scholarly journals Dependence of Weed Composition on Cultivated Plant Species and Varieties in Energy-Tree and -Grass Plantations

Agronomy ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 10 (9) ◽  
pp. 1247
Author(s):  
Alexander Fehér ◽  
Eduard Pintér ◽  
Piotr Prus ◽  
Lýdia Končeková
Keyword(s):  
Species Composition ◽  
Plant Species ◽  
Vascular Plant ◽  
Agricultural Landscapes ◽  
Mineral Nitrogen ◽  
Grass Species ◽  
Soil Reaction ◽  
Weed Species ◽  
Miscanthus Giganteus ◽  
Energy Plantations

Energy plantations create new habitats in agricultural landscapes with species compositions different from those in forests or farmlands. The purpose of our nine-year research project (2010–2018) was to evaluate the dependence of weed-species richness and their selected ecological aspects on stands of energy-plant species, and varieties in energy-tree and -grass plantations in conditions of Central Europe, on the basis of a case study. The permanent research plots were established in plantations containing two varieties of willow (Tordis and Inger), one poplar variety (Pegaso), and one clone of Miscanthus × giganteus. This evaluation included the species composition of understory flora, habitat preferences of different species, life cycle, life forms, ecological demands, and the harmfulness of these weed-species. The ground flora of energy plantations is predominantly composed of synanthropic plants of a weedy character with differences in species composition among different energy-tree and -grass species and varieties. The total number of vascular plant species was 98. The highest number of species (58) was recorded in the Tordis and Inger willow varieties, and the lowest was observed in the Pegaso poplar variety (45). Perennial species prevailed by their share, 10 of which were found in all four research plots. Therophytes and hemicryptophytes prevailed. Most species have high light requirements and are typical for mild-to-warm suboceanic areas, demanding freshly moist alkalic soils that are medium-to-rich in mineral nitrogen. Fifty percent of all observed species are considered weeds in Slovakia. The “very dangerous” category represented 46.94% of weeds, the “less dangerous” category 51.02%, and the “nondangerous” category represented 2.04% out of 49 species. The biggest share of “very dangerous weeds” was found in the poplar stand (38.78%), less in willow (32.65% and 28.57%), and the least in miscanthus stands (26.53%). The weeds of the Tordis variety were relatively poorly influenced by specific environmental conditions, and the weeds of the Inger variety were mainly defined by the soil reaction. Weeds in the undergrowth of both Miscanthus × giganteus and poplar trees (Pegaso) had the greatest affinity to mineral nitrogen content and temperature requirements.

Impacts of tree invasion on floristic composition of subtropical grasslands on the Bunya Mountains, Australia

2006 ◽  
Vol 54 (3) ◽  
pp. 261 ◽  
Author(s):  
Don William Butler ◽  
Russell James Fairfax ◽  
Roderick John Fensham
Keyword(s):  
Species Composition ◽  
Plant Species ◽  
Vascular Plant ◽  
Floristic Composition ◽  
Grass Species ◽  
Grassland Species ◽  
Tree Invasion ◽  
Eucalypt Forest ◽  
Eastern Australia ◽  
Species Frequencies

The effect of ongoing forest invasion on floristic composition of subtropical montane grasslands was considered by examining vascular plant species frequencies across 13 adjoining areas of grassland, invaded grassland (eucalypt forest <50 years old) and eucalypt forest (>50 years old) on the Bunya Mountains in subtropical eastern Australia. Tree invasion of grasslands over the last 50 years has had substantial facilitative or antagonistic net impacts on populations of many plant species. Increases in species frequency, indicating net facilitation, generally appear to occur earlier in forest development than do decreases in frequency, indicative of net antagonism. Although more than 20% of the flora showed substantial association with either grassland or forest, the dominant ground-stratum species in each habitat were quite similar and very few grassland species were not recorded in grassy forests. Forb species composition appears to change more rapidly after tree invasion than grass species composition. Relatively few forbs preferred forest to grassland, whereas shrubs, trees or lianes were substantially more frequent in forests. Replacement of grasslands by grassy forests would reduce landscape diversity and impact on other values in the Bunya Mountains. However, this study suggests that most, if not all, vascular plants that currently occur on the grasslands will persist in the area provided the grassy character of the eucalypt forests is maintained.

scholarly journals Floristic composition and phytodiversity status of Sitakunda Ecopark, Chittagong, Bangladesh

2016 ◽  
Vol 5 (1) ◽  
pp. 29-45 ◽  
Author(s):  
Md Anwarul Islam ◽  
Mohammad Mahfuzur Rahman ◽  
Gazi Mosharof Hossain
Keyword(s):  
Species Composition ◽  
Plant Species ◽  
Monsoon Season ◽  
Vascular Plant ◽  
Floristic Composition ◽  
Diversity Indices ◽  
Vascular Plant Species ◽  
Plant Groups ◽  
Plant Families

The present study dealt with the exploration and documentation of the floristic composition and phyto-diversity of Sitakunda Eco-park, Chittagong, Bangladesh. A total of 412 vascular plant species under 315 genera belonging to 94 plant families have been recorded from the study area during February, 2013 to April, 2015. Out of these recorded taxa, 330 were dicotyledons, 62 were monocotyledons, 5 were gymnosperms and 15 were pteridophytes. Among those, the maximum 144 species belonged to herbs followed by 138, 75 and 55 species as trees, shrubs and climbers, respectively. The species composition among the plant families varied in plant groups. In dicotyledonous group, Euphorbiaceae appeared to be the largest family with 35 species, whereas Poaceae showed the largest family containing 30 species among monocotyledonous group. The highest values of both Shannon-Weiner and Simpson diversity indices have been observed as 3.82 and 0.98, respectively to site D during monsoon season, whereas the lowest values 3.19 and 0.95, respectively of these indices were recorded in site A during summer season.Jahangirnagar University J. Biol. Sci. 5(1): 29-45, 2016 (June)

After the fence: vegetation and topsoil condition in grazed, fenced and benchmark eucalypt woodlands of fragmented agricultural landscapes

2011 ◽  
Vol 59 (4) ◽  
pp. 369 ◽  
Author(s):  
Suzanne M. Prober ◽  
Rachel J. Standish ◽  
Georg Wiehl
Keyword(s):  
Species Composition ◽  
Plant Species ◽  
Plant Cover ◽  
Agricultural Landscapes ◽  
Livestock Grazing ◽  
Nutrient Concentrations ◽  
Plant Species Composition ◽  
Exotic Plant ◽  
Native Plant ◽  
Plant Richness

Emerging ecological theory predicts that vegetation changes caused by introduction of livestock grazing may be irreversible after livestock are removed, especially in regions such as Australia that have a short evolutionary exposure to ungulate grazing. Despite this, fencing to exclude livestock grazing is the major tool used to restore vegetation in Australian agricultural landscapes. To characterise site-scale benefits and limitations of livestock exclusion for enhancing biodiversity in forb-rich York gum (Eucalyptus loxophleba Benth. subsp. loxophleba)–jam (Acacia acuminata Benth.) woodlands, we compared 29 fenced woodlands with 29 adjacent grazed woodlands and 11 little-grazed ‘benchmark’ woodlands in the Western Australian wheatbelt. We explored the following two hypotheses: (1) fencing to exclude livestock facilitates recovery of grazed woodlands towards benchmark conditions, and (2) without additional interventions after fencing, complete recovery of grazed woodlands to benchmark conditions is constrained by ecological or other limits. Our first hypothesis was supported for vegetation parameters, with fenced woodlands being more similar to benchmark woodlands in tree recruitment, exotic plant cover, native plant cover, native plant richness and plant species composition than were grazed woodlands. Further, exotic cover decreased and frequency of jam increased with time-since-fencing (2–22 years). However, we found no evidence that fencing led to decline in topsoil nutrient concentrations towards concentrations at benchmark sites. Our second hypothesis was also supported, with higher topsoil nutrient concentrations and exotic plant cover, and lower native plant richness in fenced than in benchmark woodlands, and different plant species composition between fenced and benchmark woodlands. Regression analyses suggested that recovery of native species richness is constrained by exotic species that persist after fencing, which in turn are more persistent at higher topsoil nutrient concentrations. We conclude that fencing to exclude livestock grazing can be valuable for biodiversity conservation. However, consistent with ecological theory, additional interventions are likely to be necessary to achieve some conservation goals or to promote recovery at nutrient-enriched sites.

scholarly journals Novitates Gabonenses 91: additions to the grass flora of Gabon

2019 ◽  
Vol 152 (1) ◽  
pp. 99-105
Author(s):  
Marc S.M. Sosef ◽  
Ehoarn Bidault ◽  
Archange Boupoya ◽  
Olivier Lachenaud ◽  
Tariq Stévart
Keyword(s):  
Plant Species ◽  
Rare Species ◽  
New Records ◽  
Vascular Plant ◽  
Grass Species ◽  
Herbarium Material ◽  
Vascular Plant Species ◽  
Oryza Longistaminata ◽  
First Time ◽  
Eleven Species

Background – The number of vascular plant species known to occur in Gabon rises quickly due to renewed collecting and inventory activities, often in little-known or previously uncollected areas.Methods – Herbarium material from BR, BRLU and WAG was studied.Results – Two genera (Alloteropsis, Entolasia), eleven species and one variety of grasses are recorded from Gabon for the first time (Alloteropsis paniculata, Cenchrus echinatus, Elionurus platypus, Entolasia olivacea, Eragrostis patens, Hyparrhenia diplandra var. mutica, Leersia triandra, Loudetia annua, Oryza longistaminata, Rottboellia purpurascens, Sacciolepis africana and Setaria geminata), while information on two erroneous species reports is provided. This brings the total number of grass species known to occur in Gabon to 190. Finally, new records of four rare species (Elionurus hensii, Guaduella macrostachys, Paratheria prostrata and Puelia schumanniana) are discussed.

The European bison as seed dispersers: the effect on the species composition of a disturbed pine forest community

Botany ◽  
2008 ◽  
Vol 86 (5) ◽  
pp. 475-484 ◽  
Author(s):  
Bogdan Jaroszewicz ◽  
Ewa Pirożnikow ◽  
Ruth Sagehorn
Keyword(s):  
Species Composition ◽  
Plant Species ◽  
Vascular Plant ◽  
Forest Community ◽  
European Bison ◽  
Jaccard Coefficient ◽  
Long Distance ◽  
Process Of Change ◽  
Morphological Adaptations ◽  
Undisturbed Forest

We studied the process of change in plant species composition in a pine–spruce forest influenced by endozoochorous seed dispersal by the European bison Bison bonasus L. The intensity of endozoochory was 3.4 times higher in the open tree stand than in the surrounding undisturbed forest (t = –3.0836, df = 50, P = 0.003). Over 1578 individuals/ramets belonging to 23 vascular plant taxa developed on 114 bison dung piles. The process of colonization included two plant species that have never before been recorded in the studied forest community. Seven out of 14 species transferred by bison were small-seeded herbaceous plants without morphological adaptations for long-distance dispersal. The majority of plant species recorded on the bison dung (55.9%) occur in deciduous forests. In contrast, over 50% of the plants surrounding bison faeces represented species of coniferous forests. The PCA analysis revealed the existence of two distinct groups of plant species: within bison faeces and on random systematic samples. The Jaccard coefficient of species composition similarity between them was 0.28. Our results demonstrate that the European bison is an effective vector of plant propagules between plant communities. This fact could have great importance for the restoration of degraded habitats, and could also introduce the risk of invasion by alien species.

Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document