scholarly journals Effects of High Impact Grazing on Species Diversity and Plant Functional Groups in Grasslands of Northern Argentina

2018 ◽  
Vol 10 (9) ◽  
pp. 3153
Author(s):  
Ditmar Kurtz ◽  
Marcus Giese ◽  
Folkard Asch ◽  
Saskia Windisch ◽  
María Goldfarb
Keyword(s):  
Species Composition ◽  
Functional Groups ◽  
Plant Species ◽  
High Impact ◽  
Sustainable Land Use ◽  
Plant Functional Groups ◽  
Seasonal Effects ◽  
Plant Species Composition ◽  
Wiener Diversity Index ◽  
The Impact

High impact grazing (HIG) was proposed as a management option to reduce standing dead biomass in Northern Argentinean (Chaco) rangelands. However, the effects of HIG on grassland diversity and shifts in plant functional groups are largely unknown but essential to assess the sustainability of the impact. During a two-year grazing experiment, HIG was applied every month to analyze the seasonal effects on plant species composition and plant functional groups. The results indicate that irrespective of the season in which HIG was applied, the diversity parameters were not negatively affected. Species richness, the Shannon–Wiener diversity index and the Shannon’s equitability index did not differ from the control site within a 12-month period after HIG. While plant functional groups of dicotyledonous and annual species could not benefit from the HIG disturbance, C3-, C4-monocotyledonous and perennials increased their absolute and relative green cover. Our results suggest that HIG, if not applied in shorter frequencies than a year, neither alters diversity nor shifts the plant species composition of the grassland plant community, but instead it promotes previously established rather competitive species. HIG could therefore contribute as an alternative management practice to the sustainable land use intensification of the “Gran Chaco” grassland ecosystem and even counteract the encroachment of “low value” species.

Assessment of the impact of plant species composition and drought stress on survival of strongylid third-stage larvae in a greenhouse experiment

2014 ◽  
Vol 113 (11) ◽  
pp. 4123-4131 ◽  
Author(s):  
Friederike Knapp-Lawitzke ◽  
Frank Küchenmeister ◽  
Kai Küchenmeister ◽  
Georg von Samson-Himmelstjerna ◽  
Janina Demeler
Keyword(s):  
Drought Stress ◽  
Species Composition ◽  
Plant Species ◽  
Greenhouse Experiment ◽  
Plant Species Composition ◽  
Third Stage ◽  
The Impact

scholarly journals Effect of fertiliser application and cutting regime on temporal differentiation of mesic semi-natural grassland vegetation

2019 ◽  
Vol 14 (3) ◽  
pp. 153-161
Author(s):  
Jure Čop ◽  
Klemen Eler
Keyword(s):  
Species Composition ◽  
Functional Groups ◽  
Plant Species ◽  
Shannon Index ◽  
Distinct Pattern ◽  
Plant Species Composition ◽  
Cattle Slurry ◽  
Grassland Vegetation ◽  
Mineral N ◽  
Cutting Regimes

To address biodiversity and agronomic value of grasslands, we attempted to determine the effect of management regimes on temporal plant species diversity of Arrhenatherion grassland vegetation over a 7-year period. In a split-plot experiment, three cutting regimes (traditional 2-cut system, modified and regular 4-cut systems) and five fertilisation regimes [i) zero; ii) phosphoruspotassium (PK); iii) cattle slurry; iv) nitrogen-PK (NPK) plus cattle slurry; v) NPK] were assigned to the main plots and the subplots, respectively. Significant temporal changes in plant species composition, abundance of functional groups, plant richness and Shannon index were found for most investigated regimes. The effects of fertilisation regimes on all investigated parameters were much stronger than cutting regimes. Generally, two distinct pathways of sward compositional development were found, depending on whether the mineral N was added or not. Differentiation in the plant species composition and abundance of functional groups started in the second year and continued with the progress of the experiment. A quite distinct pattern of change in the plant species composition was found for PK where initially higher abundance of legumes triggered the sward development similar to the slurryfertilisation regime. The fertilisation with high N rates caused temporal decrease in species richness and Shannon index. Other fertilisation treatments did not affect these two diversity parameters in a seven-year period. The cutting regimes did not temporally differentiate the sward regarding plant species composition and abundance of functional groups. They affected only plant species composition in the seventh year and indicated some effect on the temporal change of Shannon index.

Short-term native grassland compositional responses following liquid hog manure application

2012 ◽  
Vol 92 (1) ◽  
pp. 55-65 ◽  
Author(s):  
E. W. Bork ◽  
L. J. Blonski
Keyword(s):  
Species Composition ◽  
Plant Species ◽  
Plant Species Composition ◽  
Native Plant ◽  
Short Term ◽  
Manure Application ◽  
Native Grasslands ◽  
Native Grassland ◽  
Hog Manure ◽  
The Impact

Bork, E. W. and Blonski, L. J. 2012. Short-term native grassland compositional responses following liquid hog manure application. Can. J. Plant Sci. 92: 55–65. Intensive livestock operations (ILOs) are becoming more common in remote regions of the Canadian prairies in an effort to reduce conflict with other land uses. This has led to ILOs situated where the typical sink for manure application, cultivated land, is not available, leading to growing interest in using native grasslands for manure disposal. Significant opposition exists to this practice, in part due to limited information available on the impact of manure application to native grassland diversity and species composition. We examined plant species composition changes over two growing seasons following varying rates (∼9.5, 19, 38, 75 and 150 kg ha−1 available N), methods (surface broadcast vs. coulter injected) and timing (fall vs. spring) of one-time liquid hog manure (LHM) application. Our results revealed divergent responses between study sites, with metrics of plant diversity declining in mixed prairie but increasing in fescue grassland with increases in manure application rate. Both communities also demonstrated minor changes in plant species composition, primarily in response to LHM rate and manure application method. Responsive plant species included a mix of native grasses and dicots, some of which may be regarded as undesirable (e.g., Artemisia frigida): however, most vegetation responses were temporary and disappeared by the second year. Although invasion of non-native plant species was not observed, suggesting these communities are tolerant of LHM application, changes in the reproductive effort of dominant grasses (negative in Hesperostipa curtiseta; positive in Pascopyrum smithii and Festuca hallii) suggest LHM application could alter long-term grassland composition. Thus, despite exhibiting resilience to one-time LHM application, future use of native grasslands for manure disposal should be done cautiously.

Drivers of plant species composition of ecotonal vegetation in two fishpond management types

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kateřina Francová ◽  
Kateřina Šumberová ◽  
Andrea Kučerová ◽  
Michal Šorf ◽  
Stanislav Grill ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Species Composition ◽  
Plant Species ◽  
Plant Species Composition ◽  
Fishpond Management

Effect of the Gabčíkovo Waterworks (Slovakia) on riparian floodplain forest ecosystems in the Danube inland delta: vegetation dynamics and trends

Biologia ◽  
2017 ◽  
Vol 72 (7) ◽  
Author(s):  
Mária Petrášová-Šibíková ◽  
Igor Matečný ◽  
Eva Uherčíková ◽  
Peter Pišút ◽  
Silvia Kubalová ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Species Composition ◽  
Forest Ecosystems ◽  
Supply System ◽  
Floodplain Forest ◽  
Soil Conditions ◽  
Plant Species Composition ◽  
Forest Species ◽  
The Past ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Rare Opportunity

AbstractHuman alteration of watercourses is global phenomenon that has had significant impacts on local ecosystems and the services they provide. Monitoring of abiotic and biotic changes is essential to mitigating long-lasting effects, and the 23-year dataset from the Gabčíkovo Waterworks provided a rare opportunity to assess the impact of groundwater regimes on vegetation. The main aim of this study was to describe the effect of the Gabčíkovo Waterworks on vegetation structure and species composition of the adjacent riparian floodplain forests over the past 23 years. The results are based on studies of three permanent monitoring plots (PMPs) located in the Danube inland delta – two outside (PMP 1 and 3) and one (PMP 2) fully under the influence of the artificial supply system. Our results demonstrate that the Danube inland delta was negatively affected by the Gabčíkovo construction, particularly for sites outside of the artificial supply system. There was a significant decrease in soil moisture and increase in nitrogen at both external PMPs (1 and 3). Alter soil conditions were accompanied by negative changes in plant species composition demonstrated by decreases in the number of typical floodplain forest species that are characteristic for the alliance

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