The impact of site conditions and seed dispersal on restoration success in alluvial meadows

Donath, Tobias W.; Hölzel, Norbert; Otte, Annette

doi:10.1111/j.1654-109x.2003.tb00560.x

Cited by 160 publications

(104 citation statements)

References 35 publications

(29 reference statements)

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“…It has been shown that seeds can potentially be dispersed over such distances along river valleys (Andersson and Nilsson 2002;Vogt et al 2006), but the probability of establishment at particular sites is not well known. Studies on recolonisation of floodplain habitats in restoration projects suggest that this probability is rather low even if source populations occur close to the restoration sites (Bischoff 2002;Donath et al 2003).…”

Section: Plant Population Differentiation and Interactions With Herbimentioning

confidence: 97%

Differentiation and adaptation in Brassica nigra populations: interactions with related herbivores

Bischoff

Tremulot

2010

Oecologia

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Local adaptation and population differentiation of plants are well documented, but studies on interactions with natural enemies are rare. In particular, evidence for plant adaptation to the local biotic environment, such as herbivores remains poor. We used the black mustard Brassica nigra, an annual species of river valley and coastal habitats to (1) analyse population differentiation in plant traits and herbivory in a common garden experiment, (2) examine home versus away differences in a reciprocal transplant experiment and (3) test whether plants are adapted to local herbivores or vice versa under standard greenhouse conditions. In the common garden experiment, we found significant differentiation in plant traits, leaf damage and herbivore number among seven populations of B. nigra from France and Germany (distance 15-1,000 km). Differences were particularly strong among coastal and river valley populations and did not necessarily increase with geographical distance. A herbivore removal treatment did not change population differentiation when compared with the control allowing natural colonisation. The reciprocal transplant experiment at a scale of 15-30 km did not reveal local plant adaptation, whilst one dominant herbivore species (Meligethes aeneus) occurred in significantly higher numbers on local plants. A greenhouse experiment combining three aphid (Brevicoryne brassicae) and plant populations of the same provenance indicated herbivore adaptation to their local plants rather than plant adaptation, but overall contrasts between local and non-local combinations were not significant. The results suggest that herbivores may counteract local plant adaptation to other environmental factors. Our study has important implications for plant translocations in ecological restoration projects.

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Section: Plant Population Differentiation and Interactions With Herbimentioning

confidence: 97%

Differentiation and adaptation in Brassica nigra populations: interactions with related herbivores

Bischoff

Tremulot

2010

Oecologia

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“…All species are common to species-rich flood meadows along the northern Upper Rhine and represent characteristic families of dicotyledons of these as well as similar grassland habitats (cf. Donath et al 2003). Their seed sizes cover about 70% of the total seed size range of species growing in alluvial meadows (Hölzel and Otte 2004b).…”

Section: Experiments 2: Fate Of Buried Seedsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Desiccation cracks act as natural seed traps in flood-meadow systems

et al. 2010

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Desiccation cracks are a natural phenomenon of clay-rich soils that form via soil shrinkage during dry conditions. Our aim was to test the seed trapping potential of such cracks and assess its impact on seed bank formation in a flood-meadow ecosystem. We documented crack patterns on permanent plots and analysed the soil seed content along and adjacent to cracks. Seed translocation via cracks was tested with a mark-recapture experiment, and postentrapment seed fate was tested with a burial experiment. Most cracks re-opened in the same positions in consecutive dry periods. Along cracks, most seeds were found in 10-20 cm depth, whereas adjacent to cracks most seeds were found in 0-5 cm depth. The majority of seeds found in shallow depths adjacent to cracks belonged to species that were also present in the above-ground vegetation, whereas this rate was always under 50% along desiccation cracks.The mark-recapture experiment gave evidence for vertical seed translocation through desiccation cracks. Post-entrapment seed fate differed between species and burial depth, with a trend towards increasing survival with increasing depth. We conclude that desiccation cracks act as natural seed traps, foster seed bank formation and thus influence plant community dynamics in flood meadow systems.

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“…1). This is, for example, the case when characteristic species are unable to return due to dispersal limitations (Donath et al 2003;Ozinga et al 2005;Woodcock et al 2010a). Conservation management may thus have contrasting effects on local and regional diversity patterns and may lead to increased biotic differentiation or conversely, amplify biotic homogenization.…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

17 years of grassland management leads to parallel local and regional biodiversity shifts among a wide range of taxonomic groups

Noordwijk

Baeten

Turin³

et al. 2016

Biodivers Conserv

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Conservation management is expected to increase local biodiversity, but uniform management may lead to biotic homogenization and diversity losses at the regional scale. We evaluated the effects of renewed grazing and cutting management carried out across a whole region, on the diversity of plants and seven arthropod groups. Changes in occurrence over 17 years of intensive calcareous grassland management were analysed at the species level, which gave insight into the exact species contributing to regional homogenization or differentiation. Reponses were compared between species differing in habitat affinity, dispersal ability, food specialisation and trophic level. Local species richness increased over the sampling period for true bugs and millipedes, while carabid beetles and weevils declined in local species richness. Species richness remained unchanged for plants, woodlice, ants and spiders. Regional diversity and compositional variation generally followed local patterns. Diversity shifts were only to a limited extent explained by species' habitat affinity, dispersal ability, trophic level and food specialisation. We conclude that implementation of relatively uniform conservation management across a region did not lead to uniform changes in local species composition. This is an encouraging result for conservation managers, as it shows that there is not necessarily a conflict of interest between local and regional conservation goals. Our study also demonstrates that shifts in diversity patterns differ markedly between taxonomic groups. Single traits provide only limited understanding of these differences. This highlights the need for a wide taxonomic scope when evaluating conservation management and demonstrates the need to understand the mechanisms underlying occurrence shifts.

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The impact of site conditions and seed dispersal on restoration success in alluvial meadows

Cited by 160 publications

References 35 publications

Differentiation and adaptation in Brassica nigra populations: interactions with related herbivores

Differentiation and adaptation in Brassica nigra populations: interactions with related herbivores

Desiccation cracks act as natural seed traps in flood-meadow systems

17 years of grassland management leads to parallel local and regional biodiversity shifts among a wide range of taxonomic groups

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