Natural Regeneration of Ground Storey Vegetation in a Semi-Arid Woodland Following Mechanical Disturbance and Burning. 2. Response of Individual Species.

1995 ◽  
Vol 17 (1) ◽  
pp. 59 ◽  
Author(s):  
PJ Walker ◽  
TB Koen ◽  
R Gittins
Keyword(s):  
Species Composition ◽  
Natural Regeneration ◽  
Perennial Grasses ◽  
Individual Species ◽  
Annual Plants ◽  
Clear Trend ◽  
Species Dominance ◽  
Burned Areas ◽  
Mechanical Disturbance ◽  
Semi Arid

A study was made over a period of 12 years of the natural regeneration of vegetation along a corridor cleared for the construction of a natural gas pipeline in a semi-arid woodland in central-western New South Wales. Total cover, proportion of grasses, and species composition were assessed on the infilled trench and areas from which topsoil had been bladed, as well as on adjacent undisturbed areas or areas burned by a wildfire. All areas were grazed continuously by sheep under normal station management. The effects of mechanical disturbance and of burning on individual species were measured in terms of species dominance and occurrence. Some insight was also gained in to the successional process on bared sites and in to the effects of the timing of seasonal rainfall on species composition. Of the 75 major species recorded, 15 were found to have greater occurrence on trenched sites, 46 decreased in occurrence and 14 showed no clear trend. Perennial grasses and small annual plants were the main decreasers, whilst Medicago spp., Erodium crinitum, Hordeum leporinum and certain 'weedy' annuals were the main increasers. Some of the early colonisers lasted only a few years or even less in any quantity, thereafter to be replaced by other increasers. Burning had little effect on the long-term occurrence of Stipa variabilis, Wahlenbergia spp., Helipterum spp., Calotis cuneifolia and some minor species. Eragrostis lacunaria appeared to decrease, while several annual plants were more common on burned areas.

Natural Regeneration of Ground Storey Vegetation in a Semi-Arid Woodland Following Mechanical Disturbance and Burning. 1. Ground Cover Levels and Composition.

1995 ◽  
Vol 17 (1) ◽  
pp. 46 ◽  
Author(s):  
PJ Walker ◽  
TB Koen
Keyword(s):  
Species Composition ◽  
Natural Regeneration ◽  
Ground Cover ◽  
Natural Gas Pipeline ◽  
Total Cover ◽  
Mechanical Disturbance ◽  
South Wales ◽  
Disturbed Areas ◽  
Rainfall Seasonality ◽  
Semi Arid

A study was made over a period of 12 years of the natural regeneration of vegetation along a corridor corridor cleared for the construction of a natural gas pipeline in a semi-arid woodland in central- western New South Wales. Total cover, proportion of grasses, and species composition were assessed on the infilled trench and on areas from which topsoil had been bladed, as well as on adjacent undisturbed areas and areas burned by a wildfire. All areas were grazed continuously by sheep under normal station management, and by native animals. After four years of about average rainfall, total cover on disturbed areas had regained levels as high or higher than on adjacent areas, and was maintained thereafter. On many individual sites this period was as short as eighteen months. The proportion of grasses remained much lower on disturbed areas, except for some periods of annual grass dominance. Species composition remained very different between disturbed and undisturbed areas, the main difference being in perennial species. However, composition also varied markedly between years, according to rainfall seasonality and competition from previously established plants. Little difference was apparent between undisturbed areas and similar areas which had burned twelve months before the first measurements. Mechanical disturbance caused by trenching and blading had a much greater effect on vegetation than did fire, and the effects were still obvious after twelve years.

Kyiv park "Nivki" and "Teremki" forests and ecological analysis of their habitats

2014 ◽  
Vol 25 (3-4) ◽  
pp. 53-68
Author(s):  
I. V. Goncharenko ◽  
H. M. Holyk
Keyword(s):  
Standard Deviation ◽  
Species Composition ◽  
Human Impact ◽  
Soil Nitrogen ◽  
Beta Diversity ◽  
Plant Cover ◽  
Alpha Diversity ◽  
Light Regime ◽  
Individual Species ◽  
Anthropogenic Pressure

Cenotic diversity and leading ecological factors of its floristic differentiation were studied on an example of two areas – Kyiv parks "Nivki" and "Teremki". It is shown that in megalopolis the Galeobdoloni-Carpinetum impatientosum parviflorae subassociation is formed under anthropogenic pressure on the typical ecotope of near-Dnieper hornbeam oak forests on fresh gray-forest soils. The degree of anthropogenic transformation of cenofloras can be estimated by the number of species of Robinietea and Galio-Urticetea classes, as well as neophytes and cultivars. Phytoindication for hemeroby index may be also used in calculation. We propose the modified index of biotic dispersion (normalized by alpha-diversity) for the estimation of ecophytocenotic range (beta-diversity) of releves series. We found that alpha-diversity initially increases (due to the invasion of antropophytes) at low level of antropogenic pressure, then it decreases (due to the loss of aboriginal species) secondarily with increasing of human impact. Also we found that beta-diversity (differential diversity) decreases, increasing homogeneity of plant cover, under the influence of anthropogenic factor. Vegetation classification was completed by a new original method of cluster analysis, designated as DRSA («distance-ranked sorting assembling»). The classification quality is suggested to be validated on the "seriation" diagram, which is а distance matrix between objects with gradient filling. Dark diagonal blocks confirm clusters’ density (intracluster compactness), uncolored off-diagonal blocks are evidence in favor of clusters’ isolation (intercluster distinctness). In addition, distinction of clusters (syntaxa) in ordination area suggests their independence. For phytoindication we propose to include only species with more than 10% constancy. Furthermore, for the description of syntaxonomic amplitude we suggest to use 25%-75% interquartile scope instead of mean and standard deviation. It is shown that comparative analysis of syntaxa for each ecofactor is convenient to carry out by using violin (bulb) plots. A new approach to the phytoindication of syntaxa, designated as R-phytoindication, was proposed for our study. In this case, the ecofactor values, calculated for individual releves, are not taken into account, however, the composition of cenoflora with species constancies is used that helps us to minimize for phytoindication the influence of non-typical species. We suggested a syntaxon’s amplitude to be described by more robust statistics: for the optimum of amplitude (central tendency) – by a median (instead of arithmetic mean), and for the range of tolerance – by an interquartile scope (instead of standard deviation). We assesses amplitudes of syntaxa by phytoindication method for moisture (Hd), acidity (Rc), soil nitrogen content (Nt), wetting variability (vHd), light regime (Lc), salt regime (Sl). We revealed no significant differences on these ecofactors among ecotopes of our syntaxa, that proved the variant syntaxonomic rank for all syntaxa. We found that the core of species composition of our phytocenoses consists of plants with moderate requirements for moisture, soil nitrogen, light and salt regime. We prove that the leading factor of syntaxonomic differentiation is hidden anthropogenic, which is not subject to direct measurement. But we detect that hidden factor of "human pressure" was correlated with phytoindication parameters (variables) that can be measured "directly" by species composition of plant communities. The most correlated factors were ecofactors of soil nitrogen, wetting variability, light regime and hemeroby. The last one is the most indicative empirically for the assessment of "human impact". We establish that there is a concept of «hemeroby of phytocenosis» (tolerance to human impact), which can be calculated approximately as the mean or the median of hemeroby scores of individual species which are present in it.

Natural regeneration of pine after ground fires on the territory of the Leningrad region

2016 ◽  
Author(s):  
Д.В. Гусев
Keyword(s):  
Natural Regeneration ◽  
Woody Plants ◽  
Hydrological Regime ◽  
Forest Litter ◽  
Southern Taiga ◽  
Leningrad Region ◽  
Good Recovery ◽  
Burned Areas ◽  
Pine Regeneration ◽  
Positive Effect

Естественное возобновление является важным фактором формирования насаждений, особенно главных лесообразующих пород. Растительное сообщество становится жизнестойким при условии способности восстановить численность популяций заменой погибших экземпляров новыми. Было выяснено в каком количестве происходит естественное возобновление сосны на гарях по сравнению с граничащими участками, не пройденными пожарами, взятые в качестве контроля. Район исследований относится к южной подзоне тайги на территории Ленинградской области в Кировском и Лужском лесничествах. Объектом исследований стали сосновые насаждения, где работы проводились в летний период с 2013 по 2015 год. Всего подобрано 36 участков (включая контроль) размером не более 0,3 га. Учет подроста проводился на учетных площадках. Каждая учетная площадка закладывалась при помощи шеста длиной 178,5 см. Площадь круговых площадок составляла 10 м2, они расположены последовательно друг за другом с непосредственным примыканием. На каждой площадке проводили перечет подроста и делили его по высоте на три категории крупности: мелкий до 0,5 м, средний – 0,6–1,5 м и крупный – более 1,5 м. А также естественное возобновление на участках делили по густоте – на три категории: редкий – до 2 тыс., средней густоты – 2–8 тыс., густой – более 8 тыс. растений на 1 га; по распределению по площади – на три категории в зависимости от встречаемости. Анализ послепожарного возобновления в сосняках показал, что на пробных площадях наблюдается отличное возобновление подроста сосны и обилие на площади, все это связано с уничтожением лесной подстилки, увеличением минерализации почвы что, в конечном счете, положительно влияет на естественное лесовосстановление, о чем свидетельствует появление всходов, а также лучше становится гидрологический режим почвы. Благодаря этому происходит хорошее восстановление. Количество благонадежного подроста составляет от 3,5 до 11,9 тыс. шт./га и его достаточно для естественного восстановления ценопопуляции после пожара. Подтверждена зависимость количество самосева и толщины лесной подстилки. Прогретая после пожара, богатая минеральными веществами почва благоприятна для появления всходов и самосева древесных растений. Natural regeneration is an important factor in the formation of plantations, especially the main forest-forming species. Plant community becomes viable, provided the ability to recover populations, replacement of lost copies new. Find out how much happens in a natural pine regeneration in burned areas compared to adjacent areas not affected by fires, are taken as a control. The study area belongs to the subzone of southern taiga on the territory of Leningrad region, the Kirov and Luga districts. The object of research became pine plantations where the work was carried out in year period from 2013 to 2015. Just picked up 36 stations (including the control) no larger than 0.3 hectares. accounting for the undergrowth was conducted on index sites. Each user platform was laid with a pole length of 178.5 cm the area of the circular pads was 10 m2, they are located successively one after another with a direct connection. At each site conducted the translation of the undergrowth and it was divided in height into three categories of size: small up to 0.5 m, average 0.6 to 1.5 meters and large – more than 1.5 meters. And natural regeneration on plots divided by the density for three categories: rare – up to 2 thousand, medium density – 2 to 8 thousand, thick – more than 8 thousand plants per 1 ha; on the distribution of the area – into three categories depending on the occurrence. Analysis of post-fire regeneration in pine forests showed that the sample areas there is a great renewal of undergrowth of pine and the abundance on the square, all this is due to the destruction of forest litter, increasing salinity of the soil which, ultimately, has a positive effect on natural regeneration, as evidenced by the appearance of seedlings, as well as better hydrological regime of the soil. Which a good recovery. The number of reliable undergrowth is from 3.5 to 11.9 thousand PCs/ha, enough for natural regeneration of seedlings after the fire. Confirmed the dependence of the number of self-seeding and thickness of forest litter. After the fire-warmed, mineral-rich soil is favorable for emergence and self-seeding of woody plants.

Semi-automated mapping of burned areas in semi-arid ecosystems using MODIS time-series imagery

2015 ◽  
Vol 38 ◽  
pp. 25-35 ◽  
Author(s):  
Leonardo A. Hardtke ◽  
Paula D. Blanco ◽  
Héctor F.del Valle ◽  
Graciela I. Metternicht ◽  
Walter F. Sione
Keyword(s):  
Time Series ◽  
Arid Ecosystems ◽  
Automated Mapping ◽  
Burned Areas ◽  
Semi Arid

scholarly journals Peculiarities of distribution of unseeded species in crops of perennial grasses, depending on the composition of the grass mixture and the mode of use of the grass

2018 ◽  
pp. 120-127
Author(s):  
V. Olifirovich
Keyword(s):  
Species Composition ◽  
Perennial Grasses ◽  
Weed Species ◽  
Grass Stand ◽  
Weed Infestation

The article investigated the species composition and dynamics of changes in the contamination of agrophytocenoses of perennial grasses, depending on the composition of the grass mixture and the mode of use of the grass stand. In the crops of perennial grasses, 34 weed species belonging to 12 botanical kind were found in the first three years of use of the grass stand. In the structure of weed infestation of perennial grasses, the species of the Astra kind of weeds dominated, which were represented by stanktis annual, dandelion, yarrow, field thistle.

What drives plant biodiversity in the clay floodplain grasslands of NSW?

2009 ◽  
Vol 31 (3) ◽  
pp. 329 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tom Lewis ◽  
Peter J. Clarke ◽  
Ralph D. B. Whalley ◽  
Nick Reid
Keyword(s):  
Species Richness ◽  
Species Composition ◽  
Soil Type ◽  
Environmental Variables ◽  
Private Property ◽  
Flood Frequency ◽  
Perennial Grasses ◽  
Plant Biodiversity ◽  
South Wales ◽  
Plant Families

An assessment of the relative influences of management and environment on the composition of floodplain grasslands of north-western New South Wales was made using a regional vegetation survey sampling a range of land tenures (e.g. private property, travelling stock routes and nature reserves). A total of 364 taxa belonging to 55 different plant families was recorded. Partitioning of variance with redundancy analysis determined that environmental variables accounted for a greater proportion (61.3%) of the explained variance in species composition than disturbance-related variables (37.6%). Soil type (and fertility), sampling time and rainfall had a strong influence on species composition and there were also east–west variations in composition across the region. Of the disturbance-related variables, cultivation, stocking rate and flooding frequency were all influential. Total, native, forb, shrub and subshrub richness were positively correlated with increasing time since cultivation. Flood frequency was positively correlated with graminoid species richness and was negatively correlated with total and forb species richness. Site species richness was also influenced by environmental variables (e.g. soil type and rainfall). Despite the resilience of these grasslands, some forms of severe disturbance (e.g. several years of cultivation) can result in removal of some dominant perennial grasses (e.g. Astrebla spp.) and an increase in disturbance specialists. A simple heuristic transitional model is proposed that has conceptual thresholds for plant biodiversity status. This knowledge representation may be used to assist in the management of these grasslands by defining four broad levels of community richness and the drivers that change this status.

Fire activity and its influence on Aerosol Optical Depth and Green-House Gases over PEEX area for the last two decades

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Larisa Sogacheva ◽  
Anu-Maija Sundström ◽  
Timo H. Virtanen ◽  
Antti Arola ◽  
Tuukka Petäjä ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Remote Sensing ◽  
Boreal Forest ◽  
Atmospheric Composition ◽  
Future Climate Change ◽  
Individual Species ◽  
Modeling Tools ◽  
Fire Emissions ◽  
Burned Areas ◽  
Fire Activity

<p>The Pan-Eurasian Experiment Program (PEEX) is an interdisciplinary scientific program bringing together ground-based in situ and remote sensing observations, satellite measurements and modeling tools aiming to improve the understanding of land-water-atmosphere interactions, feedback mechanisms and their effects on the ecosystem, climate and society in northern Eurasia, Russia and China. In a view of the large area covering thousands of kilometres, large gaps will remain where no or little ground-based observational information will be available. The gap can partly be filled by satellite remote sensing of relevant parameters as regards atmospheric composition.</p><p>Biomass burning is a violent source of atmospheric pollutants. Fires and corresponding emissions to the atmosphere dramatically change the atmospheric composition in case of long-lasting fire events, which might cover extended areas. In the burned areas, CO2 exchange, as well as emissions of different compounds are getting to higher levels, which might contribute to climate change by changing the radiative budget through the aerosol-cloud interaction and cloud formation. In the boreal forest, after CO2, CO and CH4, the largest emission factors for individual species were formaldehyde, followed by methanol and NO2 (Simpson et al., ACP, 2011). The emitted long-life components, e.g., black carbon, might further be transported to the distant areas and measured at the surface far from the burned areas.</p><p>In the boreal forest region, fires are very common, very large and produce a lot of smoke. Boreal areas  have been burning regularly for thousands of years and is adapted to fires, which happen most often between May and October. In boreal ecosystems, future increases in air temperature may lengthen the fire season and increase the probability of fires, leading some to hypothesize a positive feedback between warming, fire activity, carbon loss, and future climate change (Kasischke et al., 2000). </p><p> During the last few decades, several burning episodes have been observed over PEEX area by satellites (as fire counts), specifically over Siberia and central Russia. The following information available from satellites will be utilized to reveal a connection between Fire activity and atmospheric composition <span>for the period 2002-2020 over the PEEX area:</span></p><ul><li>- Fire count, FRP and burned areas from MODIS</li> <li>- Absorbing Aerosol Index (AAI), multi-instrument (GOME-2, OMI, TOMS) product</li> <li>- CO from MOPPIT</li> <li>- HCHO and NO2 from OMI</li> </ul><p>Monthly temperature and humidity fields from ERA5 re-analysis will be also utilized to reveal if a connection exist between climate variables and occurrence and intensity of the forest fires.</p><p>Kasischke, B. J. Stocks: Fire, Climate Change, and Carbon Cycling in the Boreal Forest. M. M. Cadwellet al.,Eds., Ecological Studies (Springer, New York, 2000)</p><p>Simpson, I. J., Akagi, S. K., Barletta, B., Blake, N. J., Choi, Y., Diskin, G. S., Fried, A., Fuelberg, H. E., Meinardi, S., Rowland, F. S., Vay, S. A., Weinheimer, A. J., Wennberg, P. O., Wiebring, P., Wisthaler, A., Yang, M., Yokelson, R. J., and Blake, D. R.: Boreal forest fire emissions in fresh Canadian smoke plumes: C<sub>1</sub>-C<sub>10</sub> volatile organic compounds (VOCs), CO<sub>2</sub>, CO, NO<sub>2</sub>, NO, HCN and CH<sub>3</sub>CN, Atmos. Chem. Phys., 11, 6445–6463, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-11-6445-2011, 2011.</p><p> </p>

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.

scholarly journals Testing for consistency in the impacts of a burrowing ecosystem engineer on soil and vegetation characteristics across biomes

2019 ◽  
Vol 9 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
M. A. Louw ◽  
N. S. Haussmann ◽  
P. C. le Roux
Keyword(s):  
Species Composition ◽  
Ecosystem Engineer ◽  
Environmental Gradients ◽  
Plant Cover ◽  
Ecosystem Engineers ◽  
Conservation Strategies ◽  
Annual Rainfall ◽  
Mesic Grassland ◽  
Vegetation Characteristics ◽  
Semi Arid

AbstractThe impacts of ecosystem engineers may be expected to vary along environmental gradients. Due to some resources being more limited in arid than in mesic environments, disturbances created by burrowing mammals are expected to have a greater ameliorating effect in arid environments, with larger differences in microhabitat conditions expected between burrows and undisturbed areas. The aim of this study was to test if the impacts of a medium-sized burrowing mammal, the aardvark, on soil properties (soil temperature, moisture and compaction) and vegetation characteristics (plant cover, species richness and species composition) are consistent across three biomes that differ strongly in annual rainfall. Burrowing affected soil and vegetation attributes, but the direction and magnitude of these biogeomorphological impacts were not consistent across the different biomes. For example, plant species composition was altered by burrowing in the arid scrubland and in the mesic grassland, but not in the semi-arid savannah. Contrary to expectations, the difference in the impacts of burrowing between biomes were not related to rainfall, with burrowing having strong, albeit different, impacts in both the arid scrubland and the mesic grassland, but weaker effects in the semi-arid savannah. It appears, therefore, that the impacts of these biogeomorphic agents may be site-specific and that it may be difficult to predict variation in their biotic and abiotic effects across environmental gradients. As a result, forecasting the impacts of ecosystem engineers under different conditions remains a challenge to management, restoration and conservation strategies related to these types of species.

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