Subtropical native grasslands may not require fire, mowing or grazing to maintain native-plant diversity

2017 ◽  
Vol 65 (2) ◽  
pp. 95 ◽  
Author(s):  
Roderick J. Fensham ◽  
Donald W. Butler ◽  
Boris Laffineur ◽  
Harry J. MacDermott ◽  
John W. Morgan ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Species Diversity ◽  
Plant Diversity ◽  
Perennial Grass ◽  
Soil Disturbance ◽  
Temperate Grassland ◽  
Response To Treatment ◽  
Native Plant ◽  
Widespread Species ◽  
Native Grasslands ◽  
Initial Sampling

The rarity of native grasslands in agricultural districts heightens the requirement for optimal management to maintain diversity. Previous studies have suggested that disturbance is required to maintain species diversity in temperate Australian grasslands, but grasslands in semiarid environments do not have the same disturbance requirement. The current study examines the short-term responses to disturbance of subtropical grassland of the Darling Downs, south-eastern Queensland. We also compare temperate and subtropical grasslands in terms of biomass and rainfall. A field experiment was established with treatments, including burning in 2013, burning in 2014, burning in both years, mowing in both years, mowing and raking in both years, and an undisturbed control. Treatments were replicated at each of seven sampling stations in similar environments. The initial sampling after 2013 followed a wet summer and the final sampling was in 2015 after a dry summer. Non-metric multi-dimensional scaling showed that environmental differences, including silt content, soil pH, waterlogging and rainfall history, had more effect on the variation in species composition than did the treatments. The treatments engendered no significant response in species diversity. Of 51 widespread species, only four had a significant change in abundance in response to treatment. Herbaceous biomass was higher in temperate than subtropical grassland after a dry period. The grassland sward may be more open in the subtropics than in temperate grassland because of higher decomposition rates. A comparison of rainfall distribution between subtropical grassland and temperate grassland indicated that droughts are much more frequent in the former environments. These occasional droughts may provide a stress that reduces perennial grass cover, supplanting the requirement for grazing or fire to maintain plant diversity in grasslands. The management of grassland remnants in the subtropics, therefore, seems straightforward because there is little response in species richness or composition to disturbance. However, soil disturbance should be avoided to ensure that exotic species do not proliferate.

Native plant diversity in tropical savannas decreases when exotic pasture grass cover increases

2012 ◽  
Vol 34 (2) ◽  
pp. 183 ◽  
Author(s):  
A. S. Kutt ◽  
J. E. Kemp
Keyword(s):  
Species Richness ◽  
Plant Diversity ◽  
Native Species ◽  
Perennial Grass ◽  
Native Plant ◽  
Pasture Grass ◽  
Grazing Land ◽  
Themeda Triandra ◽  
Heteropogon Contortus ◽  
Native Plant Diversity

The invasion of exotic plants into savanna ecosystems can disrupt the natural pattern of vegetation. Indian couch Bothriochloa pertusa was introduced into Australia as a species for rehabilitation of degraded grazing land. In this study the effect of increasing B. pertusa cover on native plant diversity and possible mechanisms of its spread were examined. Forty sites were sampled in uncleared Queensland rangelands with a range of B. pertusa and Bothriochloa ewartiana (a native species) cover. The mean number of native species per quadrat declined with increasing B. pertusa cover but remained stable over sites with increasing B. ewartiana cover. Mean species richness accumulated at a significantly lower rate for sites with B. pertusa present. Canonical analysis of principle coordinates suggested that three groups of sites, ranging from low to high species richness and cover of native plants, were correlated along gradients of B. pertusa cover, grazing intensity and basal area of dead trees. Generalised linear modelling indicated significant negative relationships between B. pertusa cover and total ground cover, forbs and perennial grass richness and cover, and cover of nine native perennial tussock grasses (Aristida leptopoda, B. decipiens, B. ewartiana, Chrysopogon fallax, Dichanthium fecundum, D. sericeum, Heteropogon contortus, H. triticeus and Themeda triandra). This study suggests that an increase in B. pertusa is associated with a substantial change in the cover and species richness of native plant communities. This was considered to occur via competitive effects as well as a result of cattle grazing, rainfall deficit and tree death. Regardless of the mechanism, continued spread of exotic pasture species has the potential to cause significant changes to rangeland biodiversity.

scholarly journals Managing an Invasive Species While Simultaneously Conserving Native Plant Diversity

2022 ◽  
Vol 80 ◽  
pp. 87-95
Author(s):  
C.W. Sherrill ◽  
S.D. Fuhlendorf ◽  
L.E. Goodman ◽  
R.D. Elmore ◽  
R.G. Hamilton
Keyword(s):  
Invasive Species ◽  
Plant Diversity ◽  
Native Plant ◽  
Native Plant Diversity

scholarly journals Species ethnobotanical values rather than regional species pool determine plant diversity in agroforestry systems

2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Daniel K. N’Woueni ◽  
Orou G. Gaoue
Keyword(s):  
Species Diversity ◽  
Plant Species ◽  
Plant Diversity ◽  
Agroforestry Systems ◽  
Natural Vegetation ◽  
Species Pool ◽  
Higher Plant ◽  
Natural Habitats ◽  
Natural Systems ◽  
Regional Species Pool

AbstractThe conversion of natural systems into farms and agroecosystems is the main cause of biodiversity loss. In human-dominated landscapes, understanding the interactions between agroforestry systems and adjacent natural vegetation is fundamental to developing sustainable agricultural systems. Species can move between these two systems with natural systems providing the regional pool of species that shape the agricultural values and conservation value of the agroforestry systems. We investigated the influence of neighboring natural habitats on traditional agroforestry systems in the buffer zone of Pendjari Biosphere Reserve in Benin to understand the contribution of regional processes on the quality of agroforestry systems. We expected that agroforestry parklands adjacent to natural vegetation with high species diversity will also have higher plant species diversity. We found no similarity in plant species composition between agroforestry systems and adjacent natural habitats. A small proportion of species in adjacent natural habitats were found in agroforestry systems. The proportion of shared species was not significantly influenced by plant diversity in adjacent natural habitats or the distance from the agroforestry systems to the natural adjacent habitat. However, plant diversity in agroforestry systems was strongly associated with site ethnobotanical values indicating that farmers act as a supplemental but severe environmental filter of the regional species pool. Our study suggests that promoting the plantation of plants with high ethnobotanical use-value is a potentially viable strategy for sustainable agriculture and ecological restoration in Biosphere reserves.

Standing Waters, Especially Ancient Lakes

2020 ◽  
pp. 280-302
Author(s):  
Kristina von Rintelen ◽  
Patricio De los Ríos ◽  
Thomas von Rintelen
Keyword(s):  
Species Diversity ◽  
Ancient Lakes ◽  
Ecological Data ◽  
Widespread Species ◽  
Research Priority ◽  
Trophic Morphology ◽  
Molecular Phylogenetic ◽  
Standing Waters ◽  
Species Flocks

Crustacea in standing waters are a diverse taxonomic assemblage with representatives in all available habitats from the benthic zone to the pelagial in larger water bodies. While most higher taxa are widespread and occasionally cosmopolitan, this is only partially true at the genus and species level. The crustacean fauna of geologically young lakes, or ponds, is characterized by widespread species that are not even necessarily restricted to lentic habitats. These species generally have good to excellent dispersal capabilities, especially those dwelling in ephemeral habitats. Small groups such as branchiopods and copepods dominate under these conditions among obligate still-water dwellers. In contrast, endemism and occasional striking adaptations are the hallmarks of crustacean species flocks, especially in the radiations of amphipods, decapods, and ostracods in the fewer than 10 ancient lakes worldwide. These radiations have arisen in situ through the diversification of unspecialized ancestors. All comparatively well-studied radiations for which molecular phylogenetic, taxonomic, and ecological data are available show particular adaptations of trophic morphology correlated to specific habitats. Prime examples are the species flocks of amphipods in Lake Baikal and of atyid shrimps in Lake Tanganyika and in two Indonesian lakes. These groups have most likely evolved through adaptive radiation. A major challenge for research on crustaceans in ancient lakes, and in standing waters generally outside Europe and North America, is the lack of basic data from species diversity to genetics for many, if not most, taxa. Getting a grip on species diversity, distributions, ecology, and, at a different level, genomics will be a research priority for coming decades.

scholarly journals New records of fruit trees as host for Neosilba species (Diptera, Lonchaeidae) in southeast Brazil

2017 ◽  
Vol 17 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Laura Jane Gisloti ◽  
Manoel A. Uchoa ◽  
Angelo Prado
Keyword(s):  
Species Diversity ◽  
Host Plants ◽  
New Records ◽  
Fruit Trees ◽  
Fruit Production ◽  
Native Plant ◽  
Native Plant Species ◽  
Paulo State ◽  
Host Fruit ◽  
Fruit Species

Abstract Fruits of thirty-five cultivated native plant species (19 orders and 12 families) were sampled in farms of fruit production from two municipalities of São Paulo state, Brazil (January 2010 to March 2012) to evaluate species diversity of Neosilba flies. Thirty-one species of plants were the host for Neosilba species while four were not infested. Some aspects of the biology and patterns of species diversity, abundance, infestation rates, puparias viability and the interactions among species of frugivorous flies and their host plants were quantified. Seven species of Neosilba were reared: Neosilba bella Strikis & Prado (4 hosts), Neosilba certa (Walker) (4 hosts), Neosilba glaberrima (Wiedemann) (5 hosts), Neosilba inesperata Strikis & Prado (6 hosts) Neosilba pendula (Bezzi) (15 hosts), Neosilba pradoi Strikis & Lerena (8 hosts) and Neosilba zadolicha McAlpine (26 hosts). The association between the lance flies and the host fruit species is discussed.

Evaluating the Effectiveness of Low Soil-Disturbance Treatments for Improving Native Plant Establishment in Stable Crested Wheatgrass Stands

2019 ◽  
Vol 72 (2) ◽  
pp. 237-248 ◽  
Author(s):  
Christo Morris ◽  
Lesley R. Morris ◽  
Thomas A. Monaco
Keyword(s):  
Soil Disturbance ◽  
Native Plant ◽  
Plant Establishment ◽  
Crested Wheatgrass

scholarly journals Brazilian Plants: An Unexplored Source of Endophytes as Producers of Active Metabolites

Planta Medica ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 85 (08) ◽  
pp. 619-636 ◽  
Author(s):  
Daiani Cristina Savi ◽  
Rodrigo Aluizio ◽  
Chirlei Glienke
Keyword(s):  
Species Diversity ◽  
Dna Sequencing ◽  
Species Identification ◽  
Plant Diversity ◽  
Active Metabolites ◽  
The Real ◽  
Host Interaction ◽  
The World

AbstractBrazil has an extraordinary biodiversity, and for many years, has been classified as the first of 17 countries with a mega diversity, with 22% of the total plants in the world (more than 55 000 species). Considering that some endophytes are host-specific, the incomparable plant diversity found in Brazil encompasses an immeasurable variety of habitats and may represent a repository of unexplored species. As a result of the endophyte-host interaction, plant-associated microorganisms have an enormous biosynthetic potential to produce compounds with novelties in structure and bioactivity. Numerous studies have been published over the years describing the endophytic species isolated in Brazil. Identification of these species is generally performed via DNA sequencing. However, many of the genera to which the described taxa belong were reviewed phylogenetically and many species were reclassified. Thus, there is a gap in the real biodiversity of endophytes isolated in Brazil in the last decade. In this scenario, the present study reviewed the biodiversity of endophytes isolated from plants found in different Brazilian biomes from 2012 to 2017, including the following topics: (i) species diversity, (ii) species identification challenges, (iii) biotechnological aspects, and (iv) identified metabolites. Endophytes of 54 species of plants were studied from 2012 to 2017, resulting in the identification of 300 genera, with Diaporthe and Bacillus being the most frequent fungal and bacterial genera, respectively.

scholarly journals Effects of Urochloa humidicola on Plant Diversity in Native Grasslands in a Neotropical Wetland

Wetlands ◽  
2015 ◽  
Vol 35 (5) ◽  
pp. 841-850 ◽  
Author(s):  
Francielli Bao ◽  
Marco Antonio Assis ◽  
Rafael Arruda ◽  
Arnildo Pott
Keyword(s):  
Plant Diversity ◽  
Native Grasslands

No consistent effects of plant diversity on root biomass, soil biota and soil abiotic conditions in temperate grassland communities

2003 ◽  
Vol 24 (1) ◽  
pp. 101-111 ◽  
Author(s):  
A Gastine ◽  
M Scherer-Lorenzen ◽  
P.W Leadley
Keyword(s):  
Plant Diversity ◽  
Root Biomass ◽  
Temperate Grassland ◽  
Soil Biota ◽  
Abiotic Conditions ◽  
Grassland Communities
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