Steller chamaejasme L. （S. chamaejasme for short） is one of the most noxious unpalatable weeds in China, which has been frequently reported its negative interaction （i.e. competition and allelopathy） with other he...Steller chamaejasme L. （S. chamaejasme for short） is one of the most noxious unpalatable weeds in China, which has been frequently reported its negative interaction （i.e. competition and allelopathy） with other herbaceous species in grasslands. This study compared species diversity, biomass and sexual reproduction of herbaceous plants in meadows with S. chamaejasme and in open meadows without S. ehamaejasme in overgrazing meadows on the Tibetan Plateau in China to determine whether positive facilitation exist between S. chamaejasme and other herbaceous species under livestock＇s overgrazing. The results showed that there are more herbaceous species in meadows with S. chamaejasme than those in open meadows （35s and30s, respectively）. Diversity index and above-ground biomass were also significantly higher in meadows with S. charnaejasme. There were 39% （11/28） of all species with sexual reproduction found in meadows with S. charnaejasme, which was 7 times more than those in open meadows. Our study showed that S. charnaejasme could provide biotic refuge for neighboring plants and preserve plant diversity from livestock＇s overgrazing in alpine meadows on the Tibetan Plateau. It also suggested that inter-specific facilitation between S. charnaejasme and other herbaceous species may play a key role in overgrazing alpine meadows.展开更多
General decline of understory cover can result from increased abundance of and foraging pressure by deer.But population size and degree of aggregation can increase for unpalatable understory plants that escape foragin...General decline of understory cover can result from increased abundance of and foraging pressure by deer.But population size and degree of aggregation can increase for unpalatable understory plants that escape foraging pressure.Clonal reproduction can enable unpalatable plant species to increase their population sizes while trending toward spatially aggregated distributions.However,the details of the relationship between clonal reproduction in unpalatable plants and their dynamics under intensive deer herbivory are not clear.We compared the population structures and spatial patterns of two coexisting unpalatable plant species,Arisaema ovale(with clonal reproduction)and A.peninsulae(without clonal reproduction)in a riparian forest intensively grazed by Sika deer,and examined the null hypothesis that the extent of spatial aggregation and local population size would not differ between the clonal and non-clonal Arisaema species.In a 0.36-ha plot,A.ovale had a larger population size(1087 individuals)with a higher abundance ratio of small plants(p<0.01)than A.peninsulae(84 individuals).Analyses of spatial point processes showed that both populations were spatially aggregated(p<0.05).The spatial aggregation of A.peninsulae,however,became weaker than that of A.ovale,when we excluded one dense patch originating from irregular seed dispersion.These results,excluding the aggregated distribution observed in A.peninsulae,suggested a substantial contribution of clonal reproduction to the expansion of the local A.ovale population following intensive grazing by Sika deer.展开更多
Background： Forest management strategies such as thinning have long been used to enhance ecosystem functions, especially in plantations.Thinning in plantations with high deer density, however, may not yield a desired...Background： Forest management strategies such as thinning have long been used to enhance ecosystem functions, especially in plantations.Thinning in plantations with high deer density, however, may not yield a desired increase in understory vegetation because deer graze on germinating plants after thinning.Here, we examine the changes in understory vegetation after thinning in plantations that have been overgrazed by sika deer to provide insight into the effects of thinning on ecosystem functions such as soil conservation and biological diversity.Methods： We conducted our survey in the Tanzawa Mountains of eastern Japan.We surveyed the change in understory vegetation within and outside of three deer exclosures on a single slope with three levels of understory vegetation cover： sparse（1%, exclosure ＂US＂）, moderate（30%, exclosure ＂MM＂）, and dense（80%, exclosure ＂LD＂） over10 years after a 30% thinning of an old-growth cedar and cypress plantation which was overgrazed by sika deer.Results： Understory vegetation cover, biomass and species richness increased within and outside the ＂US＂ and＂MM＂ exclosures after thinning, and biomass was greater within than outside the exclosures at 10 years after thinning.Unpalatable species dominated both ＂US＂ and ＂MM＂ exclosures before thinning, and trees and shrubs dominated within the exclosures over time after thinning.In contrast, unpalatable, grazing-tolerant, perennial,and annual species increased outside the ＂US＂ and ＂MM＂ exclosures.No noticeable changes were observed within and outside the ＂LD＂ exclosure when compared with the ＂US＂ and ＂MM＂ exclosures.Conclusions： Our results suggest that thinning a stand by 30% based on volume resulted in an increase in understory vegetation cover mainly composed of both unpalatable and grazing-tolerant species in a plantation forest where understory vegetation is sparse or moderate and sika deer density is high.We emphasize that establishing deer exclosures or controlling deer is essential to maintaining similar understory vegetation both within and outside exclosures.展开更多
基金funded by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (Grant Nos. 31100360, 31200378, 31000233)
文摘Steller chamaejasme L. （S. chamaejasme for short） is one of the most noxious unpalatable weeds in China, which has been frequently reported its negative interaction （i.e. competition and allelopathy） with other herbaceous species in grasslands. This study compared species diversity, biomass and sexual reproduction of herbaceous plants in meadows with S. chamaejasme and in open meadows without S. ehamaejasme in overgrazing meadows on the Tibetan Plateau in China to determine whether positive facilitation exist between S. chamaejasme and other herbaceous species under livestock＇s overgrazing. The results showed that there are more herbaceous species in meadows with S. chamaejasme than those in open meadows （35s and30s, respectively）. Diversity index and above-ground biomass were also significantly higher in meadows with S. charnaejasme. There were 39% （11/28） of all species with sexual reproduction found in meadows with S. charnaejasme, which was 7 times more than those in open meadows. Our study showed that S. charnaejasme could provide biotic refuge for neighboring plants and preserve plant diversity from livestock＇s overgrazing in alpine meadows on the Tibetan Plateau. It also suggested that inter-specific facilitation between S. charnaejasme and other herbaceous species may play a key role in overgrazing alpine meadows.
基金funded by a grant from The Yakumo Foundation for Environmental Science(2015,to Y.M.)
文摘General decline of understory cover can result from increased abundance of and foraging pressure by deer.But population size and degree of aggregation can increase for unpalatable understory plants that escape foraging pressure.Clonal reproduction can enable unpalatable plant species to increase their population sizes while trending toward spatially aggregated distributions.However,the details of the relationship between clonal reproduction in unpalatable plants and their dynamics under intensive deer herbivory are not clear.We compared the population structures and spatial patterns of two coexisting unpalatable plant species,Arisaema ovale(with clonal reproduction)and A.peninsulae(without clonal reproduction)in a riparian forest intensively grazed by Sika deer,and examined the null hypothesis that the extent of spatial aggregation and local population size would not differ between the clonal and non-clonal Arisaema species.In a 0.36-ha plot,A.ovale had a larger population size(1087 individuals)with a higher abundance ratio of small plants(p<0.01)than A.peninsulae(84 individuals).Analyses of spatial point processes showed that both populations were spatially aggregated(p<0.05).The spatial aggregation of A.peninsulae,however,became weaker than that of A.ovale,when we excluded one dense patch originating from irregular seed dispersion.These results,excluding the aggregated distribution observed in A.peninsulae,suggested a substantial contribution of clonal reproduction to the expansion of the local A.ovale population following intensive grazing by Sika deer.
文摘Background： Forest management strategies such as thinning have long been used to enhance ecosystem functions, especially in plantations.Thinning in plantations with high deer density, however, may not yield a desired increase in understory vegetation because deer graze on germinating plants after thinning.Here, we examine the changes in understory vegetation after thinning in plantations that have been overgrazed by sika deer to provide insight into the effects of thinning on ecosystem functions such as soil conservation and biological diversity.Methods： We conducted our survey in the Tanzawa Mountains of eastern Japan.We surveyed the change in understory vegetation within and outside of three deer exclosures on a single slope with three levels of understory vegetation cover： sparse（1%, exclosure ＂US＂）, moderate（30%, exclosure ＂MM＂）, and dense（80%, exclosure ＂LD＂） over10 years after a 30% thinning of an old-growth cedar and cypress plantation which was overgrazed by sika deer.Results： Understory vegetation cover, biomass and species richness increased within and outside the ＂US＂ and＂MM＂ exclosures after thinning, and biomass was greater within than outside the exclosures at 10 years after thinning.Unpalatable species dominated both ＂US＂ and ＂MM＂ exclosures before thinning, and trees and shrubs dominated within the exclosures over time after thinning.In contrast, unpalatable, grazing-tolerant, perennial,and annual species increased outside the ＂US＂ and ＂MM＂ exclosures.No noticeable changes were observed within and outside the ＂LD＂ exclosure when compared with the ＂US＂ and ＂MM＂ exclosures.Conclusions： Our results suggest that thinning a stand by 30% based on volume resulted in an increase in understory vegetation cover mainly composed of both unpalatable and grazing-tolerant species in a plantation forest where understory vegetation is sparse or moderate and sika deer density is high.We emphasize that establishing deer exclosures or controlling deer is essential to maintaining similar understory vegetation both within and outside exclosures.
