Relationship between Exotic Plant Species Richness, Native Vegetation and Climate in Forest Ecosystems of Chile

Slope stabilisation treatments like mulching and seeding are used to increase soil cover and reduce runoff and erosion following severe wildfires, but may also retard native vegetation recovery. We evaluated the effects of seeding and fertilisation on the cover and richness of native and exotic plants and on individual plant species following the 2004 Pot Peak wildfire in Washington State, USA. We applied four seeding and three fertilisation treatments to experimental plots at eight burned sites in spring 2005 and surveyed vegetation during the first two growing seasons after fire. Seeding significantly reduced native non-seeded species richness and cover by the second year. Fertilisation increased native plant cover in both years, but did not affect plant species richness. Seeding and fertilisation significantly increased exotic cover, especially when applied in combination. However, exotic cover and richness were low and treatment effects were greatest in the first year. Seeding suppressed several native plant species, especially disturbance-adapted forbs. Fertilisation, in contrast, favoured several native understorey plant species but reduced tree regeneration. Seeding, even with native species, appears to interfere with the natural recovery of native vegetation whereas fertilisation increases total plant cover, primarily by facilitating native vegetation recovery.

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Distinct Biogeography of Different Fungal Guilds and Their Associations With Plant Species Richness in Forest Ecosystems

Frontiers in Ecology and Evolution ◽

10.3389/fevo.2019.00216 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 7 ◽

Cited By ~ 2

Author(s):

Pandeng Wang ◽

Yongjian Chen ◽

Yingtao Sun ◽

Sha Tan ◽

Siyuan Zhang ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Species Richness ◽

Plant Species ◽

Forest Ecosystems ◽

Plant Species Richness

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Quality and Conservation of Riparian Forest in a Mountain Subtropical Basin of Argentina

International Journal of Ecology ◽

10.1155/2016/4842165 ◽

2016 ◽

Vol 2016 ◽

pp. 1-10 ◽

Cited By ~ 2

Author(s):

Romina Daiana Fernández ◽

Sergio Javier Ceballos ◽

Ana Lucía González Achem ◽

Margarita del Valle Hidalgo ◽

Hugo Rafael Fernández

Keyword(s):

Species Richness ◽

Plant Species ◽

Invasive Plant ◽

Riparian Forest ◽

Conservation Status ◽

Plant Species Richness ◽

Riparian Forests ◽

Exotic Plant Species ◽

Lower Altitude

The aims of this work were to describe the conservation status of riparian forests located in a mountain subtropical basin of Tucumán province, Argentina, and assess how the quality of riparian forests is related with altitude, plant species richness, proportion of exotic species, and Total Suspended Solids (TSS) in adjacent rivers. Composition and species richness of riparian forests were studied at 16 sites located along an altitudinal gradient and TSS was determined from water samples collected in each site. In order to evaluate conservation status of riparian forests, we calculated an index of Quality of Yungas Riparian Forests (QBRy). We recorded 90 plant species at all sites, from which 77% were native. QBRy index was mainly associated with altitude and varied from riparian forests with good preservation or slightly disturbed to those with extreme degradation. At lower altitude, forests were more disturbed, more invaded by exotic plant species, and closer to urban and cropped areas. QBRy was not correlated with species richness or TSS. Like other riparian forests of Argentina, plant species invasion increased their degradation; therefore, future studies should focus on native riparian forests conservation and on the management of invasive plant species, which affect their quality.

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