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1.
VIRGINIA GALLEGOS PÉRULA RAFAEL M. NAVARRO CERRILLO PILAR FERNÁNDEZ REBOLLOo GEMADEL VALLE MURILLO 《Environmental management》2003,31(1):0086-0099
The objective of this study was to examine postfire regeneration of tree, shrub, and dwarf shrub species, in relation to levels
of damage in four planted pine forests (Pinus pinea, Pinus pinaster) in Andalusia. A prefire vegetation map was used for detailing species composition, vertical structure, and density and another
for detailing the extent and intensity of fire damage. Between 3 and 7 years after the fires, an inventory was made of the
vegetation in each area, using the step-point method. The information thus obtained was used to determine the amount of cover
in the dwarf/shrub and tree layers, the frequency of species in each of the layers, floristic richness, and diversity (Shannon
index). The botanical composition of the dwarf and shrub layer was analyzed using TWINSPAN. Variables were poorly correlated
with level of fire damage, which suggests that the forests in this study followed the autosuccession model. Because of the
artificial origin or seminatural condition, regeneration of the dominant tree species is poor, and it seems unlikely that
forests will recover to their prefire state. Therefore action is recommended to restore these ecosystems. 相似文献
2.
Gallegos Pérula V Navarro Cerrillo RM Fernández Rebolloo P Valle Murillo G 《Environmental management》2003,31(1):86-99
The objective of this study was to examine postfire regeneration of tree, shrub, and dwarf shrub species, in relation to levels of damage in four planted pine forests (Pinus pinea, Pinus pinaster) in Andalusia. A prefire vegetation map was used for detailing species composition, vertical structure, and density and another for detailing the extent and intensity of fire damage. Between 3 and 7 years after the fires, an inventory was made of the vegetation in each area, using the step-point method. The information thus obtained was used to determine the amount of cover in the dwarf/shrub and tree layers, the frequency of species in each of the layers, floristic richness, and diversity (Shannon index). The botanical composition of the dwarf and shrub layer was analyzed using TWINSPAN. Variables were poorly correlated with level of fire damage, which suggests that the forests in this study followed the autosuccession model. Because of the artificial origin or seminatural condition, regeneration of the dominant tree species is poor, and it seems unlikely that forests will recover to their prefire state. Therefore action is recommended to restore these ecosystems. 相似文献
3.
Kathleen A. Dwire Sandra E. Ryan Laura J. Shirley Danna Lytjen Nick Otting Mark K. Dixon 《Journal of the American Water Resources Association》2006,42(1):201-212
Streamside vegetation frequently regenerates faster than upland vegetation following wildland fire and contributes to the recovery of riparian and stream ecosystems. Limited data are available, however, on the post‐fire growth of riparian species and the influence of herbivory on regeneration. To determine post‐fire regrowth of riparian vegetation, height, crown area, crown volume, and browse levels were measured for key riparian shrub species in streamside burned and unburned plots along second‐order streams in western Wyoming. Shrubs in the burned plots were subject to high levels of browse ‐ up to 84 percent of the leaders were browsed ‐ by native ungulates in 2002, the second post‐fire year (September 2001 to September 2002). In summer 2003, the burned watershed was also grazed by livestock, resulting in increased browse levels and decreased shrub heights for several species. In the third post‐fire year, September 2002 to September 2003, four of the six most common species showed no increase in crown area or crown volume, indicating that the combination of native ungulate and cattle browsing suppressed their growth. Potential impacts of grazing on post‐fire recovery of stream and riparian ecosystems are discussed. 相似文献
4.
Stohlgren TJ Chong GW Schell LD Rimar KA Otsuki Y Lee M Kalkhan MA Villa CA 《Environmental management》2002,29(4):566-577
Basic information on where nonnative plant species have successfully invaded is lacking. We assessed the vulnerability of
22 vegetation types (25 sets of four plots in nine study areas) to nonnative plant invasions in the north–central United States.
In general, habitats with high native species richness were more heavily invaded than species-poor habitats, low-elevation
areas were more invaded than high-elevation areas, and riparian zones were more invaded than nearby upland sites. For the
100 1000-m2 plots (across all vegetation types), 50% of the variation in nonnative species richness was explained by longitude, latitude,
native plant species richness, soil total percentage nitrogen, and mean maximum July temperature (n = 100 plots; P < 0.001). At the vegetation-type scale (n = 25 sets of four 1000-m2 plots/type), 64% of the variation in nonnative species richness was explained by native plant species richness, elevation,
and October to June precipitation (P < 0.001). The foliar cover of nonnative species (log) was strongly positively correlated with the nonnative species richness at the
plot scale (r = 0.77, P < 0.001) and vegetation-type scale (r = 0.83, P < 0.001). We concluded that, at the vegetation-type and regional scales in the north–central United States, (1) vegetation types
rich in native species are often highly vulnerable to invasion by nonnative plant species; (2) where several nonnative species
become established, nonnative species cover can substantially increase; (3) the attributes that maintain high native plant
species richness (high light, water, nitrogen, and temperatures) also help maintain nonnative plant species richness; and
(4) more care must be taken to preserve native species diversity in highly vulnerable habitats. 相似文献
5.
Measuring Plant Diversity in the Tall Threetip Sagebrush Steppe: Influence of Previous Grazing Management Practices 总被引:2,自引:0,他引:2
In July 2000, a 490-ha wildfire burned a portion of a long-term grazing study that had been established in 1924 at the US Sheep Experiment Station north of Dubois, Idaho, USA. Earlier vegetation measurements in this tall
threetip sagebrush (Artemisia tripartita spp. tripartita) bunchgrass plant community documented significant changes in vegetation due to grazing and the timing of grazing by sheep. A study was initiated in May 2001 using 12 multiscale modified Whittaker plots to determine the consequences of previous grazing practices on postfire vegetation composition. Because there was only one wildfire and it did not burn all of the original plots, the treatments are not replicated in time or space. We reduce the potential effects of psuedoreplication by confining our discussion to the sample area only. There were a total of 84 species in the sampled areas with 69 in the spring-grazed area and 70 each in the fall- and ungrazed areas. Vegetation within plots was equally rich and even with similar numbers of abundant species. The spring-grazed plots, however, had half as much plant cover as the fall- and ungrazed plots and the spring-grazed plots had the largest proportion of plant cover composed of introduced (27%) and annual (34%) plants. The fall-grazed plots had the highest proportion of native perennial grasses (43%) and the lowest proportion of native annual forbs (1%). The ungrazed plots had the lowest proportion of introduced plants (4%) and the highest proportion of native perennial forbs (66%). The vegetation of spring-grazed plots is in a degraded condition for the environment and further degradation may continue, with or without continued grazing or some other disturbance. If ecosystem condition was based solely on plant diversity and only a count of species numbers was used to determine plant diversity, this research would have falsely concluded that grazing and timing of grazing did not impact the condition of the ecosystem. 相似文献
6.
Helen Mills Poulos Rachael S. Freeman Jennifer M. Karberg Karen C. Beattie Danielle I. ODell Kelly A. Omand 《Environmental management》2020,65(1):111-121
Coastal sandplains provide habitat for a suite of rare and endangered plant and wildlife species in the northeastern United States. These early successional plant communities were maintained by natural and anthropogenic disturbances including salt spray, fire, and livestock grazing, but over the last 150 years, a decrease in anthropogenic disturbance frequency and intensity has resulted in a shift towards woody shrub dominance at the expense of herbaceous taxa. This study quantified the effects of more than a decade of dormant season disturbance-based vegetation management (mowing and prescribed fire) on coastal sandplain plant community composition on Nantucket Island, Massachusetts, USA. We used time-series plant cover data from two similar sites to evaluate the effectiveness of disturbance management for restoring herbaceous species cover and reducing woody shrub dominance. Our results indicate that applying management outside of the peak of the growing season has not been effective in maintaining or increasing the cover of herbaceous species. While management activities resulted in significant (P < 0.01) increases in herbaceous species immediately after treatment, woody species recolonized and dominated treated sites within 3-years post treatment at the expense of graminoids and forbs. These results highlight the difficulties associated with directing ecological succession using disturbance-based management to maintain rare, herbaceous species in coastal sandplain systems that were once a prevalent landscape component under historically chronic anthropogenic disturbance. Further experimentation with growing season disturbance-based management and different combinations of management techniques could provide insights into management alternatives for maintaining herbaceous conservation targets in coastal sandplains. 相似文献
7.
Scott R. Abella 《Environmental management》2010,46(3):391-403
Globally the area in forest plantations is rising by 2% annually, increasing the importance of plantations for production
of human goods and services and for ecological functions such as carbon storage and biodiversity conservation. Specifically
in the Great Lakes states and provinces of Midwestern North America, thousands of hectares of pine plantations were established
in the early and mid-1900s to revegetate abandoned agricultural fields that had replaced mixed-species forests and oak–prairie
ecosystems. Plantation establishment also was intended to bolster the timber base. Management priorities have shifted, with
many resource managers currently seeking to manage existing plantations for promoting mixed-species ecosystems. The purpose
of this study was to assess plant succession and the reestablishment of oak savanna and prairie species after thinning 14
plantations of Pinus resinosa and strobus in northwestern Ohio, USA. Thinning reduced tree basal area by an average of 75%. Plant communities were sampled on 0.05-ha
plots one and 3 years after thinning and compared to 10 unthinned control plantations. By 3 years after thinning, thinned
plots contained 2–3 times more species and 14 times more plant cover than control plots. The species composition of colonizing
plants was most strongly correlated with residual pine basal area and soil variables related to drainage (e.g., sand concentration,
available water capacity). Although plant composition was dominated by widespread colonizers such as Erechtites hieraciifolia, the coefficient of conservatism (indicative of species of more intact, undisturbed communities) significantly increased
on thinned plots from year 1 to 3. This finding, coupled with the presence of four rare, state-listed Ohio species whose eight
plot occurrences all were on thinned plots, suggests that plant composition is moving towards species typifying more high-quality
savanna and prairie habitats. 相似文献
8.
Anthropogenic fires in Africa are an ancient form of environmental disturbance, which probably have shaped the savanna vegetation more than any other human induced disturbance. Despite anthropogenic fires having played a significant role in savanna management by herders, previous ecological research did not incorporate the traditional knowledge of anthropogenic fire history. This paper integrates ecological data and anthropogenic fire history, as reconstructed by herders, to assess landscape and regional level vegetation change in northeastern Namibia. We investigated effects of fire frequency (i.e. <5, 5-10 and >10 years) to understand changes in vegetation cover, life form species richness and savanna conditions (defined as a ratio of shrub cover to herbaceous cover). Additionally, we analysed trends in the vegetation variables between different fire histories at the landscape and regional scales. Shrub cover was negatively correlated to herbaceous cover and herbaceous species richness. The findings showed that bush cover homogenisation at landscape and regional scales may suggest that the problem of bush encroachment was widespread. Frequent fires reduced shrub cover temporarily and promoted herbaceous cover. The effects on tree cover were less dramatic. The response to fire history was scale-independent for shrub, herbaceous and tree cover, but scale-dependent for the richness of grass and tree life forms. Fire history, and not grazing pressure, improved savanna conditions. The findings emphasise the need to assess effects of anthropogenic fires on vegetation change before introducing new fire management policies in savanna ecosystems of northeastern Namibia. 相似文献
9.
Shrub encroachment into open woodland is a widespread phenomenon in semi-arid woodlands worldwide. Encroachment or woody thickening, is thought to result from overgrazing, changes in fire regimes and increased atmospheric carbon dioxide concentrations. Eighteen years after one-off shrub removal by ploughing we assessed the effects of four different land management systems resulting from two levels each of grazing (grazed, ungrazed) with and without ploughing, on the cover of landscape units, soil surface condition, diversity of understorey plants and density of shrubs. We recorded 2–7 times more patches under conventional conservation (unploughed-ungrazed) than the others treatments, and plant cover and diversity were greater on the two conservation (ungrazed) plots, irrespective of ploughing. Soils under shrubs and log mounds had greater indices of infiltration, stability and nutrients. Shrub density under the active pastoral (ploughed-grazed) treatment was two and a half times greater than that in other treatments, but results were not significant. The effects of different treatments on shrubs were largely species-specific. Overall, our results suggest that ploughing does not provide long-term control of encroaching shrubs. 相似文献
10.
Schinus terebinthifolius, native to South America, has become an aggressive woody weed in southern Florida, displacing native vegetation as well as
rapidly invading disturbed sites. Studies to evaluate the effectiveness of fire as a management option for controllingSchinus on abandoned farmland in Everglades National Park, known as the “Hole-in-the-Donut,” began in 1979. Study plots were established
to monitor any change(s) in herbaceous cover and in numbers and size ofSchinus stems. Except in the control plot (which was not burned), each site was burned as often as fuel conditions permitted (usually
once every one or two years), through 1985. Results indicated that both the number and density ofSchinus stems increased over the course of the study. While plots that burned showed a reduction in the rate ofSchinus invasion, invasion still progressed rapidly with or without the occurrence of fire. The increase inSchinus stem density from 1980 to 1985 was highly significant in all transects except one. Herbaceous cover showed no clear trends
relative to burning. 相似文献
11.
We compared the composition and structural characteristics of reclaimed and native woody plant communities near Fairfield,
Texas, to evaluate the effectiveness of woodland reclamation 3–11 years since establishment. Species composition, foliage
density, canopy cover, and woody plant densities were recorded in plots randomly placed along transects bisecting blocks of
reclaimed and native woodlands. During summer, vertical foliage densities at heights ≤2 m were similar among native and reclaimed
areas. Foliage density and canopy cover declined in reclaimed blocks during winter, but remained relatively constant in native
woodlands, where evergreens and vines were more common. Canopy cover was absent in reclaimed woodlands <6 years old but increased
with age in 6 to 11-year-old blocks. These data indicated that approximately 27 years will be needed before trees in reclaimed
blocks will achieve the stature of canopy trees in native woodlands. Reclaimed woodlands contained different woody plant species
and had lower woody stem densities compared to native woodlands. On average, stem densities in reclaimed blocks were six times
lower than densities in native woodlands. Comparisons with planting records indicate that survival of most commonly planted
woody species was low. Only green ash(Fraxinus pennsylvanica), Russian oliver(Elaeagnus commutata), smooth sumac(Rhus glabra), and redbud(Cercis canadensis) had estimated survival rates >50%. Reclamation procedures used at Big Brown Mine (BBM) during 1981–1988 have not produced
woodland habitats with vegetative characteristics comparable to premined woodlands and may not be providing the cover needed
to encourage use by certain wildlife species. Procedures for improving woodland reclamation are recommended. 相似文献
12.
/ Mechanized military maneuvers are an intensive form of disturbance to plant communities in large areas throughout the world. Tracking by heavy vehicles can cause direct mortality and indirectly affect plant communities through soil compaction and by altering competitive relationships. We assessed the long-term condition of structural attributes of open woodland, grassland, and shrubland communities at Fort Carson, Colorado, in relation to levels of disturbance and soil texture. Covariate analyses were used to help separate the directional forcings by the chronic disturbance from the regenerative capacities in order to assess the relative resistance and resilience of the communities and to determine whether the continual disturbance-recovery processes balanced under current levels of utilization. All three communities responded differently to disturbance. In open woodlands, altered understory/overstory relationships were suggested by increased grass, forb, shrub, and total vegetation cover and smaller decreases in shorter than taller woody species with increasing levels of disturbance. Grassland communities generally displayed greater responses to disturbance than other communities, but temporal dynamics were often similar, indicating relatively less resistance but greater resilience of this community. Weed and exotic species increased both temporally and in relation to levels of disturbance in all three community types. Temporal trends in community-level indices of dissimilarity and diversity also indicate that rates of disturbance were greater than rates of recovery. Few variables were related to within-community differences in soil texture. While total aerial cover was temporally stable, changes in species composition and in basal cover in grasslands and shrublands suggest increasing erosion potential. 相似文献
13.
Prior to Anglo-European settlement, fire was a major ecological process influencing the structure, composition and productivity of shortgrass prairie ecosystems on the Great Plains. However during the past 125 years, the frequency and extent of grassland fire has dramatically declined as a result of the systematic heavy grazing by large herds of domestic cattle and sheep which reduced the available levels of fine fuel and organized fire suppression efforts that succeeded in altering the natural fire regime. The greatly diminished role of recurrent fire in these ecosystems is thought to be responsible for ecologically adverse shifts in the composition, structure and diversity of these grasslands, leading specifically to the rise of ruderal species and invasion by less fire-tolerant species. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the ecological effects of fire season and frequency on the shortgrass prairie and to determine the means by which prescribed fire can best be restored in this ecosystem to provide the greatest benefit for numerous resource values. Plant cover, diversity, biomass and nutrient status, litter cover and soil chemistry were measured prior to and following fire treatments on a buffalograss-blue grama shortgrass prairie in northeastern New Mexico. Dormant-season fire was followed by increases in grass cover, forb cover, species richness and concentrations of foliar P, K, Ca, Mg and Mn. Growing-season fire produced declines in the cover of buffalograss, graminoids and forbs and increases in litter cover and levels of foliar P, K, Ca and Mn. Although no changes in soil chemistry were observed, both fire treatments caused decreases in herbaceous production, with standing biomass resulting from growing-season fire approximately 600 kg/ha and dormant-season fire approximately 1200 kg/ha, compared with controls approximately 1800 kg/ha. The initial findings of this long-term experiment suggest that dormant-season burning may be the preferable method for restoring fire in shortgrass prairie ecosystems where fire has been excluded for a prolonged time period. 相似文献
14.
Soil, water and species diversity relationships are central components of the vegetation ecology. In this connection, the
present study was performed on the three sites within the campus of Banaras Hindu University of India, to relate herbaceous
species diversity to soil physical characteristic and the intensity of biotic interferences. At each site, three, 10 m × 10 m
plots were randomly established and within each plot, four quadrats each 50 cm × 50 cm were randomly placed for sampling.
For each quadrat, number of individuals and their herbage cover were recorded by species. Soil physical characteristics (soil
moisture, water-holding capacity, soil porosity and bulk density), elements of biotic interferences and α-diversity and its
components were determined for each plot. The plots were ordinated by Non-metric Multidimensional Scaling (NMS) using Importance
Value Indices of the component species. Results showed that the selected locations differed in terms of soil moisture and
species diversity parameters due to differences in biotic interferences. NMS ordination yielded three groups corresponding
to the three communities experiencing different intensity of land use. NMS axes were substantially related to the soil and
herbaceous diversity parameters and suggested that the elements of soil physical characteristics, intensity of biotic interferences
and regional herbaceous species pool had profound effect on the organization and determination of herbaceous floristic composition.
Further, the sample locations exhibiting greater soil moisture, water-holding capacity, soil porosity and lesser soil bulk
density harboured greater herbaceous diversity. A negative relationship between indices of species diversity and soil bulk
density revealed that the dry and compact soils due to greater biotic pressure contributed to the loss of species diversity.
Reduction in livestock numbers, grazing pressure and soil bulk density could be helpful in the promotion of soil quality and
species diversity. 相似文献
15.
Causes and consequences of woody plant encroachment into western North American grasslands 总被引:3,自引:0,他引:3
As woody plants encroach into grasslands, grass biomass, density and cover decline as wood plant biomass, density and cover increase. There is also a shift in location of the biomass from mostly belowground in the grasslands to aboveground in the woodlands. In addition, species richness and diversity change as herbaceous species are replaced by woody species. This is not a new phenomenon, but has been going on continually as the climate of the Planet has changed. However, in the past 160 years the changes have been unparalleled. The process is encroachment not invasion because woody species that have been increasing in density are native species and have been present in these communities for thousands of years. These indigenous or native woody species have increased in density, cover and biomass because of changes in one or more abiotic or biotic factors or conditions. Woody species that have increased in density and cover are not the cause of the encroachment, but the result of changes of other factors. Globally, the orbit of the Earth is becoming more circular and less elliptical, causing moderation of the climate. Additional global climate changing factors including elevated levels of CO2 and parallel increases in temperature are background factors and probably not the principal causes directing the current wave of encroachment. There is probably not a single reason for encroachment, but a combination of factors that are difficult to disentangle. The prime cause of the current and recent encroachment appears to be high and constant levels of grass herbivory by domestic animals. This herbivory reduces fine fuel with a concomitant reduction in fire frequency or in some cases a complete elimination of fire from these communities. Conditions would now favor the woody plants over the grasses. Reduced grass competition, woody plant seed dispersal and changes in animal populations seem to modify the rate of encroachment rather than being the cause. High concentrations of atmospheric CO2 are not required to explain current woody plant encroachment. Changes in these grassland communities will continue into the future but the specifics are difficult to predict. Density, cover and species composition will fluctuate and will probably continue to change. Increased levels of anthropogenic soil nitrogen suggest replacement of many legumes by other woody species. Modification and perhaps reversal of the changes in these former grassland communities will be an arduous, continuing and perhaps impossible management task. 相似文献
16.
The Effects of Long-Term Grazing Exclosures on Range Plants in the Central Anatolian Region of Turkey 总被引:1,自引:0,他引:1
Over the last fifty years, almost half of the steppe rangeland in the Central Anatolian Region of Turkey (CAR) has been converted
to cropland without an equivalent reduction in grazing animals. This shift has led to heavy grazing pressure on rangeland
vegetation. A study was initiated in June 2003 using 6 multiscale Modified-Whittaker plots to determine differences in plant
composition between areas that have not been grazed in 27 years with neighboring grazed plant communities. A total of 113
plant species were identified in the study area with the ungrazed plots containing 32 plants more than the grazed plots. The
major species were Astragalus acicularis, Bromus tomentellus, Festuca valesiaca, Genista albida, Globularia orientalis, Poa bulbosa, and Thymus spyleus ssp rosulans. Grazing impacts on forbs were more pronounced than for grasses and shrubs. Based on Jaccard’s index, there was only a 37%
similarity of plant species between the two treatments. Our study led to four generalizations about the current grazing regime
and long-term exclosures in the steppe rangeland around the study area: (1) exclosures will increase species richness, (2)
heavy grazing may have removed some plant species, (3) complete protection from grazing for a prolonged period of time after
a long history of grazing disturbance may not lead to an increase in desirable plant species with a concomitant improvement
in range condition, and (4) research needs to be conducted to determine how these rangelands can be improved. 相似文献
17.
Ge Sun Changqing Zuo Shiyu Liu Mingliang Liu Steven G. McNulty James M. Vose 《Journal of the American Water Resources Association》2008,44(5):1164-1175
Abstract: Natural forests in southern China have been severely logged due to high human demand for timber, food, and fuels during the past century, but are recovering in the past decade. The objective of this study was to investigate how vegetation cover changes in composition and structure affected the water budgets of a 9.6‐km2 Dakeng watershed located in a humid subtropical mountainous region in southern China. We analyzed 27 years (i.e., 1967‐1993) of streamflow and climate data and associated vegetation cover change in the watershed. Land use/land cover census and Normalized Difference of Vegetation Index (NDVI) data derived from remote sensing were used to construct historic land cover change patterns. We found that over the period of record, annual streamflow (Q) and runoff/precipitation ratio did not change significantly, nor did the climatic variables, including air temperature, Hamon’s potential evapotranspiration (ET), pan evaporation, sunshine hours, and radiation. However, annual ET estimated as the differences between P and Q showed a statistically significant increasing trend. Overall, the NDVI of the watershed had a significant increasing trend in the peak spring growing season. This study concluded that watershed ecosystem ET increased as the vegetation cover shifted from low stock forests to shrub and grasslands that had higher ET rates. A conceptual model was developed for the study watershed to describe the vegetation cover‐streamflow relationships during a 50‐year time frame. This paper highlighted the importance of eco‐physiologically based studies in understanding transitory, nonstationary effects of deforestation or forestation on watershed water balances. 相似文献
18.
Native rangelands of the southwest part of the province of Santiago del Estero, Argentina, are a key source of forage for cow-calf operations. The objectives of this study were to delineate the ecosystem units of the area, to describe the associated plant communities and to interpret the role that physical factors and disturbances such as fire and grazing have had in the changes of the structure of these plant communities. This information is needed for developing recommendations for grazing management, for prescribing appropriate improvement practices (e.g. shrub control, prescribed fire) and as guidelines for future research. The ecosystem was divided into smaller units using a hierarchical method, the categories of practical importance being 'range unit' and 'range site'. They represent the catchment and hillslope scale of the water runoff-runon phenomenon, respectively. Vegetation was sampled using a block and cluster sampling design, registering tree, shrub, forb and grass species frequency, and the standing aerial biomass of the herbaceous layer in a sampling unit=1 ha. Environmental data (topographic position, fire frequency, current and past use, and tree and shrub cover) were also registered for each sampling unit. Indirect ordination of sampling units classified according to range units and range sites, and correlation with environmental variables were performed using multidimensional scaling (MDS) as well as the vector fitting technique. Standing forage and stocking rate were estimated from biomass data. Results indicate that 'range site' is the ecosystem unit that should be considered for management purposes since it correlates well with plant communities: tall, hardwood forests are located on upland sites, woodlands are located on midland sites and savannas are located on lowland sites. Dense shrub thickets dominate in areas rated in poor condition, irrespective of range site. Disturbances such as fire and current and past use have a significant positive and negative correlation with range condition, respectively, suggesting that a state and transition model would explain vegetation dynamics better than the succession model. The estimated stocking rate in lowland sites in good condition was 2 ha UG(-1), while in upland sites in poor condition the stocking rate was 90 ha UG(-1). Active (fire, mechanical treatments) rather than passive (grazing management) methods should be used for range improvement in order to achieve the full potential of the ecosystem. 相似文献
19.
Effects of Coffee Management Intensity on Composition, Structure, and Regeneration Status of Ethiopian Moist Evergreen Afromontane Forests 总被引:1,自引:0,他引:1
Kitessa Hundera Raf Aerts Alexandre Fontaine Maarten Van Mechelen Pieter Gijbels Olivier Honnay Bart Muys 《Environmental management》2013,51(3):801-809
The effect of arabica coffee management intensity on composition, structure, and regeneration of moist evergreen Afromontane forests was studied in three traditional coffee-management systems of southwest Ethiopia: semiplantation coffee, semiforest coffee, and forest coffee. Vegetation and environmental data were collected in 84 plots from forests varying in intensity of coffee management. After controlling for environmental variation (altitude, aspect, slope, soil nutrient availability, and soil depth), differences in woody species composition, forest structure, and regeneration potential among management systems were compared using one way analysis of variance. The study showed that intensification of forest coffee cultivation to maximize coffee production negatively affects diversity and structure of Ethiopian moist evergreen Afromontane forests. Intensification of coffee productivity starts with the conversion of forest coffee to semiforest coffee, which has significant negative effects on tree seedling abundance. Further intensification leads to the conversion of semiforest to semiplantation coffee, causing significant diversity losses and the collapse of forest structure (decrease of stem density, basal area, crown closure, crown cover, and dominant tree height). Our study underlines the need for shade certification schemes to include variables other than canopy cover and that the loss of species diversity in intensively managed coffee systems may jeopardize the sustainability of coffee production itself through the decrease of ecosystem resilience and disruption of ecosystem services related to coffee yield, such as pollination and pest control. 相似文献
20.
Hegetschweiler KT van Loon N Ryser A Rusterholz HP Baur B 《Environmental management》2009,43(2):299-310
Urban forests are popular recreation areas in Europe. Several of these temperate broad-leaved forests also have a high conservation
value due to sustainable management over many centuries. Recreational activities, particularly the use of fireplaces, can
cause extensive damage to soil, ground vegetation, shrubs, and trees. Firewood collection depletes woody debris, leading to
a loss of habitat for specialized organisms. We examined the effects of fireplace use on forest vegetation and the amount
of woody debris by comparing disturbed and control plots in suburban forests in northwestern Switzerland. At frequently used
fireplaces, we found reduced species densities in the ground vegetation and shrub layer and changes in plant species composition
due to human trampling within an area of 150–200 m2. Picnicking and grilling also reduced the height and changed the age structure of shrubs and young trees. The amount of woody
debris was lower in disturbed plots than in control plots. Pieces of wood with a diameter of 0.6–7.6 cm were preferentially
collected by fireplace users. The reduction in woody debris volume extended up to a distance of 16 m from the fire ring, covering
an area of 800 m2 at each picnic site. In order to preserve the ecological integrity of urban forests and to maintain their attractiveness
as important recreation areas, we suggest depositing logging residues to be used as firewood and to restrict visitor movements
near picnic sites. 相似文献