Applied Vegetation Science最新文献

{"title":"Species-group responses improve our understanding of the effects of community dominants on subordinate species along a grazing gradient","authors":"Khadijeh Bahalkeh,&nbsp;Mehdi Abedi,&nbsp;Ghasem Ali Dianati Tilaki,&nbsp;Richard Michalet","doi":"10.1111/avsc.12789","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1111/avsc.12789","url":null,"abstract":"<div>\u0000 \u0000 \u0000 <section>\u0000 \u0000 <h3> Questions</h3>\u0000 \u0000 <p>Plant communities have been shown to include several functional groups of species that may have contrasting responses to the effects of dominant neighbours, although potentially balancing at the community level. We aimed to assess the potential of species-group vs community-level responses of subordinate species to explain variation in the effects of the dominant shrub <i>Artemisia sieberi</i> on understorey species along a grazing intensity gradient in arid steppes of northeast Iran. We also aimed to assess whether species-group responses help explain variation in community composition.</p>\u0000 </section>\u0000 \u0000 <section>\u0000 \u0000 <h3> Locations</h3>\u0000 \u0000 <p>An <i>Artemisia</i> steppe community in Golestan National Park (northeast Iran).</p>\u0000 </section>\u0000 \u0000 <section>\u0000 \u0000 <h3> Methods</h3>\u0000 \u0000 <p>We used the relative interaction index (RII) to quantify the effects of a shrub on the cover of the 12 most frequent subordinate species. We conducted a first principal component analysis (PCA) on species RII followed by cluster analysis to group species depending on their responses to the shrub, and a second PCA on subordinate species composition.</p>\u0000 </section>\u0000 \u0000 <section>\u0000 \u0000 <h3> Results</h3>\u0000 \u0000 <p>At the community level, subordinate species showed strong competition at the low grazing level, weak facilitation at the intermediate level and weak competition at the high grazing level; a unimodal pattern with a switch back to competition in extremely disturbed conditions that is inconsistent with ecological theories. However, species-group analyses showed contrasting subordinate species responses, supporting either the decrease in competition with increasing disturbance scenario or the collapse of facilitation, but never a switch back to competition as predicted by recent facilitation theory along resource gradients. Moreover, these contrasting species-group responses significantly explained community composition.</p>\u0000 </section>\u0000 \u0000 <section>\u0000 \u0000 <h3> Conclusions</h3>\u0000 \u0000 <p>Our study provides new evidence, along a grazing intensity gradient, that communities include different species groups with contrasting responses to dominant species.</p>\u0000 </section>\u0000 </div>","PeriodicalId":55494,"journal":{"name":"Applied Vegetation Science","volume":"27 2","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.8,"publicationDate":"2024-06-13","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"141315499","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"环境科学与生态学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Systematic reduction in seed rain of large-seeded and endozoochorous species in pastures compared to forests along a tropical elevational gradient","authors":"Diana Carolina Acosta-Rojas,&nbsp;Maciej K. Barczyk,&nbsp;Carlos Iván Espinosa,&nbsp;Boris A. Tinoco,&nbsp;Eike Lena Neuschulz,&nbsp;Matthias Schleuning","doi":"10.1111/avsc.12780","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1111/avsc.12780","url":null,"abstract":"<div>\u0000 \u0000 \u0000 <section>\u0000 \u0000 <h3> Questions</h3>\u0000 \u0000 <p>How do seed rain biomass and richness change from old-growth tropical forests to pastures at different elevations? How do seed mass and seed dispersal mode change from forests to pastures across these elevations? What implications do these changes have for the recovery of deforested areas in tropical mountains?</p>\u0000 </section>\u0000 \u0000 <section>\u0000 \u0000 <h3> Location</h3>\u0000 \u0000 <p>Old-growth montane forests and livestock pastures along an elevational gradient (1,000–3,000 m a.s.l.), located at Podocarpus National Park, San Francisco Reserve and surrounding agricultural lands, Andes of southern Ecuador.</p>\u0000 </section>\u0000 \u0000 <section>\u0000 \u0000 <h3> Methods</h3>\u0000 \u0000 <p>We collected seed rain for a 3-month period using 324 traps installed at eighteen 1-ha plots across elevations. Half of the traps were installed in nine 1-ha forest plots, and the other half in nine 1-ha pasture plots. For each trap, we identified the seeds and measured seed rain biomass and richness. We also recorded seed traits and calculated community-weighted means of seed mass and seed dispersal mode (proportion of endozoochory).</p>\u0000 </section>\u0000 \u0000 <section>\u0000 \u0000 <h3> Results</h3>\u0000 \u0000 <p>Forests received a higher seed rain biomass than pastures, but only at the lowest elevation. Seed rain richness did not differ between habitat types at all elevations. Community-weighted means of seed mass and the proportion of endozoochorous species declined from forests to pastures, especially at the lower elevations.</p>\u0000 </section>\u0000 \u0000 <section>\u0000 \u0000 <h3> Conclusions</h3>\u0000 \u0000 <p>Although seed rain biomass and richness were overall similar between forests and pastures, large-seeded and endozoochorous species were generally poorly represented in the seed rain of pastures compared with that of forests. These findings show that biomass and richness of seed rain may be insufficient to quantify the restoration potential of natural seed rain in deforested areas. Information on seed traits, such as seed mass and seed dispersal mode, is important to optimize restoration efforts towards the regeneration of diverse old-growth forests along elevational gradients in tropical mountains.</p>\u0000 </section>\u0000 </div>","PeriodicalId":55494,"journal":{"name":"Applied Vegetation Science","volume":"27 2","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.8,"publicationDate":"2024-06-11","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1111/avsc.12780","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"141304184","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"环境科学与生态学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Prediction of species richness and diversity in sub-alpine grasslands using satellite remote sensing and random forest machine-learning algorithm","authors":"Katlego Mashiane,&nbsp;Abel Ramoelo,&nbsp;Samuel Adelabu","doi":"10.1111/avsc.12778","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1111/avsc.12778","url":null,"abstract":"<div>\u0000 \u0000 \u0000 <section>\u0000 \u0000 <h3> Aims</h3>\u0000 \u0000 <p>Remote-sensing approaches could be beneficial for monitoring and compiling essential biodiversity data because they are cost-effective and allow for coverage of large areas over a short period. This study investigated the relationship between multispectral remote-sensing data from Landsat 8 and Sentinel-2 and species richness and diversity in mountainous and protected grasslands.</p>\u0000 </section>\u0000 \u0000 <section>\u0000 \u0000 <h3> Locations</h3>\u0000 \u0000 <p>Golden Gate Highlands National Park, Free State, South Africa.</p>\u0000 </section>\u0000 \u0000 <section>\u0000 \u0000 <h3> Methods</h3>\u0000 \u0000 <p><i>In-situ</i> data of plant species composition and cover from 142 plots with 16 relevés each were distributed across the study site and used to calculate species richness and Shannon–Wiener species diversity index (species diversity). We used a machine-learning random forest algorithm to optimize the prediction of species richness and diversity. The algorithm was used to identify the optimal spectral bands and vegetation indices for estimating species richness and diversity. Subsequently, the selected bands and vegetation indices were used to estimate species richness through random forest regression.</p>\u0000 </section>\u0000 \u0000 <section>\u0000 \u0000 <h3> Results</h3>\u0000 \u0000 <p>This research found weak relationships between remote-sensing vegetation indices and the diversity metrics, but significant relationships were found between some spectral bands and diversity metrics. Moreover, using machine-learning random forest, the multispectral data sets exhibited strong predictive powers. In this investigation, near-infrared (NIR) seemed to be the most selected band for both sensors to explain species diversity in mountainous grasslands.</p>\u0000 </section>\u0000 \u0000 <section>\u0000 \u0000 <h3> Main conclusions</h3>\u0000 \u0000 <p>This finding further ascertains the efficiency of optimizing high spatial resolution spectral information to estimate plant species richness and diversity. This research shows that NIR, Soil-Adjusted Vegetation Index (SAVI) and Enhanced Vegetation Index (EVI) are the most adequate for predicting species richness and diversity in mountainous grasslands with relatively good accuracies. Plant phenology and the choice of sensor affect the relationship between spectral information and species diversity variables.</p>\u0000 </section>\u0000 </div>","PeriodicalId":55494,"journal":{"name":"Applied Vegetation Science","volume":"27 2","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.8,"publicationDate":"2024-06-04","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1111/avsc.12778","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"141251454","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"环境科学与生态学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Land use legacies affect early tropical forest succession in Mexico","authors":"Iris Hordijk,&nbsp;Lourens Poorter,&nbsp;Miguel Martínez-Ramos,&nbsp;Frans Bongers,&nbsp;Rey David López Mendoza,&nbsp;Pascual Jamangapé Romero,&nbsp;Masha van der Sande,&nbsp;Rodrigo Muñoz,&nbsp;Robyn Jansma,&nbsp;Natsuho Fujisawa,&nbsp;Jorge A. Meave","doi":"10.1111/avsc.12784","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1111/avsc.12784","url":null,"abstract":"<div>\u0000 \u0000 \u0000 <section>\u0000 \u0000 <h3> Questions</h3>\u0000 \u0000 <p>Agricultural expansion is one of the dominant drivers of forest and biodiversity loss, and shifting cultivation is the most widely used form of agriculture in many tropical forest regions. Where forests have been cleared, they have the potential to recover once the land is abandoned. However, legacies of land use are often overlooked in successional studies, and a deeper understanding of this legacy effect is needed to define efficient restoration practices using natural or assisted regeneration. Here, we analysed how land-use history affects soil properties and early succession on abandoned agricultural fields in two contrasting Mexican socio-ecological systems.</p>\u0000 </section>\u0000 \u0000 <section>\u0000 \u0000 <h3> Location</h3>\u0000 \u0000 <p>Mexico, Oaxaca and Chiapas.</p>\u0000 </section>\u0000 \u0000 <section>\u0000 \u0000 <h3> Methods</h3>\u0000 \u0000 <p>We sampled soil and monitored vegetation for 2 years after agricultural abandonment, and interviewed landowners about their land-use practices<i>.</i></p>\u0000 </section>\u0000 \u0000 <section>\u0000 \u0000 <h3> Results</h3>\u0000 \u0000 <p>Land-use practices were clearly influenced by landowners’ social context (residence time, rural or urban origin), and topography and soil type also constrained or facilitated land-use practices. Soil characteristics were strongly affected by three land-use practices: mechanical tillage decreased soil N and K; frequent herbicide and pesticide use increased N and K; and for pasture systems, stocking density increased soil bulk density and decreased pH and N. High-intensity land management practices, specifically use of machinery, had the highest impact on early forest succession. When machinery was not used, the frequency of land-use practices, particularly weeding frequency, is the main factor influencing tree cover and sapling diversity.</p>\u0000 </section>\u0000 \u0000 <section>\u0000 \u0000 <h3> Conclusions</h3>\u0000 \u0000 <p>To facilitate post-agricultural forest recovery, we recommend restoration efforts using natural regeneration in areas with low previous land-use intensity and frequency.</p>\u0000 </section>\u0000 </div>","PeriodicalId":55494,"journal":{"name":"Applied Vegetation Science","volume":"27 2","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.8,"publicationDate":"2024-05-31","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1111/avsc.12784","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"141187519","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"环境科学与生态学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Classification of the high-rank syntaxa of the Central and Eastern Balkan dry grasslands with a new hierarchical expert system approach","authors":"Kiril Vassilev,&nbsp;Erwin Bergmeier,&nbsp;Steffen Boch,&nbsp;Hristo Pedashenko,&nbsp;Desislava Sopotlieva,&nbsp;Ioannis Tsiripidis,&nbsp;Iva Apostolova,&nbsp;Georgios Fotiadis,&nbsp;Anna Ganeva,&nbsp;Beloslava Genova,&nbsp;Rayna Natcheva,&nbsp;Chrisoula Pirini,&nbsp;Veselin Shivarov,&nbsp;Lubomír Tichý,&nbsp;Michael Vrahnakis,&nbsp;Jürgen Dengler","doi":"10.1111/avsc.12779","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1111/avsc.12779","url":null,"abstract":"&lt;div&gt;\u0000 \u0000 \u0000 &lt;section&gt;\u0000 \u0000 &lt;h3&gt; Aims&lt;/h3&gt;\u0000 \u0000 &lt;p&gt;Developing a hierarchical classification system for classes, orders and alliances of the diverse dry grasslands of the Central and Eastern Balkan Peninsula and translating this into an electronic expert system (ES) for the automatic assignment of plots.&lt;/p&gt;\u0000 &lt;/section&gt;\u0000 \u0000 &lt;section&gt;\u0000 \u0000 &lt;h3&gt; Location&lt;/h3&gt;\u0000 \u0000 &lt;p&gt;Serbia, Kosovo, North Macedonia, Bulgaria and northern Greece.&lt;/p&gt;\u0000 &lt;/section&gt;\u0000 \u0000 &lt;section&gt;\u0000 \u0000 &lt;h3&gt; Methods&lt;/h3&gt;\u0000 \u0000 &lt;p&gt;We extracted 5734 plots from the Balkan Dry Grassland Database corresponding to eight classes of dry grasslands reported from the region, using the EuroVegChecklist ES. This data set and later the plots within each derived subunit were subjected to a new numerical approach: starting with an initial partitioning (expert-interpreted TWINSPAN classification), diagnostic species were determined based on their phi-values for the target vegetation type and the differences in phi-values to the next similar types. These diagnostic species were fed into an ES to create a new partitioning, a procedure which was iterated until diagnostic species and species of the ES converged. Then the same approach was applied within each of the derived units to define the units of the next-lower level.&lt;/p&gt;\u0000 &lt;/section&gt;\u0000 \u0000 &lt;section&gt;\u0000 \u0000 &lt;h3&gt; Results&lt;/h3&gt;\u0000 \u0000 &lt;p&gt;The iterative cluster optimisation (ICO) converged in all cases. The resulting hierarchical expert system (HES) classified 95% of all plots to alliances. We distinguished four classes with eight orders and 12 alliances: (1) &lt;i&gt;Tuberarietea guttatae&lt;/i&gt; (&lt;i&gt;Romuleion&lt;/i&gt;); (2) &lt;i&gt;Stipo-Brachypodietea distachyi&lt;/i&gt; (&lt;i&gt;Clinopodio alpini-Thymion striati&lt;/i&gt;); (3) &lt;i&gt;Festuco-Brometea&lt;/i&gt; with &lt;i&gt;Brachypodietalia pinnati&lt;/i&gt; (&lt;i&gt;Chrysopogono-Danthonion calycinae&lt;/i&gt; and &lt;i&gt;Cirsio-Brachypodion pinnati&lt;/i&gt;), &lt;i&gt;Festucetalia valesiacae&lt;/i&gt; (&lt;i&gt;Festucion valesiacae&lt;/i&gt;), an unnamed order of rocky steppes (with &lt;i&gt;Pimpinello-Thymion zygioidis&lt;/i&gt;) and &lt;i&gt;Koelerietalia splendentis&lt;/i&gt; (&lt;i&gt;Centaureo-Bromion fibrosi&lt;/i&gt;, &lt;i&gt;Saturejion montanae&lt;/i&gt; and &lt;i&gt;Diantho haematocalycis-Festucion hirtovaginatae&lt;/i&gt;); (four) &lt;i&gt;Koelerio-Corynephoretea&lt;/i&gt; with &lt;i&gt;Sedo acris-Festucetalia&lt;/i&gt; (&lt;i&gt;Festucion vaginatae&lt;/i&gt;) and &lt;i&gt;Trifolio arvensis-Festucetalia ovinae&lt;/i&gt; (&lt;i&gt;Armerio rumelicae-Potentillion&lt;/i&gt; and &lt;i&gt;Minuartio montanae-Poion molinerii all. nov.&lt;/i&gt;).&lt;/p&gt;\u0000 &lt;/section&gt;\u0000 \u0000 &lt;section&gt;\u0000 \u0000 &lt;h3&gt; Conclusions&lt;/h3&gt;\u0000 \u0000 &lt;p&gt;We created a unified hierarchical classification with an electronic ES using diagnostic species defined by p","PeriodicalId":55494,"journal":{"name":"Applied Vegetation Science","volume":"27 2","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.8,"publicationDate":"2024-05-22","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1111/avsc.12779","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"141085075","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"环境科学与生态学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Effects of grazing on functional diversity along secondary succession in a tropical dry forest (Caatinga, Brazil)","authors":"José Batista de Sousa,&nbsp;Julia Caram Sfair,&nbsp;Luis Alberto Bermejo Asensio,&nbsp;Raquel Bruna Chaves,&nbsp;João Paulo Andrade Nunes,&nbsp;Ivinna Kariny da Costa Vieira,&nbsp;Cristina Baldauf","doi":"10.1111/avsc.12783","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1111/avsc.12783","url":null,"abstract":"<div>\u0000 \u0000 \u0000 <section>\u0000 \u0000 <h3> Aim</h3>\u0000 \u0000 <p>Livestock production is among the main anthropogenic disturbances in seasonally dry tropical forests. However, its effects on plant functional composition in dry forests is poorly understood. Our goal was to analyze the variation in both functional composition and functional diversity of plant communities under goat grazing and at different ages of fallow in a tropical dry forest.</p>\u0000 </section>\u0000 \u0000 <section>\u0000 \u0000 <h3> Location</h3>\u0000 \u0000 <p>Brazilian dry forest (<i>Caatinga</i>) in Rio Grande do Norte State, northeastern Brazil.</p>\u0000 </section>\u0000 \u0000 <section>\u0000 \u0000 <h3> Methods</h3>\u0000 \u0000 <p>We measured the height, leaf area, and specific leaf area of all shrub-tree and herbaceous species along a gradient of stocking rate, years of grazing, and age of fallow. Additionally, we quantified the foliar contents of nitrogen, phosphorus, and tannins in the tree shrub layer. We tested the effects of grazing and deforestation using linear mixed models.</p>\u0000 </section>\u0000 \u0000 <section>\u0000 \u0000 <h3> Results</h3>\u0000 \u0000 <p>Our findings suggest that the functional diversity of plant communities in the <i>Caatinga</i> is not altered when goat grazing and secondary succession are examined independently. However, the interaction of both factors has affected the functional diversity, particularly in the herbaceous layer. Although grazing influenced specific traits in the shrub-tree layer, the overall functional diversity remained unaltered by grazing, succession, or their interaction.</p>\u0000 </section>\u0000 \u0000 <section>\u0000 \u0000 <h3> Conclusions</h3>\u0000 \u0000 <p>Grazing does not interfere with the natural succession process nor diminish the functional diversity of plant communities in the <i>Caatinga</i>. Therefore, with appropriate management, grazing can coexist with the conservation goals of the <i>Caatinga</i>.</p>\u0000 </section>\u0000 </div>","PeriodicalId":55494,"journal":{"name":"Applied Vegetation Science","volume":"27 2","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.8,"publicationDate":"2024-05-20","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"141069079","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"环境科学与生态学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Resistance against tree encroachment is driven by richness and identity of herbaceous resident speces","authors":"Rolando Trejo-Pérez,&nbsp;Pierre-Luc Chagnon,&nbsp;Patrick Boivin,&nbsp;Jacques Brisson","doi":"10.1111/avsc.12781","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1111/avsc.12781","url":null,"abstract":"&lt;div&gt;\u0000 \u0000 \u0000 &lt;section&gt;\u0000 \u0000 &lt;h3&gt; Aims&lt;/h3&gt;\u0000 \u0000 &lt;p&gt;Herbaceous plant cover can be used to inhibit tree encroachment in many managed and semi-natural grasslands. Ideally, herbaceous seed mixtures should reduce the establishment and growth of many invading tree species over several years. Theory predicts that invasion resistance can be maximized by both: (a) increasing the diversity (taxonomic and/or functional) of resident seed mixtures, and (b) including species that are especially efficient at blocking further colonizers. We established an experiment in a regularly mown old field within a deciduous forest region in southeastern Canada. Our overall goal was to examine the relative contribution of old field community composition and diversity (taxonomic and functional) to resistance against encroachment by two undesirable native tree species over time.&lt;/p&gt;\u0000 &lt;/section&gt;\u0000 \u0000 &lt;section&gt;\u0000 \u0000 &lt;h3&gt; Location&lt;/h3&gt;\u0000 \u0000 &lt;p&gt;Varennes, southern Québec, Canada (45°37′01.24″ N, 73°23′03.57″ W).&lt;/p&gt;\u0000 &lt;/section&gt;\u0000 \u0000 &lt;section&gt;\u0000 \u0000 &lt;h3&gt; Methods&lt;/h3&gt;\u0000 \u0000 &lt;p&gt;We tested our hypotheses by seeding experimental plots with different levels of taxonomic diversity (from one to nine species) and functional group richness (grasses, legumes, and forbs). Our herbaceous species comprised four native species and five introduced and naturalized species. We then seeded the plots with two model tree colonizers, &lt;i&gt;Acer rubrum&lt;/i&gt; and &lt;i&gt;Betula populifolia&lt;/i&gt;, during three consecutive years. We also transplanted seedlings of &lt;i&gt;Acer&lt;/i&gt; and &lt;i&gt;Betula&lt;/i&gt; to determine the effect of herbaceous diversity on post-emergence growth and seedling survival.&lt;/p&gt;\u0000 &lt;/section&gt;\u0000 \u0000 &lt;section&gt;\u0000 \u0000 &lt;h3&gt; Results&lt;/h3&gt;\u0000 \u0000 &lt;p&gt;Overall, herbaceous species identity (presence and absence) better predicted the resistance of resident herbaceous seed mixtures to tree encroachment than the other diversity measures assessed in our study. Fast-growing herbaceous species, such as &lt;i&gt;Lolium&lt;/i&gt;, substantially inhibit resistance to woody encroachment in the first year. &lt;i&gt;Achillea millefolium&lt;/i&gt; and &lt;i&gt;Solidago canadensis&lt;/i&gt; were by far the most efficient in blocking tree seedling establishment and growth, particularly during the second and third years. These effects highlight the potential for a combination of fast-growing species, along with slower-growing but highly inhibitive species, as a way to limit tree encroachment in real field applications. Functional group richness was a poor predictor of tree encroachment. Species richness reduced tree encroachment, especially when considering a multidimensional tree encroachment index integrating all aspects of tree establishme","PeriodicalId":55494,"journal":{"name":"Applied Vegetation Science","volume":"27 2","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.8,"publicationDate":"2024-05-20","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1111/avsc.12781","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"141069080","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"环境科学与生态学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Reversing expansion of Calamagrostis epigejos in Carpathian mountain grasslands by mowing and application of hemiparasitic Rhinanthus alectorolophus","authors":"Dobromil Galvánek,&nbsp;Eva Uhliarová,&nbsp;Karol Ujházy,&nbsp;Mariana Ujházyová,&nbsp;Monika Janišová,&nbsp;Jakub Těšitel","doi":"10.1111/avsc.12782","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1111/avsc.12782","url":null,"abstract":"<div>\u0000 \u0000 \u0000 <section>\u0000 \u0000 <h3> Questions</h3>\u0000 \u0000 <p>The expansion of <i>Calamagrostis epigejos</i> poses a significant threat to the biodiversity of mountain grasslands. We asked whether grasslands dominated by <i>C. epigejos</i> can be restored through mowing and the application of hemiparasitic <i>Rhinanthus alectorolophus</i>.</p>\u0000 </section>\u0000 \u0000 <section>\u0000 \u0000 <h3> Location</h3>\u0000 \u0000 <p>Carpathian <i>Violion caninae</i> alliance mountain grassland close to Vrchslatina, Veporské vrchy Mts, Slovakia.</p>\u0000 </section>\u0000 \u0000 <section>\u0000 \u0000 <h3> Methods</h3>\u0000 \u0000 <p>We conducted a before–after control–impact experiment in a grassland entirely dominated by <i>C. epigejos</i>: six blocks, each with four treatment combinations: (i) mowing once in summer, (ii) mowing in summer and autumn, (iii) mowing in summer and seed sowing of <i>R. alectorolophus</i>, (iv) mowing in summer and autumn along with seed sowing of <i>R. alectorolophus</i>. We monitored the above-ground biomass of <i>C. epigejos</i>, <i>R. alectorolophus</i>, the combined above-ground biomass of other species, and the vegetation composition annually from 2014 to 2017. Linear mixed-effect models and redundancy analysis (RDA) were employed to analyze the effects of the treatments on <i>C. epigejos</i> and community parameters.</p>\u0000 </section>\u0000 \u0000 <section>\u0000 \u0000 <h3> Results</h3>\u0000 \u0000 <p>Sowing established <i>R. alectorolophus</i> at the plots mown twice in the first year, but its density strongly declined in subsequent years. <i>R. alectorolophus</i> and mowing twice significantly reduced <i>C. epigejos</i> biomass and herb layer cover. They also increased community evenness and the ratio between other species and <i>C. epigejos</i> biomass with a more pronounced effect on the plots where <i>R. alectorolophus</i> was applied. Mowing twice led to increased species richness, evenness, the number of target grassland species and their proportion in the community. <i>R. alectorolophus</i> had an additional positive impact on community evenness and the proportion of target species. RDA identified <i>R. alectorolophus</i> as the main driver of the directional community change triggered by the experimental treatments.</p>\u0000 </section>\u0000 \u0000 <section>\u0000 \u0000 <h3> Conclusion</h3>\u0000 \u0000 <p>Mowing twice per season proves to be an efficient restoration management strategy for mountain grasslands dominated by <i>C. epigejos</i>. Sowing <i>R. alectorolophus</i>, however, may be employed as an additional measure to accelerate the decline of <i>C. epigejos</i> at the outset of the restoration process and enhance community structure and composition.</p>\u0000 </section>\u0000 </div>","PeriodicalId":55494,"journal":{"name":"Applied Vegetation Science","volume":"27 2","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.8,"publicationDate":"2024-05-16","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"140949156","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"环境科学与生态学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Impact of plant diversity and management intensity on magnitude and stability of productivity in North American grazing lands","authors":"Grégory Sonnier,&nbsp;David J. Augustine,&nbsp;Shishir Paudel,&nbsp;Lauren M. Porensky,&nbsp;Maria Silveira,&nbsp;David Toledo,&nbsp;Shefali Azad,&nbsp;Raoul K. Boughton,&nbsp;Dawn M. Browning,&nbsp;Patrick E. Clark,&nbsp;Philip A. Fay,&nbsp;Nicole Kaplan,&nbsp;Kate M. Thibault,&nbsp;Hilary M. Swain,&nbsp;Kristen S. Veum,&nbsp;Elizabeth H. Boughton","doi":"10.1111/avsc.12776","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1111/avsc.12776","url":null,"abstract":"<div>\u0000 \u0000 \u0000 <section>\u0000 \u0000 <h3> Questions</h3>\u0000 \u0000 <p>Grasslands provide important provisioning services worldwide and their management has consequences for these services. Management intensification is a widespread land-use change and has accelerated across North America to meet rising demands on productivity, yet its impact on the relationship between plant diversity and productivity is still unclear. Here, we investigated the relationship between plant diversity and grassland productivity across nine ecoclimatic domains of the continental United States. We also tested the effect of management intensification on diversity and productivity in four case studies.</p>\u0000 </section>\u0000 \u0000 <section>\u0000 \u0000 <h3> Methods</h3>\u0000 \u0000 <p>We acquired remotely sensed gross primary productivity data (GPP, 1986–2018) and plant diversity data measured at different spatial scales (1, 10, 100, 400 m²), as well as climate variables including the Palmer drought index from two ecological networks. We used general linear mixed models to relate GPP to plant diversity across sites. For the case study analysis, we used linear mixed models to relate plant diversity to management intensity, and tested if the management intensity influenced the relationship between GPP (mean and temporal variation) and drought.</p>\u0000 </section>\u0000 \u0000 <section>\u0000 \u0000 <h3> Results</h3>\u0000 \u0000 <p>Across all sites, we observed positive relationships among species richness, productivity, and the temporal stability of mean annual biomass production. These relationships were not affected by the scale at which species richness was observed. In three out of the four case studies, we observed that management effects on species richness were only significant at broader scales (i.e., ≥10 m²) with no clear effect found at the commonly used 1-m² quadrat scale. In one case study, species-poor, intensively managed pastures presented the highest productivity but were more sensitive to dry conditions than less intensified pastures. However, in other case studies, we did not observe significant effects of management intensity on the magnitude or stability of productivity.</p>\u0000 </section>\u0000 \u0000 <section>\u0000 \u0000 <h3> Conclusions</h3>\u0000 \u0000 <p>Generalization across studies may be difficult and require the development of intensification indices general enough to be applied across diverse management strategies in grazilands. Understanding how management intensification affects grassland productivity will inform the development of sustainable intensification strategies.</p>\u0000 </section>\u0000 </div>","PeriodicalId":55494,"journal":{"name":"Applied Vegetation Science","volume":"27 2","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.8,"publicationDate":"2024-05-16","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1111/avsc.12776","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"140949314","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"环境科学与生态学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Promoting plant diversity and habitat heterogeneity through vineyard terracing","authors":"Vera Wersebeckmann,&nbsp;Kirsten Burstedde,&nbsp;Ilona Leyer","doi":"10.1111/avsc.12777","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1111/avsc.12777","url":null,"abstract":"&lt;div&gt;\u0000 \u0000 \u0000 &lt;section&gt;\u0000 \u0000 &lt;h3&gt; Questions&lt;/h3&gt;\u0000 \u0000 &lt;p&gt;Viticulture on steep slopes has shaped the landscape and biodiversity in many regions, but insufficient profitability has led to management cessation and shrub encroachment. A solution to maintain economically viable cultivation could be vineyard terracing. We aimed to identify the potential of terracing to enhance plant diversity and habitat heterogeneity in vineyards, analyze effects of management intensity on vineyard vegetation, and assess how plant communities change after vineyard abandonment.&lt;/p&gt;\u0000 &lt;/section&gt;\u0000 \u0000 &lt;section&gt;\u0000 \u0000 &lt;h3&gt; Location&lt;/h3&gt;\u0000 \u0000 &lt;p&gt;Wine-growing region of the Upper Middle Rhine Valley in Hesse (50.042342° N, 7.814533° E) and Rhineland-Palatinate (50.119139° N, 7.719275° E), Germany.&lt;/p&gt;\u0000 &lt;/section&gt;\u0000 \u0000 &lt;section&gt;\u0000 \u0000 &lt;h3&gt; Methods&lt;/h3&gt;\u0000 \u0000 &lt;p&gt;We recorded vascular plant species and local vineyard parameters in vertically oriented vineyards with vegetated and tilled open inter-rows, in terraced vineyards with tilled terrace inter-rows and extensively managed embankments, and in vineyard fallows in a total of 45 study sites. We used plant species richness, Ellenberg indicator values and Grime's strategy types to describe how traits and ecological requirements respond to distinct vineyard management.&lt;/p&gt;\u0000 &lt;/section&gt;\u0000 \u0000 &lt;section&gt;\u0000 \u0000 &lt;h3&gt; Results&lt;/h3&gt;\u0000 \u0000 &lt;p&gt;Plant species richness and composition were determined by management-derived disturbance intensities. Extensively managed embankments had a distinct plant community, the highest plant species richness, more perennial and indicator species, and lower nitrogen indicator values compared with inter-rows. By contrast, highly disturbed open and terrace inter-rows revealed plant communities associated with annuals and ruderals, but species richness did not differ between terrace inter-rows and embankments. The plant communities of fallows were completely different with lower plant diversity.&lt;/p&gt;\u0000 &lt;/section&gt;\u0000 \u0000 &lt;section&gt;\u0000 \u0000 &lt;h3&gt; Conclusions&lt;/h3&gt;\u0000 \u0000 &lt;p&gt;Our results highlight the potential of terraced vineyards for plant diversity with nutrient poor, extensively managed embankments providing conditions that have become rare in modern agricultural systems. A long environmental gradient from terrace inter-rows to embankments created habitat heterogeneity within a narrow space. By contrast, intensive inter-row management in vertically oriented vineyards hampers high plant diversity and abandonment fosters the spread of woody species at the expanse of plant diversity.&lt;/p&gt;\u0000 &lt;/section&gt;\u0000 ","PeriodicalId":55494,"journal":{"name":"Applied Vegetation Science","volume":"27 2","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.8,"publicationDate":"2024-05-09","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1111/avsc.12777","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"140902708","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"环境科学与生态学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}