Surface pollen and its relationship to vegetation on the southern slope of the eastern Qilian Mountains

The objective of this study is to investigate pollen-vegetation relationship in the Qilian Mountains. The eastern Qilian Mountains are located in the transitional zone of the Tibetan Plateau, the Loess Plateau and the arid region of Northwest China, which is one of the key areas of global environmental change. A total of 13 surface pollen samples from main vegetation have been collected. Pollen percentages were calculated in all samples. In order to reveal the relationship between pollen composition and the vegetation types from which the soil samples have been collected, Detrended Correspondence Analysis (DCA) ordination method was employed on the pollen data. The results show that dominating vegetation types can be recognized by their pollen spectra: Picea crassifolia forest, alpine shrub and alpine meadow as well. Altitude and temperature determine the distribution of the surface pollen and the vegetation. The good agreement between modern vegetation and surface samples across this area provides a measure of the reliability of using pollen data to reconstruct paleoenvironment and paleovegetation patterns in this or other similar regions. However the loss of Betula pollen in forest needs further investigation. Pollen oxidation is the most important factor contributing to the damage of modern pollen in the study area. Pollen concentrations decrease with the increase of pH values of soils, and decrease sharply when the pH exceeds 7.6.     

基于旅游开发影响的五台山植被景观特征分析

以往旅游对植被影响的评价成果较多,但是旅游影响下植被景观与地理因子之间的关系报道较少。本文利用多种数量生态学方法探讨了五台山旅游开发与植被景观之间的生态关系。结果表明：① 旅游开发影响下五台山植被景观可分为单优乔木区、草本区、差级乔草区、中级乔草区、中级灌草区、良级灌草区、良级乔灌草区、优级乔灌草区、以及寺庙区、商业区或居民区9种类型。② 在除趋势对应分析中,第一轴与所有因子的相关性都较大,第二轴与旅游干扰度和海拔呈显著的负相关性。各植被景观类型的空间分布在一定程度上取决于关键性指标的空间格局。③ 除趋势典范对应分析方法能够大大提高植被景观特征与地理因子间的相关性,并将其直观地表达于排序图中。在植被景观特征与地理因子的关系上,第一轴上的相关系数是0.858_DCCA>0.828_DCA,第二轴上的相关系数是0.583_DCCA>0.501_DCA,这说明除趋势典范对应分析方法更优。     

Cyclotella-taxa (Bacillariophyceae) in lakes of the Alpine region and their relationship to environmental variables

Surface sediment diatom assemblages for 86 Alpine lakes were analysed focusing on the dominant genusCyclotella and corresponding environmental data. The range of morphological variability of theCyclotella bodanica/radiosa, C. distinguenda, C. ocellata, C. comensis andC. stelligera complexes was documented. Significance tests included in the canonical correspondence analysis (CCA) indicated that total phosphorus, conductivity and surface water temperature were significantly correlated withCyclotella taxa assemblage distribution. Numerical species optima and tolerances were calculated in respect to these significant variables using weighted averaging (WA) regression and calibration. CCA and WA were able to provide information about the environmental preferences of the various morphotypes observed.     

Chironomids as indicators of climate change: a 100‐lake training set from a subarctic region of northern Sweden (Lapland)

Multivariate numerical analyses (DCA, CCA) were used to study the distribution of chironomids from surface sediments of 100 lakes spanning broad ecoclimatic conditions in northern Swedish Lapland. The study sites range from boreal forest to alpine tundra and are located in a region of relatively low human impact. Of the 19 environmental variables measured, ordination by CCA identified mean July air temperature as one of the most significant variables explaining the distribution and the abundance of chironomids. Lossonignition (LOI), maximum lake depth and mean January air temperature also accounted for significant variation in chironomid assemblages. A quantitative transfer function was created to estimate mean July air temperature from sedimentary chironomid assemblages using weightedaveraging partial least squares regression (WAPLS). The coefficient of determination was relatively high (r² = 0.65) with root mean squared error of prediction (RMSEP, based on jack-knifing) of 1.13 °C and maximum bias of 2.1 °C, indicating that chironomids can provide useful quantitative estimates of past changes in mean July air temperature. The paper focuses mainly on the relationship between chironomid composition and July air temperature, but the relationship to LOI and depth are also discussed.     

北方草原区主要群落类型表土花粉分析

建立花粉与现代植被的关系是利用地层沉积物中的花粉记录恢复古植被、古气候研究的基础工作之一。中国北方草原区39个表土花粉研究表明,蒿属、藜科是草原区花粉组合的主要成分,以禾本科为建群种的草原群落花粉组合以蒿属花粉为主,禾本科花粉多低于10%。禾本科花粉的低代表性可能与其分蘖繁殖、花粉产量低有关。草原区表土花粉浓度与植被盖度相关不明显。典型草原与荒漠草原花粉组合存在着明显的区别,典型草原区藜科花粉百分比一般低于25%,荒漠草原区一般高于25%。DCA分析表明,草原区针叶树、莎草科、石竹科花粉代表较湿润的环境,蒿、藜科、锦鸡儿、柽柳、白刺花粉代表较干燥的环境,阔叶树、禾本科、菊科、毛茛科、蓼科、豆科、唇形科(百里香)、虎榛子+榛、蔷薇科花粉代表的环境介于前两组之间。DCA分析用于草原区花粉组合研究具有较好的环境指示意义。     

阿拉善高原荒漠植被组成分布特征及其环境解释:Ⅱ.C_4植物组成、分布特征与环境的关系

研究了阿拉善典型干旱荒漠植被区C4植物的组成特征、空间分布及其与环境因子的相关性。发现C4植物主要集中在藜科(Chenopodiaceae)和禾本科(Gramineae),生活型以一、二年生草本为主,占到70%以上;旱生和旱中生C4植物所占比例较大,达到48.89%,其区系成分以世界成分、亚洲中部成分和古地中海成分为主。C4植物分布特征表现出不同的规律性:在垂直地带分布上与温度呈正相关关系、与降雨呈负相关关系;在水平经度地带分布上主要与降水呈正相关关系,与温度无显著相关,尤其是在极端高温、干旱(主要是额济纳戈壁荒漠区)地区,C4植物的生存受到了限制。这一结果对于揭示阿拉善地区C4植物的水分利用效率,及其与降水资源的空间分布之间的关系提供了一定的理论解释。     

五台山冰缘地貌植物群落的数量分类与排序

在野外样方调查的基础上,采用双向指示种分析法(TWINSPAN)和除趋势对应分析法(DCA)对五台山冰缘地貌植被进行了数量分类和排序研究,将五台山冰缘地貌植被分为13个群丛,13个群丛是不同冰缘地貌生态景观的重要组成要素,各群丛的群落学特征与冰缘地貌生境有密切的生态关系。DCA样方排序结果和种排序结果表明,五台山冰缘地貌植物群落分布格局是土壤、水分、热量等综合环境因子决定的。而不同冰缘地貌上植物群丛优势种的分布格局在很大程度上决定着植物群丛类型的分布格局,反映出植物群落类型和物种分布随冰缘地貌类型及环境梯度变化的趋势。     

贵州茂兰喀斯特森林植被演替序列的数量分析

综合运用双向指示种分析法( TWINSPAN)及除趋势对应分析法( DCA)进行分类及排序,确定了贵州茂兰国家级自然保护区森林群落的演替序列。结果表明: 根据DCA排序可将研究区植被群落的演替过程分为四个阶段,即草地→ 灌丛→乔林→顶极群落;根据TW IN SPAN分类结果可将植被分为11个群丛,其中,第Ⅰ 、Ⅱ 、Ⅲ 、Ⅳ 群丛为草本阶段,第Ⅴ 、Ⅵ 群丛为灌丛阶段,Ⅶ 、Ⅷ 、Ⅸ 群丛为乔林阶段,第Ⅹ 、Ⅺ群丛为顶极阶段。茂兰喀斯特植被演替顶极群落为亚热带常绿落叶阔叶林群落,是一种典型的地形— 土壤演替顶极,是植被与当地环境长期适应的结果。      

水盐梯度下黄河三角洲湿地植被空间分异规律的定量分析

三角洲湿地植被的形成和分布同时受水深、土壤含盐量两个环境因子的作用。采用模糊数学排序方法分析了黄河三角洲湿地植被在水深、土壤含盐量两个环境梯度下的空间分异规律。结果表明,由TWINSPAN划分而得到的8个植被类型在模糊数学排序图中有各自的分布范围,界线明显。以穗状狐尾藻(Myriophyllum spica-tum)等水生植物为优势种的群落分布在排序图的左上部,为黄河三角洲湿地高水深、低盐分地区;以柽柳(Tam-arix chinensis)、翅碱蓬(Suaeda heteroptera)等典型盐生植物为优势种的群落分布在排序图的右下部,为黄河三角洲的低水深、高盐分地区;其他以芦苇(Phragmites australis)、荻(Triarrhena sacchariflora)、旱柳(Salix matsudana)等为优势种的群落分布在排序图的中部。利用Gini-Simpson指数,在模糊数学排序图中分析了植物物种多样性随水深、土壤含盐量梯度的空间变化,结果表明,高水深、低盐分和低水深、高盐分地区植物物种多样性均较低,而二者过渡区域植物物种多样性较高。     

Vegetation and climate of the last glacial-interglacial cycle in Southern Illinois,USA

Raymond Basin and Bald Knob Basin, Montgomery County, Illinois, formed as kettles during Illinoian time. Fossil pollen from these basins provides information on vegetation and climate during the last glacial-interglacial cycle. The pollen profile at Raymond Basin contains an expanded Sangamonian section and an early Wisconsinan section, but both are missing the late Wisconsinan. The ages for the following pollen zones are estimated by correlation with the deep-sea ¹⁸O record.In the late Illinoian,Picea-Pinus pollen zone 1, dating from about 150–130 ka, represents an apparently closed boreal coniferous forest indicating a cold late-glacial climate. The Sangamonian includes three major pollen zones ranging from about 130–75 ka. The early Sangamonian is represented byQuercus-Ulmus-Carya-Fagus dominance in zone 2, indicating vegetation comparable to the modern deciduous forest and climate that was warm and moist. The middle Sangamonian in zone 3, which is characterized byAmbrosia-Poaceae-Cupressaceae-Quercus pollen, suggests a savanna vegetation and a warm, dry climate. The late Sangamonian is subdivided into aQuercus-Ulmus-Carya subzone (4a) that indicates a mesic forest and greater precipitation; aQuercus-Ambrosia subzone (4b) that suggests drier climate and savanna conditions; and aQuercus-Liquidambar-Carya subzone (4c), containing the southeastern forest element,Liquidambar, suggesting the peak in warmth and moisture. The early Wisconsinan is represented by a transitionalPicea-Chenopodiineae zone (5). This unusual assemblage suggests a cool prairie-like vegetation, perhaps with scatteredPicea trees at the end of that depositional interval. The Middle Wisconsinan is marked by the return of high percentages ofPicea andPinus pollen in zone 6. The latest pollen zone (7) is dominated by Chenopodiineae pollen and is absent at Raymond Basin. It is most likely Holocene in age, and probably represents prairie conditions and warm, dry climate.Apparent surface-temperature and apparent effective-moisture curves were derived from the first detrended correspondence analysis (DCA) axis of the pollen data. The first axis correlates well with the normalized deep-sea ¹⁸O curve of sea surface temperature, and the second is controlled mainly by precipitation. The interglacial vegetation differs from that predicted by models driven by orbitally-induced insolation curves.This is the 9th in a series of papers published in this special AMQUA issue. These papers were presented at the 1994 meeting of the American Quaternary Association held 19–22 June, 1994; at the University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA. Dr Linda C. K. Shane served as guest editor for these papers.