Regional and Local Vegetation Patterns: The Responses of Vegetation Diversity to Subcontinental Air Masses

Neilson, Ronald P.; King, George A.; DeVelice, Robert L.; Lenihan, James M.

doi:10.1007/978-1-4612-2804-2_6

Cited by 22 publications

(27 citation statements)

References 25 publications

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“…Towards an ecotone, conditions will become marginal for some of the species, and species occurrences will therefore become more sensitive to environmental heterogeneity, potentially resulting in a small-scale community mosaic in species composition (Neilson et al 1992;Gosz 1992). Indeed, it has been recognized from the origin of the ecotone concept that there was likely to be "a mosaic, in which the various pieces now stand out sharply, and are now obscure" (Pound & Clements 1900).…”

Section: Properties Of Ecotonesmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…species that are restricted to the ecotone, and are absent from the two communities on each side of the ecotone (Clements & Shelford 1939;Hansen et al 1988;Neilson et al 1992). Species with such distribution patterns might occur if: (a) environmental conditions in ecotones were intermediate between those of the adjacent communities and there were species adapted to these conditions, or (b) if there were unique environmental conditions in the ecotone (Stoutjesdijk & Barkman 1992), or (c) because the species needed resources from both sides of the ecotone (such as climbers at a forest edge, requiring the light from outside, but the trees for support : Putz 1984).…”

Section: Properties Of Ecotonesmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…We developed indices of community mosaicity to test whether a small-scale spatial mosaic is characteristic of ecotones (Pound & Clements 1900;Gosz 1992;Neilson et al 1992). We applied these to each row of eight contiguous 0.5 m ¥ 0.5 m quadrats (i.e.…”

Section: Community Mosaicitymentioning

confidence: 99%

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Properties of ecotones: Evidence from five ecotones objectively determined from a coastal vegetation gradient

Walker

Wilson

Steel

et al. 2003

J Vegetation Science

141

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Abstract. Several properties have been suggested to be characteristic of ecotones, but their prevalence has rarely been tested. We sampled five ecotones to seek evidence on seven generalizations that are commonly made about ecotones: vegetational sharpness, physiognomic change, occurrence of a spatial community mosaic, many exotic species, ecotonal species, spatial mass effect, and species richness higher or lower than either side of the ecotone.The ecotones were in a sequence from scattered mangroves, through salt marsh, rush-marsh, scrub, woodland, to pasture. We developed a method to objectively define, by rapid vegetational change, the position and depth of an ecotone, identifying five ecotones. Their positions were consistent across three sampling schemes and two spatial grain sizes. One ecotone is a switch ecotone, produced by positive feedback between community and environment. Another is anthropogenic, due to clearing for agriculture. Two others are probably environmental in cause, and one may be largely a relict environmental ecotone.Sharp changes in species composition occurred. Three ecotones were associated with a change in plant physiognomy. In two, the ecotone was located just outside a woodland canopy, in the zone influenced by the canopy. Community mosaicity was evident at only one ecotone. There were few strictly ecotonal species; many species occurred more frequently within ecotones than in adjacent vegetation, but there were never significantly more ecotonal species than expected at random. There was little evidence for the spatial mass effect reducing ecotonal sharpness, or leading to higher species richness within ecotones. Species richness was higher than in the adjacent habitat in only one ecotone.It seems that supposedly characteristic ecotone features depend on the particular ecological situation, and the ecology of the species present, rather than being intrinsic properties of ecotones.

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Section: Properties Of Ecotonesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Properties Of Ecotonesmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 1 more Smart Citation

Properties of ecotones: Evidence from five ecotones objectively determined from a coastal vegetation gradient

Walker

Wilson

Steel

et al. 2003

J Vegetation Science

141

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show abstract

“…Individual species probably operate over a characteristic range of Ecosystem Management: Selected Readings scales, and the habitat elements explaining most of the variation in species abundance may differ among scales (Harris 1984, Wiens et al 1986, Neilson et al 1992 (Fig. 2).…”

Section: Examplementioning

confidence: 99%

Ecosystem Management

Samson

Knopf²

1996

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“…Functional classifications have been seen as a necessary tool for the simplification of floristic complexity in global vegetation models (Neilson et al 1992;Prentice et al 1992;Foley et al 1996;Woodward & Cramer 1996), for mapping vegetation patterns at key times in the past (Prentice and Webb 1998;Prentice et al 2000), and for monitoring effects of global change or management on vegetation distribution and ecosystem processes (Díaz et al 2002a, Cruz et al 2002. Plant functional classifications were first designed by grouping plants a priori based on knowledge of their function, or based on observed correlations among their morphological, physiological, biochemical, reproductive or demographic characteristics (Woodward & Cramer 1996;Smith et al 1997).…”

Section: In Search Of the Holy Grailmentioning

confidence: 99%