The Relation Between Unpalatable Species, Nutrients and Plant Species Richness in Swiss Montane Pastures

Kleijn, David; Müller‐Schärer, Heinz

doi:10.1007/s10531-005-3012-5

Cited by 16 publications

(16 citation statements)

References 28 publications

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“…The species compositions of these pastures and hay meadows are very similar as 90% of the species occur in both habitats (Schlapfer et al 1998), suggesting that the abiotic conditions are not dissimilar (Kleijn and Steinger 2002). In the Pre-Alps, the most common herbaceous species were Festuca rubra, Agrostis capillaris, Polygonum bistorta, V. album and G. lutea (Kleijn and Mü ller-Schä rer 2006). In the Jura Mountains, the vegetation was dominated by F. rubra, A. capillaris, Cynosurus cristatus, Alchemilla xantochlora Vandenberghe et al 2006).…”

Section: Seed Collection and Burialmentioning

confidence: 97%

“…In Europe, there has been a dramatic shift in alpine grassland management towards more extensive grazing and even complete abandonment of management, especially in agriculturally marginal areas (e.g. MacDonald et al 2000;Kleijn and Mü ller-Schä-rer 2006). In general, extensive grazing may lead to the competitive dominance of a few unpalatable plant species with consequent decreases in local plant species-richness (Augustine and McNaughton 1998).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Seed bank persistence of clonal weeds in contrasting habitats: implications for control

2006

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The ability of weeds to form a seed bank is important for their population dynamics and management because it provides a refuge enabling reinvasion after established target plants have died. However, knowledge of the differential seed behaviour of individual species over multiple years and varying environmental conditions is surprisingly rare but necessary for effective control of diverse weed populations. We established a seed burial experiment in alpine habitats differing in management regime (i.e., forest, hay meadow and pasture) to determine whether seeds of the unpalatable perennial weeds, Veratrum album (white hellebore) and Gentiana lutea (yellow gentian) were able to delay germination and remain viable over 3 years. Our study shows that both species formed a short-term persistent seed bank; in the third-year, the soil seed banks of both species were nearly depleted, having declined to < 5% of their original size. Both species had strikingly different germination strategies: G. lutea seeds mainly germinated in their first-year, whilst the majority of V. album seeds germinated in their second-year. The fraction of dormant G. lutea seeds increased with seed age, indicating that seeds remained viable after forgoing germination in the previous year. Habitat-specific differences in seed germination increased with seed age, with germination fractions being lowest in moist hay meadows. This suggests that the negative effects of anoxic conditions became more pronounced as seeds aged in hay meadows. Conversely, seed dormancy was equal among habitats. The absence of a long-term persistent seed bank has important implications for the management of both nuisance and endangered-plant populations. In the case of V. album and G. lutea, re-colonization of habitats from the seed bank is unlikely after established plants have been removed.

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Section: Seed Collection and Burialmentioning

confidence: 97%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Seed bank persistence of clonal weeds in contrasting habitats: implications for control

2006

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“…In Rheinland-Pfalz (Germany) it is also common in extensively managed grasslands or fallow land (Himmler 2009;LUWG 2010). The increase of the toxic pasture weed V. album (Kleijn and Muller-Scharer 2006) is attributed to the lack of time for weeding. The high opportunity costs of labour draw both hired labour and family labour out of agriculture (Strijker 2005), resulting in a lack of manual labour force.…”

Section: Extensification Of Grassland Management and Increase Of Toximentioning

confidence: 99%

Integrating farmers’ knowledge on toxic plants and grassland management: a case study on Colchicum autumnale in Austria

2011

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High densities of Colchicum autumnale may endanger grassland management in Austria. As the toxic components persist in hay and silage, the continuation of the management of these grasslands, which are often characterised by a high biodiversity, is uncertain. Farmers possess valuable and context-specific know-how on toxic plants and grassland management. This study aims at assessing the contribution of farmers' knowledge to nature conservation research on toxic plants in grasslands. In total, we conducted 170 face-to-face interviews with farmers managing grasslands with C. autumnale in four areas of Lower Austria. In addition, the farmers were invited to regional workshops to discuss C. autumnale, control measures and related problems. We also encouraged farmers to carry out on-farm experiments. To provide triangulation of the participatory with academic research results, C. autumnale was mapped in three municipalities, covering in total 686 ha. The majority of all grassland plots were extensively managed meadows. More than half of them were not fertilised and were subject to nature conservation regulations. Farmers reported an increase of C. autumnale on 44% of all grassland plots. Of these, grassland management has been extensified in 64%. About 27% of all farmers regarded C. autumnale as a problem. Among farmers who sold hay, 48% considered it as problematic. The field survey showed that C. autumnale covers up to 73% of grasslands. Farmers' knowledge is an important contribution to nature conservation research and should be included in the design and implementation of agri-environmental schemes so that long-term extensive grassland management can be assured.

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“…For instance, individual growth was significantly higher in pastures than in forests and hay meadows. This could be explained by the following: cattle generally avoid Veratrum individuals because of their toxicity, which may give them a competitive advantage over more palatable plant species (Kleijn and Müller-Schärer 2006). In hay meadow populations, individual growth was slow, probably as a result of biomass removal before the end of the growing season.…”

Section: Demographic Variationmentioning

confidence: 99%

Life‐History Variation in Contrasting Habitats: Flowering Decisions in a Clonal Perennial Herb (Veratrum album)

Hesse¹,

Rees²,

Müller‐Schärer³

2008

The American Naturalist

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Quantifying intraspecific demographic variation provides a powerful tool for exploring the diversity and evolution of life histories. We investigate how habitat-specific demographic variation and the production of multiple offspring types affect the population dynamics and evolution of delayed reproduction in a clonal perennial herb with monocarpic ramets (white hellebore). In this species, flowering ramets produce both seeds and asexual offspring. Data on ramet demography are used to parameterize integral projection models, which allow the effects of habitat-specific demographic variation and reproductive mode on population dynamics to be quantified. We then use the evolutionarily stable strategy (ESS) approach to predict the flowering strategy-the relationship between flowering probability and size. This approach is extended to allow offspring types to have different demographies and density-dependent responses. Our results demonstrate that the evolutionarily stable flowering strategies differ substantially among habitats and are in excellent agreement with the observed strategies. Reproductive mode, however, has little effect on the ESSs. Using analytical approximations, we show that flowering decisions are predominantly determined by the asymptotic size of individuals rather than variation in survival or size-fecundity relationships. We conclude that habitat is an important aspect of the selective environment and a significant factor in predicting the ESSs.Keywords: demographic variation, evolutionarily stable strategy (ESS), integral projection models, monocarpic ramets, population dynamics, reproductive mode. Understanding how different patterns of demographic variation drive the establishment and evolution of life histories is one of the main goals of evolutionary ecology (Fox et al. 2001). Most animal and plant species can be found in a wide range of ecologically distinct habitats, and as a result, individuals of the same species may experience substantial variation in demographic rates, such as survival, growth, and fecundity. These demographic heterogeneities between individuals or groups of individuals can have considerable population dynamical consequences and can generate evolutionary change (e. The role of demography as a driving force in life-history evolution is widely recognized, yet relatively few studies have quantified how demographic rates, and consequently life-history traits, vary among individuals and populations of the same species (but see, e.g., Bronikowski et al. 2002;Dorken and Barrett 2003;Frederiksen et al. 2005;Lesica and Young 2005). Instead, much of our knowledge about the diversity and evolution of life histories comes from comparative analyses at the interspecific level. This is surprising, given that intraspecific variation allows the study of ecological constraints on life histories without the confounding effect of phylogeny (Frederiksen et al. 2005). Moreover, across-species comparisons, which are often based on only a limited number of populations per species, m...

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The Relation Between Unpalatable Species, Nutrients and Plant Species Richness in Swiss Montane Pastures

Cited by 16 publications

References 28 publications

Seed bank persistence of clonal weeds in contrasting habitats: implications for control

Seed bank persistence of clonal weeds in contrasting habitats: implications for control

Integrating farmers’ knowledge on toxic plants and grassland management: a case study on Colchicum autumnale in Austria

Life‐History Variation in Contrasting Habitats: Flowering Decisions in a Clonal Perennial Herb (Veratrum album)

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