Spatial processes and environmental control are the two distinct,yet not mutually exclusive forces of community structuring,but the relative importance of these factors is controversial due to the speciesspecific dispersal ability,sensitivity towards environmental variables,organism’s abundance and the effect of spatial scale.In the present paper,we explored spatial versus environmental control in shaping community composition(i.e.b-diversity)and species turnover(i.e.change of b-diversity)at an alpine meadow along a slope aspect gradient on the Qinghai–Tibetan Plateau at different spatial scales of sampling(quadrats and plots),by taking account of seed dispersal mode and abundance.Methods We examined the relative importance of spatial processes and environmental factors using all species and four additional subsets of selected species.Moreover,we attempted to explore the effect of scale(quadrat refers to scale of;0.3 m and plot of;8 m)on their counter balance.The data were analyzed both by variation partitioning and multiple regressions on distance matrices.The spatial structure was modelled using Moran’s eigenvector maps(MEM).Important Findings Both spatial processes and environmental factors were important determinants of the community composition and species turnover.The community composition in the alpine meadow was controlled by spatially structured environment(17.6%),space independent of environment(18.0%)and a negligible effect of environment independent of space(4.4%)at the scale of quadrats.These three components contributed 21.8,9.9 and 13.9%,respectively,at the scale of plots.The balance between the forces at different spatial scales drove community structures along the slope aspect gradient.The importance of environmental factors on b-diversity at alpine meadow increased with scale while that of spatial processes decreased or kept steady,depending on dispersal mode and abundance of species comprising the subset.But the‘pure’effect of spatial processes on species turnover increased with scale
Qi LiXue YangJanne SoininenCheng-Jin ChuJie-Qi ZhangKai-Liang YuGang Wang
Aims Theories based on resource additions indicate that plant species richness is mainly determined by the number of limiting resources.However,the individual effects of various limiting resources on species richness and aboveground net primary productivity(ANPP)are less well understood.Here,we analyzed potential linkages between additions of limiting resources,species loss and ANPP increase and further explored the underlying mechanisms.Methods Resources(N,P,K and water)were added in a completely randomized block design to alpine meadow plots in the Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau.Plant aboveground biomass,species composition,mean plant height and light availability were measured in each plot.Regression and analysis of variance were used to analyze the responses of these measures to the different resource-addition treatments.Important Findings Species richness decreased with increasing number of added limiting resources,suggesting that plant diversity was apparently determined by the number of limiting resources.Nitrogen was the most important limiting resource affecting species richness,whereas Pand K alone had negligible effects.The largest reduction in species richness occurred when all three elements were added in combination.Water played a different role compared with the other limiting resources.Species richness increased when water was added to the treatments with N and P or with N,P and K.The decreases in species richness after resource additions were paralleled by increases in ANPP and decreases in light penetration into the plant canopy,suggesting that increased light competitionwas responsible for the negative effects of resource additions on plant species richness.
Zhengwei RenQi LiChengjin ChuLuqiang ZhaoJieqi ZhangDexiecuo AiYingbo YangGang Wang
