The influence of soil on vegetation structure and plant diversity in different tropical savannic and forest habitats

The ‘Community Forestry Program' has been considered successful in improving the environmental situation in the hills of Nepal by enhancing the vegetation coverage of degraded sites and by improving the supply of forest products to farmers. The restoration measures are considered sustainable if the ecosystems are self-supporting and resilient against perturbation. A community forest (CF) in the mid-hills of Nepal has been assessed for restoration success based on the comparison of vegetation structure and species diversity along a disturbance gradient, using a semi-protected natural forest as a reference site. In general, the community forest management (CFM) was able to re-establish forests on formerly severely degraded sites. Forest operations carried out during CFM have altered plant community composition, species richness and distribution, age class distribution of trees and vegetation structure. As a result, the CF was being transformed into a less diverse regular forest although the overall vascular plant diversity was retained with sufficient niches within the understorey vegetation. Keywords: Central mid-hills, community forest, disturbance regimes, Nepal, plant diversity doi: 10.3126/banko.v19i1.2176 Banko Janakari, Vol. 19, No. 1, 3-10

Download Full-text

Effect of free-ranging dogs and cats on medium-sized wild mammal assemblages in urban protected areas of a Mexican city

Wildlife Research ◽

10.1071/wr19074 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 46 (8) ◽

pp. 669 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Isac Mella-Méndez ◽

Rafael Flores-Peredo ◽

Beatriz Bolívar-Cimé ◽

Guillermo Vázquez-Domínguez

Keyword(s):

Protected Areas ◽

Plant Diversity ◽

Vegetation Structure ◽

Urban Areas ◽

Urban Landscapes ◽

Wild Mammal ◽

Potential Harm ◽

Negative Effect ◽

Mammal Assemblages ◽

Free Ranging

Abstract ContextUrban protected areas (PAs) are the habitat of several Neotropical medium-sized wild mammal (MSWM) species. However, this richness is seriously threatened by the growing populations of free-ranging dogs and cats in these areas. AimsThe aim of the present study was to evaluate the effect of free-ranging dogs and cats on the assemblage structure of MSWM in PAs of Xalapa city, Veracruz, Mexico. MethodsCamera traps were used to assess the effect of abundance and activity of dogs and cats on richness, abundance, dominance and activity of MSWM across two urban and three peri-urban PAs. The effect of plant diversity, vegetation structure and PA on mammal richness, activity and abundance were also evaluated. Key resultsThe dominance of MSWM was higher in peri-urban areas than urban areas, and the activity of dogs and cats from peri-urban and urban PAs was similar with wildest MSWM. Only inside urban areas did the size of the area and the dogs’ activity have a negative effect on the richness, activity and abundance of MSWM. Moreover, the activity and abundance of cats also had a negative effect on the activity of MSWM in urban PAs. The presence of dogs affected the latency of appearance of MSWM. ConclusionsThe presence of free-ranging dogs and cats in urban PAs affects MSWM assemblages and their appearance latency. ImplicationsThe potential harm of free-ranging dogs and cats on the community of MSWM in urban areas is clear, as is the need for increased scientific research to aid in the control of these exotic species in urban landscapes.

Download Full-text

Determinants of diversity in afrotropical herbivorous insects (Lepidoptera: Geometridae): plant diversity, vegetation structure or abiotic factors?

Journal of Biogeography ◽

10.1111/j.1365-2699.2008.01997.x ◽

2009 ◽

Vol 36 (2) ◽

pp. 337-349 ◽

Cited By ~ 54

Author(s):

Jan C. Axmacher ◽

Gunnar Brehm ◽

Andreas Hemp ◽

Henry Tünte ◽

Herbert V. M. Lyaruu ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Plant Diversity ◽

Vegetation Structure ◽

Abiotic Factors ◽

Herbivorous Insects

Download Full-text

Food availability, plant diversity, and vegetation structure drive behavioral and ecological variation in Endangered Coimbra‐Filho's titi monkeys

American Journal of Primatology ◽

10.1002/ajp.23237 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 83 (3) ◽

Author(s):

João P. Souza‐Alves ◽

Renata R. D. Chagas ◽

Marina M. Santana ◽

Sarah A. Boyle ◽

Bruna M. Bezerra

Keyword(s):

Food Availability ◽

Plant Diversity ◽

Vegetation Structure ◽

Ecological Variation ◽

Titi Monkeys

Download Full-text

Bottom-up control of carabid beetle communities in early successional wetlands: mediated by vegetation structure or plant diversity?

Oecologia ◽

10.1007/s00442-003-1222-7 ◽

2003 ◽

Vol 135 (3) ◽

pp. 407-413 ◽

Cited By ~ 152

Author(s):

U. Brose

Keyword(s):

Plant Diversity ◽

Vegetation Structure ◽

Carabid Beetle ◽

Bottom Up

Download Full-text

Ants Visible from Space Influence Soil Properties and Vegetation in Steppe Rangelands of Iran

Sociobiology ◽

10.13102/sociobiology.v63i4.1195 ◽

2016 ◽

Vol 63 (4) ◽

pp. 1063

Author(s):

Jonathan David Majer ◽

Donat Agosti

Keyword(s):

Chemical Composition ◽

Species Composition ◽

Soil Properties ◽

Plant Species ◽

Plant Diversity ◽

Soil Profile ◽

Vegetation Structure ◽

Cumulative Effect ◽

Ant Nests

Messor nests in Iranian steppe rangelands can be so large that they are visible from space. When compared with reference soils, nest soil is higher in nutrients and lower in pH. Ant nests also homogenise the nutrients throughout the upper soil profile, although this effect diminished when nests are abandoned. The denuded circles around nests are surrounded by rings of vegetation that differ in species composition from that of the surrounding vegetation, while abandoned nests are colonized by a different range of plant species. Data on the density and abundance of Messor cf. intermedius nests indicate that the soil in less than 1% of the area is impacted, although the cumulative effect of so many nests influences the plant species and vegetation structure of the region. The data indicate the importance of these ants in altering soil chemical composition and plant diversity, which could have flow-on effects to the diversity of animals.

Download Full-text

Hierarchical Effects of Tamarix aphylla Afforestation in a Sand Dune Environment on Vegetation Structure and Plant Diversity

Forest Science ◽

10.1093/forsci/fxaa011 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 66 (5) ◽

pp. 568-577 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Ofir Katz ◽

Ilan Stavi

Keyword(s):

Plant Diversity ◽

Vegetation Structure ◽

Sand Dune ◽

Plant Cover ◽

Regional Scale ◽

Biodiversity Loss ◽

Ecosystem Functions ◽

Litter Production ◽

Salt Accumulation ◽

Percent Decrease

Abstract One method of controlling dune encroachment is afforestation, which may result in biodiversity loss because of habitat change and adverse effects of trees on ecosystem functioning. We carried out a study on the effects of planting discrete areas with Tamarix aphylla (L.) Karsten trees, over 50 years ago, in a semiarid dunefield in the northern Negev, Israel. We surveyed the vegetation and sampled litter and soil in five microhabitats formed by this afforestation scheme. Afforestation had spatially and functionally hierarchical effects on vegetation and plant diversity. The strongest effect was associated with land-use change, showing reduced species richness (by 30–50 percent) and litter production following afforestation. The second strongest effect was associated with salt accumulation in T. aphylla leaves and litter, which increases soil salinity under T. aphylla canopies by 4–5, forming “salinity islands,” and leading to over 30 percent decrease in plant cover and aboveground biomass. The assumed effect of trees in blocking solar irradiance and wind was observed only outside canopies and had a weak impact on plant cover. Therefore, afforestation can increase plant diversity at the regional scale, but at the local (microhabitat) scale it has an overall adverse effect on measured ecosystem functions.

Download Full-text