Cudlín O., Hakl J., Hejcman M., Cudlín P. (2018): The use of compressed height to estimate the yield of a differently fertilized meadow. Plant Soil Environ., 64: 76–81. Monitoring of grassland dry matter yield (DMY) is important for the economy and ecosystem management, but it is a time-consuming process. Calculating the correlation between compressed height (CH) and DMY is a faster way to esti...

Compost amendment to grassland is a novel strategy proposed and demonstrated to increase ecosystem carbon (C) storage. However, the effects of compost applications on biomass production and plant diversity are not well known. We assessed impacts of a onetime compost amendment over 4 yr on plant dynamics in two grazed grassland ecosystems in California: a coastal prairie and valley grassland. Th...

At the species level, plants can respond to climate changes by changing their leaf traits; however, there is scant information regarding the responses of morphological, physiological and anatomical traits of plant functional types (PFTs) to aridity. Herein, the leaf traits of five PFTs representing 17 plant species in temperate grasslands were examined along a large-scale aridity gradient in no...

The dynamics of leaf nitrogen (N) and phosphorus (P) have been intensively explored in short-term experiments, but rarely at longer timescales. Here, we investigated leaf N : P stoichiometry over a 27-year interval in an Inner Mongolia grassland by comparing leaf N : P concentration of 2006 with that of 1979. Across 80 species, both leaf N and P increased, but the increase in leaf N lagged behi...

Both invasive species and deer herbivory are recognized as locally important drivers of plant community dynamics. However, few studies have examined whether their effects are synergistic, additive, or antagonistic. At three study areas in southern New England, we examined the interaction of white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus Zimmermann) herbivory and three levels of invasive shrub contro...

Ecosystem managers face a difficult decision when managing invasive species. If they use aggressive practices to reduce invader abundances, they will likely reduce invaders' competitive impacts on natives. But it is often difficult or impossible to reduce invaders without damaging natives. So a critical question becomes: Which is worse for native biota, invaders or things done to control invade...

The grassland biome supports an enormous diversity of life and includes ecosystems used extensively by humans. Although graminoids lend grasslands their characteristic appearance, forbs are largely responsible for taxonomic, phylogenetic, functional diversity. In terms abundance, however, often play a subordinate role relative to graminoids. Yet this may be relatively recent phenomenon; evidenc...

the purpose of this study was to investigate vegetation dynamics and range conditions considering the climatic conditions and soil properties in doolat gharin in the south of isfahan province of an area equal to 25 square kilometer. for this purpose, after determining vegetation types and associated species, the type of rangeland utilization, grazing season, the type of livestock and other rele...

Based on the importance and role of species diversity and richness as ameasurement of the health of an ecosystem; studying of their components can lead toevaluate the health condition of rangeland. This research was carried out in a part ofhighland mountainous rangeland of Mount Alborz Range in Iran. Diversity and richnesswere assessed as an ecosystem health indicator. The study area was locate...

Native seed vendors are a primary source of germplasm for restoration projects; however, most plant species not commercially available. Preferences in the types that grow and sell may limit similarity between reference communities reconstructed ones established from mixes. We tested whether pool shows preference certain groups species, focusing on Ozark Highland Ecoregion (midcontinent United S...