Guilherme Diego Fockink, Betina Camargo, Djoney Procknow, Emily Talita Pereira de Aguiar, Pedro Joel Silva da Silva Filho, Ricardo Bergamo Schenato, Ana Paula Moreira Rovedder
{"title":"The Role of Nurse Trees in the Plant Community of Park Grassland: A Case Study in Southern Brazil","authors":"Guilherme Diego Fockink, Betina Camargo, Djoney Procknow, Emily Talita Pereira de Aguiar, Pedro Joel Silva da Silva Filho, Ricardo Bergamo Schenato, Ana Paula Moreira Rovedder","doi":"10.1111/avsc.70027","DOIUrl":null,"url":null,"abstract":"<div>\n \n \n <section>\n \n <h3> Aims</h3>\n \n <p>Understanding the mechanisms that act in the assembly of the grassy-woody plant community in park grassland is important to define conservation, management, and restoration strategies. We investigated the facilitation of three nurse tree species typical of park grassland (<i>Prosopis affinis</i>, <i>Prosopis nigra,</i> and <i>Aspidosperma quebracho-blanco</i>) on the composition and structure of the plant community and the mechanisms through which these species facilitate the establishment of other species under their canopies.</p>\n </section>\n \n <section>\n \n <h3> Location</h3>\n \n <p>Park grasslands of Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil.</p>\n </section>\n \n <section>\n \n <h3> Methods</h3>\n \n <p>We carried out a paired vegetation survey in 30 circular plots (under trees and in open areas) in park grassland isolated from grazing, located in the Espinilho State Park, Rio Grande do Sul, southern Brazil. We evaluated attributes related to the composition and structure, dimensions of each tree, and environmental variables, aiming to understand the mechanisms of plant community assembly.</p>\n </section>\n \n <section>\n \n <h3> Results</h3>\n \n <p>Nurse trees play an important role in the assembly of the plant community, promoting changes in abiotic (provide shade, increased litter, decreased exposed soil) and biotic (decreased herbaceous abundance) conditions. Consequently, they provide microhabitat for herbaceous and woody plants. These tree species are decisive in the assembly of the plant community in park grassland, and their conservation is fundamental for the maintenance of associated species. However, they can act as nuclei for woody plants typical of forests and possibly contribute to forest expansion in the long term.</p>\n </section>\n \n <section>\n \n <h3> Conclusions</h3>\n \n <p>Given the nursing role they play, these tree species demonstrate potential for application in ecological restoration, as well as promoting the conservation of local biodiversity in park grasslands.</p>\n </section>\n </div>","PeriodicalId":55494,"journal":{"name":"Applied Vegetation Science","volume":"28 2","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.0000,"publicationDate":"2025-05-23","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1111/avsc.70027","citationCount":"0","resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":null,"PeriodicalName":"Applied Vegetation Science","FirstCategoryId":"93","ListUrlMain":"https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/avsc.70027","RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"环境科学与生态学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":null,"EPubDate":"","PubModel":"","JCR":"Q3","JCRName":"ECOLOGY","Score":null,"Total":0}
引用次数: 0
Abstract
Aims
Understanding the mechanisms that act in the assembly of the grassy-woody plant community in park grassland is important to define conservation, management, and restoration strategies. We investigated the facilitation of three nurse tree species typical of park grassland (Prosopis affinis, Prosopis nigra, and Aspidosperma quebracho-blanco) on the composition and structure of the plant community and the mechanisms through which these species facilitate the establishment of other species under their canopies.
Location
Park grasslands of Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil.
Methods
We carried out a paired vegetation survey in 30 circular plots (under trees and in open areas) in park grassland isolated from grazing, located in the Espinilho State Park, Rio Grande do Sul, southern Brazil. We evaluated attributes related to the composition and structure, dimensions of each tree, and environmental variables, aiming to understand the mechanisms of plant community assembly.
Results
Nurse trees play an important role in the assembly of the plant community, promoting changes in abiotic (provide shade, increased litter, decreased exposed soil) and biotic (decreased herbaceous abundance) conditions. Consequently, they provide microhabitat for herbaceous and woody plants. These tree species are decisive in the assembly of the plant community in park grassland, and their conservation is fundamental for the maintenance of associated species. However, they can act as nuclei for woody plants typical of forests and possibly contribute to forest expansion in the long term.
Conclusions
Given the nursing role they play, these tree species demonstrate potential for application in ecological restoration, as well as promoting the conservation of local biodiversity in park grasslands.
期刊介绍：
Applied Vegetation Science focuses on community-level topics relevant to human interaction with vegetation, including global change, nature conservation, nature management, restoration of plant communities and of natural habitats, and the planning of semi-natural and urban landscapes. Vegetation survey, modelling and remote-sensing applications are welcome. Papers on vegetation science which do not fit to this scope (do not have an applied aspect and are not vegetation survey) should be directed to our associate journal, the Journal of Vegetation Science. Both journals publish papers on the ecology of a single species only if it plays a key role in structuring plant communities.
求助内容：
应助结果提醒方式：
京公网安备 11010802042870号
