The influence of nitrogen deposition, competition and desiccation on growth and regeneration of Racomitrium lanuginosum (Hedw.) Brid

Jones, Laurence; Oxley, E. R. B.; Ashenden, T.W.

doi:10.1016/s0269-7491(02)00120-3

Cited by 38 publications

(31 citation statements)

References 20 publications

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“…positive neighbour effects in the face of physiological stress (see also Bertness and Hacker 1994;Hacker and Gaines 1997). In this study, this was the case for nitrogen-induced stress for R. squarrosus, illustrating that adaptations to a low-nitrogen environment make high nutrient loads a stress situation (Jones et al 2002;Mitchell et al 2004;Solga et al 2005).…”

Section: Hierarchysupporting

confidence: 57%

Competition hierarchy, transitivity and additivity: investigating the effect of fertilisation on plant–plant interactions using three common bryophytes

Dormann

2006

Plant Ecol

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The way competition structures plant communities has been investigated intensely over many decades. Dominance structures due to competitive hierarchies, with consequences for species richness, have not received as much experimental attention, since their manipulation is a large logistic undertaking. Here the data from a model system based on bryophytes are presented to investigate competition structure in a three-species system. Grown in monocultures, pairwise and three-species mixtures under no and high nitrogen supply, the three moss species responded strongly to treatment conditions. One of them suffered from nitrogen fertilisation and hence performed better in mixtures, where the dominant species provided physical shelter from apparently toxic nitrogen spray. Accordingly, no linear competitive hierarchy emerged and qualitative transitivity remains restricted to the unfertilised treatments. Faciliation also affected other properties of the competition structure. The reciprocity of competition effects could not be observed. Moreover, the performances in three-species mixtures were not well predictable from the knowledge of monocultures and pairwise mixtures because competitive effects were not additive. This had implications for community stability at equilibrium: all two-species systems were stable, both fertilised and unfertilised, while the three-species system was only stable when fertilised. This stability under fertilisation has probably to do with the facilitative effect of the two dominant species on the third. In this experiment, little support for commonly held ideas was found about the way competition in plant communities is structured. On the other hand, this study shows that moss communities are ideal model systems to test predictions of theoretical models concerning properties and consequences of competition in plant communities.

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Section: Hierarchysupporting

confidence: 57%

Competition hierarchy, transitivity and additivity: investigating the effect of fertilisation on plant–plant interactions using three common bryophytes

Dormann

2006

Plant Ecol

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“…leakage), we found no significant relationship between N content and growth, no influence of aspect and no consistent growth difference between habitats with low and high grazer presence. This is contrary to field and glasshouse studies where N additions have resulted in both reduced growth and cover of Racomitrium (Jones et al 2002;Pearce et al 2003;van der Wal et al 2005). It has recently been shown that high N concentrations are the most damaging for moss growth (Pearce and van der Wal 2008) so it may be possible that Racomitrium is relatively tolerant of N deposition occurring at low concentration, as in the majority of wet deposition events occurring under non-experimental conditions.…”

Section: Discussioncontrasting

confidence: 60%

Additive impacts of nitrogen deposition and grazing on a mountain moss-sedge heath

et al. 2010

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High levels of nitrogen (N) deposition and long-term heavy grazing pressures are thought to have caused severe degradation and loss of alpine habitats in the UK. Reductions in stocking density following agricultural reform provide an opportunity for restoration but it is unclear to what extent this may be limited by continuing N deposition. We investigated the effects of spatial variability in grazing pressure on the tissue chemistry and growth of the key bryophyte Racomitrium lanuginosum at a mossheath site in north Wales exposed to high N deposition. Racomitrium N content and cell membrane damage both clearly reflected the high atmospheric deposition and the additional effect of N deposited by grazers, but this was not translated into negative effects of either factor on growth. Racomitrium grew fastest where a well-developed moss mat was present, regardless of grazer presence, and grew slower in degraded areas where the mat was absent or fragmentary. Absence of a moss mat may produce conditions where Racomitrium is more frequently desiccated, resulting in low growth rates and perpetuating the poor condition of the moss heath. Removal of grazing may result in an improvement in Racomitrium condition, even under existing levels of N deposition, where the moss mat remains, but restoration of the most damaged areas may require further intervention.

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“…Mountain ecosystems are also important for water purification. Results from the study of moss mats in arctic systems (Jones et al 2002) indicate that the alpine moss flora, which is especially threatened by climate change and nitrogen deposition, may be particularly important for providing this service. The role of semi-natural grasslands in the provision of water purification is poorly known.…”

Section: Regulating Servicesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Identifying and prioritising services in European terrestrial and freshwater ecosystems

et al. 2010

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Ecosystems are multifunctional and provide humanity with a broad array of vital services. Effective management of services requires an improved evidence base, identifying the role of ecosystems in delivering multiple services, which can assist policymakers in maintaining them. Here, information from the literature and scientific experts was used to systematically document the importance of services and identify trends in their use and status over time for the main terrestrial and freshwater ecosystems in Europe. The results from this review show that intensively managed ecosystems contribute mostly to vital provisioning services (e.g. agro-ecosystems provide food via crops and livestock, and forests provide wood), while semi-natural ecosystems (e.g. grasslands and mountains) are 123Biodivers Conserv (2010) 19:2791-2821 DOI 10.1007 key contributors of genetic resources and cultural services (e.g. aesthetic values and sense of place). The most recent European trends in human use of services show increases in demand for crops from agro-ecosystems, timber from forests, water flow regulation from rivers, wetlands and mountains, and recreation and ecotourism in most ecosystems, but decreases in livestock production, freshwater capture fisheries, wild foods and virtually all services associated with ecosystems which have considerably decreased in area (e.g. seminatural grasslands). The condition of the majority of services show either a degraded or mixed status across Europe with the exception of recent enhancements in timber production in forests and mountains, freshwater provision, water/erosion/natural hazard regulation and recreation/ecotourism in mountains, and climate regulation in forests. Key gaps in knowledge were evident for certain services across all ecosystems, including the provision of biochemicals and natural medicines, genetic resources and the regulating services of seed dispersal, pest/disease regulation and invasion resistance.

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The influence of nitrogen deposition, competition and desiccation on growth and regeneration of Racomitrium lanuginosum (Hedw.) Brid

Cited by 38 publications

References 20 publications

Competition hierarchy, transitivity and additivity: investigating the effect of fertilisation on plant–plant interactions using three common bryophytes

Competition hierarchy, transitivity and additivity: investigating the effect of fertilisation on plant–plant interactions using three common bryophytes

Additive impacts of nitrogen deposition and grazing on a mountain moss-sedge heath

Identifying and prioritising services in European terrestrial and freshwater ecosystems

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