Details zur Publikation

Kategorie Textpublikation
Referenztyp Zeitschriften
DOI 10.3375/043.037.0205
Titel (primär) Experimental grazing and grass-specific herbicide application benefit rare forb recruitment
Autor Vitt, P.; Knight, T.M.; Schutzenhofer, M.; Kleiman, W.; Havens, K.; Bittner, T.
Quelle Natural Areas Journal
Erscheinungsjahr 2017
Department BZF; iDiv
Band/Volume 37
Heft 2
Seite von 161
Seite bis 169
Sprache englisch
Keywords grazing; legumes; rare plant demography; recruitment
UFZ Querschnittsthemen RU1;
Abstract Native ungulate grazers affect plant richness, with many studies examining grazer effects on community composition and structure. However, the effect of grazing on the demography of rare plant species is less well understood. Grazers are expected to benefit many plant species by suppressing the competitive dominant grasses and by scarifying and dispersing rare plant seeds. A goal in conservation biology is to quantify the most important threats to rare plant species and to determine how different types of management can improve their demographic outlook. Here, we provide results from two experimental studies that examine (1) the effect of ungulate grazer presence, and (2) the effect of a grass-specific herbicide treatment on the recruitment of a focal rare plant species. Our study demonstrates that both treatments effectively reduce the percent cover or height of the dominant grass species and increase the recruitment of the rare legume, Lespedeza leptostachya. If our results are generalizable to other grassland ecosystems and rare forb species, it suggests that reintroducing grazers may be critical to the management of rare plants in these ecosystems. However, in small remnant habitats where ungulate reintroductions are not possible, conservation efforts can more directly target the reduction of grass competitors using alternative methods.
dauerhafte UFZ-Verlinkung https://www.ufz.de/index.php?en=20939&ufzPublicationIdentifier=18662
Vitt, P., Knight, T.M., Schutzenhofer, M., Kleiman, W., Havens, K., Bittner, T. (2017):
Experimental grazing and grass-specific herbicide application benefit rare forb recruitment
Nat. Areas J. 37 (2), 161 - 169 10.3375/043.037.0205