Pattern and Process in the Plant Community

Watt, A. S.

doi:10.2307/2256497

Cited by 1,965 publications

(1,063 citation statements)

References 18 publications

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“…This implies that these communities, dominated by C. vulgaris, were approximately 30 years old when the treatments were carried out. That is, C. vulgaris was in the degenerative age stage according to Watt (1947). Within the area uniformly occupied by heath, three 10 m × 10 m plots were randomly selected.…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Regeneration patterns in a Calluna vulgaris heathland in the Cantabrian mountains (NW Spain): effects of burning, cutting and ploughing

2002

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Regeneration after experimental disturbances (burning, cutting and ploughing) was studied in a heathland dominated by Calluna vulgaris (L.) Hull located in NW Spain. Regeneration of C. vulgaris was better after burning and ploughing than after cutting. When cut, this species was replaced by another resprouting ericaceous species, Erica tetralix L. Calluna seedlings suffered high mortality in the third and fourth years after all treatments. Herbaceous species, which dominated during the first year of the secondary succession, were gradually replaced by woody species characteristic of that area from the sixth and seventh years after cutting and burning, and during the tenth year after ploughing. Multivariate analysis showed a clear separation between the different treatments, reflecting different responses in the community to different disturbances and partly reflecting the vegetation status before disturbance.

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Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Regeneration patterns in a Calluna vulgaris heathland in the Cantabrian mountains (NW Spain): effects of burning, cutting and ploughing

2002

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“…Indeed, Gleason and Stone (1994) describe two principal sediment types in the Everglades that closely correspond to our observations: Everglades peat, generated by Cladium, and Loxahatchee peat, a product of Nymphaea slough communities. Thus, N may have been an excellent indicator of fine-scale composition because the vegetation itself may have been causing variation in N concentrations-an excellent illustration of the effect of pattern on process (Watt 1947).…”

Section: Vegetation-environment Linkages: Allogenic or Autogenic?mentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Here, fine-scale heterogeneity was repeated across the landscape, and coarse scales integrated this nested pattern much like Watt's (1947) unit pattern-fine-scale elements undergo shifts through time and space, but the aggregate coarse pattern essentially appears constant. In the presence of human influence, however, this was disrupted, and fine-scale components gave rise to different patterns at broader scales.…”

Section: Implications Of Spatial Pattern and Scalementioning

confidence: 99%

Spatial Dependency of Vegetation?Environment Linkages in an Anthropogenically Influenced Wetland Ecosystem

et al. 2004

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“…Microtopography (elevation range ,1 m) is a key ecological driver that structures plant communities and alters ecosystem processes (Watt 1947). Areas with greater topographical heterogeneity have greater surface space and environmental variability, which are predicted to increase niche space and species diversity and to impact community structure and ecosystem functioning (Larkin et al 2006).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Formation of tussocks by sedges: effects of hydroperiod and nutrients

Lawrence¹,

Zedler²

2011

Ecological Applications

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Abstract. Tussock formation is a global phenomenon that enhances microtopography and increases biodiversity by adding structure to ecological communities, but little is known about tussock development in relation to environmental factors. To further efforts to restore wetland microtopography and associated functions, we investigated Carex stricta tussock size in relation to elevation (a proxy for water depth) at a range of sites in southern Wisconsin, USA, and tested the effect of five hydroperiods and N þ P addition (15 g N/m 2 þ 0.37 g P/m 2 ) on tussock formation during a three-year mesocosm experiment. Wet meadows dominated by C. stricta averaged 4.9 tussocks/m 2 , with a mean volume of 1160 cm 3 and height of 15 cm. Within sites, taller tussocks occurred at lower elevations, suggesting a structural adaptation to anoxic conditions. In our mesocosm experiment, C. stricta accelerated tussock formation when inundated, and it increased overall productivity with N þ P addition. Within two growing seasons, continuous inundation (þ18 cm) in the mesocosms led to tussocks that were nearly as tall as in our field survey (mean height in mesocosms, 10 6 1.3 cm; maximum, 17 cm). Plants grown with constant low water (À18 cm) only formed short mounds (mean height ¼ 2 6 0.4 cm). After three growing seasons, the volume of the largest tussocks (3274 6 376 cm 3 , grown with þ18 cm water depth and N þ P addition) was 12 times that of the smallest (275 6 38 cm 3 , grown with À18 cm water depth and no N þ P). Though tussock composition varied among hydroperiods, tussocks were predominantly organic (74-94% of dry mass) and composed of leaf bases (46-59%), fine roots (10-31%), and duff (5-13%). Only the plants subjected to high water levels produced the vertically oriented rhizomes and ascending shoot bases that were prevalent in field-collected tussocks. Under continuous or periodic inundation, tussocks achieved similar heights and accumulated similar levels of organic matter (range: 163-394 g C/m 2 ), and we conclude that these hydroperiods can accelerate tussock formation. Thus, C. stricta has high utility for restoring wetland microtopography and associated functions, including carbon accumulation.

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Pattern and Process in the Plant Community

Cited by 1,965 publications

References 18 publications

Regeneration patterns in a Calluna vulgaris heathland in the Cantabrian mountains (NW Spain): effects of burning, cutting and ploughing

Regeneration patterns in a Calluna vulgaris heathland in the Cantabrian mountains (NW Spain): effects of burning, cutting and ploughing

Spatial Dependency of Vegetation?Environment Linkages in an Anthropogenically Influenced Wetland Ecosystem

Formation of tussocks by sedges: effects of hydroperiod and nutrients

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