- Title
- Effects of grazing exclusion on plant species richness and phytomass accumulation vary across a regional productivity gradient
- Creator
- Schultz, Nick; Morgan, John; Lunt, Ian
- Date
- 2011
- Type
- Text; Journal article
- Identifier
- http://researchonline.federation.edu.au/vital/access/HandleResolver/1959.17/103201
- Identifier
- vital:10878
- Identifier
-
https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1654-1103.2010.01235.x
- Identifier
- ISSN:11009233
- Abstract
- Question: Does long-term grazing exclusion affect plant species diversity? And does this effect vary with long-term phytomass accumulation across a regional productivity gradient? Location: Lowland grassy ecosystems across the state of Victoria, southeast Australia. Methods: Floristic surveys and phytomass sampling were conducted across a broad-scale productivity gradient in grazing exclusion plots and adjacent grazed areas. Differences in species richness, evenness and life-form evenness between grazed and ungrazed areas were analysed. The environmental drivers of long-term phytomass accumulation were assessed using multiple linear regression analysis. Results: Species richness declined in the absence of grazing only at the high productivity sites (i.e. when phytomass accumulation was >500 gm-2). Species evenness and life-form evenness also showed a negative relationship with increasing phytomass accumulation. Phytomass accumulation was positively associated with both soil nitrogen and rainfall, and negatively associated with tree cover. Conclusions: Competitive dominance is a key factor regulating plant diversity in productive grassy ecosystems, but canopy disturbance is not likely to be necessary to maintain diversity in less productive systems. The results support the predictions of models of the effects of grazing on plant diversity, such as the dynamic equilibrium model, whereby the effects of herbivory are context-dependent and vary according to gradients of rainfall, soil fertility and tree cover. © 2010 International Association for Vegetation Science.
- Relation
- Journal of Vegetation Science Vol. 22, no. 1 (2011), p. 130-142
- Rights
- © 2010 International Association for Vegetation Science.
- Rights
- This metadata is freely available under a CCO license
- Subject
- Grazing effects; Nitrogen; Phytomass accumulation; Productivity; Rainfall; Tree cover; Bioaccumulation; Floristics; Grassland; Grazing; Herbivory; Lowland environment; Phytomass; Regression analysis; Soil fertility; Soil nitrogen; Species diversity; Species evenness; Species richness; Vegetation cover; 0607 Plant Biology
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