Species-abundance–seed-size patterns within a plant community affected by grazing disturbance

2015 ◽  
Vol 25 (3) ◽  
pp. 848-855 ◽  
Author(s):  
Gao-Lin Wu ◽  
Zhan-Huan Shang ◽  
Yuan-Jun Zhu ◽  
Lu-Ming Ding ◽  
Dong Wang
Keyword(s):  
Plant Community ◽  
Seed Size ◽  
Species Abundance ◽  
Grazing Disturbance

scholarly journals Shifts in soil and plant functional diversity along an altitudinal gradient in the French Alps

2021 ◽  
Vol 14 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Alexia Stokes ◽  
Guillermo Angeles ◽  
Fabien Anthelme ◽  
Eduardo Aranda-Delgado ◽  
Isabelle Barois ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Plant Community ◽  
Functional Diversity ◽  
Plant Communities ◽  
Species Abundance ◽  
Chemical Properties ◽  
Water Infiltration ◽  
Temperate Climate ◽  
Biophysical Properties ◽  
Tropical Zone ◽  
Soil Microbial

Abstract Objectives Altitude integrates changes in environmental conditions that determine shifts in vegetation, including temperature, precipitation, solar radiation and edaphogenetic processes. In turn, vegetation alters soil biophysical properties through litter input, root growth, microbial and macrofaunal interactions. The belowground traits of plant communities modify soil processes in different ways, but it is not known how root traits influence soil biota at the community level. We collected data to investigate how elevation affects belowground community traits and soil microbial and faunal communities. This dataset comprises data from a temperate climate in France and a twin study was performed in a tropical zone in Mexico. Data description The paper describes soil physical and chemical properties, climatic variables, plant community composition and species abundance, plant community traits, soil microbial functional diversity and macrofaunal abundance and diversity. Data are provided for six elevations (1400–2400 m) ranging from montane forest to alpine prairie. We focused on soil biophysical properties beneath three dominant plant species that structure local vegetation. These data are useful for understanding how shifts in vegetation communities affect belowground processes, such as water infiltration, soil aggregation and carbon storage. Data will also help researchers understand how plant communities adjust to a changing climate/environment.

Influence of frugivore activity on the species abundance of seedlings and saplings in a lowland tropical forest in Colombia

2015 ◽  
Vol 31 (4) ◽  
pp. 291-303 ◽  
Author(s):  
Natalia Norden ◽  
Pablo R. Stevenson
Keyword(s):  
Seed Size ◽  
Tree Species ◽  
Census Data ◽  
Critical Role ◽  
Species Abundance ◽  
Total Variance ◽  
Relative Importance ◽  
Species Identity ◽  
Related Factors ◽  
Recruitment Success

Abstract:Although seed dispersal plays a critical role for plant regeneration, the long-term benefits of frugivores for recruitment success have been poorly explored. We evaluated the relative importance of tree species abundance and of frugivore-related factors for successful plant recruitment on 18 tree species in a lowland Colombian rain forest. We combined census data from four 1-ha plots of trees (>10 cm dbh), saplings (1–5 cm dbh) and seedlings (<1.7 m) with a dataset describing tree–frugivore interactions. Seedling abundance was higher for large-seeded species dispersed by the spider monkey, while sapling abundance was higher for large-seeded species dispersed by birds. The identity of the dispersal agent and its interaction with seed size explained 20–30% of the total variance in seedling and sapling abundance across scales. Seed size consistently influenced the species abundance of seedlings and saplings across scales, but in opposite ways. These developmental changes suggest that what is beneficial to seedlings is not necessarily beneficial to saplings. Species identity explained 10–50% of the total variance in seedling and sapling abundance among and within 1-ha plots. Overall, our findings suggest that recruitment success is context-dependent as the relative importance of the different variables addressed may shift along spatial and temporal scales.

Vascular plant community dynamics following hexazinone site preparation in the lower Coastal Plain

1993 ◽  
Vol 23 (10) ◽  
pp. 2216-2229 ◽  
Author(s):  
R. Neal Wilkins ◽  
Wayne R. Marion ◽  
Daniel G. Neary ◽  
George W. Tanner
Keyword(s):  
Plant Community ◽  
Community Dynamics ◽  
Vascular Plant ◽  
Species Abundance ◽  
Woody Species ◽  
Application Rate ◽  
Site Preparation ◽  
Herbaceous Vegetation ◽  
Growing Seasons ◽  
Species Abundance Distributions

Differential responses of vascular plant community compositions, diversities, and species-abundance distributions to hexazinone site preparation were evaluated on three 1-year-old clearcuts, each representing a point along a generalized edaphic gradient (xeric sandhill, mesic flatwoods, and hydric hammock). Foliar cover by species was sampled along four 20-m permanent line transects within each of three blocked replications of hexazinone treatments (0.0, 1.7, 3.4, and 6.8 kg/ha) at pretreatment and after the first and second growing seasons post-treatment. Cover by woody species decreased with increasing hexazinone rates on all sites (P < 0.05). Herbaceous vegetation recovered from first-season reductions to levels that did not vary with treatment (xeric sandhill and mesic flatwoods) or increased with increasing hexazinone rates (hydric hammock). Hexazinone tolerance by Gelsemiumsempervirens (L.) Ait.f. and Vaccinium spp. on the xeric sandhill and Ilexglabra (L.) Gray and G. sempervirens on the mesic flatwoods influenced diversity responses by woody and herbaceous vegetation. With increasing rates, herbaceous diversity decreased on the xeric sandhill, did not vary on the mesic flatwoods, and increased on the hydric hammock. Plant community responses to hexazinone were found to be functions of application rate, edaphic factors, adaptive strategies of resident species, and the presence or absence of hexazinone-tolerant species.

scholarly journals Role of Anthropogenic drivers in altering the forest community structure in a prime tiger habitat in central India

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Soumya Dasgupta ◽  
Tapajit Bhattacharya ◽  
Prafulla Bhamburkar ◽  
Rahul Kaul
Keyword(s):  
Plant Community ◽  
Tree Species ◽  
Deciduous Forest ◽  
Species Abundance ◽  
Central India ◽  
Forest Community ◽  
Anthropogenic Factors ◽  
Importance Value Index ◽  
Forest Patches ◽  
Individual Tree

Tropical forests are complex systems with heterogenous community assemblages often threatened under conservation conflicts. Herbivory and disturbances affect the diversity and species assemblages within forest patches having different disturbance regimes. We studied the change in plant community composition and structure under a disturbance gradient in the tropical dry deciduous forest of the corridor area between Nagzira-Navegaon Tiger reserve of central India. We tested the hypothesis that the plant community will change along the proximity gradient from the human settlement depending on the anthropogenic stress. We sampled 183 nested quadrat plots to collect data on species abundance and various disturbance parameters. Density, diversity, and Importance Value Index were calculated from the collected data on species abundance and girth at breast height (GBH) of individual tree species. We did multivariate analysis to assess the changes in species assemblage along the disturbance gradients. We found 76% dissimilarity between the plant communities in the three disturbance gradients from near to far from the villages perpetrated by the difference in mean abundance of species like Tectona grandis, Terminalia sp, and Largerstroemia parviflora. The anthropogenic factors significantly influence the density and diversity of tree species and regeneration classes. We found the abundance of regeneration class increased along the distance from the villages. The study intensifies the need for proper management and conservative approach to preserve the minimum diversity of the forest patches for its structural and functional contiguity as a corridor in the central India's highly susceptible and intricate corridor framework.

The Response of Plant-Parasitic Community to Grazing Disturbance Gradien of Meadow Grassland

2012 ◽  
Vol 610-613 ◽  
pp. 630-633
Author(s):  
Tang Hai
Keyword(s):  
Plant Community ◽  
Parasitic Nematode ◽  
Plant Parasitic Nematode ◽  
Grassland Soil ◽  
Plant Parasite ◽  
Plant Nematode ◽  
Grazing Systems ◽  
Grazing Disturbance ◽  
Standing Vegetation ◽  
Plant Parasitic

The correlation between the number, variety dominance of plant nematode community and cover standing vegetation of plant community in Meadow grassland soil was studied under Grazing Disturbance Gradien, namely,Light grazing Moderate grazing Excessive grazing rest-grazing respectively.The result is as follows: in regions of different grazing systems the species of Plant-parasitic nematode were similar, while the total number of nematodes was significant. The plant-parasit nematode dominance was in following sequence under different grazing systems: excessive grazing site> Moderate grazing site > Light grazing > rest-grazing;The dominant genus of excessive grazing site is Xiphinema、Tylenchus、Helicotylenchus.The dominant genuses of the are rest-grazing Xiphinema、Tylenchus、Ditylenchu、Helicotylenchus、Longidorus ,plant parasite nematode sweremore sensitive to the excessive grazing site，correlation of plant-parasit nematode number with plant community standing vegetation was significantly positive, while that of plant-parasite dominance(%) was significantly negative.

scholarly journals Defaunation effects on plant recruitment depend on size matching and size trade-offs in seed-dispersal networks

2017 ◽  
Vol 284 (1855) ◽  
pp. 20162664 ◽  
Author(s):  
Isabel Donoso ◽  
Matthias Schleuning ◽  
Daniel García ◽  
Jochen Fründ
Keyword(s):  
Seed Dispersal ◽  
Seed Size ◽  
Ecosystem Functioning ◽  
Seedling Recruitment ◽  
Species Abundance ◽  
Ecosystem Functions ◽  
Integrated Network ◽  
Trade Offs ◽  
Functional Consequences ◽  
Large Animals

Defaunation by humans causes a loss of large animals in many ecosystems globally. Recent work has emphasized the consequences of downsizing in animal communities for ecosystem functioning. However, no study so far has integrated network theory and life-history trade-offs to mechanistically evaluate the functional consequences of defaunation in plant–animal networks. Here, we simulated an avian seed-dispersal network and its derived ecosystem function seedling recruitment to assess the relative importance of different size-related mechanisms. Specifically, we considered size matching (between bird size and seed size) and size trade-offs, which are driven by differences in plant or animal species abundance (negative size–quantity relationship) as well as in recruitment probability and disperser quality (positive size–quality relationship). Defaunation led to impoverished seedling communities in terms of diversity and seed size, but only if models accounted for size matching. In addition, size trade-off in plants, in concert with size matching, provoked rapid decays in seedling abundance in response to defaunation. These results underscore a disproportional importance of large animals for ecosystem functions. Downsizing in ecological networks will have severe consequences for ecosystem functioning, especially in interaction networks that are structured by size matching between plants and animals.

scholarly journals Smaller species experience mild adversity under shading in an old-field plant community

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kelly Balfour ◽  
Danielle Greco ◽  
Riley Gridzak ◽  
Gillian Piggott ◽  
Brandon Schamp ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Plant Community ◽  
Species Abundance ◽  
Large Species ◽  
Light Penetration ◽  
Small Species ◽  
Light Competition ◽  
Old Field ◽  
Field Plant ◽  
Lower Light ◽  
The Impact

Plant competition experiments commonly suggest that larger species have an advantage, especially in light acquisition. However, within crowded natural vegetation, where competition evidently impacts fitness, most resident species are relatively small. It remains unclear, therefore, whether the size-advantage observed in controlled experiments is realized in habitats under intensive competition. We tested for evidence of a size-advantage in competition for light in an old-field plant community composed of herbaceous perennial species. We investigated whether larger species contributed to reduced light penetration (i.e., greater shading), and examined the impact of shade on smaller species by testing whether their abundance and richness were lower in plots with less light penetration. Light penetration in plots ranged from 0.3-72.4%. Plots with greater mean species height had significantly lower light penetration. Plots with lower light penetration had significantly lower small species abundance and richness. However, the impact of shade on small species abundance and richness was relatively small (R values between 8% and 15%) and depended on how we defined “small species”. Significant effects were more common when analyses focused on individuals that reached reproduction; focusing on only flowering plants can clarify patterns. Our results confirm that light penetration in herbaceous vegetation can be comparable to levels seen in forests, that plots with taller species cast more shade, and that smaller species are less abundant and diverse in plots where light penetration is low. However, variation in mean plot height explained less than 10% of variation in light penetration, and light penetration explained 5-15% of variation in small species abundance and richness. Coupled with the fact that reproductive small species were present even within the most heavily shaded plots, our results suggest that any advantage in light competition by large species is limited. One explanation is that some small species in these communities are shade tolerant.

scholarly journals Spatial Patterns in Plant Diversity

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
◽  
Danilo Coelho de Almeida
Keyword(s):  
New Zealand ◽  
Plant Community ◽  
Plant Communities ◽  
Environmental Conditions ◽  
Species Abundance ◽  
Principal Component ◽  
Null Models ◽  
Individual Species ◽  
Leaf Mass Per Area ◽  
Mature Trees

<p>The present study is divided into two parts: Firstly, null models where used to test whether plant communities in a New Zealand forest were assembled deterministically or stochastically. Secondly, a relationship between a plant trait; Leaf Mass per Area (LMA) and environmental conditions was investigated in a New Zealand forest. For the first study abundance of adult species was recorded in thirty 30m x 30m plots at Otari Wilton's Bush. In a subsample of six plots, the abundance of seedling species was also recorded. Null models for species co-occurrence, species richness, species abundance and niche overlap were used in order to establish how plant communities assemble at Otari Wilton's Bush. There was evidence of both determinist and stochasticity in some aspects of the plant community, it appears that seedlings are mainly randomly assembled whereas, determinism appears to be the main driver of community composition for mature trees. Results therefore suggest a pluralistic approach should be used in order to explain plant community patterns at Otari Wilton's Bush. For the second study, of all species observed in the first study only those species found in five or more of the plots were examined. For those species, the height of the two highest individuals was measured. From each individual, six fully exposed leaves were collected and measured. Measurements of environmental conditions were also collected for all plots. Principal component analysis and multiple regression was used to analyse the data. Height related (vertical) trends were observed for three surveyed species such that LMA significantly increased with plant height. Horizontal patterns were observed for two species, and for three species it was not possible to distinguish the association of tree height (vertical) and position along the forest (horizontal) with LMA. Potentially, by including more species in future studies a clearer pattern will be observed. It could also be that different species display different strategies regarding LMA and if so, a study more focused on individual species in isolation may be able to provide more informative explanations.</p>

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