While the extent of grasslands in Southern Ontario has been greatly reduced, urban and suburban areas provide numerous potential sites for their restoration. Grassland restoration in cities can provide ecological and cultural benefits, but soil conditions may be less than optimal for native species recovery. This thesis explores the use of soil amendments in order to address nutrient deficiency on old-field meadow restoration sites. Five treatments were tested, namely the addition of (1) nitrogenous fertilizer, (2) native legume species, (3) biochar, (4) a combination of the previous three, and (5) an unaltered control. Each treatment was replicated four times on two different test plots in Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada (Huron Natural Area and Springbank Farm), for a total of 40 subplots. The experimental plots were tilled in the fall of 2011, a randomly selected treatment was applied to each subplot, and then all were seeded with a mix of five native meadow species (2 grass, 2 forb, 1 sedge). Soil samples were taken from each subplot both before treatment application and also at the end of the growing season in 2012, and tested for nutrient levels (N, P, K), pH and organic matter. Species richness, as well as soil temperature and moisture, were regularly monitored over the growing season. In the fall of 2012, above-ground vegetation was harvested to assess accrued biomass. In order to detect differences in means, results were tested using one-way and repeated-measures ANOVAs, where appropriate. Pearson???s product-moment correlations were also employed to test for linear dependence between variables. There were no significant differences between treatments in terms of soil nutrients or pH at either site. At Huron Natural Area, post-treatment biochar-treated subplots had slightly higher levels of organic matter than controls (p=0.095). Values for species richness, above-ground biomass, soil temperature and soil moisture did not vary significantly between treatments. Species richness at Huron Natural Area was positively correlated with 2011 N (r=0.42; p=0.07) and organic matter (r=0.52; p=0.02) levels, while at Springbank Farm it was negatively correlated with 2012 N levels (r=-0.67; p<0.001). Above-ground biomass at Huron Natural Area was positively correlated with 2011 and 2012 P levels (both r=0.52; p=0.02), while at Springbank Farm it was positively correlated with 2011 N, P, K and organic matter, and 2012 N, P and K (all r>0.44; p<0.05). At Huron Natural Area, above-ground biomass was negatively correlated with soil temperature (r=-0.64; p<0.0001) and positively correlated with soil moisture (r=0.38; p=0.1). This study uncovered a strong, but variable, relationship between N concentration and species richness in old-field meadows. Furthermore, productivity was tightly correlated with different soil nutrient concentrations at each study site. The results demonstrate the need for restoration approaches to address local soil conditions on order to be effective. To date, there have been very few studies on meadow restoration, particularly in North America. More, and longer-term, multivariate studies are needed in order to test the effectiveness of different techniques.

Today traditionally managed wooded hay meadows only exist in small fractions of their former distributions. Because of the fragmentation and degeneration of hay meadows and the fact that pollinating insect diversity and abundance also are declining, pollination services in these habitats requires attention. To examine the pollination services in traditionally managed hay meadows I collected Ranunculus acris (Buttercup) in 20 meadows of varying quality on Gotland and evaluated the mean seed set and mean number of produced seeds per plant. I also collected Filipendula vulgaris (Dropwort) in 18 meadows and evaluated the mean seed set to be able to compare the pollination success of the insect pollinated R. acris with the wind pollinated F. vulgaris. A range of habitat variables were collected in the meadows and in older surveys to examine their relative impact on seed set. I found significantly higher seed set for R. acris in the meadows with higher habitat quality, than in meadows with lower quality. In contrast seed set in F. vulgaris was not related to habitat quality. The population density also seemed to play an important role in fertilization rate for R. acris, through increased seed set in high density areas, while plant height was positively correlated with number of produced seeds. For F. vulgaris seed set was positively correlated with moss cover, and number of seeds per plant was positively correlated with population density. These results suggest that reproductive success among insect pollinated plants are more sensitive to habitat degeneration than among wind pollinated plants. The status of pollination services in traditionally managed wooded hay meadows should be evaluated further.

Thesis (M.Ed.)--York University, 2008. Graduate Programme in Education. / Typescript. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 60-62). Also available on the Internet. MODE OF ACCESS via web browser by entering the following URL: http://gateway.proquest.com/openurl?url_ver=Z39.88-2004&res_dat=xri:pqdiss&rft_val_fmt=info:ofi/fmt:kev:mtx:dissertation&rft_dat=xri:pqdiss:MR51532

Den biologiska mångfalden har det senaste seklet utarmats i Sverige. Det beror till stor del på moderniseringen av jord- och skogsbruk som medfört drastiska habitatminskningar. En av de artrikaste biotoperna är den traditionellt hävdade slåtterängen. Projektet Livslinjen har initierats för att återskapa en sammanhängande slåtteräng genom en hel kommun. Den ska vara cykelbar med pedagogiska inslag för allmänheten och samtidigt fungera som en spridningskorridor för flora och fauna. Denna studie har inventerat örtskikt och övergripande struktur längs med tänkta sträcka. Utifrån de olika områdenas förutsättningar har åtgärder för restaurering och nyetablering föreslagits för att återskapa slåtterängslika miljöer samt generellt verka för en ökad biodiversitet. Merparten av det drygt 10 km långa stråket är präglad av kvävetillförsel och igenväxning. Några områden innehåller arter som indikerar slåtterängslika förhållanden. Äldre grova träd, sandiga marker, stenmurar och andra småbiotoper har noterats. Lämpliga skötselregimer måste implementeras på de flesta områdena. Ett estetiskt förhållningssätt bör finnas med i restaureringsprocessen speciellt i de urbana områdena. De ytor som huserar populationer av ängsvegetation måste fortsätta skötas med traditionella metoder för att kunna bevaras. Att starta med informationsförmedling till allmänheten i början av projektet är viktigt för att skapa förståelse. Uppföljning och nya inventeringar för att utvärdera effekterna av åtgärder tillråds. / Over the past century biodiversity has declined in Sweden as in all other western countries. Mainly due to modernization of agriculture and forestry which has resulted in drastic habitat losses for many species when rural areas have become less diverse and more fragmented. One of the most species-rich habitat is the traditional hay meadow. The Project Livslinjen (the “Lifeline”) has been initiated to re-create a coherent meadow trough a municipality. The public should be able to bike along it the whole way and it should also feature educational elements. At the same time, it should work as a wildlife corridor. In this study an inventory of forbes and the overall structure of the area is performed. This to identify potential actions to re-create meadow-like vegetation and generally increase biodiversity along the route. The study has found that the 10 km long route passes varied grounds with a city center in the middle. Most areas are influenced by nitrogen surplus and overgrowth. Though some areas hosts species that indicates meadow like conditions. Old large trees, sandy slopes, stonewalls and other microhabitats are noted as well. The initial stage of the restoration will focus on depleting nitrogen surpluses in the ground and selectively clear trees and shrubs. Appropriate management regimes must be implemented in most areas. An esthetics eye should be involved in the restoration process since it is recommended that biodiversity should not look untidy. Landscape variation should be a keyword in the process. Gradually, different parts of the route can start to be managed with traditional methods. Then active re-establishment of desirable species can commence. The areas which still house preserved meadow vegetation must continue to be managed accordingly. It is advised to commence with information to the public already at the start of the project to create understanding for what they see. Follow-ups and new inventories to evaluate the effects of measures is advised.

Methods of increasing the number, diversity and evenness of plant species establishing in species-rich meadows created or enhanced with green hay from a semi-natural source meadow were studied. Three experiments were conducted on grasslands in Birmingham and Herefordshire: (i) Comparisons of species and community transfer resulting from green hay being strewn in consecutive years onto a glyphosated receiver meadow. (ii) The effect on species-richness of introducing green hay into a species-rich created meadow. (iii) The effect of different levels of disturbance in combination with grazing on the introduction of species into an existing created species-rich meadow. Strewing hay twice resulted in vegetation containing more species and species with higher frequencies compared with haying once. Hay strewing increased the number of species in an existing species-rich sward and also increased the frequency and abundance of existing species. Source species frequency, flowering/seed set date and established life strategy had an important influence on species transfer. In general, species that did not transfer were those found at low frequencies in MG5 Cynosurus cristatus – Centaurea nigra community meadows and with stress-tolerance as part of their life strategy. There was a statistically significant three-way interaction between haying, grazing and disturbance. As several terrestrial orchid species are associated with this habitat type, techniques and media for axenic seed germination and propagation of a selected local MG5 meadow orchid species (Dactylorhiza fuchsii) were assessed. Comparisons were made of two media types in combination with mycorrhizae and a source of complex carbohydrates. Of these, oats medium with fungi produced significantly higher germination rates than other tested media. Oats medium also proved the most suitable medium for protocorms when replated, producing the greatest increase in protocorm length compared with Western medium after 15 weeks of growth.

abstract: The highly-social plateau pika (Lagomorpha: Ochotona curzoniae) excavates vast burrow complexes in alpine meadows on the Tibetan Plateau. Colonies of over 300 individuals/ha have been reported. As an ecosystem engineer, their burrowing may positively impact ecosystem health by increasing plant species diversity, enhancing soil mixing, and boosting water infiltration. However, pikas are commonly regarded as pests, and are heavily poisoned throughout their range. The underlying assumption of eradication programs is that eliminating pikas will improve rangeland quality and decrease soil erosion. This dissertation explores the link between plateau pikas and the alpine meadow ecosystem in Qinghai Province, PRC. This research uses both comparative field studies and theoretical modeling to clarify the role of pika disturbance. Specifically, these studies quantify the impact of pikas on nutrient cycling (via nutrient concentrations of vegetation and soil), hydrology (via water infiltration), local landscape properties (via spatial pattern description), and vascular plant communities (via species richness and composition). The competitive relationship between livestock and pikas is examined with a mathematical model. Results of this research indicate that pika colonies have both local and community level effects on water infiltration and plant species richness. A major contribution of pika disturbance is increased spatial heterogeneity, which likely underlies differences in the plant community. These findings suggest that the positive impact of plateau pikas on rangeland resources has been undervalued. In concurrence with other studies, this work concludes that plateau pikas provide valuable ecosystem services on the Tibetan Plateau. / Dissertation/Thesis / Ph.D. Biology 2010

The thesis is about the timing of phenophases of species. Research was carried out on two contrasted meadows (wet and dry). Meadows were situated in localities Ohraze-ní and Bílé Karpaty. The aim was obseved the timing of phenophases in mown and unmown parts of meadows. And how mowing affect growth of species during the season. The next aim was monitored grow shoot biomass before and after mowing.

Increased nutrient input into wet-meadow ecosystems can affect activity of decomposers and carbon cycle in soil. This thesis observed the effect of fertilization on carbon sequestration and mineralization in soils of wet meadows, which differed in quantity and quality of soil organic matter. Studied locations are situated in the protected area Třeboňsko.

This thesis is an extension of my Bc. thesis. Based upon previously conducted research in a wet grassland, Mokré Louky, near Třeboň, Czech Republic, a mesocosm experiment was designed for investigating the effect of two nutrient regimes (non fertilized / fertilized) and three flooding regimes (saturated / spring flood / flooded) on Carex acuta and Phalaris arundinacea plants to determine the effect of management type for restoring a more diverse wet meadows system.

Abstract The amount and distribution of genetic diversity are likely to affect the evolutionary potential of a species. When feasible and cost-effective policies for management and monitoring of endangered populations or species are planned, knowledge of the spatial genetic structure and the type of population dynamics is of great concern. In this thesis the genetic diversity and population structures of two endangered arctic plant species was examined on different geographical scales in Northern Europe. The species were Siberian primrose (Primula nutans) and pendant grass (Arctophila fulva), which both grow in a seashore habitat and have similar distribution patterns on the shores of the Arctic Ocean and the Bothnian Bay. The goal of the present study was to provide basic population genetic information for the study species using microsatellite and AFLP markers. Both markers were used for the first time in these species, and species-specific microsatellite markers were developed during the study. A further aim was to interlink the population genetic processes of the species into distribution patterns at the regional and population levels and to compile a synthesis of the impact of hierarchical spatiotemporal processes and autocorrelation in genetic variation at different levels. The studies of this thesis provided new information on the diversity and population structure of the endangered study species and new markers that are useful in future genetic studies of primrose species. The diversity of Siberian primrose was low, and there was no dispersal between the study regions. In pendant grass, a relatively high amount of variation was found considering the evident clonal reproduction and gene flow that was detected between populations connected by waterways. The results suggested that both clonal and sexual reproduction are important in this species. On a local scale, pendant grass populations had characteristics of “stepping stone” and classical metapopulation models. The results indicated that on a long time scale, both species will continue to decline without efficient management efforts. Most critical for the persistence of the species is the conservation of suitable habitats. Translocations could be considered in order to enhance the diversity of existing populations and establish new populations. By examining the present day structure of Siberian primrose, it was possible to make inferences regarding the colonisation history of the species in the North European area. The current distribution of Siberian primrose seemed to result from a vicariant process that took place after the last ice-age, when the species colonised the area. It spread first to the White Sea area, probably from the east, and subsequently colonised the Bothnian Bay and the Barents Sea in the west. The isostatic land uplift after the retreat of the Eurasian ice sheet uncovered large areas of land from the Baltic Sea basin that previously were under water. These geological changes resulted in the current disjunct distribution of Siberian primrose.