Contrasting response to mowing in two abandoned rich fen plant communities

Menichino, N.M.; Fenner, Nathalie; Pullin, Andrew S.; Jones, Peter; Guest, James R.; Jones, Laurence

doi:10.1016/j.ecoleng.2015.09.073

Cited by 24 publications

(21 citation statements)

References 64 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Unclassified

Order By: Relevance

“…Indeed, certain light‐demanding herbs in fens showed competitive release when woody cover was experimentally reduced (Curtis, ; Jacobson et al., ; Harding, ), and native and exotic shrubs invaded several Wisconsin fens coincident with a change in land‐use practices. In Europe, mowing, grazing, and burning helped keep some calcareous fens open, and cessation of these practices has led to the local loss of many characteristic species (Opdekamp et al., ; Menichino et al., ).…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

Plant distribution, stature, rarity, and diversity in a patterned calcareous fen: tests of geochemical and leaf‐height models

Stockmeier

Givnish

2019

American J of Botany

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Premise In patterned fens, patches of short, sparse, species‐rich vegetation often occur on substrates rich in precipitated carbonates near calcareous springheads, with taller, denser vegetation farther away. Boyer and Wheeler (1989) hypothesized that phosphorus co‐precipitation near springheads limits plant productivity and coverage, and Givnish (1982) proposed that aggregations of rare, short‐statured plant species might reflect their competitive restriction to sparsely covered microsites. Methods We tested these hypotheses by quantifying species distributions, leaf heights, plant coverage, community composition, and substrate and leaf chemistry of Eupatorium perfoliatum along a gradient of hydrology and geochemistry in a wetland complex in southeastern Wisconsin, USA, ranging from marl flats and fens on peat mounds near springheads to surrounding sedge meadows. Results Community composition was strongly correlated with a one‐dimensional environmental gradient along which coverage and height increased moving downslope from marl flats, while soil carbonate, phosphorus immobilization capacity, and local species richness decreased, consistent with theory. Regionally rare species were short and restricted to sparsely covered microsites; within and among species, leaf height increased with local coverage. NPK tissue stoichiometry did not entirely support the Boyer‐Wheeler hypothesis, although nitrogen limitation appeared strongest in sedge meadows. Shifts in stature and tissue chemistry of E. perfoliatum along the marl flat–sedge meadow gradient suggested that zinc toxicity may help limit coverage near springheads despite no significant change in soil zinc content. Conclusions We propose a modified Boyer‐Wheeler hypothesis to account for cascading effects of phosphorus co‐precipitation near springheads on nitrogen fixation, nitrogen+phosphorus co‐limitation, and zinc mobility.

show abstract

mentioning

confidence: 99%

Plant distribution, stature, rarity, and diversity in a patterned calcareous fen: tests of geochemical and leaf‐height models

Stockmeier

Givnish

2019

American J of Botany

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…The appearance of high competitor bulrush Bolboschoenus maritimus L. is likely to have similar impact of rushes on herbaceous characteristic communities of these habitats in the short term. Recent study revealed this problem [MENICHINO et al 2016]; as expected rapid regrowth of the dominant species limits the efficiency of cutting, leading to contrasting expected results. Therefore, relevant well-studied choice of the most advantageous mowing frequency will allow sustained control in rushes belt.…”

Section: Vegetation Dynamicmentioning

confidence: 97%

“…The cutting technique, followed by the export of the shallow litter, seems to have had less effect on the seed stock, but needs to be regularly maintained with optimum frequency to control the rapid regrowth of the rushes. The technique has also been adopted in many herbaceous restoration trials [BARBARO et al 2001;BIL-LETER et al 2007;DEER 2008;DUTOIT et al 2001;FYNN et al 2004;GRYSEELS 1989;LAVERGNE, MOLOFSKY 2006;MENICHINO et al 2016].…”

Section: Vegetation Dynamicmentioning

confidence: 99%

Effect of two management techniques applied to the reduction of Juncus maritimus (Lam.) abundance in a selected temporary wetland

Sahib¹

2019

Journal of Water and Land Development

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Moderate management of temporary wetlands is one of the most proper methods for their restoration and conservation. The cessation of use may lead to high biomass domination by macrophytes as Juncus maritimus (Lam.) that changes plant community structure, threatens species biodiversity, and becomes a danger for their conservation. The experiment was carried out in Sidi Boughaba coastal reserve in Morocco. Two management techniques of wetlands were tested, cutting and uprooting of the rush. Four experimental plots (4.2 × 2.9 m) within the rush belt were set up, with intact plots as a control. Vegetation structure and water levels were monitored on 96 quadrats over two years. The six visits dates, three visits per year (February, April, June), were monitored over two years. The abundance and richness of species were studied, simultaneously with the density of the seed stock in each plot. Results showed that both techniques allowed the opening of the habitat with a significant increase of richness and abundance of species, particularly the restoration of characteristic species of the temporary wetland from the seed bank. The cut technique seems to have less of an effect on the seed stock, total seeds median value was 6.5 in cut plots versus 5 in uprooting plots, being regularly applied given the rapid encroachment of the rush.

show abstract

“…Where semi-natural fen meadows, which will still bring associated increases in biodiversity and ecosystem services (Klimkowska et al, 2010), and may also reduce rates of C loss (Hendriks et al, 2007). In 4 much of Europe, including parts of UK and the Netherlands, the target ecosystem for fen restoration is a semi-natural environment involving ongoing water-level and vegetation management (Klötzli and Grootjans, 2001), for example to maintain or enhance plant species richness (Menichino et al, 2016). However, sometimes it may be that constraints in water availability result in unexpected vegetation shifts, often in undesired directions, which may limit the success of restoration attempts (Klötzli and Grootjans, 2001).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The full carbon balance of a rewetted cropland fen and a conservation-managed fen

Peacock

Gauci

Baird

et al. 2019

Agriculture, Ecosystems & Environment

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

Contrasting response to mowing in two abandoned rich fen plant communities

Cited by 24 publications

References 64 publications

Plant distribution, stature, rarity, and diversity in a patterned calcareous fen: tests of geochemical and leaf‐height models

Plant distribution, stature, rarity, and diversity in a patterned calcareous fen: tests of geochemical and leaf‐height models

Effect of two management techniques applied to the reduction of Juncus maritimus (Lam.) abundance in a selected temporary wetland

The full carbon balance of a rewetted cropland fen and a conservation-managed fen

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About