Large herbivores maintain termite-caused differences in herbaceous species diversity patterns

Ecology ◽  
2012 ◽  
Vol 93 (9) ◽  
pp. 2095-2103 ◽  
Author(s):  
Paul Okullo ◽  
Stein R. Moe
Keyword(s):  
Species Diversity ◽  
Herbaceous Species ◽  
Large Herbivores ◽  
Diversity Patterns

SPECIES DIVERSITY PATTERNS DERIVED FROM SPECIES–AREA MODELS

Ecology ◽  
2002 ◽  
Vol 83 (5) ◽  
pp. 1185-1198 ◽  
Author(s):  
Fangliang He ◽  
Pierre Legendre
Keyword(s):  
Species Diversity ◽  
Diversity Patterns ◽  
Species Area

Impacts of Prescribed Fire, Glyphosate, and Seeding on Cogongrass, Species Richness, and Species Diversity in Longleaf Pine

2013 ◽  
Vol 6 (4) ◽  
pp. 536-544 ◽  
Author(s):  
Stephen F. Enloe ◽  
Nancy J. Loewenstein ◽  
David W. Held ◽  
Lori Eckhardt ◽  
Dwight K. Lauer
Keyword(s):  
Species Richness ◽  
Species Diversity ◽  
Prescribed Fire ◽  
Longleaf Pine ◽  
Pine Forests ◽  
Herbaceous Species ◽  
Integrated Strategies ◽  
Species Richness And Diversity ◽  
Herbicide Treatments ◽  
Rhizome Biomass

AbstractCogongrass [Imperata cylindrica (L.) Beauv.] is a warm-season, rhizomatous grass native to southeast Asia that has invaded thousands of hectares in the southeastern United States. Its negative impacts on pine forests have been well documented, and aggressive control is widely recommended. Although repeated herbicide treatments are effective for suppression, integrated strategies of prescribed burning coupled with herbicide treatment and revegetation are lacking in pine systems. In particular, longleaf pine forests, which are typically open, fire-dependent, communities, are highly susceptible to cogongrass, which is a pyrogenic species. To address management goals for cogongrass control and herbaceous restoration in longleaf pine forests better, field studies were conducted in southwestern Alabama from 2010 to 2012. Two longleaf pine forests with near-monotypic stands of cogongrass in the understory were selected for study. Treatments included combinations of winter prescribed fire, spring and fall glyphosate herbicide treatments, and seeding a mix of native, herbaceous species. Data were collected for three growing seasons following study initiation, and included seasonal herbaceous species cover and final cogongrass shoot and rhizome biomass. Species richness and diversity were calculated and analyzed to ascertain treatment effects over the duration of the study. Burning slightly improved cogongrass control with glyphosate, but had no effect on total cover, species richness, or species diversity. Three glyphosate treatments reduced total vegetative cover and nearly eliminated cogongrass cover, shoot, and rhizome biomass. Glyphosate and glyphosate + seeding also increased herbaceous species richness and diversity. However, aboveground productivity in treated plots was significantly lower than productivity in the untreated control, which was almost exclusively cogongrass. These studies indicate that glyphosate and integrated strategies utilizing glyphosate and seeding are very useful for cogongrass management and increasing herbaceous species richness and diversity in longleaf pine.

scholarly journals Herbaceous plant species diversity in communal agro-pastoral and conservation areas in western Serengeti, Tanzania

2019 ◽  
Vol 7 (5) ◽  
pp. 502-518
Author(s):  
Pius Yoram Kavana ◽  
Anthony Z. Sangeda ◽  
Ephraim J. Mtengeti ◽  
Christopher Mahonge ◽  
John Bukombe ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Species Diversity ◽  
Protected Areas ◽  
Plant Species ◽  
Rural Areas ◽  
Plant Species Diversity ◽  
Livestock Grazing ◽  
Herbaceous Plant ◽  
Herbaceous Species ◽  
Grazing Land ◽  
Grazing Lands

Agro-pastoralism involves the growing of crops and keeping of livestock as a livelihood strategy practiced by communities in rural areas in Africa and is highly dependent on environmental factors including rainfall, soil and vegetation. Agro-pastoral activities, e.g. livestock grazing and land clearing for crop cultivation, impact on environmental condition. This study evaluated the impacts of agro-pastoral activities on herbaceous plant species diversity and abundance in western Serengeti relative to conservation (protected) areas. A vegetation survey was conducted along the grazing gradients of ten 4 km transects from within village lands to protected areas. A total of 123 herbaceous species belonging to 20 families were identified. Higher herbaceous species diversity and richness were found in protected areas than in communal grazing lands. Similarly, the number of perennial herbaceous species was higher in the former than the latter, while occurrence of annuals was higher in the village areas. This observation indicates poor rangeland condition in village communal grazing lands as compared with protected areas. It is obvious that current agro-pastoral activities have contributed to a reduction in herbaceous species diversity in village lands in western Serengeti. However, the array of pasture species, especially desirable perennial species, still present in communal grazing areas, suggests that rejuvenation of these areas is possible. Resting of grazing land is recommended to reverse the trend towards diversity reduction and ensure future availability of feed resources for grazing animals in village lands.

A comparison of latitudinal species diversity patterns between riverine and terrestrial earthworms from the North American temperate zone

2020 ◽  
Vol 47 (6) ◽  
pp. 1373-1382
Author(s):  
Hiroshi Ikeda ◽  
Mac A. Callaham ◽  
Richard P. Shefferson ◽  
Evelyn S. Wenk ◽  
Carlos Fragoso
Keyword(s):  
Species Diversity ◽  
North American ◽  
Temperate Zone ◽  
Diversity Patterns ◽  
The North

Environmental correlates of herpetofaunal diversity in Costa Rica

2010 ◽  
Vol 26 (5) ◽  
pp. 521-531 ◽  
Author(s):  
David Laurencio ◽  
Lee A. Fitzgerald
Keyword(s):  
Costa Rica ◽  
Species Diversity ◽  
Beta Diversity ◽  
Geographic Distance ◽  
Alpha Diversity ◽  
High Elevation ◽  
Diversity Patterns ◽  
Regional Diversity ◽  
Environmental Correlates ◽  
High Elevation Site

Abstract:Disentangling local and historical factors that determine species diversity patterns at multiple spatial scales is fundamental to elucidating processes that govern ecological communities. Here we investigated how environmental correlates may influence diversity at local and regional scales. Primarily utilizing published species lists, amphibian and reptile alpha and beta diversity were assessed at 17 well-surveyed sites distributed among ecoregions throughout Costa Rica. The degree to which regional species diversity patterns were related to environmental variables and geographic distance was determined using Canonical Correspondence Analysis and Mantel tests. Amphibian alpha diversity was highest in lowland Pacific sites (mean = 43.3 species) and lowest at the high elevation site (9 species). Reptile alpha diversity values were high for both lowland Atlantic (mean = 69.5 species) and lowland Pacific (mean = 67 species) sites and lowest for the high elevation site (8 species). We found high species turnover between local sites and ecoregions, demonstrating the importance of beta diversity in the determination of regional diversity. For both amphibians and reptiles, beta diversity was highest between the high-elevation site and all others, and lowest among lowland sites within the same ecoregion. The effect of geographic distance on beta diversity was minor. Ecologically significant climatic variables related to rain, temperature, sunshine and insolation were found to be important determinants of local and regional diversity for both amphibians and reptiles in Costa Rica.

scholarly journals Climatic Change Can Influence Species Diversity Patterns and Potential Habitats of Salicaceae Plants in China

Forests ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 10 (3) ◽  
pp. 220 ◽  
Author(s):  
WenQing Li ◽  
MingMing Shi ◽  
Yuan Huang ◽  
KaiYun Chen ◽  
Hang Sun ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Species Diversity ◽  
Last Glacial Maximum ◽  
Climate Warming ◽  
Southwest China ◽  
Diversity Patterns ◽  
Suitable Habitats ◽  
The Last Glacial Maximum ◽  
Niche Models ◽  
The Last Glacial

Salicaceae is a family of temperate woody plants in the Northern Hemisphere that are highly valued, both ecologically and economically. China contains the highest species diversity of these plants. Despite their widespread human use, how the species diversity patterns of Salicaceae plants formed remains mostly unknown, and these may be significantly affected by global climate warming. Using past, present, and future environmental data and 2673 georeferenced specimen records, we first simulated the dynamic changes in suitable habitats and population structures of Salicaceae. Based on this, we next identified those areas at high risk of habitat loss and population declines under different climate change scenarios/years. We also mapped the patterns of species diversity by constructing niche models for 215 Salicaceae species, and assessed the driving factors affecting their current diversity patterns. The niche models showed Salicaceae family underwent extensive population expansion during the Last Inter Glacial period but retreated to lower latitudes during and since the period of the Last Glacial Maximum. Looking ahead, as climate warming intensifies, suitable habitats will shift to higher latitudes and those at lower latitudes will become less abundant. Finally, the western regions of China harbor the greatest endemism and species diversity of Salicaceae, which are significantly influenced by annual precipitation and mean temperature, ultraviolet-B (UV-B) radiation, and the anomaly of precipitation seasonality. From these results, we infer water–energy dynamic equilibrium and historical climate change are both the main factors likely regulating contemporary species diversity and distribution patterns. Nevertheless, this work also suggests that other, possibly interacting, factors (ambient energy, disturbance history, soil condition) influence the large-scale pattern of Salicaceae species diversity in China, making a simple explanation for it unlikely. Because Southwest China likely served as a refuge for Salicaceae species during the Last Glacial Maximum, it is a current hotspot for endemisms. Under predicted climate change, Salicaceae plants may well face higher risks to their persistence in southwest China, so efforts to support their in-situ conservation there are urgently needed.

scholarly journals Species diversity patterns in managed Scots pine stands in ancient forest sites

PLoS ONE ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 14 (7) ◽  
pp. e0219620 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ewa Stefańska-Krzaczek ◽  
Monika Staniaszek-Kik ◽  
Katarzyna Szczepańska ◽  
Tomasz H. Szymura
Keyword(s):  
Species Diversity ◽  
Scots Pine ◽  
Diversity Patterns ◽  
Forest Sites ◽  
Ancient Forest ◽  
Pine Stands ◽  
Scots Pine Stands
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