Abstract
Eleven forbs and three grasses native to Britain and eight forbs native to central and southern Europe were sown as mono-cultures into pots containing mixes of brick rubble, sand and sub-soil. All of the forbs are naturally associated with dry, unproductive habitats. The purpose of the study was to inform subsequent field experiments into the creation of florally attractive meadows on waste substrates associated with urban developments. Forbs of more southerly or continental distribution were included to see whether they possessed superior tolerance of drought prone substrates. Geographical origin had less of an effect on emergence characteristics than did plant type with native grasses demonstrating significantly greater emergence (p < 0.001) than native or non-native forbs. Native grasses demonstrated significantly higher survival (p = 0.009) than either native or non-native forbs. Native grasses also produced signficantly higher biomass (p = 0.024) than native forbs in the first growing season, with non-native forbs not significantly different from native grasses or native forbs. At this group level of comparison substrate only had a significant effect at p = 0.05 on seedling dry weight. The results are discussed in relation to the physical and chemical properties of the substrates, and an assessment is made of the implications of the study for future works.
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Hitchmough, J., Kendle, T. & Paraskevopoulou, A.T. Seedling emergence, survival and initial growth of forbs and grasses native to Britain and central/southern Europe in low productivity urban “waste” substrates. Urban Ecosystems 5, 285–308 (2001). https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1025643929335
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1025643929335