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Effects of traditional vegetation usage and management on the growth of facilitator keystone species in a moist tall grassland

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Abstract

To reveal the influence of traditional management measures on the growth of Ischaemum aristatum var. glaucum, whose facilitation effects on plant species diversity have been addressed in our previous studies, experimental winter-mowing and burning treatments were implemented in Ukishima Marsh, a conservationally important freshwater lowland reed marsh of eastern Japan. Comparison of environmental conditions among burnt, mown, and control zones revealed that winter burning, which was even more effective than mowing, created well-illuminated conditions, a high cumulative ground-surface temperature, and a wide range of daily temperature fluctuations. Relative growth rates of I. aristatum var. glaucum shoots and individuals showed a significantly ascending gradient in the order of control, mown, and burnt zones. Continuation of traditional vegetation usage and management is recommended for Ukishima Marsh, as such methods would not only provide favorable environmental conditions for native herbaceous plants commonly, but would also indirectly maintain plant species diversity through promotion of plant facilitation as demonstrated in our previous studies.

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Acknowledgments

We thank the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport, and Tourism, Japan and the Japan Water Agency for permissions to carry out this experiment. We also appreciate support in fieldwork by Dr. Jun ISHII, Graduate School of Agricultural and Life Sciences, University of Tokyo. This research was financed partly by a Grant-in-Aid for Young Scientists (B) 22710232 and Environment Research and Technology Development Fund (S9) of the Ministry of the Environment, Japan to J.N. The experiments in this paper complied with the current laws of Japan, and were performed under the agreement of all relative organizations and people.

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  1. Laboratory of Conservation Ecology, Department of Ecosystem Studies, Graduate School of Agricultural and Life Sciences, University of Tokyo, 1-1-1 Yayoi, Bunkyo, Tokyo, 113-8657, Japan

    Zhe Wang, Jun Nishihiro & Izumi Washitani

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  1. Zhe Wang
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  2. Jun Nishihiro
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  3. Izumi Washitani
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Correspondence to Zhe Wang.

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Wang, Z., Nishihiro, J. & Washitani, I. Effects of traditional vegetation usage and management on the growth of facilitator keystone species in a moist tall grassland. Landscape Ecol Eng 11, 101–109 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11355-013-0240-9

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11355-013-0240-9

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