scholarly journals Short-Term Plant Community Responses to Warming and Defoliation in a Northern Temperate Grassland

ISRN Ecology ◽  
2011 ◽  
Vol 2011 ◽  
pp. 1-8 ◽  
Author(s):  
Eliza S. Deutsch ◽  
Edward W. Bork ◽  
James F. Cahill ◽  
Scott X. Chang
Keyword(s):  
Plant Community ◽  
Community Dynamics ◽  
Plant Biomass ◽  
Temperate Grassland ◽  
Community Diversity ◽  
Native Plant ◽  
Short Term ◽  
Canadian Prairies ◽  
Growing Seasons ◽  
Second Year

Little is known about the short-term impacts of warming on native plant community dynamics in the northern Canadian prairies. This study examined the immediate effects of elevated temperature and defoliation on plant community diversity, composition, and biomass within a native rough fescue (Festuca hallii (Vasey) Piper) grassland over two growing seasons. We used open-top chambers to simulate climate change and defoliated vegetation in midsummer of the first year to simulate biomass loss associated with periodic ungulate grazing. Warming marginally increased plant species diversity and changed community composition shortly after treatment, but effects were not apparent the second year, and there were no apparent impacts on plant biomass. Nonetheless, warming may have impacted community diversity indirectly through reduced soil moisture content, a pattern that persisted into the second year. Overall, this northern temperate grassland demonstrated limited community-level changes to warming even in the presence of defoliation.

scholarly journals Winter warming is ecologically more relevant than summer warming in a cool-temperate grassland

2019 ◽  
Vol 9 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Juergen Kreyling ◽  
Kerstin Grant ◽  
Verena Hammerl ◽  
Mohammed A. S. Arfin-Khan ◽  
Andrey V. Malyshev ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Plant Community ◽  
Plant Biomass ◽  
Frost Damage ◽  
Temperate Grassland ◽  
Ecological Processes ◽  
Causal Explanations ◽  
Winter Warming ◽  
Growing Seasons ◽  
Cool Temperate ◽  
Summer Warming

Abstract Climate change affects all seasons, but warming is more pronounced in winter than summer at mid- and high latitudes. Winter warming can have profound ecological effects, which are rarely compared to the effects of summer warming, and causal explanations are not well established. We compared mild aboveground infrared warming in winter to warming in summer in a semi-natural, cool-temperate grassland in Germany for four years. Aboveground plant biomass increased following winter warming (+18%) and was unaffected by summer warming. Winter warming affected the composition of the plant community more than summer warming, favoring productive species. Winter warming increased soil respiration more than summer warming. Prolonged growing seasons and changes in plant-community composition accounted for the increased aboveground biomass production. Winter warming stimulated ecological processes, despite causing frost damage to plant roots and microorganisms during an extremely cold period when warming reduced the thermal insulation provided by snow. Future warming beyond such intermittent frosts may therefore further increase the accelerating effects of winter warming on ecological processes.

Vascular plant community dynamics following hexazinone site preparation in the lower Coastal Plain

1993 ◽  
Vol 23 (10) ◽  
pp. 2216-2229 ◽  
Author(s):  
R. Neal Wilkins ◽  
Wayne R. Marion ◽  
Daniel G. Neary ◽  
George W. Tanner
Keyword(s):  
Plant Community ◽  
Community Dynamics ◽  
Vascular Plant ◽  
Species Abundance ◽  
Woody Species ◽  
Application Rate ◽  
Site Preparation ◽  
Herbaceous Vegetation ◽  
Growing Seasons ◽  
Species Abundance Distributions

Differential responses of vascular plant community compositions, diversities, and species-abundance distributions to hexazinone site preparation were evaluated on three 1-year-old clearcuts, each representing a point along a generalized edaphic gradient (xeric sandhill, mesic flatwoods, and hydric hammock). Foliar cover by species was sampled along four 20-m permanent line transects within each of three blocked replications of hexazinone treatments (0.0, 1.7, 3.4, and 6.8 kg/ha) at pretreatment and after the first and second growing seasons post-treatment. Cover by woody species decreased with increasing hexazinone rates on all sites (P < 0.05). Herbaceous vegetation recovered from first-season reductions to levels that did not vary with treatment (xeric sandhill and mesic flatwoods) or increased with increasing hexazinone rates (hydric hammock). Hexazinone tolerance by Gelsemiumsempervirens (L.) Ait.f. and Vaccinium spp. on the xeric sandhill and Ilexglabra (L.) Gray and G. sempervirens on the mesic flatwoods influenced diversity responses by woody and herbaceous vegetation. With increasing rates, herbaceous diversity decreased on the xeric sandhill, did not vary on the mesic flatwoods, and increased on the hydric hammock. Plant community responses to hexazinone were found to be functions of application rate, edaphic factors, adaptive strategies of resident species, and the presence or absence of hexazinone-tolerant species.

Plant biomass management impacts on short-term soil phosphorus dynamics in a temperate grassland

2018 ◽  
Vol 54 (3) ◽  
pp. 397-409 ◽  
Author(s):  
Gustavo Boitt ◽  
Zachary P. Simpson ◽  
Jihui Tian ◽  
Amanda Black ◽  
Steve A. Wakelin ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Plant Biomass ◽  
Soil Phosphorus ◽  
Temperate Grassland ◽  
Short Term ◽  
Phosphorus Dynamics ◽  
Biomass Management

scholarly journals Root pathogen diversity and composition varies with climate in undisturbed grasslands, but less so in anthropogenically disturbed grasslands

2020 ◽  
Vol 15 (1) ◽  
pp. 304-317 ◽  
Author(s):  
Camille S. Delavaux ◽  
Josh L. Schemanski ◽  
Geoffrey L. House ◽  
Alice G. Tipton ◽  
Benjamin Sikes ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Plant Community ◽  
Plant Pathogen ◽  
Fungal Pathogens ◽  
Community Response ◽  
Community Diversity ◽  
Plant Responses ◽  
Native Plant ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Precipitation And Temperature

AbstractSoil-borne pathogens structure plant communities, shaping their diversity, and through these effects may mediate plant responses to climate change and disturbance. Little is known, however, about the environmental determinants of plant pathogen communities. Therefore, we explored the impact of climate gradients and anthropogenic disturbance on root-associated pathogens in grasslands. We examined the community structure of two pathogenic groups—fungal pathogens and oomycetes—in undisturbed and anthropogenically disturbed grasslands across a natural precipitation and temperature gradient in the Midwestern USA. In undisturbed grasslands, precipitation and temperature gradients were important predictors of pathogen community richness and composition. Oomycete richness increased with precipitation, while fungal pathogen richness depended on an interaction of precipitation and temperature, with precipitation increasing richness most with higher temperatures. Disturbance altered plant pathogen composition and precipitation and temperature had a reduced effect on pathogen richness and composition in disturbed grasslands. Because pathogens can mediate plant community diversity and structure, the sensitivity of pathogens to disturbance and climate suggests that degradation of the pathogen community may mediate loss, or limit restoration of, native plant diversity in disturbed grasslands, and may modify plant community response to climate change.

scholarly journals Do No Harm: Efficacy of a Single Herbicide Application to Control an Invasive Shrub While Minimizing Collateral Damage to Native Species

Plants ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 8 (10) ◽  
pp. 426 ◽  
Author(s):  
David J. Gibson ◽  
Lindsay A. Shupert ◽  
Xian Liu
Keyword(s):  
Exotic Species ◽  
Community Composition ◽  
Plant Community ◽  
Native Species ◽  
Phylogenetic Diversity ◽  
Native Plant ◽  
Short Term ◽  
Seed Addition ◽  
Herbicide Treatments ◽  
Native Plant Community

Control of invasive exotic species in restorations without compromising the native plant community is a challenge. Efficacy of exotic species control needs to consider collateral effects on the associated plant community. We asked (1) if short-term control of a dominant exotic invasive, Lespedeza cuneata in grassland restorations allows establishment of a more diverse native plant community, and (2) if control of the exotic and supplemental seed addition allows establishment of native species. A manipulative experiment tested the effects of herbicide treatments (five triclopyr and fluroxypyr formulations plus an untreated control) and seed addition (and unseeded control) on taxonomic and phylogenetic diversity, and community composition of restored grasslands in three sites over three years. We assessed response of L. cuneata through stem density counts, and response of the plant community through estimates of canopy cover. Herbicide treatments reduced the abundance of the exotic in the first field season leading to a less dispersed community composition compared with untreated controls, with the exotic regaining dominance by the third year. Supplemental seed addition did not provide extra resistance of the native community to reinvasion of the exotic. The communities were phylogenetically over-dispersed, but there was a short-term shift to lower phylogenetic diversity in response to herbicides consistent with a decrease in biotic filtering. Native plant communities in these grassland restorations were resilient to short-term reduction in abundance of a dominant invasive even though it was insufficient to provide an establishment window for native species establishment.

Response of arctic tundra plant communities to winter vehicle disturbance

1995 ◽  
Vol 73 (6) ◽  
pp. 905-917 ◽  
Author(s):  
Michael Emers ◽  
Janet C. Jorgenson ◽  
Martha K. Raynolds
Keyword(s):  
Plant Communities ◽  
Coastal Plain ◽  
Plant Biomass ◽  
Plant Cover ◽  
Arctic Tundra ◽  
Seismic Exploration ◽  
Nutrient Concentrations ◽  
Short Term ◽  
Growing Seasons ◽  
Active Layers

Effects of 1984 and 1985 winter seismic exploration on arctic tundra were evaluated at 104 sites on the coastal plain of northeastern Alaska in 1991. Plant cover increased between initial years and 1991 at sites with low to moderate initial disturbance. All disturbed sites had species whose cover values remained lower than controls, especially nonvascular plants and evergreen shrubs. Graminoids were less affected by disturbance. At high initial levels of disturbance, impacts included (i) surface compression at moist sites, with replacement of shrubs and mosses by hydrophytic sedges and (ii) persistence of bare patches in drier sites and replacement of prostrate shrubs with grasses. Although recolonizing species were generally common in controls, forbs and graminoids not present in adjacent areas were recolonizing some highly disturbed sites. Active layers were deeper at 55% of sites but shallower at 6 highly disturbed sites, where dead sedge leaves insulated permafrost. Plant biomass and nutrient concentrations were initially higher on disturbed plots, but by 1991 differences only persisted at the most disturbed mesic plot. Previous studies of winter disturbance had predicted short-term and mainly aesthetic impacts. We found impacts to the active layer and plant communities persisting eight growing seasons after disturbance. Key words: arctic coastal plain, nutrient, permafrost, plant community, tundra, winter trail disturbance.

scholarly journals Antiseptic Agents Elicit Short-Term, Personalized and Body Site-Specific Shifts in Resident Skin Bacterial Communities

2017 ◽  
Author(s):  
Adam J. SanMiguel ◽  
Jacquelyn S. Meisel ◽  
Joseph Horwinski ◽  
Qi Zheng ◽  
Charles W. Bradley ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Community Dynamics ◽  
Population Level ◽  
Community Diversity ◽  
Skin Microbiome ◽  
Body Site ◽  
Short Term ◽  
Site Specific ◽  
Antiseptic Treatment ◽  
Antimicrobial Interventions ◽  
The Impact

ABSTRACTDespite critical functions in cutaneous health and disease, it is unclear how resident skin microbial communities are altered by topical antimicrobial interventions commonly used in personal and clinical settings. Here we show that acute exposure to antiseptic treatments elicits rapid but short-term depletion of microbial community diversity and membership. Thirteen subjects were enrolled in a longitudinal treatment study to analyze the effects of topical treatments (ethanol, povidone-iodine, chlorhexidine, water) on the skin microbiome at two skin sites of disparate microenvironment: forearm and back. Treatment effects were highly dependent on personalized and body site-specific colonization signatures, which concealed community dynamics at the population level when not accounted for in this analysis. The magnitude of disruption was influenced by the identity and abundance of particular bacterial inhabitants. Lowly abundant members of the skin microbiota were more likely to be displaced, and subsequently replaced by the most abundant taxa prior to treatment. Members of the skin commensal family Propionibactericeae were particularly resilient to treatment, suggesting a distinct competitive advantage in the face of disturbance. These results provide insight into the stability and resilience of the skin microbiome, while establishing the impact of topical antiseptic treatment on skin bacterial dynamics and community ecology.

scholarly journals Functional Diversity and Invasive Species Influence Soil Fertility in Experimental Grasslands

Plants ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 9 (1) ◽  
pp. 53
Author(s):  
Leonardo H. Teixeira ◽  
Florencia A. Yannelli ◽  
Gislene Ganade ◽  
Johannes Kollmann
Keyword(s):  
Soil Fertility ◽  
Soil Water ◽  
Plant Community ◽  
Functional Diversity ◽  
Soil Nutrients ◽  
Invasive Plants ◽  
Soil Ph ◽  
Plant Biomass ◽  
Native Plant ◽  
Water Nutrients

Ecosystem properties can be positively affected by plant functional diversity and compromised by invasive alien plants. We performed a community assembly study in mesocosms manipulating different functional diversity levels for native grassland plants (communities composed by 1, 2 or 3 functional groups) to test if functional dispersion could constrain the impacts of an invasive alien plant (Solidago gigantea) on soil fertility and plant community biomass via complementarity. Response variables were soil nutrients, soil water nutrients and aboveground biomass. We applied linear mixed-effects models to assess the effects of functional diversity and S. gigantea on plant biomass, soil and soil water nutrients. A structural equation model was used to evaluate if functional diversity and invasive plants affect soil fertility directly or indirectly via plant biomass and soil pH. Invaded communities had greater total biomass but less native plant biomass than uninvaded ones. While functional diversity increased nutrient availability in the soil solution of uninvaded communities, invasive plants reduced nutrient concentration in invaded soils. Functional diversity indirectly affected soil water but not soil nutrients via plant biomass, whereas the invader reduced native plant biomass and disrupted the effects of diversity on nutrients. Moreover, invasive plants reduced soil pH and compromised phosphate uptake by plants, which can contribute to higher phosphate availability and its possible accumulation in invaded soils. We found little evidence for functional diversity to constrain invasion impacts on nutrients and plant biomass. Restoration of such systems should consider other plant community features than plant trait diversity to reduce establishment of invasive plants.

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