Search results for "plant community"
showing 10 items of 117 documents
Aridity level, rainfall pattern and soil features as key factors in germination strategies in salt-affected plant communities
2015
Abstract In arid environments, particularly in halophytic habitats, germination ecophysiology is strongly affected by environmental factors, primarily water availability, which is influenced by quantity and seasonal distribution of precipitation and soil properties. The aim of this paper was to demonstrate that water availability is essential for the control of germination and the response of seedlings growing in saline areas. With this approach, we compared the germination strategies in two Halocnemum populations with contrasting rainfall regimes and soil aridity. The germination behavior and radicle growth under various temperature regimes, light conditions and salinity levels were evalua…
Individual and combined effects of disturbance and N addition on understorey vegetation in a subarctic mountain birch forest
2011
Questions: What are the effects of repeated disturbance and N-fertilization on plant community structure in a mountain birch forest? What is the role of enhanced nutrient availability in recovery of understorey vegetation after repeated disturbance? How are responses of soil micro-organisms to disturbance and N-fertilization reflected in nutrient allocation patterns and recovery of understorey vegetation after disturbance? Location: Subarctic mountain birch forest, Finland. Methods: We conducted a fully factorial experiment with annual treatments of disturbance (two levels) and N-fertilization (four levels) during 1998‐2002. We monitored treatment effects on above-ground plant biomass, plan…
Evaluation of a technical revegetation action performed on foredunes at Devesa de la Albufera, Valencia, Spain
2010
We have evaluated the level of restoration achieved by a technical revegetation action carried out on reconstructed foredunes at the Devesa de la Albufera and compared this level with that achieved by spontaneous succession. Foredunes 1, 3, 6 and 20 y old since revegetated (1, 3, 6 and 20 y, respectively) were considered as spatially separated stages representing a successional trend in the development of the restored plant community. Lower and similar levels of diversity (richness and H´ and Pielou´s indexes) and coverage, respectively, were found on dunes corresponding to the oldest stage of technical revegetation compared with that of the reference site. Diversity and coverage parameters…
PHENOLOGICAL ADAPTATION OF ANT-DISPERSED PLANTS TO SEASONAL VARIATION IN ANT ACTIVITY
2002
We studied a temperate plant community to examine whether the reproductive phenology of ant-dispersed plants is correlated with seasonal variation in seed dispersal activity of ants. We documented flowering and fruiting peak of 24 ant-dispersed and 251 non-ant-dispersed plant species. To characterize the activity of ants, we quantified the seasonal removal rates of greater celandine (Chelidonium majus) seeds. Ant-dispersed plants flowered on average 5.6 wk and fruited 7.1 wk earlier than those with other dispersal modes. This difference was not caused by variation in growth form or habitat. Mean fruiting peak of ant-dispersed plants was early July. Ant activity was especially high between M…
The role of rock mining for maintaining Dauco carotae-Crepidetum rhoeadifoliae Hejný et Grüll in Hejný et al. 1979 — a new to Poland plant association
2013
AbstractThis work presents the Dauco carotae-Crepidetum rhoeadifoliae plant association, which is new to Poland. The association has been observed in industrial reclamation areas in the vicinity of carbonate mineral excavation sites in the central part of the Opole region. In the vast majority of cases, plots of this association developed in reclaimed areas. The majority of diagnostic species for the association was found within surveyed plots, including Verbascum thapsus, V. densiflorum and Bryum argenteum. Taxa characteristic of the alliance were also constantly present, i.e. Daucus carota, Melilotus alba, M. officinalis, Echium vulgare and Erysimum hieracifolium. This association belongs…
Typhetum laxmannii (Ubrizsy 1961) Nedelcu 1968 - The new plant association in Poland
2011
<em>Typhetum laxmannii</em> (Ubrizsy 1961) Nedelcu 1968 is a plant association new to Poland, built by an expansive kenophyte - <em>Typha laxmannii</em> Lepech. This paper presents the general distribution of both, the species and the association, paying particular attention to the area of Europe and Poland where, in recent years, many new locations as well as an increasing participation in vegetation cover have been observed. The habitat preferences of <em>Typhetum laxmannii</em>, the floristic composition of the association and its geographical differentiation within the occupied area are described. The current distribution of the association in Poland …
Geobotanical approach to detect land-use change of a Mediterranean landscape: a case study in Central-Western Sicily
2018
A landscape is a palimpsest of the interactions between human activities and ecological dynamics. In an interdisciplinary perspective of dialogue between the ‘Two Cultures’ (Natural Sciences and Humanities), a study of a rural area has been carried out through a reading of plant ecosystems as signs of human impact. The purpose of this paper—as part of the project ‘Harvesting Memories’: Ecology and landscape archaeology of Castro/Giardinallo Valley and Mt. Barrau district (Corleone, Palermo, Sicily)—is to analyse the formative-processes of a Sicilian rural landscape and its changes in the last century. A key element in the reconstruction of the formation of the present landscape is the serie…
Geographical patterns of species turnover in aquatic plant communities
2001
1. A classic theory in biogeography predicts that high latitude communities are unstable. This may be because of decreased species richness or decreased environmental predictability and productivity towards the poles. 2. We studied latitudinal patterns in long-term community persistence of aquatic vascular plants in 112 Finnish lakes, situated within a 1000-km range from the northernmost to the southernmost lake. 3. Contrary to theoretical predictions, we found that the turnover rate of plant species in 45 years was inversely related to latitude. That is, plant communities in northern lakes were more persistent than communities in southern lakes. When we used multiple regression to find the…
Are there steady-state phytoplankton assemblages in the field?
2003
The difficulty in advancing in Ecology is due, in part, to the fact that this science uses a mainly qualitative language instead of a more formal or mathematical one. Therefore, many ecologists' efforts are expended in controversies resulting from the vagueness of ecological concepts, for example: stability, equilibrium, ecosystem, community, and so on. When approaching the study of steady-state phytoplankton assemblage, the different interpretations of these concepts can paralyse fruitful discussion. In the following pages, there is an endeavour to both restrict and precise the meaning of some of the concepts related to this topic and to broaden the range of possibilities of steady-state i…