Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Road and railway verges serve as dispersal corridors for grassland plants

  • Published:
Landscape Ecology Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

The role of linear habitat strips as dispersal corridors is a disputed topic. Reports concerning their significance for animals have been contradictory, and the functions of corridors have been difficult to study in the case of sedentary organisms such as plants. Previous studies on dispersal of plants along corridors have concentrated on a single or a few species at a time. We developed a general method, a generalisation of the binomial test, for considering dispersal or spatial relations of a large group of species. Particularly, we studied the ability of grassland plants to spread along road and railway verges. Our data set consists of plant lists collected at study plots scattered irregularly along road and railway networks. The dispersal ability was assessed by testing whether the species composition at neighbouring sites – measured along roads and railways – reflects spatial dependence within each species. Our result showed that similar combinations of grassland species occurred at neighbouring sites more often than expected in a spatially independent case. We argue that management of verges and spatial autocorrelation of environmental factors were not responsible for the result and thereby we conclude that grassland plants use road and railway corridors for dispersal. This result is encouraging in regards to preservation of grassland plant populations. Although semi-natural and natural grasslands have become scarce, road and railway embankments may partly compensate for this loss, serving as substitute habitats and dispersal routes.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  • Anon. 1991. Tienrakennustöiden yleiset laatuvaatimukset ja työselitykset. Viherrakenteet. Tielaitos, Helsinki, Finland.

    Google Scholar 

  • Anon. 1996a. The public road's environment — nature. Tielaitoksen selvityksiä 3/1996. Tielaitos, Helsinki, Finland (in Finnish with English summary).

    Google Scholar 

  • Anon. 1996b. Vegetation in road areas. Tielaitoksen selvityksiä 21/1996. Tielaitos, Helsinki, Finland (in Finnish with English summary).

    Google Scholar 

  • Anon. 1998. Tienrakennustöiden yleiset laatuvaatimukset ja työselitykset. Viherrakenteet. Tielaitos, Helsinki, Finland.

    Google Scholar 

  • Arnold, G.W., Weeldenburg, J.R. and Steven, D.E. 1991. Distribution and abundance of two species of kangaroo in remnants of native vegetation in the central wheatbelt of Western Australia and the role of native vegetation along road verges and fencelines as linkages. In Nature Conservation 2: The Role of Corridors. pp. 273–280. Edited by D.A. Saunders and R.J. Hobbs. Surrey Beatty & Sons, Chipping Norton, NSW, Australia.

    Google Scholar 

  • Bengtsson-Lindsjö, S., Ihse, M. and Olsson, A.G. 1991. Landscape patterns and grassland plant species diversity in the 20th century. Ecol. Bull. 41: 388–396.

    Google Scholar 

  • Bennet, A.F. 1990. Habitat corridors at the conservation of small mammals in a fragmented forest environment. Landsc. Ecol. 4: 109–122.

    Google Scholar 

  • Brown, J.H., Mehlman, D.W. and Stevens, G.C. 1995. Spatial variation in abundance. Ecology 76: 2028–2043.

    Google Scholar 

  • Cummings, J.R. and Vessey, S.H. 1994. Agricultural influences on movement patterns of white-footed mice (Peromyscus leucopus). Am. Midland Nat. 132: 209–218.

    Google Scholar 

  • Downes, S.J., Handasyde, K.A. and Elgar, M.A. 1997. The use of corridors by mammals in fragmented Australian eucalypt forests. Cons. Biol. 11: 718–726.

    Google Scholar 

  • Ekstam, U. and Forshed, N. 1997. If Grassland Management Ceases. Vascular Plants as Indicator Species in Meadows and Pastures. Naturvårdsvärket, Värnamo, Sweden (in Swedish with English summary).

    Google Scholar 

  • Eriksson, Å., Eriksson, O. and Berglund, H. 1995. Species abundance patterns of plants in Swedish semi-natural pastures. Ecography 18: 310–317.

    Google Scholar 

  • Ernst, W.H.O. 1998. Invasion, dispersal and ecology of the South African neophyte Senecio inaequidens in the Netherlands: from wool alien to railway and road alien. Acta Bot. Neerl. 47: 131–151.

    Google Scholar 

  • Forney, K.A. and Gilpin, M.E. 1989. Spatial structure and population extinction: A study with Drosophila flies. Cons. Biol. 3: 45–51.

    Google Scholar 

  • Fritz, R. and Merriam, G. 1993. Fencerow habitats for plants moving between farmland forests. Biol. Cons. 64: 141–148.

    Google Scholar 

  • Gilbert, F., Gonzalez, A. and Evans-Freke, I. 1998. Corridors maintain species richness in the fragmented landscapes of a microecosystem. Proc. Roy. Soc. London B265: 577–582.

    Google Scholar 

  • Grime, J.P., Hodgson, J.G. and Hunt, R. 1988. Comparative Plant Ecology. A Functional Approach to Common British Species. Unwin Hyman, London, UK.

    Google Scholar 

  • Haas, C.A. 1995. Dispersal and use of corridors by birds in wooded patches on an agricultural landscape. Cons. Biol. 9: 845–854.

    Google Scholar 

  • Hämet-Ahti, L., Suominen, J., Ulvinen, T. and Uotila, P. (eds). 1998. Retkeilykasvio (Field Flora of Finland), 4th edn. Finnish Museum of Natural History, Botanical Museum, Helsinki, Finland (in Finnish with English summary).

    Google Scholar 

  • Holyoak, M. and Lawler, S.P. 1996. The role of dispersal in predator-prey metapopulation dynamics. J. Anim. Ecol. 65: 640–652.

    Google Scholar 

  • Inglis, G. and Underwood, A.J. 1992. Comments on some designs proposed for experiments on the biological importance of corridors. Cons. Biol. 6: 581–586.

    Google Scholar 

  • Jennersten, O., Loman, J., Møller, A.P., Robertson, J. and Widén, B. 1992. Conservation biology in agricultural habitat islands. In Ecological Principles of Nature Conservation: Applications in Temperate and Boreal Environments. pp. 394–424. Edited by L. Hansson. Elsevier, London, UK.

    Google Scholar 

  • Legendre, P. 1993. Spatial autocorrelation: trouble or new paradigm? Ecology 74: 1659–1673.

    Google Scholar 

  • Lynch, J.F., Carmen, W.J., Saunders, D.A. and Cale, P. 1995. Use of vegetated road verges and habitat patches by four bird species in the central wheatbelt of Western Australia. In Nature Conservation 4: The Role of Networks. pp. 34–42. Edited by D.A. Saunders, J.L. Craig and E.M. Mattiske. Surrey Beatty & Sons, Chipping Norton, NSW, Australia.

    Google Scholar 

  • Mann, C.C. and Plummer, M.L. 1995. Are wildlife corridors the right path? Science 270: 1428–1430.

    Google Scholar 

  • Meffe, G.K. and Carroll, C.R. (eds). 1994. Principles of Conservation Biology. Sinauer Associates, Sunderland, Massachusetts, USA.

    Google Scholar 

  • Nicholls, A.O. and Margules, C.R. 1991. The design of studies to demonstrate the biological importance of corridors. In Nature Conservation 2: The Role of Corridors. pp. 49–61. Edited by D.A. Saunders and R.J. Hobbs. Surrey Beatty & Sons, Chipping Norton, NSW, Australia.

    Google Scholar 

  • Rassi, P., Alanen, A., Kanerva, T. and Mannerkoski, I. (eds). 2000. Suomen lajien uhanalaisuus 2000, Esipainos. Uhanalaisten lajien II seurantatyöryhmä, Ympäristöministeriö, Helsinki, Finland.

  • Rosenberg, D.K., Noon, B.R., Megahan, J.W. and Meslow, E.C. 1998. Compensatory behavior of Ensatina eschscholtii in biological corridors: a field experiment. Can. J. Zool. 76: 117–133.

    Google Scholar 

  • Saunders, D.A. & Hobbs, R.J. (eds). 1991. Nature Conservation 2: The Role of Corridors. Surrey Beatty & Sons, Chipping Norton, NSW, Australia.

    Google Scholar 

  • Schmidt, W. 1989. Plant dispersal by motor cars. Vegetatio 80: 147–152.

    Google Scholar 

  • Scott, N.E. and Dawison, A.W. 1982. De-icing salt and the invasion of road verges by maritime plants. Watsonia 14: 41–52.

    Google Scholar 

  • Scott, N.E. and Dawison, A.W. 1985. The distribution and ecology of coastal species on roadsides. Vegetatio 62: 433–440.

    Google Scholar 

  • Sevola, Y. 1997. Metsätilastoja. In Tapion taskukirja. pp. 11–49. Edited by M. Häyrynen. Metsätalouden kehittämiskeskus Tapio, Jyväskylä, Finland.

    Google Scholar 

  • Simberloff, D., Farr, J.A., Cox, J. and Mehlman, D.W. 1992. Movement corridors: conservation bargains or poor investments? Cons. Biol. 6: 493–504.

    Google Scholar 

  • Stottele, T. 1994. Vegetation und Flora am Straßennetz westdeutscher Landschaften. Standorte — Naturschutzwert — Pflege. Ph.D. Thesis, Universität Göttingen, Germany.

    Google Scholar 

  • Strykstra, R.J., Verweij, G.L. and Bakker, J.P. 1997. Seed dispersal by mowing machinery in a Dutch brook valley system. Acta Bot. Neerl. 46: 387–401.

    Google Scholar 

  • Suominen, J. 1970. On Elymus arenarius (Gramineae) and its spread in Finnish inland areas. Ann. Bot. Fennici 7: 143–156.

    Google Scholar 

  • Suominen, J. 1974. On the grass-sown road embankments and their adventive plants. Luonnon Tutkija 78: 12–18 (n Finnish with English summary).

    Google Scholar 

  • Sutcliffe, O.L. and Thomas, C.D. 1996. Open corridors appear to facilitate dispersal by ringlet butterflies (Aphantopus hyperantus) between woodland clearings. Cons. Biol. 10: 1359–1365.

    Google Scholar 

  • Tikka, P.M., Koski, P.S., Kivelä R.A. and Kuitunen, M.T. 2000. Can grassland plant communities be preserved on road and railway verges? Appl. Veg. Sci. 3: 25–32.

    Google Scholar 

  • van Dorp, D. 1996. Seed dispersal in agricultural habitats and the restoration of species-rich meadows. Ph.D. Thesis, Agricultural University at Wageningen, The Netherlands.

    Google Scholar 

  • van Dorp, D., Schippers, P. and Groenendael, J.M. 1997. Migration rates of grassland plants along corridors in fragmented landscapes with a cellular automation model. Landsc. Ecol. 12: 39–50.

    Google Scholar 

  • Wilcox, D.A. 1989. Migration and control of Purple Loosestrife (Lythrum salicaria L.) along highway corridors. Environ. Manag. 13: 365–370.

    Google Scholar 

  • Willson, M.F., Rice, B.L. and Westoby, M. 1990. Seed dispersal spectra: a comparison of temperate plant communities. J. Veg. Sci. 1: 547–562.

    Google Scholar 

  • Zink, T.A., Allen, M.F., Heindl-Tenhunen, B. and Allen, E.B. 1995. The effect of a disturbance corridor on an ecological reserve. Rest. Ecol. 3: 304–310.

    Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Biological and Environmental Science, University of Jyväskylä, P.O. Box 35 (YAC), FIN-40351, Jyväskylä, Finland

    Päivi M. Tikka, Harri Högmander & Piia S. Koski

Authors
  1. Päivi M. Tikka
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Harri Högmander
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. Piia S. Koski
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Tikka, P.M., Högmander, H. & Koski, P.S. Road and railway verges serve as dispersal corridors for grassland plants. Landscape Ecology 16, 659–666 (2001). https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1013120529382

Download citation

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1013120529382

Search

Navigation