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Temporal variation of species composition and species diversity in permanent grassland plots with different fertilizer treatments

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Abstract

In 1963 a set of seven treatments X three replieates, situated in East-Flanders (Belgium), was sown with a seed mixture of eight grass species and one clover species. Seven combinations of mineral fertilizers are administered annually. Samples are taken in winter applying the 25 sq. cm-frequency method of De Vries. F% is calculated for each species from presence-absence data. To allow an efficient description of the annual changes in the different treatments, some multivariate ordination techniques are applied, namely R-mode Principal Components Analysis and Analysis of Correspondences. Some aspects of diversity are considered by means of four indices as well as a dominance-diversity curve. Results obtained are discussed comparing them with the F% changes of the most important species in three treatments Some problems on species reduction are also examined.

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Nomenclature follows De Langhe e.a. (1978).

We are indebted to the I.W.O.N.L. for financial support, to Mr. David Wouters for writing a computer program to calculate the log-linear distribution and to Dr. Zahar Samsuddin for reading an earlier draft of this paper.

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van Hocke, P., Impens, I. & Behaeghe, T.J. Temporal variation of species composition and species diversity in permanent grassland plots with different fertilizer treatments. Vegetatio 46, 221–232 (1981). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00118400

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