Plant coverage is a potential ecological indicator for species diversity and aboveground biomass in semi-steppe rangelands

Sanaei, Anvar; Ali, Arshad; Chahouki, Mohammad Ali Zare; Jafari, Mohammad

doi:10.1016/j.ecolind.2018.05.011

Cited by 33 publications

(23 citation statements)

References 52 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Unclassified

Order By: Relevance

“…Heavy grazing (high FUP) may result in high-level species replacement [ 93 ]. Plants at Pyrathi and Vroulidia are grown under different climatic conditions but under similar FUP, presented different species richness but similar diversity in terms of species abundance and dominance.…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Impact of Grazing on Diversity of Semi-Arid Rangelands in Crete Island in the Context of Climatic Change

Karatassiou

Parissi

Panajiotidis

et al. 2022

Plants

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

The rangelands of Crete island (Greece) are typical Mediterranean habitats under high risk of degradation due to long-term grazing and harsh climatic conditions. We explored the effect of abiotic (climatic conditions, altitude) and biotic factors (long-term grazing by small ruminants) on the floristic composition and diversity of selected lowland (Pyrathi, Faistos) and highland (Vroulidia, Nida) rangelands. In each rangeland, the ground cover was measured, and the floristic composition was calculated in terms of five functional groups: grasses, legumes, forbs, phrygana, and shrubs. The aridity index, species turnover, species richness, Shannon entropy, and Gini–Simpson index (with the latter two converted to the effective number of species) were calculated. Our results reveal that highlands are characterized by the highest aridity index (wetter conditions). Lowland rangelands, compared to highland, exhibited a higher percentage contribution of grasses, legumes, and forbs, while species turnover decreased along the altitudinal gradient. The Shannon entropy index was correlated (a) positively with Gini–Simpson and mean annual temperature and (b) negatively with mean annual precipitation, aridity index, and altitude. Moreover, the Gini–Simpson index correlated positively with mean annual temperature and negatively with altitude. Our results could help to understand the effects of grazing on rangeland dynamics and sustainability in semi-arid regions in the context of climatic change.

show abstract

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Impact of Grazing on Diversity of Semi-Arid Rangelands in Crete Island in the Context of Climatic Change

Karatassiou

Parissi

Panajiotidis

et al. 2022

Plants

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…Livestock grazing is recognized as one of the main factors shaping plant-plant interactions and ecosystem functions (Saiz & Alados, 2012;Sanaei, Ali, Chahouki, & Jafari, 2018;Smit et al, 2009) as well as soil properties (Wei et al, 2011) in rangelands. Biomass consumption is one of the major direct effects of grazing (Olff & Ritchie, 1998), but herbivores have distinct feeding preferences depending on plant species (Hiernaux, 1998).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The link between plant biodiversity and biomass production is particularly important in systems such as arid and semi‐arid rangelands, where the native vegetation is a crucial source of forage for livestock as well as wild animals (Ellison, 1960), and provides an important source of income to support local livelihoods (Martin et al, 2014). Rangelands in arid and semiarid regions are structurally complex, species‐rich plant communities (Gaitán et al, 2018; Sanaei, Ali, Ahmadaali, & Jahantab, 2018), and recent studies demonstrate that plant species diversity enhances aboveground biomass in semiarid rangeland (Gaitán et al, 2014; Sanaei, Ali, Chahouki, & Jafari, 2018). Rangelands are increasingly exposed to multiple pressures due to human activities, including overgrazing (Eldridge et al, 2016) and climate changes (Ding et al, 2020; Gaitán et al, 2018), which may alter plant diversity and associated ecosystem functions.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…In rangelands, livestock grazing is one of the most crucial factors in shaping plant community assembly (Eldridge et al, 2016; Saiz & Alados, 2012; Sanaei, Ali, Chahouki, & Jafari, 2018). Grazing has a strong influence on species diversity, plant species distribution, and spatial heterogeneity by reducing competition and promoting colonization by new species (Adler et al, 2001).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 1 more Smart Citation

Species co‐occurrence shapes spatial variability in plant diversity–biomass relationships in natural rangelands under different grazing intensities

et al. 2021

Self Cite

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Grazing can alter plant species interactions in natural rangelands, which in turn might influence the productivity of the ecosystem but we do not fully understand how spatial variability in plant diversity-biomass relationships are modulated by grazing intensity. Here, we hypothesized that plant species co-occurrence in rangelands is mainly driven by niche segregation due to grazing and heterogeneity in local resources, and that grazing, therefore, modulates diversity-biomass relationships. We tested our hypothesis across 35 rangeland sites in Iran, using a species co-occurrence index to assess plant spatial aggregation within each site. At each site, we measured aboveground biomass, plant diversity, topography, soil nutrients, and three levels of grazing intensity. High spatial segregation of plant communities (low species co-occurrence) was found at heavily grazed sites, whereas greater spatial aggregation (high species co-occurrence) was found on low and moderate grazed sites, showing varied associational patterns of species with grazing intensity. Soil nutrients increased with grazing intensity and spatial segregation of plant communities was greater at sites with high soil nutrient concentrations, indicating that grazing intensity influences the spatial heterogeneity of plant communities via nutrients deposited in urine and feces.Declining plant biomass with grazing intensity was related to a strong decline in graminoid species diversity, which suggests that the diversity-biomass relationship is influenced by selective grazing of palatable species. The relationships between species co-occurrence and biomass or plant diversity suggest non-random patterns in species co-occurrences with grazing intensity, which could be the result of competition driven by high livestock grazing intensity. We, therefore, suggest that rangeland stocking rates should be managed properly to maintain rangeland production while promoting plant diversity.

show abstract

“…Previous studies have shown that high vegetation density produces a niche differentiation, and promotes species coexistence and niche facilitation processes between rare and common species (e.g. Sanaei et al 2018).…”

Section: Mosses-lichens Species and Coverage In Antarcticamentioning

confidence: 99%

Species composition, diversity and coverage pattern of associated communities of mosses-lichens along a pedoenvironmental gradient in Maritime Antarctica

Schmitz

Michel

Putzke

et al. 2022

An. Acad. Bras. Ciênc.

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Plant coverage is a potential ecological indicator for species diversity and aboveground biomass in semi-steppe rangelands

Cited by 33 publications

References 52 publications

Impact of Grazing on Diversity of Semi-Arid Rangelands in Crete Island in the Context of Climatic Change

Impact of Grazing on Diversity of Semi-Arid Rangelands in Crete Island in the Context of Climatic Change

Species co‐occurrence shapes spatial variability in plant diversity–biomass relationships in natural rangelands under different grazing intensities

Species composition, diversity and coverage pattern of associated communities of mosses-lichens along a pedoenvironmental gradient in Maritime Antarctica

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About