The feedback relationship between organisms or ecosystems and environment has been a key issue in ecological research. Manipulative experiments with changing biological or environmental factors and large-scale field experiment networks were regarded as effective approaches to understand and accurately quantify the process and mechanisms underlying ecosystem response and adaptation to environmental changes. In recent years, a few networks have been developed, including large-scale networks of field physics simulation experiment (i.e., ECOTRON), ecosystem analysis and experiment platform (AnaEE), international Drought Network, Nutrient Network, and experiment networks based on regional ecological observation stations (i.e., USA-ILTER) at global scale. The development of continent-scale experiment network platform is attracting more attention from the academic community, and will play a more important role in understanding the process and mechanism underlying ecosystem responses to environmental change. We reviewed the development of method and experiment system of ecosystem manipulative experiments, and clearly pointed out that different experiments should form a joint collaborative system to answer fundamental scientific questions about the response and adaptation of ecosystem to global environment change. Manipulative experiments could be classified into four types: 1) Physiological and ecological experiments in closed laboratory equipment; 2) semi-open experiments with changing environmental factors in the field; 3) near-natural field experiments; 4) experiment networks based on field ecological station. Furthermore, we discussed the trends in network design of manipulative experiments focusing on ecosystem response and adaptation to environmental changes and the advantages of large-scale experiments based on natural environmental gradients. We put forward a proposal of integrating the technical advantages of different types of experiments and developing a new generation of field experiment network system. The study discussed the research system based on field experiment network, demonstrated the possibility to understand the patterns and mechanisms of the ecosystem short-term response and long-term adaptation to environmental changes, and proposed some equations to quantify the environmental response of ecosystems. The application of the design plan of the manipulative experiments network proposed here will greatly promote the scientific research level of ecosystems and environmental changes in China and even over the whole world, which has important scientific significance for the national response to climate change and ecological environmental construction.
生物及生态系统与环境变化间的反馈关系及其过程机制是生态学研究的重要内容。不同类型的生物环境因素控制实验以及大尺度的联网野外控制实验被认为是认识生态系统响应和适应环境变化过程机制、精细定量表达的有效手段及认知过程的加速器。近年来发展了大型野外物理模拟实验装置网络(如ECOTRON)、生态系统分析与实验平台(AnaEE)、国际干旱实验研究网络(Drought Network)、氮沉降联合实验网络(Nutrient Network),以及基于各区域性生态观测实验站的联网控制实验(如USA-ILTER)。发展大陆尺度联网实验研究平台事业正日益受到学术界的重视,将会在认知生态系统环境响应过程机制方面发挥更重要的作用。基于以上背景,本文综述了生态系统环境控制实验的研究方法和实验体系的发展,明确指出各种类型的生物环境控制实验需要形成联合协作体系,共同解决生态系统对环境变化的响应及适应的基本科学问题。目前的控制实验包括: 1) 实验室封闭装置内的生物生理生态学控制实验;2) 野外实验场的半开放部分环境要素控制实验;3) 近自然状态的野外环境控制实验;以及4) 基于野外生态站的联网控制实验。进而,本文还深入讨论了陆地生态系统的环境响应及适应过程机制实验系统设计的发展趋势,分析了基于大尺度自然环境梯度实验及生态站尺度的要素控制实验的优势,提出了整合两种实验技术、发展新一代的野外联网实验体系的科学设想,讨论了基于野外联网控制实验的研究体系,论证了研究生态系统对环境变化短期响应和长期适应的规律和机制、生态系统环境响应定量表达的技术途径。若本文提出的控制实验体系设计方案能够得以实施,必将大大促进我国乃至全球生态系统和环境变化科学的研究水平,对我国应对气候变化和生态环境建设具有重要的科学意义。.
Keywords: China EcoNet; environmental change response; environmental manipulative experiments; field experiment network; terrestrial ecosystems.