科研之友
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摘要
Background: Accumulating evidence, mainly from small-scale experiments, suggests that species diversity helps stabilise ecological communities; however, this relationship needs testing at larger scales in a wider range of natural communities. Aims: In experimentally burnt ericaceous shrub stands, we aimed to determine whether more diverse stands had more stable vegetation cover. Methods: Using two prescribed fire management experiments one on heathland and one in forest at scales of 100700 m2, we compared pre-disturbance vegetation characteristics (measures of diversity, traits and composition) with resistance (degree of perturbation on disturbance), resilience (here defined as post-disturbance recovery rate) and stability (the inverse of temporal variability). Results: Responses to disturbance were usually best explained by a measure of dominance: Simpson's index. High dominance was associated with high resilience, but low resistance and low stability. Within the forest, the shrub community had lower dominance and higher stability than it did on heathland. Dominance and diversity were strongly linked as opposite poles of a principal axis of vegetation variation; therefore, more diverse vegetation was more stable. Conclusions: Ericaceous shrub cover is known to support important ecosystem services, such as soil protection, carbon sequestration, flood prevention and livestock grazing. Our results suggest that high shrub diversity would support stable provision of these services. Land managers who prioritise this aim in British heathlands and pinewoods should consider a wider range of management approaches than those of typical current practice.
- 出版日期2012
