scholarly journals Plant community recovery from intense deer grazing depends on reduction of graminoids and the time after exclosure installation in a semi-natural grassland

PeerJ ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 7 ◽  
pp. e7833 ◽  
Author(s):  
Chiaki Otsu ◽  
Hayato Iijima ◽  
Takuo Nagaike
Keyword(s):  
Species Composition ◽  
Plant Community ◽  
Plant Communities ◽  
Sika Deer ◽  
Plant Cover ◽  
Dissimilarity Index ◽  
Large Herbivores ◽  
Community Recovery ◽  
One Year ◽  
Deer Grazing

Exclosures that exclude large herbivores are effective tools for the protection and restoration of grazed plant communities. However, previous studies have shown that the installation of an exclosure does not ensure plant community recovery. Our study aimed to determine the effects of the domination of unpalatable plants and the timing of exclosure installation on the plant community recovery process in montane grassland overgrazed by sika deer (Cervus nippon) in Japan. In this study we compared plant species composition and their cover with inside and outside exclosures installed at different times. Furthermore, we also compared them with those in 1981, when density of sika deer was very low. We used quadrats inside and outside fenced areas established in 2010 and 2011 to record both the cover and the height of species in each quadrat between 2011 and 2015. Plant cover, with the exception of graminoid species, increased in later years in all treatments. Non-metric multidimensional scaling (NMDS) plots showed significantly differentiated treatment trends. The species composition within the 2010 fenced area gradually shifted to greater similarity with the species composition reported in 1981. The plant community in the 2011 fenced area was slower to recover. Compositions of plant communities outside the fenced areas hardly changed from 2011 to 2015. Chao’s dissimilarity index decreased over time between the plant community surveyed between 2011 and 2015 and the past plant community in 1981 within the exclosures, and was higher in the 2011 fenced area than in the 2010 fenced area. In conclusion, we show that the reduction of graminoids and the time after exclosure installation were important for plant community recovery from deer grazing damage. A delay in exclosure installation of one year could result in a delay in plant community recovery of more than one year.

scholarly journals Mountain pastures of Qilian Shan: plant communities, grazing impact and degradation status (Gansu province, NW China)

Hacquetia ◽  
2016 ◽  
Vol 15 (2) ◽  
pp. 21-35 ◽  
Author(s):  
Alina Baranova ◽  
Udo Schickhoff ◽  
Shunli Wang ◽  
Ming Jin
Keyword(s):  
Plant Community ◽  
Plant Communities ◽  
Plant Cover ◽  
Management Strategies ◽  
Detrended Correspondence Analysis ◽  
Gansu Province ◽  
Grazing Impact ◽  
Vegetation Patterns ◽  
Pasture Management ◽  
Nw China

Abstract Environmental degradation of pasture areas in the Qilian Mountains (Gansu province, NW China) has increased in recent years. Soil erosion and loss of biodiversity caused by overgrazing is widespread. Changes in plant cover, however, have not been analysed so far. The aim of this paper is to identify plant communities and to detect grazing-induced changes in vegetation patterns. Quantitative and qualitative relevé data were collected for community classification and to analyse gradual changes in vegetation patterns along altitudinal and grazing gradients. Detrended correspondence analysis (DCA) was used to analyse variation in relationships between vegetation, environmental factors and differential grazing pressure. The results of the DCA showed apparent variation in plant communities along the grazing gradient. Two factors - altitude and exposure - had the strongest impact on plant community distribution. Comparing monitoring data for the most recent nine years, a trend of pasture deterioration, plant community successions and shift in dominant species becomes obvious. In order to increase grassland quality, sustainable pasture management strategies should be implemented.

scholarly journals Changes of plant cover of the raised peat-bog Baligówka under the influence of human activity

2016 ◽  
Vol 27 (4) ◽  
pp. 7-11
Author(s):  
Magdalena Malec ◽  
Sławomir Klatka ◽  
Marek Ryczek ◽  
Edyta Kruk
Keyword(s):  
Species Composition ◽  
Plant Communities ◽  
Groundwater Level ◽  
Plant Cover ◽  
Chemical Properties ◽  
Peat Bog ◽  
Physical And Chemical Properties ◽  
Peat Formation ◽  
Physical And Chemical ◽  
And Chemical Properties

Abstract The main purpose of the work was to determine the scope and degree of the influence of exploitation on changes of plant cover of the raised peat-bog Baligówka, located in the Orawsko- Nowotarska Valley. The analysis was carried out based on 47 phytosociological surveys using the Braun-Blanquet method. Results of investigations allow to state that excessive drying and fires that took place on the examined object caused wastage of many precious species of plants, especially from the Oxycocco- Sphagnetea class. Their place occupied species belonging to other classes, such as Nardo-Callunetea and Molinio-Arrhenatheretea. The basic cause of drying of the peat-bog and, in consequence, dying of peat formation species is intensified exploitation and connected with this drainage, carried out in the half of the 20th century. Unfortunately, local people up to now illegally have harvested the peat on the investigated object. Decrease in groundwater level leads to accelerated decay of peat, changes in physical and chemical properties of a substratum and, in consequence, changes in trophic values of habitat, what causes great changes in species composition of plant communities.

Drought intensity effects on grassland plant communities and soil microbial community function

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Natalie Oram ◽  
Johannes Ingrisch ◽  
Gerd Gleixner ◽  
Nadine Praeg ◽  
Paul Illmer ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Microbial Community ◽  
Plant Community ◽  
Plant Communities ◽  
Soil Microbial Community ◽  
Extracellular Enzyme ◽  
Community Recovery ◽  
Community Functioning ◽  
Drought Intensity ◽  
Soil Microbial ◽  
Acquisition Strategies

<p>Plant and soil communities are intimately connected. Plants shape soil microbial community composition through their resource acquisition strategies and via root carbon (C) inputs, which has cascading effects on biogeochemical cycles. Drought has been shown to disrupt the connection between plants and soil microorganisms. However, the effects of drought intensity on soil microbial community functioning, including the uptake of recent plant-derived C, are largely unknown. Here, we determined how two plant communities with contrasting resource acquisition strategies (acquisitive versus conservative) responded to a gradient of drought (control, and eight drought intensities). Using a <sup>13</sup>C pulse labelling approach, we tracked C allocated from plants to soil and its uptake by the microbial community. We measured potential extracellular enzyme activity as a proxy of microbial community functioning. We hypothesized that (1) drought responses are non-linear, and (2) acquisitive plant communities have lower drought resistance but recover faster than conservative plant communities, which is reflected in lower <sup>13</sup>C transfer and reduced microbial functioning during drought and increases after drought. In general, we found that the responses we measured were non-linearly related to drought intensity. After three weeks of drought, drought intensity decreased aboveground net primary productivity (ANPP) of both plant communities. Soil extractable organic <sup>13</sup>C decreased with increasing drought intensity, indicating that less recently assimilated C was allocated to root exudation. Although microbial biomass remained stable over the drought intensity gradient, <sup>13</sup>C uptake into microbial biomass decreased at peak drought, and was lower in the conservative vs. acquisitive plant community at mild drought levels. Potential enzyme activity of β-1,4-glucosidase, involved in cellulose breakdown, and  β-N-acetyl-glucosaminidase, involved in chitin breakdown, decreased with increasing drought intensity. Urease activity was higher in conservative than acquisitive plant communities exposed to drought. Seven days after re-wetting, we found that microbial uptake of <sup>13</sup>C increased along the drought gradient and was higher than the control in communities previously subjected to high drought intensities. This fast microbial recovery could affect nutrient mobilisation, which could underlie longer-term plant community recovery. Two months after re-wetting, we indeed found that plant communities that had previously experienced high drought intensity (> 75% soil water deficit) had higher ANPP than the control. We conclude that drought intensity has significant non-linear effects on microbial uptake of recent plant C and on potential extracellular enzyme activities both during drought and recovery, with consequences for plant community recovery dynamics.  </p>

scholarly journals Pattern of Plant Community Distribution along the Elevational Gradient and Anthropogenic Disturbance in Gole Forest, Ethiopia

2020 ◽  
Vol 2020 ◽  
pp. 1-9
Author(s):  
Mesfin Belete Hailemariam ◽  
Tamru Demsis Temam
Keyword(s):  
Species Composition ◽  
Plant Species ◽  
Plant Community ◽  
Plant Communities ◽  
Environmental Variables ◽  
Similarity Index ◽  
Hierarchical Cluster ◽  
Elevational Gradient ◽  
Agglomerative Hierarchical Cluster Analysis ◽  
The Difference

Vegetation-environment relationships are usually studied along elevational gradient. The patterns of plant community distribution in Gole forest, Ethiopia, were studied along elevational gradient and disturbances. Disturbances were recorded following the elevational gradient. For vegetation data collection, 62 sample plots of size 20 × 20 m were established along an elevational gradient (2728–3480 m.a.s.l). Data on species composition and environmental variables were measured and recorded in each plot. The elevation of each sample plot was measured using Garmin GPS. Anthropogenic disturbances in each plot were estimated using the following scales: 0 = no disturbance, 1 = slightly disturbed, 2 = moderately disturbed, and 3 = highly disturbed. R statistical package was used for cluster and ordination analysis. Boxplots and analysis of variance were used to assess the relationships between plant communities and environmental variables. Sorensen’s similarity coefficient was used to detect similarities and dissimilarities among communities. A total of 114 plant species belonging to 57 families and 94 genera were identified. Five plant community types were identified using agglomerative hierarchical cluster analysis. Every plant community had differences in composition and environmental variables. The variation in plant community distributions was significantly related to elevation and disturbance. Plant community distribution was negatively correlated with elevation ( P < 0.05 ) and also with disturbance ( P < 0.05 ). Sorensen’s similarity index showed that there was a difference in the distribution of plant species composition among the communities. The difference in plant community distribution of Gole forest was significantly related to elevation. Disturbances also have a considerable influence on the plant communities and mitigation of disturbance should be the main measure that needs to be taken into account in conservation planning in the study area.

scholarly journals Plant Community Diversity at Two Reclaimed Mine Tailing Storage Facilities in Québec, Canada

Land ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 10 (11) ◽  
pp. 1191
Author(s):  
Alyson Gagnon ◽  
Nicole J. Fenton ◽  
Pascal Sirois ◽  
Jean-François Boucher
Keyword(s):  
Plant Community ◽  
Plant Communities ◽  
Plant Cover ◽  
Paper Mill ◽  
Community Diversity ◽  
Chicken Manure ◽  
Percent Cover ◽  
Paper Mill Sludge ◽  
Total Plant ◽  
Storage Facilities

Mining activities generate residues during the ore concentration process. These wastes are placed into large tailing storage facilities, and upon mine closure, these tailings must be reclaimed. This study aimed to determine how different reclamation methods, involving combinations of planted boreal woody species and organic amendments application (paper mill sludge biosolids, chicken manure, and topsoil) affected plant community diversity at two tailing storage facilities in Québec, Canada. We recorded the composition of the plant communities using the percent cover of plant species within 1 m × 1 m quadrats. At the Niobec mine site, paper mill sludge mixed with topsoil enhanced total plant cover was compared with the use of topsoil only; the former amendment, however, reduced evenness (J′) and diversity (1−D) due to the increased growth of grasses and invasive forbs. At the Mont-Wright site, plots having received paper mill sludge mixed with a “Norco” treatment (a mixture of chicken manure, hay, and grass seeds) produced the highest total plant cover. The Norco treatment mixed with topsoil and the single application of topsoil and biosolids produced the highest evenness (J′) and diversity (1−D). Overall, organic amendment applications promoted vegetation cover on tailings and contributed to the colonization of diverse plant communities.

scholarly journals Differences in plant cover and species composition of semiarid grassland communities of central Mexico and its effects on net ecosystem exchange

2013 ◽  
Vol 10 (7) ◽  
pp. 4673-4690 ◽  
Author(s):  
J. Delgado-Balbuena ◽  
J. T. Arredondo ◽  
H. W. Loescher ◽  
E. Huber-Sannwald ◽  
G. Chavez-Aguilar ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Land Use ◽  
Species Composition ◽  
Plant Communities ◽  
Plant Cover ◽  
Shrub Encroachment ◽  
Photon Flux ◽  
Large Variability ◽  
Semiarid Grassland ◽  
C Balance ◽  
C Cycle

Abstract. Changes in land use across the semiarid grasslands of northern Mexico have driven a decline of plant cover and alteration of plant species composition. A number of different plant communities have resulted from these changes. Their implications, however, on the carbon (C) cycle and regional carbon balance are still poorly understood. Here, we examined the effects of plant cover loss and changes in species composition on net ecosystem CO2 exchange (NEE) and their biotic and abiotic controls. NEE was measured in five representative plant community types within a semiarid grassland by temporarily enclosing the entire aboveground ecosystem using a chamber method (i.e., geodesic dome). Sites included an oat crop (crop), a moderately grazed grassland (moderate grazing), a 28 yr-old grazing exclosure (exclosure), an overgrazed site with low perennial grass cover (overgrazed), and an overgrazed site presenting shrub encroachment (shrub encroachment). For natural vegetation, rates of standardized daytime NEE for sites with a high plant cover (exclosure and moderate grazing) were similar (P > 0.05) as compared to sites with low plant cover (overgrazed and shrub encroachment). However, yearly total nighttime NEE (carbon loss) was more than double (P < 0.05) for sites with high plant cover compared to sites with low cover, resulting to slight C sinks for the low plant cover sites, and neutral or sources for the high plant cover sites as accounted by daytime and nighttime NEE annual balance. Differences in plant cover and its associated biomass defined the sensitivity to environmental controls. Thus, daytime NEE in low plant cover sites reached light compensation points at lower photosynthetic photon flux density than those from high plant cover sites. Differences in species composition did not influence NEE rates even though there were transient or permanent changes in C3 vs. C4 functional groups. Our results allowed the detection of the large variability and contribution of different plant communities to regional C balance in patchy landscapes. Identification of the role of landscape patches in the regional C balance as either sinks or sources may provide tools allowing land use management strategies that could favor C uptake in patchy landscapes.

Simulation of Disturbances and Recovery in Shortgrass Steppe Plant Communities

2008 ◽  
Author(s):  
Debra P. C. Peters ◽  
William K. Lauenroth
Keyword(s):  
Plant Community ◽  
Plant Communities ◽  
Shortgrass Steppe ◽  
Gap Dynamics ◽  
Community Recovery ◽  
Forest Models ◽  
Steppe Plant ◽  
Research Questions ◽  
Steppe Plant Communities

Simulation modeling is a complementary tool to field observation and experimentation in understanding ecological systems (Lauenroth et a l., 1998). The overall objective of our plant community modeling is to allow us to evaluate the importance of gap dynamics concepts of succession for understanding shortgrass plant community recovery after disturbances. A gap dynamics approach focuses on individual plants, and the interactions between disturbance characteristics and plant life history traits in explaining successional patterns (Watt, 1947). Simulation models have been used extensively to evaluate the importance of gap dynamics processes to short- and long-term vegetation dynamics in temperate and tropical forests (e.g., Botkin et al., 1972; Shugart, 1984). We developed a gap dynamics model for shortgrass steppe plant communities (STEPPE [Coffin and Lauenroth, 1990]) based upon the conceptual and modeling framework provided by forest models, modifying it to represent Great Plains grasslands (Coffin and Lauenroth, 1996; Coffin and Urban, 1993). We used STEPPE in several capacities: (1) to synthesize and integrate existing knowledge to improve our understanding of recovery processes after disturbance, (2) to identify key processes limiting recovery, and (3) to predict long-term recovery dynamics for different climate and disturbance characteristics—in particular, soil texture and disturbance size. Our approach to modeling shortgrass community dynamics was to incorporate only the most important processes needed to address specific research questions. We added processes through time either because the model did not sufficiently represent ecosystem dynamics or because we posed more complicated research questions. STEPPE simulates the recruitment, growth, and mortality of individual plants on a small plot through time at an annual time step (Fig. 7.1) (Coffin and Lauenroth, 1990). Recruitment and mortality both have stochastic elements. Growth is deterministic and is based upon competition for resources among plants. A key difference between STEPPE and the forest models from which it was derived is that belowground resources are the most frequently limiting resources in semiarid grasslands compared with aboveground resources (light) in forests (Lauenroth and Coffin, 1992).

scholarly journals Variability in deer diet and plant vulnerability to browsing among forests with different establishment years of sika deer

PeerJ ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 9 ◽  
pp. e12165
Author(s):  
Yuzu Sakata ◽  
Nami Shirahama ◽  
Ayaka Uechi ◽  
Kunihiro Okano
Keyword(s):  
Plant Species ◽  
Plant Community ◽  
Plant Communities ◽  
Sika Deer ◽  
Food Selection ◽  
Community Analysis ◽  
Deer Browsing ◽  
Large Variability ◽  
Plant Coverage ◽  
The Difference

Increased ungulate browsing alters the composition of plant communities and modifies forest ecosystems worldwide. Ungulates alter their diet following changes in availability of plant species; however, we know little about how browse selection and plant community composition change with different stages of deer establishment. Here, we provide insight into this area of study by combining multiple approaches: comparison of the understory plant community, analysis of records of browsing damage, and DNA barcoding of sika deer feces at 22 sites in forests in northern Japan varying in when deer were first established. The coverage of vegetation and number of plant species were only lower at sites where deer were present for more than 20 years, while the difference in plant coverage among deer establishment years varied among plant species. Deer diet differed across establishment years, but was more affected by the site, thereby indicating that food selection by deer could change over several years after deer establishment. Plant life form and plant architecture explained the difference in plant coverage across establishment years, but large variability was observed in deer diet within the two categories. Integrating these results, we categorized 98 plant taxa into six groups that differed in vulnerability to deer browsing (degree of damage and coverage). The different responses to browsing among plant species inferred from this study could be a first step in predicting the short- and long-term responses of forest plant communities to deer browsing.

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