ABSTRACT Questions South Manchurian mixed forests (SMMFs) are among the most species‐rich forest ecosystems in the Northern Hemisphere's cold‐temperate zone. Across their range, native SMMFs have been largely replaced by secondary forests and other human‐modified vegetation. They continue to face significant threats from climate change, mismanagement, and anthropogenic pressures. Effective conservation requires a precise quantitative evaluation of the remaining SMMF area coupled with an estimation of their potential distribution. This study aims to assess the current area of SMMFs, evaluate their potential distribution, and analyze changes over time. Location Northeastern China, the southern Russian Far East, and the Korean Peninsula. Methods We mapped SMMFs using multi‐temporal satellite data. Specifically, we employed the Global Land Analysis and Discovery (GLAD) analysis‐ready Landsat time‐series for two reference years: 2001 and 2021. For classification, we applied a bagged regression tree algorithm. We trained the classifier on a dataset derived from field relevés and published literature records. For accuracy assessment and area estimation, we used a stratified sampling design based on the resulting maps. To estimate the potential distribution area of the SMMFs, we performed habitat suitability modeling, employing two machine learning algorithms: Random Forest (RF) and Extreme Gradient Boosting (XGBoost). The models were built using two independent, verified presence/absence point datasets. Predictors included topographic variables (elevation, slope, aspect) and key bioclimatic variables, including warmth and continentality indices, alongside a proxy for precipitation. Results We estimated the total area of SMMFs in 2021 at 4145.4 (SE ±876.4) km 2 . The largest area of these forests is preserved in Russia (34.0%). North Korea, China, and South Korea account for 31.4%, 29.9%, and 4.7% of the total SMMF area, respectively. The areas potentially suitable for these forests are estimated at 28,642.5 (SE ±9094.5) km 2 . Globally, the mean sample‐based estimate of current SMMF area represents only 20.2% of the estimated potential distribution area. Although severe historical declines in SMMF area have been documented, no significant changes have been detected over the past 20 years. Nowadays, SMMFs are highly fragmented and are largely confined to protected areas. Conclusions The new SMMF map is a critical tool for conservation, enabling the identification of priority forest areas and informing targeted strategies for their protection and restoration. Specifically, it provides the spatial foundation for optimizing protected area networks and designing biological corridors—essential measures for ecosystem restoration and the advancement of broader conservation objectives.
Aims Forest fragmentation induces edge effects that alter the abiotic environment and plant-enemy interactions, with potential consequences for the regeneration of shade-tolerant species. Importantly, plant-enemy interactions are context-dependent, suggesting that fragmentation can differentially modify natural enemy pressure along edge-interior gradients, weakening some interactions while intensifying others. However, experiments quantifying how multiple natural enemies differentially affect seed germination and seedling establishment at forest edges versus interiors remain scarce. To provide a biotic mechanistic understanding of edge effects in plant regeneration, we experimentally evaluated how natural enemies (vertebrates, insects, and fungi) influence seed germination and seedling establishment of two shade-tolerant palm species, Prestoea decurrens and Synechanthus warscewiczianus, in forest edges and interiors within a highly fragmented landscape.Location Choco Forest in northwestern Ecuador.Methods In an enemy-exclusion experiment, we manipulated access by natural enemies using wire cages and pesticides and established control plots at 13 paired edge (0-10 m) and interior forest (90-100 m) sites. We monitored seed germination (radicle emergence) and seedling establishment (development of epicotyl and roots) weekly over 5 months.Results Germination and establishment were consistently higher in the forest interior for both species, highlighting strong negative edge effects on early recruitment. Insects emerged as the primary natural enemies; they negatively impacted the regeneration of P. decurrens in both edge and interior habitats, whereas for S. warscewiczianus, the impact was restricted to the forest interior. Conversely, fungi and vertebrates had no detectable effects.Conclusions Our findings demonstrate that forest edges and biotic filtering through insect predation limited the regeneration of the two understory palm species evaluated, reducing their regeneration potential in forest remnants within fragmented landscapes. Conservation strategies should prioritize maintaining interior forest conditions, minimizing edges when possible, and preventing seed and seedling damage by insects in restoration programs.
Questions Species-rich grasslands in floodplain landscapes, particularly alluvial and lowland hay meadows, are of high conservation value and are protected under the European Habitats Directive as habitat types 6440 and 6510. Despite being protected, these grasslands often face an unfavourable conservation status. While the conservation status is commonly based on the number of characteristic and habitat-specific species, an unfavourable state might also have functional consequences. Thus, we asked how functional traits at the community scale are related to the community's conservation status and whether they can enhance habitat assessments beyond traditional species-based criteria. We hypothesised that community mean traits and functional diversity can reflect the conservation status, and thus, might complement the traditional assessment criteria based on characteristic species.Location River floodplains in Saxony-Anhalt, Germany.Methods We compiled vegetation plot records from river floodplains in Saxony-Anhalt from databases, classified them into habitat types and assigned the conservation status to each plot record based on the prevalence of characteristic species. We then linked the grassland's conservation status to its functional identity and diversity, structural variables and Ellenberg indicator values using community-weighted mean values as well as species diversity metrics. From those, we predicted the conservation status, employing multinomial logistic regressions. Furthermore, we used linear discriminant analysis to identify the variables that best differentiate the different levels of conservation status.Results Communities with a favourable conservation status displayed a high species richness, a significant presence of endangered species and a low Ellenberg indicator value for nutrient supply. In a multi-criteria approach, dispersal traits, such as 'Diaspore type: infructescence' and Ellenberg indicator values for nutrient supply were key discriminators of conservation status, indicating an unfavourable conservation status when these traits attained high values. Although models of both habitat types were insufficiently robust to reliably distinguish between good, poor and bad conservation status, functional diversity clearly tended to increase with better conservation status. We have shown that habitat conservation status can principally be derived from existing vegetation records, originally collected for other purposes, opening up new possibilities in monitoring and restoration.Conclusions Our findings demonstrate that functional traits can provide meaningful insights into grassland conservation status, offering supplementary criteria to traditional assessments. Hence, this study provides a framework for integrating functional aspects into conservation assessments, allowing managers to prioritise grasslands suitable for low-impact restoration from those that require more comprehensive restoration methods. As functional criteria reflect both site conditions and management, including them enhances our understanding of the conditions required for preserving vegetation types with priority conservation status and enables us to prioritise restoration efforts for degraded types. However, functional characteristics alone are insufficient measures of the conservation status of alluvial and lowland hay meadows, highlighting the fundamental role of characteristic and habitat-specific species in determining conservation status for a certain habitat type.
Aims The Mongolian steppes, the world's largest intact grassland, have long supported nomadic pastoralism. Yet in recent decades, increasing livestock grazing and reduced herder mobility have driven pasture degradation, but its extent differs between major climate regimes and levels of human disturbance. The relative importance of abiotic factors versus land use impacts on plant diversity and palatability remains debated. Specifically, few studies have addressed the impact of herder mobility on vegetation patterns. We thus coupled vegetation and quantitative social survey data to examine how abiotic drivers, disturbance and herder household mobility relate to vegetation integrity.Location Eastern Mongolian steppe.Methods We conducted vegetation and herder household surveys at 11 study sites in the Eastern Mongolian steppe (275 vegetation plots and 249 herder households). These sites are classified into two groups with high and low human disturbance levels in terms of herder and livestock density, respectively. We (1) employed multivariate variation partitioning to investigate the relative importance of predictor groups macroclimate, soil chemistry, human disturbance and herder household mobility on plant species composition; (2) subsequently fitted generalized linear mixed models for evaluating effects of precipitation, grazing and herder household mobility on plant richness, vegetation cover and representation of palatable species. Moreover, we conducted indicator species analysis to identify plants indicating higher disturbance level.Results In terms of species composition, macroclimate played the most important role, followed by human disturbance and mobility, then soil chemistry. Importantly, mobility and its overlapping effect with macroclimate explained the most variance of plant community for sites with higher disturbance levels, while soil chemistry was more important at sites with lower disturbance levels. Between-season moving frequency was positively related to richness, diversity and the richness of palatable species. Locally intensified grazing reduced the share of palatable species cover. Overall, the negative impact of intensified grazing on total vegetation cover and the cover of palatable species was only pronounced at drier sites. Additionally, five common plant species were identified as reliable indicators of varying disturbance levels.Conclusions Our findings highlight the important role of herder household mobility in shaping plant species composition, in addition to climate, soil and human disturbance. Higher seasonal mobility promotes richness and diversity of vascular plants and richness of palatable species. Disturbance impact on vegetation cover at relatively drier steppes supports concern about pasture degradation at the transition zone between dry typical steppes and desert steppes. The representation of palatable species should be considered for assessing pasture quality.
Aims Edge effects and biological invasions are among the major threats in protected areas. Invasive plant species are often found alongside roads in protected areas, facilitated by local edge effects. Although structurally distinct, both forests and savannas seem to be under strong invasion along roadsides. In this study, we investigated how edge effects of roads facilitate plant invasions in protected areas of forest and savanna, and how they affect native vegetation.Location Protected areas of forest (Parque Estadual do Morro do Diabo, Reserva Biol & oacute;gica Municipal da Serra do Japi, and Parque Estadual Porto Ferreira) and savanna (Esta & ccedil;& atilde;o Ecol & oacute;gica de Santa B & aacute;rbara, Esta & ccedil;& atilde;o Ecol & oacute;gica de Itirapina, and Parque Estadual Juquery) in southeastern Brazil.Methods We conducted replicated multistrata surveys in 180 plots and 60 patches (groups of plots), distributed across protected areas of forest and savanna, in two treatments: edge of the road and core (50 m from the road). We analyzed diversity metrics-species richness, abundance, and evenness-at two spatial scales (plots and patches), along with beta-diversity.Results We found facilitative effects of road edges for invasive plant species in both vegetation types and at both spatial scales. Savannas, however, also have considerable invasion even in core areas. The abundance of invasive species was related to an increase in native species evenness, a decrease in native species abundance, and changes in relative abundances of dominant native species.Conclusions We recommend prioritizing non-invaded forest and savanna edges for invasive species prevention and early detection, and continued management of invaded areas, as they still support valuable native diversity. Finally, new roads in protected areas should be avoided, or if unavoidable, carefully planned and closely monitored.
Aims Recreational trails in temperate rainforests can generate subtle but ecologically significant impacts. Bryophytes, due to their poikilohydric nature and substrate dependence, are excellent indicators of environmental change. We aimed to evaluate the effects of trail proximity and substrate availability on the taxonomic diversity and functional trait composition of bryophyte communities.Location Lago Puelo National Park, Patagonia, Argentina, within Valdivian temperate rainforest.Methods We established 66 plots (1 m2) at two distances from a recreational trail (near and far). In each plot, we recorded canopy openness, vegetation cover, sampled substrate type, bryophyte species richness, and functional traits related to water regulation.Results A total of 46 taxa were identified (33 mosses and 13 liverworts). Moss richness was significantly higher near the trail and on ground substrates. Substrate type significantly influenced the distribution of functional traits, while the interaction between trail proximity and substrate type shaped taxonomic beta diversity.Conclusions Bryophyte communities proved sensitive to subtle environmental gradients created by recreational trails. Our results highlight their potential as indicators for biodiversity monitoring. We recommend prioritizing bryophyte-rich substrates in management strategies and integrating functional diversity metrics into conservation assessments of Valdivian temperate forest trails.
Questions How can a reference framework be developed for the ecological restoration of the campo rupestre, a biodiverse Brazilian ecosystem? Specifically, what are the challenges posed by habitat heterogeneity and species turnover in the mountain range, and how can they be addressed to create 'Blue Lists', defined as habitat- and ecosystem-specific reference species lists that guide assisted ecological restoration?Location The campo rupestre ecosystem of Brazil's Espinha & ccedil;o Mountain Range spans a strong latitudinal and altitudinal gradient of nearly 10 degrees, extending from the Southern Espinha & ccedil;o in Minas Gerais to the Chapada Diamantina in Bahia.Methods Phytosociological data from 20 studies and 101 species lists were analysed. Species were classified by substrate (quartzite and ferruginous) and habitat types, further divided into herbaceous and woody strata. A cluster analysis using S & oslash;rensen distance identified floristic clusters, while zeta diversity analyses evaluated species turnover at species, genus, and family levels. Phylogenetic and spatial signals were assessed to examine species co-occurrence patterns.Results A total of 1,126 plant species were identified, exhibiting significant compositional variation between substrates and habitat types. Floristic clusters demonstrated high species turnover, with few species shared across habitats. Phylogenetic analysis revealed convergent evolutionary patterns, and spatial analysis showed significant geographic clustering of species composition.Conclusions Restoration efforts must account for habitat heterogeneity and substrate-specific species compositions to prevent biotic homogenization and enhance ecosystem biodiversity and resilience. Detailed Blue Lists, defined as habitat-specific target species lists, are critical for effective ecological restoration. Future studies should prioritize closing knowledge gaps, especially in understudied regions of the campo rupestre.
Aims Subtropical wetlands provide critical biodiversity and ecosystem services, yet increasingly face agricultural pressures. Our study assessed how disturbance type, intensity, and recovery time influence vegetation dynamics in wetlands, employing robust methodological approaches to characterize ecological responses.Location Malezales wetlands, Corrientes, Argentina.Methods We used a chronosequence approach based on vegetation surveys of 612 plots (1 m2 each) distributed across 43 paddocks with contrasting disturbance histories. Vegetation cover was assessed using the Braun-Blanquet phytosociological method. We evaluated three types of anthropogenic disturbances commonly associated with agricultural land use in subtropical wetlands: drainage, plowing, and rice cultivation. Multivariate analyses, specifically canonical correspondence analysis (CCA), were applied to quantify how disturbance intensity and recovery time influence plant community composition and functional group responses.Results Recovery time accounted for up to 72% of the variation in vegetation composition. High-intensity disturbances (plowing and rice cultivation) resulted in long-term reductions in species richness, diversity, and grass cover, whereas low-intensity disturbances (drainage) facilitated partial vegetation recovery within approximately 15 years. Multivariate analyses further identified a functional shift from tall, erect grasses toward decumbent, stoloniferous species.Conclusions Malezales wetlands exhibit substantial resilience to low-intensity agricultural disturbances but remain highly susceptible to intensive impacts that may lead to persistent alternative ecological states. Given increasing agricultural pressure on subtropical wetlands, our findings underscore the critical need for targeted conservation and restoration strategies informed by detailed ecological assessment methodologies.
Aims We develop and apply a regionalization framework for the European Nature Information System (EUNIS) habitat classification. Our approach integrates a continental-scale classification of broad habitat categories with a data-driven grouping of lower hierarchical units based on regional habitat descriptions. We test the applicability of the regionalized classification for ecological assessment and conservation applications.Location Ibero-Atlantic region (N Portugal, NW Spain, and SW France).Methods We first classified 21,935 vegetation plots into broad habitat types (EUNIS levels 1-2) using a preexisting expert system algorithm based on formal definitions. The classified plots were subjected to a series of TWINSPAN classifications to identify regional habitats at EUNIS Level 4, defined as ecological groups associated with specific climatic and soil conditions. We finally conducted a semi-supervised classification to assign the remaining plots to one of the predefined habitats or to new ones. The resulting habitat types were described using indicator species, key environmental variables, and correspondence with habitats of community interest in Europe. They were also characterized with habitat-based metrics of alpha-, beta-, and gamma-diversity.Results The expert system classified 91% of plots at EUNIS Level 1, and 55% at both Levels 2 and 3. The semi-supervised classification resulted in 99 regional habitats at EUNIS Level 4. From these, 36% were absent or described at lower levels in the official EUNIS habitat list, mainly corresponding to shrublands, wetlands, and forests. Of 64 habitats under legal protection, 56 were univocally linked to one specific code of Annex I of the Habitats Directive. All habitats were described by a high number of indicator species and differentiated by environmental factors. Habitat descriptions are available at https://iberoatlantica.eu/.Conclusions This study demonstrates that a regionalization framework may overcome the limitations inherent in broad-scale ecosystem classifications, suggesting that EUNIS Level 4 is a suitable resolution for characterizing regional habitats with an ecological basis. A regionalization approach like the one conducted here may support biodiversity and conservation by (i) adapting the floristic and ecological description of EUNIS habitats to regional properties, (ii) allowing a more precise definition of regional units for habitat mapping and ecosystem accounting, and (iii) providing meaningful correspondences with the Annex I habitats of the Habitats Directive.
Aim Four different grassland types of varying land-use intensity and history were investigated for changes in plant species composition and richness over a 7- to 10-year period. Shifts in species occurrence frequencies and species-specific indicator values for nectar production were analyzed to assess how vegetation changes may influence the availability of floral rewards.Location Norwegian mainland.Methods We utilized survey (2004-2008) and resurvey (2011-2018) data from the Norwegian Monitoring Program for Agricultural Landscapes, examining vegetation in managed and unmanaged grasslands from 538 permanent vegetation plots within 97 monitoring squares across Norway. Using species-specific indicator values for nectar production, we tested how compositional changes in vascular plant communities are reflected in the occurrence frequency and cover of pollen- and nectar-providing plants.Results Grassland species composition has slightly shifted toward communities more dominated by later successional species, particularly those associated with shadier and wetter conditions. Major changes in the occurrence frequencies of individual species suggest a decline in pollen and nectar production. Specifically, 29 of 40 species (72.5%) that showed significant decreases in frequency were flowering plants important for pollinators. Across all grassland types, the average cover of pollen- and nectar-producing plants has declined over time, indicating a reduction in floral resources available to pollinating insects.Conclusions Our findings indicate a gradual transition in grassland habitats toward conditions that may be less favorable to pollinators, as reflected by changes in species occurrence frequencies and plant cover. Additionally, plant species associated with moist environments are likely to increase in abundance under continued climate change. This study highlights the value of systematic grassland monitoring within agricultural landscapes as an effective tool for detecting vegetation changes, even over short time spans. Such monitoring supports timely decision-making and the implementation of targeted management strategies to preserve ecologically and economically important habitat types.
Aims Although pastures used for dairy production are typically managed intensively, they can contribute substantially to plant diversity, depending on how grazing is implemented. While numerous studies have investigated the individual effects of grazing intensity and stocking method in terms of rotational or continuous stocking on the vegetation, experimental work widely neglects their potential interactions. We examined whether the effect of grazing intensity on plant diversity measures in dairy pastures is dependent on the stocking method and the regional context.Location Agricultural grasslands on dairy farms in Northern and Southern Germany.Methods We conducted botanical surveys on 68 grazed permanent grassland sites on dairy farms across Germany. Diversity measures included species richness, species evenness (Simpson Equitability), and Simpson Index. Plant functional strategies were derived at the site level using the CSR classification (competitive, stress-tolerant, ruderal). We used linear mixed-effects models to test the effects of grazing intensity (expressed on a continuous scale), stocking method (continuous vs. rotational), and region and their interactions on plant diversity and functional strategies.Results Species richness and the S-component of the functional signature declined significantly with increasing grazing intensity, independent of stocking method and region. In contrast, the effect of grazing intensity on species evenness was more complex. While we found no variation when comparing either different stocking methods or levels of grazing intensity, species evenness increased with higher intensity under rotational stocking but decreased under continuous stocking in the North. The opposite pattern was observed in the South, although less pronounced.Conclusion Our results show that the effects of grazing intensity on the botanical diversity of dairy pastures depend on stocking method and regional context, and that responses can differ depending on the diversity measure under study. Accounting for these factors can avoid misleading conclusions when assessing management strategies and deriving conservation recommendations.
Questions Restoring calcareous grasslands on former arable land can help to increase the area and connectivity of remnants. Long-term restoration experiments with green hay transfer or topsoil removal on ex-arable land can be combined with different mowing either in early summer or autumn. We investigated which of these treatment combinations achieves the highest efficacy, as measured by similarity to old-growth reference grasslands.Location Nature reserve "Garchinger Heide" in southern Germany and restored calcareous grasslands in the surroundings.Methods Vegetation surveys were conducted in 62 old-growth and 85 restored grassland plots. Furthermore, we added plots from former surveys of the old-growth grassland. We assessed species richness, functional plant traits, species composition, and classified the plots into EUNIS habitat types. Topsoil was removed in 1993, 1996, and 2003 (30 plots). Since 2020, some sites had been mown in late summer (25 plots) or in autumn (30 plots).Results None of the restoration methods lead to a "carbon copy" of the reference grassland. Topsoil removal resulted in different outcomes compared to mowing, while mowing date had no effect. More than half of the plots on the restored sites could be classified as the target EUNIS habitat. Compared to the reference, mowing supported a higher number of lowland hay meadow species, while topsoil removal had not only fewer specialists of calcareous grasslands but also fewer non-target species. At mowed sites without topsoil removal, the prevailing species had greater height and a larger specific leaf area compared to the respective species at reference sites. By comparison, species at sites with topsoil removal had a lower seed mass and specific leaf area.Conclusion Topsoil removal and mowing regimes produced different restoration outcomes in calcareous grassland, and neither reached the species composition of the old-growth reference. This recovery gap emphasizes the limitations of calcareous grassland restoration and the need to prioritize conservation of old-growth grassland remnants. However, most restored sites of any approach achieved the status of EUNIS habitat types, which is why different outcomes can be seen as a beneficial increase in spatial heterogeneity for plant diversity.
Aims Vegetation mapping remains a slow and costly process, as traditional approaches rely heavily on expert fieldwork. Therefore, the objective of this study was to develop an efficient and scalable methodology for generating vegetation maps by leveraging computer vision techniques on aerial imagery.Location The study focused on the island of Gran Canaria, an ecologically rich territory with heterogeneous environments where vegetation mapping is essential for environmental conservation, ecosystem monitoring, and biodiversity assessment.Methods Deep semantic segmentation techniques were employed to delineate vegetation communities from high-resolution aerial imagery. A comparative analysis was conducted between widely used segmentation architectures. The methodology incorporated transfer learning with various backbones and evaluated performance across two versions of the dataset: One focused exclusively on vegetation communities and another that additionally included some non-ecological classes such as shadows, roads, and water bodies. Finally, an aggregation of the vegetation communities was performed based on biological similarity.Results The results obtained revealed clear performance differences between models, with Feature Pyramid Network (FPN) consistently achieving the highest Dice and IoU scores across all dataset configurations, reaching approximately 70% Dice and 59% IoU in both aggregated versions of the dataset. The analysis also highlighted the benefits of class aggregation for improving segmentation quality in highly fragmented vegetation types. A final discussion examined these findings and outlined the methodological limitations and practical implications for ecological mapping.Conclusions The findings confirmed that deep learning-based semantic segmentation enables the efficient generation of vegetation maps, even in ecologically complex territories. Although performance remained constrained by data availability and class complexity, the results demonstrated that these models can provide accurate and biologically meaningful representations of plant communities. The proposed framework therefore offers a solid foundation for supporting large-scale ecological monitoring and for guiding future developments toward more detailed, scalable, and data-rich vegetation mapping strategies.
Questions Seed traps, as a common tool for measuring the seed rain, are often used, but a comparative evaluation of the effectiveness is rarely addressed. Therefore, we tested four different seed trap types under two contrasting grassland managements concerning: (1) their effectiveness in catching seeds (species number, seed density), (2) characterising the seed production of the aboveground vegetation and (3) the contamination of non-seed material (arthropods, plant parts, soil).Location Pampa grassland (Argentina).Methods We assessed the effectiveness of two ground-type (hereafter ground) traps (funnel, pot) and two adhesive-type (hereafter adhesive) traps (glue, sticky) in a grazed and an unmanaged natural grassland. Additionally, we described the aboveground vegetation including the estimated seed production (ESP). The latter was compared with the seed rain measured by traps to assess which trap type can best characterise it.Results In the aboveground vegetation, no significant differences in cover and species richness were found depending on the management, whilst differences for most of the investigated parameters were detected for the ESP. Adhesive traps exhibited the highest contamination with arthropods, funnel traps that with plant parts. Both ground seed traps had considerable contamination with soil. Concerning the effectiveness, the highest seed density was provided by ground traps and the highest species richness by pot traps. Likewise, ground traps more closely resembled the ESP according to the qualitative Jaccard and quantitative Bray-Curtis similarity index. A significant Mantel correlation between measured seed rain and ESP was found for the pot traps only. However, no seed trap type was able to account for differences of ESP depending on the management.Conclusion Overall, pot and funnel traps seem to be the most suitable tool to measure seed rain in natural grassland irrespective of the management. All traps failed to detect most differences between grazed and unmanaged areas regarding ESP.
Aims The management of invasive species is a global concern that requires a paradigm shift away from only assessing control efficacy to also including impacts to the diversity of the surrounding plant community. Many rangelands in the western United States are invaded by annual grasses like Bromus tectorum (cheatgrass). Current management of invasive annual grasses (IAGs) relies heavily on herbicides and their efficacy in targeting IAGs. However, this approach often does not consider the response of the surrounding plant community. Evaluations of alternative management options and the efficacy of all approaches on target and desired vegetation are needed. We assessed four management options and a restoration seeding split treatment to control B. tectorum and restore the desired plant community.Location Semi-arid grasslands, southwestern Montana, United States.Methods We monitored vegetation for three growing seasons after management treatment application (non-treated control, mustard seed meal (MSM), NutraFix, and indaziflam) and restoration seeding (native grasses) with spatial (3) and temporal (2) replication, assessing changes in B. tectorum cover, species richness, alpha and beta diversity, and rank abundance.Results The MSM provided control for 1 year but also reduced species richness, and B. tectorum was highly dominant 2 and 3 years after treatment. NutraFix provided control for 2 years and had no meaningful impacts on species richness or alpha diversity. Indaziflam provided 3 years of B. tectorum control, reduced species richness, and facilitated a shift toward a Pascopyrum smithii (western wheatgrass) dominated community. Restoration seeding did not affect B. tectorum cover nor beta diversity but did increase richness and alpha diversity.Conclusions This study demonstrates the importance of a paradigm shift away from evaluating only management efficacy of the target species to include other species and metrics that support recovery of the desired plant community.
Aims Floristic Quality Index (FQI) is a biological approach, widely used to evaluate wetland condition that incorporates plants' coefficients of conservatism (C values). However, Patagonia lacks wetland vegetation metrics with this information. We aimed to obtain a set of vegetation tools able to assess wetlands' ecological conditions. In particular, we (1) report the C-value scores for wetland plants, (2) evaluate the FQI effectiveness in detecting degradation, (3) identify the most reliable metrics for assessing the ecological status, and (4) examine tolerant and sensitive taxa along a total phosphorus (TP) stress gradient.Location Western side of Patagonia, Argentina.Methods We sampled vegetation in 76 wetlands that exhibited contrasting ecological conditions. Botanists assigned a C value to each species. We computed 30 metrics, including the FQI, mean C value, and measures of plant richness, diversity, and composition. Generalized linear models and variance partitioning analysis were used to identify metrics with the greatest sensitivity to disturbance. Species-specific optimal and tolerance ranges for TP were also calculated.Results Number of endemic species and sensitive taxa was the most effective metric, showing the highest sensitivity to TP. Although FQI exhibited a moderate sensitivity, its absolute specificity (TP as the only predictor) confirms its efficacy as a diagnostic tool for eutrophication. Among individual species, helophytes were the most sensitive to disturbance, and exotics showed a strong positive association with TP.Conclusions This work addresses a critical gap by providing the first adaptation of FQI for South America. Number of endemic and sensitive taxa emerged as the reliable metrics; notably, their assessment does not require sampling the entire wetland, as a qualified botanist can monitor the specific assemblages, saving time and effort. The identification of sensitive and tolerant taxa also provides a valuable and rapid assessment for eutrophication pressure. This work establishes a baseline for future research to refine C-value assignments and expand the FQI's application across broader disturbance gradients in Patagonia.
Aims This study explores the mechanisms of impact of severe fire on Nothofagus moorei forest, assesses species' sensitivity to fire and identifies fire-related challenges for conservation managers.Location Eastern New England Tablelands, New South Wales, Australia.Methods Forest climates were monitored for 2 years post-fire. Attributes of forest structure, survivorship and regenerative traits were measured for every tree for 3 years.Results Nothofagus moorei, Elaeocarpus holopetalus and Trochocarpa montana were all severely impacted by high fire intensity, but the role of regenerative traits differed between species. Canopy loss greatly increased the risks and timeframe of forest recovery. The burnt-outlier population of N. moorei showed low genetic diversity and a weakly positive inbreeding coefficient.Conclusions If present fire regimes persist, remnant communities of microthermal rainforest will reach a non-recoverable condition. The tension between disturbance frequency and species persistence traits presents significant challenges for conservation managers.
Aims Livestock grazing influences forest canopy structures by promoting or inhibiting tree regeneration, making exclusion a commonly used-though not universally effective-strategy to enhance regeneration. We evaluated whether 9 years of livestock exclusion altered tree regeneration relative to adjacent areas with continuous grazing in the Dry Chaco Forest.Location Dry Chaco Forest at Copo National Park, Santiago del Estero, Argentina.Methods Using a randomized complete block design with five replicates, we compared sapling community richness, density, and diversity, and measured height and base diameter for two canopy dominants (Aspidosperma quebracho-blanco and Schinopsis lorentzii). Richness, density, and diversity were assessed after 8 years of exclusion, while height and basal diameter were measured after 9 years of exclusion. Rarefaction and rank abundance curves evaluated sapling richness and diversity, while linear mixed models analyzed the total density per species, diameter, and height of saplings from the two dominant species.Results In the excluded areas, the mean sapling density of A. quebracho-blanco was 0.4 times that observed in the grazed areas, whereas the mean height of S. lorentzii saplings was three times greater than in the grazed areas. Species richness, diversity, and sapling density did not change significantly between treatments. Additionally, no differences were detected either in the mean diameter of dominant species or in the mean height of A. quebracho-blanco.Conclusions Overall, no significant differences in sapling richness, diversity, or total density were detected between excluded and grazed areas, while A. quebracho-blanco showed lower sapling density, and S. lorentzii saplings were taller in excluded plots. Because excluded stands may still be in recovery and the design lacks a long-term ungrazed reference, these patterns are consistent with two alternative interpretations: (i) limited effects of current grazing on early regeneration and (ii) delayed or context-dependent responses to exclusion. Such contrasting, species-specific outcomes highlight the need for management strategies that combine heterogeneous grazing regimes with long-term monitoring to capture lagged or episodic dynamics.
Aims Annual plants make up a large proportion of diversity in desert communities and are highly sensitive to changes in microclimate. The rapid development of utility-scale solar energy facilities throughout desert regions alters the local distribution of precipitation and shading, but the consequences for annual plant community composition and diversity are largely unknown. We evaluated the influence of single-axis tracking photovoltaic panels, and the microclimates they create, on annual plant communities in a utility-scale facility constructed with methods to minimize disturbance across three different vegetation-soil types.Location The study was conducted in the eastern Mojave Desert, Nevada, USA.Methods We used 1-m2 quadrats to sample annual plant density and diversity in 30 areas within the facility and 30 control areas outside the facility for each of three soil types characterized by distinct perennial vegetation. Each sampling area within the facility included three solar panel microsite categories: under panels, panel driplines, and between panels (interspace), which were compared to controls.Results We found that the effect of the microsites on native annual plant density and diversity depended on the vegetation-soil type. Solar panels increased native annual plant density and diversity in deep sandy soils but decreased density and diversity in shallow sandy soils. Annual plant diversity was higher in solar panel driplines compared to other microsites in a silty soil with low perennial cover. Microsite changes in shallow soil moisture resulted in differences in the annual plant community in deep soils, while soil surface temperature was a major influence in the shallow soil annual plant community.Conclusions Our results suggest that native annual plant diversity can increase with more heterogeneity in microclimate conditions created by low-impact photovoltaic facilities in arid settings, but effects depend on the underlying vegetation-soil type.
