scholarly journals Plant Diversity in Sardinian Mountain Rangelands: Analysis of Its Relationships with Grazing, Land Management, and Pastoral Value

Ecologies ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 2 (1) ◽  
pp. 164-174
Author(s):  
Vanessa Lozano ◽  
Gabriella Vacca ◽  
Ignazio Camarda ◽  
Giuseppe Brundu ◽  
Federico Sanna ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Land Management ◽  
Plant Diversity ◽  
Endemic Species ◽  
Grazing Pressure ◽  
Mountainous Area ◽  
Endemic Plant ◽  
Grazing Land ◽  
Floristic Survey ◽  
Negative Effect ◽  
Pastoral Value

In this study, we analyzed the effects of grazing on native and endemic plant diversity, as well as its relationship with pastoral value along a gradient of abiotic and biotic factors and types of land management in a mountainous area of central-eastern Sardinia, Italy. Plant diversity was estimated by conducting a floristic survey within plots. In total, 231 plant species were recorded in 63 plots distributed within the study area, and this total number included 20 endemic species. Species richness was mainly affected by the type of management, soil attributes, altitude, and bioclimate. Pastoral value was strongly affected by nutrient availability and bioclimate. Our results suggest that the cover of endemic species increases with altitude. Finally, in Sardinian rangelands, a negative effect of grazing pressure on endemic species was observed.

Plant diversity and species richness of Ljubljana marsh grasslands under the influence of different cutting and fertilizing regimes

2009 ◽  
Vol 57 (2) ◽  
pp. 197-203 ◽  
Author(s):  
T. Sinkovč
Keyword(s):  
Species Richness ◽  
Plant Diversity ◽  
Grassland Management ◽  
Botanical Composition ◽  
Significant Negative Effect ◽  
Negative Effect ◽  
Cutting Regimes ◽  
N Rates ◽  
Exploitation Intensity ◽  
Plot Design

The botanical composition of grasslands determines the agronomic and natural values of swards. Good grassland management usually improves herbage value, but on the other hand it frequently decreases the plant diversity and species richness in the swards. In 1999 a field trial in a split-plot design with four replicates was therefore established on the Arrhenatherion type of vegetation in Ljubljana marsh meadows in order to investigate this relationship. Cutting regimes (2 cuts — with normal and delayed first cut, 3 cuts and 4 cuts per year) were allocated to the main plots and fertiliser treatments (zero fertiliser — control, PK and NPK with 2 or 3 N rates) were allocated to the sub-plots. The results at the 1 st cutting in the 5 th trial year were as follows: Fertilising either with PK or NPK had no significant negative effect on plant diversity in any of the cutting regimes. In most treatments the plant number even increased slightly compared to the control. On average, 20 species were listed on both unfertilised and fertilised swards. At this low to moderate level of exploitation intensity, the increased number of cuts had no significant negative effect on plant diversity either (19 species at 2 cuts vs. 20 species at 3 or 4 cuts). PK fertilisation increased the proportion of legumes in the herbage in the case of 2 or 3 cuts. The proportion of grasses in the herbage increased in all the fertilisation treatments with an increased numbers of cuts. Fertiliser treatment considerably reduced the proportion of marsh horsetail ( Equisetum palustre ) in the herbage of the meadows. This effect was even more pronounced at higher cut numbers. The proportion of Equisetum palustre in the herbage was the highest in the unfertilised sward with 2 cuts (26.4 %) and the lowest in the NPK-fertilised sward with 4 cuts (1.4%).

Influence of landscape complexity and land management on woody plant diversity in northern Spain

1994 ◽  
Vol 5 (4) ◽  
pp. 505-516 ◽  
Author(s):  
A.J. Rescia ◽  
M.F. Schmitz ◽  
P. Martín de Agar ◽  
C.L. Pablo ◽  
J.A. Atauri ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Land Management ◽  
Plant Diversity ◽  
Woody Plant ◽  
Northern Spain ◽  
Landscape Complexity

Impacts of improved grazing land management on sediment yields, Part 1: Hillslope processes

2010 ◽  
Vol 389 (3-4) ◽  
pp. 237-248 ◽  
Author(s):  
Rebecca Bartley ◽  
Jeff P. Corfield ◽  
Brett N. Abbott ◽  
Aaron A. Hawdon ◽  
Scott N. Wilkinson ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Land Management ◽  
Grazing Land ◽  
Sediment Yields ◽  
Hillslope Processes

scholarly journals The endemic plant species of Mt Kupe, Cameroon with a new Critically Endangered cloud-forest tree species, Vepris zapfackii (Rutaceae)

Kew Bulletin ◽  
2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Martin Cheek ◽  
Jean Michel Onana
Keyword(s):  
Endemic Species ◽  
Tree Species ◽  
Cloud Forest ◽  
Conservation Status ◽  
Forest Tree ◽  
Critically Endangered ◽  
Endemic Plant ◽  
Taxonomic Changes ◽  
Mt Kupe ◽  
Endemic Plant Species

SummaryWe revise and update the records of strict and near-endemic species of Mt Kupe, Cameroon respectively from 31 strict endemics in 2004, to 25 today, and with near-endemic species 30, unchanged in number but with turnover. The changes result from new collections, discoveries and taxonomic changes in the last 16 years. While 15 of the provisionally named putative endemic species have now been formally published, a further 18 have not. The majority of the 30 near-endemic species (18) are shared with the adjacent Bakossi Mts, far exceeding the numbers shared with the more distant Mt Etinde-Mt Cameroon, Rumpi Hills and Ebo forest areas (sharing three near-endemic species each with Mt Kupe). We test the hypothesis that a further one of the provisionally named putative Mt Kupe species, Vepris sp. 1 from submontane forest near the summit, is indeed new to science. We compare it morphologically with the two other bicarpellate high altitude Cameroon Highland tree species V. montisbambutensis Onana and V. bali Cheek, concluding that it is a new undescribed species here named as Vepris zapfackii. The new species is illustrated and its conservation status assessed as Critically Endangered using the 2012 IUCN standard, due to habitat clearance from agricultural pressures at its sole location which is unprotected. Vepris zapfackii and V. bali appear unique in African trifoliolate species of the genus in having opposite leaves. Vepris zapfackii differs in having hairy petiolules and midribs and petiolules with the blade decurrent distally, narrowing towards a winged-canaliculate base (vs glabrous and petiolule long, terete), and sparsely golden hairy pistillodes and a glabrous calyx (vs densely black hairy pistillodes, and sepals hairy).

scholarly journals Unveiling neotropical serpentine flora: a list of Brazilian tree species in an iron saturated environment in Bom Sucesso, Minas Gerais

2019 ◽  
Vol 41 ◽  
pp. e44594 ◽  
Author(s):  
Aretha Franklin Guimarães ◽  
Luciano Carramaschi de Alagão Querido ◽  
Polyanne Aparecida Coelho ◽  
Paola Ferreira Santos ◽  
Rubens Manoel dos Santos
Keyword(s):  
Plant Diversity ◽  
Minas Gerais ◽  
Serpentine Soils ◽  
Floristic Survey ◽  
Adverse Conditions ◽  
Magnesium Compounds ◽  
Minas Gerais State ◽  
Key Factor ◽  
Serpentine Flora ◽  
Conservation Concern

Serpentine soils are those holding at least of 70% iron-magnesium compounds, which make life intolerable for many species. Although plant's adaptation to environmental toughness is widely studied in tropics, virtually nothing is known about Brazilian serpentine flora. Our aim was to bring up and characterize the serpentine flora in Bom Sucesso, Minas Gerais state, Brazil. We performed expeditions utilizing rapid survey sampling method to identify the arboreal compound in the area. Plants within circumference at breast high (CBH) up to 15,7 cm were included in our study. A specialist identified all the individuals to species level. We found 246 species located in 59 botanical families. Fabaceae, Myrtaceae and Melastomataceae were the most representative families in the area. Serpentine areas usually present a few species capable to survive to adverse conditions, contrasting the high number found in our study. To our knowledge, this is the first floristic survey in serpentine areas in the neotropics, reinforcing the need for more studies about plant diversity in those areas. It seems that serpentinites is not the key factor influencing plant diversity in the neotropics. The high diversity found in our study strengthens serpentine areas as a place for conservation concern.

scholarly journals Impact of Differences in Land Management on Natural Vegetation in Semi-Dry Areas: The Case Study of the Adi Zaboy Watershed in the Kilite Awlaelo District, Eastern Tigray Region, Ethiopia

Environments ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 6 (1) ◽  
pp. 2 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ryunosuke Ogawa ◽  
Masahiro Hirata ◽  
Birhane Gebremedhin ◽  
Satoshi Uchida ◽  
Toru Sakai ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Land Management ◽  
Vegetation Index ◽  
Normalized Difference Vegetation Index ◽  
Satellite Image ◽  
Field Investigation ◽  
Sustainable Land Management ◽  
Forest Land ◽  
Grazing Land ◽  
Feed Resources ◽  
Use Of Resources

The search for a sustainable land management has become a universal issue. It is especially necessary to discuss sustainable land management and to secure a site with enough feed supply to improve the lives of the farmers in the Ethiopian Highlands. This research studied the Adi Zaboy watershed in Tigray in order to reveal the changes in land management, assess how the different forms of land management affected the vegetation through unsupervised classification and normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI) analysis with geographic information system (GIS) 10.5 using a WorldView-2 satellite image taken in September 2016 and field investigation, and consider how to allow both environmental preservation and sustainable use of feed resources. The land management types at the research site were classified as “seasonally-closed grazing land”, “prohibited grazing and protected forest land”, and “free grazing land”. On comparing the NDVI of each type of land management, it was found that the seasonally-closed grazing land makes it highly possible to secure and supply feed resources by limiting the grazing period. The expansion of the prohibited grazing and protected forest land is likely to tighten the restriction on the use of resources. Therefore, sustainable land management to secure feed resources may be possible by securing and actively using seasonally-closed grazing land, securing feed by a cut-and-carry, and using satellite images and GIS.

Effects of invasive knapweed (Centaurea stoebe subsp. micranthos) on a threatened native thistle (Cirsium pitcheri) vary with environment and life stage

Botany ◽  
2015 ◽  
Vol 93 (9) ◽  
pp. 543-558 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tatyana A. Rand ◽  
Svata M. Louda ◽  
Kate M. Bradley ◽  
Kimberly K. Crider
Keyword(s):  
Invasive Plant ◽  
Lake Michigan ◽  
Life Stage ◽  
Seedling Emergence ◽  
Native Plant ◽  
Endemic Plant ◽  
Centaurea Stoebe ◽  
Seed Addition ◽  
Negative Effect ◽  
Cirsium Pitcheri

We examined the type and magnitude of invasive plant (Centaurea stoebe subsp. micranthos (Gugler) Hayek) effects on the demographic parameters of a rare plant (Cirsium pitcheri Torr. & A.Gray), using two seed addition experiments with three treatments in two dune habitats — lakeshore linear dunes and high perched dunes on Lake Michigan, USA. Treatments were near Centaurea stoebe subsp. micranthos, near a native plant, or in the open. Seedling emergence, establishment, and juvenile survivorship were significantly higher on perched dunes, with higher surface soil moisture, than on lakeshore dunes. Treatment effects varied significantly with habitat and life stage. Seedling establishment decreased near Centaurea stoebe subsp. micranthos on lakeshore dunes, but increased near any neighbor on perched dunes. However, juvenile survival was significantly lower near Centaurea stoebe. subsp. micranthos in both habitats. The probability of reaching the adult flowering stage was much lower, and occurred later, for plants near Centaurea stoebe subsp. micranthos, especially on lakeshore dunes. Thus, Centaurea stoebe subsp. micranthos had a strong negative effect on establishment, survival, and flowering of Cirsium pitcheri, but interaction intensity varied with habitat and life stage. The results suggest that coupling seed addition with watering and invasive plant removal could bolster populations of this rare endemic plant.

Insights on the relationship between total grazing pressure management and sustainable land management: key indicators to verify impacts

2019 ◽  
Vol 41 (6) ◽  
pp. 535 ◽  
Author(s):  
C. M. Waters ◽  
S. E. McDonald ◽  
J. Reseigh ◽  
R. Grant ◽  
D. G. Burnside
Keyword(s):  
Land Management ◽  
Management Practices ◽  
Temporal Trends ◽  
Grazing Intensity ◽  
Grazing Pressure ◽  
Environmental Stewardship ◽  
Grazing Management ◽  
Sustainable Land Management ◽  
Key Indicators ◽  
The Impact

Demonstrating sustainable land management (SLM) requires an understanding of the linkages between grazing management and environmental stewardship. Grazing management practices that incorporate strategic periods of rest are promoted internationally as best practice. However, spatial and temporal trends in unmanaged feral (goat) and native (kangaroo) populations in the southern Australian rangelands can result land managers having, at times, control over less than half the grazing pressure, precluding the ability to rest pastures. Few empirical studies have examined the impacts of total grazing pressure (TGP) on biodiversity and resource condition, while the inability to manage grazing intensity at critical times may result in negative impacts on ground cover, changes in pasture species composition, increased rates of soil loss and reduce the ability for soils to store carbon. The widespread adoption of TGP control through exclusion fencing in the southern Australian rangelands has created unprecedented opportunities to manage total grazing pressure, although there is little direct evidence that this infrastructure leads to more sustainable land management. Here we identify several key indicators that are either outcome- or activity-based that could serve as a basis for verification of the impacts of TGP management. Since TGP is the basic determinant of the impact of herbivory on vegetation it follows that the ability for rangeland pastoral management to demonstrate SLM and environmental stewardship will rely on using evidence-based indicators to support environmental social licence to operate.

Impacts of nitrogen deposition on terrestrial plant diversity: a meta-analysis in China

2019 ◽  
Vol 12 (6) ◽  
pp. 1025-1033 ◽  
Author(s):  
Wen-Juan Han ◽  
Jia-Yu Cao ◽  
Jin-Liang Liu ◽  
Jia Jiang ◽  
Jian Ni
Keyword(s):  
Species Richness ◽  
Plant Diversity ◽  
Meta Analysis ◽  
N Deposition ◽  
Shannon Index ◽  
N Addition ◽  
Terrestrial Plant ◽  
Multiple Dimensions ◽  
Negative Effect ◽  
Experiment Duration

AbstractAimsWith the global atmospheric nitrogen (N) deposition increasing, the effect of N deposition on terrestrial plant diversity has been widely studied. Some studies have reviewed the effects of N deposition on plant species diversity; however, all studies addressed the effects of N deposition on plant community focused on species richness in specific ecosystem. There is a need for a systematic meta-analysis covering multiple dimensions of plant diversity in multiple climate zones and ecosystems types. Our goal was to quantify changes in species richness, evenness and uncertainty in plant communities in response to N addition across different environmental and experimental contexts.MethodsWe performed a meta-analysis of 623 experimental records published in English and Chinese journals to evaluate the response of terrestrial plant diversity to the experimental N addition in China. Three metrics were used to quantify the change in plant diversity: species richness (SR), evenness (Pielou index) uncertainty (Shannon index).Important FindingsResults showed that (i) N addition negatively affected SR in temperate, Plateau zones and subtropical zone, but had no significant effect on Shannon index in subtropical zones; (ii) N addition decreased SR, Shannon index and Pielou index in grassland, and the negative effect of N addition on SR was stronger in forest than in grassland; (iii) N addition negatively affected plant diversity (SR, Shannon index and Pielou index) in the long term, whereas it did not affect plant diversity in the short term. Furthermore, the increase in N addition levels strengthened the negative effect of N deposition on plant diversity with long experiment duration; and (iv) the negative effect of ammonium nitrate (NH4NO3) addition on SR was stronger than that of urea (CO(NH2)2) addition, but the negative effect of NH4NO3 addition on Pielou index was weaker than that of CO(NH2)2 addition. Our results indicated that the effects of N addition on plant diversity varied depending on climate zones, ecosystem types, N addition levels, N type and experiment duration. This underlines the importance of integrating multiple dimensions of plant diversity and multiple factors into assessments of plant diversity to global environmental change.

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