Increased Plant Species Diversity Research Articles

Increasing plant species diversity benefits soil protein accumulation in a subtropical forest

Abstract Protein, derived from plant and microbial residues, constitutes a significant portion of soil nitrogen or organic carbon pool and plays a crucial role in determining soil nitrogen and carbon sequestration. Though diversifying plant species has been regarded as a promising strategy for promoting soil nitrogen or organic carbon accumulation during vegetation restoration or afforestation, how increasing plant species diversity (PSD) would influence soil protein pool remains unknown. We selected 45 plots covering a natural gradient of PSD, which was reflected by the Shannon index and varied from 0.15 to 3.57, in a subtropical karst forest. The major objective was to investigate the impact of increasing PSD on soil protein abundance, with soil protein depolymerization rate and multiple biotic and abiotic variables being measured to explore the underlying mechanism. The relative abundance of soil protein, that is proportion in soil organic matter varied between 24.1 and 34.0% with an average of 29.2 ± 2.3% across the 45 plots. Soil protein abundance increased on average by 1.56% with each unit of PSD increase. Nevertheless, soil protease activity, protein depolymerization rate and microbial amino acid uptake rate all significantly (p < 0.05) decreased as PSD increased. The mechanism underlying the increase of soil protein abundance in response to higher PSD included three aspects, that is stimulating microbial biomass and subsequent microbial residue input to the soil, promoting mineral protection of soil protein via elevating levels of soil exchangeable calcium and magnesium, and decreasing soil protease activity and protein depolymerization due to aggravated soil microbial phosphorus limitation. Synthesis and application: Our study suggests that increasing PSD is an efficient way to promote soil protein accumulation. Given that protein is a major component of soil nitrogen or organic carbon pool, diversifying plant species during vegetation restoration or afforestation would hence benefit soil nitrogen and organic carbon sequestration.

Desertification Reversal Promotes the Complexity of Plant Community by Increasing Plant Species Diversity of Each Plant Functional Type

Desertification reversal is globally significant for the sustainable development of land resources. However, the mechanisms of desertification reversal at the level of plant community are still unclear. We hypothesized that desertification reversal has clear effects on plant community composition, plant functional types (PFTs), and other vegetation characteristics, including plant diversity and biomass, and their changes in the early stages of reversal are more dramatic than in later stages. We investigated the vegetation of four to five different stages of desertification reversal at each of seven large study sites in southwestern Mu Us Sandy Land, China. The results show that the dominant species in very severe desertification areas were replaced by perennial grasses in potential desertification areas. The importance values of annual forbs and perennial sub-shrubs decreased dramatically (from 42.59 and 32.98 to 22.13 and 5.54, respectively), whereas those of perennial grasses and perennial forbs increased prominently (from 13.26 and 2.71 to 53.94 and 11.79, respectively) with the reversal of desertification. Desertification reversal increased the complexity of plant community composition by increasing plant species in each PFT, and C3 plants replaced C4 plants to become the dominant PFT with reversal. Plant species richness and species diversity rose overall, and aboveground plant biomass significantly (p < 0.05) increased with the reversal of desertification. Most vegetation characteristics changed more strikingly in the early stages of desertification reversal than in later stages. Our results indicate that the type and composition of the plant community were dramatically affected by desertification reversal. Anthropogenic measures are more applicable to being employed in early stages than in later stages, and Amaranthaceae C4 plants are suggested to be planted in mobile dunes for the acceleration of desertification reversal. This study is useful for designing strategies of land management and ecological restoration in arid and semiarid regions.

Increasing plant species diversity suppresses free‐living N2 fixation in litter and soil of a subtropical karst forest

Abstract Free‐living N2 fixation (FNF) is an important source of bioavailable nitrogen for forests. Though increasing plant species diversity (PSD) benefits soil nitrogen accumulation, how it impacts FNF rate has not been explored. Forty‐five plots covering a PSD gradient were selected in a subtropical karst forest, southwest China. FNF rates in leaf litter and soil were measured using acetylene reduction assay calibrated with a 15N2 fixation method. Diazotrophic community, litter and soil properties were determined as well. The nifH gene abundance was not significantly altered in litter but was significantly decreased in soil by higher PSD. Diazotrophic community's Shannon diversity was significantly increased by higher PSD in both litter and soil. Increasing PSD inhibited litter FNF rate via aggravating phosphorus limitation and decreasing the relative abundance of Betaproteobacteria and Deltaproteobacteria. For the mineral soil horizon, increasing PSD suppressed FNF rate via decreasing nifH gene abundance caused by elevated N availability and lowered phosphorus and iron availability or through decreasing the relative abundance of Deltaproteobacteria but increasing that of Betaproteobacteria. Our findings, for the first time, reveal the microbial and abiotic controls on FNF in litter and soil in response to PSD, and hence benefit the prediction of nitrogen input via biological N2 fixation under changes in PSD. Read the free Plain Language Summary for this article on the Journal blog.

Increasing plant species diversity enhances microbial necromass carbon content but does not alter its contribution to soil organic carbon pool in a subtropical forest

Increasing plant species diversity benefits soil organic carbon (SOC) accumulation in forest ecosystems, but how microbial necromass contributes to SOC accumulation in response to plant species diversity and the underlying mechanisms have not been well explored. In the present study, 45 plots covering a natural gradient of plant species diversity as indexed by Shannon's diversity index from 0.15 to 3.57 were selected in a typical subtropical forest with calcareous soil. Soil microbial necromass C including fungal necromass C and bacterial necromass C was estimated using amino sugars, with multiple soil biotic and abiotic variables being determined to explore the mechanisms underlying the effects of plant species diversity on microbial necromass C. Total microbial necromass C contents ranged from 4.28 to 85.7 g kg−1 soil with an average of 36.3 ± 17.6 g kg−1 soil, and accounted for 54.2% ± 22.2% of the SOC pool across the 45 plots. Fungal necromass C had a greater contribution to SOC than bacterial necromass C. Increasing plant species diversity was significantly and positively correlated with microbial necromass C content, but was not significantly related to the contribution of microbial necromass C to the SOC pool. Though increasing plant species diversity enhanced microbial biomass via stimulating C use efficiency and substrate availability, microbial biomass was not significantly linked to microbial necromass C accumulation. Instead, increasing plant species diversity benefited microbial necromass C accumulation via enhancing the mineral protection due to its positive effect on soil exchangeable calcium. Due to the proportionate increase of microbial necromass C and SOC, and the unaltered soil C:N ratio and C:N imbalance between soil organic matter and microbial biomass, the contribution of microbial necromass C to the SOC pool was not affected by plant species diversity. Our study highlights the key role of mineral protection in soil microbial necromass C accumulation, and provides a microbe-dependent linkage between plant species diversity and SOC accumulation.

Moderate Grazing Promotes Arthropod Species Diversity in an Alpine Meadow.

Livestock grazing is an important tool used in grassland land management practices. Studies have substantially addressed the effect of grazing on plant species diversity, revealing that moderate grazing increases plant species diversity. However, few studies have dealt with the relationship between grazing and arthropod species diversity, which remains unclear. Here, we hypothesize that moderate grazing promotes arthropod species diversity because arthropods are directly or indirectly dependent on plant diversity. In this study, we conducted a two-year plant and arthropod survey from 2020 to 2021 at four levels of grazing intensity, i.e., nongrazing (as a control), light grazing, moderate grazing, and heavy grazing, of the long-term grazing experiment starting in 2016. The data show that plant species diversity peaked in the moderate grazing treatment, and herbivore species diversity was positively correlated with plant species diversity (and hence peaked in the moderate grazing treatment). Moderate grazing promoted parasitoid species diversity, which was positively correlated with herbivore species diversity. However, predator species diversity did not significantly differ among the four treatments. In addition, saprophage species diversity decreased, whereas coprophages increased with increasing grazing levels, such that species richness (but not species diversity of detritivores statistically) was highest in the moderate grazing treatment. Consequently, the species diversity of arthropods as a whole peaked at the moderate grazing level, a phenomenology that is consistent with the intermediate disturbance hypothesis. Considering that moderate grazing has been found to increase plant species diversity, facilitate soil carbon accumulation, and prevent soil erosion, we suggest that moderate grazing would maximize multi-functional ecosystem services.

Effect of Land Use and Land Cover Change on Plant Diversity in the Ghodaghodi Lake Complex, Nepal

The Ghodaghodi Lake Complex is a Ramsar site, Nepal’s first bird sanctuary, and has significant ecological and economic values. The lake complex is in the western part of the lowland of the Terai region. Numerous studies indicate a relation between the normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI), land use, and land cover with plant diversity. However, the association between terrestrial plant diversity and NDVI in the Ghodaghodi Lake Complex is unknown but has important implications due to potential land use changes. We aimed to understand the relationship between plant diversity and NDVI in the Ghodaghodi Lake Complex. We performed a vegetation survey using a simple random sampling methodology. Shannon–Wiener’s diversity index (H’) was calculated from the field data, and Landsat images were used to compare land use and land cover changes and calculate NDVI values for 2000 and 2022. The image classification shows that forest cover in April and December 2000 was 71.1% and 58.5%, respectively, and was the dominant land cover in the study area. In contrast, agriculture occupied 18.8% and 27.3% in April and December 2000, respectively, and was the primary land use. Forests covered the most land in April (64.8%) and December (65.3%) of 2022. Likewise, agriculture was a widespread land use. We found a significant correlation (r = 0.80, p < 0.05) between the NDVI and plant species diversity, as the NDVI explained 65% of plant species diversity. There was a decrease in forest cover from 2000 to 2022. The strong correlation between the NDVI and vegetation species diversity shows that the NDVI can be a substitute for plant diversity. Our findings show that increased NDVI corresponds to increased plant species diversity and that the lake complex had more plant diversity in 2022 than in 2000, despite a decrease in forested lands.

A Mixed Model for Assessing the Effect of Numerous Plant Species Interactions on Grassland Biodiversity and Ecosystem Function Relationships

In grassland ecosystems, it is well known that increasing plant species diversity can improve ecosystem functions (i.e., ecosystem responses), for example, by increasing productivity and reducing weed invasion. Diversity-Interactions models use species proportions and their interactions as predictors in a regression framework to assess biodiversity and ecosystem function relationships. However, it can be difficult to model numerous interactions if there are many species, and interactions may be temporally variable or dependent on spatial planting patterns. We developed a new Diversity-Interactions mixed model for jointly assessing many species interactions and within-plot species planting pattern over multiple years. We model pairwise interactions using a small number of fixed parameters that incorporate spatial effects and supplement this by including all pairwise interaction variables as random effects, each constrained to have the same variance within each year. The random effects are indexed by pairs of species within plots rather than a plot-level factor as is typical in mixed models, and capture remaining variation due to pairwise species interactions parsimoniously. We apply our novel methodology to three years of weed invasion data from a 16-species grassland experiment that manipulated plant species diversity and spatial planting pattern and test its statistical properties in a simulation study.Supplementary materials accompanying this paper appear online.

Components of plant diversity as ecological indicators reflecting the effects of conservation management and degradation in different climatic conditions

AbstractAdditive partitioning of species diversity is a valuable approach for quantifying the spatial patterns of biodiversity sampled in hierarchically scaled studies. This approach may provide key insights into vegetation community restoration following terrestrial ecosystems degradation in different climatic conditions. The scale‐dependence of plant diversity in relation to different plant functional groups (e.g., herbaceous and woody) is still little understood. This research aims to investigate the influence of management options (protected vs. non‐protected) and climatic conditions (semiarid vs. Mediterranean) on different components of diversity in both herbaceous and woody species derived from local and regional scales (i.e., plot and site, respectively). In the studied areas, a total of 64 plots (1000 m2) at local scale and 128 micro‐plots (1 m2) among 16 sites at regional scale were selected for sampling the woody and herbaceous species data, respectively, by using a hierarchical sampling design. Diversity components of local (α1, β1) and regional (α2, β2) scales were extracted according to additive partitioning method. Differences in diversity component (α1, α21, β1 and β2) and floristic composition between management options and climatic conditions were evaluated using GLMM and DCA. The results indicate that all components of total species (both herbaceous and woody) diversity (α1, α2, β1 and β2) were significantly influenced by management options (p < 0.05) with greater values in the protected areas than the non‐protected areas. However, the climatic conditions only had significant effects on β2, with greater values in the Mediterranean compared to semi‐arid areas. Moreover, the separate analysis of herbaceous and woody species indicated that management options have a greater significant effect on different diversity components compared to the climatic condition. Detrended correspondence analysis showed that floristic variations along the axes are strongly affected by management in both climatic conditions. This indicates that protection measures mostly increased plant species diversity at the local and regional scales, which is independent of the climatic condition.

Effects of variable-density thinning on non-native understory plants in coniferous forests of the Pacific Northwest

Old-growth forests serve as critical habitat for many sensitive species, but management practices have diminished their prevalence, and former regions of old-growth are now dominated by second-growth stands lacking the structural heterogeneity, diversity, and species richness that these older forests possess.In western Washington state in the Pacific Northwest of the United States, the Olympic Habitat Development Study was designed to address this issue and hasten the development of specific old-growth features in second-growth stands using variable-density thinning. One concern with such methods, however, is the potential to introduce non-native plants, which can have negative ecological and economic impacts. Here, we examine how variable-density thinning influences desirable forest characteristics, such as increased plant species diversity, versus the less desirable effects of non-native plant species introduction. We test two hypotheses regarding plant invasions. First, thinning would promote establishment of non-native, shade-intolerant species, but their abundance would gradually decline over time. Second, thinning disturbance and increased heterogeneity of canopy cover would initially promote understory richness of all species, although richness would decline over time with canopy closure and increased cover of shrubs and regenerating trees. We found that the number and cover of non-native species initially increased after thinning, peaking at 16 species present in variable-density thinned treatments in year three. By year 17, 11 species remained throughout the seven 6.5 ha treatment plots sampled, and cover was negligible. As predicted, species richness increased following thinning, however, native species richness remained elevated through year 17, contrary to our hypothesis. Furthermore, native species diversity also increased following thinning and remained higher in thinned treatments than controls through year 17. Our results show that variable-density thinning in temperate coniferous forests can enhance native, but not exotic, plant richness and diversity in the long term.

Habitat preferences of the Critically Endangered greater Bermuda land snail Poecilozonites bermudensis in the wild

AbstractThe endemic, Critically Endangered greater Bermuda land snail Poecilozonites bermudensis is known from only two relict subpopulations. Little is known of its habitat preferences in the wild. Observations of released zoo-reared P. bermudensis suggested an affinity for limestone, which we investigated on Port's Island. Previous qualitative observations on Port's Island suggested an aversion to the litter of the invasive tree Casuarina equisetifolia, which we examined. Additionally, we hypothesized that snail abundance would increase with elevation, distance from the sea, and with increased plant species diversity. During 2 May–14 June 2018, we found 558 live P. bermudensis at 70 sites across Port's Island. We found no correlation between the number of live snails at a site and either the number of plant species, elevation or distance from the shoreline, but snails were significantly less abundant at sites dominated by C. equisetifolia. Significantly more snails were found around limestone features, indicating future reintroductions and searches for any undiscovered subpopulations should focus on limestone features where C. equisetifolia is absent.

Influence of Annual Plant Diversity on Forage Productivity and Nutrition, Soil Chemistry, and Soil Microbial Communities

Forage cover crops are gaining in popularity on the Canadian prairies, where multi-species crop mixtures are grown for soil and ecosystem enhancing benefits, but also harvested for forage. As the use of these forage mixtures increases, more knowledge is needed to understand the impact these mixtures have on forage production systems. The objective of this study was to determine the effects of increasing plant species diversity on forage productivity, soil chemistry, and soil microbial communities. Field trials were conducted in 2016 and 2017 at two separate locations in the Canadian Prairie region that included four treatments: (1) oat monoculture, (2) 3 spp. mixture (1 grass, 1 legume, 1 brassica), (3) 6 spp. mixture (2 grasses, 2 legumes, 2 brassicas), and (4) 9 spp. mixture (3 grasses, 3 legumes, 3 brassicas). Soil and plant samples were collected at the mid and late growing season to assess soil chemistry, plant biomass and composition, forage nutrition and quality, and soil bacterial and fungal communities. Overall, the oat monoculture had the highest biomass productivity, while the 9 spp. mixture produced the lowest biomass among the treatments. All three mixtures had a better nutritional profile (i.e., greater concentrations of Ca, Cu, Fe, total Kjeldahl nitrogen (TKN), total phosphorus (TP) and total potassium (TK), and lower concentrations of acid detergent fiber (ADF) and neutral detergent fiber (NDF)) compared to the monoculture. Differences in forage nutrition were particularly heightened at the end of the growing season. Soil chemical properties did not differ greatly among the treatments with the exception of higher levels of soil nitrate availability in the mixtures compared to the monoculture. Early indicators of a shift in soil microbial diversity and fungal community composition, and an increased abundance of fungal pathotrophs in the mixtures compared to the oat monoculture, was observed at one of the field sites. This study indicates that increasing plant species diversity does not always lead to an increase in biomass production or significant changes or improvements in soil microbial communities. However, the inclusion of multiple plant species can improve the quality and nutritive value of forages over a monoculture forage crop.

Litter removal through fire – A key process for wetland vegetation and ecosystem dynamics

Fire is a major driver of global vegetation patterns. It strongly reduces litter and thus alters physical and chemical properties of the environment. Studies investigating the interplay of fire and litter are scarce, and wetland ecosystems are strongly under-represented in research focusing on litter dynamics. We present data on short-term effects of fires in floodplain wetlands along the Amur River in the Russian Far East, an area with a high fire recurrence rate. We analysed vegetation and plant growth patterns as well as soil temperature and nutrient concentrations on recently burnt and unburnt control plots.Directly after fire, litter was reduced by more than 50% on burnt plots. This effect was no longer visible 15 months after fire, probably due to the high productivity of the floodplain ecosystem. Litter was found to act as a key determinant in the net of direct and indirect fire effects, by influencing early plant growth patterns of herbs and grasses. Furthermore, litter removal through fire significantly increased plant species diversity and soil temperature. Contrary, N and P concentrations in living plant biomass of grasses and herbs decreased with decreasing litter cover. Combustion during burning seems to be responsible for the negative direct fire impacts on nutrient concentrations, which were found for N and Mg.Litter removal through fire can strongly affect diversity patterns, dominance structures, and nutrient cycling in wetlands. With increasing fire frequency in the course of global change, significant structural and compositional changes in herbaceous wetland vegetation must be anticipated and the studied ecosystem may shift to reinforced N-limitation.

Wetland Waterbird Food Resources Increased by Harvesting Invasive Cattails

ABSTRACTThe conservation of many freshwater marsh waterbirds (i.e., waterfowl, shorebirds, wading birds, and secretive marshbirds) in the Laurentian Great Lakes requires managing invasive emergent macrophytes, which degrade waterbird habitat by creating dense, litter‐clogged stands, and excluding plants that produce nutritionally balanced and high‐energy food (seeds, tubers, and submerged aquatic vegetation). The most commonly used management approach in the United States Great Lakes region involves the application of herbicides, which can stimulate waterbird forage plants but does not address the accumulation of plant litter, the underlying cause of plant community diversity loss and habitat degradation. We experimentally evaluated the effects of an alternative approach, harvesting invasive plants and their litter followed by flooding, on plant communities, focusing on the effects of these treatments to increase the abundance of high‐energy wetland plants. At the Shiawassee National Wildlife Refuge in Michigan, USA, we experimentally treated an invasive cattail (Typha × glauca)‐dominated wetland in August and September of 2016, 2017, and 2018, using a randomized block design with 4 blocks and 3 treatments (sediment surface harvest, above ground harvest, and control). We monitored the effects of these treatments on the abundance and dominance of waterbird forage‐producing plants, plant diversity, and plant communities prior to (Jul 2016) and during the summer following each treatment (late Jul or early Aug 2017, 2018, and 2019). Additionally, we used pre‐ and post‐treatment waterbird use‐day data collected at the unit scale and compared values with satellite imagery‐derived land cover changes. Compared to control plots, 3 years of harvesting and flooding significantly increased plant species diversity, increased the abundance of waterbird seed‐ and tuber‐producing plant species by 5 times, and increased annual plant dominance by more than 10 times, while substantially reducing all measures of cattail and its litter. Use‐days increased for total waterbirds, including waterfowl and dabbling ducks, following treatment. Cattail cover decreased and open water and non‐cattail emergent vegetation cover increased. Harvesting invasive plant biomass coupled with flooding promoted a plant community composition and structure beneficial to waterbirds. © 2020 The Wildlife Society.

Global synthesis of effects of plant species diversity on trophic groups and interactions.

Numerous studies have demonstrated that plant species diversity enhances ecosystem functioning in terrestrial ecosystems, including diversity effects on insects (herbivores, predators and parasitoids) and plants. However, the effects of increased plant diversity across trophic levels in different ecosystems and biomes have not yet been explored on a global scale. Through a global meta-analysis of 2,914 observations from 351 studies, we found that increased plant species richness reduced herbivore abundance and damage but increased predator and parasitoid abundance, predation, parasitism and overall plant performance. Moreover, increased predator/parasitoid performance was correlated with reduced herbivore abundance and enhanced plant performance. We conclude that increasing plant species diversity promotes beneficial trophic interactions between insects and plants, ultimately contributing to increased ecosystem services.

Effect of Plateau Zokor (Myospalax fontanierii) Disturbance on Plant Community Structure and Soil Properties in the Eastern Qinghai-Tibet Plateau, China

Plateau zokor (Myospalax fontanierii) is a native subterranean rodent in alpine rangeland on Qinghai-Tibet Plateau (QTP) in China, and its foraging, digging, and mounds building cause the unique disturbance pattern to alpine rangeland ecosystem. Over the past decades, the zokors have been regarded as major pests who result in the degradation of the rangeland ecosystem in the QTP and have been simply eliminated by rodenticides or traps. Understanding the function of zokors and evaluating the zokors’ impacts on alpine rangeland systems should be the solid scientific basis for zokor control. In this study, we considered the average nearest neighbor indices of zokor mounds to represent the disturbance intensity of zokor to alpine rangeland and surveyed the plant species richness, diversity indices, biomass, and soil physicochemical properties in intermound areas under different zokor disturbance intensities in alpine rangeland in Tianzhu Tibet Autonomous County, located in eastern QTP. Our results indicated that 1) the plant species diversity indices were positively correlated with zokor disturbance intensity and aboveground and belowground biomasses were not significantly different under the different disturbance intensities; 2) the importance value of the forb functional group increased as the disturbance intensities increased, and the sedge functional group showed the opposite trend. The proportions of aboveground and belowground biomasses of forbs increased as the disturbance level increased; 3) there were no changes in the dominant plant species among the different disturbance intensities, but new plant species (Polygonum viviparum and Equisetum arvense) occurred in the plots with high disturbance intensities; 4) a significant positive correlation was observed between soil moisture in the 0-20 cm layer and disturbance intensity, while soil temperature exhibited a significantly negative relationship with the disturbance intensity; however, no differences in soil chemical properties were observed; and 5) redundancy analysis identified that mound building changed soil physical properties, especially soil moisture, in intermound areas, which influenced the plant community structure. In conclusion, the plateau zokor in our study area increased plant species diversity and did not decrease plant biomass, which is beneficial for alpine rangeland systems. We suggest that rangeland managers should consider the multiple functions of zokors to an alpine rangeland ecosystem instead of simply eliminating them.

Assessment of the biocontrol effects of three aromatic plants on multiple trophic levels of the arthropod community in an agroforestry ecosystem

1. Studies have shown that plant diversity plays a major role in influencing arthropod community composition. However, the effects of increasing plant species diversity on arthropod abundance at multiple trophic levels in the presence of aromatic plants have not been well documented.2. To explore the potential of using aromatic plants to biocontrol arthropods at multiple trophic levels, three aromatic plant species – French marigold (Tagetes patula L.), Ageratum (Ageratum houstonianum Mill.) and Catnip (Nepeta cataria L.) – were introduced into an apple orchard to increase ground plant species composition.3. The aromatic plants influenced the structure of arthropod communities at multiple trophic levels, particularly the herbivores in the tree canopy and predators in ground covers. Aromatic plants negatively influenced total arthropod community abundance. Compared with the control treatment, the total arthropod community abundance in the treated areas declined 24.99–33.84% and 14.35–24.65% in the tree canopy and ground covers, respectively.4. Aromatic plants negatively influenced herbivore abundance, both overall and relative to the total community. By contrast, aromatic plants positively influenced predator abundance, both overall and relative to the total community, in the treatments containing both ageratum and catnip. However, aromatic plants had no effect on species richness at each trophic level or on parasitoid abundance.5. These results suggest that increasing ground plant species diversity by introducing aromatic plants into apple orchards may considerably affect arthropod community composition, and that aromatic plants are potentially effective for the biocontrol of herbivore pests in agroforestry ecosystems.

Traditional Ecological Knowledge Maintains Useful Plant Diversity in Semi-natural Grasslands in the Kiso Region, Japan.

Wild plant species provide a variety of ecosystem services that contribute to human well-being. However, much of the legacy of traditional ecological knowledge (TEK) in Japan is rapidly being lost because of environmental changes; therefore, it is important to study the relationship between TEK of ecosystem management practices and plant diversity. Our study area is located in the southwest of Nagano Prefecture, Japan. We compared plant diversity among three land management types including traditional, labor-saving, and land abandonment sites, where we recorded 103 useful plant species based on interviews concerning the traditional use of local ecological resources; among them, 45 species are used for horse livestock, 32 for agriculture, 16 as edible plants, and 19 for manufacture of diverse every-day life goods. Data analyses demonstrated that useful plant diversity was significantly higher in the traditional sites than in other sites. We found highly diverse traditional uses of plant species (e.g., edible plants, horse feed, and rainwear) provided by TEK of local management. These results imply that when local farmers perform traditional management practices, they increase plant species diversity. With our work we investigated the effect of the loss of cultural values and the impact of biodiversity changes on the opportunities that people have to use ecosystem resources in Japan. This aspect particularly highlights the urgency of reconnecting nature and people. Conservation planning based on TEK has been and will be vital in addressing the goal of reducing biodiversity loss on a global scale.

Assessing habitat heterogeneity and vegetation outcomes of geomorphic and traditional linear-slope methods in post-mine reclamation

Traditional reclamation consists of landform reconstruction characterized by uniform topography and linear slopes. Geomorphic reclamation improves on traditional reclamation by recreating heterogeneous landforms that blend into surrounding landscapes. Environmental heterogeneity created by geomorphic design is expected to increase the number of available ecological niches, and thus increase plant species diversity when compared with traditional reclamation practices. We sampled plant communities at two reclaimed surface mines in Wyoming using line-point intercept transects to compare vegetative diversity, composition, and structure between sites reclaimed using geomorphic and traditional methods. Greater species richness and Simpson's diversity were observed in geomorphic reclamation at the first site, but did not differ significantly at the second site, although geomorphic reclamation was more likely to resemble undisturbed controls. Shrub abundance was up to 10 times greater on geomorphic reclamation compared to traditional reclamation. Neither reclamation method achieved levels of vegetative diversity observed on nearby, undisturbed rangeland. Geomorphic methods have potential benefits for restoration of vegetative diversity and foundation species such as Wyoming big sagebrush (Artemisia tridentata ssp. wyomingensis). Our results suggest geomorphic reclamation may improve plant community diversity and wildlife habitat as a practical method for landscape-level restoration in post-mining sites.

Economic benefits from plant species diversity in intensively managed grasslands

Grasslands cover a major share of the world’s agricultural area and are important for global food security. Plant species diversity in grasslands is known to increase and stabilize biomass yields. We economically evaluate these effects, using a rich dataset from 16 intensively managed grassland sites across Europe. We extend earlier research by accounting for plant species diversity effects on both quantity and quality of yields. Consequently, we can express plant species diversity effects in terms of milk production potential yields per hectare and potential revenues thereof. Plant species diversity not only increased milk production potential yields and thus revenues, but also reduced production risks. Thus, increasing plant species diversity resulted in higher certainty equivalents, for example, the certainty equivalent rose by +29% when comparing the average mixture to the average monoculture. For risk averse decision makers, this gain in certainty equivalent was mainly due to the increase in revenues (accounting for 90%) compared to the total insurance value (accounting for 10%). Overall, we show that farmers benefit economically from plant species diversity and that even a moderate increase in this diversity contributes to more stable grassland-based production. Thus, our results are highly relevant for future sustainable intensification of grassland-based production.

Phosphorus and mowing improve native alfalfa establishment, facilitating restoration of grassland productivity and diversity

AbstractSeeding legumes into degraded grasslands may effectively replace nitrogen fertilization and restore ecosystem stability by retaining or increasing native plant species diversity while increasing forage production. However, previous research indicated limited legume persistence and potential plant community diversity loss following seeding of legumes into grasslands, constraining successful restoration of degraded grasslands. Our research defined optimal management thresholds for successful legume establishment, reconciling both environmental conservation and production priorities. Large areas of degraded steppe in Inner Mongolia, northeast China, were seeded to either native alfalfa (yellow‐flowered alfalfa: Medicago falcata L.), cultivated alfalfa (purple‐flowered alfalfa: Medicago sativa L.), or left nonseeded (control). Within each seeded area, management treatments (P fertilization or mowing) were assigned to plots in the second year of alfalfa establishment. Our results indicated P amendments and mowing improve native alfalfa establishment, increasing plant productivity while maintaining diverse plant communities, thereby successfully rehabilitating degraded meadow steppe grasslands. However, cultivated alfalfa was not persistent under any management treatment. Alfalfa shoot N and P concentration was linearly related to plant‐available P, indicating P fertilization differentially benefits alfalfa compared with the dominate C3 grass, Leymus chinensis (Trin.) Tzvel. Mowing successfully increased plant species diversity and plant species asynchrony; however, mowing did not alter the temporal stability of plant community productivity, potentially maintaining or enhancing ecosystem stability. Our research showed promise that native alfalfa seeding combined with P fertilization and mowing can restore degraded grasslands to support both forage production and diverse plant communities.