We investigated age and size class structures of Scotch broom stands, and the effects of invasion on the native plant community, in the high-altitude grasslands of the Nilgiris, South India. Girth, height and age of broom stems were recorded. Native vegetation cover was assessed under broom and in the surrounding grasslands. Age was positively correlated with girth and height of broom. Middle-a...

Nutrient availability is a critical controller of plant species composition and productivity and is influenced by the interaction of a number of biotic and abiotic factors (Chapin et al. 2002). In this chapter, we explore the controls over nutrient pools and fluxes across different California grassland types. We will begin with an in-depth discussion of the exoticdominated annual grassland type...

A technique using fresh feeding signs as an index of density was validated and used to survey the effects of sheep grazing on vole population densities in four upland habitats in the northern Peak District National Park, UK. In grazed areas Molinia caerulea grasslands supported most voles, Nardus stricta grasslands supported fewer and Eriophorum vaginatum and Calluna vulgaris-dominated areas su...

This paper presents the complete net ecosystem carbon balance (NECB) for three grasslands on organic soils in Ireland. The NECB included all the measured, estimated and modelled parameters usually determined in these types of studies, and also included the fluvial (waterborne) component of C loss, which is still a novel addition to NECB studies. The sites were selected to compare drainage (deep...

17 Air pollutants are recognised as important agents of ecosystem change but few studies consider 18 the effects of multiple pollutants and their interactions. Here we use ordination, constrained cluster 19 analysis and indicator value analyses to identify potential environmental controls on species 20 composition, ecological groupings and indicator species in a gradient study of UK acid grassl...

Grasslands are coming under ever-increasing pressure worldwide. Many grasslands degraded due to overgrazing and inappropriate land management. This is impacting belowground biology soil bio...