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Stefano Bocchi - One of the best experts on this subject based on the ideXlab platform.
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meadows Species Composition biodiversity and forage value in an alpine district relationships with environmental and dairy farm management variables
Agriculture Ecosystems & Environment, 2017Co-Authors: Mario Enrico Pierik, F Gusmeroli, G Della Marianna, A Tamburini, Stefano BocchiAbstract:Abstract Alpine meadows have been exposed to relevant management shifts in the last decades, with changes in plant Species Composition and biodiversity losses often occurring in favor of augmented foraging capabilities, especially in marginal rural contexts. In this study, we analyzed the relationships among the plant Species Composition, biodiversity and forage value of meadows and two sets of variables, environmental and management ones, in a dairy district of the Central Italian Alps. Results indicate that management variables could only explain limited variability of the meadows under study: for instance, the number of cuts per year is available to justify the plant Species Composition and biodiversity of such coenoses. Moreover, the environmental variables better described the variability of responses, due to the harsh environmental constraints of the area under examination, located at high altitudes. The shared effects of the two sets explained larger variance than the management set alone, due to the complex relationships of environmental and management factors in the context. The forage value of meadows, an indicator of hay quality, was found negatively associated with the Shannon Index. This behavior highlights a known dilemma which especially refers to high altitude communities as the ones under study, clearly highlighting trade-offs between their production and biodiversity. Some taxa as Anthriscus sylvestris , Heracleum sphondylium and others critically unbalance the Species Composition of meadows, thus their overall biodiversity, at low altitudes. This finding, explainable by the late first cuttings commonly adopted by all farmers, suggests the eutrophication of coenoses. The management choices inspected did not reflect on the wide variability of meadows, but indeed they made possible to understand how this farming system should be deeply revised, with respect to environmental constraints and meadows’ fodder capabilities.
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effects of ecological landscape and management factors on plant Species Composition biodiversity and forage value in alpine meadows
Grass and Forage Science, 2013Co-Authors: F Gusmeroli, G Della Marianna, Francesco Fava, Antonio T Monteiro, Stefano Bocchi, Gilberto ParoloAbstract:Due to decades of loss of grassland diversity across Europe, there is a need to identify factors affecting Species Composition and diversity in managed meadows. The aim of the current study was to assess how ecological, landscape and management factors may affect plant Species Composition, biodiversity and forage value in Alpine hay meadows. Species Composition, Shannon index and forage value were obtained from phytosociological releves. Twenty explanatory variables were selected from a set of ecological, landscape and management factors. Their effects on plant Species Composition, Shannon index and forage value were analysed by applying the variation partitioning approach. Plant Species Composition was related to sixteen factors, explaining 35·6% of the variability. Shannon index and forage value were related to eleven factors, explaining 47·8 and 40·8% of their total variation respectively. Ecological factors were the main set explaining Species Composition and diversity, whereas none of the three individual groups of factors (ecological, landscape, management) significantly explained variability within forage value. Overall, the effects of the three groups of factors accounted for 70% of the total variability in plant Species Composition, but less than half that of Shannon index and of forage value.
F Gusmeroli - One of the best experts on this subject based on the ideXlab platform.
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meadows Species Composition biodiversity and forage value in an alpine district relationships with environmental and dairy farm management variables
Agriculture Ecosystems & Environment, 2017Co-Authors: Mario Enrico Pierik, F Gusmeroli, G Della Marianna, A Tamburini, Stefano BocchiAbstract:Abstract Alpine meadows have been exposed to relevant management shifts in the last decades, with changes in plant Species Composition and biodiversity losses often occurring in favor of augmented foraging capabilities, especially in marginal rural contexts. In this study, we analyzed the relationships among the plant Species Composition, biodiversity and forage value of meadows and two sets of variables, environmental and management ones, in a dairy district of the Central Italian Alps. Results indicate that management variables could only explain limited variability of the meadows under study: for instance, the number of cuts per year is available to justify the plant Species Composition and biodiversity of such coenoses. Moreover, the environmental variables better described the variability of responses, due to the harsh environmental constraints of the area under examination, located at high altitudes. The shared effects of the two sets explained larger variance than the management set alone, due to the complex relationships of environmental and management factors in the context. The forage value of meadows, an indicator of hay quality, was found negatively associated with the Shannon Index. This behavior highlights a known dilemma which especially refers to high altitude communities as the ones under study, clearly highlighting trade-offs between their production and biodiversity. Some taxa as Anthriscus sylvestris , Heracleum sphondylium and others critically unbalance the Species Composition of meadows, thus their overall biodiversity, at low altitudes. This finding, explainable by the late first cuttings commonly adopted by all farmers, suggests the eutrophication of coenoses. The management choices inspected did not reflect on the wide variability of meadows, but indeed they made possible to understand how this farming system should be deeply revised, with respect to environmental constraints and meadows’ fodder capabilities.
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effects of ecological landscape and management factors on plant Species Composition biodiversity and forage value in alpine meadows
Grass and Forage Science, 2013Co-Authors: F Gusmeroli, G Della Marianna, Francesco Fava, Antonio T Monteiro, Stefano Bocchi, Gilberto ParoloAbstract:Due to decades of loss of grassland diversity across Europe, there is a need to identify factors affecting Species Composition and diversity in managed meadows. The aim of the current study was to assess how ecological, landscape and management factors may affect plant Species Composition, biodiversity and forage value in Alpine hay meadows. Species Composition, Shannon index and forage value were obtained from phytosociological releves. Twenty explanatory variables were selected from a set of ecological, landscape and management factors. Their effects on plant Species Composition, Shannon index and forage value were analysed by applying the variation partitioning approach. Plant Species Composition was related to sixteen factors, explaining 35·6% of the variability. Shannon index and forage value were related to eleven factors, explaining 47·8 and 40·8% of their total variation respectively. Ecological factors were the main set explaining Species Composition and diversity, whereas none of the three individual groups of factors (ecological, landscape, management) significantly explained variability within forage value. Overall, the effects of the three groups of factors accounted for 70% of the total variability in plant Species Composition, but less than half that of Shannon index and of forage value.
Lubomir Tichý - One of the best experts on this subject based on the ideXlab platform.
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weed vegetation of arable land in central europe gradients of diversity and Species Composition
Journal of Vegetation Science, 2004Co-Authors: Zdeňka Lososova, Milan Chytrý, Sarka Cimalova, Zdeněk Kropac, Zdenka Otýpkova, Petr Pysek, Lubomir TichýAbstract:Abstract Question: What are the main broad-scale spatial and temporal gradients in Species Composition of arable weed communities and what are their underlying environmental variables? Location: Czech Republic and Slovakia. Methods: A selection of 2653 geographically stratified releves sampled between 1954–2003 was analysed with direct and indirect ordination, regression analysis and analysis of beta diversity. Results: Major changes in weed Species Composition were associated with a complex gradient of increasing altitude and precipitation and decreasing temperature and base status of the soils. The proportion of hemicryptophytes increased, therophytes and alien Species decreased, Species richness increased and beta diversity decreased with increasing altitude. The second most important gradient of weed Species Composition was associated with seasonal changes, resulting in striking differences between weed communities developed in spring and summer. In summer, weed communities tended to have more neophyt...
Zdeňka Lososova - One of the best experts on this subject based on the ideXlab platform.
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Arable weed vegetation of the northeastern part of the Czech Republic: effects of environmental factors on Species Composition
Plant Ecology, 2008Co-Authors: Sarka Cimalova, Zdeňka LososovaAbstract:Factors determining changes in Species Composition of arable field weed vegetation in the northeastern part of the Czech Republic were studied. Gradsect sampling, i.e. a priori stratified selection of sampling sites, was used for the field research. Using this method, a data set of 174 vegetation plots, covering a whole range of basic environmental characteristics in the study area, was compiled in 2001–2003. A set of environmental variables (altitude, annual precipitation, mean annual temperature, soil type, soil pH and crop type) together with date of sampling was obtained for each plot. Ordination methods were used to determine the effects of variables on arable weed Composition. For each variable, the gross and net effect on weed Species Composition were calculated. All variables considered in this study had a significant effect on weed Species Composition and explained 7.25% of the total variation in Species data. Major changes in weed Species Composition in the study area were associated with different crop types. The second most important gradient in the variability of weed vegetation in the study area was associated with altitudinal and climatic changes followed by seasonal changes and different soil types and pH. Our results show that on a regional scale, the relative importance of different crop types and their associated management on changes in arable weed Species Composition is higher than the relative importance of climatic variables. The relative importance of climatic variables decreases with their decreasing length of gradient.
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weed vegetation of arable land in central europe gradients of diversity and Species Composition
Journal of Vegetation Science, 2004Co-Authors: Zdeňka Lososova, Milan Chytrý, Sarka Cimalova, Zdeněk Kropac, Zdenka Otýpkova, Petr Pysek, Lubomir TichýAbstract:Abstract Question: What are the main broad-scale spatial and temporal gradients in Species Composition of arable weed communities and what are their underlying environmental variables? Location: Czech Republic and Slovakia. Methods: A selection of 2653 geographically stratified releves sampled between 1954–2003 was analysed with direct and indirect ordination, regression analysis and analysis of beta diversity. Results: Major changes in weed Species Composition were associated with a complex gradient of increasing altitude and precipitation and decreasing temperature and base status of the soils. The proportion of hemicryptophytes increased, therophytes and alien Species decreased, Species richness increased and beta diversity decreased with increasing altitude. The second most important gradient of weed Species Composition was associated with seasonal changes, resulting in striking differences between weed communities developed in spring and summer. In summer, weed communities tended to have more neophyt...
Daniel H Janzen - One of the best experts on this subject based on the ideXlab platform.
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Species Composition similarity and diversity in three successional stages of a seasonally dry tropical forest
Forest Ecology and Management, 2004Co-Authors: Margaret Kalacska, G A Sanchezazofeifa, Julio Calvoalvarado, Mauricio Quesada, Benoit Rivard, Daniel H JanzenAbstract:The objectives of this study were to describe the floristic Composition, Species diversity, similarity and richness among three stages of forest regeneration, and to investigate the influence of the previous land use on Species Composition in a seasonally dry tropical forest in northwestern Costa Rica. The Species diversity and richness of woody stems with diameter greater or equal to 5 cm in 26 0.1 ha plots was found to be the greatest in the intermediate stage followed by the late and early stages. The structural changes of this chronosequence of successional stages were quantified with a modification of the Holdridge complexity index. Using satellite imagery for site selection and historical ground truth analysis the influence of past land use and the frequency of anthropogenic disturbances on Species Composition was illustrated. # 2004 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.