[Impacts of cross-habitat resource subsidies on ecosystems: A review]

Ying Yong Sheng Tai Xue Bao. 2017 Feb;28(2):699-711. doi: 10.13287/j.1001-9332.201702.035.
[Article in Chinese]

Abstract

The flux of matter, energy and nutrients across ecosystems, i.e., resource subsidy, is a fundamental attribute of ecosystems, as well as one of basic research questions in ecology. Common subsidies include leaf litter and terrestrial insects that fall into waters, the adults of aquatic insects, spawning salmon. The allocthonous input of resource subsidy can influence individual organisms, populations, communities, biodiversity and ecosystem functioning, such as enhancing individual growth, increasing species abundance and diversity, affecting community structure, enhancing secondary productivity, influencing food-chain length and food web. Due to increased human impacts on environments, especially at aspects of land use, climate change and invasive species, the influence of anthropogenic disturbance on cross-ecosystem resource subsidies will be intensified at both spacial and temporary scales, so that ecosystems will face severer threats. Accordingly, future ecological researches in this field should emphasize the following aspects: impacts of single and multiple stressors on subsidies and ecosystems, implementation of dynamic resource subsidies on ecosystem restoration and management, the dark sides of subsidy relating with pollutants, and basic ecological research on cross-ecosystem resource subsidy in tropics and sub-tropics, as well in China.

跨越不同生态系统之间的物质、能量和营养元素流动,即资源补贴,是生态系统的基本属性,也是生态学研究的基本问题之一.常见的资源补贴包括落入水体的树叶凋落物和陆地昆虫、水生昆虫成虫、从海洋生殖洄游的鲑鱼等,这些外源性的资源补贴对接收生态系统的生物个体、种群、群落、生物多样性和生态系统功能都有影响,包括促进个体生长、增加物种丰度和多样性、改变群落结构、增加生态系统的生产力、改变食物链长度及影响食物网、影响生态系统的稳定性等.随着未来人类活动对环境扰动的增加,尤其在土地利用、气候变化、生物入侵方面,对跨越生态系统资源补贴的时空动态影响将加剧,因而生态系统将面临更加严峻的威胁.鉴于此,未来在该领域的基础研究应着重开展以下几方面研究:单一和多重环境胁迫对资源补贴和生态系统的影响;动态资源补贴在生态系统修复及管理中的应用;关注与污染物相关的资源补贴的负面影响;加强跨越生境资源补贴在热带和亚热带以及在我国的生态学基础研究.

Keywords: allochthonous material; biodiversity; community structure; ecosystem function; land-water interaction.

Publication types

  • Review

MeSH terms

  • Animals
  • Biodiversity
  • China
  • Ecology
  • Ecosystem*
  • Food Chain*
  • Humans