scholarly journals Galling Insects of the Brazilian Páramos: Species Richness and Composition Along High-Altitude Grasslands

2017 ◽  
Vol 46 (6) ◽  
pp. 1243-1253 ◽  
Author(s):  
Marcel S Coelho ◽  
Marco Antônio Alves Carneiro ◽  
Cristina A Branco ◽  
Rafael Augusto Xavier Borges ◽  
G Wilson Fernandes
Keyword(s):  
Species Richness ◽  
High Altitude ◽  
Galling Insects ◽  
High Altitude Grasslands

scholarly journals Drivers of Bird Species Richness within Moist High-Altitude Grasslands in Eastern South Africa

PLoS ONE ◽  
2016 ◽  
Vol 11 (10) ◽  
pp. e0162609 ◽  
Author(s):  
David H. Maphisa ◽  
Hanneline Smit-Robinson ◽  
Les G. Underhill ◽  
Res Altwegg
Keyword(s):  
South Africa ◽  
Species Richness ◽  
High Altitude ◽  
Bird Species ◽  
Bird Species Richness ◽  
High Altitude Grasslands

scholarly journals Superhost Plants Alter the Structure of Plant–Galling Insect Networks in Neotropical Savannas

Plants ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 8 (10) ◽  
pp. 369 ◽  
Author(s):  
Araújo ◽  
Moreira ◽  
Falcão ◽  
Borges ◽  
Fagundes ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Species Richness ◽  
Plant Species ◽  
Plant Diversity ◽  
Host Plants ◽  
Plant Species Richness ◽  
Variable Number ◽  
Insect Species ◽  
Species Number ◽  
Neotropical Savannas ◽  
Galling Insects

Host plants may harbor a variable number of galling insect species, with some species being able to harbor a high diversity of these insects, being therefore called superhost plants. In the present study, we tested the hypothesis that the occurrence of superhost plant species of genus Qualea (Vochysiaceae) affects the structure of plant–galling insect ecological networks in Brazilian Cerrado. We sampled a total of 1882 plants grouped in 131 species and 43 families, of which 64 species and 31 families of host plants hosted 112 galling insect species. Our results showed that occurrence of superhosts of genus Qualea increased the linkage density of plant species, number of observed interactions, and the size of plant–galling insect networks and negatively affected the network connectance (but had no effect on the residual connectance). Although the occurrence of Qualea species did not affect the plant species richness, these superhosts increased the species richness and the number of interactions of galling insects. Our study represents a step forward in relation to previous studies that investigated the effects of plant diversity on the plant–insect networks, showing that few superhost plant species alter the structure of plant–herbivore networks, even without having a significant effect on plant diversity.

scholarly journals Dioscorea sphaeroidea (Dioscoreaceae), a threatened new species from the high-altitude grasslands of southeastern Brazil with wingless seeds

Phytotaxa ◽  
2014 ◽  
Vol 163 (4) ◽  
pp. 229 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ricardo Sousa Couto ◽  
ROSANA CONRADO LOPES ◽  
JOÃO MARCELO ALVARENGA BRAGA
Keyword(s):  
New Species ◽  
High Altitude ◽  
National Park ◽  
Southeastern Brazil ◽  
Morphological Description ◽  
Habitat Distribution ◽  
Risk Of Extinction ◽  
High Altitude Grasslands

Dioscorea sphaeroidea is endemic to the high-altitude grasslands of the Serra dos Órgãos National Park located in southeastern Brazil. Based on the spheroid shape of its fruit and seed, i.e., not flattened or winged, this new species is morphologically unusual in the Dioscorea genus. Moreover, its unique morphology leaves this new species with no clear position in the infrageneric taxonomy of Dioscorea. Herein we present the morphological description of this species, including a discussion of its ecology and habitat, distribution, and preliminary risk of extinction assessment.

Landscape changes caused by high altitude ski-pistes affect bird species richness and distribution in the Alps

2011 ◽  
Vol 144 (12) ◽  
pp. 2958-2967 ◽  
Author(s):  
Enrico Caprio ◽  
Dan E. Chamberlain ◽  
Marco Isaia ◽  
Antonio Rolando
Keyword(s):  
Species Richness ◽  
High Altitude ◽  
Bird Species ◽  
Landscape Changes ◽  
Bird Species Richness ◽  
The Alps

scholarly journals Dynamic multi-species occupancy models of birds of high-altitude grasslands in eastern South Africa

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
David H Maphisa ◽  
Hanneline Smit_Robinson ◽  
Res Altwegg
Keyword(s):  
High Altitude ◽  
Habitat Preferences ◽  
Bird Species ◽  
Bird Diversity ◽  
Grass Cover ◽  
Occupancy Models ◽  
Occupancy Dynamics ◽  
Pumped Storage ◽  
Species Occupancy ◽  
High Altitude Grasslands

Moist, high-altitude grasslands of eastern South African harbour rich avian diversity and endemism. This area is also threatened by increasingly intensive agriculture and land conversion for energy production. This conflict is particularly evident at Ingula, an Important Bird and Biodiversity Area located within the least conserved high-altitude grasslands and which is also the site of a new Pumped Storage Scheme. The new management seeks to maximise biodiversity through manipulation of the key habitat variables: grass height and grass cover through burning and grazing to make habitat suitable for birds. However, different species have individual habitat preferences, which further vary through the season. We used a dynamic multi-species occupancy model to examine the seasonal occupancy dynamics of 12 common grassland bird species and their habitat preferences. We estimated monthly occupancy, colonisation and persistence in relation to grass height and grass cover throughout the summer breeding season of 2011/12. For majority of these species, at the beginning of the season occupancy increased with increasing grass height and decreased with increasing grass cover. Persistence and colonisation decreased with increasing grass height and cover. However, the 12 species varied considerably in their responses to grass height and cover. Our results suggest that management should aim to provide plots which vary in grass height and cover to maximise bird diversity. We also conclude that the decreasing occupancy with increasing grass cover and low colonisation with increasing grass height and cover is a results of little grazing on our study site. We further conclude some of the 12 selected species are good indicators of habitat suitability more generally because they represent a range of habitat needs and are relatively easy to monitor.

scholarly journals Altitudinal variation in plant community, population structure and carbon stock of Quercus semecarpifolia Sm. forest in Kumaun Himalaya

2022 ◽  
Vol 43 (1) ◽  
pp. 133-146
Author(s):  
A. Fartyal ◽  
◽  
K. Khatri ◽  
K. Bargali ◽  
S.S. Bargali ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Population Structure ◽  
Species Richness ◽  
High Altitude ◽  
Plant Community ◽  
Carbon Stock ◽  
Forest Stand ◽  
Altitudinal Variation ◽  
Regeneration Status ◽  
Tree Layer ◽  
Quercus Semecarpifolia

Aim: To study the impact of altitudinal variation on plant community composition, structure, dispersion and regeneration status of Quercus semecarpifolia forest in Kumaun Himalaya. Methodology: Along the altitudinal gradient, the forest stands between 2400 and 2610 m asl were selected at low, mid and high altitude. The phyto-sociological analysis was carried by laying ten quadrats of 10m × 10m at each site. Soil samples were collected with the help of soil corer from two depths. Various ecological indices and population structure were investigated for each forest stand and regeneration status of forest was predicted by the population size of seedlings, saplings and trees. Tree biomass was estimated using allomatric equations and carbon stock was determined by multiplying biomass of species to factor 0.475. Results: With increasing altitude the number of tree species decreased and the shrub species richness increased, while herb species showed a unimodel pattern. Q. semecarpifolia was the dominant tree species at all the three sites with the IVI values of 220.14, 255.22 and 286.23 at LA, MA and HA, respectively. A complete absence of Q. semecarpifolia seedlings indicated no regeneration in low and high altitude stands while low proportion of seedlings in mid altitude forest stand indicated poor regeneration. Soil was acidic (pH 5.66-5.86), with higher silt content and showed decreasing pattern in physico-chemical properties with increasing altitude. The biomass of tree layer ranged from 871.49 to 1050.17 t ha-1. The tree layer carbon stock was maximum in high altitude forest (498.84 t ha-1) which was largely contributed by bole, stump roots and branches. Interpretation: Variation in species richness, distribution pattern and regeneration potential is related to site characteristics governed by altitude and require various efforts to conserve and protect these forests to check ecosystem imbalance.

scholarly journals Comparative leaf anatomy of Baccharis (Asteraceae) from high-altitude grasslands in Brazil: taxonomic and ecological implications

Botany ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 97 (11) ◽  
pp. 615-626 ◽  
Author(s):  
Thales Ornellas ◽  
Gustavo Heiden ◽  
Bruna Nunes de Luna ◽  
Claudia Franca Barros
Keyword(s):  
High Altitude ◽  
Leaf Anatomy ◽  
Glandular Trichomes ◽  
Principal Component ◽  
High Elevation ◽  
Statistical Analyses ◽  
Southeastern Brazil ◽  
Anatomical Features ◽  
High Altitude Grasslands ◽  
Secretory Ducts

Baccharis L. is an important genus in the high-altitude environments of South America. In the State of Rio de Janeiro, southeastern Brazil, the greatest richness is found at montane and high-montane ecological refuges, known as high-altitude grasslands. The high altitude provides several environmental factors that turn the high-altitude grasslands into singular tropical habitats. In this article we describe the leaf anatomy of six shrubby species of Baccharis, pointing out ecological aspects of the structures, and testing the use of statistical analyses to compare the species. Using light and scanning electron microscopy, we compared the anatomical features of the leaves and performed a cluster and principal component analyses. The results show novel features in the leaf anatomy for the genus, such as an undulated cuticle, three secretory ducts in the midrib, secretory ducts associated with the xylem, and biseriate glandular trichomes with an irregular organization of the cells. Our statistical analyses indicate that the anatomical features of the leaves, especially trichomes, are useful for distinguishing the different species, whereas others, such as isobilateral mesophyll, amphistomatic leaves, and an epidermis with thick cell walls correlate with their high-elevation habitat.

Himalayan medicinal plant diversity in an ecologically complex high altitude anthropogenic landscape, Dolpo, Nepal

2006 ◽  
Vol 33 (2) ◽  
pp. 128-140 ◽  
Author(s):  
SURESH KUMAR GHIMIRE ◽  
DOYLE MCKEY ◽  
YILDIZ AUMEERUDDY-THOMAS
Keyword(s):  
Health Care ◽  
Species Richness ◽  
Medicinal Plants ◽  
Medicinal Plant ◽  
Species Composition ◽  
High Altitude ◽  
Plant Species ◽  
Plant Diversity ◽  
Medicinal Plant Species ◽  
Use Patterns

The conservation of high-altitude medicinal plants is of concern throughout the Himalayan region, because they are important for traditional health care and in large-scale collection for trade. Because little is known regarding their conservation status in relation to the diversity of land-use patterns and habitats, this paper explores patterns of species composition and diversity of medicinal plants in five different pasture types in a traditionally-managed high-altitude landscape in northwest Nepal. Environmental variables, including human activities, strongly affected species composition, diversity and cover-abundance of medicinal plant species. Species richness of rare and commercially threatened medicinal plants (CTMP) showed patterns similar to overall medicinal plant species richness. Sub-alpine meadows, which have intermediate levels of human pressure related to grazing and relatively high levels of resource availability in terms of rainfall and soil nutrients, were richer in medicinal-plant species than alpine meadows. The coexistence of various plant communities under different human management regimes also enhanced landscape-level species diversity by maintaining some species restricted to particular habitat or pasture types. A number of medicinal plant species reported to be resistant to grazing were most abundant in heavily grazed sites. This pattern suggests that medicinal plant species may be positively influenced, to a certain extent, by human activities (mainly grazing). The combination of grazing and high levels of harvesting, however, had a negative impact on diversity and cover-abundance of rare and CTMP species. Maintenance of medicinal plant diversity and cover-abundance is critically dependent on managing grazing and resource harvesting to maintain levels that are both ecologically and economically sustainable. Forage for livestock and medicinal plants for local health care cannot be managed independently; a systems approach is needed, incorporating social management to accommodate the needs of different users. This could be achieved by maintenance of a mosaic landscape, in which different use patterns and pressures, reflecting the values attached to resources by different users and favouring different types of biodiversity, co-exist.

scholarly journals Effects of fire retardant chemical and fire suppressant foam on shrub steppe vegetation in northern Nevada

1999 ◽  
Vol 9 (2) ◽  
pp. 115 ◽  
Author(s):  
Diane L. Larson ◽  
Wesley E. Newton ◽  
Patrick J. Anderson ◽  
Steven J. Stein
Keyword(s):  
Species Richness ◽  
Great Basin ◽  
Fire Retardant ◽  
Stem Density ◽  
Steppe Vegetation ◽  
Northern Nevada ◽  
Shrub Steppe ◽  
Fire Suppressant ◽  
Number Of Stems ◽  
Galling Insects

The objectives of this study were to determine the effects of fire retardantchemical (Phos-Chek G75-F*) and fire suppressant foam (Silv-Ex) application,alone and in combination with fire, on Great Basin shrub steppe vegetation. Wemeasured growth, resprouting, flowering, and incidence of galling insects onChrysothamnus viscidiflorus andArtemisia tridentata. These characteristics were notaffected by any chemical treatment. We measured community characteristics,including species richness, evenness, and diversity, and number of stems ofwoody and herbaceous plants in riparian and upland plots. Of these characteristics, only species richness and number ofstems/m2 clearly responded to the chemicaltreatments, and the response was modified by fire. In general, speciesrichness declined, especially after Phos-Chek application. However, by the endof the growing season, species richness did not differ between treated andcontrol plots. Acanonical variate analysis suggested that burning had agreater influence on community composition than did the chemical treatments.In general, riparian areas showed more significant responses to the treatmentsthan did upland areas, and June applications produced greater changes inspecies richness and stem density than did July applications.*Use of Trade Names does not imply endorsement by the U.S.Government.

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