altitude grasslands of three areas at the Caparaó National Park, southeastern Brazil, by sampling 300 randomly distributed plots. Then, we compared the floristic composition, relative abundance, and biological and vegetation spectra among areas. We classified species as endemic and non-endemic and verified the occurrence of endangered species. Species richness was evaluated by rarefaction analysis on the sampling units. The importance value and species abundance distribution(SAD) models were assessed. We also performed an indicator species analysis. We sampled 58 species belonging to 49 genera and 32 families. The number of species decreased with increasing altitude, with significant differences being observed among areas regarding richness, abundance, and cover. Of the total number of species, 10 are endemic to the Caparaó National Park and 17 are listed on the Brazilian Red List of endangered species. The dominant families on all peaks were Asteraceae and Poaceae. The SAD models showed lognormal and geometric distributions, corroborating the fact that 10 species that were common to all three areas were also the most dominant ones in the communities and showed the highest importance values, which ranged between 35% and 60%. Indicator species analysis revealed that 28 species(48.27%) were indicators. Of these, 42.85% had maximum specificity, meaning that they occurred only in one area. Thus, the number of species per life form ratio was similar among areas, yet vegetation spectra differed, especially for hemicryptophytes. The altimetric difference among the areas showed to be a very important driver in the community assembly, influencing the evaluated variables, however, other drivers as soil depth, slope and water could also influence the community structure on a smaller and local spatial scale.

Tree Planting:How Fast Can It Accelerate Post-fire Forest Restoration?——A Case Study in Northern Da Hinggan Mountains,China

In 1987,a catastrophic fire burned over 1330000 ha in the densely forested area of the Da Hinggan Mountains in the northeastern China.After the fire,intensive management including burned trunk harvesting and coniferous tree planting had been conducted to accelerate forest restoration.To study the long term effect of these activities on forest recovery,we used a simulation modeling approach to study long-term(300 years) forest dynamics under current planting and natural regeneration scenarios.Results indicate that under tree planting scenario in the severely burned area,the dominant species Dahurian larch(Larix gmelinii) can reach pre-fire level(60% of the area) within 20 years and the maximum abundance can reach nearly 90% within 100 years.While under natural regeneration scenario,it needs about 250 years to reach its pre-fire level.From the perspective of timber production,tree planting can bring twice as much timber volume as that under natural regeneration within 300 years,which is the average longevity of L.gmelinii.It needs about 70 years to reach the timber volume of pre-fire level under the planting scenario,whereas it requires at least 250 years to reach the timber volume of pre-fire level under natural regeneration scenario.Another dominant species Asian White birch(Betula platyphylla) responded negatively to the planting of coniferous species.In general,tree planting of coniferous species after fire can greatly accelerate forest restoration in terms of species abundance and target timber volume,with desirable ecological and economic returns.

Assessing adaptability and response of vegetation to glacier recession in the afro-alpine moorland terrestrial ecosystem of Rwenzori Mountains

The objective of this study was to explore vegetation adaptability in a changing afro-alpine moorland terrestrial ecosystem on Mt. Rwenzori and to determine whether there were any links with response of vegetation to glacier recession. We analyzed the composition and distribution of plant species in relation to soils, geomorphic processes, and landscape positions in the Alpine zone. To accomplish this objective, archival data sources and published reports for this ecosystem were reviewed. A field trip was conducted in 2010 to study in detail seven vegetation sampling plots that were systematically selected using GIS maps and a nested-quadrat sampling design framework along an altitudinal gradient in the lower and upper alpine zones. Using these sampling plots, 105 vegetation and 13 soil samples were assessed in the alpine zone. Soil samples were taken for laboratory testing and analysis. The results show statistically significant differences in pH, OM, N, P, Ca, Mg, and K pools between soils samples drawn from the lower and upper alpine sites （p 〈 0.0033）. Furthermore, we observed a significant vegetation formation with numerous structural forms, but there was a limited diversity of speeies. The most significant forms included Alchemilla carpets, Bogs, Dendrosenecio woodland, and Scree slopes. The lower alpine area （3500-3900 masl） had a more diverse plant species than other areas, especially Alchemilla argyrophylla and Dendrosenecio adnivalis species that were evident due to well-drained deeper soils. The Alchemilla subnivalis were evident at a higher altitude of above 4000 mask Shifts in the Astareeeae （e.g. Senecio species） were particularly prominent even on recently deglaciated areas. The spatial variations of species distribution, structure, and composition suggest there are serious implications in terms of ecosystem adaptability, resilience, and stability that require further evaluation.

3eta Diversity of Mbuna in Lake Malawi

Molecular and field studies suggest that Mbuna have limited migration range and are restricted by habitat discontinuities especially in areas where rocky habitats are separated by stretches of sand. This study estimated regional diversity of Mbuna in Lake Malawi. The estimated fl-diversity for all sites was 114.5 Mbuna suggesting that there was high level of allopatrism for the species complex. Sympatric index was low in the two regions of southern and northern lake and the observed high-end richness strongly correlated with minimum species richness. The sympatric index for the whole lake was 0.8, with non-monotypic species complexes showing declining values of sympatric index and the decline was dependent on the geographical scale of the area covered. The northern region sites had mean habitat ranking of 84.5% while the southern sites had habitat ranking of 56.7% supporting the observation that there are more rocky habitats in the northern part of the lake than in the southern. Implications of habitat ranking are discussed in terms of species abundance and richness.

High-throughput metabarcoding of SAR11 assemblages from the southwest Atlantic shelf and arid Patagonia:richness and associated rank abundance distributions

Background:Massively parallel sequencing of environmental DNA allows microbiological studies to be performed in greater detail than was possible with first-generation sequencing.For example,it facilitates the use of approaches hitherto largely applied to flora and fauna,such as rank abundance distribution(RAD)analyses.Methods:Here,we set out to advance the knowledge on Ca.Pelagibacterales(SAR11)communities from southern South America using environmental sequences from the open ocean in the Argentine sea,the uncharted Engaño Bay,as well as a river and an oligohaline shallow lake from the Patagonian Steppe ecoregion.The structures of the SAR11 assemblages present in these ecosystems were dissected by direct and rarefaction-based estimates of species richness,and evaluations of the corresponding abundance distributions(ADs),which was addressed by RAD analyses.Results:Microbial community composition analyses revealed that the studied SAR11 assemblages coexist with 27 bacterial phyla.SAR11 richness was in general very high,but ADs turned out to be highly uneven.The results were compatible with prior knowledge,and similar to that derived from point estimates of diversity.However,our comprehensive dissection allowed for more detailed quantitative comparisons to be made between the environments surveyed,and revealed differences regarding both richness and the underlying ADs.Conclusions:Despite SAR11 assemblages being extremely rich,their ADs are very uneven.Richness and ADs can vary,not only between fresh and salt water,but also between oceanic and coastal marine environments.The obtained results provide insights on general topics such as adaptation and the contrast between marine and freshwater radiations.

A Comparison of Tree Species Diversity in Two Subtropical Forests, Guangxi, Southwest China

Natural karst forests can support very high level of biodiversity, but difference of species diversity between the natural karst forests and non-karst forests is still less concerned. To analyze the difference of species diversity of the natural karst forests and non-karst forests in subtropics, we made a census of all woody species with diameter at breast height （dbh） 〉 1 cm in a 1-ha plot in Mulun subtropical karst forests and a 1-ha plot in Maoershan subtropical non-karst forests, Guangxi of south-western China. Species richness in Mulun plot （120 species） was higher than that in Maoershan plot （116 species）. Mulun plot contained more families and genera, more stems and a larger proportion of rare species （species of individuals less than or equal to 1 ha^-1）. At smaller scale （〈4000 m^2）, species accumulation rate in Mulun plot was lower than that in Maoershan plot, and it was reversed at larger scale （〉5000 m^2）. Total basal area in Mulun plot （18.47 m2） was smaller than that in Maoershan plot （30.74 m^2）. Size structure distribution of all woody species in the two plots showed insignificant difference. The ten most dominant species, families and genera were quite different in the two plots. In Muiun plot, the most important species and family were Sinosideroxylon wightianum and Sapindaceae, while in Maoershan plot, Castanopsis carlesii and Fagaceae were the most important species and family. All these results suggest that middle subtropical natural karst forest in Mulun supports diverse species with high spatial variability, and their species composition are quite different with non-karst forests. This study implies that special attention is needed on selecting suitable species in karst forest restoration and vegetation management strategies.

Abundance and habitat-suitability relationship deteriorate in fragmented forest landscapes:a case of Adinandra griffithii Dyer,a threatened endemic tree from Meghalaya in northeast India

Introduction:A strong positive‘abundance and habitat-suitability’relationship is crucial for conservation of species.Nevertheless,anthropogenic alteration of natural landscapes leading to land use and land cover change,habitat loss,and species extinctions(may)have putatively disturbed this relationship.Hence,it is important to study the nature of the relationship in such human influenced landscapes.Methods:In this study,we endeavored to understand the consistency of the relationship in the fragmented natural landscapes in the Khasi,Garo,and Jaintia hills of Meghalaya in northeast India,with Adinandra griffithii(an endangered endemic tree)as a model species.We reconstructed the distribution of its suitable habitats as a function of the remotely sensed vegetation phenology(i.e.,EVI data),using point occurrence data and ecological niche modeling(ENM)tool.Estimation of the abundance and habitat characterization was done through field surveys following standard methods.Results:The study revealed that remotely sensed landscape-level vegetation phenology could effectively discriminate the suitable and unsuitable habitats of threatened species.Linear regression model showed a weak positive correlation between abundance and predicted habitat suitability for adult trees indicating(plausible)deterioration in the relationship.However,sapling and seedling populations did not show a precise trend in this respect.Field-based studies revealed that removal of the species from the suitable habitats because of anthropogenic disturbances possibly weakened the abundance-suitability relationship.Conclusions:The findings of the study enjoin the need for re-establishment of the species in the suitable areas for its conservation and perpetuation.