A Scale-Independent Approach to the Richness vs Biomass Relationship in Ground-Layer Plant Communities

Zobel, Kristjan; Liira, Jaan

doi:10.2307/3546600

Cited by 105 publications

(123 citation statements)

References 16 publications

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“…Species number per unit area is relatively higher in stands with high ramet density and vice versa (Goldberg and Miller 1990;Zobel and Liira 1997;Goldberg and Estabrook 1998;Eek and Zobel 2001). This means that, in addition to ramet density, small-scale species richness may also be predicted by competitive asymmetry of locally co-existing individuals (Rajaniemi 2003).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 95%

“…Even in apparently homogenous stands the number of mature ramets per unit area may vary greatly between microsites, not to mention variation between community types-it is easy to observe 100-fold difference in herbaceous plant densities even within a compact geographical region (Zobel and Liira 1997). Often it is not possible to explain small-scale and large-scale differences in the density of co-existing plants through differences in resource availability, environment heterogeneity, plant size, and growth form alone.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 98%

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High shoot plasticity favours plant coexistence in herbaceous vegetation

2005

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Several theoretical considerations imply that high shoot morphological plasticity could increase competition symmetry and favour plant coexistence. We tested whether mean plasticity across co-occurring species is a key trait for explaining ramet density and species richness in herbaceous vegetation. We used three data sets to test the hypotheses: (a) experimentally achieved estimates of plasticity to light availability for 35 herbaceous species; (b) richness, ramet density and canopy architecture data from 17 herbaceous communities; (c) species richness data from a 5-year permanent-plot study in a calcareous grassland. In herbaceous communities containing species with relatively higher shoot plasticity, ramet density was significantly higher. Consequently, relatively more species were growing per unit area-a greater proportion of the community species pool was represented on 1 m(2). In the permanent plot study species-richness was higher in those 40 x 40 cm quadrats where species with high shoot plasticity prevailed-there was a positive regression of richness on the mean plasticity of species. This relationship was highly significant in five consecutive years. Our results suggest that shoot plasticity to light availability is evidently one of the key traits in processes that alter the density of co-existing plants and, therefore, species diversity in herbaceous communities.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 95%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 98%

High shoot plasticity favours plant coexistence in herbaceous vegetation

2005

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“…15,No. 2 types (Zobel and Liira 1997). In most conservation contexts, however, species richness per area measured is more relevant than number of individual plants supported; land conservation is never done on a per-stem basis.…”

Section: Patterns Of Diversitymentioning

confidence: 99%

Countryside Biogeography of Neotropical Herbaceous and Shrubby Plants

Mayfield

Daily

2005

Ecological Applications

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Abstract. As human impacts on the environment intensify, the future of plant and animal biodiversity will depend increasingly on the floras surviving in human-dominated ''countryside'' habitats. To begin to characterize these floras for the Neotropics, we investigated the richness and composition of herbaceous and shrubby plant communities in six forested and deforested habitats, in three replicated study areas (7.5-km in diameter), of southern Costa Rica. We chose habitat types that are common throughout the tropics, to begin building a general understanding of both the habitats of origin and the diversity of countryside floras. Focal forest habitats were understory, 1-to 2-year-old tree-fall gaps, and riverbanks, all in primary forest. Focal deforested habitats were ungrazed road verges, grazed pasture, and riverbanks in grazed pasture. Non-riverbank habitats were sampled both near and far from forest edge. In total, we sampled 772 species from 79 families, ϳ40% of the non-tree plant diversity of the region. Only 6% of identified species are known to be exotic. In each study area, understory and pasture plots were consistently species poor, while tree-fall gaps and road verges near forest were consistently the most species-rich habitats. In each study area, we found the same proportion of species restricted to forested habitats (ϳ45%) and deforested habitats (ϳ37%), and the same proportion of ''countrysidehabitat generalists'' (ϳ18%) occurring in both forested and deforested habitats. However, different forested habitats supported different proportions of countryside-habitat generalists in each study area, although understory plots consistently supported the fewest generalists. Among forested habitats, riverbanks were the most similar floristically to deforested habitats. Pasture riverbanks and road verges near forest supported plant communities most similar to those in forested habitats. The uniqueness and richness of each habitat suggests that countrysides with diverse land uses can support many native herbaceous and shrubby plant species. As it becomes increasingly difficult to protect large tracts of undisturbed tropical forest, we suggest that conservation goals expand to encompass maintenance of heterogeneity in countryside landscapes.

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“…On unmanaged floodplain meadows those values are more than twice higher (Tables 2 and 3). Zobel & Liira (1997) presented biomass values from 300 to 600 g m -2 for West Estonian floodplain meadows of Sauga, Vaskjõe and Kasari (the lowest value on a dry site). High standard deviation in Tables 2 and 3 Table 1) and later (without management; Tables 2 and 3) periods show an increase in standing crop that can be explained as a result of management cessation.…”

Section: Above-ground Biomass Of Floodplain Meadowsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Later, this relation has been approved (Wheeler & Giller, 1982) or denied (Gough et al, 1994). In the development of this theory Zobel & Liira (1997) attributed species richness to the plant ramet density. Gough et al (1994) established correlation between environmental conditions and species richness but not between biomass and environmental conditions.…”

Section: Factors Affecting Wetland Productivity and Species Richness mentioning

confidence: 99%

Estimation of Above-Ground Biomass of Wetlands

Truus¹

2011

Biomass and Remote Sensing of Biomass

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A Scale-Independent Approach to the Richness vs Biomass Relationship in Ground-Layer Plant Communities

Cited by 105 publications

References 16 publications

High shoot plasticity favours plant coexistence in herbaceous vegetation

High shoot plasticity favours plant coexistence in herbaceous vegetation

Countryside Biogeography of Neotropical Herbaceous and Shrubby Plants

Estimation of Above-Ground Biomass of Wetlands

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