Abstract
. The effects of disturbance by trampling and vegetation removal on herbaceous communities and their micro-environments were examined at two sites with different levels of shade. The dominant species of the original vegetation were the perennial herb Artemisia princeps at the sunny site and the dwarf-bamboo Pleioblastus chino at the shady site. With no disturbance and marked dominance of these species, diversity was low. After vegetation removal there was a rapid recovery, leading to a more diverse vegetation with many more species, each with a lower dominance. Continuous trampling induced a short vegetation while the light intensity under the foliage was increased. At the sunny site, species richness was depressed by trampling because the soil water potential decreased markedly during summer and only the stress-tolerant annual Digitaria adscendens grew vigorously. Thus, the lowest species diversity was observed in the heavily trampled vegetation in late summer. At the shady site, soil water availability was not affected by trampling. This allowed the survival of many species and prevented a strong decline in diversity. The results suggest that the pattern of change in diversity in communities subjected to various disturbances, was always determined by the original environments.
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Disclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.