Canopy structure versus physiology effects on net photosynthesis of mountain grasslands differing in land use

The present paper aims at investigating how changes in canopy structure and species physiology associated with the abandonment of mountain meadows and pastures affect their net photosynthesis. For this purpose, a multi-layer vegetation–atmosphere transfer (VAT) model is employed, which explicitly takes into account the structural and functional properties of the various canopy components and species. Three sites differing in land use are investigated, a meadow, a pasture and an abandoned area. Model simulations agree reasonably with measured canopy net photosynthetic rates, the meadow featuring the highest daily net photosynthesis, followed by the pasture and, finally, the abandoned area. A detailed process analysis suggests this ranking to be mainly due to bulk canopy physiology, which decreases from the meadow to the pasture and the abandoned area, reflecting species composition and species-specific photosynthetic capacities. Differences between the canopies with regard to canopy structure are found to be of minor importance. The amounts of green, photosynthetically active plant matter are too similar at the three sites to be a major source of variation in net photosynthesis. Large differences exist between the canopies with regard to the amount of photosynthetically inactive phytoelements. Even though a model analysis showed them to be potentially important, most of them are accumulated close to the ground surface, where they exert little influence on canopy net photosynthesis.     

Positive long-term effect of mulching on species and functional trait diversity in a nutrient-poor mountain meadow in Central Europe

Oligotrophic mountain meadows are threatened biodiversity hotspots throughout Europe. The traditional summer hay-making followed by autumn grazing is no longer economic and question is whether alternative managements can maintain both plant species and functional diversity typical of these habitats. In the Bohemian Forest Mts., we applied three treatments (mowing once a year - i.e., cutting and removing the biomass, mulching once a year - cutting and leaving the crushed biomass to decompose in situ, fallowing - no cutting) in order to assess temporal changes in meadow vegetation, plant trait composition and biomass production in a 13-year experiment. We recorded for each species twenty-five traits as to be most informative of plant strategies related to growth, resource acquisition and carbon-water economy. We compared different components of trait composition (community averages that mostly reflect traits of dominant species vs. the Rao index of functional diversity that reflects trait dissimilarity among species) and their impact on biomass production. We show that mulching promotes species and functional diversity by facilitating heliophilous forbs and legumes with more acquisitive strategies in resource use and release, e.g., higher foliar N and P content. This occurs at the expense of tall grasses (with resource-retentive strategies, e.g., high leaf dry matter content) which dominate the mown and fallow plots. The divergence in most quantitative traits indicates that niche complementarity is the dominant assembly process in mulched plots, which can prevent competitive exclusion and enable species coexistence. The divergent development was detected only after 5-6 years. This slow floristic and functional response is caused by acidity of soil and severe mountain climate that preclude rapid responses of vegetation to land-use changes. We conclude that mulching represents a good compromise maintaining both plant species and functional diversity as well as a relatively high biomass production. Mowing without grazing leads to gradual nutrient loss and thus reduces the productivity and diversity in these oligotrophic ecosystems. Fallowing causes gradual loss in diversity by increased grass competition and litter accumulation.     

Multiple paternity in meadow voles (Microtus pennsylvanicus): investigating the role of the female

Multiple paternity in single litters conceived in the wild was recently demonstrated in meadow voles (Microtuspennsylvanicus). In this study, we used an experimental approach (males tethered and females allowed to mate freely with one or several males) to investigate the role of female meadow voles in multiple paternity. We found that among 29 (of 39) females that copulated during our experiment, 79.3% chose to mate with more than one male. Female behavior in meadow voles thus clearly promotes multiple paternity and their role is an active one. Some of the hypotheses explaining promiscuity in meadow voles should be reconsidered in light of this result. We do not know the primary determinant of female mate choice, but male body mass played a secondary role in driving female preferences. The partial dependence between male body mass and female choice, coupled with the active role played by females, indicates that intersexual selection has the potential for reinforcing the effects of intrasexual selection (male-male dominance relationships) in this species. Finally, we demonstrate that the time period over which tests are conducted is an important part of the design of experiments aimed at understanding the role of females in multiple paternity. Received: 14 April 1998 / Accepted after revision: 12 September 1998     

Effects of grassland conversion to croplands on soil organic carbon in the temperate Inner Mongolia

This study investigated the effects of grassland conversion to croplands on soil organic carbon (SOC) in a typical grassland-dominated basin of the Inner Mongolia using direct field samplings. The results indicated that SOC contents decreased usually with increasing soil depth, with significant differences between the upper horizons (0-30cm) and the underlying horizons (30-100cm). Also, SOC densities decreased with an increase in the depth of soils. Average SOC densities in the upper horizons were 2.6-3.7 and 6.0-8.3kgCm(-2) for desert grassland-cropland sites (sites 1 and 2) and meadow-cropland sites (sites 3 and 4), respectively, with significant differences between grasslands and croplands (P<0.05). However, the SOC densities in the underlying horizons did not significantly differ between the land uses. The SOC densities up to 100cm depth were much higher in the meadow-cropland sites than in the desert grassland-cropland sites, reaching approximately 16 and 6kgCm(-2), respectively. The SOC: total nitrogen (TN) ratios were approximately 10, with no significant difference among the soil horizons of grasslands and croplands. The conversion of grasslands to croplands induced a slight loss of SOC, with a range of from -4% to 22% for the 0-100cm soil depth over about a 35-year period, in the temperate Inner Mongolia.     

Winter losses of nitrogen and phosphorus from Italian ryegrass, meadow fescue and white clover in a northern temperate climate

We have studied to what degree Italian ryegrass (Lolium multiflorum Lam.), white clover (Trifolium repens L.) and meadow fescue (Festuca pratensis L.) are able to preserve nitrogen (N) and phosphorous (P) in shoots and roots from one growing season to the next in a northern temperate climate. Field experiments were performed during four consecutive winters in central southeast Norway (60°42′N, 10°51′E), and N and P in plant biomass were measured in the autumn and in the spring. We also measured the contents of total N, total P and organic carbon (C) in seepage water that percolated through the aboveground plant material. Uptake of N and P in Italian ryegrass and white clover was substantially larger than in meadow fescue. The winter losses varied greatly from year to year, depending on the winter climate. On the average for all three of the plant species, the winter losses of N from aboveground biomass were 6, 35, 68 and 10% in the four experimental years, respectively. The corresponding P losses were 11, 36, 60 and 22%. On the average for all plant species and experimental years, 43 (±12)% (S.E., n = 12) of the N, 34 (±9)% of the P and 4 (±1)% of the C that was lost from the aboveground plant biomass during the winter, was recovered in seepage water, basically as a nutrient pulse in melt water in early spring. The very low C recovery rate in seepage water suggested a considerable microbial growth on lost plant C. Assuming that all un-recovered plant C was consumed by microorganisms not included in measurements of the seepage water, modelling showed that microbial immobilisation theoretically might explain the unexpectedly low recovery rates of N and P. The study was not designed to investigate the possible effects of psychrophilic microbes on N and P cycling. Therefore, it is inconclusive and underlines the need for more knowledge on this matter.