Semi-dry grassland restoration in the SE alpine foreland of Austria - A study of early spontaneous colonisation patterns

Result code in IS VaVaI

<a href="https://www.isvavai.cz/riv?ss=detail&h=RIV%2F00216224%3A14310%2F15%3A00108655" target="_blank" >RIV/00216224:14310/15:00108655 - isvavai.cz</a>

Result on the web

<a href="http://dx.doi.org/10.1515/hacq-2015-0006" target="_blank" >http://dx.doi.org/10.1515/hacq-2015-0006</a>

DOI - Digital Object Identifier

<a href="http://dx.doi.org/10.1515/hacq-2015-0006" target="_blank" >10.1515/hacq-2015-0006</a>

Result language

angličtina

Original language name

Semi-dry grassland restoration in the SE alpine foreland of Austria - A study of early spontaneous colonisation patterns

Original language description

We investigated early spontaneous colonisation patterns during semi-dry grassland restoration at two sites in SE Austria. The sites were left to regenerate passively without addition of plant propagules on a former arable field and an apple orchard. The sites were prepared only by ploughing (arable field) or clear cutting (apple orchard) and subsequently mowed annually. We studied whether, four years after project initiation, target species from adjacent semi-dry grasslands had established at the restored sites. We asked: 1) Does passive restoration lead to the establishment of target species? 2) Do abiotic parameters or distance to reference sites explain early colonisation patterns? 3) Do plant traits predict the colonisation success of different species? At each site, we collected data in 4 m × 4 m plots, in which we sampled the vegetation, analysed abiotic parameters (soil potassium- and phosphorus-content, soil-pH, slope) and recorded the minimum distance to the reference site. We tested for correlations between abiotic variables, plant traits and colonisation success. Colonisation patterns were not driven by abiotic soil conditions but rather by nearest distance to the reference sites. In addition, the vegetation developed differently in the former arable field and the apple orchard. Competitive species of the Arrhenatherion and thermophilic ruderal associations dominated the early restoration stage at both sites. Passive restoration of semi-dry grasslands on former agricultural land is unlikely to succeed unless complemented by initial ploughing, nutrient stripping and addition of propagules of rare species.

Czech name

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Czech description

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Type

J_SC - Article in a specialist periodical, which is included in the SCOPUS database

CEP classification

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OECD FORD branch

10600 - Biological sciences

Project

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Continuities

I - Institucionalni podpora na dlouhodoby koncepcni rozvoj vyzkumne organizace

Publication year

2015

Confidentiality

S - Úplné a pravdivé údaje o projektu nepodléhají ochraně podle zvláštních právních předpisů

Name of the periodical

Hacquetia

ISSN

1581-4661

e-ISSN

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Volume of the periodical

14

Issue of the periodical within the volume

1

Country of publishing house

SI - SLOVENIA

Number of pages

16

Pages from-to

97-112

UT code for WoS article

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EID of the result in the Scopus database

2-s2.0-84940873285