Floristic diversity under different intensities of large herbivore grazing in mountain grasslands of the Ventania System, Buenos Aires

En pastizales de regiones subhúmedas, el pastoreo moderado de grandes herbívoros promovería la diversidad florística. Nuestro objetivo fue evaluar la diversidad florística y la composición botánica en diferentes intensidades de pastoreo por grandes herbívoros en pastizales serranos del Sistema de Ventania, Buenos Aires, Argentina. El muestreo abarcó un área de 200 ha, y comprendió comunidades de flechillas (“flechillales”) sometidas al pastoreo de caballos cimarrones y ganado vacuno. Se seleccionaron nueve parcelas de 1 ha sometidas a diferentes intensidades de pastoreo. Sobre la base de la estimación de la cobertura de cada una de las especies presentes se describió el patrón de diversidad florística, se comparó la cobertura y riqueza de especies, y se evaluaron los cambios en la composición florística, en relación al gradiente de intensidad de pastoreo. El disturbio por pastoreo afectó la riqueza específica de los flechillales y la máxima riqueza se registró en intensidades de pastoreo intermedias. Dicha respuesta se debió principalmente a un mayor número de especies latifoliadas y de gramíneas invernales. En términos de cobertura aérea, el pastoreo favoreció a las latifoliadas únicamente. El pastoreo modificó la composición botánica de los flechillales, apareciendo como más notable el reemplazo de gramíneas invernales (Piptochaetium hackelii, Briza subaristata, Nassella filiculmis) por una gramínea estival de palatabilidad baja (Aristida spegazzinii) a intensidades elevadas de pastoreo. En los pastizales serranos del Sistema de Ventania, el pastoreo moderado favorecería la diversidad florística, aumentando la riqueza de especies de latifoliadas y gramíneas invernales mientras que las altas intensidades favorecerían el reemplazo de las gramíneas invernales palatables por gramíneas de palatabilidad menor.In sub-humid grasslands moderate grazing by large herbivores may promote increases in plant diversity. Our objective was to evaluate changes in floristic diversity and floristic composition at different grazing intensities by large herbivores in mountain grasslands of the Ventania System, Buenos Aires, Argentina. Sampling comprised an area of 200 ha, on needlegrass grasslands grazed by feral horses and cattle. Nine 1 ha plots were selected to represent a grazing intensity gradient, and we evaluated plant species cover in order to describe the plant diversity pattern, species richness and cover, and floristic composition in relation to the grazing intensity gradient. Plant diversity was greater at moderate grazing intensity mainly due to the increment of dicots and cool-season grasses richness. In terms of cover, grazing only increased dicots’ aerial cover. Grazing was associated with changes in the floristic composition of needlegrass grasslands, through inducing the replacement of cool-season grasses (e.g. Piptochaetium hackelii, Briza subaristata, Nassella filiculmis) by an unpalatable warm-season grass (Aristida spegazzinii). In mountain grasslands of the Ventania System, moderate grazing intensity appears to favor plant diversity by increasing dicots and cool-season grasses richness, whereas high grazing intensity may promote the replacement of palatable cool-season grasses by unpalatable warm season grasses

Structural and functional recovery of intershrub spaces after 10-years of grazing exclusion in a semiarid steppe of northeastern Patagonia

En las estepas arbustivas del noreste de la Región Patagónica, el sobrepastoreo del ganado doméstico genera la formación de islas arbustivas distribuidas en una matriz degradada de suelo desnudo o con escasa cobertura vegetal. La recuperación estructural y funcional de los espacios entre arbustos mediante la remoción del ganado dependería de la magnitud de la degradación. Si el sistema ha atravesado un umbral crítico de degradación, la sola remoción del disturbio no sería suficiente para revertir las alteraciones provocadas por el pastoreo. El objetivo del trabajo fue evaluar la recuperación de espacios entre arbustos en un sitio representativo del sistema en estudio luego de 10 años de exclusión del pastoreo, mediante la comparación de la cobertura y propiedades físicoquímicas del suelo entre áreas clausuradas y pastoreadas. Se realizaron mediciones en cuatro áreas clausuradas y en áreas aledañas sometidas a pastoreo continuo. Se comparó la cobertura (vegetación, pavimento de erosión, costra biológica, suelo desnudo y broza), el tamaño de los espacios entre arbustos, la tasa de infiltración, la textura y el contenido de nutrientes del suelo. La cobertura aérea de gramíneas perennes y de costras biológicas fue mayor en las áreas clausuradas (27% y 45%, respectivamente) que en las pastoreadas (<1% y 3%). El tamaño de los espacios entre arbustos fue mayor en las áreas pastoreadas que en las clausuradas. La tasa de infiltración y las propiedades físicoquímicas del suelo no difirieron entre las condiciones de clausura y pastoreo, aunque la densidad aparente y el contenido de arena en la capa superficial del suelo fueron ligeramente mayores (7% y 3%, respectivamente) en las áreas pastoreadas. La exclusión del pastoreo por un período de 10 años resultó en el restablecimiento de gramíneas perennes y costras biológicas, sugiriendo que la alteración estructural y funcional de los espacios entre arbustos aún no ha superado un umbral crítico de degradación.In shrubby steppes of northeastern Patagonia, overgrazing of domestic livestock produces the formation of shrub islands distributed in a degraded matrix of bare soil or sparce vegetation cover. The structural and functional recovery of intershrub spaces through livestock removal would depend on the magnitude of degradation. If the system has crossed a critical threshold of degradation, the sole removal of the disturbance would be not sufficient to reverse the changes caused by grazing. The objective of this study was to assess the recovery of intershrub spaces in a site representative of the study system after 10 years of livestock grazing exclusion, by comparing soil coverage and soil physicochemical properties between ungrazed and grazed areas. Data sets were collected in four plots excluded from grazing and in areas adjacent to each plot that remained under continuous grazing. We measured the size of the intershrub spaces, and soil coverage (vegetation, erosion pavement, biological soil crusts, litter and bare soil), texture, nutrient content and infiltration rate. We found that the aerial coverage of perennial grasses and biological soil crusts was higher in ungrazed areas (27% and 45%, respectively) than in grazed areas (<1% and 3%, respectively). The size of the intershrub spaces was higher in grazed areas than in ungrazed areas. The physicochemical properties of soil and infiltration rate did not differ between ungrazed and grazed areas, except that bulk density and sand content in the soil-surface layers were slightly higher (7% and 3%, respectively) in grazed areas. The sole exclusion of grazing for a period of 10 years allowed the recovery of perennial grasses and biological crusts, suggesting that the structural and functional alterations of the intershrub spaces has not yet exceeded a critical threshold of degradation

Change in dominance determines herbivore effects on plant biodiversity

Herbivores alter plant biodiversity (species richness) in many of the world’s ecosystems, but the magnitude and the direction of herbivore effects on biodiversity vary widely within and among ecosystems. One current theory predicts that herbivores enhance plant biodiversity at high productivity but have the opposite effect at low productivity. Yet, empirical support for the importance of site productivity as a mediator of these herbivore impacts is equivocal. Here, we synthesize data from 252 large-herbivore exclusion studies, spanning a 20-fold range in site productivity, to test an alternative hypothesis—that herbivore-induced changes in the competitive environment determine the response of plant biodiversity to herbivory irrespective of productivity. Under this hypothesis, when herbivores reduce the abundance (biomass, cover) of dominant species (for example, because the dominant plant is palatable), additional resources become available to support new species, thereby increasing biodiversity. By contrast, if herbivores promote high dominance by increasing the abundance of herbivory-resistant, unpalatable species, then resource availability for other species decreases reducing biodiversity. We show that herbivore-induced change in dominance, independent of site productivity or precipitation (a proxy for productivity), is the best predictor of herbivore effects on biodiversity in grassland and savannah sites. Given that most herbaceous ecosystems are dominated by one or a few species, altering the competitive environment via herbivores or by other means may be an effective strategy for conserving biodiversity in grasslands and savannahs globally

Non-native species litter reduces germination and growth of resident forbs and grasses: allelopathic, osmotic or mechanical effects?

Non-native plant species may contain allelopathic substances that might help to out-compete native vegetation. These allelochemicals may be released from live or dead plant tissues and be accumulated in the soil. We tested whether non-native species leaf litter and their leachates reduced seedling establishment and growth of native species. We subjected seeds of six native species to the effect of litter leachates of three of the most important invasive plants in Europe and to mannitol solutions with similar osmotic potential in germination chamber experiments. Additionally, we measured the effect of the same litter on emergence and growth of the native species in an outdoor pot experiment. Litter leachates delayed and reduced germination and affected initial root growth of all native species. The effects of leachates were significantly higher than those of mannitol, indicating the action of toxic, most probably allelochemical substances. Emergence of seedlings in pots was also reduced, but total biomass per pot was not affected and biomass per seedling increased. Allelochemicals may affect germination and early stages of seedling recruitment. However, these negative effects seem to cease shortly after germination, when other mechanisms such as competition may be more important. Consequently, litter-borne allelochemicals are unlikely to drive the invasion of the studied non-native species, but they may contribute to maintain mono-dominant stands reinforcing invasion success.Fil: Loydi, Alejandro. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Bahía Blanca. Centro de Recursos Naturales Renovables de la Zona Semiárida(i); Argentina. Universidad Nacional del Sur. Departamento de Biología, Bioquímica y Farmacia; Argentina. Justus-Liebig University Giessen. Research Centre for BioSystems, Land Use and Nutrition. Institute of Landscape Ecology and Resource Management; AlemaniaFil: Donath, T. W.. Justus-Liebig University Giessen. Research Centre for BioSystems, Land Use and Nutrition. Institute of Landscape Ecology and Resource Management; AlemaniaFil: Eckstein, R. L.. Justus-Liebig University Giessen. Research Centre for BioSystems, Land Use and Nutrition. Institute of Landscape Ecology and Resource Management; AlemaniaFil: Otte, A.. Justus-Liebig University Giessen. Research Centre for BioSystems, Land Use and Nutrition. Institute of Landscape Ecology and Resource Management; Alemani

Negative and positive interactions among plants: effect of competitors and litter on seedling emergence and growth of forest and grassland species

Living plant neighbours, but also their dead aboveground remains (i.e. litter), may individually exert negative or positive effects on plant recruitment. Although living plants and litter co-occur in most ecosystems, few studies have addressed their combined effects, and conclusions are ambivalent. Therefore, we examined the response in terms of seedling emergence and growth of herbaceous grassland and forest species to different litter types and amounts and the presence of competitors. We conducted a pot experiment testing the effects of litter type (grass, oak), litter amount (low, medium, high) and interspecific competition (presence or absence of four Festuca arundinacea individuals) on seedling emergence and biomass of four congeneric pairs of hemicryptophytes from two habitat types (woodland, grassland). Interactions between litter and competition were weak. Litter presence increased competitor biomass. It also had positive effects on seedling emergence at low litter amounts and negative effects at high litter amounts, while competition had no effect on seedling emergence. Seedling biomass was negatively affected by the presence of competitors, and this effect was stronger in combination with high amounts of litter. Litter affected seedling emergence while competition determined the biomass of the emerged individuals, both affecting early stages of seedling recruitment. High litter accumulation also reduced seedling biomass, but this effect seemed to be additive to competitor effects. This suggests that live and dead plant mass can affect species recruitment in natural systems, but the mechanisms by which they operate and their timing differ.Fil: Loydi, Alejandro. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Bahía Blanca. Centro de Recursos Naturales Renovables de la Zona Semiárida(i); Argentina. Universidad Nacional del Sur. Departamento de Biología, Bioquímica y Farmacia; Argentina. Justus-Liebig University Giessen. Research Centre for BioSystems, Land Use and Nutrition. Institute of Landscape Ecology and Resource Management; AlemaniaFil: Donath, T. W.. Justus-Liebig University Giessen. Research Centre for BioSystems, Land Use and Nutrition. Institute of Landscape Ecology and Resource Management; Alemania. Christian-Albrechts University. Institute for Natural Resource Conservation. Department of Landscape Ecology; AlemaniaFil: Otte, A.. Justus-Liebig University Giessen. Research Centre for BioSystems, Land Use and Nutrition. Institute of Landscape Ecology and Resource Management; AlemaniaFil: Eckstein, R. L.. Justus-Liebig University Giessen. Research Centre for BioSystems, Land Use and Nutrition. Institute of Landscape Ecology and Resource Management; Alemani