Long-Term Changes in Spatial Patterns and Life-Stage Structure in a Population of Senecio umbrosus Waldst. et Kit. Along With the Transformation of Grassland Vegetation
This paper was a part of studies conducted within an island population of the ragwort Senecio umbrosus (White Mt, southeastern Poland), a vulnerable element of xerothermic grasslands. Special attention was paid to the effects of expansive grass encroachment vs. grassland burning episodes on spatiote...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Polish Botanical Society
2020-12-01
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| Series: | Acta Societatis Botanicorum Poloniae |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://pbsociety.org.pl/journals/index.php/asbp/article/view/8750 |
| _version_ | 1818720255495634944 |
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| author | Bożenna Czarnecka |
| author_facet | Bożenna Czarnecka |
| author_sort | Bożenna Czarnecka |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | This paper was a part of studies conducted within an island population of the ragwort Senecio umbrosus (White Mt, southeastern Poland), a vulnerable element of xerothermic grasslands. Special attention was paid to the effects of expansive grass encroachment vs. grassland burning episodes on spatiotemporal patterns and life-stage structure of individuals in the population. The population traits were investigated nine times from 1990 to 2010, within three permanent patches differing in soil properties, initial floristic composition, grassland cover (particularly the cover of Brachypodium pinnatum), ragwort cover and density, shrub/tree cover influencing light intensity (full light–shadow), and grassland burning (zero–six episodes). There was a drastic decline in ragwort abundance within all the study patches accompanied by a decrease in the population clustering coefficient and a gradual equalization of the spatial distribution of ramets. The abundance was negatively correlated (PCA analysis) with an increase in B. pinnatum cover and positively correlated with the number of burning episodes, which temporarily delimited persistent litter cover and facilitated recruitment of new individuals. The decrease in ramet abundance ranged from 3.8 times (medium-high, moderately shadowed grassland; six cases of burning) to 8.3 times (high, dense, and shadowed grassland; four cases of burning). The patch of low, loose, sunlit, and never-burned grassland with the greatest initial density of ragwort (a 6.8-fold decrease in abundance) has evolved with time into a high and dense grassland with a greater coverage of B. pinnatum and Calamagrostis epigejos, additionally shaded by shrubs and young trees. |
| first_indexed | 2024-12-17T20:19:56Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-5dbb4e60822a4971b4f3b90fe2e0b206 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2083-9480 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-12-17T20:19:56Z |
| publishDate | 2020-12-01 |
| publisher | Polish Botanical Society |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Acta Societatis Botanicorum Poloniae |
| spelling | doaj.art-5dbb4e60822a4971b4f3b90fe2e0b2062022-12-21T21:33:58ZengPolish Botanical SocietyActa Societatis Botanicorum Poloniae2083-94802020-12-0189410.5586/asbp.89427106Long-Term Changes in Spatial Patterns and Life-Stage Structure in a Population of Senecio umbrosus Waldst. et Kit. Along With the Transformation of Grassland VegetationBożenna Czarnecka0Department of Botany, Mycology and Ecology, Faculty of Biology and Biotechnology, Maria Curie-Skłodowska University in Lublin, LublinThis paper was a part of studies conducted within an island population of the ragwort Senecio umbrosus (White Mt, southeastern Poland), a vulnerable element of xerothermic grasslands. Special attention was paid to the effects of expansive grass encroachment vs. grassland burning episodes on spatiotemporal patterns and life-stage structure of individuals in the population. The population traits were investigated nine times from 1990 to 2010, within three permanent patches differing in soil properties, initial floristic composition, grassland cover (particularly the cover of Brachypodium pinnatum), ragwort cover and density, shrub/tree cover influencing light intensity (full light–shadow), and grassland burning (zero–six episodes). There was a drastic decline in ragwort abundance within all the study patches accompanied by a decrease in the population clustering coefficient and a gradual equalization of the spatial distribution of ramets. The abundance was negatively correlated (PCA analysis) with an increase in B. pinnatum cover and positively correlated with the number of burning episodes, which temporarily delimited persistent litter cover and facilitated recruitment of new individuals. The decrease in ramet abundance ranged from 3.8 times (medium-high, moderately shadowed grassland; six cases of burning) to 8.3 times (high, dense, and shadowed grassland; four cases of burning). The patch of low, loose, sunlit, and never-burned grassland with the greatest initial density of ragwort (a 6.8-fold decrease in abundance) has evolved with time into a high and dense grassland with a greater coverage of B. pinnatum and Calamagrostis epigejos, additionally shaded by shrubs and young trees.https://pbsociety.org.pl/journals/index.php/asbp/article/view/8750brachypodium pinnatumgrassland burninggrassland overgrowingplant successionspatial pattern equalizationvulnerable speciesxerothermic grasslands |
| spellingShingle | Bożenna Czarnecka Long-Term Changes in Spatial Patterns and Life-Stage Structure in a Population of Senecio umbrosus Waldst. et Kit. Along With the Transformation of Grassland Vegetation Acta Societatis Botanicorum Poloniae brachypodium pinnatum grassland burning grassland overgrowing plant succession spatial pattern equalization vulnerable species xerothermic grasslands |
| title | Long-Term Changes in Spatial Patterns and Life-Stage Structure in a Population of Senecio umbrosus Waldst. et Kit. Along With the Transformation of Grassland Vegetation |
| title_full | Long-Term Changes in Spatial Patterns and Life-Stage Structure in a Population of Senecio umbrosus Waldst. et Kit. Along With the Transformation of Grassland Vegetation |
| title_fullStr | Long-Term Changes in Spatial Patterns and Life-Stage Structure in a Population of Senecio umbrosus Waldst. et Kit. Along With the Transformation of Grassland Vegetation |
| title_full_unstemmed | Long-Term Changes in Spatial Patterns and Life-Stage Structure in a Population of Senecio umbrosus Waldst. et Kit. Along With the Transformation of Grassland Vegetation |
| title_short | Long-Term Changes in Spatial Patterns and Life-Stage Structure in a Population of Senecio umbrosus Waldst. et Kit. Along With the Transformation of Grassland Vegetation |
| title_sort | long term changes in spatial patterns and life stage structure in a population of senecio umbrosus waldst et kit along with the transformation of grassland vegetation |
| topic | brachypodium pinnatum grassland burning grassland overgrowing plant succession spatial pattern equalization vulnerable species xerothermic grasslands |
| url | https://pbsociety.org.pl/journals/index.php/asbp/article/view/8750 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT bozennaczarnecka longtermchangesinspatialpatternsandlifestagestructureinapopulationofsenecioumbrosuswaldstetkitalongwiththetransformationofgrasslandvegetation |