A phytoecological study of the mire Northern Kisselbergmosen, SE Norway. III. Diversity and habitat niche relationships

Abstract

A phytoecological study of the mire Northern Kisselbergmosen, SE Norway. III. Diversity and habitat niche relationships Rune H. Bkland Bkland, R. H. 1990. A phytoecological study of the mire Northern Kisselbergmosen, SE Norway. 111. Diversity and habitat niche relationships. -Nord. J. Bot. 10: 191-220. Copenhagen. ISSN 0107-055X.Alpha and beta diversity and habitat niche relationships of a poor, boreal mire was studied, based upon an ordination by detrended correspondence analysis and a subjective classification. The three first DCA axes were interpreted as variation along the following ecoclines: (1) mire expanse carpetmire expanse hummockmire margin hummock, (2) nutrient status: ombrotrophicpoor minerotrophic, and as a coenocline (3) associated with peat-producing ability of the vegetation with an unclear ecological basis. The autecology of the 39 most frequent species was decribed with respect to these gradients. Alpha diversity patterns varied considerably between coenoclines. Beta diversity was always higher in the bottom layer than in the field layer. Habitat niche breadth was strongly correlated with species abundance, and separable into a frequency-independent and a frequency-dependent component. The former decreased from vascular plants to hepatics, and further to Sphagnum spp. It was argued that the importance of interactions was high in the bottom layer, particularly among Sphagnum spp., but also among hepatics. Interactions among vascular plants was considered unimportant, except in hummocks. Plant strategies were discussed. The niche breadth approach was evaluated, and found fruitful, while niche overlap was considered to provide redundant information. The importance of each of (1) interspecific interactions, (2) destabilizing factors, (3) stress, and (4) chance, as structuring factors in boreal mires, is discussed. Boreal mires are considered to conform to the patch-dynamics theory of non-equilibrium coexistence. ~ Accepted 7-12-1989 NORD. J. BOT. 10: 191-220. GEOB 035 0 NORDIC JOURNAL OF BOTANY Nord. J. Bot. 10 (2) (IW) 13 N o d J . Bol. 10 (2) (1%)) 11' Nord. J. Rot. I0 ( 2 ) (IYYII) 196 Nurd. J. But. 10 (2) (IY'W))

Environmental control and spatial structures in peatland vegetation

“…This follows well the fact that the Lakkasuo peatland is a typical eccentric raised peatland complex with a unidirectional inclined mineral bottom and sloping peatland surface (Laine et al 2004; Korpela et al 2009). The separation of peatland types within a peatland complex is based on vegetation, chemistry and hydrology (Sjörs 1952, 1963; Vitt & Slack 1975; Vitt et al 1975; Slack et al 1980; Gignac & Vitt 1990; Glaser et al 1990; Økland 1990a, b; Bragazza 1999; Campbell & Rochefort 2001; Laine et al 2004); hence the very strong relationship found between this linear trend and environmental variables was expected.…”

“…Rydin 1986) or habitat niche relationships (e.g. Økland 1990b). Nevertheless, new approaches like PCNM and variation partitioning could increase our understanding of the drivers of community structure at multiple scales by helping to untangle regional environmental forcing, as well as spatial patterns resulting from biotic processes in peatlands (Borcard et al 1992; Borcard & Legendre 1994; Méot et al 1998; Mitchell et al 2000).…”

A replicated 3000 yr proxy‐climate record from Coom Rigg Moss and Felecia Moss, the Border Mires, northern England

“…The former technique relies on the relationship between the zonation of raised mire plant species and the height of local water tables (Boatman, 1983;Hammond et al, 1990;Økland, 1990;van der Molen, 1992), which on undisturbed ombrotrophic peat bogs is controlled exclusively by effective precipitation. The second technique, colorimetric peat humification analysis, appears to represent a semi-quantitative measure of average summer effective rainfall (Blackford and Chambers, 1993), because the decomposition state is dependent on the time the plant remains take to pass from the biologically active acrotelm into the almost inert catotelm.…”

Inventory, differentiation, and proportional diversity: a consistent terminology for quantifying species diversity

“…Such methods have been frequently and successfully applied by numerous authors (e.g. , Økland 1990;Pitkänen 2000;Svenning et al 2004).…”