Plant Communities and Soil Moisture Relationships Near Denver, Colorado

A vegetation survey of the Witbank Nature Reserve, comprising 847 hectares, was conducted. Phytosociological data were used to identify plant communities, as well as to determine alpha and beta diversities. Eleven plant communities were recognised, two of these are subdivided into sub- communities, resulting in 14 vegetation units. These communities represent four main vegetation types, namely grassland, woodland, wetland and disturbed vegetation. Grassland communities have the highest plant diversity and wetland vegetation the lowest. Floristic composition indicates that the vegetation of the Rocky Highveld Grassland has affinities to the grassland and savanna biomes and also to the Afromontane vegetation of the Great Escarpment. An ordination scatter diagram shows the distribution of the 14 plant communities or sub-communities along a soil moisture gradient, as well as along a soil depth/surface rock gradient. The sequence of communities along the soil moisture gradient is used for calculating beta-diversity indices. It is concluded that the relatively small size of the Witbank Nature Reserve is unlikely to have significant negative effects on the phytodiversity of the various plant communities. This nature reserve is therefore of considerable importance in conserving a representative sample of the Rocky Highveld Grassland.

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Effects of Formica podzolica ant colonies on soil moisture, nitrogen, and plant communities near nests

Ecological Entomology ◽

10.1111/een.12677 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 44 (1) ◽

pp. 71-80 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Madison A. Sankovitz ◽

Michael D. Breed ◽

Helen F. McCreery

Keyword(s):

Soil Moisture ◽

Plant Communities ◽

Ant Colonies ◽

Formica Podzolica

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Ordination by detrended correspondence analysis (DCA) of the vegetation of Swartboschkloof, Jonkershoek, Cape Province

Bothalia ◽

10.4102/abc.v17i1.1021 ◽

1987 ◽

Vol 17 (1) ◽

pp. 121-129 ◽

Cited By ~ 3

Author(s):

D. J. Mcdonald

Keyword(s):

Soil Moisture ◽

Plant Communities ◽

Correspondence Analysis ◽

Detrended Correspondence Analysis ◽

Vegetation Classification ◽

Environmental Data ◽

Strongly Correlated ◽

Intensive Study ◽

Dca Ordination ◽

Soil Moisture Status

The data of a Braun-Blanquet vegetation classification was ordinated using detrended correspondence analysis (DCA). This was done at the Fynbos Biome intensive study site, Swartboschkloof, Jonkershoek, to investigate the factors determining the distribution of the plant communities. Superimposition of environmental data on the DCA ordination confirmed the indications of the Braun-Blanquet classification that the distribution of plant communities is most strongly correlated with soil geology and, to a lesser extent, with soil moisture status. The ordination also proved useful for examining the relationships between the transitional communites and the distinct communities of Swartboschkloof.

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Plant communities on nitrogen‐rich soil are less sensitive to soil moisture than plant communities on nitrogen‐poor soil

Journal of Ecology ◽

10.1111/1365-2745.13251 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 108 (1) ◽

pp. 133-144 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Tanvir Ahmed Shovon ◽

Danaë M. A. Rozendaal ◽

Daniel Gagnon ◽

Fidji Gendron ◽

Mary Vetter ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Soil Moisture ◽

Plant Communities ◽

Poor Soil

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Evaluating Restoration Methods across a Range of Plant Communities Dominated by Invasive Annual Grasses to Native Perennial Grasses

Invasive Plant Science and Management ◽

10.1614/ipsm-d-09-00048.1 ◽

2011 ◽

Vol 4 (3) ◽

pp. 306-316 ◽

Cited By ~ 15

Author(s):

Priscilla A. Nyamai ◽

Timothy S. Prather ◽

John M. Wallace

Keyword(s):

Soil Moisture ◽

Plant Community ◽

Plant Communities ◽

Invasive Plants ◽

Seed Predation ◽

Native Species ◽

Herbicide Application ◽

Factors Affecting ◽

Annual Grasses ◽

Specific Factors

AbstractPrairies are imperiled habitats, with remnants being generally small and often existing in isolation. Invasive plants have the potential to invade not just the edge of small remnants but also the interior because smaller remnants experience greater edge effects than do large, contiguous prairies. Additionally, invasive plants limit recruitment of native plants, which can arrest secondary succession. We proposed to assess techniques for restoration that included removing annual grasses and supplementing native species recruitment with seeding of native grass and forb species. We also assessed the effect of specific factors affecting recruitment: soil moisture and seed predation. Treatments included broadcast, spot, or no application of the herbicides imazapic and glyphosate and with or without seeding plus mulch. With treatments nested within each of three plant communities, ranging from annual- to perennial-dominated communities, in four blocks per community, plant characteristics (percentage of cover and plant density), soil moisture availability, and seed-predation losses were measured along a plant community gradient within one season at two locations. A combination of broadcast herbicide application and seeding with mulching was found to be more effective in reducing annual grasses and enhancing the establishment of native grass species in predominately annual and mixed communities (annuals and perennials). Spot herbicide application was effective in predominately perennial communities, whereas only seeding native species did not improve recruitment. Although seed predation reduced seedling recruitment, mulch provided seed protection and enhanced soil moisture retention. Plant community response to imposed treatments differed among communities, suggesting that a decision support tool would facilitate management decisions tailored for each plant community. The decision tool would be useful to ensure that appropriate treatments are applied and that specific factors affecting recruitment, such as seed predation and soil moisture, are addressed.

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Vegetation indicators for terrain evaluation in a prairie environment

Canadian Geotechnical Journal ◽

10.1139/t77-048 ◽

1977 ◽

Vol 14 (4) ◽

pp. 445-465 ◽

Cited By ~ 2

Author(s):

E. Karl Sauer ◽

E. A. Wilson

Keyword(s):

Soil Moisture ◽

Plant Communities ◽

Significant Contribution ◽

Surface Soil ◽

Wide Band ◽

Black Soil ◽

Soil Horizon ◽

Individual Species ◽

Moisture Conditions ◽

Geomorphic Units

Natural vegetation can be a useful indicator of terrain conditions and thus has significant geotechnical implications especially in identifying moisture, groundwater conditions, and strati-graphic changes. A pilot study was initiated to study physiographic, climatic, biotic, and compensating factors as they affect plant communities in the Langham area, near Saskatoon, Saskatchewan. The study area is located at the transition between the Dark Brown and Black Soil Zones, which are colour zones of the surface soil horizon as influenced by climate and vegetation. It is suggested that the findings at Langham can be extrapolated over a wide band across the province where the soil zones and geomorphic units are similar. It was found that trees or shrubs are more reliable indicators of soil moisture conditions than low-growing plants and that plant communities are better indicators than individual species. In some places, the recognition of changes in vegetation patterns could make a significant contribution to geotechnical projects. A direct correlation was found between the number of species occurring in a plant community and soil moisture conditions. Drier sites had fewer species.

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Invasive annual grass interacts with drought to influence plant communities and soil moisture in dryland restoration

Ecosphere ◽

10.1002/ecs2.3417 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 12 (3) ◽

Author(s):

Magda Garbowski ◽

Danielle B. Johnston ◽

Dirk V. Baker ◽

Cynthia S. Brown

Keyword(s):

Soil Moisture ◽

Plant Communities ◽

Annual Grass ◽

Dryland Restoration

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Demographic structure of Caryophyllaceae Juss. rare species coenopopulations in Uzbekistan

BIO Web of Conferences ◽

10.1051/bioconf/20202400081 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 24 ◽

pp. 00081

Author(s):

Khabibullo Shomurodov ◽

Ozodbek Abduraimov ◽

Nodira Rakhimova ◽

Vasila Sharipova ◽

Rizamat Khayitov

Keyword(s):

Soil Moisture ◽

Plant Communities ◽

Rare Species ◽

Stable State ◽

Biological Characteristics ◽

Demographic Structure ◽

Ecological Conditions ◽

Ontogenetic Structure ◽

The Republic ◽

Kyzylkum Desert

The article is devoted to the assessment state of the ontogenetic structure of some rare species of the Caryophyllaceae Juss. (Acanthophyllum cyrtostegium Vved. and Silene tomentella Schischk.), listed in the Red book of the Republic of Uzbekistan. In different ecological conditions and plant communities in the Kyzylkum desert, the studied coenopopulations are normal, but incomplete. In most cases, yang grows is absent, which indicates an irregular renewal and elimination of young individuals due to lack of soil moisture, which is often observed in desert conditions. The ontogenetic spectra of investigated coenopopulations are centered and it coincides with the theoretically established spectrum. This, in general, reflects the biological characteristics of the studied species and indicates a stable state of the examined coenopopulations.

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Moisture and Salinity Drive the Vegetation Composition of Wadi Hargan, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia

Diversity ◽

10.3390/d13110587 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 13 (11) ◽

pp. 587

Author(s):

Ahmed M. Abd-ElGawad ◽

Abdulaziz M. Assaeed ◽

Saud L. Al-Rowaily ◽

Basharat M. Dar ◽

Jahangir A. Malik

Keyword(s):

Saudi Arabia ◽

Soil Moisture ◽

Plant Communities ◽

Invasive Plant ◽

Driving Forces ◽

Soil Analysis ◽

Importance Value ◽

Conservation Action ◽

Human Interference ◽

Rhazya Stricta

Wetlands are represented in Saudi Arabia in the form of mangrove, sabkha, and wadi (valleys) systems, and these habitats are considered as a sanctuary for biodiversity. The present study aimed to identify different vegetation groups in a wetland site in Wadi Hargan near Alqurainah, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, and to relate different plant communities and plant diversity to soil moisture, salinity, and other soil properties. Floristic analysis and vegetation structure were investigated within 15 stands along the wadi and were subjected to correlation analysis with soil factors via multivariate analysis. The floristic survey revealed the presence of 111 plant species belonging to 39 families. The most represented families were Asteraceae, Poaceae, Brassicaceae, Caryophyllaceae, and Papilionaceae, which accounted for the largest proportion (55.4%) of the total species. The therophytes were the dominant life form, where they were represented by 46.9% of the total number of species. The application of cluster analysis (TWINSPAN) to the importance value of each species based on the relative cover and density led to the recognition of four plant communities: (A) Phragmites australis—Tamarix nilotica community, (B) Zygophyllum coccineum—Acacia gerrardii community, (C) Lycium shawii—Zygophyllum coccineum community, and (D) Rhazya stricta community. The soil analysis and correlation test revealed significant variations in the content of salinity, moisture, CO3, Cl, SO4, Ca, Mg, and Na among the plant communities. It can be concluded that soil moisture and salinity factors were the fundamental driving forces for plant community structure in the studied wadi. The wadi was moderately grazed, mainly by camels; thereby, the invasive plant Rhazya stricta dominated the central region of the wadi. Also, human interference was observed at the end of the wadi, where some weeds sprouted such as Malva parviflora. The presence of those two rare wetland species, Adiantum capillus-veneris and Ficus salicifolia, in the study area, showed the unique properties of the studied wadi and necessitate an urgent biodiversity conservation action to protect its natural vegetation from overgrazing and human interference.

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