35 research outputs found
Limited response to nursery-stage mycorrhiza inoculation of Shorea seedlings planted in rubber agroforest in Jambi, Indonesia
Jansma. 1994. Ecology of some Northern Suriname Savannas. 199 pages + 4 maps in cover. Koeltz Scientific Books, Koenigstein, Germany. ISBN 80-901699-1-0.
The leaf anatomy of a broad-leaved evergreen allows an increase in leaf nitrogen content in winter
Habitat-specific demography across dune fixation stages in a semi-arid sandland: understanding the expansion, stabilization and decline of a dominant shrub
Effects of denudation and burial on growth and reproduction of Artemisia ordosica in Mu Us sandland
Seedlings of the semi-shrub Artemisia ordosica are resistant to moderate wind denudation and sand burial in Mu Us sandland, China
Mobile dune fixation by a fast-growing clonal plant: a full life-cycle analysis
Desertification is a global environmental problem, and arid dunes with sparse vegetation are especially vulnerable to desertification. One way to combat desertification is to increase vegetation cover by planting plant species that can realize fast population expansion, even in harsh environments. To evaluate the success of planted species and provide guidance for selecting proper species to stabilize active dunes, demographic studies in natural habitats are essential. We studied the life history traits and population dynamics of a dominant clonal shrub Hedysarum laeve in Inner-Mongolia, northern China. Vital rates of 19057 ramets were recorded during three annual censuses (2007-2009) and used to parameterize Integral Projection Models to analyse population dynamics. The life history of H. laeve was characterized by high ramet turnover and population recruitment entirely depended on clonal propagation. Stochastic population growth rate was 1.32, suggesting that the populations were experiencing rapid expansion. Elasticity analysis revealed that clonal propagation was the key contributor to population growth. The capacity of high clonal propagation and rapid population expansion in mobile dunes makes H. laeve a suitable species to combat desertification. Species with similar life-history traits to H. laeve are likely to offer good opportunities for stabilizing active dunes in arid inland ecosystems