干旱区生态环境知识资源中心(Arid): Grass species richness decreases along a woody plant encroachment gradient in a semi-arid savanna grassland, South Africa

Arid

DOI	10.1007/s10980-020-01150-1
	Grass species richness decreases along a woody plant encroachment gradient in a semi-arid savanna grassland, South Africa
	Mogashoa, Regina; Dlamini, Phesheya; Gxasheka, Masibonge
通讯作者	Dlamini, P
来源期刊	LANDSCAPE ECOLOGY
ISSN	0921-2973
EISSN	1572-9761
英文摘要	Context Savanna grasslands are undergoing rapid land cover transformation as a consequence of woody plant encroachment. It still remains unclear how increasing woody plant density and cover in savannas influences tree-grass-soil interactions. Objectives This study determined the effect of increasing tree density on grass species richness, evenness, diversity and assessed how nutrients change along an encroachment gradient of a shallow plinthic savanna soil. Methods Vegetation was quantified and soil samples analysed from eighteen randomly distributed 10 m x 10 m plots along a tree density gradient spanning from open, transitioning into intermediate and intensively encroached savanna grassland in northern South Africa. Results We found that an increase in tree density along the encroachment gradient decreased grass richness (GR) by 53% in the intensively woody-encroached grassland. Higher tree density and canopy cover led to a 90% dominance of Panicum maximum grass species. Conversely, higher tree density increased concentrations of carbon, nitrogen, phosphorus and exchangeable calcium and magnesium in the topsoil layer. Conclusions This study highlights that woody plant encroachment decreases grass species richness and composition, but increases nutrients in the uppermost layer of a plinthic savanna soil. Such information is critical to improve understanding of the mechanisms underlying tree-grass interactions in savannas.
英文关键词	Tree-grass system Grass species composition Richness Diversity Soil nutrients Savanna Vachellia species Dichrostachys cinerea
类型	Article ; Early Access
语种	英语
收录类别	SCI-E
WOS记录号	WOS:000590249000003
WOS关键词	NORTH-AMERICAN GRASSLANDS ; SHRUB ENCROACHMENT ; BUSH ENCROACHMENT ; ARID SAVANNA ; TREE ; SOIL ; VEGETATION ; DENSITY ; CARBON ; COVER
WOS类目	Ecology ; Geography, Physical ; Geosciences, Multidisciplinary
WOS研究方向	Environmental Sciences & Ecology ; Physical Geography ; Geology
资源类型	期刊论文
条目标识符	http://119.78.100.177/qdio/handle/2XILL650/328501
作者单位	[Mogashoa, Regina; Dlamini, Phesheya; Gxasheka, Masibonge] Univ Limpopo, Dept Plant Prod Soil Sci & Agr Engn, Sch Agr & Environm Sci, Private Bag X1106, ZA-0727 Sovenga, Limpopo, South Africa
推荐引用方式 GB/T 7714	Mogashoa, Regina,Dlamini, Phesheya,Gxasheka, Masibonge. Grass species richness decreases along a woody plant encroachment gradient in a semi-arid savanna grassland, South Africa[J].
APA	Mogashoa, Regina,Dlamini, Phesheya,&Gxasheka, Masibonge.
MLA	Mogashoa, Regina,et al."Grass species richness decreases along a woody plant encroachment gradient in a semi-arid savanna grassland, South Africa".LANDSCAPE ECOLOGY