Plant Population Biology Research Articles

Universal PCR primers for identifying species of the genus Sanguisorba and other members of the family Rosaceae

Seven primers for the amplification of non-coding regions of chloroplast DNA via the polymerase chain reaction (PCR) have been designed. In order to find out whether these primers were universal, we used them in an attempt to amplify DNA fragments from various plant species of Rosaceae. Primers worked for species of the genus Sanguisorba and some species of the family Rosaceae. The fact that they amplify chloroplast DNA non-coding regions over a wide taxonomic range means that these primers may be used to study the population biology and evolution of plants.

PROFESSOR OLGA V. SMIRNOVA’S SYSTEM OF VIEWS IN FOREST ECOSYSTEM ECOLOGY

Professor Olga V. Smirnova, Doctor of Biological Sciences, is a prominent scientist in the field of plant demography, population biology, and forest ecosystem ecology. Professor Olga V. Smirnova’s edifice is based on ideas about the leading role of plant and animal populations in the organization of the biogeocenotic cover. In this case, it is implied that a continuous generational turnover in edificator (keystone species) populations is necessary to maintain the species and structural diversity in communities and ensure their sustainability. This system of views was influenced by Professor Alexey A. Uranov. The development of these ideas was consistent and gradual. First, Professor Olga V. Smirnova studied the biology of different plant species life forms. Examining their individual development, with identification of ontogenetic stages, is necessary for demographic research. She then developed the theory of coenopopulations as supraorganismal systems, which can self-sustain under different conditions. Finally, she developed the doctrine of biogeocenosis as a system of interacting populations and created the concept of anthropogenic transformation of the forest cover in the Holocene. Her contributions helped researchers to understand the mechanisms of the formation of modern zonality that are due to human activity.

Editorial

Editorial

John Lander Harper. 27 May 1925—22 March 2009

Born into a farming family, John Harper identified a number of influential figures in his formal education, including his inspirational school master Wilfred Kings, and the plant ecologists Roy Clapham (FRS 1959) and Jack Harley (FRS 1964) and animal ecologists Charles Elton (FRS 1953) and George Varley during his university education at Magdalen College, Oxford. His first academic appointments were in the University of Oxford School of Rural Economy and the Department of Agriculture, where he carried out pioneering research on seed and seedling mortality and the ecology and control of weeds. In 1960 John was appointed to head the Department of Agricultural Botany at the University College of North Wales, Bangor. The departments of Botany and Agricultural Botany merged in 1967 with John as head of the new School of Plant Biology. From this base, he established a research centre that attracted students and visitors from around the world. As one of the most influential of thinkers, John Harper generated a new discipline: plant population biology. In addition, by integrating advances in animal population biology and evolution into his own work, John helped to create a complete master discipline of ecology, as reflected in a textbookEcology: individuals, populations and communities(Oxford, UK: Blackwell) for which he received (with co-authors Mike Begon and Colin Townsend) an exceptional lifetime achievement award from the British Ecological Society.

Популяционно-биоморфологические исследования живокости сетчатоплодной (Delphinium dictyocarpum DC.) в Джунгарском Алатау

В статье представлены данные попопуляционно-биоморфологические исследования живокости сетча-топлодной (Delphinium dictyocarpum DC.) в Джунгарском Алатау. Цель исследования — изучение распространения, фитоценотической приуроченности, биоморфологии и структуры популяций Delphinium dictyocarpum. Исследования проводились на территории хребта Джунгарского Алатау в 2015–2017 гг. Структура и строение ценопопуляций (ЦП) изучали в 2-х растительных сообществах (описания 1, 2). Для изучения плотности и онтогенетической структуры ценопопуляции в сообществах закладывались трансекты, разделенные на площадки размером 1м2. Тип ценопопуляций определялся по двум классификациям: Б.А. Юрцева (1987, 1988) и Л.А. Жуковой (2013). При изучении биоморфологии и структуры ценопопуляций использовали принятые в современной популяционной биологии растений принципы и методы, разработанные Л.А. Жуковой (2012) и по «Программе и методике наблюдений за ценопопуляциями видов Красной книги СССР» (1986). В результате проведенного исследования выявлено, что Delphinium dictyocarpum в Джунгарском Алатау произрастает на высоте от 1600 до 3200 м над ур. м., занимая верхнюю треть, или привершинную часть, высоких гор. На склонах вид встречается по выходам скал и на каменисто-щебнистых участках в составе кустарниково-разнотравно-живокосовых, злаково-разнотравных лугах. Видовой состав живокосовых сообществ представлен 125 видами сосудистых растений из 95 родов и 37 семейств. Высота надземных органов Delphinium dictyocarpum колебалась от 115 до 250 см.

How mycorrhizal associations drive plant population and community biology.

Mycorrhizal fungi provide plants with a range of benefits, including mineral nutrients and protection from stress and pathogens. Here we synthesize current information about how the presence and type of mycorrhizal association affect plant communities. We argue that mycorrhizal fungi regulate seedling establishment and species coexistence through stabilizing and equalizing mechanisms such as soil nutrient partitioning, feedback to soil antagonists, differential mycorrhizal benefits, and nutrient trade. Mycorrhizal fungi have strong effects on plant population and community biology, with mycorrhizal type-specific effects on seed dispersal, seedling establishment, and soil niche differentiation, as well as interspecific and intraspecific competition and hence plant diversity.

From Dendrochronology to Allometry

The contribution of tree-ring analysis to other fields of scientific inquiry with overlapping interests, such as forestry and plant population biology, is often hampered by the different parameters and methods that are used for measuring growth. Here I present relatively simple graphical, numerical, and mathematical considerations aimed at bridging these fields, highlighting the value of crossdating. Lack of temporal control prevents accurate identification of factors that drive wood formation, thus crossdating becomes crucial for any type of tree growth study at inter-annual and longer time scales. In particular, exactly dated tree rings, and their measurements, are crucial contributors to the testing and betterment of allometric relationships.

Оценка состояния ценопопуляций Cypripedium calceolus L. на выходах известняковых пород по склонам долины реки Вятка

A comprehensive research of rare and endangered species plays an important role in the conservation of biological diversity. Cypripedium calceolus L. (fam. Orchidaceae Juss.) is a rare species included in the Red Data Book of Kirov region. It needs biological control in its territory. The aim of this study was to investigate the ontogenetic structure and morphometric parameters, and to identify the vital structure of C. calceolus cenopopulations in Kirov region. In 2014, we examined the state of five C. calceolus cenopopulations (CP) on limestone deposits along the Vyatka river valley slopes (southern taiga subzone, Kirov region, Russia) (See Table 1). To study the conditions of coenopopulations, we used approaches and methods of plant population biology (Uranov, 1975; Coenopopulations ..., 1976, 1977, 1988; Zaugol’nova et al. 1993; Zhukova, 1995). Ontogenetic spectra were typifed according to the “delta-omega” classification (Zhivotovsky, 2001), determining age (A) and efficiency ( ю ) indices. In each habitat, we laid transects which were then divided into plots where individuals at different onthogenetic state were registered. The coenopopulation vitality structure was investigated using the method of calculating the IVC index (Ishbirdin and Ishmuratova, 2004) and the method of calculating the Q index (Zlobin, 1989, 2009). The variability and correlation structure of C. calceolus populations was studied according to classification of NS Rostova (2001). To study morphometric characteristics of plants we considered their height, the number of leaves and flowers, the size of the leaf (length and width), the number of leaf veins, the size of the lip (length and width), the length of the blade lip. We analyzed up to 30 generative individuals in each CP. It was defined that ontogenetic structure of all 5 coenopopulations was normal, incomplete, right-side type with maximum on generative plants. The proportion of generative plants varies from 47 to 72%. Virginile individuals dominate in pregenerative group, 26 to 46%. Immature plants take 0.34 to 8.44% (See Fig. 1). Seedlings and juvenile plants of seed origin were not marked, which proves that population quantity of the studied CPs is promoted vegetatively. We marked insignificant fluctuations of quantitative proportions of different ontogenetic states. Based on the ratio of age index (A) and efficiency ( ю ), all studied C. calceolus coenopopulations, excluding CP4, are defined as ripening. CP4 is characterized as mature (See Fig. 2). Based on the analyses of morphological parameters of variability structure it was determined that the least variable parameters of C. calceolus are the number of leaves, the size of the lip (length and width), and the length of the blade lip; generative sprout height varies the most. The number of flowers can serve as an ecological indicator (See Fig. 3). Analyses of vitality structure allowed revealing that the most favorable conditions for C. calceolus form in spruce herbaceous forests with fir and pine (CP 4), where maximum vitality index (IVC=1.14) and quality parameter (Q=28.0) were marked, as well as the largest number of individuals with high vitality, up to 60.98% (See Table 2). The least favorable conditions form on an anthropogenically transformed substrate of an old limestone open-cut overgrowing with pine, spruce, aspen and mixed herbs (CP5), where IVC and Q reach minimum values of 0.83 and 15.5, correspondingly. CP vitality type estimated by Q-criteria showed that almost all CPs are prosperous (excluding CP5, which is defined as depressed). The studied species has a narrow set of ontogenetic tactics: convergent, divergent, and divergent-convergent (See Fig. 4-6). The type of coherence in morphological structure of the plant revealed a stress-protective ontogenetic strategy (See Fig. 7). Complex estimation of organismic and populational characteristics of C. calceolus showed that most of the studied CPs are “Near Threatened” and need habitat protection measures (See Table 3). CP 1 depends on conservation. The paper contains 7 Figures, 3 Tables and 36 References.

The Biological Flora of Coastal Dunes and Wetlands:Halodule wrightiiAscherson

ABSTRACT Rivera-Guzman, N.E.; Moreno-Casasola, P.; Espinosa, E.C.; Lazos Ruiz, A.E.; Vega, C.M.; Peralta-Pelaez, L.A.; Sanchez Higueredo, L.E.; Rodriguez Medina, K.P.A., and Santana Aguayo, K.V., 2017. The biological flora of coastal dunes and wetlands: Halodule wrightii Ascherson. Information on the seagrass Halodule wrightii was assembled describing its taxonomy, phylogeny, and geographic distribution and its plant communities, ecology, population biology, reproduction, and biotic interactions. The objective was to review the current understanding of its role as a pioneer species that thrives in nutrient-rich waters and has a broad tolerance range to abiotic factors, such as salinity, temperature, depth, and light. Its short life cycle, high degree of vegetative reproduction, and rapid growth allow it to colonize areas that have undergone disturbances, e.g., those affected by hurricanes. It occurs in monospecific stands or mixed with other seagrasses (Ruppia maritima, Thalassia testudinum, Syringodium f...

The rising world of flow cytometric analysis of pollen grains.

Key terms flow cytometry; genome size; plant sciences; pollen grains; pulse analysis FLOW cytometry is nowadays recognized as a vital tool in plant sciences, with more and more applications in both basic and applied research (1). Due to the unique characteristics of plant material, i.e., complex three-dimensional tissues with the presence of rigid cell walls, specific methods had to be developed to produce suspensions of single particles of interest (2). These particles of interest include, nuclei, mitochondria, chloroplasts, and chromosomes, with most of the applications being focused around the estimation of nuclear DNA content (either in absolute or relative amounts), leading to increasing impacts in the fields of plant breeding and population biology. One of the few single particles produced by plants is the pollen grain. Still, most works focused on studying pollen grains have involved the extraction of nuclei or sperm cells, rather than using the intact pollen. This is mostly due to the autofluorescence and/or specific staining of the pollen exine, and to the particle size limitations of some flow cytometers (3). To add to this, isolation of high-quality nuclei from pollen grains is often difficult, at least in comparison with somatic tissues. Together, these difficulties have led to a very minute number of publications involving flow cytometric analysis of pollen grains in the last 25 years.

Can fruiting plants control animal behaviour and seed dispersal distance?

In an Afrotropical forest, we tested the hypothesis that fleshy-fruit plants with interspecific differences in fruit quality and quantity affect ranging behaviour of their seed dispersal vector. If fruiting plants could affect their dispersal vector, the plants also affect their seed dispersal distance and eventually their plant population biology. From 2007 to 2011, we measured seed transport by georeference daily bonobo group movements via GPS. Seed dispersal distance was estimated with mechanistic model, using 1200 georeferenced dispersal events and the average seed transit time through bonobo (24.00 h). We compared dissemination for eight plant species that deal with this trade-off: attracting dispersers by means of fruit quality/quantity versus retaining them in the patch because of the same quality/quantity value that attracted them. Because fruit traits of these eight species were different, we expected a difference in seed dispersal distance. Surprisingly, seed dispersal distances induced by bonobos were not affected by fruit traits. Although fruit nutrient contents, abundance and average patch feeding duration differed between plant species, patch feeding time was not related to subsequent dispersal distances. The apes’ dispersal distance survey gave an average dispersal distance estimated of 1332 ± 24 m from the parent plant (97.9% > 100 m). To conclude, feeding time invested in the patch, fruit quality and abundance had no apparent effect on bonobo seed dispersal distance. The possible effects in plant population biology are discussed.

Landscape scale variation in nectar amino acid and sugar composition in a Lepidoptera pollinated orchid species and its relation with fruit set

SummaryUnderstanding landscape scale variation in reproductive and pollination success is a major aim of plant population biology. A potential determinant of reproductive success that has received surprisingly little attention so far is variation in nectar chemical composition across plant individuals and populations. Using theLepidoptera pollinated fragrant orchid (Gymnadenia conopsea) as a model species, we aimed at providing a first account of landscape scale variation in nectar amino acid and sugar composition, its environmental drivers, and how it may affect plant fruit set.Nectar was sampled from 986 flowers from 296 individuals across eleven discrete populations of theG. conopsea. The proportions of sugars and amino acids were determined using high‐performance anion‐exchange chromatography. Nectar composition was related to soil characteristics of the populations, and to fruit set, using linear mixed models.Approximately, 20% of the variance in nectar traits was situated between populations, whereas the highest proportion of variance (c. 45%) was found among flowers within individuals. Soil carbon and nitrogen content affected both nectar concentration and composition. Furthermore, fruit set ofG. conopseaindividuals was found to be significantly related to nectar amino acid and sugar composition.Synthesis. These results show that landscape scale variation in nectar amino acid and sugar composition should be taken into account in future studies of plant reproductive success. Furthermore, there is also high within‐plant variation in both nectar amino acid and sugar composition. This variation may reduce geitonogamous pollination, but it may also limit rapid pollinator‐mediated selection on nectar composition.

Conspecific and heterospecific plant densities at small-scale can drive plant-pollinator interactions.

Generalist pollinators are important in many habitats, but little research has been done on small-scale spatial variation in interactions between them and the plants that they visit. Here, using a spatially explicit approach, we examined whether multiple species of flowering plants occurring within a single meadow showed spatial structure in their generalist pollinator assemblages.We report the results for eight plant species for which at least 200 individual visits were recorded. We found that for all of these species, the proportions of their general pollinator assemblages accounted for by particular functional groups showed spatial heterogeneity at the scale of tens of metres. This heterogeneity was connected either with no or only subtle changes of vegetation and flowering species composition. In five of these species, differences in conspecific plant density influenced the pollinator communities (with greater dominance of main pollinators at low-conspecific plant densities). The density of heterospecific plant individuals influenced the pollinator spectrum in one case.Our results indicate that the picture of plant-pollinator interactions provided by averaging data within large plots may be misleading and that within-site spatial heterogeneity should be accounted for in terms of sampling effort allocation and analysis. Moreover, spatially structured plant-pollinator interactions may have important ecological and evolutionary consequences, especially for plant population biology.

Assessment of cereal stand structure and its changes during the growing season

Historical evolution of approaches used for the assessment of the cereal stand structure development is presented. Weaknesses and strengths of these approaches are discussed that are based on: - dividing of cereal yield into yield components and growth analysis, - modular concept of plant growth, - use of laws of plant population biology in order to explain autoregulation and compensation in stands.The presented methods are assessed with respect to labour intensity and possibilities of utilization of obtained information. Other possibilities of diagnostics of the cereal stand state and structure using a current level of knowledge and new technologies enabling to determine spectral characteristics of the stand by areal sensing are outlined. Based on the character of processes influencing the stand structure, the growing season of cereals was divided into the three parts:1. vegetative, including the period from emergence till the end of tillering (BBCH 10-29),2. generative, including the period of stem elongation and heading (BBCH 30-59),3. reproductive, including anthesis, grain formation and maturation (BBCH 60-99).To optimize the stand structure, data necessary for decision making in cereal crop management practices were proposed for the above listed development stages.

History of the series on the Biology of Canadian Weeds

In the mid-1960s the founding of the Canadian Botanical Association provided a forum for the discussion of new botanical initiatives in Canada. At that time there was, coincidentally, a much increased interest in several areas of botany that had previously been little studied or ignored (e.g., plant autecology, plant population biology). As a result, many research projects became focused on individual species or small groups of closely related species. Botanists studying the native flora as well as those working with weed species became aware of the need for the compilation of all available information on important species, essentially in the format pioneered in Great Britain in the ‘‘Biological Flora of the British Isles’’. Botanists from the Central Experimental Farm in Ottawa (the Plant Research Institute) and the Botany Department at the University of Western Ontario in London decided to prepare a manuscript format for a Canadian version of the Biological Flora. Gerald Mulligan and Paul Cavers agreed to undertake this work. The initial plan was to ask the Editorial Board of the Canadian Journal of Botany to initiate a series with a tentative title ‘‘The Biological Flora of Canada’’. However, the Editor of the Canadian Journal of Botany did not accept this proposal. When we re-examined all the letters and other material received while the original proposal was being prepared, it was evident that by far the greatest support had come from scientists studying weeds and invasive plant species. In particular, many members of the Canada Weed Committee (later known as the Expert Committee on Weeds and currently as the Canadian Weed Science Society) enthusiastically recommended that this series be established. The Agricultural Institute of Canada, publishers of the Canadian Journal of Plant Science, agreed to publish the series under the title ‘‘The Biology of Canadian Weeds’’. We quickly revised the manuscript format to include aspects of weed biology not featured in the original proposal and published it in July 1972 (Cavers, P. B. and Mulligan, G. A. 1972. A new series The Biology of Canadian Weeds. Canadian Journal of Plant Science 52: 651 654). Gerry Mulligan was the first Editor of the series and Paul Cavers took the lead in finding authors and maintaining a list of Accounts in Preparation. The first account, published in October 1973, dealt with sheep-laurel (Kalmia angustifolia L.), a native species that is a weed of lowbush blueberry fields and pastures in eastern Canada. Since then, more than 150 accounts have been published, many on two or more species. In recent years, updates of several of the early accounts have been published. These updated accounts incorporate information on well-studied species published after the original account appeared. The series was popular from the outset, in fact there was such a great demand for many articles that the authors’ stocks of reprints soon were exhausted. In 1979, a book containing the first 32 accounts in the series was published by Agriculture Canada. Gerald Mulligan was the Editor and Compiler. In 1984, a second volume containing the next 29 accounts, with the same Editor/ Compiler and publisher, was printed. Volumes 3, 4 and 5 were published with Paul Cavers as the Editor/ Compiler by the Agricultural Institute of Canada in 1995, 2000 and 2005. In total, 129 original accounts plus three updated accounts were published in these five volumes (Table 1). In 2003, a new complimentary series was started, ‘‘The Biology of Invasive Alien Plants in Canada’’, in response to an expanding need for information on plants newly established or showing increased expansion in Canada, but for which there may be relatively little information available in a Canadian context. This series was intended to be similar in style and scope, but to concentrate on non-native plant species that have been more recently introduced into Canada than many of our common agricultural weeds, and for which there is substantial evidence that they may generate adverse economic impacts and management difficulties in agricultural systems or a broader landscape. The format for the Biology of Canadian Weeds has changed little over the years. Each contribution consists of 13 sections. The first section lists the currently accepted scientific name and the English and French vernacular names plus any synonyms that appear in the weed literature. The second section begins with a brief

An allometry-based approach for understanding forest structure, predicting tree-size distribution and assessing the degree of disturbance

Tree-size distribution is one of the most investigated subjects in plant population biology. The forestry literature reports that tree-size distribution trajectories vary across different stands and/or species, whereas the metabolic scaling theory suggests that the tree number scales universally as −2 power of diameter. Here, we propose a simple functional scaling model in which these two opposing results are reconciled. Basic principles related to crown shape, energy optimization and the finite-size scaling approach were used to define a set of relationships based on a single parameter that allows us to predict the slope of the tree-size distributions in a steady-state condition. We tested the model predictions on four temperate mountain forests. Plots (4 ha each, fully mapped) were selected with different degrees of human disturbance (semi-natural stands versus formerly managed). Results showed that the size distribution range successfully fitted by the model is related to the degree of forest disturbance: in semi-natural forests the range is wide, whereas in formerly managed forests, the agreement with the model is confined to a very restricted range. We argue that simple allometric relationships, at an individual level, shape the structure of the whole forest community.

Ecological effects of cell-level processes: genome size, functional traits and regional abundance of herbaceous plant species

Genome size is known to be correlated with a number of phenotypic traits associated with cell sizes and cell-division rates. Genome size was therefore used as a proxy for them in order to assess how common plant traits such as height, specific leaf area and seed size/number predict species regional abundance. In this study it is hypothesized that if there is residual correlation between genome size and abundance after these traits are partialled out, there must be additional ecological effects of cell size and/or cell-division rate. Variation in genome size, plant traits and regional abundance were examined in 436 herbaceous species of central European flora, and relationships were sought for among these variables by correlation and path analysis. Species regional abundance was weakly but significantly correlated with genome size; the relationship was stronger for annuals (R(2) = 0·145) than for perennials (R(2) = 0·027). In annuals, genome size was linked to abundance via its effect on seed size, which constrains seed number and hence population growth rate. In perennials, it weakly affected (via height and specific leaf area) competitive ability. These relationships did not change qualitatively after phylogenetic correction. In both annuals and perennials there was an unresolved effect of genome size on abundance. The findings indicate that additional predictors of regional abundance should be sought among variables that are linked to cell size and cell-division rate. Signals of these cell-level processes remain identifiable even at the landscape scale, and show deep differences between perennials and annuals. Plant population biology could thus possibly benefit from more systematic use of indicators of cell-level processes.

Glycerol-treated nuclear suspensions—an efficient preservation method for flow cytometric analysis of plant samples

Flow cytometry (FCM) has been widely used in plant science to determine the amount of nuclear DNA, either in absolute units or in relative terms, as an indicator of ploidy. The requirement for fresh material in some applications, however, limits the value of FCM in field research, including plant biosystematics, ecology and population biology. Dried plant samples have proven to be a suitable alternative in some cases (large-scale ploidy screening) although tissue dehydration is often associated with a decrease in the quality of FCM analysis. The present study tested, using time-scale laboratory and in situ field experiments, the applicability of glycerol-treated nuclear suspension for DNA flow cytometry. We demonstrate that plant nuclei preserved in ice-cold buffer + glycerol solution remain intact for at least a few weeks and provide estimates of nuclear DNA content that are highly comparable and of similar quality to those obtained from fresh tissue. The protocol is compatible with both DAPI and propidium iodide staining, and allows not only the determination of ploidy level but also genome size in absolute units. Despite its higher laboriousness, glycerol-preserved nuclei apparently represent the most reliable way of sample preservation for genome size research. We assume that the protocol will provide a vital alternative to other preservation methods, especially when stringent criteria on the quality of FCM analysis are required.

Una herramienta eficaz en el estudio de la Botánica: la citometría de flujo

Over the last decade there has been a tremendous increase in the use of flow cytometry (FCM) in studies on the biosystematics, ecology and population biology of vascular plants. Most studies, address questions related to spatial distribution and evolutionary significance of genome duplication (polyploidy), chromosomal variation (aneuploidy) and variation in genome size. The unsurpassed speed and reliability of estimating differences in nuclear DNA content by FCM paves the way for large-scale surveys at the landscape, population, individual and tissue levels. Another attractive feature of FCM is the possibility of reformulating former taxonomic concepts to propose robust classifications based on a detailed understanding of population structure and phenotypic variation of plant groups under investigation. In this review, special attention is paid to FCM as applied to Botany studies, and some new and less wellknown uses of it for plants will be discussed. It is likely that in the future the use of FCM in studies on taxonomy, ecology and population biology of plants will increase both in scope and frequency. Flow cytometry alone, but especially in combination with other molecular and phenotypic approaches, promises advances in our understanding of the functional significance of variation in genome size in plants.

The demography of space occupancy: measuring plant colonization and survival probabilities using repeated pin‐point measurements

Summary1. The study of plant demography has long been an important component of plant ecological studies. However, in plant communities, e.g. grasslands, where individual plants are not easily distinguished and often vary in size, a convenient method of describing the demography and its ecological consequences has been lacking.2. The aim of this study was to discuss the potential for using the change in the probability of space occupancy as a measure of ecological success in plant population biology. This will be done by demonstrating how the change in the probability of space occupancy depends on the processes of colonization and survival, and demonstrating how colonization and survival probabilities may be estimated from repeated pin‐point recordings at the same pin‐position. Furthermore, it will be demonstrated how to calculate the sensitivity and elasticity of the change in the probability of space occupancy to colonization and survival probabilities.3. The method is applied to a case of repeated pin‐point data of the perennial grass Brachypodium phoenicoïdes that underwent different grazing regimes from 2001 to 2008 on xero‐halophytic grasslands.4. It was demonstrated that grazing affected both plant survival and colonization probabilities so that the estimated colonization and survival probabilities of B. phoenicoïdes were highest in the non‐grazed regime. Furthermore, using the calculated elasticity of the change in space occupancy, we found that survival was more important than colonization events in determining the ecological success of B. phoenicoïdes in the non‐grazed regime, whereas colonization events were more important than survival in the grazed regime.5. Synthesis and applications. We expect that the relatively simple method may be widely used on existing and future repeated pin‐point recordings from the same pin‐position and, consequently, that plant demographic questions may be addressed with larger precision in plant communities where individual plants are not easily distinguished.