Please use this identifier to cite or link to this item: https://hdl.handle.net/1959.11/3756
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dc.contributor.authorClarke, Peter Johnen
dc.contributor.authorLatz, Peter Ken
dc.contributor.authorAlbrecht, David Een
dc.date.accessioned2009-12-10T16:29:00Z-
dc.date.issued2005-
dc.identifier.citationJournal of Vegetation Science, 16(2), p. 237-248en
dc.identifier.issn1654-1103en
dc.identifier.issn1100-9233en
dc.identifier.issn1104-7402en
dc.identifier.urihttps://hdl.handle.net/1959.11/3756-
dc.description.abstractQuestions: This paper examines the long-term change in the herbaceous layer of semi-arid vegetation since grazing ceased. We asked whether (1) there were differences in the temporal trends of abundance among growth forms of plants; (2) season of rainfall affected the growth form response; (3) the presence of an invasive species influenced the abundance and species richness of native plants relative to non-invaded plots, and (4) abundance of native plants and/or species richness was related to the time it took for an invasive species to invade a plot. Location: Alice Springs, Central Australia. Methods: Long-term changes in the semi-arid vegetation of Central Australia were measured over 28 years (1976- 2004) to partition the effects of rainfall and an invasive perennial grass. The relative abundance (biomass) of all species was assessed 25 times in each of 24 plots (8 m x 1 m) across two sites that traversed floodplains and adjacent foot slopes. Photo-points, starting in 1972, were also used to provide a broader overview of a landscape that had been intensively grazed by cattle and rabbits prior to the 1970s. Species' abundance data were amalgamated into growth forms to examine their relationship with environmental variation in space and time. Environmental variables included season and amount of rainfall, fire history, soil variability and the colonization of the plots by the exotic perennial grass 'Cenchrus ciliaris' (Buffel grass). Results: Constrained ordination showed that season of rainfall and landscape variables relating to soil depth strongly influenced vegetation composition when 'Cenchrus' was used as a covariate. When 'Cenchrus' was included in constrained ordination, it was strongly related to the decline of all native growth forms over time. Univariate comparisons of non-invaded vs impacted plots over time revealed unequivocal evidence that 'Cenchrus' had caused the decline of all native growth form groups and species richness. They also revealed a contrasting response of native plants to season of rainfall, with a strong response of native grasses to summer rainfall and forbs to winter rainfall. In the presence of 'Cenchrus' these responses were strongly attenuated. Discussion: Pronounced changes in the composition of vegetation were interpreted as a response to removal of grazing pressure, fluctuations in rainfall and, most importantly, invasion of an exotic grass. Declines in herbaceous species abundance and richness in the presence of 'Cenchrus' appear to be directly related to competition for resources. Indirect effects may also be causing the declines of some woody species from changed fire regimes as a result of increased fuel loads. We predict that 'Cenchrus' will begin to alter landscape level processes as a result of the direct and indirect effects of 'Cenchrus' on the demography of native plants when there is a switch from resource limited (rainfall) establishment of native plants to seed limited recruitment.en
dc.languageenen
dc.publisherOpulus Pressen
dc.relation.ispartofJournal of Vegetation Scienceen
dc.titleLong-term changes in semi-arid vegetation: Invasion of an exotic perennial grass has larger effects than rainfall variabilityen
dc.typeJournal Articleen
dc.identifier.doi10.1111/j.1654-1103.2005.tb02361.xen
dc.subject.keywordsPlant Biologyen
local.contributor.firstnamePeter Johnen
local.contributor.firstnamePeter Ken
local.contributor.firstnameDavid Een
local.subject.for2008060799 Plant Biology not elsewhere classifieden
local.subject.seo2008960806 Forest and Woodlands Flora, Fauna and Biodiversityen
local.profile.schoolSchool of Environmental and Rural Scienceen
local.profile.emailpclarke1@une.edu.auen
local.output.categoryC1en
local.record.placeauen
local.record.institutionUniversity of New Englanden
local.identifier.epublicationsrecordpes:2160en
local.publisher.placeGrangärde, Swedenen
local.format.startpage237en
local.format.endpage248en
local.identifier.scopusid20444451325en
local.peerreviewedYesen
local.identifier.volume16en
local.identifier.issue2en
local.title.subtitleInvasion of an exotic perennial grass has larger effects than rainfall variabilityen
local.contributor.lastnameClarkeen
local.contributor.lastnameLatzen
local.contributor.lastnameAlbrechten
dc.identifier.staffune-id:pclarke1en
local.profile.roleauthoren
local.profile.roleauthoren
local.profile.roleauthoren
local.identifier.unepublicationidune:3850en
dc.identifier.academiclevelAcademicen
local.title.maintitleLong-term changes in semi-arid vegetationen
local.output.categorydescriptionC1 Refereed Article in a Scholarly Journalen
local.search.authorClarke, Peter Johnen
local.search.authorLatz, Peter Ken
local.search.authorAlbrecht, David Een
local.istranslatedNoen
local.uneassociationUnknownen
local.year.published2005en
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