scholarly journals Changes in the structure and floristic composition of the limestone grasslands after cutting trees and shrubs and mowing

2011 ◽  
Vol 72 (1) ◽  
pp. 61-69 ◽  
Author(s):  
Wojciech Bąba
Keyword(s):  
Species Richness ◽  
Management Practices ◽  
Species Turnover ◽  
Soil Layer ◽  
Floristic Composition ◽  
Grass Species ◽  
Calcareous Grasslands ◽  
Brachypodium Pinnatum ◽  
Shrub Patches ◽  
Trees And Shrubs

<p>The calcareous grasslands belong to the species-rich plant communities in Poland. Most of them are of anthropogenic origin and they need specific management (i.e. periodical cutting suckers of trees and shrubs, grazing or mowing) in order to protect their floristic diversity. Many of calcareous grasslands have been overgrown by shrubs as a result of cessation of traditional management. The aim of this study was to compare the structure and dynamics of xerothermic hazel shrub patches, which were undergoing secondary succession with patches where different management practices aiming at restoration of species-rich limestone grassland were applied. The managed plots had a significantly higher species richness than the control one. However, they strongly differed in their floristic composition from well-preserved limestone grasslands. There were also significant differences observed between both the managed plots. Too intensive management, particularly frequent mowing of herbs resulted in expansion of grass species such as <em>Brachypodium pinnatum</em> and <em>Calamagrostis arundinacea</em> and caused a sharp decline in species richness.</p><p>The species composition and turnover rate strongly depended on succesional stage (soil layer thickness) of plots at the start of the experiment. The deeper was the soil, the higher was the rate of species turnover and the smaller was the share of xerothermic and thermophilous species. The last mentioned group was dominated by species with a persistent seed bank in the soil, frequently colonizing anthropogenic habitats.</p>

Diversity metrics, species turnovers and nestedness of bird assemblages in a deep karst sinkhole

2017 ◽  
Vol 63 (2) ◽  
pp. 8-16 ◽  
Author(s):  
Corrado Battisti ◽  
Marco Giardini ◽  
Francesca Marini ◽  
Lorena Di Rocco ◽  
Giuseppe Dodaro ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Species Richness ◽  
Random Distribution ◽  
Diversity Index ◽  
Species Turnover ◽  
Floristic Composition ◽  
Bird Assemblages ◽  
Β Diversity ◽  
Stick Model ◽  
Karst Sinkhole

We reported a study on breeding birds occurring inside an 80 m-deep karst sinkhole, with the characterization of the assemblages recorded along its semi-vertical slopes from the upper edge until the bottom. The internal sides of the sinkhole have been vertically subdivided in four belts about 20 m high. The highest belt (at the upper edge of the cenote) showed the highest values in mean number of bird detections, mean and normalized species richness, and Shannon diversity index. The averaged values of number of detections and species richness significantly differ among belts. Species turnover (Cody’s β-diversity) was maximum between the highest belts. Whittaker plots showed a marked difference among assemblages shaping from broken-stick model to geometric series, and explicited a spatial progressive stress with a disruption in evenness towards the deepest belts. Bird assemblages evidenced a nested subset structure with deeper belts containing successive subsets of the species occurring in the upper belts. We hypothesize that, at least during the daytime in breeding season, the observed non-random distribution of species along the vertical stratification is likely due to (i) the progressive simplification both of the floristic composition and vegetation structure, and (ii) the paucity of sunlight as resources from the upper edge to the inner side of the cenote.

scholarly journals Floristic composition and structure of the Kibate Forest along environmental gradients in Wonchi, Southwestern Ethiopia

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Misganaw Meragiaw ◽  
Zerihun Woldu ◽  
Vegard Martinsen ◽  
Bal R. Singh
Keyword(s):  
Species Richness ◽  
Management Practices ◽  
Environmental Gradients ◽  
Vascular Plant ◽  
Floristic Composition ◽  
Livestock Grazing ◽  
Environmental Data ◽  
Number Of Species ◽  
Composition And Structure ◽  
Community Types

AbstractDry evergreen montane forests in Ethiopia are severely threatened. The status of species composition and structure of forest vegetation are important indicators to understand the trends of threats on local plant communities. In the present study, we examined the floristic composition and structure of the Kibate Forest, Wonchi Highland, Ethiopia along environmental gradients. Sixty-six (30 m × 30 m) plots were established every 100 m interval along altitudinal gradients (2811‒3073 m a.s.l.) in five transect lines for vegetation and environmental data collection. In total, 125 vascular plant species belonging to 104 genera and 52 families were identified. Eighteen species (14%) were endemic to Ethiopia and Eritrea. The two most dominant families, Asteraceae (29 species) and Lamiaceae (eight species) accounted for 30% of the total number of species. The highest number of species (54%) was herbs. Four major community types (viz., Olinia rochetiana-Myrsine melanophloeos, Ilex mitis-Galiniera saxifraga, Erica arborea-Protea gaguedi, and Hagenia abyssinica-Juniperus procera) were identified. The highest species richness, evenness, diversity, and importance value index were in community types 2 and 4. About 82% of the species and all endemic taxa except five were recorded in these two community types. The most dominant woody species were O. rochetiana, E. arborea, Olea europaea subsp. cuspidata, Myrica salicifolia, I. mitis var. mitis, and H. abyssinica with different patterns of population structure. The results show that there was a weak correlation between species richness and altitude. Our findings confirm that environmental variables both with interactions (such as altitude) and without interactions (such as livestock grazing) significantly (p < 0.05) affect species richness. Anthropogenic activities and overgrazing by livestock appear to be the main threat in community types 2 and 3. Urgent management practices and conservation measures such as prohibiting forest clearing and overgrazing and planting indigenous trees through community participation should be considered in community types that are rich in endemic species but are highly threatened.

scholarly journals Biogeographic regionalization by spatial and environmental components: Numerical proposal

PLoS ONE ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 16 (6) ◽  
pp. e0253152
Author(s):  
Mayra Flores-Tolentino ◽  
Leonardo Beltrán-Rodríguez ◽  
Jonas Morales-Linares ◽  
J. Rolando Ramírez Rodríguez ◽  
Guillermo Ibarra-Manríquez ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Species Richness ◽  
Species Turnover ◽  
Regional Scale ◽  
Floristic Composition ◽  
Plant Species Richness ◽  
Rare Plants ◽  
Environmental Drivers ◽  
Herbaceous Plant ◽  
Environmental Predictors ◽  
Biogeographic Regionalization

Regionalization through the analysis of species groups offers important advantages in conservation biology, compared to the single taxon approach in areas of high species richness. We use a systematic framework for biogeographic regionalization at a regional scale based on species turnover and environmental drivers (climate variables and soil properties) mainly of herbaceous plant species richness. To identify phytogeographic regions in the Balsas Depression (BD), we use Asteraceae species, a family widely distributed in Seasonally Dry Tropical Forest (SDTF) and the most diverse of the vascular plants in Mexico. Occurrence records of 571 species were used to apply a quantitative analysis based on the species turnover, the rate of changes in their composition between sites (β-Simpson index) and the analysis of the identified environmental drivers. Also, the environmental predictors that influence species richness in the SDTF were determined with a redundancy analysis. We identified and named two phytogeographic districts within the SDTF of the BD (Upper Balsas and Lower Balsas). According to the multi-response permutation procedure, floristic composition of the two districts differs significantly, and the richness of exclusive species in Upper Balsas was higher (292 species) than in the Lower Balsas (32 species). The proportion of Mg and Ca in the soil and the precipitation of the driest three-month period were the environmental factors with greatest positive influence on species richness. The division of geographic districts subordinated to the province level, based on diverse families such as Asteraceae, proved to be appropriate to set up strategies for the conservation of the regional flora, since at this scale, variation in species richness is more evident. Our findings are consistent with a growing body of biogeographic literature that indicates that the identification of smaller biotic districts is more efficient for the conservation of biodiversity, particularly of endemic or rare plants, whose distribution responds more to microhabitats variation.

Comparison of the floodplain forest floristic composition of two riparian corridors: species richness, alien species and the effect of water regime changes

Biologia ◽  
2015 ◽  
Vol 70 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Radomír Řepka ◽  
Jan Šebesta ◽  
Petr Maděra ◽  
Petr Vahalík
Keyword(s):  
Species Richness ◽  
Endangered Species ◽  
Species Composition ◽  
Alien Species ◽  
Water Regime ◽  
Management Practices ◽  
Floristic Composition ◽  
Floodplain Forests ◽  
Riparian Corridors ◽  
River Corridor

AbstractFloodplain forests are sensitive to changes within the surrounding environment and contain the most highly invaded habitats. The overall aim of this study was to characterise floristic composition of floodplain forest along two different riparian corridors. The studied river ecosystems were influenced by human disturbances, but they have historically different hydrological management practices (e.g., damming and water regime management). We hypothesised that different hydrological management practices affect the composition and diversity of vegetation and influence multiple ecosystem functions and services in floodplain forests. A detailed study of the vascular plant species diversity of floodplain forests in the lower parts of two riparian corridors of the Thaya and Morava Rivers (South Moravia) was conducted. Altogether, 853 species of vascular plants were recorded, including 121 species of woody plants. We found 111 species that are protected by law or threatened according to the Czech Red List. We found 230 alien species, out of which 125 are archaeophytes and 105 are neophytes. Thirty-nine species are invasive; however, the most frequent group comprises naturalised archaeophytes (78). Differences in the effects of environmental factors on species richness and the proportions of alien and endangered species were tested using generalised linear models (GLMs). Differences in species composition in the two distinct riparian corridors were examined using non-metric multidimensional scaling (NMDS). Although only small differences were observed in the vegetation composition, we observed some differences in species richness and species composition between the riparian corridors. The most obvious difference was a higher proportion of alien species in the Morava River corridor than in the Thaya River corridor. In contrast, the proportion of endangered species richness was higher in the Thaya River corridor. We assume that the most probable explanation of the differences is the unique water management history for each river corridor.

scholarly journals Effect of forest fire on floristic composition, structure, dominance and species richness in subtropical pine forest of Ponda watershed, Rajouri, J&K

2014 ◽  
Vol 15 (1&2) ◽  
pp. 61-68
Author(s):  
Junaid Ahmed ◽  
Sanjay Sharma
Keyword(s):  
Species Richness ◽  
Forest Fire ◽  
Basal Area ◽  
Floristic Composition ◽  
Pine Forest ◽  
Total Density ◽  
Forest Stands ◽  
Forest Sites ◽  
Composition Structure ◽  
Trees And Shrubs

Forest fires have profound impacts on physical environment including land cover, land use, forest ecosystem and biodiversity. In the present study the effect of fires on floristic composition, structure, dominance and species richness in subtropical pine forest of Ponda watershed, Rajouri, J&K, lying at an altitude range of 800 m to 1000 m above mean sea level, was assessed. The forests in the study area were divided into two strata i.e., burnt and un-burnt forest. Random sampling was carried out by laying out forty sample plots in all, with twenty sample plots in each strata covering burnt and unburnt forest sites of the study area. The plot dimensions of 20m x 20m were used for studying trees and 5m x 5m for shrubs (laid within the plots for trees). The density, basal area and IVI along with diversity and concentration of dominance of trees and shrubs in both forest sites were studied. Similarity index was also calculated for burnt and unburnt forest of the study area. The results show that the total density and total basal area of trees and shrubs was highest in un-burnt forest sites with density values of 468.75 and 5284 individuals/ha and 85.33 m2/ha and 25.42 m2/ha, respectively. The results on the basis of the comparison of IVI values of all species in both forest stands also reveal that the respective dominant tree and shrub species were Pinus roxburghii and Carissa opaca. The calculated values of Shannon-Wiener, Margalef and Menhinick indices i.e. 1.93, 2.53 and 0.82 for trees and 1.80, 2.08 and 0.44 for shrubs, respectively, reveal that the species richness and diversity was high for unburnt forest stand whereas, Simpson’s index value of tree (0.48) and shrub (0.75) show that an concentration of dominance was highest in burnt forest stands. The calculated value of Sorenson’s and Jaccard’s index of similarity for trees (0.60 and 0.43) was maximum as compare to shrubs (0.47 and 0.31) which shows that forest fire have profound effect on shrub than trees.

scholarly journals Do carabids (Coleoptera: Carabidae) and chironomids (Diptera: Chironomidae) exhibit similar diversity and distributional patterns along a spatio-temporal gradient on a glacier foreland?

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mauro Gobbi ◽  
Valeria Lencioni
Keyword(s):  
Species Richness ◽  
Species Turnover ◽  
Aquatic Insect ◽  
Taxonomic Diversity ◽  
Carabid Beetles ◽  
Species Assemblages ◽  
Glacier Foreland ◽  
Distributional Patterns ◽  
Glacier Front ◽  
Spatio Temporal

Carabid beetles and chironomid midges are two dominant cold-adapted taxa, respectively on glacier forefiel terrains and in glacial-stream rivers. Although their sensitivity to high altitude climate warming is well known, no studies compare the species assemblages exhibited in glacial systems. Our study compares diversity and distributional patterns of carabids and chironomids in the foreland of the receding Amola glacier in central-eastern Italian Alps. Carabids were sampled by pitfall traps; chironomids by kick sampling in sites located at the same distance from the glacier as the terrestrial ones. The distance from the glacier front was considered as a proxy for time since deglaciation since these variables are positively correlated. We tested if the distance from the glacier front affects: i) the species richness; ii) taxonomic diversity; and iii) species turnover. Carabid species richness and taxonomic diversity increased positively from recently deglaciated sites (those c. 160 m from the glacier front) to sites deglaciated more than 160yrs ago (those located >1300 m from glacier front). Species distributions along the glacier foreland were characterized by mutually exclusive species. Conversely, no pattern in chironomid species richness and turnover was observed. Interestingly, taxonomic diversity increased significantly: closely related species were found near the glacier front, while the most taxonomically diverse species assemblages were found distant from the glacier front. Increasing glacial retreat differently affect epigeic and aquatic insect taxa: carabids respond faster to glacier retreat than do chironomids, at least in species richness and species turnover patterns.

Corrigendum to: Conservation agriculture effects on soil properties and crop productivity in a semiarid region of India

Soil Research ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 57 (2) ◽  
pp. 200 ◽  
Author(s):  
J. Somasundaram ◽  
M. Salikram ◽  
N. K. Sinha ◽  
M. Mohanty ◽  
R. S. Chaudhary ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Soil Properties ◽  
Management Practices ◽  
Crop Yields ◽  
Cropping Systems ◽  
Soil Layer ◽  
Conservation Agriculture ◽  
Semiarid Region ◽  
Reduced Tillage ◽  
Organic C ◽  
Residue Retention

Conservation agriculture (CA) including reduced or no-tillage and crop residue retention, is known to be a self–sustainable system as well as an alternative to residue burning. The present study evaluated the effect of reduced tillage coupled with residue retention under different cropping systems on soil properties and crop yields in a Vertisol of a semiarid region of central India. Two tillage systems – conventional tillage (CT) with residue removed, and reduced tillage (RT) with residue retained – and six major cropping systems of this region were examined after 3 years of experimentation. Results demonstrated that soil moisture content, mean weight diameter, percent water stable aggregates (&gt;0.25mm) for the 0–15cm soil layer were significantly (Pmoderately labile&gt;less labile. At the 0–15cm depth, the contributions of moderately labile, less labile and non-labile C fractions to total organic C were 39.3%, 10.3% and 50.4% respectively in RT and corresponding values for CT were 38.9%, 11.7% and 49.4%. Significant differences in different C fractions were observed between RT and CT. Soil microbial biomass C concentration was significantly higher in RT than CT at 0–15cm depth. The maize–chickpea cropping system had significantly (P–1 followed by soybean+pigeon pea (2:1) intercropping (3.50 t ha–1) and soybean–wheat cropping systems (2.97 t ha–1). Thus, CA practices could be sustainable management practices for improving soil health and crop yields of rainfed Vertisols in these semiarid regions.

Community characteristics of forest understory birds along an elevational gradient in the Horn of Africa: A multi-year baseline

The Condor ◽  
2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kyle D Kittelberger ◽  
Montague H C Neate-Clegg ◽  
Evan R Buechley ◽  
Çağan Hakkı Şekercioğlu
Keyword(s):  
Species Richness ◽  
Species Turnover ◽  
Survival Rates ◽  
Elevational Gradient ◽  
Forest Understory ◽  
Bird Abundance ◽  
Tropical Mountains ◽  
Demographic Rates ◽  
Understory Birds ◽  
Over Time

Abstract Tropical mountains are global hotspots for birdlife. However, there is a dearth of baseline avifaunal data along elevational gradients, particularly in Africa, limiting our ability to observe and assess changes over time in tropical montane avian communities. In this study, we undertook a multi-year assessment of understory birds along a 1,750 m elevational gradient (1,430–3,186 m) in an Afrotropical moist evergreen montane forest within Ethiopia’s Bale Mountains. Analyzing 6 years of systematic bird-banding data from 5 sites, we describe the patterns of species richness, abundance, community composition, and demographic rates over space and time. We found bimodal patterns in observed and estimated species richness across the elevational gradient (peaking at 1,430 and 2,388 m), although no sites reached asymptotic species richness throughout the study. Species turnover was high across the gradient, though forested sites at mid-elevations resembled each other in species composition. We found significant variation across sites in bird abundance in some of the dietary and habitat guilds. However, we did not find any significant trends in species richness or guild abundances over time. For the majority of analyzed species, capture rates did not change over time and there were no changes in species’ mean elevations. Population growth rates, recruitment rates, and apparent survival rates averaged 1.02, 0.52, and 0.51 respectively, and there were no elevational patterns in demographic rates. This study establishes a multi-year baseline for Afrotropical birds along an elevational gradient in an under-studied international biodiversity hotspot. These data will be critical in assessing the long-term responses of tropical montane birdlife to climate change and habitat degradation.

scholarly journals Earthworm Abundance Changes Depending on Soil Management Practices in Slovenian Vineyards

Agronomy ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (6) ◽  
pp. 1241
Author(s):  
Stanko Vršič ◽  
Marko Breznik ◽  
Borut Pulko ◽  
Jesús Rodrigo-Comino
Keyword(s):  
Management Practices ◽  
Human Impacts ◽  
Soil Layer ◽  
Soil Management ◽  
Weather Conditions ◽  
Soil Tillage ◽  
Soil Biodiversity ◽  
Straw Mulch ◽  
Green Cover ◽  
The Impact

Earthworms are key indicators of soil quality and health in vineyards, but research that considers different soil management systems, especially in Slovenian viticultural areas is scarce. In this investigation, the impact of different soil management practices such as permanent green cover, the use of herbicides in row and inter-row areas, use of straw mulch, and shallow soil tillage compared to meadow control for earthworm abundance, were assessed. The biomass and abundance of earthworms (m2) and distribution in various soil layers were quantified for three years. Monitoring and a survey covering 22 May 2014 to 5 October 2016 in seven different sampling dates, along with a soil profile at the depth from 0 to 60 cm, were carried out. Our results showed that the lowest mean abundance and biomass of earthworms in all sampling periods were registered along the herbicide strip (within the rows). The highest abundance was found in the straw mulch and permanent green cover treatments (higher than in the control). On the plots where the herbicide was applied to the complete inter-row area, the abundance of the earthworm community decreased from the beginning to the end of the monitoring period. In contrast, shallow tillage showed a similar trend of declining earthworm abundance, which could indicate a deterioration of soil biodiversity conditions. We concluded that different soil management practices greatly affect the soil’s environmental conditions (temperature and humidity), especially in the upper soil layer (up to 15 cm deep), which affects the abundance of the earthworm community. Our results demonstrated that these practices need to be adapted to the climate and weather conditions, and also to human impacts.

scholarly journals Effect of fire on a monodominant floating mat of Cyperus giganteus Vahl in a neotropical wetland

2015 ◽  
Vol 75 (1) ◽  
pp. 114-124 ◽  
Author(s):  
M. Rocha ◽  
CC. Santos Júnior ◽  
GA. Damasceno-Júnior ◽  
VJ. Pott ◽  
A. Pott
Keyword(s):  
Species Richness ◽  
Community Structure ◽  
Annual Variation ◽  
Floristic Composition ◽  
Large Area ◽  
Characteristic Species ◽  
Cyperus Giganteus ◽  
Pantanal Wetland ◽  
Floating Mat ◽  
Adult Plants

The rhizomatous Cyperus giganteus, abundant in the Pantanal wetland, can dominate extense floodable areas as monodominant communities. The Jacadigo lake has a large area of C. giganteus, where we performed an evaluation on community structure during two months in 2010, before it was hit by a wildfire which top-killed the vegetation, compared to ten months post-fire. We utilized 40 plots of 1m × 1m, along permanent trails, assessing two strata: the upper, near the inflorescence of adult plants, and the lower, close to the water level. Our results show that fire does not affect dominance of C. giganteus, as it maintained the same cover as before fire; species richness is not much altered either - 28 before fire and 34 thereafter. Fire changed the floristic composition, due to the annual variation of species and the ability of some plants to colonize gaps and to regrow after fire from underground organs and seeds. The stratification of the vegetation with characteristic species of upper and lower strata was similar after fire.

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