6 research outputs found
Compost Source and Rate Effects on Soil Macronutrient Availability Under Saint Augustine Grass and Bermuda Grass Turf
Nitrogen Nutrition of Plants in an Alpine Lichen Heath under the Conditions of Soil Enrichment with Biogenic Elements
Decomposition of 15N-labelled catch-crop residues in soil: evaluation of N mineralization and plant-N uptake potentials under controlled conditions
Contrasted responses of two understorey species to direct and indirect effects of a canopy gap
Positive associations between adult trees and understorey species have been explained either by direct or indirect facilitation. We tested both models by comparing the performance of two understorey species with contrasted stress-tolerance abilities Galium odoratum and Deschampsia flexuosa. Individuals of both species were transplanted in the four combinations of two treatments (gap and removal of an herbaceous competitor, Molinia caerulea). Our experiment demonstrated that direct facilitation of adult trees may explain the restricted occurrence of the shade-demanding Galium within closed forest communities. In contrast, the shade-tolerant Deschampsia was subjected to additional competition within the forest, likely because adult trees had a higher negative effect on light availability and a similar negative effect on nitrogen availability within the forest than did Molinia in the gaps