Loss of plant cover mediates the negative effect of anthropogenic disturbance on the multifunctionality of a dryland

2022 ◽  
Author(s):  
Adriana Pellegrini Manhães ◽  
Guilherme Gerhardt Mazzochini ◽  
Felipe Marinho ◽  
Gislene Ganade ◽  
Adriana Rosa Carvalho
Keyword(s):  
Anthropogenic Disturbance ◽  
Plant Cover ◽  
Negative Effect

scholarly journals Post-fire management and recovery of a pine forest in Greece

Web Ecology ◽  
2010 ◽  
Vol 10 (1) ◽  
pp. 27-31 ◽  
Author(s):  
I. Spanos ◽  
Y. Raftoyannis ◽  
P. Platis ◽  
E. Xanthopoulou
Keyword(s):  
Woody Plant ◽  
Pinus Halepensis ◽  
Plant Cover ◽  
Woody Species ◽  
Control Site ◽  
Plant Composition ◽  
Northern Greece ◽  
Pine Regeneration ◽  
Negative Effect ◽  
Treatment Application

Abstract. The effects of management after fire in Pinus halepensis forests were assessed in northern Greece. Seeding, logging and building of log barriers were applied in burned sites and compared to a control site. Two years after treatment application, 70–80% of the ground in all sites was covered with vegetation. Seeding with herbaceous plants did not increase plant cover. Logging and building of log barriers negatively affected herbaceous species but increased woody species. During the first spring after fire, the highest numbers of P. halepensis seedlings were observed in the control site and the lowest number in the logged site. Logging and log barrier building had a negative effect on pine regeneration compared to control and seeding treatments. Woody plant composition was similar in control and seeding sites, with dominance of P. halepensis and Cistus species. A different pattern was observed in the logging and log-barrier sites with a low number of seeders and a high number of resprouter species.

scholarly journals Effect Of Agrotechnical Measures And Varieties On Seasonal Dynamics Of Tetranychus Urticae Koch (Acari, Trombidiformes, Tetranychidae) On High Tunnel-Cultivated Garden Strawberries

2015 ◽  
Vol 69 (1-2) ◽  
pp. 45-49
Author(s):  
Ineta Salmane
Keyword(s):  
Tetranychus Urticae ◽  
Air Temperature ◽  
Spider Mite ◽  
Seasonal Pattern ◽  
Plant Cover ◽  
Climatic Conditions ◽  
Early Season ◽  
High Tunnel ◽  
Negative Effect ◽  
Two Spotted Spider Mite

Abstract The aim of the present study was to determine the seasonal pattern of two-spotted spider mite Tetranychus urticae on strawberries cultivated in polythene-covered high tunnels in temperate climatic conditions. Various cultivars were used and the effect of modification of plant covering indices on abundance and incidence of these mites was also tested. The number of two-spotted spider mites was relatively low at the beginning of the vegetation season and started to increase when average air temperature rose above 20 to 25 °C. In the experiment two types of tunnels differing in additional plant cover were used. The maximum mite abundance did not significantly vary between varieties in tunnel 1 conditions, but it was significantly lower for variety 'Sonata' in tunnel 2 conditions. Mite numbers significantly declined after strawberry foliage mowing and removal of polythene cover. Mite development was prolonged in tunnel 1, where additional cover of plants was used and higher early season air temperature was recorded in comparison to tunnel 2. It was concluded that increase in early season temperature can increase two-spotted spider mite abundance and have a more negative effect on strawberry plants in respect of foliage damage by mites.

scholarly journals Limited evidence for the use of livestock for the conservation management of exotic plant cover

2020 ◽  
Vol 68 (2) ◽  
pp. 137
Author(s):  
David J. Eldridge ◽  
Ian Oliver ◽  
James Val ◽  
Samantha K. Travers
Keyword(s):  
Conservation Management ◽  
Plant Cover ◽  
Black Box ◽  
Livestock Grazing ◽  
Exotic Plant ◽  
Native Plant ◽  
Limited Evidence ◽  
Domestic Livestock ◽  
Negative Effect ◽  
Cypress Pine

Livestock grazing has been used for conservation management in some situations to reduce exotic plant cover, but supporting empirical evidence is scant. This is particularly true for eastern Australian semiarid woodlands and forests. We surveyed 451 sites across three broad semiarid vegetation communities (cypress pine, black box, red gum) in eastern Australia to examine the effects of recent and longer-term (historic) grazing by livestock on exotic (and native) plant cover. Because our focus was the use of domestic livestock for conservation management, our sites were mostly located in conservation reserves, travelling stock routes and native production forests where domestic grazing is approved via permit. We also included recent grazing by kangaroos and rabbits, which occur widely with livestock across the study sites. Structural equation modelling revealed that recent sheep and cattle grazing was associated with increased exotic plant cover in two of the three communities (cypress pine, black box), and historic grazing was associated with lower exotic (and native) plant cover across all communities. Recent cattle grazing-induced reductions in exotic plant cover in the red gum community resulted from declines in the palatable exotic annual grass Ehrharta longiflora. Higher intensity grazing by rabbits, sheep and cattle in the cypress pine community increased exotic plant cover by suppressing the negative effect of native cover on exotic cover. Higher intensity rabbit grazing reinforced the negative effect of nitrogen on native plant cover, resulting in increases in exotic cover. Overall, we found strong evidence that domestic livestock grazing reduces native plant cover either directly or indirectly in all three communities, but limited evidence that it would be a useful conservation management strategy to reduce exotic plant cover in these communities.

scholarly journals Grassland Restoration at a Graded Ski Slope: Effects of Propagation Material and Fertilisation on Plant Cover and Vegetation

Agriculture ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (5) ◽  
pp. 381
Author(s):  
Michele Scotton
Keyword(s):  
Plant Cover ◽  
Alternative Methods ◽  
Grassland Restoration ◽  
Natural Ecosystems ◽  
Gravelly Soil ◽  
Negative Effect ◽  
Gravelly Soils ◽  
Natural Grassland ◽  
Lower Plant ◽  
Propagation Material

The increasing anthropisation of mountain regions is a cause of soil degradation, which needs to be addressed. Conventional methods of ski slope revegetation often fail to stabilise the soil and recover natural vegetation. To test alternative methods to create a persistent, biodiversity-friendly plant cover, different sowing (site-adapted native propagation materials vs. forage cultivars vs. no sowing) and fertilisation treatments were compared over nine years at a graded ski slope. Because of the gravelly soil, the ninth-year plant cover was only 65%, which was sufficient to prevent erosion. All native propagation materials were equally efficient at recreating a semi-natural grassland. Except for Festuca rubra, the forage cultivars did not persist. However, native volunteer species from close natural ecosystems efficiently colonised plots sown with forage cultivars and plots that were not sown. This resulted in a lower plant cover but a high similarity to the surrounding vegetation. Fertilisation had a positive but transient effect on plant cover and a little negative effect on species richness. High-altitude sites with gravelly soils should be revegetated with native propagation materials. Using forage cultivars can attain a persistent plant cover only if the sown non-persistent cultivars are replaced by the species arriving from nearby surrounding vegetation.

Effects of Native Herbs and Light on Garlic Mustard (Alliaria petiolata) Invasion

2014 ◽  
Vol 7 (2) ◽  
pp. 257-268 ◽  
Author(s):  
Laura Phillips-Mao ◽  
Diane L. Larson ◽  
Nicholas R. Jordan
Keyword(s):  
Seedling Establishment ◽  
Plant Cover ◽  
Light Availability ◽  
Garlic Mustard ◽  
Life Stages ◽  
Native Plant ◽  
Negative Effects ◽  
Negative Effect ◽  
Positive Effect ◽  
Native Herbs

AbstractThe degree to which invasive species drive or respond to environmental change has important implications for conservation and invasion management. Often characterized as a driver of change in North American woodlands, the invasive herb garlic mustard may instead respond to declines in native plant cover and diversity. We tested effects of native herb cover, richness, and light availability on garlic mustard invasion in a Minnesota oak woodland. We planted 50 garlic mustard seeds into plots previously planted with 0 to 10 native herb species. We measured garlic mustard seedling establishment, survival to rosette and adult stages, and average (per plant) and total (per plot) biomass and silique production. With the use of structural equation models, we analyzed direct, indirect, and net effects of native cover, richness, and light on successive garlic mustard life stages. Native plant cover had a significant negative effect on all life stages. Species richness had a significant positive effect on native cover, resulting in indirect negative effects on all garlic mustard stages, and net negative effects on adult numbers, total biomass, and silique production. Light had a strong negative effect on garlic mustard seedling establishment and a positive effect on native herb cover, resulting in significant negative net effects on garlic mustard rosette and adult numbers. However, light's net effect on total garlic mustard biomass and silique production was positive; reproductive output was high even in low-light/high-cover conditions. Combined effects of cover, richness, and light suggest that native herbs provide biotic resistance to invasion by responding to increased light availability and suppressing garlic mustard responses, although this resistance may be overwhelmed by high propagule pressure. Garlic mustard invasion may occur, in part, in response to native plant decline. Restoring native herbs and controlling garlic mustard seed production may effectively reduce garlic mustard spread and restore woodland diversity.

Connecting plant evolutionary history and human well-being at Mt. Kilimanjaro, Tanzania

2020 ◽  
Vol 194 (4) ◽  
pp. 397-409
Author(s):  
Rafael Molina-Venegas ◽  
Markus Fischer ◽  
Neduvoto Piniel Mollel ◽  
Andreas Hemp
Keyword(s):  
Human Disturbance ◽  
Anthropogenic Disturbance ◽  
Evolutionary History ◽  
Phylogenetic Diversity ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Useful Plants ◽  
Negative Effect ◽  
Living Organisms ◽  
Evolutionary Lineages ◽  
Diversity Metrics

Abstract Evolution is the source of all living organisms and hence the foundation for the ecosystem services that are directly supported by biodiversity. However, explicit connections between evolutionary history and human well-being are barely explored. Here, we focus on ethnobotanical data from Mt. Kilimanjaro (Tanzania) to identify significant associations between plant evolutionary lineages and six previously recognized usage guilds in the mountain (i.e. fodder, building material, fuelwood, food, ornamental/shading and traditional medicine), and further characterize the degree of phylogenetic overlap between the guilds using beta diversity metrics. In addition, we also explore how phylogenetic diversity of usage guilds varied along elevation and between natural and anthropized habitats. Our results suggest that the inhabitants of Mt. Kilimanjaro rely on multiple and deep lineages that specifically provide a certain type of service, supporting the notion that an increased number of lineages captures more current biodiversity benefits. However, we also found a few lineages that provided multiple benefits, indicating that particular efforts should be pursued in preserving individual multi-functional lineages of the phylogeny. Elevation was the most important factor explaining phylogenetic diversity of useful plants, whereas the effect of anthropogenic disturbance was comparatively weak. However, after controlling for the effect of elevation, a moderate negative effect of human disturbance was revealed, particularly for medicinal plants. Phylogenetic diversity of most guilds showed hump-shaped curves with elevation, revealing a major reservoir of useful plant lineages in the highly threatened montane forests of Mt. Kilimanjaro.

scholarly journals Impacts of Anthropogenic Disturbance on Vegetation Dynamics: A Case Study of Wadi Hagul, Eastern Desert, Egypt

Plants ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 10 (9) ◽  
pp. 1906
Author(s):  
Ramadan Bedair ◽  
Amira A. Ibrahim ◽  
Amal A. Alyamani ◽  
Salman Aloufi ◽  
Samah Ramadan
Keyword(s):  
Native Species ◽  
Vegetation Index ◽  
Plant Cover ◽  
Eastern Desert ◽  
Natural Habitats ◽  
The North ◽  
Negative Effect ◽  
Euphorbia Prostrata ◽  
Detrended Canonical Correspondence Analysis ◽  
Plant Families

Irresponsible human interventions, encroachment of natural habitats, and climate change negatively affect wildlife. In this study, the effects of human influence on Wadi Hagul, an unprotected area in the north of the Egyptian Eastern Desert that has recently been subjected to blatant encroachments of vegetation, were studied. The most important of these threats is the construction of the new road Al-Galala–Wadi Hagul–Zafarana. In Wadi Hagul, 80 species are reported in this study; the most represented plant families are Asteraceae (15 species) and Brassicaceae (6 species). Perennial, chamaephyte and Saharo-Arabian species were recorded in the highest percentage. Detrended canonical correspondence analysis showed that latitude, longitude, altitude, silt, sand contents, pH, and CO32− content are the factors that have the highest effect on vegetation distribution in the studied stands. Several invasive and alien species such as Euphorbia prostrata have been listed; these species typically have a negative effect on native species. The Soil Adjusted Vegetation Index (SAVI) indicated a decrease in plant cover during the study period, as compared to previous years. In 2013 and 2020, SAVI ranged from −0.02 to 0.42 and from −0.18 to 0.28, respectively. Recently, the violation and destruction of wildlife have increased, therefore, preserving it along with general biodiversity has become an urgent necessity.

scholarly journals Defining minimum runoff length allows for discriminating biocrusts and rainfall events

2021 ◽  
Vol 69 (4) ◽  
pp. 387-399
Author(s):  
Roberto Lázaro ◽  
Adolfo Calvo-Cases ◽  
Eva Arnau-Rosalén ◽  
Consuelo Rubio ◽  
David Fuentes ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Pilot Study ◽  
Catchment Area ◽  
A Priori ◽  
Plant Cover ◽  
Runoff Coefficient ◽  
Rainfall Events ◽  
Surface Features ◽  
Antecedent Conditions ◽  
Negative Effect ◽  
Independent Variable

Abstract The runoff coefficient (RC) is widely used despite requiring to know the effective contributing area, which cannot be known a priori. In a previous work, we defined runoff length (RL), which is difficult to measure. This work aimed to define the minimum RL (mRL), a quantitative and easy proxy of RL, for use in a pilot study on biocrusts in the Tabernas Desert, Spain. We show that RC decreases according to a hyperbola when the contributing area increases, the independent variable being the length of the effective contributing area and its coefficient involving the effects of rainfall and surface features and antecedent conditions. We defined the mRL as the length of the effective contributing area making RC = 1, which is calculated regardless of the area. We studied mRL from three biocrust types and 1411 events clustered in seven categories. The mRL increased with rain volume and intensity, catchment area and slope, whereas plant cover and biocrust succession (with one exception) had a negative effect. Depending on the plot, mRL reached up 3.3–4.0 m on cyanobacterial biocrust, 2.2–7.5 m on the most widespread lichens, and 1.0–1.5 m on late-successional lichens. We discuss the relationships of mRL with other runoff-related parameters.

Social Motives Predict Loneliness During a Developmental Transition

2017 ◽  
Vol 76 (4) ◽  
pp. 145-153 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jana Nikitin ◽  
Alexandra M. Freund
Keyword(s):  
Social Relationships ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Social Avoidance ◽  
Social Approach ◽  
Social Motives ◽  
Developmental Transitions ◽  
Avoidance Motivation ◽  
Negative Effect ◽  
Low Levels

Abstract. Establishing new social relationships is important for mastering developmental transitions in young adulthood. In a 2-year longitudinal study with four measurement occasions (T1: n = 245, T2: n = 96, T3: n = 103, T4: n = 85), we investigated the role of social motives in college students’ mastery of the transition of moving out of the parental home, using loneliness as an indicator of poor adjustment to the transition. Students with strong social approach motivation reported stable and low levels of loneliness. In contrast, students with strong social avoidance motivation reported high levels of loneliness. However, this effect dissipated relatively quickly as most of the young adults adapted to the transition over a period of several weeks. The present study also provides evidence for an interaction between social approach and social avoidance motives: Social approach motives buffered the negative effect on social well-being of social avoidance motives. These results illustrate the importance of social approach and social avoidance motives and their interplay during developmental transitions.

A Longitudinal Study of Mental Health in Emerging Adults

2014 ◽  
Vol 73 (3) ◽  
pp. 135-141 ◽  
Author(s):  
Monica S. Bachmann ◽  
Hansjörg Znoj ◽  
Katja Haemmerli
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Longitudinal Study ◽  
Emerging Adults ◽  
Poor Mental Health ◽  
Need Satisfaction ◽  
Computer Assisted ◽  
Consistency Model ◽  
Negative Effect ◽  
The Cross ◽  
Health Model

Emerging adulthood is a time of instability. This longitudinal study investigated the relationship between mental health and need satisfaction among emerging adults over a period of five years and focused on gender-specific differences. Two possible causal models were examined: (1) the mental health model, which predicts that incongruence is due to the presence of impaired mental health at an earlier point in time; (2) the consistency model, which predicts that impaired mental health is due to a higher level of incongruence reported at an earlier point in time. Emerging adults (N = 1,017) aged 18–24 completed computer-assisted telephone interviews in 2003 (T1), 2005 (T2), and 2008 (T3). The results indicate that better mental health at T1 predicts a lower level of incongruence two years later (T2), when prior level of incongruence is controlled for. The same cross-lagged effect is shown for T3. However, the cross-lagged paths from incongruence to mental health are marginally associated when prior mental health is controlled for. No gender differences were found in the cross-lagged model. The results support the mental health model and show that incongruence does not have a long-lasting negative effect on mental health. The results highlight the importance of identifying emerging adults with poor mental health early to provide support regarding need satisfaction.

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