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  • 1
    Electronic Resource
    Electronic Resource
    Oxford, UK : Blackwell Science Ltd
    Grass and forage science 59 (2004), S. 0 
    ISSN: 1365-2494
    Source: Blackwell Publishing Journal Backfiles 1879-2005
    Topics: Agriculture, Forestry, Horticulture, Fishery, Domestic Science, Nutrition
    Notes: A small-plot field experiment on grazed hill country pastures in the North Island of New Zealand was conducted to examine the productivity and compositional characteristics of swards in response to variation in pasture species diversity. The balanced incomplete factorial design incorporated variation in location, slope, soil fertility and combinations of eight plant functional groups (C4 grasses, annual grasses, annual legumes, perennial C3 grasses, perennial legumes, perennial forbs, ryegrass and browntop). Net herbage accumulation and botanical composition were measured at 18 months (spring) and 24 months (autumn) after oversowing following application of a systemic herbicide. Analysis of variance indicated a significant positive relationship between the number of functional groups sown and herbage accumulation of the sown species in spring, but not with total herbage accumulation. Regression analysis showed that herbage accumulation was also affected by the identity of the functional groups. However, the statistical models indicated that pasture productivity was most strongly influenced by site factors. There was a significant negative relationship between both the number and herbage accumulation of unsown species and the number of functional groups sown, indicating a positive relationship between diversity and resistance to invasion by unsown species. A comparison of the vegetation between the plots before and after oversowing showed that those more diverse prior to sowing returned to their initial composition more rapidly, evidence that diverse vegetation was more resilient in the face of disturbance.
    Type of Medium: Electronic Resource
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  • 2
    ISSN: 1432-1939
    Keywords: Key words Plant functional types ; Selective removal ; Shortgrass steppe ; Soil water ; Stable isotopes
    Source: Springer Online Journal Archives 1860-2000
    Topics: Biology
    Notes: Abstract We conducted a study to test the predictions of Walter's two-layer model in the shortgrass steppe of northeastern Colorado. The model suggests that grasses and woody plants use water resources from different layers of the soil profile. Four plant removal treatments were applied in the spring of 1996 within a plant community codominated by Atriplex canescens (a C4 shrub) and Bouteloua gracilis (a C4 grass). During the subsequent growing season, soil water content was monitored to a depth of 180 cm. In addition, stem and leaf tissue of Atriplex, Bouteloua and the streamside tree Populus sargentii were collected monthly during the growing seasons of 1995 and 1996 for analysis of the δ18O value of plant stem water (for comparison with potential water sources) and the δ13C value of leaves (as an indicator of plant water status). Selective removal of shrubs did not significantly increase water storage at any depth in the measured soil profile. Selective removal of the herbaceous understory (mainly grasses) increased water storage in the top 60 cm of the soil. Some of this water gradually percolated to lower layers, where it was utilized by the shrubs. Based on stem water δ18O values, grasses were exclusively using spring and summer rain extracted from the uppermost soil layers. In contrast, trees were exclusively using groundwater, and the consistent δ13C values of tree leaves over the course of the summer indicated no seasonal changes in gas exchange and therefore minimal water stress in this life-form. Based on anecdotal rooting-depth information and initial measurements of stem water δ18O, shrubs may have also had access to groundwater. However, their overall δ18O values indicated that they mainly used water from spring and summer precipitation events, extracted from subsurface soil layers. These findings indicate that the diversity of life-forms found in this shortgrass steppe community may be a function of the spatial partitioning of soil water resources, and their differential use by grasses, shrubs, and trees. Consequently, our findings support the two-layer model in a broad sense, but indicate a relatively flexible strategy of water acquisition by shrubs.
    Type of Medium: Electronic Resource
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  • 3
    Electronic Resource
    Electronic Resource
    Springer
    Plant and soil 173 (1995), S. 133-145 
    ISSN: 1573-5036
    Keywords: Adesmia ; aluminium ; Dorycnium ; Lotus ; Medicago ; Melilotus ; temperate legumes ; Trifolium
    Source: Springer Online Journal Archives 1860-2000
    Topics: Agriculture, Forestry, Horticulture, Fishery, Domestic Science, Nutrition
    Notes: Abstract The aluminium (Al) tolerance of 34 temperate legume species (143 genotypes, including 57 from Trifolium repens) was determined in 60 experiments over a 3 year period in a low ionic strength (2.7 × 10-3 M) solution culture. For each genotype, the relationship between solution Al3+ activity (μM) and relative yield was determined and the Al3+ activity associated with a 50% reduction in yield (AlRY50) calculated. In addition, plant chemical concentrations were determined in at least one genotype from most species. For white clover, AlRY50 over all genotypes had an approximately normal distribution with mean of 1.31 μM for the tops and 1.51 μM for the roots, and a standard deviation of about 0.4. This suggested that Al tolerance had a polygenic inheritance. For the other species tested, AlRY50 ranged from 0.15 to 4.53 μM in the tops and from 0.21 to 4.89 μM in the roots. In the tops and roots, 37% and 26% respectively of the genotypes had an AlRY50 less than 1 μM, including all species tested in the genera Melilotus and Medicago. Only 8% or 23% of the genotypes, based on the tops and roots respectively, had an AlRY50 greater than 2, including all genotypes in the species Lotus pedunculatus. Except for Lotus, there were no consistent differences between genera in plant chemical concentrations. In Lotus, concentrations of Ca, Zn, Mn and Cu in the tops and of all elements except B in the roots were lower than that of the other species. The AlRY50 of the species was not related to plant chemical concentrations in the absence of Al. Depending on the plant element, increasing solution Al concentrations had no significant effect on plant chemical concentrations for 56–94% of the species. When a significant effect did occur, increasing Al in solution generally decreased S and K concentrations and increased Mn, Zn, Cu Fe, B and Al concentrations in the tops and roots and decreased Ca concentrations in the tops. Plant P concentrations decreased in the tops but increased in the roots. Increasing Al in solution increase plant Al at the average rate of 44 μg g-1 μM -1 (range 20–87) in the tops and 333 μg μM -1 (range 162–616) in the roots.
    Type of Medium: Electronic Resource
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  • 4
    ISSN: 1573-5052
    Keywords: Plant functional types ; Shortgrass steppe ; Soil texture ; Soil water availability ; Soil water model ; Vegetation structure
    Source: Springer Online Journal Archives 1860-2000
    Topics: Biology
    Notes: Abstract We analyzed soil water data from three sites with different soil textures in the shortgrass steppe of northeastern Colorado, USA. Our objective was to evaluate the relationship between the occurrence of plant functional types and the effect of soil texture on soil water availability. Soil water availability was greatest in the upper soil layers at all three sites, but the loamy sand site had significantly greater soil water availability than the sandy clay loam and sandy clay sites in wetter years at depths below 60 cm. Calculations of proportional water availability by layer using both field data and fifty-year soil water model simulations, showed that the sandy clay loam and sandy clay soils on average had greater water availability in layers 30 cm and above, but that the loamy sand had the greatest water availability in layers beneath this, particularly at 105 cm. This observation can be linked to the occurrence of a fine textured subsoil at this site. The textural pattern in the loamy sand profile effectively creates two water resources: a shallow pool accessible to all plants; and a deep pool accessible only to deep-rooted plants. This is offered as an explanation for the co-dominance of the two main plant functional types at the loamy sand site. At the other two sites, shallow-rooted shortgrass vegetation dominated, being more consistent with the general pattern for the area. Thus the patterns of vegetation structure at the three sites were consistent with the hypothesis. Aboveground net primary production data for the three sites, along with transpiration estimates from the model simulations, indicated that the additional water availability in the coarse textured soil was associated with higher overall plant productivity. Nomenclature: Taxonomic nomenclature follows R. L. McGregor & T. M. Barkley (1986) Flora of the Great Plains. Great Plains Flora Association. University Press of Kansas, Lawrence.
    Type of Medium: Electronic Resource
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