Effects of fire frequency and microhabitat on the ground layer in a grassy woodland

2020 ◽  
Vol 68 (6) ◽  
pp. 425
Author(s):  
Penny J. Watson ◽  
E. Charles Morris
Keyword(s):  
Species Richness ◽  
Exotic Species ◽  
Relative Abundance ◽  
Native Species ◽  
Fire Frequency ◽  
Ground Layer ◽  
Similar Time ◽  
Themeda Triandra ◽  
Total Species ◽  
Native Species Richness

Grassy woodlands worldwide are vertically structured by trees, a ground layer of grasses and forbs, and a variable mid-storey. In Western Sydney’s Cumberland Plain Woodland this mid-storey is increasingly dominated by the prickly shrub Bursaria spinosa Cav. subsp. spinosa. We investigated whether tree and shrub vegetation affects species richness and composition of ground layer microhabitats in this woodland, and whether fire frequency directly affects the ground layer in addition to any indirect effects via overstorey vegetation. Replicate sites were located in areas that had burnt with a frequency that was high, moderate or low. All sites had a similar time since last fire. Three microhabitats (open, under Bursaria, around tree) within each site were sampled for species richness and composition of native and exotic species. Native species richness was not significantly affected by either microhabitat or fire frequency, for total species, grasses or forbs; however the relative abundance of native grasses decreased significantly as fire frequency declined, while the relative abundance of native forbs increased. Exotic species richness was lowest at high fire frequency and significantly higher at low fire frequency. Species composition was significantly affected by both microhabitat and fire frequency combining independently. Planned burning at relatively short intervals can help managers retain grassy habitat for open patch species, habitat for ground layer species that do best under frequent fire, and a robust Themeda triandra Forssk. sward antagonistic to weeds.

Vegetation change in an urban grassy woodland 1974 - 2000

2004 ◽  
Vol 52 (5) ◽  
pp. 597 ◽  
Author(s):  
J. B. Kirkpatrick
Keyword(s):  
Species Richness ◽  
Species Composition ◽  
Exotic Species ◽  
Native Species ◽  
Vegetation Change ◽  
Structural Changes ◽  
Linear Models ◽  
Tree Cover ◽  
Native Plant ◽  
Native Species Richness

Few temporal studies document vegetation change in Australian temperate grassy woodlands. Floristic and structural data were collected from 68 randomly located sites in the Queens Domain, an urban grassy woodland remnant, in 1974, 1984, 1994 and 2000 and a search made for rare species. Species of conservation significance were concentrated at highly disturbed sites, whereas vegetation types of conservation significance decreased in area as a result of increases in the numbers of Allocasuarina verticillata, which caused a change in many unmown areas from Eucalyptus viminalis grassy woodland to E. viminalis–A. verticillata woodland/forest or A. verticillata open/closed forest. Structural changes were associated with changes in species composition and an increase in native-species richness. Increases in tree cover occurred where fires were most frequent, possibly as a result of the lack of mammalian herbivores. The frequencies of herbs and annual grasses were strongly affected by precipitation in the month of sampling. Half of the species that showed a consistent rise or fall through time were woody plants, approximately twice the number expected. In the dataset as a whole, species-richness variables were largely explained by varying combinations of variables related to moisture availability, altitude and the incidence of mowing. The strongest influences on species composition were the same, although slope and time since the last fire also contributed to multiple regression and generalised linear models. Compositional stability was positively related to native-species richness, whereas high levels of exotic-species richness occurred at both low and high levels of native-species richness. The maintenance of native-plant biodiversity on the Domain requires such counterintuitive measures as the maintenance of exotic trees and the control of native trees, demonstrating the contingencies of conservation management in fragmented vegetation that consists of a mixture of native and exotic species.

Invasion in space and time: non-native species richness and relative abundance respond to interannual variation in productivity and diversity

2004 ◽  
Vol 7 (10) ◽  
pp. 947-957 ◽  
Author(s):  
Elsa E. Cleland ◽  
Melinda D. Smith ◽  
Sandy J. Andelman ◽  
Christy Bowles ◽  
Karen M. Carney ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Species Richness ◽  
Relative Abundance ◽  
Native Species ◽  
Interannual Variation ◽  
Space And Time ◽  
Native Species Richness

Changes in Floristic Composition of Urban Bushland Invaded by Pittosporum undulatum in Northern Sydney, Australia

1997 ◽  
Vol 45 (1) ◽  
pp. 123 ◽  
Author(s):  
Stefan Rose ◽  
Peter G. Fairweather
Keyword(s):  
Species Richness ◽  
Exotic Species ◽  
Native Species ◽  
Floristic Composition ◽  
Individual Species ◽  
Community Pattern ◽  
Edaphic Conditions ◽  
Management Effort ◽  
Relative Cover ◽  
Native Species Richness

Differences in species composition of urban bushland sites that had been subjected to increasing degradation and progressive invasion of Pittosporum undulatum Vent. were assessed using nonparametric multivariate and other statistical techniques. Increasing suburb age was found to significantly affect community pattern as a whole, specifically through increased proportions of exotic species, decreased native species richness and sustained shifts in the relative importance of individual species. Older suburbs were typified by species that were mesic, fire-sensitive, shade-tolerant and adapted to relatively moist, nutrient-rich edaphic conditions. These species included P. undulatum and many invasive exotics. Many native species decreased substantially in rank importance with increasing suburb age, to the point of elimination in older suburbs. These included one vulnerable taxon (Tetratheca glandulosa Sm.). Overall community pattern was correlated with abundance of P. undulatum, fire and human disturbance. Relative cover of P. undulatum was found to be significantly correlated with increased proportions of exotic species and reduced native species richness and diversity. While most exotic species were concentrated within 30 m of the suburban edge, it is suggested that most management effort should be directed at those exotic species that commonly establish throughout bushland remnants. The study also provided an opportunity to test the application of the multivariate software package PRIMER in assessing environmental impact on vegetation communities.

Native plant species richness on Eastern Polynesia’s remote atolls

2015 ◽  
Vol 40 (1) ◽  
pp. 112-134 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sébastien Larrue ◽  
Jean-François Butaud ◽  
Pascal Dumas ◽  
Stéphane Ballet
Keyword(s):  
Species Richness ◽  
Sea Level ◽  
Plant Species ◽  
Native Species ◽  
Abiotic Factors ◽  
Plant Species Richness ◽  
Native Plant ◽  
Volcanic Island ◽  
Native Plant Species ◽  
Native Species Richness

Which abiotic factors influence the number of native plant species on remote atolls is an important question to understand better the spatial pattern of the species observed on these low and vulnerable coral islands. However, this issue is still very poorly documented, often due to human degradation, partial botanical surveys or the difficult geographic access of remote atolls for researchers. The remote atolls of Eastern Polynesia, which are among the most isolated in the world, are of great interest for studies of native species’ distribution due to their isolation, low human density and urbanisation. In this study, we selected 49 remote atolls of Eastern Polynesia with complete botanical surveys to test the relative influence of eight abiotic factors on native plant species richness (i.e. indigenous and endemic species). Abiotic factors used as potential predictors included atoll area (km2), shoreline length (km), atoll elevation (m) and index of isolation (UNEP), but also the coastal index of the atoll ( Ic), the distance to the nearest similar atoll (km), the distance to the nearest large volcanic island ≥ 1000 km2 (here, Tahiti as a potential stepping-stone island) and the distance to the nearest raised atoll ≥ 15 m a.s.l. (here, Makatea or Henderson as a potential refugium during sea-level highstands). Spearman’s rank correlation, linear regression analysis and frequency diagrams were used to assess the relative influence of these factors on native species richness. No relationship was found between the species richness and the index of isolation or the distance to the nearest similar atoll. Atoll area and distance to the nearest raised atoll of Makatea explained 47.1% and 40%, respectively, of the native species richness variation observed on the remote atolls. The distance to the volcanic island of Tahiti and the coastal index explained 36.9% and 27.3% of the variation, while elevation and shoreline length explained 23.3% and 18.4% of the variation, respectively. Native species richness on the atolls surveyed increased with the increasing atoll area, elevation and shoreline length, but decreased with the increasing distance to the nearest raised atoll of Makatea and the large volcanic island of Tahiti. This supports the view that the spatial pattern of native species richness observed on the remote atolls was strongly influenced by (i) atoll area but also by (ii) the distance to the raised atoll of Makatea, and (iii) the distance to the volcanic island of Tahiti. This finding suggests that the raised atoll may be viewed as a refugium during sea-level highstands while the large volcanic island played the role of stepping-stone island, both islands influencing the dispersal of native species on remote atolls and attenuating the isolation effect in the study area.

Grasshopper (Insecta: Orthoptera: Acrididae) assemblages of tallgrass prairie: influences of fire frequency, topography, and vegetation

1988 ◽  
Vol 66 (7) ◽  
pp. 1495-1501 ◽  
Author(s):  
Edward W. Evans
Keyword(s):  
Species Richness ◽  
Species Composition ◽  
Relative Abundance ◽  
Tallgrass Prairie ◽  
Detrended Correspondence Analysis ◽  
Fire Frequency ◽  
Local Species Richness ◽  
Principal Axes ◽  
Local Plant ◽  
Local Species

Grasshopper assemblages were sampled by sweep net in native tallgrass prairie at Konza Prairie, Kansas, in 1982 – 1986 to assess the influences of fire, topography, and vegetation on local species composition. Species composition at 38 sites was analysed by ordination (detrended correspondence analysis). Frequency of fire and topographic location were reflected along the first two principal axes, respectively. Grass-feeding grasshoppers were more numerous than forb- and mixed-feeding grasshoppers throughout the prairie, but forb and mixed feeders became relatively more frequent as fire frequency decreased. Local species richness of grasshoppers was greater on sites burned infrequently than on sites burned annually or biennially, and on upland than on lowland sites. Local species richness was positively correlated with local plant species richness and diversity, reflecting in part that local relative abundance of forb-feeding grasshoppers was positively correlated with local relative abundance of forbs. Collectively these results are consistent in suggesting that through their effects on local plant communities, fire frequency and topography are major factors influencing the composition of local grasshopper assemblages in tallgrass prairie.

scholarly journals Species richness, phylogenetic diversity and phylogenetic structure patterns of exotic and native plants along an elevational gradient in the Himalaya

2021 ◽  
Vol 10 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Kumar Manish
Keyword(s):  
Species Richness ◽  
Exotic Species ◽  
Native Species ◽  
Phylogenetic Diversity ◽  
Elevational Gradient ◽  
Species Assemblages ◽  
Native Plant ◽  
Phylogenetic Structure ◽  
Phylogenetic Overdispersion ◽  
The Himalaya

Abstract Background So far, macroecological studies in the Himalaya have mostly concentrated on spatial variation of overall species richness along the elevational gradient. Very few studies have attempted to document the difference in elevational richness patterns of native and exotic species. In this study, this knowledge gap is addressed by integrating data on phylogeny and elevational distribution of species to identify the variation in species richness, phylogenetic diversity and phylogenetic structure of exotic and native plant species along an elevational gradient in the Himalaya. Results Species distribution patterns for exotic and native species differed; exotics tended to show maximum species richness at low elevations while natives tended to predominate at mid-elevations. Native species assemblages showed higher phylogenetic diversity than the exotic species assemblages over the entire elevational gradient in the Himalaya. In terms of phylogenetic structure, exotic species assemblages showed majorly phylogenetic clustering while native species assemblages were characterized by phylogenetic overdispersion over the entire gradient. Conclusions The findings of this study indicate that areas with high native species richness and phylogenetic diversity are less receptive to exotic species and vice versa in the Himalaya. Species assemblages with high native phylogenetic overdispersion are less receptive to exotic species than the phylogenetically clustered assemblages. Different ecological processes (ecological filtering in case of exotics and resource and niche competition in case of natives) may govern the distribution of exotic and native species along the elevational gradient in the Himalaya.

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