The positive relationships between plant coverage, species richness, and aboveground biomass are ubiquitous across plant growth forms in semi-steppe rangelands

2018 ◽  
Vol 205 ◽  
pp. 308-318 ◽  
Author(s):  
Anvar Sanaei ◽  
Arshad Ali ◽  
Mohammad Ali Zare Chahouki
Keyword(s):  
Species Richness ◽  
Plant Growth ◽  
Aboveground Biomass ◽  
Growth Forms ◽  
Positive Relationships ◽  
Plant Coverage

scholarly journals The use of Shanon Weiners diversity index in the assessment of floral diversity and equitability of Neni–Nimo Watershed in Anaocha L.G.A. of Anambra State, Nigeria

2021 ◽  
Vol 16 (2) ◽  
pp. 155-158
Author(s):  
Ezenwatah Ifeoma Susan ◽  
Ukpaka Chukwujekwu Gratius ◽  
Onyemeka Regland Michael ◽  
Afulukwe Stella Chinyere ◽  
Okoye Elochukwu Chidubem Sunday
Keyword(s):  
Species Richness ◽  
Plant Growth ◽  
Diversity Index ◽  
Block Design ◽  
Species Abundance ◽  
P Value ◽  
Growth Forms ◽  
Anambra State ◽  
Floral Diversity ◽  
Current Usage

The study on the floral diversity of Neni-Nimo watershed in Anaocha L.G.A. of Anambra State was conducted between November 2009 and July 2020. The aim of the study was to find out the species richness and the floral biodiversity of the watershed. In this study, the watershed was divided into three sites, the forested site, the fallow site and the current usage site. The experiment was laid out in a Randomized Complete Block Design. The ecological methods used in this study are the Point Centred Plotless Count sampling technique for areas dominated by trees while the Plot Count technique using quadrats were used for sampling the areas dominated by forbs, shrubs, climbers and grasses. The vegetation data collected was used to estimate the species richness of the different plant growth forms, the diversity and equitability of the various growth forms encountered were calculated using Shanon Weiners diversity index. The Shanno Weiners diversity index shows that the forested areas had the highest floral biodiversity than the fallow and current usage area. Regression analysis shows that a significant relationship exists between species abundance and floral biodiversity at a p-value of <0.05 for all plant growth forms in the watershed except for grasses and as abundance increases, diversity also increases.

scholarly journals Decades of Recovery From Sheep Grazing Reveal No Effects on Plant Diversity Patterns Within Icelandic Tundra Landscapes

2021 ◽  
Vol 8 ◽  
Author(s):  
Martin A. Mörsdorf ◽  
Virve T. Ravolainen ◽  
Nigel G. Yoccoz ◽  
Thóra Ellen Thórhallsdóttir ◽  
Ingibjörg Svala Jónsdóttir
Keyword(s):  
Species Richness ◽  
Plant Growth ◽  
Plant Communities ◽  
Plant Diversity ◽  
Management Practices ◽  
Spatial Scales ◽  
Plant Productivity ◽  
Community Diversity ◽  
Growth Forms ◽  
Diversity Patterns

Tundra plant communities are often shaped by topography. Contrasting wind exposure, slopes of different inclination and landforms of different curvature affect habitat conditions and shape plant diversity patterns. The majority of tundra is also grazed by ungulates, which may alter topographically induced plant diversity patterns, but such effects may depend on the spatial scales of assessments. Here we ask whether topographically induced patterns of within (alpha) and between (beta) plant community diversity are different in contrasting grazing regimes. We studied plant communities within tundra landscapes that were located in the North and Northwest of Iceland. Half of the studied landscapes were grazed by sheep, whereas the other half was currently un-grazed and recovering for several decades (up to 60 years). Alpha and beta diversity were assessed on explicitly defined, nested spatial scales, which were determined by topographical units. Although we contrasted currently grazed vegetation to vegetation that witnessed several decades of grazing recovery, we found no statistically significant differences in plant diversity patterns. We relate these findings to the low resilience of our study system toward grazing disturbances, which has important implications for management practices in the tundra. Effects of topography on species richness were only found for specific spatial scales of analyses. Species rich topographical units were associated with relatively large biomass of plant growth forms that promote nutrient availability and potential plant productivity in the tundra, such as forbs. This suggests that biomass of such plant growth forms within habitats can be a useful proxy of potential plant productivity and may predict spatial patterns of plant species richness in tundra.

Growth responses of Leymus chinensis (Trin.) Tzvelev to sheep saliva after defoliation

2010 ◽  
Vol 32 (4) ◽  
pp. 419 ◽  
Author(s):  
Xing Teng ◽  
Lei Ba ◽  
Deli Wang ◽  
Ling Wang ◽  
Jushan Liu
Keyword(s):  
Plant Growth ◽  
Aboveground Biomass ◽  
Field Experiments ◽  
Perennial Grass ◽  
Leaf Length ◽  
Leymus Chinensis ◽  
Growth Responses ◽  
Time Duration ◽  
Positive Effects ◽  
Leaf Weight

Many studies indicated that saliva from herbivores might be involved in plant growth responses when plants have been grazed. However, there is currently no general agreement on whether saliva can affect plant growth. Our aims were to determine the growth response of plants to sheep saliva after defoliation under diverse environmental conditions (different sward structures), and whether the effect of saliva is influenced by time (duration) after its application. We conducted field experiments with clipping treatments and the application of sheep saliva to the damaged parts of tillers to simulate sheep grazing on the perennial grass Leymus chinensis (Trin.) Tzvelev during the early growing seasons. Results demonstrated that clipping with saliva application significantly increased tiller numbers 8 weeks after treatments in comparison with clipping alone. A key finding is that the effect of sheep saliva on plant growth was short-lived. Clipping with saliva application increased leaf weight in the second week, while clipping alone had no effect. Moreover, clipping with saliva application promoted the elongation of new leaves (not the old ones) in the first week whereas clipping alone was ineffective. Results also showed that there were no differences between clipping with saliva application and clipping alone for relative height growth rate and aboveground biomass. Therefore, we concluded that saliva application to clipping treatment would produce an additional effect compared to clipping alone for the plant and the positive effects are time dependent. The additional effects primarily embodied in the individual level of plant, such as the changes of leaf weight and leaf length. Beyond the level, the effects of saliva only produced many more tiller numbers rather than the accumulation of aboveground biomass.

scholarly journals Nitrogen enrichment enhances the dominance of grasses over forbs in a temperate steppe ecosystem

2011 ◽  
Vol 8 (8) ◽  
pp. 2341-2350 ◽  
Author(s):  
L. Song ◽  
X. Bao ◽  
X. Liu ◽  
Y. Zhang ◽  
P. Christie ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Species Richness ◽  
Aboveground Biomass ◽  
N Deposition ◽  
Soil Mineral N ◽  
N Addition ◽  
Soil Mineral ◽  
Temperate Steppe ◽  
Mineral N ◽  
N Concentration ◽  
Steppe Ecosystem

Abstract. Chinese grasslands are extensive natural ecosystems that comprise 40 % of the total land area of the country and are sensitive to N deposition. A field experiment with six N rates (0, 30, 60, 120, 240, and 480 kg N ha−1 yr−1) was conducted at Duolun, Inner Mongolia, during 2005 and 2010 to identify some effects of N addition on a temperate steppe ecosystem. The dominant plant species in the plots were divided into two categories, grasses and forbs, on the basis of species life forms. Enhanced N deposition, even as little as 30 kg N ha−1 yr−1 above ambient N deposition (16 kg N ha−1 yr−1), led to a decline in species richness. The cover of grasses increased with N addition rate but their species richness showed a weak change across N treatments. Both species richness and cover of forbs declined strongly with increasing N deposition as shown by linear regression analysis (p < 0.05). Increasing N deposition elevated aboveground production of grasses but lowered aboveground biomass of forbs. Plant N concentration, plant δ15N and soil mineral N increased with N addition, showing positive relationships between plant δ15N and N concentration, soil mineral N and/or applied N rate. The cessation of N application in the 480 kg N ha−1 yr−1 treatment in 2009 and 2010 led to a slight recovery of the forb species richness relative to total cover and aboveground biomass, coinciding with reduced plant N concentration and soil mineral N. The results show N deposition-induced changes in soil N transformations and plant N assimilation that are closely related to changes in species composition and biomass accumulation in this temperate steppe ecosystem.

An Experimental Analysis of Macrophyte Growth Forms as Fish Foraging Habitat

1991 ◽  
Vol 48 (1) ◽  
pp. 123-131 ◽  
Author(s):  
Michele Dionne ◽  
Carol L. Folt
Keyword(s):  
Plant Growth ◽  
Growth Form ◽  
Plant Density ◽  
Prey Capture ◽  
Capture Rate ◽  
Habitat Associations ◽  
Growth Forms ◽  
Plant Growth Form ◽  
Macrophyte Growth ◽  
Capture Rates

In this laboratory study we measured the independent effects of macrophyte growth form, plant density, and prey abundance on the foraging rate of the pumpkinseed sunfish (Lepomis gibbosus). We demonstrate that macrophyte growth forms are not all similar in their effects on fish foraging. Prey capture rates of pumpkinseeds foraging among Scirpus validus (cylindrical stems) were 53 and 365% times greater than for Potamogeton amplifolius (leafy stems) for cladoceran (Sida crystallina) and larval damselfly (Coenagrionidae) prey, respectively. Plant growth form influenced prey capture rates more than charges in natural plant density. Plant density effects ranged from none on damselfly capture rates to a 29% decline in cladoceran capture rate over a twofold increase in plant density. Our results indicate that in plant-structured habitats, variation in plant growth form can be an important determinant of fish foraging and habitat associations.

Plant coverage is a potential ecological indicator for species diversity and aboveground biomass in semi-steppe rangelands

2018 ◽  
Vol 93 ◽  
pp. 256-266 ◽  
Author(s):  
Anvar Sanaei ◽  
Arshad Ali ◽  
Mohammad Ali Zare Chahouki ◽  
Mohammad Jafari
Keyword(s):  
Species Diversity ◽  
Aboveground Biomass ◽  
Ecological Indicator ◽  
Plant Coverage
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