Impact of site conditions and farming practices on the occurrence of rare and endangered weeds on arable land in the Czech Republic

Question How does the conservation (rarity) value of arable weed communities differ along intensification gradients? Which functional traits best distinguish the weed communities of more and less extensively managed fields? Can the same traits predict the rarity of individual weed species? Location Hungary. Methods Using relevé data from 60 cereal and 70 stubble fields, together with weed trait data, we characterized community responses to arable intensification using functional trait analyses based on trait‐convergence and trait‐divergence assembly patterns. We also examined how well the broad‐scale rarity status of species predicts their occurrence along intensification gradients, and how it maps onto our functional classifications describing intensification responses. Results The response of weeds to intensification in cereal fields was best described by a functional classification based on species' flowering duration, maximum height and seed weight: weeds of extensively managed fields have short flowering seasons (2–5 mo) and particularly large or small seeds. The highest proportions of rare species also happen to be found in these groups. The rarest weeds among these species tend to be late‐winter and early‐summer annuals, while the rare species of stubble fields tend to be broad‐leaved with low nitrogen requirements, small seeds and short height. Stubble fields showed a decline in weed cover with increasing application of fertilizer and distance from the field edge, but we could detect no strong associations of management factors with trait composition, perhaps because the intensification gradient across these fields was shorter. Conclusions Many rare Hungarian weeds are associated with traditional extensive farming practices. They are particularly characterized by short, midsummer flowering periods and by preference for low nitrogen levels, but a range of trait syndromes must be considered to understand their ecology and conservation. Analyses based on trait‐divergence patterns, rather than trait‐convergence patterns, provide better insights into the functional composition of weed communities, emphasizing the importance of disruptive filters in weed community assembly and the need for improved methods to detect such effects.

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“…; Kolárová et al. ) is generally attributed to a lack of herbicide application and reduced amounts of fertilizer (Cirujeda et al. ; Rassam et al.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Refining rare weed trait syndromes along arable intensification gradients

Pinke

Gunton

2014

J Vegetation Science

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“…In Germany and Austria, Callauch (1981), Plakolm (1989), van Elsen (1989, Wolff-Straub (1989) and Frieben et al (2012) compared numbers of endangered species in organic and conventional fields, all finding higher numbers of such species in organic systems. In a survey based on 290 relevés in the Czech Republic, the sum of frequencies of endangered arable species in organically managed fields was 4.5 times higher than in conventional farming (Kolářová, Tyšer, and Soukup 2013b). In the Mediterranean, in Catalonia, Rotchés-Ribalta et al (2015a) found a whole range of threatened non-crop species in organically managed fields.…”

Section: Conservation Strategies At the Farm Scalementioning

confidence: 99%

Management options for the conservation of rare arable plants in Europe

et al. 2016

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“…The link between flora species richness and the nature conservation value of field habitats is generally based on the assumption that there should be a higher proportion of rare flora species if total flora species richness increases (Kolářová et al, 2013). This in turn, should have a positive impact on compliance with the criteria rareness/endangerment (vulnerability) and naturalness.…”

Section: Conceptual Modelmentioning

confidence: 99%