Soil nutrient heterogeneity and competitive ability of three grass species (Festuca ovina, Arrhenatherum elatius and Calamagrostis epigejos) in experimental conditions

Tůma, Ivan; Holub, Petr; Fiala, Karel

doi:10.2478/s11756-009-0067-x

Cited by 15 publications

(8 citation statements)

References 39 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…The earlier our results concerning competitive ability studied tall grasses obtained in cultivation experiments suggest that the competitive ability of Calamagrostis relative to Arrhenatherum declined in the heterogeneous soil environment when compared to homogeneous treatments (Tůma et al 2009). Thus nutrient heterogeneity can enhance the competitive ability of Arrhenatherum relative to Calamagrostis.…”

Section: Preslmentioning

confidence: 58%

“…The greatest significant increases in relative yield of A. elatius growing in mixtures with C. epigejos for one year occurred in both unfertilized and fertilized unclipped treatments (Tůma et al 2005). In early-successional phases, heterogeneous soil environment may enhance competitive ability of tuft forming A. elatius with the phalanx type of growth (Tůma et al 2009). Calamagrostis epigejos, a guerilla grass, is considered as a species with greater ability to acquire nutrients from soils being characterized by an extensive system of below-ground organs and able to use rhizomes in the selective placement of ramets into high resource patches (de Kroon & Hutchings 1995).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 1 more Smart Citation

Effect of nitrogen addition and drought on above-ground biomass of expanding tall grasses Calamagrostis epigejos and Arrhenatherum elatius

2011

Self Cite

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Tall expansive grasses act as serious weeds since they spread intensively and are a important threat to biodiversity of various plant communities. A field experiment was set up based on three sets of paired plots, where Calamagrostis epigejos and Arrhenatherum elatius dominated and a mixture of both these tall grasses occurred. Parallel plots were treated by additional amounts of nitrogen (50 kg N ha −1 ) for six years (2002)(2003)(2004)(2005)(2006)(2007). Above-ground biomass was harvested in both wet (2004) and dry (2007) years, separated in individual fractions, and weighed to determine the above-ground biomass. We wanted to know if a higher nitrogen availability in dry year can support above-ground growth of expansive tall grasses C. epigejos and A. elatius and what their competitive ability of these tall grasses in mixture is in dry conditions. Drought resulted in a decrease in above-ground biomass production of studied tall expansive grasses, and, in a relative increase in mortality of A. elatius shoots in comparison with C. epigejos. Drought can substantially reduce the effect of applied nitrogen on above-ground growth of expansive tall grasses. However, A. elatius appears to be producing more above-ground biomass after application of N even in relatively dry conditions.

show abstract

Section: Preslmentioning

confidence: 58%

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Effect of nitrogen addition and drought on above-ground biomass of expanding tall grasses Calamagrostis epigejos and Arrhenatherum elatius

2011

Self Cite

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…In the case of L. corniculatus, the amount of N provided by litter may result in the creation of nutrient-rich patches in the initially poor substrate material. Such nutrient-rich environments may stimulate colonisation with coexisting plants like C. epigejos, as they are known to tolerate nutrient-poor soil conditions for a long time, but can grow fast under N-rich conditions (Brezina et al, 2006;Tůma et al, 2009).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Soil microbial community profiles were analysed using principal response curves (PRCs). This method was originally suggested to study the effect of different treatments on ecological communities with repeated observations in time (van den Brink and ter Braak, 1999). PRCs can be interpreted as a special case of redundancy analysis (function prc in library vegan, R-project).…”

Section: Statisticsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Dynamics of microbial communities during decomposition of litter from pioneering plants in initial soil ecosystems

Esperschütz

Zimmermann

Dümig³

et al. 2013

Biogeosciences

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

In initial ecosystems, concentrations of all macro- and micronutrients can be considered as extremely low. Plant litter therefore strongly influences the development of a degrader's food web and is an important source for C and N input into soil in such ecosystems. In the present study, a ¹³C litter decomposition field experiment was performed for 30 weeks in initial soils from a post-mining area near the city of Cottbus (Germany). Two of this region's dominant but contrasting pioneering plant species (Lotus corniculatus L. and Calamagrostis epigejos L.) were chosen to investigate the effects of litter quality on the litter decomposing microbial food web in initially nutrient-poor substrates. The results clearly indicate the importance of litter quality, as indicated by its N content, its bioavailability for the degradation process and the development of microbial communities in the detritusphere and soil. The degradation of the L. corniculatus litter, which had a low C / N ratio, was fast and showed pronounced changes in the microbial community structure 1–4 weeks after litter addition. The degradation of the C. epigejos litter material was slow and microbial community changes mainly occurred between 4 and 30 weeks after litter addition to the soil. However, for both litter materials a clear indication of the importance of fungi for the degradation process was observed both in terms of fungal abundance and activity (¹³C incorporation activity

show abstract

“…Transferred to in situ conditions, the findings may indicate that L. corniculatus exert a strong influence on the structure of the microbial community through the quality of its litter, which in turn creates nutrient-rich patches under the L. corniculatus vegetation. Such nutrient-rich patches may indirectly facilitate the colonization with coexisting plants like C. epigejos, which often tolerate nutrient-poor soil conditions, but enhance growth and reproduction rates under N-rich conditions (Brezina et al, 2006;Tůma et al, 2009). Zelles L, Bai QY, Rackwitz R, Chadwick D & Beese F (1995) Determination of phospholipid-and lipopolysaccharidederived fatty acids as an estimate of microbial biomass and community structure in soils.…”

Section: Incorporation Of C Into Soil Microbial Communities Involved mentioning

confidence: 99%

Incorporation of carbon from decomposing litter of two pioneer plant species into microbial communities of the detritusphere

Esperschütz

Welzl

Schreiner

et al. 2011

FEMS Microbiology Letters

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Initial ecosystems are characterized by a low availability of nutrients and a low soil organic matter content. Interactions of plants and microorganisms in such environments, particularly in relation to litter decomposition, are very important for further ecosystem development. In a litter decomposition study using an initial substrate from a former mining area, we applied the litter of two contrasting pioneer plant species (legume vs. pasture plants), Lotus corniculatus and Calamagrostis epigejos, which are commonly observed in the study area. Litter decomposition was investigated and carbon (C) translocation from litter into soil microorganisms was described by following (13) C from labelled plant litter materials into the fraction of phospholipid fatty acids. Labile C compounds of both plant litter types were easily degraded during the first 4 weeks of litter decomposition. In contrast to climax ecosystems, where the importance of fungi for litter degradation has been shown in many studies, in our experiment, data clearly indicate an outcompetition of fungi by Gram-positive bacteria as soon as available nitrogen is limited in the detritusphere.

show abstract

Soil nutrient heterogeneity and competitive ability of three grass species (Festuca ovina, Arrhenatherum elatius and Calamagrostis epigejos) in experimental conditions

Cited by 15 publications

References 39 publications

Effect of nitrogen addition and drought on above-ground biomass of expanding tall grasses Calamagrostis epigejos and Arrhenatherum elatius

Effect of nitrogen addition and drought on above-ground biomass of expanding tall grasses Calamagrostis epigejos and Arrhenatherum elatius

Dynamics of microbial communities during decomposition of litter from pioneering plants in initial soil ecosystems

Incorporation of carbon from decomposing litter of two pioneer plant species into microbial communities of the detritusphere

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About