bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
An index of functional diversity
Authors: Mason Norman W.H. , MacGillivray Kit , Steel John B. , Wilson J. Bastow
Published: April 2009

Abstract. Functional diversity has been seen as the key to predicting the stability, invasibility, resource capture, nutrient cycling and productivity of communities. However, it has been unclear how to estimate it. Ten criteria for an index of functional diversity are developed. These include that it should reflect the range of characters present and the abundance of the species with those characters in the community, and be unaffected by the measurement units used or by the number of species.

An index that meets all ten criteria, FDvar, is investigated. It is based on the variance in characters, weighted by the abundance of the species with those characters. Tested with artificial and randomly generated data, it showed reasonable use of the 0 ‐ 1 range (mean 0.60, range 0.0009 ‐ 0.975) and intuitive behaviour. Tested with field data from eight sites in New Zealand, it gave a good spread of values (mean 0.65, range across sites 0.34 ‐ 0.84), showed good ability to distinguish between the communities and its performance was ecologically intuitive. Illustrative correlations are made with mean annual temperature and soil fertility, determined by a bio‐assay. FDvar is recommended for general use.
Properties of ecotones: Evidence from five ecotones objectively determined from a coastal vegetation gradient
Authors: Walker Susan , Wilson J. Bastow , Steel John B. , Rapson G.L. , Smith Benjamin , King Warren McG. , Cottam Yvette H.
Published: April 2009

Abstract. Several properties have been suggested to be characteristic of ecotones, but their prevalence has rarely been tested. We sampled five ecotones to seek evidence on seven generalizations that are commonly made about ecotones: vegetational sharpness, physiognomic change, occurrence of a spatial community mosaic, many exotic species, ecotonal species, spatial mass effect, and species richness higher or lower than either side of the ecotone.

The ecotones were in a sequence from scattered mangroves, through salt marsh, rush‐marsh, scrub, woodland, to pasture. We developed a method to objectively define, by rapid vegetational change, the position and depth of an ecotone, identifying five ecotones. Their positions were consistent across three sampling schemes and two spatial grain sizes. One ecotone is a switch ecotone, produced by positive feedback between community and environment. Another is anthropogenic, due to clearing for agriculture. Two others are probably environmental in cause, and one may be largely a relict environmental ecotone.

Sharp changes in species composition occurred. Three ecotones were associated with a change in plant physiognomy. In two, the ecotone was located just outside a woodland canopy, in the zone influenced by the canopy. Community mosaicity was evident at only one ecotone. There were few strictly ecotonal species; many species occurred more frequently within ecotones than in adjacent vegetation, but there were never significantly more ecotonal species than expected at random. There was little evidence for the spatial mass effect reducing ecotonal sharpness, or leading to higher species richness within ecotones. Species richness was higher than in the adjacent habitat in only one ecotone.

It seems that supposedly characteristic ecotone features depend on the particular ecological situation, and the ecology of the species present, rather than being intrinsic properties of ecotones.
Formalized reproduction of an expert‐based phytosociological classification: A case study of subalpine tall‐forb vegetation
Authors: Kočí Martin , Chytrý Milan , Tichý Lubomír
Published: April 2009

Abstract. Delimitation of vegetation units in phytosociology is traditionally based on expert knowledge. Applications of expert‐based classifications are often inconsistent because criteria for assigning relevés to vegetation units are seldom given explicitly. Still, there is, e.g. in nature conservation, an increasing need for a consistent application of vegetation classification using computer expert systems for unit identification.

We propose a procedure for formalized reproduction of an expert‐based vegetation classification, which is applicable to large phytosociological data sets. This procedure combines Bruelheide's Cocktail method with a similarity‐based assignment of relevés to constancy columns of a vegetation table. As a test of this method we attempt to reproduce the expert‐based phytosociological classification of subalpine tall‐forb vegetation of the Czech Republic which has been made by combination of expert judgement and stepwise numerical classification of 718 relevés by TWINSPAN. Applying the Cocktail method to a geographically stratified data set of 21794 relevés of all Czech vegetation types, we defined groups of species with the statistical tendency of joint occurrences in vegetation. Combinations of 12 of these species groups by logical operators AND, OR and AND NOT yielded formal definitions of 14 of 16 associations which had been accepted in the expert‐based classification. Application of these formal definitions to the original data set of 718 relevés resulted in an assignment of 376 relevés to the associations. This assignment agreed well with the original expert‐based classification. Relevés that remained un‐assigned because they had not met the requirements of any of the formal definitions, were subsequently assigned to the associations by calculating similarity to relevé groups that had already been assigned to the associations. A new index, based on frequency and fidelity, was proposed for calculating similarity. The agreement with the expert‐based classification achieved by the formal definitions was still improved after applying the similarity‐based assignment. Results indicate that the expert‐based classification can be successfully formalized and converted into a computer expert system.
Life‐history traits of the Northwest European flora: The LEDA database
Authors: Knevel I.C. , Bekker R.M. , Bakker J.P. , Kleyer M.
Published: April 2009

Abstract. An international group of scientists is building a ‘trait base’, an open internet database of life‐history traits of the Northwest European flora (LEDA) that can be used as a tool in planning, in nature conservation and restoration, and in other applied research. The species‐trait matrix will comprise referenced information under control of an editorial board, for species of the Northwest European flora, combining existing information and additional measurements. The focus will be on 26 plant traits that describe three key features of plant dynamics: persistence, regeneration, and dispersability. Currently 35% of the species‐trait matrix has been filled; however, as the LEDA trait base consortium aims to deliver a database as complete as possible, all input from the scientific community is welcome.
Do we really need phytosociological classes to calibrate Ellenberg indicator values?
Authors: Witte J.P.M. , von Asmuth J.R.
Published: April 2009

Abstract. Wamelink et al. (2002) calibrated Ellenberg indicator values for acidity and water availability against measured soil pH and measured mean spring groundwater level (MSL), respectively. Linear regression between indicator value and measured value of all the observations gave a poor fit. Regression lines per phytosociological vegetation class, on the other hand, generally described the observations well. In this article we demonstrate that this result is, at least partly, an artefact. First, because the data utilized are likely to contain systematic errors, and second, because a wrong regression model was applied. A sigmoid function for the relation between the indicator value for water availability and MSL gives a far better fit than a linear function does.‘Vegetation class’ is not an obvious choice as an extra explanatory variable for the regression, as it is only a convenient label for vegetation and should not be used as if it were a real independent environmental variable. In general, indicator values of plant species should be calibrated against environmental variables with great care. This implies that researchers should have knowledge about the ecological demands plants make on their environment, as well as about the spatial and temporal variability of this environment.
BOOK REVIEWS
Authors: Greenland D.
Published: April 2009

Book reviewed in this article:

Berdowski, J.; Guicherit, R. & Heij, B. 2001. The Climate System. vi + 178 pp. A.A. Balkema Publishers, Lisse, The Netherlands. ISBN 90 5809 255 0 (hardbound). Price: USD 54.00.
Demography of the long‐lived conifer Agathis ovata in maquis and rainforest, New Caledonia
Authors: Enright N.J. , Miller B.P. , Perry G.L.W.
Published: April 2009

Abstract. The endemic New Caledonian conifer Agathis ovata occurs as an emergent tree in fire‐prone shrublands (maquis), and fire‐sensitive rainforest. Growth, survivorship and recruitment over 5 yr were compared for populations from forest and maquis on ultramafic substrates in New Caledonia to investigate whether demographic behaviour varied in response to the strongly contrasting forest and shrubland environments.

Growth of seedlings and of small (30–100 cm height) and large (100 cm height; 5 cm DBH) saplings was slow, but varied significantly among stages, site types and years. The greatest difference in growth rates was among stages, seedlings growing 0.34 cm.yr−1, small saplings 1.06 cm.yr−1 and large saplings 2.13 cm.yr−1. Tree DBH increased by only 0.05 cm.yr−1 and, based on these rates, individuals with DBH of 30 cm are estimated to be more than 700 yr old. Few trees (3.5%) produced cones in any year and seedling recruitment was low, but some recruitment was recorded each year in both maquis and forest. Rates of recruitment per parent were highest in forest (1.28.yr−1, cf 0.78.yr−1), but the higher density of trees in maquis meant that overall recruitment was greater there (92 ha−1.yr−1, cf 56 ha−1.yr−1). Seedling mortality ranged from 0.9 to 2.9% among years with no significant difference between maquis and forest. No sapling mortality was recorded, but annual tree mortality ranged from 0 to 1.4%. Evidence from a recently burned site indicated that while trees may survive fire, seedlings and saplings do not. Post‐fire seedling recruitment per ha from surviving trees was four times lower than in unburned sites, but growth rates were four times higher.

Similar demographic attributes, including high survivorship, low growth rate and low rates of recruitment over a long reproductive life, characterize Agathis ovata populations in both maquis and rainforest in New Caledonia and are indicative of a broad tolerance of light environments that is unusual among tree species. These demographic attributes help to explain the long‐term persistence of the species in these strongly contrasting habitats.
Shrub vegetation on tropical granitic inselbergs in French Guiana
Authors: Sarthou Corinne , Villiers Jean‐François , Ponge Jean‐François
Published: April 2009

Abstract. In French Guiana, inselbergs in the form of granite outcrops rise abruptly from the surrounding rain forest. They constitute isolated islands of a special type of vegetation restricted to this peculiar substrate. Shrub granitic vegetation, organized in thickets on open exposed rocks of inselbergs, are described using the Braun‐Blanquet method combined with Correspondence Analysis. This phytosociological study revealed only one particular shrub community on each inselberg, including predominantly evergreen and sclerophyllous shrubs, especially microphanerophytes, belonging to the Clusiaceae, Myrtaceae and Bombacaceae. These outcrop communities exhibit species endemic to the Guianas region and also species rare in French Guiana. Affinities with flora of other inselbergs and vegetation types in South America are examined and discussed. Reasons for observed floristic and structural changes in each community are also discussed.
Coarse‐scale plant species richness in relation to environmental heterogeneity
Authors: Pausas Juli G. , Carreras Jordi , Ferré Albert , Font Xavier
Published: April 2009

Abstract. We test to what extent mean environmental conditions and environmental heterogeneity are related to species richness in a regular geographical grid system (UTM) of 10 km × 10 km in the NE Iberian Peninsula (i.e. Catalonia, ca. 31 900 km2). Species richness of each UTM quadrat was estimated by compiling a large database (more than a million records) from bibliographic references and atlases. Mean environmental conditions of each quadrat were derived from climatic maps. Environmental heterogeneity was estimated from the diversity of geological substrates and climatic classes in each quadrat. The increase in effective (real) area due to topographic complexity was also considered (derived from the digital elevation model). The statistical analysis was performed by a weighted analysis of deviance assuming a negative binomial error distribution. The results suggest that species richness in the study area is a function of both within‐quadrat heterogeneity (specifically, effective area, heterogeneity of geological substrates, heterogeneity of January temperature) and mean environmental conditions (mean annual temperature, Thornthwaite moisture index and aspect). All these parameters showed a positive relationship with species richness. Quadrat heterogeneity accounted for ca. 2/3 of the explained deviance, suggesting the importance of environmental heterogeneity when using a geographical grid system. The study fits well with earlier results on the importance of climatic parameters on plant species richness and provides one of the few rigorous, quantitative, coarse‐scale studies testing environmental heterogeneity in plant species richness.
Generalized models vs. classification tree analysis: Predicting spatial distributions of plant species at different scales
Authors: Thuiller Wilfried , Araújo Miguel B. , Lavorel Sandra
Published: April 2009

Abstract. Statistical models of the realized niche of species are increasingly used, but systematic comparisons of alternative methods are still limited. In particular, only few studies have explored the effect of scale in model outputs. In this paper, we investigate the predictive ability of three statistical methods (generalized linear models, generalized additive models and classification tree analysis) using species distribution data at three scales: fine (Catalonia), intermediate (Portugal) and coarse (Europe). Four Mediterranean tree species were modelled for comparison. Variables selected by models were relatively consistent across scales and the predictive accuracy of models varied only slightly. However, there were slight differences in the performance of methods. Classification tree analysis had a lower accuracy than the generalized methods, especially at finer scales. The performance of generalized linear models also increased with scale. At the fine scale GLM with linear terms showed better accuracy than GLM with quadratic and polynomial terms. This is probably because distributions at finer scales represent a linear sub‐sample of entire realized niches of species. In contrast to GLM, the performance of GAM was constant across scales being more data‐oriented. The predictive accuracy of GAM was always at least equal to other techniques, suggesting that this modelling approach is more robust to variations of scale because it can deal with any response shape.
Partitioning the variation in a plot‐by‐species data matrix that is related to n sets of explanatory variables
Authors: Økland Rune Halvorsen
Published: April 2009

Abstract. Variation partitioning by (partial) constrained ordination is a popular method for exploratory data analysis, but applications are mostly restricted to simple ecological questions only involving two or three sets of explanatory variables, such as climate and soil, this because of the rapid increase in complexity of calculations and results with an increasing number of explanatory variable sets. The existence is demonstrated of a unique algorithm for partitioning the variation in a set of response variables on n sets of explanatory variables; it is shown how the 2n– 1 non‐overlapping components of variation can be calculated. Methods for evaluation and presentation of variation partitioning results are reviewed, and a recursive algorithm is proposed for distributing the many small components of variation over simpler components. Several issues related to the use and usefulness of variation partitioning with n sets of explanatory variables are discussed with reference to a worked example.
Soil seed bank and floristic diversity in a forest‐grassland mosaic in southern Spain
Authors: Díaz‐Villa M.D. , Marañón T. , Arroyo J. , Garrido B.
Published: April 2009

Abstract. Soil seed bank and floristic diversity were studied in a forest of Quercus suber, a forest of Quercus canariensis and a grassland, forming a vegetation mosaic in Los Alcornocales Natural Park, southern Spain. The soil seed bank was estimated by the germination technique. In each community patch, diversity, woody species cover and herbaceous species frequency was measured. Three biodiversity components – species richness, endemism and taxonomic singularity – were considered in the vegetation and the seed bank. Forest patches had a soil seed bank of ca. 11 200–14 100 seed.m−2 and their composition had low resemblance to (epigeal) vegetation. The grassland patch had a more dense seed bank (ca. 31 800 seed.m−2) and a higher index of similarity with vegetation, compared with the forests nearby. The complete forest diversity was 71–78 species on 0.1 ha, including 12–15 species found only in the seed bank; the grassland species richness was higher (113 species on 0.1 ha). We discuss the role of soil seed banks in the vegetation dynamics and in the complete plant biodiversity of the mosaic landscape studied.
Factors determining plant species richness in Alaskan arctic tundra
Authors: van der Welle Marlies E.W. , Vermeulen Peter J. , Shaver Gaius R. , Berendse Frank
Published: April 2009

Abstract. We studied the relationship between plant N:P ratio, soil characteristics and species richness in wet sedge and tussock tundra in northern Alaska at seven sites. We also collected data on soil characteristics, above‐ground biomass, species richness and composition. The N:P ratio of the vegetation did not show any relationship with species richness. The N:P ratio of the soil was related with species richness for both vegetation types. Species richness in the tussock tundra was most strongly correlated with soil calcium content and soil pH, with a strong correlation between these two factors. N:P ratio of the soil was also correlated with soil pH. Other factors correlated with species richness were soil moisture and Sphagnum cover. Organic matter content was the factor most strongly correlated with species richness in the wet sedge vegetation. N:P ratio of the soil was strongly correlated with organic matter content. We conclude that N:P ratio in the vegetation is not an important factor determining species richness in arctic tundra and that species richness in arctic tundra is mainly determined by pH and flooding. In tussock tundra the pH, declining with soil age, in combination with Sphagnum growth strongly decreases species richness, while in wet sedge communities flooding over long periods of time creates less favourable conditions for species richness.
Regional and local effects of disturbance and climate on altitudinal treelines in northern Patagonia
Authors: Daniels Lori D. , Veblen Thomas T.
Published: April 2009

Abstract. In this field study we analysed the regional and local scale effects of disturbance and climate on altitudinal treelines dominated by Nothofagus pumilio in northern Patagonia. We compared two regions west and east of the Andes at 40° S, slopes with warm vs cool aspects and undisturbed vs locally disturbed treelines. This spatial framework allowed us to test (1) for differences among treelines affected by different types of local disturbance and (2) the traditional hypothesis that low temperature limits treeline. Contingency tables and ANOVA showed that local disturbance occurred more frequently than expected on slopes with cool aspects, steep slope angles and concave slope configuration. Disturbed treelines were locally lowered with longer ecotones and lower krummholz growth rates and vegetation cover than undisturbed treelines. Three‐way ANOVA showed the significant influences of study area (regional climate) and aspect (local climate) on treeline elevation, krummholz growth rates and density, tree density and vegetation cover, while accounting for local disturbance. Treeline elevations were higher east of the Andes reflecting the more continental climate in Argentina than in Chile, plus regional impacts of volcanic eruptions. Tree density and vegetation cover were greater west of the Andes reflecting greater precipitation in Chile. Within study areas, local climate had different influences on treeline elevations and krummholz growth rates west and east of the Andes. We predict that increased tree growth and upslope advance of treeline in response to global warming is more likely in Chile than in Argentina near 40° S, unless precipitation increases east of the Andes. To test these predictions, we recommend research be stratified to account for the influences of local disturbance, which may confound climatic impacts. In northern Patagonia, suitable control (undisturbed) study sites will most likely be found at upper slope positions with low slope angles, simple microtopography and straight topographic configuration.
Measuring the effects of human impact on vegetation by integrating phytosociology and remote sensing in a fuzzy set approach
Authors: Feoli Enrico , Ganis Paola , Ortolan Irene , Sitoni Daniel , Zerihun Woldu
Published: April 2009

Abstract. The response of fragmented vegetation to human impact has been analysed in degraded and degrading areas in Tanzania (Lake Manyara). Phytosociology was integrated with GIS and remote sensing data as follows: (1) a land cover/land use map was obtained by analysing remote sensing data and conducting field verification; (2) phytosociological relevés were randomly sampled in woodland vegetation patches using the map; (3) the pattern of land cover/land use around the relevés was described; (4) gradients of land use intensity (human impact) were obtained based on the descriptions; (5) the response of vegetation types to impacts of gradients was calculated using fuzzy set theory.

Two complementary gradients of human impact were defined based on land cover/land use analysis of the remotely sensed data: one related to cultivation intensity and the other to grazing intensity. Response functions of vegetation types (defined by numerical classification) to these gradients demonstrated that the vegetation types are strongly related to the degree of human impact and that the corresponding vegetation patches show different degrees of permeability to the species of the surrounding landscape.
An island biogeographical view of the successional pathway in wet dune slacks
Authors: Bossuyt Beatrijs , Honnay Olivier , Hermy Martin
Published: April 2009

Abstract. Wet dune slacks occur as small, naturally fragmented systems in the dune landscape, isolated from other slacks. We studied the effects of slack isolation and area on the rate and direction of primary succession in a chronosequence of dune slacks. The results indicate that important changes occur in community characteristics over a period of 50 yr. Total cover and number of species increase as a result of the endogenous succession process, during which organic matter and nutrients accumulate. Consequently, competitive interactions shift from competition for nutrients to competition for light. Local factors thus determine, at least partially, the community composition in the slack. However, differences in community composition with increasing age are smaller when the slack is more isolated or smaller, suggesting a slower succession rate and biomass accumulation. Together with a lower contribution of slow dispersing species in more isolated slacks, this indicates that species accumulation is dispersal limited and thus influenced by regional factors. The stochastic variation resulting from this dispersal limited species accumulation causes a divergent successional pathway.
Spatial and temporal variations in the timing of leaf replacement in a Quercus cornelius‐mulleri population
Authors: Cody Martin L. , Prigge Barry A.
Published: April 2009

Abstract. The phenology of spring leaf replacement was studied in a population of 46 evergreen scrub oaks (Quercus cornelius‐mulleri) at the edge of the Mojave Desert in each of five years over the period 1990–2001. The oaks occupied a site that spanned rocky slopes to sandy bajadas. The site receives variable annual rainfall (estimated 12‐yr average 195 mm; range in study years 67–706 mm). The spatial coordinates of all individuals were recorded, and in April, when leaf replacement was underway, individual replacement phenologies were assessed. Shrub sizes were recorded in three separate years, and in 2001 water potentials were measured.

Individuals vary greatly in their timing of leaf replacement within years, and also between years. Many individuals with an early phenology one year are significantly later in the following year, and vice versa. While we detected weak influences on leaf replacement phenology due to shrub size, position within the site, and a genetic component, stronger influences were attributable to the phenology of the shrub in prior years, and to the phenology of neighbours within years. Neighbouring individuals that are close and/or large are significantly disparate in phenology, with one early and the other late. A potential mechanism of local resource depletion associated with costs to an early phenology is discussed.
Scale‐dependent variation in visual estimates of grassland plant cover
Authors: Klimeš Leoš
Published: April 2009

Abstract. Plant cover was visually estimated by five observers, independent of each other, in a species‐rich grassland in the Bílé Karpaty Mts., southeastern Czech Republic, in seven plots ranging from 0.001 to 4 m2. Variation of total plant cover among the observers was high at small scales: 0.001–0.016 m2; coefficient of variation, CV = 35 to 45%, but much lower at larger scales: 0.06–4 m2; CV = 7 to 15%. Differences between visual estimates of plant cover of individual species made by different observers were affected by plot size, total cover and morphology of particular plants. CV of the cover of individual species ranged from 0 to 225% and decreased with increasing plot size. For abundant plants the CV attained ca. 50%, independent of plot size. In spite of a very high number of sterile plants with similar leaf morphology and colour, the observed variation in cover estimates in the studied grassland was comparable with results reported from other vegetation types. Differences between estimates by individual observers were often larger than usual year to year changes in undisturbed grasslands. Therefore, I suggest that to avoid difficulties in the interpretation of results based on plant cover data obtained from visual estimates, several observers should always work together, adjusting their extreme estimates.
A model to assess relationships between forest dynamics and spatial structure
Authors: Moravie Marie‐Agnés , Robert Audrey
Published: April 2009

Abstract.A spatially explicit model was developed to study the relationships between the dynamics and spatial structure of forest stands. The objective was to test whether tree spatial structure can be used as an indicator of stand dynamics. The model simulates the growth, mortality and recruitment of trees in a multi‐specific and uneven‐aged stand. It includes deterministic and stochastic processes so that repeated simulations do not lead to the same stand but provide several possible results for a given dynamic (defined by a set of parameters). Second‐order neighbourhood analyses were used to characterize the resulting spatial structures. They showed a high variability for a given set of parameters. Only the main trends in the spatial structure can be interpreted. Sensitivity analyses, concerning the influence of competition on spatial structure, showed that in heterogeneous stands confounding effects can hinder the interpretation of the spatial structure if all the trees are considered. The spatial structure of the canopy trees alone proved easier to interpret as it is directly linked to post recruitment competition. Inference on the dominant modality of competition (one‐sided or two‐sided) based on the spatial structure proved difficult.
Biogeographic regions and β‐diversity of woody dryland legumes in the Baja California peninsula
Authors: Garcillán Pedro P. , Ezcurra Exequiel
Published: April 2009

Abstract. We analysed the floristic turnover, or β‐diversity patterns, of woody legumes in Baja California, the 1300 km long peninsula in NW Mexico. From the specimen labels of nine herbaria, we digitized 4205 records from 78 species and projected them onto a grid of 205 cartographic cells (20’ longitude × 15’ latitude). We found that the E‐W turnover from the Pacific coast to the Sea of Cortés was high (ca. 60% change from one cell to the next) and that it was significantly associated with topographic variation across the peninsula. An analysis of between‐site similarities showed that floristic regions in the peninsula have well defined boundaries, and that floristic similarities tend to extend for long distances along the coastal corridor of the Sea of Cortés. Finally, a numerical classification of Baja California based on the floristic attributes of the cells separated the peninsula into five well defined regions that coincide very closely with regionalizations, previously proposed by various authors using descriptive methods, and with the areas of endemism described for the peninsula in a previous paper. We conclude that the ecological regions of woody legumes in the peninsula clearly reflect the two main environmental forces that act on it, namely, the 1300 km long temperate–tropical climatic gradient and the dramatic E–W gradient running from the Pacific Ocean ca. 100 km across the mountain range into the Sea of Cortés.
Branch direction in Carnegiea gigantea (Cactaceae): Regional patterns and the effect of nurse plants
Authors: Drezner Taly Dawn
Published: April 2009

Abstract. Branch direction in Carnegiea gigantea (saguaro) cacti affects PAR interception and CO2 uptake, and may influence reception of photomorphogenic cues. Branch direction data were collected in 29 saguaro populations over Arizona to determine if the southerly bias observed in previous studies at two locales can be generalized to the American range of the saguaro, and to determine the effect of shading by nurse plants on branch direction. Locally observed S bias from previous studies can be extended and generalized to include the American saguaro range. Branches were statistically uniform across environmental variability regarding temperature and precipitation. The S bias was not found in saguaros shaded by large nurse plants, supporting the assertion that branch direction occurs, in part, to maximize receipt of insolation.
Are nurse‐protégé interactions more common among plants from arid environments?
Authors: Flores Joel , Jurado Enrique
Published: April 2009

Abstract. Harsh conditions in arid and semi‐arid environments make seedling establishment rare. Plant recruitment in arid environments often occurs only in years with above average rainfall or in safe sites under the canopy of nurse plants that provide shelter from high temperatures and low moisture. Associations of establishing seedlings with adult plants are referred to as nurse‐protégé interactions and are thought to be commensalisms in which seedlings benefit from the micro‐environment created by adult plants with no effect for the latter. This phenomenon is thought to be more frequent in harsh than in mild environments and appears to occur frequently in deserts and arid and semi‐arid biomes. Here, we investigate whether nurse‐protégé interactions are more common in arid environments by searching the published literature from the previous 92 years using the terms nurse plants, protégé plants, facilitation, nucleation and facultative mutualism. We then quantitatively compared these reports from arid zones to other environments. A total of 296 papers were found which referred to nurse‐protégé interactions. More than half (158) focused on arid and semi‐arid zones. This information was also used to explore hypotheses of potential causative forces that might have selected for such interactions in the arid zones such as seed trapping, nutrient, moisture, protection from browsing or trampling and support availability. Because of the large number of different nurse species (147, from 98 genera and 40 families) and protégé species (429, from 273 genera and 84 families), described across a diversity of environments, we suggest that there may be more than one causative factor selecting for nurse‐protégé interactions in arid and semi‐arid environments.
Scale‐dependence of environmental effects on species richness in oak savannas
Authors: Weiher Evan , Howe Alicia
Published: April 2009

Abstract. In order to investigate how scale (grain size) affects the relationships between species richness and environmental drivers (such as stress and disturbance), we collected 12 nested quadrats (from 0.25 m2 to 1023 m2) from seven remnant oak savannas located in the floodplain of the Chippewa River in western Wisconsin, USA. Large and small‐scale richness were not significantly correlated, suggesting that small‐scale richness is not strongly controlled by sampling effects of the local species pool. Linear and curvilinear regressions between species richness and disturbance, canopy cover, biomass, and soil organic matter were dependent on sampling scale (grain size). Disturbance by fire was strongly related to richness at small scales, while tree canopy cover was strongly related to richness at larger scales. While there was some evidence suggesting the transition from disturbance to canopy effects occurs between 10 and 100 m2, the transition was not particularly abrupt. The results cast doubt on the general importance of local species pools in affecting small‐scale richness as well as our ability to make generalizations that do not explicity include scale.
Persistence, multiple demographic strategies and conservation in long‐lived Mediterranean plants
Authors: García Daniel , Zamora Regino
Published: April 2009

Abstract. Persistence by longevity has been rarely considered as an alternative to regeneration by seeding for plants showing multiple demographic strategies. We propose a conceptual model of multiple demographic strategies for long‐lived plants in stable habitats, shifting from regeneration by seeding to persistence by longevity and/or vegetative reproduction, along gradients of abiotic stress or interspecific competition. Regeneration by seeding would be promoted under low abiotic stress or under low competition, whereas persistence by longevity and/or vegetative reproduction would predominate at high levels of abiotic stress or competition. We test this model with two threatened species of the Mediterranean region, the shrub Juniperus communis, a widely distributed species which maintains relict populations in the Mediterranean mountains thanks to great adult longevity and Pinguicula vallisneriifolia, a palaeo‐endemic herb relying on a perennial habit and vegetative reproduction under drought imposed stress or high competition at late successional phases. As a main consequence, multiple demographic strategies enhance a plant's ability to exploit environmental heterogeneity at different spatial (patches, localities, regions within the species’ distribution area) and temporal (individual life span, glacial‐interglacial cycles) scales. The potential of multiple demographic dynamics based on persistence and regeneration must be considered as a major ecological trait determining the long‐term viability of peripheral populations of relict species as well as the inertia against extinction of many threatened endemisms, thereby contributing to the maintenance of the high plant diversity characterizing the Mediterranean region.
VEGAN, a package of R functions for community ecology
Authors: Dixon Philip
Published: April 2009

Abstract. VEGAN adds vegetation analysis functions to the general‐purpose statistical program R. Both R and VEGAN can be downloaded for free. VEGAN implements several ordination methods, including Canonical Correspondence Analysis and Non‐metric Multidimensional Scaling, vector fitting of environmental variables, randomization tests, and various other analyses of vegetation data. It can be used for large data. Graphical output can be customized using the R language's extensive graphics capabilities. VEGAN is appropriate for routine and research use, if you are willing to learn some R.
Directional positive feedback and pattern at an alpine tree line
Authors: Alftine Kathryn J. , Malanson George P.
Published: April 2009

Abstract. The spatial pattern at alpine tree line may be part of a feedback process in which wind plays a central role. The basic aspects of such a feedback were embedded in a cellular automaton. Spatial metrics of the patterns generated by this simulation and those of observed patterns at a windy tree line site were ordinated using Principal Component Analysis. Only the simulations that included a directionally weighted feedback fell close to the observed sites in ordination space. MANOVA indicated that the directionally weighted feedback is most important in structuring the tree line pattern, but that random hotspots for establishment and the overall steepness of the environmental gradient from forest to tundra in space also have an effect. The importance of wind in determining feedback with the spatial pattern of a canopy indicates that nonlinear reactions to climatic change are likely.
Plant functional trait responses to grassland succession over 25 years
Authors: Kahmen S. , Poschlod P.
Published: April 2009

Abstract. Many grasslands and arable fields have been abandoned in Europe in the last decades. So far, however, ecologists have not been able to establish one general, unifying theory for successionally induced changes in species composition following abandonment. In fact, the course of succession seems to be unique for each site and year. Here we focused on the analysis of plant functional traits in order to detect general trends in trait responses to succession which would prove independent of site characteristics. We studied permanent plot series of 14 grassland sites in SW Germany that had been abandoned for 25 yr. Species composition as well as the course of succession varied significantly among the grasslands.

Response to succession was analysed for the following traits: ‘plant height’, ‘canopy structure’, ‘specific leaf area’ (SLA), ‘storage organ’, ‘vegetative spread’, ‘plant persistence’, ‘seed bank longevity’, ‘start of flowering’, ‘duration of flowering’ and ‘seed mass’. We compared a univariate with a multivariate approach. In the univariate approach, attributes of each trait were analysed separately employing GLM whereas in the multivariate approach all traits were handled together in NMS. Both analyses indicated similar trait responses to succession. There was a significant increase in the proportion of species characterized by the following attributes: plant height > 0.6 m, leaves distributed regularly along the stem, vegetative spread > 100 mm, start of flowering later than May, duration of flowering 1–2 months and seeds of either low or high mass.
A new approach to functional interpretation of vegetation data
Authors: Nygaard B. , Ejrnæs R.
Published: April 2009

Abstract. In this paper we present a new approach to the simultaneous analysis of a species composition data set, an environmental gradient data set and a functional attribute data set. We demonstrate its advantages in terms of statistical modelling including model development and assessment as well as subsequent prediction. Our method is applied to a set of case data deriving from experimental wetland microcosms including 20 species, 12 treatment combinations and a classification of species into functional groups. Acknowledging that lack of independence between samples and over‐interpretation of data may lead to overly optimistic assessment of model performance, we use cross‐validation with different subsets of data to obtain realistic model performance measures. It is shown that although the outcome of the wetland experiment is predictable in terms of experimental treatments and taxo‐nomic species, the functional groups cannot be used to explain the variation in species frequencies in the experiment. We compare the method with recently published approaches to the functional analysis of vegetation data, and discuss its applied perspectives.
Soil as a mediator in plant‐plant interactions in a semi‐arid community
Authors: Pugnaire Francisco I. , Armas Cristina , Valladares Fernando
Published: April 2009

Abstract. Competition and facilitation may occur simultaneously in plant communities, and the prevalence of either process depends on abiotic conditions. Here we attempt a community‐wide approach in the analysis of plant interactions, exploring whether in a semi‐arid environment positive or negative interactions predominate and whether there are differences among co‐occurring shrub species. Most shrubs in our plot exerted significant effects on their understorey communities, ranging from negative to positive. We found a clear case of interference and another case where the effect was neutral, but facilitation predominated and the biomass of annuals under most shrubs in our community was larger than in gaps. Effects on soil water and fertility were revealed as the primary source of facilitation; the build‐up of soil organic matter changed soil physical properties and improved soil water relations. Facilitation by shrubs involved decoupling of soil temperature and moisture. Sheltering from direct radiation had an effect on productivity, but significant differences in understorey biomass did not parallel understorey light environment. A positive balance of the interaction among plants, essentially mediated by changes in soil properties, is the predominant outcome of plant interactions in this semi‐arid community.
Experiments on growth interactions between two invasive macrophyte species
Authors: Barrat‐Segretain Marie‐Hélène , Elger Arnaud
Published: April 2009

Abstract.The success of invasive species has been attributed to the ability to displace other species by direct competition. We studied growth and possible competition between the two macrophyte speciesElodea nuttalliiandE. canadensis, because the former has been observed to replace the latter in the field. Additional experiments were conducted in aquaria with mixed plantings ofElodeaspecies. Species growth was measured and competitive abilities of each species determined by applying the reciprocal yield model to mean plant weight and length. In monocultures the growth rates of the two species were similar, while in mixtures the growth rate ofE. canadensiswas significantly lower than that ofE. nuttallii. E. canadensiswas more sensitive to intraspecific than to interspecific neighbours, whereasE. nuttalliiwas indifferent to the presence of neighbours. Differential growth characteristics ofElodeaspecies can explain the displacement ofE. canadensisbyE. nuttalliiunder eutrophic field conditions.
Plant recruitment in the High Arctic: Seed bank and seedling emergence on Svalbard
Authors: Cooper Elisabeth J. , Alsos Inger G. , Hagen Dagmar , Smith Fiona M. , Coulson Stephen J. , Hodkinson Ian D.
Published: April 2009

Abstract.Composition and density of the soil seed banks, together with seedling emergence in the field, were examined on Svalbard. 1213 soil samples were collected from six drymesic habitats in three regions representing various stages of colonization from bare moraines to full vegetation cover and spanning a range of typical nutrient and thermal regimes. Of the 165 vascular plant species native to Svalbard, 72 were present as mature plants at the study sites and of these 70% germinated seed. Proglacial soil had 12 seedlings per m2, disturbedDryasheath 131, intactDryasheath 91, polar heath 715, thermophilic heath 3113, and a bird cliff 10437 seedlings. Highest seed bank species richness was at the thermophilic heath (26 species). Seedlings of 27 species emerged in the field, with fewer seedlings in disturbed habitats (60 seedlings per m2) than in intactDryasheath (142), suggesting that an absence of ‘safe sites’ limited seedling establishment in disturbed habitats. Measurement of seedling emergence in the field increased awareness of which species are able to germinate naturally. This may be underestimated by up to 31% if greenhouse trials alone are used, owing partly to unsuitability of greenhouse conditions for germination of some species and also to practical limitations of amount of soil sampled. Most thermophilic species failed to germinate and some species present at several sites only germinated from the thermophilic heath seed bank, suggesting that climate constrains recruitment from seeds in the High Arctic.
Recruitment and growth of herb‐layer species with different colonizing capacities in ancient and recent forests
Authors: Verheyen Kris , Hermy Martin
Published: April 2009

Abstract.Forest herbs differ greatly in their capacity to recolonize secondary forests established on former agricultural land. We investigated whether interspecific differences in recruitment or growth can account for differences in colonization success. Seeds and adults of two species with limited colonization capacities (Anemone nemorosaandPrimula elatior) and two species with high colonization capacities (Ranunculus ficariaandGeum urbanum) were introduced in ancient and recent forest sites within the Muizen forest (Belgium). At all sites, half of the plots were also cleared of above‐ground vegetation.

Seedling establishment was similar in recent and ancient forest sites. However, both the number and subsequent survival of seedlings of the two hemicryptophytes (G. urbanumandP. elatior) were significantly lower when vegetation cover was present, while seedling number and survival of the two geophytes (A. nemorosaandR. ficaria) were less influenced by vegetation cover. Adult performance ofP. elatiorandG. urbanumwas significantly better in the nutrient enriched recent forest stands and in the absence of vegetation cover. Performance ofA. nemorosaandR. ficariawas not affected by any of these factors. We conclude that the extent of seed limitation is probably the main cause for the different colonization capacities of the species investigated.
BOOK REVIEWS
Authors: Baskin Jerry M.
Published: April 2009

Book reviewed in this article:

Delcourt, H.R. 2002. Forests in Peril: Tracking Deciduous Trees from Ice‐Age Refugia into the Greenhouse World. vii + 234 pp. The MacDonald and Woodward Publishing Company, Blacksburg, VA. ISBN 0–939923–89–0 (paper). Price: USD 22.95.