{"title":"Editorial: Web Ecology special issue \"Ecology at the Interface\"","authors":"A. Basset","doi":"10.5194/WE-16-7-2016","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.5194/WE-16-7-2016","url":null,"abstract":"","PeriodicalId":54320,"journal":{"name":"Web Ecology","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":2.2,"publicationDate":"2016-01-21","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"72442996","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"环境科学与生态学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
V. Bonhomme, E. Forster, M. Wallace, E. Stillman, M. Charles, G. Jones
The transition from a mobile hunter-gatherer lifestyle to one of settled agriculture is arguably the most fundamental change in the development of human society (Lev-Yadun et al., 2000). The establishment of agricultural economies, emerging initially in the Fertile Crescent of the Near East (Nesbitt, 2002), required the domestication of crops; ancient plant remains recovered from early farming sites provide direct evidence for this process of domestication. Archaeobotanical remains are typically preserved through charring (partial to complete carbonisation through exposure to heat) and recovered during archaeological excavation (Charles et al., 2015). Seeds of the same species, recovered from different sites and periods, can sometimes be seen to exhibitmorphological differences, which may have arisen owing tovariations in cultivation practices, climate, soils and altitude, etc. To explore these possibilities, morphological variation in seeds of wheat and barley between archaeological sites was recorded and mapped both in time and space. Results presented here suggest that modern morphometric approaches may help to test some long-debated hypotheses and pave the way for new insights into the evolutionary origins of agriculture in western Asia.
从流动的狩猎采集生活方式向定居农业生活方式的转变可以说是人类社会发展中最根本的变化(Lev-Yadun et al., 2000)。农业经济的建立,最初出现在近东新月沃土(Nesbitt, 2002),需要驯化作物;从早期农业遗址中发现的古代植物遗骸为这一驯化过程提供了直接证据。考古植物遗骸通常通过炭化(通过暴露于热而部分或完全碳化)保存,并在考古发掘中恢复(Charles et al., 2015)。同一物种的种子,从不同的地点和时期恢复,有时可以看到表现出形态上的差异,这可能是由于耕作方式、气候、土壤和海拔等方面的差异造成的。为了探索这些可能性,在不同的考古遗址之间记录和绘制了小麦和大麦种子在时间和空间上的形态差异。这里提出的结果表明,现代形态计量学方法可能有助于测试一些长期争论的假设,并为对西亚农业进化起源的新见解铺平道路。
{"title":"The first shoots of a modern morphometrics approach to the origins of agriculture","authors":"V. Bonhomme, E. Forster, M. Wallace, E. Stillman, M. Charles, G. Jones","doi":"10.5194/WE-16-1-2016","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.5194/WE-16-1-2016","url":null,"abstract":"The transition from a mobile hunter-gatherer lifestyle to one of settled agriculture is arguably the most fundamental change in the development of human society (Lev-Yadun et al., 2000). The establishment of agricultural economies, emerging initially in the Fertile Crescent of the Near East (Nesbitt, 2002), required the domestication of crops; ancient plant remains recovered from early farming sites provide direct evidence for this process of domestication. Archaeobotanical remains are typically preserved through charring (partial to complete carbonisation through exposure to heat) and recovered during archaeological excavation (Charles et al., 2015). Seeds of the same species, recovered from different sites and periods, can sometimes be seen to exhibitmorphological differences, which may have arisen owing tovariations in cultivation practices, climate, soils and altitude, etc. To explore these possibilities, morphological variation in seeds of wheat and barley between archaeological sites was recorded and mapped both in time and space. Results presented here suggest that modern morphometric approaches may help to test some long-debated hypotheses and pave the way for new insights into the evolutionary origins of agriculture in western Asia.","PeriodicalId":54320,"journal":{"name":"Web Ecology","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":2.2,"publicationDate":"2016-01-18","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"90381922","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"环境科学与生态学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Abstract. In this study we assessed the C : N : P ratios in soil and soil microbial biomass subject to conventional farming and three different organic farming practices. The results showed that microbial biomass was P-limited in soils subject to conventional farming and to organic farming with alfalfa green manure. Organic farming with compost amendment showed the best results in terms of microbial biomass carbon, nitrogen and phosphorus (CNP).
{"title":"Effects of agricultural practices on soil and microbial biomass carbon, nitrogen and phosphorus content: a preliminary case study","authors":"F. Amaral, M. Abelho","doi":"10.5194/WE-16-3-2016","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.5194/WE-16-3-2016","url":null,"abstract":"Abstract. In this study we assessed the C : N : P ratios in soil and soil microbial biomass subject to conventional farming and three different organic farming practices. The results showed that microbial biomass was P-limited in soils subject to conventional farming and to organic farming with alfalfa green manure. Organic farming with compost amendment showed the best results in terms of microbial biomass carbon, nitrogen and phosphorus (CNP).","PeriodicalId":54320,"journal":{"name":"Web Ecology","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":2.2,"publicationDate":"2016-01-18","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"80684171","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"环境科学与生态学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Abstract. Loss of biodiversity under climate change is on the top of European research agendas. However, there is a huge gap between the scientific and the educational communities: Only a small amount of current knowledge reaches the young generation. We faced the challenge of how to transfer results of biodiversity research to the reality of school classrooms – in a way that raises interest, awareness and motivation among students from the age of 12 to 19. We developed the educational software PRONAS (PROjections of NAture for Schools) to show how scientists handle questions about the impact of climate change on the habitats of many European species. About 50 European plant and animal species have been used to demonstrate habitat losses, habitat shifts, and mismatch of habitat dynamics of interacting species. The software was developed with a bottom-up approach, and a manual for applying the software in the classroom was written in close cooperation with teachers. We included specific elements of didactic approaches such as storylines describing future scenarios, projections and simulations of species' future climatic niches, as well as the combination of virtual and real excursions. PRONAS is freely accessible in German and English on http://www.ufz.de/pronas-lernsoftware . Feedback was given by about 100 teachers from German and other European schools at six teacher workshops and by 141 students from four German schools. While most teachers confirmed that the designed format of knowledge transfer is attractive and contributes to knowledge building and awareness raising, many students older than 16 felt under-challenged. Altogether, we found that "educational software" is a useful format for scientific outreach which is worth joint efforts of scientists and educators and which needs more support and incentives for scientists to go forward in this direction.
{"title":"Biodiversity impacts of climate change – the PRONAS software as educational tool","authors":"K. Ulbrich, O. Schweiger, S. Klotz, J. Settele","doi":"10.5194/WE-15-49-2015","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.5194/WE-15-49-2015","url":null,"abstract":"Abstract. Loss of biodiversity under climate change is on the top of European research agendas. However, there is a huge gap between the scientific and the educational communities: Only a small amount of current knowledge reaches the young generation. We faced the challenge of how to transfer results of biodiversity research to the reality of school classrooms – in a way that raises interest, awareness and motivation among students from the age of 12 to 19. We developed the educational software PRONAS (PROjections of NAture for Schools) to show how scientists handle questions about the impact of climate change on the habitats of many European species. About 50 European plant and animal species have been used to demonstrate habitat losses, habitat shifts, and mismatch of habitat dynamics of interacting species. The software was developed with a bottom-up approach, and a manual for applying the software in the classroom was written in close cooperation with teachers. We included specific elements of didactic approaches such as storylines describing future scenarios, projections and simulations of species' future climatic niches, as well as the combination of virtual and real excursions. PRONAS is freely accessible in German and English on http://www.ufz.de/pronas-lernsoftware . Feedback was given by about 100 teachers from German and other European schools at six teacher workshops and by 141 students from four German schools. While most teachers confirmed that the designed format of knowledge transfer is attractive and contributes to knowledge building and awareness raising, many students older than 16 felt under-challenged. Altogether, we found that \"educational software\" is a useful format for scientific outreach which is worth joint efforts of scientists and educators and which needs more support and incentives for scientists to go forward in this direction.","PeriodicalId":54320,"journal":{"name":"Web Ecology","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":2.2,"publicationDate":"2015-11-26","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"88511868","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"环境科学与生态学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
T. Marañón, C. M. Navarro-Fernández, M. Domínguez, P. Madejón, J. Murillo
Abstract. Trees modify the physico-chemical and biological properties of the soil underneath. Here we present results for seven tree species planted at a site that was contaminated by a mine spill – after which soil was cleaned up and remediated – and later was afforested. We studied the chemical composition (24 elements) in five ecosystem compartments (leaves, forest floor, roots, topsoil and deep soil). The variation in chemical concentration was highest at the level of canopy leaves and lowest at deep soil. The identity of tree species significantly affected the composition of all elements in the canopies but none in the deep soil underneath. Although the observed tree effects on topsoil chemistry were weak, the footprint is expected to be reinforced with age of the plantation, contributing to the phytostabilization of contaminating elements and to the carbon sequestration.
{"title":"How the soil chemical composition is affected by seven tree species planted at a contaminated and remediated site","authors":"T. Marañón, C. M. Navarro-Fernández, M. Domínguez, P. Madejón, J. Murillo","doi":"10.5194/WE-15-45-2015","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.5194/WE-15-45-2015","url":null,"abstract":"Abstract. Trees modify the physico-chemical and biological properties of the soil underneath. Here we present results for seven tree species planted at a site that was contaminated by a mine spill – after which soil was cleaned up and remediated – and later was afforested. We studied the chemical composition (24 elements) in five ecosystem compartments (leaves, forest floor, roots, topsoil and deep soil). The variation in chemical concentration was highest at the level of canopy leaves and lowest at deep soil. The identity of tree species significantly affected the composition of all elements in the canopies but none in the deep soil underneath. Although the observed tree effects on topsoil chemistry were weak, the footprint is expected to be reinforced with age of the plantation, contributing to the phytostabilization of contaminating elements and to the carbon sequestration.","PeriodicalId":54320,"journal":{"name":"Web Ecology","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":2.2,"publicationDate":"2015-11-26","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"80127077","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"环境科学与生态学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Before the 1970s, different disciplines had their own narrow perspectives of what ecologists and natural resource managers now call “ecosystems” and landscapes. For example, in these earlier days ecologists studied and measured things they could see, touch, count, weigh, or map. Ecologists speculated about plant succession and animal dynamics. Rangeland and pasture scientists and managers were concerned with forage and animal production. Foresters studied board feet (or meters) of timber, tree reproduction, and harvesting techniques from forest stands. Hydrologists studied millimeters of precipitation, water yield from watersheds, and the effects of various manipulations on water yield. Each of these disciplines mostly measured livings things above ground or water. Ecosystems were viewed as “black boxes”, if recognized at all. These disciplinary perspectives or “silo” views of systems meant little collaboration among scientific specialties. Ecology as a discipline was changing during the 1950s and 1960s. E. P. Odum and his brother H. T. Odum were beginning to conceptualize energy flow in “ecosystems”, and H. T. Odum was formulating early ideas about “systems ecology” (Odum, 1971). F. H. Bormann and G. E. Likens were formulating ideas about forested watersheds as “ecosystems” (Likens et al., 1977). This was the same period when “systems theory” was being developed by von Bertalanffy (1968), Forrester (1968), George van Dyne, Bernard Patten, Jerry Olson (Coleman, 2010), and others. The latter three introduced a new scientific paradigm: systems ecology (systems ecology is an interdisciplinary field of ecology, taking a holistic approach to the study of ecological systems). It can be seen as an application of general systems theory to ecology that contributed heavily to ecosystem science as we know it today (Fig. 1). Also, in the late 1960s and early 1970s period, a new public and institutional awareness of compelling environmental problems was emerging worldwide. The need for interdisciplinary approaches to problem solving was becoming recognized. The stage was set for the initiation of the new problem-solving paradigm, ecosystem science – the right science at the right time.
在20世纪70年代之前,不同的学科对生态学家和自然资源管理者现在所说的“生态系统”和景观都有自己狭隘的观点。例如,在早期,生态学家研究和测量他们可以看到、触摸到、计数、称重或绘制地图的东西。生态学家推测植物演替和动物动态。牧场和牧场的科学家和管理者关心的是饲料和动物生产。林务人员研究了木板英尺(或米)的木材、树木的繁殖和森林的采伐技术。水文学家研究了降雨量毫米数、流域水量以及各种操作对水量的影响。这些学科中的每一个都主要测量地面或水中的生物。生态系统被视为“黑盒子”,如果被承认的话。这些学科观点或系统的“筒仓”观点意味着科学专业之间的合作很少。生态学作为一门学科在20世纪50年代和60年代发生了变化。E. P. Odum和他的兄弟H. T. Odum开始将“生态系统”中的能量流概念化,H. T. Odum正在形成关于“系统生态学”的早期思想(Odum, 1971)。F. H. Bormann和G. E. Likens将森林流域视为“生态系统”(Likens et al., 1977)。在同一时期,“系统理论”由冯·贝塔兰菲(1968)、弗雷斯特(1968)、乔治·范·戴恩、伯纳德·彭定康、杰里·奥尔森(科尔曼,2010)等人发展起来。后三者引入了一种新的科学范式:系统生态学(系统生态学是生态学的一个跨学科领域,采用整体方法研究生态系统)。它可以被视为一般系统理论在生态学中的应用,为我们今天所知的生态系统科学做出了重大贡献(图1)。此外,在20世纪60年代末和70年代初,全球范围内出现了一种新的公众和机构意识,意识到迫在眉睫的环境问题。人们逐渐认识到需要采用跨学科的方法来解决问题。新的解决问题的范式——生态系统科学——在正确的时间出现的正确的科学——的诞生奠定了基础。
{"title":"The rise of ecosystem ecology and its applications to environmental challenges","authors":"R. G. Woodmansee, S. R. Woodmansee","doi":"10.5194/WE-15-43-2015","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.5194/WE-15-43-2015","url":null,"abstract":"Before the 1970s, different disciplines had their own narrow perspectives of what ecologists and natural resource managers now call “ecosystems” and landscapes. For example, in these earlier days ecologists studied and measured things they could see, touch, count, weigh, or map. Ecologists speculated about plant succession and animal dynamics. Rangeland and pasture scientists and managers were concerned with forage and animal production. Foresters studied board feet (or meters) of timber, tree reproduction, and harvesting techniques from forest stands. Hydrologists studied millimeters of precipitation, water yield from watersheds, and the effects of various manipulations on water yield. Each of these disciplines mostly measured livings things above ground or water. Ecosystems were viewed as “black boxes”, if recognized at all. These disciplinary perspectives or “silo” views of systems meant little collaboration among scientific specialties. Ecology as a discipline was changing during the 1950s and 1960s. E. P. Odum and his brother H. T. Odum were beginning to conceptualize energy flow in “ecosystems”, and H. T. Odum was formulating early ideas about “systems ecology” (Odum, 1971). F. H. Bormann and G. E. Likens were formulating ideas about forested watersheds as “ecosystems” (Likens et al., 1977). This was the same period when “systems theory” was being developed by von Bertalanffy (1968), Forrester (1968), George van Dyne, Bernard Patten, Jerry Olson (Coleman, 2010), and others. The latter three introduced a new scientific paradigm: systems ecology (systems ecology is an interdisciplinary field of ecology, taking a holistic approach to the study of ecological systems). It can be seen as an application of general systems theory to ecology that contributed heavily to ecosystem science as we know it today (Fig. 1). Also, in the late 1960s and early 1970s period, a new public and institutional awareness of compelling environmental problems was emerging worldwide. The need for interdisciplinary approaches to problem solving was becoming recognized. The stage was set for the initiation of the new problem-solving paradigm, ecosystem science – the right science at the right time.","PeriodicalId":54320,"journal":{"name":"Web Ecology","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":2.2,"publicationDate":"2015-11-13","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"89479354","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"环境科学与生态学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Forest trees live in a multi-factor environment that includes the abiotic characteristics of the site (climate, soil, bedrock) and the structural features of the forest stand (tree age, density, leaf area index, tree species composition). The analysis of the functional traits (morphological, chemical and physiological, see Bussotti and Pollastrini, 2015) at leaf and tree level allows for the assessment and evaluation of the responses of trees to changing environmental factors. Among the physiological traits, the analysis of the chlorophyll fluorescence (ChlF, namely the prompt fluorescence and OJIP test, Strasser et al., 2004) is an effective tool to assess in vivo plant stress in experimental studies. The application of ChlF on mature trees in large-scale studies is more problematic due to the difficulty to reach tree canopies in forests, although some experiences were carried out at the local scale (Koprowski et al., 2015). ChlF measurements and analyses with the OJIP test allow to collect a great amount of data on the light-use efficiency in photosynthetic processes (one measurement takes 1s and it is possible to make many replications in a short time). Furthermore, the ChlF induction curve, evaluated by means of OJIP test, produces multi-parametric information on the potential photosynthetic efficiency. A large-scale application of OJIP test in forests was carried out within the 7FP project FunDivEUROPE (Functional Significance of Forest Biodiversity in Europe), aimed at assessing the functional significance of forest diversity in Europe (Baeten et al., 2013). The effects of tree diversity on the photosynthetic efficiency of tree species were assessed in the exploratory platform of FunDivEUROPE, that includes six European mature forests (monocultures and mixed up to five species) distributed along a latitudinal gradient (from Mediterranean to boreal). FunDivEUROPE also included an experimental platform, consisting of mixed forest stands planted ad hoc with different levels of tree-species richness. These experimental stands were installed during the implementation of the previous projects when trees were still young. The aims of this contribution are (i) to explore the variability of ChlF parameters along European ecological gradients and (ii) to compare the responses to diversity in young mixed plantations and in mature forests. For the latter purpose, we selected the sites with Picea abies(L.) Karst. (spruce), the most widespread tree species in experimental and exploratory sites. The leaf sampling was carried out in the summers between 2011 and 2013, by means of tree climbers, extension loppers and gun shooters, according to the height of the trees, the stand structure, and the operational conditions in each region. After sampling, branchlets were put in hermetic plastic bags and humidified to avoid leaf dehydration. ChlF measurements were done with a Handy PEA fluorimeter (Plant Efficiency Analyser, Hansatech Instruments Ltd., Petney, Nor
森林树木生活在一个多因素的环境中,包括场地的非生物特征(气候、土壤、基岩)和林分的结构特征(树龄、密度、叶面积指数、树种组成)。在叶和树的水平上分析功能性状(形态、化学和生理,见Bussotti和Pollastrini, 2015),可以评估和评价树木对变化的环境因素的反应。在生理性状中,叶绿素荧光分析(ChlF,即提示荧光和OJIP试验,Strasser et al., 2004)是实验研究中评估植物体内胁迫的有效工具。尽管在局部尺度上进行了一些经验(Koprowski et al., 2015),但由于在森林中很难到达树冠层,因此在大尺度研究中,ChlF在成熟树木上的应用存在更多问题。利用OJIP测试对ChlF进行测量和分析,可以收集大量关于光合作用过程中光利用效率的数据(一次测量需要15秒,并且可以在短时间内进行多次重复)。此外,通过OJIP试验对ChlF诱导曲线进行评价,得到了潜在光合效率的多参数信息。为了评估欧洲森林多样性的功能意义,在7FP项目funddiveeurope(欧洲森林生物多样性的功能意义)中进行了OJIP测试在森林中的大规模应用(Baeten et al., 2013)。在欧洲森林多样性研究平台上,研究了树木多样性对树种光合效率的影响。该平台包括沿纬度梯度(从地中海到北方)分布的6个欧洲成熟森林(单一和混合多达5个物种)。funddiveeurope还包括一个实验平台,由不同树种丰富度水平的混交林组成。这些实验林是在之前的项目实施期间安装的,当时树木还很年轻。这一贡献的目的是:(i)探索ChlF参数沿欧洲生态梯度的变异性;(ii)比较年轻混交林和成熟森林对多样性的响应。为了后者的目的,我们选择了有云杉(Picea abies, L.)的地点。岩溶。(云杉),在实验和探索地点分布最广的树种。在2011 - 2013年夏季,根据各区域树木高度、林分结构和作业条件,采用爬树法、延伸采伐法和射击法进行叶片取样。取样后,将小枝放入密封塑料袋中并加湿以避免叶片脱水。ChlF测量用Handy PEA荧光仪(植物效率分析仪,Hansatech Instruments Ltd, Petney, Norfolk, UK)在每株16片叶子上对样品进行4-5小时的暗适应后完成(仅测量当年针叶的针叶)。为了减少光抑制效应,需要较长的暗适应期。在650 nm、3500 μmol m s的红光脉冲作用下,荧光上升OJIP曲线在对数时间尺度上呈现多相形状。初始荧光水平,用“O”表示,是荧光发射的开始。在“K”时间步长(300 μ s)之后,“J”时间步长(~ 2 ~ 3 ms)和“I”时间步长(~ 30 ms)反映了荧光发射的中间水平。荧光发射的最大水平为“P”(峰值,在500-800 ms-1 s)
{"title":"Do tree-species richness, stand structure and ecological factors affect the photosynthetic efficiency in European forests?","authors":"F. Bussotti, M. Pollastrini","doi":"10.5194/WE-15-39-2015","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.5194/WE-15-39-2015","url":null,"abstract":"Forest trees live in a multi-factor environment that includes the abiotic characteristics of the site (climate, soil, bedrock) and the structural features of the forest stand (tree age, density, leaf area index, tree species composition). The analysis of the functional traits (morphological, chemical and physiological, see Bussotti and Pollastrini, 2015) at leaf and tree level allows for the assessment and evaluation of the responses of trees to changing environmental factors. Among the physiological traits, the analysis of the chlorophyll fluorescence (ChlF, namely the prompt fluorescence and OJIP test, Strasser et al., 2004) is an effective tool to assess in vivo plant stress in experimental studies. The application of ChlF on mature trees in large-scale studies is more problematic due to the difficulty to reach tree canopies in forests, although some experiences were carried out at the local scale (Koprowski et al., 2015). ChlF measurements and analyses with the OJIP test allow to collect a great amount of data on the light-use efficiency in photosynthetic processes (one measurement takes 1s and it is possible to make many replications in a short time). Furthermore, the ChlF induction curve, evaluated by means of OJIP test, produces multi-parametric information on the potential photosynthetic efficiency. A large-scale application of OJIP test in forests was carried out within the 7FP project FunDivEUROPE (Functional Significance of Forest Biodiversity in Europe), aimed at assessing the functional significance of forest diversity in Europe (Baeten et al., 2013). The effects of tree diversity on the photosynthetic efficiency of tree species were assessed in the exploratory platform of FunDivEUROPE, that includes six European mature forests (monocultures and mixed up to five species) distributed along a latitudinal gradient (from Mediterranean to boreal). FunDivEUROPE also included an experimental platform, consisting of mixed forest stands planted ad hoc with different levels of tree-species richness. These experimental stands were installed during the implementation of the previous projects when trees were still young. The aims of this contribution are (i) to explore the variability of ChlF parameters along European ecological gradients and (ii) to compare the responses to diversity in young mixed plantations and in mature forests. For the latter purpose, we selected the sites with Picea abies(L.) Karst. (spruce), the most widespread tree species in experimental and exploratory sites. The leaf sampling was carried out in the summers between 2011 and 2013, by means of tree climbers, extension loppers and gun shooters, according to the height of the trees, the stand structure, and the operational conditions in each region. After sampling, branchlets were put in hermetic plastic bags and humidified to avoid leaf dehydration. ChlF measurements were done with a Handy PEA fluorimeter (Plant Efficiency Analyser, Hansatech Instruments Ltd., Petney, Nor","PeriodicalId":54320,"journal":{"name":"Web Ecology","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":2.2,"publicationDate":"2015-11-13","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"91067917","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"环境科学与生态学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Abstract. In this short paper, some consideration is given to the term biodiversity. We stress the need for a strong formal rigor in using this term in order to maintain the credibility by non-ecologists and environmental agencies over the scientific community involved in biodiversity studies. After a historical introduction to the use and concept of the term biodiversity, this paper presents some theoretical aspects, concrete methodological proposal, and discussion for the further scientific and consistent use of the term biodiversity.
{"title":"Contributions to biodiversity theory: the importance of formal rigor","authors":"L. Contoli, L. Luiselli","doi":"10.5194/WE-15-33-2015","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.5194/WE-15-33-2015","url":null,"abstract":"Abstract. In this short paper, some consideration is given to the term biodiversity. We stress the need for a strong formal rigor in using this term in order to maintain the credibility by non-ecologists and environmental agencies over the scientific community involved in biodiversity studies. After a historical introduction to the use and concept of the term biodiversity, this paper presents some theoretical aspects, concrete methodological proposal, and discussion for the further scientific and consistent use of the term biodiversity.","PeriodicalId":54320,"journal":{"name":"Web Ecology","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":2.2,"publicationDate":"2015-11-09","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"84305493","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"环境科学与生态学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Workshop summary: \"Floods, state, dams and dykes in modern times: Ecological and socio-economic transformations of the rural world\"","authors":"M. Dan, D. Gheorghe","doi":"10.5194/WE-15-29-2015","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.5194/WE-15-29-2015","url":null,"abstract":"","PeriodicalId":54320,"journal":{"name":"Web Ecology","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":2.2,"publicationDate":"2015-10-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"88785904","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"环境科学与生态学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Abstract. The term heterogeneity has been defined in various ways so that the meaning of heterogeneity has become ambiguous. However, heterogeneity can be defined carefully as a distinct response to multiple single types of underlying variation, that is, a secondary level of variation (or "metavariation"). Identification of heterogeneity is affected by multiple factors, including researcher decisions, and ecosystems at a specified scale can contain both heterogeneous and homogenous variables. A formalized definition may also reduce the suggestion that heterogeneity is more beneficial than homogeneity.
{"title":"Defining heterogeneity as a second level of variation","authors":"B. Hanberry","doi":"10.5194/WE-15-25-2015","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.5194/WE-15-25-2015","url":null,"abstract":"Abstract. The term heterogeneity has been defined in various ways so that the meaning of heterogeneity has become ambiguous. However, heterogeneity can be defined carefully as a distinct response to multiple single types of underlying variation, that is, a secondary level of variation (or \"metavariation\"). Identification of heterogeneity is affected by multiple factors, including researcher decisions, and ecosystems at a specified scale can contain both heterogeneous and homogenous variables. A formalized definition may also reduce the suggestion that heterogeneity is more beneficial than homogeneity.","PeriodicalId":54320,"journal":{"name":"Web Ecology","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":2.2,"publicationDate":"2015-06-19","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"77933336","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"环境科学与生态学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}