scholarly journals Release from sheep‐grazing appears to put some heart back into upland vegetation: A comparison of nutritional properties of plant species in long‐term grazing experiments

2020 ◽  
Vol 177 (1) ◽  
pp. 152-162 ◽  
Author(s):  
Robert H. Marrs ◽  
HyoHyeMi Lee ◽  
Sabena Blackbird ◽  
Leslie Connor ◽  
Susan E. Girdwood ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Plant Species ◽  
Sheep Grazing ◽  
Nutritional Properties

Using Long-Term Population Monitoring Data to Prioritize Conservation Action among Rare Plant Species

2019 ◽  
Vol 39 (2) ◽  
pp. 169 ◽  
Author(s):  
Holly L. Bernardo ◽  
Pati Vitt ◽  
Rachel Goad ◽  
Susanne Masi ◽  
Tiffany M. Knight
Keyword(s):  
Plant Species ◽  
Population Monitoring ◽  
Monitoring Data ◽  
Rare Plant ◽  
Conservation Action ◽  
Rare Plant Species

scholarly journals Minor Treatments Can Play a Significant Role in Preserving Natural Habitats and Protected Species on the Shore of a Central European Lake

Agronomy ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (8) ◽  
pp. 1540
Author(s):  
Bence Fülöp ◽  
Bálint Pacsai ◽  
Judit Bódis
Keyword(s):  
Plant Species ◽  
Conservation Status ◽  
Active Management ◽  
Lake Balaton ◽  
Protected Species ◽  
Natural Habitats ◽  
Management Interventions ◽  
Natural Grasslands ◽  
Tourism Potential

Semi-natural grasslands were previously established through traditional land use and maintained by active management, but their extension nowadays is declining rapidly, particularly in areas that also have tourism potential. In parallel, the conservation value of the remaining areas is increasing. The shore of Lake Balaton is a particularly good example, as Lake Balaton is an area highly affected by tourism, yet there have been valuable habitats able to survive and provide refuge for many vulnerable, protected species. Fortunately, we have reliable information about the vegetation of the area from two decades ago. Comparing these data with our recent surveys we investigated the changes in habitats and the distribution of protected plant species in connection with the active conservation treatments such as grazing or cutting. Our results show that in areas where treatments are still ongoing, protected plant species are more likely to survive, or even other species can appear, which is in clear contrast with conditions experienced in abandoned areas, where at least seven protected species have disappeared. According to our results, minor, but appropriately chosen and well-executed management interventions, can help in the long-term maintenance of species-rich habitats and improving the conservation status of threatened species.

Rangeland responses to pastoralists' grazing management on a Tibetan steppe grassland, Qinghai Province, China

2016 ◽  
Vol 38 (1) ◽  
pp. 1 ◽  
Author(s):  
Richard B. Harris ◽  
Leah H. Samberg ◽  
Emily T. Yeh ◽  
Andrew T. Smith ◽  
Wang Wenying ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Plant Species ◽  
Temporal Trends ◽  
Winter Season ◽  
Grazing Pressure ◽  
Livestock Grazing ◽  
Western China ◽  
Permanent Plots ◽  
Sheep Grazing ◽  
Qinghai Province ◽  
Preferred Species

Livestock grazing is the principal land use in arid central Asia, and range degradation is considered a serious problem within much of the high-elevation region of western China termed the Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau (QTP). Rangeland degradation on the QTP is variously attributed to poor livestock management, historical-cultural factors, changing land tenure arrangements or socioeconomic systems, climate change, and damage from small mammals. Few studies have examined currently managed pastures using detailed data capable of isolating fine-scale livestock–vegetation interactions. The aim of the study was to understand how differences among livestock (primarily sheep) management strategies of pastoralists during winter affected subsequent rangeland condition and productivity. Plant species composition, annual herbage mass, and indicators of erosion were quantified during four summers (2009–2012) on winter pastures managed by 11 different pastoralists on QTP steppe rangeland in Qinghai Province, China. Data came from repeated-measurements on 317 systematically located permanent plots, as well as pastoralist interviews and the use of GPS-equipped livestock. Relationships between annual weather variation and herbage mass were modelled using an independent set of vegetation measurements obtained from livestock exclosures. Account was taken of inherent site differences among pastures. Annual variation in herbage mass was found to be best fitted by a model containing a negative function of winter-season temperature and a positive function of spring-season temperature. Accounting for annual and site effects, significant differences among pastoralists were found for most response variables, suggesting that individual heterogeneity among management approaches had consequences, even among neighbouring pastoralists. Annual herbage mass of preferred plant species was positively associated, whereas that of unpreferred species was negatively associated, with mean sheep density and intensity of use. However, the proportion of bare soil, an index of erosion, and annual herbage mass of unpreferred forbs were found to have positive relationships with sheep grazing pressure during the preceding winter, whereas live vegetation cover and annual herbage mass of preferred grasses were negatively related. Thus, on a spatial scale, pastoralists responded adaptively to the cover of preferred plant species while not responding to total annual herbage mass. Pastoralists stocked pastures more heavily, and livestock used regions within pastures more intensively, where preferred species had a higher cover. However, where sheep grazing pressure was high, downward temporal trends in the herbage mass of preferred species were exacerbated. Pastures that were stocked at a lower density did not experience the negative trends seen in those with a higher density.

Responses of net ecosystem CO2 exchange in managed grassland to long-term CO2 enrichment, N fertilization and plant species

2005 ◽  
Vol 28 (7) ◽  
pp. 823-833 ◽  
Author(s):  
URS AESCHLIMANN ◽  
JOSEF NOSBERGER ◽  
PETER J. EDWARDS ◽  
MANUEL K. SCHNEIDER ◽  
MICHAEL RICHTER ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Plant Species ◽  
Co2 Enrichment ◽  
N Fertilization ◽  
Co2 Exchange ◽  
Net Ecosystem Co2 Exchange

scholarly journals The intersection of basic research and conservation: a 30-year study of the Critically Endangered Schiedea adamantis (Caryophyllaceae) on Lē‘ahi (Diamond Head Crater), Hawai‘i

Oryx ◽  
2017 ◽  
Vol 52 (3) ◽  
pp. 479-488 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ann K. Sakai ◽  
Stephen G. Weller ◽  
Weigang Yang ◽  
Susan Ching Harbin ◽  
Talia Portner ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Invasive Species ◽  
Plant Species ◽  
Basic Research ◽  
Breeding Systems ◽  
Critically Endangered ◽  
Supplemental Irrigation ◽  
Long Term Study ◽  
And Storage ◽  
Species Being

AbstractWe report on how a long-term study of the reproductive biology of the Critically Endangered Schiedea adamantis (Caryophyllaceae), one of Hawai‘i's rarest plant species, was leveraged for conservation purposes. Our major goals were to provide seeds with the greatest genetic variation possible for reintroduction and to ensure that both female and hermaphroditic plants of this wind-pollinated species were reintroduced in a manner that maximized both outcrossing and seed production. Schiedea adamantis was one of the first Hawaiian plant species listed under the Endangered Species Act (USA). The species has been studied intensively to test hypotheses addressing the evolution of breeding systems. Information on outcrossing levels and the extent of inbreeding depression was integrated into ongoing reintroduction efforts. Population size peaked in 1994, when 267 flowering individuals were found on Lē‘ahi (Diamond Head Crater). By 2016 only 17 flowering individuals were present, with drought and invasive species being possible causes of this decline. Reintroduction attempts in 1998 using genetically diverse seeds were unsuccessful because of drought and a lack of sufficient supplemental irrigation. Additional reintroduction attempts in 2012 and 2014 were more successful because of increased supplemental irrigation. Plants used in reintroductions represent genotypes long since absent in the natural population, and may contain the genetic variability essential for evolutionary responses to climate change and the spread of invasive species. The destruction of many plants reintroduced in 2015 and 2016 by a fire in March 2016 highlights the need for additional restoration areas at Lē‘ahi and elsewhere, and storage of seeds for future use.

scholarly journals A Contribution to the flora of Rajouri and Poonch districts in the Pir Panjal Himalaya (Jammu & Kashmir), India

Check List ◽  
2014 ◽  
Vol 10 (2) ◽  
pp. 317 ◽  
Author(s):  
Gh. Hassan Dar ◽  
Akhtar H. Malik ◽  
Anzar A. Khuroo
Keyword(s):  
Plant Species ◽  
Plant Diversity ◽  
Vascular Plant ◽  
Sustainable Use ◽  
Scientific Data ◽  
Current Paper ◽  
Himalayan Region ◽  
Plant Resources ◽  
Jammu And Kashmir

The current paper provides a taxonomic inventory of the vascular plant species collected by the authors during the last two decades from the Rajouri and Poonch districts, located along the Pir Panjal range in the Indian Himalayan State of Jammu and Kashmir. The inventory records a total of 352 species, which belong to 270 genera in 83 families. Of the total taxa, the angiosperms are represented by 331 species in 253 genera and 77 families; gymnosperms by 12 species in 9 genera and 3 families; and pteridophytes by 9 species in 7 genera and 3 families. Asteraceae is the largest family, contributing 42 species; while Artemisia is the largest genus, with 5 species. The inventory is expected to provide baseline scientific data for further studies on plant diversity in these two border districts, and can be used to facilitate the long-term conservation and sustainable use of plant resources in this Himalayan region.

scholarly journals Plant traits are poor predictors of long-term ecosystem functioning

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Fons van der Plas ◽  
Thomas Schröder-Georgi ◽  
Alexandra Weigelt ◽  
Kathryn Barry ◽  
Sebastian Meyer ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Plant Species ◽  
Ecosystem Functioning ◽  
Plant Traits ◽  
Vascular Plant ◽  
Plant Performance ◽  
Ecosystem Functions ◽  
Average Percentage ◽  
Functional Consequences ◽  
Small Set

ABSTRACTEarth is home to over 350,000 vascular plant species1 that differ in their traits in innumerable ways. Yet, a handful of functional traits can help explaining major differences among species in photosynthetic rate, growth rate, reproductive output and other aspects of plant performance2–6. A key challenge, coined “the Holy Grail” in ecology, is to upscale this understanding in order to predict how natural or anthropogenically driven changes in the identity and diversity of co-occurring plant species drive the functioning of ecosystems7, 8. Here, we analyze the extent to which 42 different ecosystem functions can be predicted by 41 plant traits in 78 experimentally manipulated grassland plots over 10 years. Despite the unprecedented number of traits analyzed, the average percentage of variation in ecosystem functioning that they jointly explained was only moderate (32.6%) within individual years, and even much lower (12.7%) across years. Most other studies linking ecosystem functioning to plant traits analyzed no more than six traits, and when including either only six random or the six most frequently studied traits in our analysis, the average percentage of explained variation in across-year ecosystem functioning dropped to 4.8%. Furthermore, different ecosystem functions were driven by different traits, with on average only 12.2% overlap in significant predictors. Thus, we did not find evidence for the existence of a small set of key traits able to explain variation in multiple ecosystem functions across years. Our results therefore suggest that there are strong limits in the extent to which we can predict the long-term functional consequences of the ongoing, rapid changes in the composition and diversity of plant communities that humanity is currently facing.

scholarly journals How long should the fully hillside-closed forest protection be implemented on the Loess Plateau, Shaanxi, China?

PeerJ ◽  
2017 ◽  
Vol 5 ◽  
pp. e3764 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lin Hou ◽  
Sijia Hou
Keyword(s):  
Plant Species ◽  
Loess Plateau ◽  
Plant Species Richness ◽  
Pinus Tabulaeformis ◽  
Available Phosphorus ◽  
Forest Protection ◽  
Top Soil ◽  
Closed Forest ◽  
Natural Forest Protection Program

Background Restoration of degraded forest ecosystem is crucial for regional sustainable development. To protect the country’s fragile and fragmented environment, the Chinese government initiated an ecological engineering project, the Natural Forest Protection Program, in seventeen provinces in China beginning in 1998. Fully hillside-closed forest protection (vegetation restoration naturally without any artificial disturbance) was one of vital measures of the Natural Forest Protection Program applied nation wide. Whether plant diversity, biomass and age structure of dominant tree species and soil nutrients in protected stands may become better with increase of protected period are still open problems. Methods We investigated community diversity, biomass of dominant tree species, age structures, and analyzed soil chemical properties of a Pinus tabulaeformis population at protected sites representing different protected ages at Huanglongshan Forest Bureau on the Loess Plateau, Shaanxi, China. Results Plant species richness of Pinus tabulaeformis community was significantly affected (p < 0.05) by forest protection and the effect attenuated with protection age. Shannon evenness index of plant species generally increased with protection age. Stands protected for 45 years had the highest tree biomass and considerable natural regeneration capacity. Contents of organic carbon, available phosphorus and available potassium in top soil increased in protected stands less than 45 years, however decreased significantly thereafter. Long-term forest protection also decreased the content of mineral nitrogen in top soil. Discussion We found that the richness of shrubs and herbs was significantly affected by forest protection, and evenness indices of tree, shrub and herb increased inconsistently with protected ages. Forest protection created more complex age structures and tree densities with increasing age of protection. Content of soil mineral nitrogen at 0–20 cm soil depth showed a decreasing trend in stands of up to 30 years. Soil available phosphorus and potassium contents were higher in stands with greater proportions of big and medium trees. Long-term protection (>45 years) of Pinus tabulaeformis stands in southeast Loess Plateau, China, may be associated with decreasing plant species richness, proportion of medium to large trees, dominant biomass of Pinus tabulaeformis and soil nutrients.

scholarly journals Phytoremediation as a Prospective Method for Rehabilitation of Areas Contaminated by Long-Term Sewage Sludge Storage: The Greek Experience

2017 ◽  
pp. 836-853
Author(s):  
N. Suchkova ◽  
E. Darakas ◽  
J. Ganoulis ◽  
Y. Vergeles
Keyword(s):  
Sewage Sludge ◽  
Plant Species ◽  
Shoot Growth ◽  
The Other ◽  
Control Treatment ◽  
Distilled Water ◽  
Series Of Experiments ◽  
And Control ◽  
Control Samples

In this work the suitability of several plant species for phytoremediation under natural and artificially installed conditions was studied. Brassica napus, Medicago sativa, Zea mays, Triticum aestivum, and Hordeum vulgare were grown in pots with sewage sludge from Sindos Main WWTP in Thessaloniki and from Sindos Industrial WWTP in Thessaloniki, Greece. The first series of experiments included comparing measurements of various parameters for the above mentioned plants and the sludge to those for control samples (the same plants growing in compost). It was shown that shoot growth was less reduced in T. aestivum and H. vulgare than in the other plant species studied. B. napus had lower germination tax, followed by M. sativa with the lowest germination tax. Generally B. napus, giving less biomass production than Z. mays and T. aestivum, is characterised by a higher ability to accumulate heavy metals like Cd, Cu, Ni, Pb, Zn, Cr, As and Hg. The second series of experiments included comparing measurements of various parameters of B. napus grown in sludge and treated each 7 days with metal solutions of Ni, Zn and Pb containing 10-2mg/l, 10-4mg/l, 10-6mg/l of each metal, to those for control plants treated with double distilled water. Results showed that shoot growth of B. napus were increased at treatments with lower concentrations of metals (10-6 mg/l) and control (treatment with d-distilled water). At the same time uptake of metal ions was increased with the concentration of the solution, i.e. at higher concentrations (10-2 mg/l). It is truly for Pb and Zn, transfer coefficient TC of which (indicates a plant’s potential to concentrate a metal) was quite high 15 % and 7 % correspondingly. It was noticed that B. napus has high ability to accumulate Cr, from the other hand it did not accumulate Ni (at present case).

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