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Tao Y, Zhou XB, Yin BF, Dimeyeva L, Zhang J, Zang YX, Zhang YM. Combining Multiple Plant Attributes to Reveal Differences in Community Structure in Two Distant Deserts in Central Asia. PLANTS (BASEL, SWITZERLAND) 2023; 12:3286. [PMID: 37765450 PMCID: PMC10537988 DOI: 10.3390/plants12183286] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/18/2023] [Revised: 09/12/2023] [Accepted: 09/15/2023] [Indexed: 09/29/2023]
Abstract
International interest is growing in biodiversity conservation and sustainable use in drylands. Desert ecosystems across arid Central Asia are severely affected by global change. Understanding the changes in a plant community is an essential prerequisite to revealing the community assembly mechanism, vegetation conservation, and management. The knowledge of large-scale spatial variation in plant community structure in different Central Asian deserts is still limited. In this study, we selected the Taukum (TD, Kazakhstan) and the Gurbantunggut (GD, China) deserts as the research area, with similar latitudes despite being nearly 1000 km apart. Thirteen and 15 sampling plots were set up and thoroughly investigated. The differences in community structure depending on multiple plant attributes (individual level: plant height, canopy diameter, and plant volume, and community level: plant density, total cover, and total volume) were systematically studied. TD had a better overall environmental status than GD. A total of 113 species were found, with 68 and 74 in TD and GD, respectively. The number of species and plant attributes was unequally distributed across different families and functional groups between deserts. The values of several plant attributes, such as ephemerals, annuals, dicotyledons, and shrubs with assimilative branches in GD, were significantly lower than those in TD. The Motyka indices of six plant attributes (26.18-38.61%) were higher between the two deserts than the species similarity index (20.4%), indicating a more robust convergence for plant functional attributes. The community structures in the two deserts represented by different plant attribute matrices demonstrated irregular differentiation patterns in ordination diagrams. The most variance in community structure was attributed to soil and climatic factors, while geographic factors had the smallest proportion. Consequently, the community structures of the two distant deserts were both different and similar to an extent. This resulted from the long-term impacts of heterogeneous environments within the same region. Our knowledge is further deepened by understanding the variation in community structure in different deserts on a large spatial scale. This therefore provides valuable insights into conserving regional biodiversity in Central Asia.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ye Tao
- State Key Laboratory of Desert and Oasis Ecology, Key Laboratory of Ecological Security and Sustainable Development in Arid Lands, Xinjiang Institute of Ecology and Geography, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Urumqi 830011, China; (Y.T.); (X.-B.Z.); (B.-F.Y.); (J.Z.); (Y.-X.Z.)
| | - Xiao-Bing Zhou
- State Key Laboratory of Desert and Oasis Ecology, Key Laboratory of Ecological Security and Sustainable Development in Arid Lands, Xinjiang Institute of Ecology and Geography, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Urumqi 830011, China; (Y.T.); (X.-B.Z.); (B.-F.Y.); (J.Z.); (Y.-X.Z.)
| | - Ben-Feng Yin
- State Key Laboratory of Desert and Oasis Ecology, Key Laboratory of Ecological Security and Sustainable Development in Arid Lands, Xinjiang Institute of Ecology and Geography, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Urumqi 830011, China; (Y.T.); (X.-B.Z.); (B.-F.Y.); (J.Z.); (Y.-X.Z.)
| | - Liliya Dimeyeva
- Institute of Botany and Phytointroduction, Ministry of Ecology and Natural Resources of the Republic of Kazakhstan, Almaty 050040, Kazakhstan;
| | - Jing Zhang
- State Key Laboratory of Desert and Oasis Ecology, Key Laboratory of Ecological Security and Sustainable Development in Arid Lands, Xinjiang Institute of Ecology and Geography, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Urumqi 830011, China; (Y.T.); (X.-B.Z.); (B.-F.Y.); (J.Z.); (Y.-X.Z.)
| | - Yong-Xin Zang
- State Key Laboratory of Desert and Oasis Ecology, Key Laboratory of Ecological Security and Sustainable Development in Arid Lands, Xinjiang Institute of Ecology and Geography, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Urumqi 830011, China; (Y.T.); (X.-B.Z.); (B.-F.Y.); (J.Z.); (Y.-X.Z.)
| | - Yuan-Ming Zhang
- State Key Laboratory of Desert and Oasis Ecology, Key Laboratory of Ecological Security and Sustainable Development in Arid Lands, Xinjiang Institute of Ecology and Geography, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Urumqi 830011, China; (Y.T.); (X.-B.Z.); (B.-F.Y.); (J.Z.); (Y.-X.Z.)
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Hodgson JG, Montserrat Marti G, Šerá B, Jones G, Bogaard A, Charles M, Font X, Ater M, Taleb A, Santini BA, Hmimsa Y, Palmer C, Wilson PJ, Band SR, Styring A, Diffey C, Green L, Nitsch E, Stroud E, Warham G. Seed size, number and strategies in annual plants: a comparative functional analysis and synthesis. ANNALS OF BOTANY 2020; 126:1109-1128. [PMID: 32812638 PMCID: PMC7751024 DOI: 10.1093/aob/mcaa151] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/10/2020] [Accepted: 08/11/2020] [Indexed: 05/15/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND AND AIMS Plants depend fundamentally on establishment from seed. However, protocols in trait-based ecology currently estimate seed size but not seed number. This can be rectified. For annuals, seed number should simply be a positive function of vegetative biomass and a negative function of seed size. METHODS Using published values of comparative seed number as the 'gold standard' and a large functional database, comparative seed yield and number per plant and per m2 were predicted by multiple regression. Subsequently, ecological variation in each was explored for English and Spanish habitats, newly calculated C-S-R strategies and changed abundance in the British flora. KEY RESULTS As predicted, comparative seed mass yield per plant was consistently a positive function of plant size and competitive ability, and largely independent of seed size. Regressions estimating comparative seed number included, additionally, seed size as a negative function. Relationships differed numerically between regions, habitats and C-S-R strategies. Moreover, some species differed in life history over their geographical range. Comparative seed yield per m2 was positively correlated with FAO crop yield, and increasing British annuals produced numerous seeds. Nevertheless, predicted values must be viewed as comparative rather than absolute: they varied according to the 'gold standard' predictor used. Moreover, regressions estimating comparative seed yield per m2 achieved low precision. CONCLUSIONS For the first time, estimates of comparative seed yield and number for >800 annuals and their predictor equations have been produced and the ecological importance of these regenerative traits has been illustrated. 'Regenerative trait-based ecology' remains in its infancy, with work needed on determinate vs. indeterminate flowering ('bet-hedging'), C-S-R methodologies, phylogeny, comparative seed yield per m2 and changing life history. Nevertheless, this has been a positive start and readers are invited to use estimates for >800 annuals, in the Supplementary data, to help advance 'regenerative trait-based ecology' to the next level.
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Affiliation(s)
- John G Hodgson
- Unit of Comparative Plant Ecology, The University, Sheffield, UK
- Department of Archaeology, The University, Sheffield, UK
- For correspondence. Email
| | - Gabriel Montserrat Marti
- Departamento de Biodiversidad y Restauración, Instituto Pirenaico de Ecología (CSIC), Avda. Montañana, Zaragoza, Spain
| | - Bozena Šerá
- Comenius University in Bratislava, Faculty of Natural Sciences, Ilkovičova, Bratislava, Slovakia
| | - Glynis Jones
- Department of Archaeology, The University, Sheffield, UK
| | - Amy Bogaard
- School of Archaeology, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
| | - Mike Charles
- School of Archaeology, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
| | - Xavier Font
- Centre de Documentació de Biodiversitat Vegetal, University of Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Mohammed Ater
- Laboratoire Diversité et Conservation des Systèmes Biologiques (LDICOSYB), Département de Biologie, Faculté des Sciences de Tétouan, Université Abdelmalek Essaâdi, BP, Tétouan, Morocco
| | | | - Bianca A Santini
- Department of Animal and Plant Sciences, The University, Sheffield, UK
- Instituto de Investigaciones en Ecosistemas y Sustentabilidad, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, CP, Morelia, Michoacán, México
| | - Younes Hmimsa
- Laboratoire Diversité et Conservation des Systèmes Biologiques (LDICOSYB), Département de Biologie, Faculté des Sciences de Tétouan, Université Abdelmalek Essaâdi, BP, Tétouan, Morocco
| | - Carol Palmer
- Department of Archaeology, The University, Sheffield, UK
| | - Peter J Wilson
- Unit of Comparative Plant Ecology, The University, Sheffield, UK
| | - Stuart R Band
- Unit of Comparative Plant Ecology, The University, Sheffield, UK
| | - Amy Styring
- School of Archaeology, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
| | | | - Laura Green
- School of Archaeology, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
| | - Erika Nitsch
- School of Archaeology, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
| | | | - Gemma Warham
- Department of Archaeology, The University, Sheffield, UK
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Fei JJ, Wan YY, He XY, Zhang ZH, Ying YX. Unitary and binary remediations by plant and microorganism on refining oil-contaminated soil. ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE AND POLLUTION RESEARCH INTERNATIONAL 2020; 27:41253-41264. [PMID: 32677018 DOI: 10.1007/s11356-020-10025-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/10/2019] [Accepted: 07/06/2020] [Indexed: 06/11/2023]
Abstract
Refining oil contaminants are complex and cause serious harm to the environment. Remediation of refining oil-contaminated soil is challenging but has significant impact in China. Two plant species Agropyron fragile (Roth) P. Candargy and Avena sativa L. and one bacterium Bacillus tequilensis ZJ01 were used to investigate their efficiency in remediating the refining oil-polluted soil sampled from an oil field in northern China. The simulated experiments of remediations by A. fragile or A. sativa alone and A. fragile or A. sativa combined with B. tequilensis ZJ01 for 39 days and by B. tequilensis ZJ01 alone for 7 days were performed in the laboratory, with B. tequilensis ZJ01 added before or after the germination of seeds. Seed germination rates and morphological characteristics of the plants, along with the varieties of oil hydrocarbons in the soil, were recorded to reflect the remediation efficiency. The results showed that the contamination was weakened in all experimental groups. A. sativa was more sensitive to the pollutants than A. fragile, and A. fragile was much more resistant to the oil hydrocarbons, especially to aromatic hydrocarbons. Adding B. tequilensis ZJ01 before the germination of seeds could restrain the plant growth while adding after the germination of A. fragile seeds notably improved the remediation efficiency. The degradation rate of oil hydrocarbons by B. tequilensis ZJ01 alone was also considerable. Together, our results suggest that the unitary remediation by B. tequilensis ZJ01 and the binary remediation by A. fragile combined with B. tequilensis ZJ01 added after the germination of seeds are recommended for future in situ remediations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jia Jia Fei
- State Key Laboratory of Petroleum Resources and Prospecting, Research Centre for Geomicrobial Resources and Application, Institute of Unconventional Oil and Gas Science and Technology, College of Geosciences, China University of Petroleum-Beijing, Beijing, 102249, China
| | - Yun Yang Wan
- State Key Laboratory of Petroleum Resources and Prospecting, Research Centre for Geomicrobial Resources and Application, Institute of Unconventional Oil and Gas Science and Technology, College of Geosciences, China University of Petroleum-Beijing, Beijing, 102249, China.
| | - Xin Yue He
- State Key Laboratory of Petroleum Resources and Prospecting, Research Centre for Geomicrobial Resources and Application, Institute of Unconventional Oil and Gas Science and Technology, College of Geosciences, China University of Petroleum-Beijing, Beijing, 102249, China
| | - Zhi Huan Zhang
- State Key Laboratory of Petroleum Resources and Prospecting, Research Centre for Geomicrobial Resources and Application, Institute of Unconventional Oil and Gas Science and Technology, College of Geosciences, China University of Petroleum-Beijing, Beijing, 102249, China.
| | - Yu Xi Ying
- State Key Laboratory of Petroleum Resources and Prospecting, Research Centre for Geomicrobial Resources and Application, Institute of Unconventional Oil and Gas Science and Technology, College of Geosciences, China University of Petroleum-Beijing, Beijing, 102249, China
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