Plant Species Abundance and Tissue Concentrations of Limiting Nutrients in Low-Nutrient Grasslands: A Test of Competition Theory

Mamolos, Andreas P.; Veresoglou, D. S.; Barbayiannis, Nikolaos

doi:10.2307/2261601

Cited by 54 publications

(55 citation statements)

References 16 publications

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“…Because of plant species failure to regenerate in the heavily grazed sites [6], it results into low plant species composition and consequently low organic matter deposition in N deficient soils. In this regard, soil nitrogen remains one among limiting nutrient elements because of its influence on plant species composition [41] and soil organic matter deposition in the study areas.…”

Section: The Effect Of Livestock Grazing On the Total Soil Nitrogenmentioning

confidence: 99%

The Impact of Livestock Grazing on Soil Characteristics in Mount Kilimanjaro, Tanzania

Mligo¹

2015

GEP

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Livestock grazing is an anthropogenic disturbance on the soil properties in montane forests of the northern slopes of Mount Kilimanjaro. It was determined the effect of livestock grazing on SOC, N, CEC, SAS, SFD and P in the montane forest. Forty plots were randomly established for collection of soil samples. Data showed livestock grazing decreased the accumulation of SOC and consequently negatively affected the natural pattern of N, P, SFD, CEC and SAS. An opposing pattern of available soil phosphorus was interpreted that the nutrient pool retained in plant tissues particularly in the long-lived trees, which were absent in heavily grazed area. The observed positive correlation between SOC with TN and CEC implies the livestock grazing impacts on the former negatively affected the later soil parameters. Low fungal density in degraded parts of the montane forest indicates that they are sensitive to the current land use change. Based on the observation from this study, it can be regarded that excessive livestock grazing has a long-term negative ramification for soil conservation in montane forest. An important decision has to be sought off with regard to the conservation management of soil characteristics of the montane forest in Kilimanjaro Mountain.

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Section: The Effect Of Livestock Grazing On the Total Soil Nitrogenmentioning

confidence: 99%

The Impact of Livestock Grazing on Soil Characteristics in Mount Kilimanjaro, Tanzania

Mligo¹

2015

GEP

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“…Numerous studies have evaluated the relationship between productivity and nutrients, particularly N, in grasslands. Generally, N fertilization will lead to increased productivity (Tilman, 1987;Bobbink, 1991;Tilman et al, 1994;Mamalos et al, 1995). However, additions of N did not increase biomass production in two native desert grasslands (White et al, 1990).…”

Section: Carbon Cycling and Utilizationmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The ecological literature is rife with studies of N effects on productivity and diversity of grasslands (van Hecke et al, 1981;Tilman, 1987;Bobbink, 1991;Mamalos et al, 1995). Fertilization of forest plantations has been studied extensively, if not always in great depth.…”

Section: Complex Effects On Complex Ecosystemsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Ecological issues related to N deposition to natural ecosystems: research needs

Adams

2003

Environment International

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“…For example, in Minnesota grasslands, plant species with higher competitive ability, measured as lower values for nitrogen (the equilibrium level to which they reduce this limiting resource in monoculture), had higher abundances in multispecies plots (Fargione and Tilman 2006). A number of other studies have also found that plant species with traits leading to more efficient use or uptake of the limiting resource tend to have higher abundances (Mamolos et al 1995;Tsialtas et al 2001;Theodose et al 1996).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 98%

A theoretical model linking interspecific variation in density dependence to species abundances

Chisholm

Muller‐Landau

2011

Theor Ecol

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Understanding the factors that govern the commonness and rarity of individual species is a central challenge in community ecology. Empirical studies have often found that abundance is related to traits associated with competitive ability and suitability to the local environment and, more recently, also to negative conspecific density dependence. Here, we construct a theoretical framework to show how a species' abundance is, in general, expected to be dependent on its per-capita growth rate when rare and the rate at which its growth rate declines with increasing abundance (strength of stabilization). We argue that per-capita growth rate when rare can be interpreted as competitive ability and that strength of stabilization largely reflects negative conspecific inhibition. We then analyze a simple spatially implicit model in which each species is defined by three parameters that affect its juvenile survival: its generalized competitive effect on others, its generalized response to competition, and an additional negative effect on conspecifics. This model facilitates the stable coexistence of an arbitrarily large number of species and qualitatively reproduces empirical relationships between abundance, competitive ability, and negative conspecific density dependence. Our results provide theoretical support for the combined roles of competitive ability and negative density dependence in the determination of species abundances in real ecosystems, and suggest new avenues of research for understanding abundance in models and in real communities.

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Plant Species Abundance and Tissue Concentrations of Limiting Nutrients in Low-Nutrient Grasslands: A Test of Competition Theory

Cited by 54 publications

References 16 publications

The Impact of Livestock Grazing on Soil Characteristics in Mount Kilimanjaro, Tanzania

The Impact of Livestock Grazing on Soil Characteristics in Mount Kilimanjaro, Tanzania

Ecological issues related to N deposition to natural ecosystems: research needs

A theoretical model linking interspecific variation in density dependence to species abundances

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