Seed production of semi‐natural grasslands: Amount and variability in an unfertilized upright brome and a fertilized tall oat‐grass meadow

Scotton, M.

doi:10.1111/gfs.12502

Cited by 5 publications

(3 citation statements)

References 44 publications

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“…Published data on the production of seeds per area in temperate grasslands are scarce. Scotton (2020) calculated seed numbers produced in a dry grassland in the Italian pre‐Alps to be 11,973 per m 2 , while the real number of seeds was reduced by 20% due to mowing. Poschlod and Jackel (1993) found approximately the same number of seeds for a similar type of grassland in Germany by using seed traps.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Restoration of ecosystem functions: Seed production in restored and ancient grasslands

Albert

Götzenberger

Jongepierová

et al. 2021

Applied Vegetation Science

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Questions: Evaluating seed production as a community function in species-rich temperate grasslands, we asked: (a) do ancient and restored grasslands differ in the composition of seed-producing species; (b) do seed-producing species of ancient and restored grasslands differ in their functional traits and habitat origin of their species; and (c) how does seed production change during the season considering management and is seed production different for the whole community and for the subset of species occurring in both types of grasslands? Location: White Carpathian Mountains (Czech Republic). Methods:We assessed the species composition of flowering and fruiting species and collected propagule samples from three ancient and three restored grasslands. From the measured parameters, we estimated seed production for particular fruiting species. We combined these reproductive parameters with data on plant traits and plant status.Results: Flowering species in restored grasslands produced three times higher seed numbers and three times lower seed mass than flowering species in ancient grasslands. At ancient sites, most seeds belonged to meadow specialist species; at restored sites, seeds of ruderal and generalist species prevailed. Prior to mowing, in both grassland types the seed-producing species were characterised by a high capability of clonal reproduction, high leaf dry matter content, and wind pollination. After mowing, seed-producing species were insect-pollinated species at ancient sites. This reflects the dominance of grasses before mowing and of forbs after mowing. Conclusions:Higher seed number, lower seed mass and lower reliance on pollinators in restored grasslands indicate a different ecosystem functionality related to these parameters, in comparison with ancient grasslands. Specifically, seeds act as source for generative regeneration of resident species while resources for pollinators and seed herbivores are reduced. This maintains a differentiation of restored and ancient grasslands not only in terms of species composition but also in their effect on other trophic levels.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Restoration of ecosystem functions: Seed production in restored and ancient grasslands

Albert

Götzenberger

Jongepierová

et al. 2021

Applied Vegetation Science

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“…The success of vegetation transfer depends on aspects such as seed quality, soil preparation, site conditions, weather after seeding, soil seed bank and restoration method (Kiehl et al, 2010; Krautzer et al, 2011a; Török et al, 2011). Additionally, harvesting time of the donor site plays an important role in restoration processes for species‐rich grassland (Török et al, 2011; Kirkham et al, 2013; Scotton, 2016; Scotton & Ševčíková, 2017; Scotton, 2020; Wagner et al, 2020). The combined transfer of early‐ and late‐cut hay is advisable if e.g.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…On the other hand, the harvested, dried and cleaned seed material can be stored and used on larger scales and on different sites regardless of the time of threshing. Among other issues (Haslgrübler et al, 2013a;Haslgrübler et al, 2015;Scotton, 2016;Scotton & Ševčíková, 2017;Scotton, 2018;Albert et al, 2019;Scotton, 2020), the CENTRAL EUROPEproject SALVERE (semi-natural grassland as a source of biodiversity improvement, duration 2009-2011) dealt with finding and testing different methods of seed transfer from species-rich donor sites (Haslgrübler et al, 2013a). In the study presented here, green hay (GH) and on-site threshed (OST) seed material from speciesrich grassland (donor site), was transferred to a former grassland research field (receptor site) in order to compare these methods.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Successful transfer of species‐rich grassland by means of green hay or threshing material: Does the method matter in the long term?

Schaumberger

Blaschka

Krautzer

et al. 2021

Applied Vegetation Science

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Questions:We investigated the transfer of seeds from species-rich grassland using green hay and seed material from on-site threshing to answer the following questions: do these two methods differ in terms of restoration success; and how do the two methods behave in their long-term effect concerning species composition and species presence? Location: Styria, Austria. Methods:We harvested seed material of a species-rich Arrhenatherion meadow by green hay and on-site threshing and transferred it to a receptor site. Transferable species were identified by vegetation survey and seed sample analyses. We analysed transfer rates and vegetation cover for the donor site species pool and Arrhenatherion target species, covering a 10-year observation period. Species composition and presence were derived from plant surveys. Results:The restoration success of both methods was similar within the observation period. Although donor site species declined, the establishment of target species was satisfactory and species-rich grassland was successfully established, despite different site conditions between donor and receptor sites and strong dynamics in species composition over time. Conclusions:Both harvesting methods are well suited for restoring species-rich grassland, and the actual choice ultimately depends on the costs and the given circumstances. Even if donor and receptor site differ in their site conditions, species-rich grassland can be established successfully. The prerequisite for this is that: (a) a high proportion of transferred species is able to establish; and (b) specific restoration goals do not exclude vegetation development according to specific receptor site conditions.

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Using fertilization rates in semi-natural grasslands to produce seed for ecological restoration

Scotton

2022

Agriculture, Ecosystems & Environment

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Seed production of semi‐natural grasslands: Amount and variability in an unfertilized upright brome and a fertilized tall oat‐grass meadow

Cited by 5 publications

References 44 publications

Restoration of ecosystem functions: Seed production in restored and ancient grasslands

Restoration of ecosystem functions: Seed production in restored and ancient grasslands

Successful transfer of species‐rich grassland by means of green hay or threshing material: Does the method matter in the long term?

Using fertilization rates in semi-natural grasslands to produce seed for ecological restoration

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