scholarly journals Resource enrichment combined with biomass removal maintains plant diversity and community stability in a long-term grazed grassland

2020 ◽  
Vol 13 (5) ◽  
pp. 611-620
Author(s):  
Feng-Wei Xu ◽  
Jian-Jun Li ◽  
Li-Ji Wu ◽  
Xiao-Ming Lu ◽  
Wen Xing ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Species Richness ◽  
Species Diversity ◽  
Plant Diversity ◽  
Primary Productivity ◽  
Management Practices ◽  
Light Exposure ◽  
Community Stability ◽  
Water Addition ◽  
Biomass Removal

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.

scholarly journals Tallgrass Prairie Responses to Management Practices and Disturbances: A Review

Agronomy ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 8 (12) ◽  
pp. 300 ◽  
Author(s):  
Pradeep Wagle ◽  
Prasanna Gowda
Keyword(s):  
Species Richness ◽  
Soil Quality ◽  
Plant Species ◽  
Tallgrass Prairie ◽  
Management Practices ◽  
The United States ◽  
N Fertilization ◽  
Native Plant ◽  
The Impact

Adoption of better management practices is crucial to lessen the impact of anthropogenic disturbances on tallgrass prairie systems that contribute heavily for livestock production in several states of the United States. This article reviews the impacts of different common management practices and disturbances (e.g., fertilization, grazing, burning) and tallgrass prairie restoration on plant growth and development, plant species composition, water and nutrient cycles, and microbial activities in tallgrass prairie. Although nitrogen (N) fertilization increases aboveground productivity of prairie systems, several factors greatly influence the range of stimulation across sites. For example, response to N fertilization was more evident on frequently or annually burnt sites (N limiting) than infrequently burnt and unburnt sites (light limiting). Frequent burning increased density of C4 grasses and decreased plant species richness and diversity, while plant diversity was maximized under infrequent burning and grazing. Grazing increased diversity and richness of native plant species by reducing aboveground biomass of dominant grasses and increasing light availability for other species. Restored prairies showed lower levels of species richness and soil quality compared to native remnants. Infrequent burning, regular grazing, and additional inputs can promote species richness and soil quality in restored prairies. However, this literature review indicated that all prairie systems might not show similar responses to treatments as the response might be influenced by another treatment, timing of treatments, and duration of treatments (i.e., short-term vs. long-term). Thus, it is necessary to examine the long-term responses of tallgrass prairie systems to main and interacting effects of combination of management practices under diverse plant community and climatic conditions for a holistic assessment.

scholarly journals Effects of plant species diversity on nematode community composition and diversity in a long-term biodiversity experiment

Oecologia ◽  
2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Peter Dietrich ◽  
Simone Cesarz ◽  
Tao Liu ◽  
Christiane Roscher ◽  
Nico Eisenhauer
Keyword(s):  
Species Richness ◽  
Community Composition ◽  
Plant Species ◽  
Plant Communities ◽  
Plant Diversity ◽  
Plant Species Richness ◽  
Resource Quality ◽  
Plant Feeding ◽  
Shoot Mass

AbstractDiversity loss has been shown to change the soil community; however, little is known about long-term consequences and underlying mechanisms. Here, we investigated how nematode communities are affected by plant species richness and whether this is driven by resource quantity or quality in 15-year-old plant communities of a long-term grassland biodiversity experiment. We extracted nematodes from 93 experimental plots differing in plant species richness, and measured above- and belowground plant biomass production and soil organic carbon concentrations (Corg) as proxies for resource quantity, as well as C/Nleaf ratio and specific root length (SRL) as proxies for resource quality. We found that nematode community composition and diversity significantly differed among plant species richness levels. This was mostly due to positive plant diversity effects on the abundance and genus richness of bacterial-feeding, omnivorous, and predatory nematodes, which benefited from higher shoot mass and soil Corg in species-rich plant communities, suggesting control via resource quantity. In contrast, plant-feeding nematodes were negatively influenced by shoot mass, probably due to higher top–down control by predators, and were positively related to SRL and C/Nleaf, indicating control via resource quality. The decrease of the grazing pressure ratio (plant feeders per root mass) with plant species richness indicated a higher accumulation of plant-feeding nematodes in species-poor plant communities. Our results, therefore, support the hypothesis that soil-borne pathogens accumulate in low-diversity communities over time, while soil mutualists (bacterial-feeding, omnivorous, predatory nematodes) increase in abundance and richness in high-diversity plant communities, which may contribute to the widely-observed positive plant diversity–productivity relationship.

scholarly journals Plant diversity changes in a nature reserve: a probabilistic sampling method for quantitative assessments

2019 ◽  
Vol 34 ◽  
pp. 145-161 ◽  
Author(s):  
Stefano Chelli ◽  
Enrico Simonetti ◽  
Giandiego Campetella ◽  
Alessandro Chiarucci ◽  
Marco Cervellini ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Species Richness ◽  
Monitoring System ◽  
Plant Diversity ◽  
Management Practices ◽  
Sampling Design ◽  
Nature Reserve ◽  
Vegetation Types ◽  
Probabilistic Sampling ◽  
Compositional Changes ◽  
Over Time

Species pool conservation is critical for the stability of ecosystem processes. However, climate and land use changes will likely affect biodiversity, and managers of protected areas are under increasing pressure to monitor native species diversity changes by approaches that are scientifically sound and comparable over time. Here we describe a plant diversity monitoring system in use since 2002 in the “Montagna di Torricchio” Nature Reserve (LTER_EU_IT_033), a Central Apennines representative area of 317 ha, most of which is under strict protection. The aim of this paper was to assess changes in plant species richness over time and to deduce the patterns of species assemblage. The monitoring system was based on a probabilistic sampling design representative of the different physiognomic vegetation types occurring in the Reserve. A total of 34 plots (10×10m) were sampled in 2002, 2003 and 2015, and their species presence/absence and relative coverage were estimated. Repeated measure ANOVA was used to test for plot-level and ecosystem-based changes in species richness along the study period. Temporal nestedness and temporal turnover metrics were used to assess patterns of species’ compositional changes. The results showed significantly different levels of species richness depending on the year, with the lowest value in 2003, probably linked to extreme drought events. Forest systems were comparatively stable, demonstrating the capacity to buffer interannual climate variability. Regarding compositional changes along the entire period (2002–2015), we found random patterns of both temporal nestedness and turnover, indicating stability in species composition. However, we also showed the contemporary occurrence of species loss and species replacement processes, considering the dry year 2003, a finding which should be further explored through fine-scale studies to unravel mechanisms of community assembly under drought. The use of a probabilistic sampling design representative of the different physiognomic vegetation types proved to be advantageous in monitoring the Nature Reserve vegetation and collecting reliable quantitative information. This data, in turn, provides the basis for improvements in management practices and proposed adaptation measures.

Delayed and altered post-fire recovery pathways of Mediterranean shrubland under 20-year drought manipulation

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Daijun Liu ◽  
Chao Zhang ◽  
Thomas Pugh ◽  
Josep Penuelas
Keyword(s):  
Species Richness ◽  
Species Diversity ◽  
Community Composition ◽  
Plant Communities ◽  
Principal Component ◽  
Two Dimensions ◽  
Ecosystem Functions ◽  
Mediterranean Shrubland ◽  
Succession Pathways

<p>Increasing anthropogenic and natural disturbances have disturbed 75% of global land area, indicating many plant communities are unstable or in recovery process. Increasing water deficits by rainfall reduction may decrease resilience (rate of recovery) and trigger different succession pathways (e.g. delayed, altered mature status and advanced degradation). Knowledge on the effects of future drought on community structure and demographic dynamics is key to project the fate of vegetation and yet it is limited. </p><p>Here we assessed the impacts of long-term (20 years) experimental drought (-30% rainfall) on the successional pathways of species diversity, community composition and demographic changes for an early-successional Mediterranean shrubland (4 years after a wildfire). The results indicated that experimental drought significantly decreased species richness and shifted community composition compared to control plots. Significant decreases in abundance and increases in death ratios at both community (all species) and shrub (shrub species) levels were found in experimental drought. However, the abundance of Globularia Alypum was significantly increased by drought while Erica multiflora was not affected; the death ratios for the two species were significantly lower in drought than control plots. Species richness, community composition and abundance followed pathway 2 (altered mature state) while shrubland abundance followed pathway 3 (advanced degradation). Principal Component Analysis (PCA) indicated that the variance in vegetation metrics was notably explained by the first two dimensions (49.4%), mainly related to the death ratio of G. alypum and E. multiflora (27.3% for PC1) and abundance of community and shrub levels (22.1% for PC2). The space variation in PC1 significantly increased over time, which was orthogonal with PC2. Within two dimensions of PC1 and PC2, the scores in control were significantly higher than drought. </p><p>Our findings suggest that drier condition simulated by long-term drought could delay and alter the succession pathways of species diversity, community composition and abundance of the plant communities in Mediterranean ecosystems. The results also imply the importance to analyse long-term drought and extreme events on ecosystem functions (the strength of carbon storage in vegetation and soil) for such recovering communities.</p>

scholarly journals Diversity‐dependent plant–soil feedbacks underlie long‐term plant diversity effects on primary productivity

Ecosphere ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 10 (4) ◽  
pp. e02704 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nathaly R. Guerrero‐Ramírez ◽  
Peter B. Reich ◽  
Cameron Wagg ◽  
Marcel Ciobanu ◽  
Nico Eisenhauer
Keyword(s):  
Plant Diversity ◽  
Primary Productivity ◽  
Plant Soil ◽  
Diversity Effects

scholarly journals Effects of fertilization, burning, and grazing on plant community in the long-term fenced grasslands  

2017 ◽  
Vol 63 (No. 4) ◽  
pp. 171-176 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jing Guanghua ◽  
Li Wei ◽  
Yu Kailiang ◽  
Ratajczak Zak ◽  
Kallenbach Robert L ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Species Diversity ◽  
Plant Community ◽  
Aboveground Biomass ◽  
Management Practices ◽  
Functional Group ◽  
Management Practice ◽  
Grassland Productivity ◽  
Group Diversity ◽  
Positive Effect

Fencing is the common management practice to restore degraded grasslands. However, long-term fencing decreases grassland productivity and species diversity. The study was therefore conducted as a three-year (2011–2013) experiment with a randomized complete block in a grassland fenced for 20 years in the Loess Plateau of China, and the effects of fertilization, burning and grazing on aboveground biomass, species and functional group composition, species and some functional group diversity were analysed. Our results showed that the functional group of perennial bunchgrasses dominated the grassland regardless of management practices. However, burning altered species composition (i.e. the unpalatable species, Artemisia sacrorum) more significantly than fertilization or grazing, and surprisingly, nearly quadrupled the functional group of shrubs and semi-shrubs. Fertilization had a positive effect on the aboveground biomass (44.0%), while clearly reducing species diversity (21.9%). Grazing decreased aboveground biomass, but increased species diversity by 15.9%. This study indicated that fertilization influenced plant community through its impact on aboveground biomass, while burning changed plant community by altering dominant species. Thus, it was concluded that fertilizer could further improve community biomass while burning reduced the edibility of grass. Grazing could be carried out to enhance the biodiversity in the long-term fenced grasslands.  

scholarly journals Plant diversity and composition at three Imperata grasslands in Bogor, Katingan, and Kupang, Indonesia

2020 ◽  
Vol 21 (6) ◽  
Author(s):  
Didi Usmadi ◽  
JOKO RIDHO WITONO ◽  
RENI LESTARI ◽  
DIDIK WIDYATMOKO ◽  
MAHAT MAGANDHI ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Species Richness ◽  
Species Diversity ◽  
Plant Species ◽  
Plant Diversity ◽  
Imperata Cylindrica ◽  
Systematic Sampling ◽  
Soil Conditions ◽  
Abundance Distribution ◽  
Ageratum Conyzoides ◽  
Tridax Procumbens

Abstract. Usmadi D, Witono JR, Lestari R, Widyatmoko D, Magandhi M, Robiansyah I, Rachmadiyanto AN, Purnomo DW, Zulkarnaen RN, Rivai RR, Helmanto H, Yudaputra A, Damayanti F. 2020. Plant diversity and composition at three Imperata grasslands in Bogor, Katingan, and Kupang, Indonesia. Biodiversitas 21: 2804-2813. Imperata grassland is among the largest proportions of marginal lands in Indonesia. Despite the dominance of Imperata cylindrica grass, certain plant species are able to compete and live together with this species, suggesting window of opportunity that the grasslands can be restored. Yet, the existing diversity and composition of plants in Imperata grasslands may vary due to differences in climatic and soil conditions. This study aims to determine the plant diversity and composition at three Imperata grasslands in Bogor, Katingan, and Kupang, Indonesia. Data were collected using systematic sampling by establishing quadratic observation plots with size of each plot was 1 x 1 m2. The total number of species found in Imperata grasslands in those three study sites was 81 species, belonging to 68 genera and 30 families. In the Bogor site, the dominant species were Imperata cylindrica, Ageratum conyzoides, and Phyllanthus niruri, while in the Katingan site was dominated by I. cylindrica, Scleria ciliaris, and Cyanthillium cinereum and in the Kupang site was dominated by I. cylindrica and Tridax procumbens. The Imperata grassland in Bogor had low species richness, moderate species diversity, the abundance distribution of each species tends to be uniform, and the occurred species did not tend to dominate. The Katingan and Kupang Imperata grasslands had low species richness, low species diversity, the abundance distribution of each species tends to be uneven, and were more dominated by I. cylindrica. Controlling abundance of I. cylindrica is required in those three research sites in order to stimulate the growth of other plant species, which is in turn to maintain and restore biodiversity.

scholarly journals Effects and pathways of long-term nitrogen addition on plant diversity and primary productivity in a typical steppe

2020 ◽  
Vol 44 (1) ◽  
pp. 22-32
Author(s):  
Yu-Bing WANG ◽  
Yi-Han SUN ◽  
Wei DING ◽  
En-Tao ZHANG ◽  
Wen-Huai LI ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Plant Diversity ◽  
Primary Productivity ◽  
Nitrogen Addition ◽  
Typical Steppe

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.

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