Habitat diversity along a hydrological gradient in a complex wetland results in high plant species diversity

Gaberščik, Alenka; Krek, Judita Lea; Zelnik, Igor

doi:10.1016/j.ecoleng.2018.04.017

Cited by 23 publications

(13 citation statements)

References 41 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…We found that higher EIV Nutrient is perpendicular to the direction of distinction of mesic and wet meadows, so it can be concluded that nutrients have a small effect on the differentiation of mesic and wet meadows [41]. EIV Moisture shows that mesic meadows appear on drier sites than wet ones and that they are less rarely flooded and/or have deeper ground water [46].…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 69%

Study of Forage Quality of Grasslands on the Southern Margin of the Pannonian Basin

et al. 2021

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Since grasslands provide many ecosystem services, there are often different opinions on their management (e.g., agronomy, ecology, botany). Multidisciplinary research on this topic is therefore needed. This article focuses on the impact of ecological conditions, functional groups, ecological strategies, floristic composition (through habitat preference of species), major floristic gradients (presented as first two NMDS axes), and the management of forage quality. We estimated the forage quality using indicator values. All of the available vegetation plots in the region on wet and mesic meadows, managed pastures, and tall-herb meadow/pasture fringes on deeper or shallower soils (i.e., grasslands) were collected, organized in a database, and elaborated according to standard procedure. We used a widely accepted grassland classification system that uses floristic composition to define grassland types. Based on an NMDS ordination diagram and according to functional groups, ecological strategies, and habitat preferences (behavior of species) and management, we defined three major groups: mesic meadows (mowed), wet meadows (mowed), and pastures (grazed). We correlated all groups’ functional groups, ecological strategies, habitat preferences (behavior of species), major floristic gradients, management, and forage quality. We found that forage quality mainly depends on moisture conditions and that nutrients and grazing are less important. Within the grasslands under consideration, mesic meadows and mesic pastures have the highest forage quality.

show abstract

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 69%

Study of Forage Quality of Grasslands on the Southern Margin of the Pannonian Basin

et al. 2021

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…This is not surprising given the typical correlation between these two traits, which both have a key role to play in resource acquisition and competitive ability. Gaberščik et al found that species diversity increased along a hydrological gradient [37]. However, other studies have not found a clear relationship between productivity and richness within sites, within regions, or across the globe [38].…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 98%

Biennial Mowing Maintains the Biomass and Functional Diversity of Semi-Arid Grassland

et al. 2020

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Understanding the functional diversity relationship between biomass and plants is a key issue in biodiversity-ecosystem functionality and the utility of grassland. We conducted a five-year mowing experiment to examine the effects of the mowing frequency on biomass, plant species, and functional diversity of a natural plant community in a semiarid region of Inner Mongolia. A secondary objective was to test whether unmowed refuge areas within plots would mitigate the disturbance effect of mowing. The result showed that mowing disturbance reduced biomass by the greatest amount with mowing once every year (M1) and the least with M2. The biomass composition of M2 consisted of a greater mass of perennial species than in the other mowing treatments but was equivalent to the control (CK). However, mowing disturbances increased the plant species richness and M2 had the largest number of species. The community-weighted means (CWM) indices indicated that M2 produced the least detrimental effects on the grassland. Retaining unmowed refuge areas appeared to be ineffective in promoting beneficial community traits under M1 mowing regimes. Based on our results, we recommend that the semi-arid grassland be mowed every other year in order to optimize sustainable production.Sustainability 2020, 12, 1507 2 of 11 preparing winter feed for livestock production in the semi-arid regions in northern China, Mongolia, and east Russia [12]. The Typical Steppe is the most widely distributed type of native grassland suitable for mowing in the pastoral regions in Inner Mongolia [13]. Rotational mowing dates and frequencies [14] have a small effect on the reproduction of grassland community plants and can avoid the excessive use of grassland resources [15]. From this perspective, mowing may be an effective grassland management practice and substitute for grazing for semi-arid natural grasslands [1,3,8].Moreover, mowing has also been found to enhance the growth, and thus the relative abundance, of C4 species in natural grassland [16], producing higher light saturation point [17], photosynthetic rate [18], and water use efficiency [19].An appropriate mowing regime can maintain high plant species richness [15] and reduce competition [20] by inhibiting tall plant species [3], thereby allowing short species to persist. However, mowing disturbances can also have negative impacts on species richness and plant traits that alter the community's structure and function [2], including its productivity [21]. Therefore, Roel et al. [22] suggested keeping an unmowed refuge zone within the grassland to increase species diversity in grasslands. Based on theoretical and empirical evidence, Doležal et al. [23] argued that seasonal mowing shifts community composition, which may reduce competitive interactions and promote the coexistence of dominant and subordinate species.Plant functional traits not only determine how plants respond to environmental factors [24], but also represent important indicators of ecological strategies that affect the attributes of plant c...

show abstract

“…The soil pH ranged from 4.1 for the alpine heath to 7.0 for the alpine foothills forest edge, while the soil organic matter content ranged from 6.6 % for the intermittent lake to 42.9 % for the alpine heath. The intermittent lake is affected by floodwater from an area with soluble Jurassic and Cretaceous limestone (Gaberščik et al 2018). The soil from this habitat was the richest in total Si, which might have resulted from sedimentation of the Si-rich diatom remains in the intermittent lake.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Therefore, D. caespitosa can tolerate a wide range of environmental conditions (Davy andTaylor 1974, Grime et al 1988) and can thus serve as a model system for studying the variability in Si/plant relations within a species. The level of biomineralisation, which depends on environmental conditions (Davy 1980, Gaberščik et al 2018, might thus differ among D. caespitosa plants that thrive in different habitats.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Do soil and leaf silicon content affect leaf functional traits in Deschampsia caespitosa from different habitats?

Grašič¹,

Sakovič²,

Abram³

et al. 2020

Biol. plant.

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

The purpose of this study was to show the extent of phenotypic plasticity of the grass Deschampsia caespitosa from four habitats with different soil properties by comparing selected leaf traits and content of silicon and other elements. Morphological, biochemical, and optical properties were examined in leaves, but content of silicon and other elements also in soil samples. Plant-available silicon in the soil was determined following extraction in CaCl2. Bulk element analysis was conducted using X-ray fluorescence spectrometry. The habitats of D. caespitosa differed significantly according to soil structure, which resulted in significantly different leaf traits, including leaf optical properties and content of minerals. There was no correlation between leaf silicon and plant-available or total soil silicon, while positive correlation was seen between leaf calcium and total soil calcium. In addition, plant-available silicon showed strong positive correlation with leaf calcium and phosphorus. The majority of D. caespitosa leaf and soil properties differed significantly among habitats.

show abstract

Habitat diversity along a hydrological gradient in a complex wetland results in high plant species diversity

Cited by 23 publications

References 41 publications

Study of Forage Quality of Grasslands on the Southern Margin of the Pannonian Basin

Study of Forage Quality of Grasslands on the Southern Margin of the Pannonian Basin

Biennial Mowing Maintains the Biomass and Functional Diversity of Semi-Arid Grassland

Do soil and leaf silicon content affect leaf functional traits in Deschampsia caespitosa from different habitats?

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About