The effect of gerbils (Tatera brantsii) on primary production and plant species composition in a southern African savanna

Oecologia ◽  
1989 ◽  
Vol 79 (2) ◽  
pp. 271-278 ◽  
Author(s):  
Horst Korn ◽  
Ursula Korn
Keyword(s):  
Species Composition ◽  
Primary Production ◽  
Plant Species ◽  
Plant Species Composition ◽  
African Savanna

scholarly journals Climate change and primary production: Forty years in a bunchgrass prairie

PLoS ONE ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 15 (12) ◽  
pp. e0243496
Author(s):  
Gary E. Belovsky ◽  
Jennifer B. Slade
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Species Composition ◽  
Primary Production ◽  
Plant Species ◽  
Climate Changes ◽  
Nitrogen Availability ◽  
Invasive Plant ◽  
Plant Species Composition ◽  
Plant Senescence ◽  
Geographical Scale

Over the past 109 years, a Montana intermountain bunchgrass prairie annually became warmer (0.7°C) and drier (27%). The temperature and precipitation trends continued since 1978, as we studied nitrogen availability, annual aboveground primary production (ANPP), plant phenology and species composition. Given the annual increase in temperature and decrease in precipitation, ANPP might be expected to decline; however, it increased by 110%, as the period of greatest production (late-May–June) became wetter and cooler, counter to the annual pattern, and this was strongest at lower elevations. Grass production increased by 251%, while dicot production declined by 65%, which increased grass relative abundance by 54%. Summer temperatures increased 12.5% which increased plant senescence by 119% and decreased fall plant regrowth by 68%. More intense summer senescence changed plant species composition in favor of more drought tolerant species. The greater ANPP and summer senescence may increase susceptibility for fire, but fire tolerance of the plant species composition did not change. Invasive plant species increased 108% over the study with annual grasses accounting for >50% of this increase, which further increased summer plant senescence. Therefore, seasonal climate changes at a smaller geographical scale (local), rather than average annual climate changes over a larger geographical scale (regional), may better reflect plant community responses, and this makes ecological forecasting of climate change more difficult.

scholarly journals Shifting plant species composition in response to climate change stabilizes grassland primary production

2018 ◽  
Vol 115 (16) ◽  
pp. 4051-4056 ◽  
Author(s):  
Huiying Liu ◽  
Zhaorong Mi ◽  
Li Lin ◽  
Yonghui Wang ◽  
Zhenhua Zhang ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Species Composition ◽  
Primary Production ◽  
Plant Species ◽  
Net Primary Production ◽  
High Elevation ◽  
The Tibetan Plateau ◽  
Plant Species Composition ◽  
Experimental Warming ◽  
Changing Climate

The structure and function of alpine grassland ecosystems, including their extensive soil carbon stocks, are largely shaped by temperature. The Tibetan Plateau in particular has experienced significant warming over the past 50 y, and this warming trend is projected to intensify in the future. Such climate change will likely alter plant species composition and net primary production (NPP). Here we combined 32 y of observations and monitoring with a manipulative experiment of temperature and precipitation to explore the effects of changing climate on plant community structure and ecosystem function. First, long-term climate warming from 1983 to 2014, which occurred without systematic changes in precipitation, led to higher grass abundance and lower sedge abundance, but did not affect aboveground NPP. Second, an experimental warming experiment conducted over 4 y had no effects on any aspect of NPP, whereas drought manipulation (reducing precipitation by 50%), shifted NPP allocation belowground without affecting total NPP. Third, both experimental warming and drought treatments, supported by a meta-analysis at nine sites across the plateau, increased grass abundance at the expense of biomass of sedges and forbs. This shift in functional group composition led to deeper root systems, which may have enabled plant communities to acquire more water and thus stabilize ecosystem primary production even with a changing climate. Overall, our study demonstrates that shifting plant species composition in response to climate change may have stabilized primary production in this high-elevation ecosystem, but it also caused a shift from aboveground to belowground productivity.

Drivers of plant species composition of ecotonal vegetation in two fishpond management types

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kateřina Francová ◽  
Kateřina Šumberová ◽  
Andrea Kučerová ◽  
Michal Šorf ◽  
Stanislav Grill ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Species Composition ◽  
Plant Species ◽  
Plant Species Composition ◽  
Fishpond Management

Plant species composition and diversity in wetlands under forest, agriculture and urban land uses

2017 ◽  
Vol 138 ◽  
pp. 9-15 ◽  
Author(s):  
A. Moges ◽  
A. Beyene ◽  
A. Ambelu ◽  
S.T. Mereta ◽  
L. Triest ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Species Composition ◽  
Plant Species ◽  
Urban Land ◽  
Plant Species Composition ◽  
Land Uses

scholarly journals Effects of High Impact Grazing on Species Diversity and Plant Functional Groups in Grasslands of Northern Argentina

2018 ◽  
Vol 10 (9) ◽  
pp. 3153
Author(s):  
Ditmar Kurtz ◽  
Marcus Giese ◽  
Folkard Asch ◽  
Saskia Windisch ◽  
María Goldfarb
Keyword(s):  
Species Composition ◽  
Functional Groups ◽  
Plant Species ◽  
High Impact ◽  
Sustainable Land Use ◽  
Plant Functional Groups ◽  
Seasonal Effects ◽  
Plant Species Composition ◽  
Wiener Diversity Index ◽  
The Impact

High impact grazing (HIG) was proposed as a management option to reduce standing dead biomass in Northern Argentinean (Chaco) rangelands. However, the effects of HIG on grassland diversity and shifts in plant functional groups are largely unknown but essential to assess the sustainability of the impact. During a two-year grazing experiment, HIG was applied every month to analyze the seasonal effects on plant species composition and plant functional groups. The results indicate that irrespective of the season in which HIG was applied, the diversity parameters were not negatively affected. Species richness, the Shannon–Wiener diversity index and the Shannon’s equitability index did not differ from the control site within a 12-month period after HIG. While plant functional groups of dicotyledonous and annual species could not benefit from the HIG disturbance, C3-, C4-monocotyledonous and perennials increased their absolute and relative green cover. Our results suggest that HIG, if not applied in shorter frequencies than a year, neither alters diversity nor shifts the plant species composition of the grassland plant community, but instead it promotes previously established rather competitive species. HIG could therefore contribute as an alternative management practice to the sustainable land use intensification of the “Gran Chaco” grassland ecosystem and even counteract the encroachment of “low value” species.

The effect of drainage height on plant-species composition on a semi-arid green roof system

2021 ◽  
Vol 67 (3-4) ◽  
pp. 149-155
Author(s):  
Har'el Agra ◽  
Hadar Shalom ◽  
Omar Bawab ◽  
Gyongyver J. Kadas ◽  
Leon Blaustein
Keyword(s):  
Species Composition ◽  
Plant Species ◽  
Plant Diversity ◽  
Urban Areas ◽  
Green Roof ◽  
Growing Season ◽  
Green Roofs ◽  
Plant Species Composition ◽  
Roof System ◽  
Semi Arid

Abstract Green roofs are expected to contribute to higher biodiversity in urban surroundings. Typically, green roofs have been designed with low plant diversity. However, plant diversity can be enhanced by controlling resource availability and creating distinct niches. Here we hypothesize that by using different drainage heights during the short plant-growing season in a semi-arid green roof system we can create distinct niches and plant communities. Our experiment took place at the University of Haifa, north Israel. We tested three different heights of drainage outlet: 10 cm under the surface of the substrate (Low), 1 cm under the surface of the substrate (Medium) and 3 cm above the surface of the substrate (High) on plant species-composition in green-roof gardens. Grasses cover was higher in High and Medium drainages while forbs cover was higher in Low drainage. Species richness was the highest in Low drainage while diversity indices showed the opposite trend. We conclude that by changing the height of the drainage we can create different niches and change species composition in a short time period of one growing season. This way we can create more diverse green roof communities and enhance biodiversity in urban areas, particularly in semi-arid regions.

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