Long-term deer exclusion in yew-wood and oakwood habitats in southwest Ireland: Changes in ground flora and species diversity

Abstract Aims Long-term heavy grazing reduces plant diversity and ecosystem function by intensifying nitrogen (N) and water limitation. In contrast, the absence of biomass removal can cause species loss by elevating light competition and weakening community stability, which is exacerbated by N and water enrichment. Hence, how to maintain species diversity and community stability is still a huge challenge for sustainable management of worldwide grasslands. Methods We conducted a 4-year manipulated experiment in six long-term grazing blocks to explore combination of resource additions and biomass removal (increased water, N and light availability) on species richness and community stability in semiarid grasslands of Inner Mongolia, China. Important Findings In all blocks treated with the combination of resource additions and biomass removal, primary productivity increased and species richness and community stability were maintained over 4 years of experiment. At both species and plant functional group (PFG) levels, the aboveground biomass of treated plants remained temporally stable in treatments with the combination of N and/or water addition and biomass removal. The maintenance of species richness was primarily caused by the biomass removal, which could increase the amount of light exposure for grasses under resource enrichment. Both species asynchrony and stability of PFGs contributed to the high temporal stability observed in these communities. Our results indicate that management practices of combined resource enrichment with biomass removal, such as grazing or mowing, could not only enhance primary productivity but also maintain plant species diversity, species asynchrony and community stability. Furthermore, as overgrazing-induced degradation and resource enrichment-induced biodiversity loss continue to be major problems worldwide, our findings have important implications for adaptive management in semiarid grasslands and beyond.

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Present state of knowledge on the family Begoniaceae CA Agardh (Magnoliopsida) of Bangladesh

Journal of Biodiversity Conservation and Bioresource Management ◽

10.3329/jbcbm.v4i1.37875 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 4 (1) ◽

pp. 35-46

Author(s):

PK Deb ◽

MA Rahman

Keyword(s):

Species Diversity ◽

New Records ◽

Herbarium Specimens ◽

Field Investigations ◽

The Family ◽

First Time ◽

Generic Family ◽

Term Field

The inventory and assessment of species diversity in the mono-generic family Begoniaceae C. A. Agardh of Bangladesh were made through long term field investigations, collections, identification, survey and examination of preserved herbarium specimens and review of relevant taxonomic and floristic literature. The family is recognized to be represented in the flora of Bangladesh by 19 species under the genus Begonia L. Of these, 11 species were known to be previously recorded from the area of Bangladesh, hence additional 8 species of the present account are being reported here for the first time as new records from Bangladesh, these are: Begonia grandis Dryand. ssp. holostylla Irmsch. , B. heracleifolia Cham. and Schltdl. Cult., B. maculata Raddi Cult. B. modestiflora Kurz, B. muliensis T. T. Yu. Cult., B. scintillans Dunn, B. surculigera Kurz and B. thomsonii A. DC. An enumeration of these 19 species is prepared, and each species is cited with detailed taxonomic data. All species of the Begonia L. are herbaceous in nature and possess potential economic values, viz. 11 (52%) medicinal, 5 (24%) ornamental, 3 (14%) beverage, 1 (5%) food and 1 (5%) poisonous. Determination of status of occurrence showed that 2 (10.53%) species are common, 5 (26.32%) cultivated, 9 (47.36%) threatened and 3 (15.79%) possibly extinct in Bangladesh. Field photographs and hand drawings of recorded taxa are provided.J. Biodivers. Conserv. Bioresour. Manag. 2018, 4(1): 35-46

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Changes in species diversity and above-ground biomass of shrubland over long-term natural restoration process in the Taihang Mountain in North China

Plant Soil and Environment ◽

10.17221/216/2011-pse ◽

2011 ◽

Vol 57 (No. 11) ◽

pp. 505-512 ◽

Cited By ~ 12

Author(s):

X. Liu ◽

W. Zhang ◽

Z. Liu ◽

F. Qu ◽

X. Tang

Keyword(s):

Species Diversity ◽

Forest Ecosystem ◽

Dominant Species ◽

Vegetation Recovery ◽

Above Ground Biomass ◽

Restoration Process ◽

Ground Biomass ◽

Natural Restoration ◽

Taihang Mountain

In order to restore the impaired forest ecosystem in China, great efforts including the banning of the animal grazing and cutting woods for fuel, and implementation of the ‘Grain for Green’ program have been made by the central and local government of China. The objective of this research was to investigate the changes in above-ground biomass and species diversity after 22 years of vegetation recovery efforts in the lower Taihang Mountain of China. The results indicated that over the natural restoration process shrubs became the dominant species in 2008, while herbs were the dominant species back in 1986. Community coverage, height and above-ground biomass showed significant increases in 2008 compared to 1986. Shrubs showed significant increases in coverage, height, and above-ground biomass, whereas herbs significantly increased in height, but decreased in above-ground biomass. Over the 22-year natural restoration process, the species richness index and the Shannon-Wiener’s index had been significantly decreased, whereas the Simpson’s predominance index and the Pielou’s evenness index had been significantly increased. Long-term vegetation recovery efforts improved the impaired forest ecosystem in lower Taihang Mountain to some extent: significant increases in both community coverage and above-ground biomass. The significant increase in community coverage can reduce the soil loss by wind and water erosion, and increase in the above-ground biomass will improve the soil chemical properties and physical structure. A comprehensive assessment of the success of vegetation recovery should include the evaluation of the changes in ecological process such as soil biological activities in the future research.

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Lichens on the Hudson Bay Lowlands: a long-term survey in Wapusk National Park, Manitoba

The Lichenologist ◽

10.1017/s002428291600027x ◽

2016 ◽

Vol 48 (5) ◽

pp. 581-592 ◽

Cited By ~ 2

Author(s):

Michele D. PIERCEY-NORMORE ◽

Irwin M. BRODO ◽

Chris DEDUKE

Keyword(s):

Species Diversity ◽

National Park ◽

Hudson Bay ◽

Beach Ridge ◽

Habitat Types ◽

Hudson Bay Lowlands ◽

Coastal Beach ◽

Physiographic Regions ◽

Unique Species

AbstractWapusk National Park is part of the Hudson Bay Lowlands in Manitoba and covers 11 475 km2. Lichen surveys were initiated in 2002 but none have reported all species incorporating broad habitat types or a baseline on which to make management decisions. The objectives of this study were: 1) to determine species diversity, including species richness and evenness of the lichens present; 2) to explore species distributions; and 3) to compare lichen growth form and substratum relationships among physiographic regions. Fifty-six locations in four habitat types (physiographic regions: open coastal beach ridge, forested coastal beach ridge, boreal transition forest, and peat plateau bog) and three burned locations were visited over nine years and specimens were collected at each location. A total of 276 species and subspecies were collected. One species is new to Canada (Buellia uberior Anzi) and ten species are new to Manitoba. Species diversity, evenness, and richness were highest in the coastal beach ridge. The open coastal beach ridge, boreal transition forest, and peat plateau bogs formed separate clusters in the non-metric multidimensional scaling (NMS) but the forested coastal beach ridge overlapped with the open coastal beach ridge. Unique species in each region may serve as indicators to monitor long-term changes. While the coastal beach ridge facilitates travel along the coast, it also represents the region with the highest need for intervention to conserve species diversity.

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