陆地植物对环境变化的响应

陆地植物起源以后，地球上的环境发生了巨大的变化。大气CO2浓度自泥盆纪早期的2000-4OOOμml•mol_1下降至石炭一二叠纪的300μml•mol_1左右，02浓度在泥盆纪至石炭一二叠纪时期，由20-30μml•mol_1上升到70-80μml•mol_1，随后又下降到目前的水平。陆地植物登陆后，形态结构也发生了显著的改变，气生部分表而分化出了通气结构--气孔器和保护结构--角质层。泥盆纪首选标志植物刺镰蕨（Drelpanophycus spinaefrmis）在整个泥盆纪，广布全世界。刺镰蕨的气孔器类型一直存在两种观点，一种认为刺镰蕨的气孔器是平列型，即气孔器山两个保卫细胞和两个副卫细胞组成：另一观点认为刺镰蕨的气孔器为不规则型，即气孔器仅有两个保卫细胞构成，不具副卫细胞。我们借助于扫描电镜、石蜡制片技术和叶表皮离析法，细致地研究了现代石松（Lycopodium japonicum）叶的横切而、表皮及气孔器的内外表面结构，并同刺镰蕨的表皮和气孔器进行了对比。认为刺镰蕨的气孔器和所有的化石石松类及现代石松类的气孔器一样，均属于不规则型。从而解决了关于刺镰蕨气孔器类型的长期争论的关键性科学问题。 胡桃科青钱柳属植物起源于晚白垩世的环北太平洋沿岸，化石植物最早发现于北美古新世和早始新世的Motana,，Wyoming，North Dakota，north Colorado地区，欧亚地区仅出现在渐新世至上新世的Kazakhstan、Germany、Romnania、Russia、Japan、中国云南远谋和四川米易地区。我们将采于吉林省珲春组始新世的叶化石鉴定为一青钱柳相似种，该化石成为东亚地区出现最早的青钱柳属植物，这一发现也支持晚白垩至早第三纪时期环北太平洋两岸曾经相连的观点，青钱柳属在晚白垩由北美起源，在始新世经东亚向欧亚大陆扩散，由于环境变迁，第四纪以后，青钱柳属仪剩一种植物分布于中国的亚热带地区。文中还利用共存分析方法估测出始新世吉林省珲春地区属于暖温带至亚热带气候。 统万城遗址位于我国黄土高原向毛乌素沙漠过渡地带的北缘，属于暖温带森林草原向温带干草原、温带荒漠草原过渡的地区，同时又是东部季风区向西北干旱区过渡的生态环境敏感带。今天统万城地区的自然景观属于沙漠，仅存稀疏的次生灌丛和草本群落。但是，通过对统万城城墙内的孢粉和木材进行的综合研究表明，在约1600年前，当地为温带草原，在塬面或山丘上分布有侧柏林，沟谷、河岸边生长喜温湿的乔木，河流、湖泊、沼泽中水生植物繁盛，在丘间低洼处或盐碱土上分布有灌木和草本植物。当时该地区的年均温为7.8 ℃-9.3℃，最热月平均温度23.0℃-24.9℃，最冷月平均温度-12℃-5.6℃，年较差28.5℃-3 8.2℃，年降雨量403.4-550．Omm，最大月降雨量83.8-123.9mm，最少月降雨量4.4-12.2mm，当时气候比现在温暖湿润，年均温比现在高出0.2-0.7℃，年降雨量也高出60--lOOmm。而如此的历史景观今天已经向南迁移，侧柏林或森林草原退缩至延安以南地区。在此近1600年的时间里，毛乌素沙漠分布范围不断扩大，其南部边缘推进了约200 km，推测沙漠扩展的速率达到平均125m/a。

Changes in frost frequency and desert vegetation assemblages in Grand Canyon, Arizona

The effect of decreasing frost frequency on desert vegetation was documented in Grand Canyon by replication of historical photographs. Although views by numerous photographers of Grand Canyon have been examined, 400 Robert Brewster Stanton and Franklin A. Nims views taken in the winter of 1889-1890 provide the best information on recent plant distribution. In Grand Canyon, where grazing is limited by the rugged topography, vegetation dynamics are controlled by climate and by demographic processes such as seed productivity, recruitment, longevity and mortality. The replicated photographs show distribution and abundance of several species were limited by severe frost before 1889. Two of these, brittlebush (Encelia farinosa) and barrel cactus (Ferocactus cylindraceus), have clearly expanded their ranges up-canyon and have increased their densities at sites where they were present in 1890. In 1890, brittlebush was present in warm microhabitats that provided refugia from frost damage. Views showing desert vegetation in 1923 indicate that Encelia expanded rapidly to near its current distribution between 1890 and 1923, whereas the expansion of Ferocactus occurred more slowly. The higher frequency of frost was probably related to an anomalous increase in winter storms between 1878 (and possibly 1862) and 1891 in the southwestern United States.