No description available.

Penstemon gibbensii and Penstemon haydenii are two rare, perennial forbs inhabiting remote areas of the western United States. P. gibbensii is listed as a sensitive species by the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) in Colorado, Utah, and Wyoming (Heidel, 2009). P. haydenii was designated as Endangered by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service in 1987 (Heidel, 2012). This thesis research was geared toward helping land managers in their efforts to protect and rehabilitate these species by providing understanding on different aspects of their seed ecology. My first study was a laboratory experiment performed on P. gibbensii and P. haydenii seed germination response to moist chilling and dry after-ripening. Wild harvested seeds were subjected to moist chilling at 2-4 °C for 0, 4, 8, 12, and 16 weeks and held in dry storage for approximately 2 years to determine effective methods for breaking primary dormancy. P. gibbensii seed germination increased consistently with increased length of chilling up to 16 weeks and exhibited habitat-correlated variation in this response. P. haydenii seed germination increased from 1 to 100% germination with 4 weeks of chilling. P. haydenii germination was greatest (96%) when incubated under a cool, diurnally-fluctuating temperature regime (10-20 °C) and responded positively to dry storage, increasing germination from 0 to 15%. My second study was an in situ field study designed to characterize the active seed bank of P. haydenii. We set up a transect line across a P. haydenii population and measured the number of seeds entering the seed bank, lost to predation post-dispersal, and persisting in the seed bank. P. haydenii does not appear to form an ecologically significant seed bank. Approximately 140 seeds/ 10m2 could potentially enter the seed bank but only 1 seed in the upper 10cm of sand persisted. Heavy post-dispersal insect predation resulted in a decrease in viability of nearly 30% in exposed P. haydenii seeds after just 12 hours. My third study explored the effects of burial by sand on P. haydenii. Wild-harvested seeds were planted in pots at 1, 2, 4, 6, 8, and 10cm deep in sand and incubated at 10-20 °C. Seed germination and mortality and seedling emergence were measured. The response of dormant seeds to post-burial incubation was determined. Burial depth decreased seedling emergence and seed germination. Shallow burial appears to induce secondary dormancy for seeds that don't germinate quickly, whereas deep burial appears to impose enforced dormancy in burial.

No description available.

The main aim of the thesis was to describe the succession of several abandoned fields under ploughing and discuss ploughing as a possible management for establishing and maintaining species-rich communities of fallows. Actual vegetation, its development over time and soil seed bank were studied. Experimental small-area ploughing was established at five abandoned fields in the southeastern part of the Podyjí National Park. Three strips with different types of management were founded: A) strip ploughed each year, B) strip ploughed once at the beginning of the experiment, C) control meadow without intervention. Vegetation development was evaluated through a series of relèves recorded during the years 2009-2012. The species composition of the seed bank was described using the seedling-emergence method and subsequent elutriation of soil samples. Similarity indexes, Longevity index (LI) and concept of RCS strategies were used. The vegetation of each-year plowed sites (A) consisted mostly of annual weeds and ruderal species with R-strategy and high LI. Grassland vegetation (C) consisted mostly of grasses and perennial herbs with C-strategy and lower LI. The vegetation of older fallows (B) was at first most similar to one-year fallow (A), but during the 4 years of succession has moved closer to the meadow...

Species assembly into local communities from the surrounding region can be caused either by species failure to reach the site (i.e. seed limitation) or to establish (i.e. establishment limitation). The aim of this thesis was to investigate plant species assembly and to determine the relative importance of different factors in that process. In a cultivated landscape in southeast Sweden, plant community assembly was studied in grazed ex-arable fields. Community assembly from the surrounding region into the local community was explored using trait-based null models and seed sowing and transplanting experiments. The influence of local environmental factors and landscape history and structure on community assembly was also studied. In addition, differences in species assembly between ex-arable fields and semi-natural grasslands were explored. Seed limitation was the strongest filter on local community assembly. Only a fraction (36%) of species in a region dispersed to a local site and adding seeds/transplants increased species establishment. Species abundance at the regional scale, species dispersal method and seed mass strongly influenced which species arrived at the local sites. Establishment limitation also affected the assembly. Of species arriving at a site 78% did establish, seedling survival was low and which species established was influenced by species interactions, local environmental conditions and stochastic events. In addition, landscape structure that determined the species richness in the regional species pool influenced the local assembly. The comparison between assembly in ex-arable fields and semi-natural grasslands indicated that the main cause of difference in species assembly between them was difference in their age. The main conclusion of this thesis is that regional processes are more important than local factors in determining plant community assembly. / <p>At the time of the doctoral defense, the following papers were unpublished and had a status as follows: Paper 3: Submitted. Paper 4: Submitted. Paper 5: Manuscript.</p>

Tradicionalmente o manejo das plantas daninhas é realizado levando-se em consideração a infestação média destas plantas nas áreas agrícolas; sendo então adotadas estratégias de manejo de forma homogênea em toda a área. Porém, as plantas daninhas não se distribuem uniformemente, sendo comum o comportamento contagioso, formando manchas ou "reboleiras". No entanto, a localização e mapeamento de diferentes infestações são tarefas difíceis de serem executadas em larga escala e requerem metodologias adequadas. Desta forma, métodos de determinação dessa variabilidade espacial necessitam de melhores esclarecimentos e estudos científicos. Com o objetivo de estudar o comportamento da variabilidade espacial das plantas daninhas e seu respectivo banco de sementes com a utilização de ferramentas da agricultura de precisão, foram realizados quatro experimentos para avaliar esta variabilidade espacial e temporal e analisar a potencialidade que a mesma pode proporcionar para o manejo racional das plantas daninhas, principalmente a possibilidade da aplicação localizada de herbicidas. O primeiro experimento consistiu do mapeamento do banco de sementes ao longo de dois anos consecutivos no intuito de comparar sua variabilidade espacial com a flora emergente. Concluiu-se que existe uma correlação entre o banco de sementes e a flora emergente e entre bancos de sementes de anos consecutivos, principalmente para as plantas daninhas Ageratum conyzoides L. e Commelina benghalensis L.. Analisando a dependência espacial, foi detectada uma dependência entre 7 e 15 m para o banco de sementes e a flora emergente. Os mapas gerados mostraram uma grande variabilidade espacial das plantas daninhas, sendo observadas algumas tendências de estabilidade ao longo do tempo. No segundo experimento foram feitos dois mapeamentos da infestação da planta Panicum maximum Jacq., um durante a colheita da cultura de milho e outro após a colheita, para fins de aferição do método de mapeamento realizado durante a colheita. Foi constatada uma subestimação de 6% da área infestada pelo método de mapeamento durante a colheita, quando este foi comparado com o caminhamento numa grade regular após a colheita. Os dois métodos foram coincidentes em 45% das áreas marcadas. O terceiro experimento consistiu de uma avaliação da eficácia da aplicação localizada de herbicidas pós-emergentes na cultura da soja, baseada em mapas de infestação das plantas daninhas. Para isto foi feito uma amostragem numa grade de 6 x 6 m e, baseado na infestação em cada célula, foi pulverizado duas doses de herbicidas pós-emergentes dependendo da infestação de cada local. Foi obtida uma economia de produto da ordem de 18 e 44%, sendo a eficácia similar à aplicação convencional utilizando dose única e pulverização uniforme em área total. No quarto experimento foi realizada uma pulverização localizada de herbicida pré-emergente baseada no mapeamento prévio do banco de sementes das plantas daninhas; sendo verificado uma eficácia igual à convencional e uma economia de 22% de produto herbicida. Portanto, técnicas de mapeamento da variabilidade espacial das plantas daninhas são importantes ferramentas para que melhores decisões sejam tomadas dentro dos sistemas de produção agrícola, sendo de extrema urgência um maior conhecimento e embasamento técnico-científico de técnicas agronômicas que considerem esta variabilidade espacial. / Traditionally the weed management has been done considering the overall weed infestation in the whole field and then herbicides are sprayed according to a single weed control recommendation for the field. But weeds are not uniformly distributed and normally have clumped populations showing weed patches presenting high spatial variability. This nature of the weed populations can be mapped, and so it can help the decisions associated with weed management on agricultural systems. However, localization and mapping of the weed clusters are very difficult tasks in large areas, and require adequate methodology. Therefore, determination method of this weed infestation variability in space must be scientifically studied. With the objective of studying the weed spatial variability and temporal behavior of weed seedlings infestations and their respective seed banks, four experiments were conducted to evaluate the spatial temporal behavior of the weeds and the potential of weed mapping technology could bring to the rational weed management. The aim of the first experiment was to evaluate the spatial temporal behavior of the weed seedlings and their respective seed banks using the mapping technology. A grid sampling was used to understand the seedling and seed bank behavior in the space and time. Correlations using "Spearman rank" test were observed, mainly in Ageratum conyzoides L. and Commelina benghalensis L. The spatial dependence was noted between 7 and 15 m for the weed seedlings and seed banks. The weed maps showed that the weeds have a high spatial variability making patches with some temporal stability. In the second experiment two weed surveys were done with the objective of mapping Panicum maximum Jacq. during and after corn harvest. The grid sampling method after harvest corn was used to evaluate the harvest mapping method. It was underestimated about 6% of the weed infestation using the harvest mapping method when it was compared with the grid sampling method after corn harvest. In this experiment the harvest mapping method had just 45% of efficiency in recording weed infestation areas. The third experiment was done in order to analyzed the post emergence herbicide efficacy in soybeans based on weed maps constructed with grid sampling mapping. The weed seedling was counted in a 6 by 6 m grid and, based on weed infestation of each grid, it was sprayed two post emergence herbicide rates according to the weed infestation. It was saved 18 to 44% of herbicides compared to broadcast application with the same herbicide efficacy. In the fourth experiment a pre emergence herbicide application was carried out in soybeans crop based on weed seed bank map and, it was observed that the site-specific application had similar efficacy saving 22% of herbicides. So, the weed mapping technology is an important tool to bear on decisions associated with crop production, and it is a priority for the implementation of this technology multiple sources of scientific knowledge in weed biology and management regarding to the weed spatial variability.

<p>Ambrosia artemisiifolia L., invazivna korovsko-ruderalna biljka, poslednjih<br />godina u na&scaron;oj zemlji predstavlja izuzetno veliki problem, ne samo za poljoprivredu<br />nego i za stanovni&scaron;tvo, izazivajući svojim polenom jake alergijske i druge zdravstvene<br />komplikacije. Shvatajući probleme koje ona izaziva, sve zemlje u kojima ambrozija<br />predstavlja veliki, pre svega zdravstveni problem, ulažu ogromne napore, izdvajaju<br />velika finansijska sredstva, organizuju stanovni&scaron;tvo, &scaron;kole, vojsku, javne službe,<br />sredstva informisanja, donose zakone, uredbe i deklaracije, da bi ograničili njeno<br />&scaron;irenje i osigurali njeno suzbijanje, dok se u na&scaron;oj zemlji jo&scaron; uvek nedovoljno ozbiljno<br />shvata ovaj problem.<br />Kako se radi o biljci koja se razmnožava samo generativno (semenom), istraživanja<br />&#39;&#39;banke semena&#39;&#39; pelenaste ambrozije u određenim zemlji&scaron;nim profilima omogućavaju<br />preciznu prognozu njene pojave na određenim stani&scaron;tima, &scaron;to kasnije znatno olak&scaron;ava<br />suzbijanje kako mehaničkim putem tako i primenom herbicida. Zemlji&scaron;ni uzorci za<br />analizu rezervi semena su uzeti, sa karakterističnih ruderalnih stani&scaron;ta, na području<br />Novi Sad, Zrenjanin i Ruma. Obzirom da se radi o ruderalnim stani&scaron;tima, na svim<br />istraživanim lokalitetima utvrđena je relativno visoka brojnost semena pelenaste<br />ambrozije. Prikazano istraživanje je prvo ovog tipa sprovedeno na teritoriji Republike<br />Srbije.<br />Ova proučavanja su od izuzetnog naučnog značaja budući da obuhvataju poznavanje<br />osnovnih biolo&scaron;kih osobina semena ambrozije, kao &scaron;to su morfolo&scaron;ke osobine,<br />karakteristike klijanja, nicanja i načina rasprostiranja.<br />Za potrebe ispitivanja klijavosti semena A. artemisifolia 2007. godine sa teritorije 15<br />gradskih i prigradskih naselja Grada Novog Sada prikupljeni su plodovi pelenaste<br />ambrozije. Od ukupne količine prikupljenog semena pelenaste ambrozije, polovina je<br />odložena u hladnu komoru sa temperaturom od +4&ordm;C a drugi deo materijala je odložen<br />u komoru sa temperaturom od - 8&ordm;C da bi se simulirali zimski uslovi, odnosno kako bi<br />seme bilo izloženo jarovizaciji. Naklijavanje izdvojenog semena vr&scaron;eno je u klimakomori,<br />pod uslovima povoljnim za nicanje semena. Nakon 9, 14, 21 i 28 dana<br />ocenjivana je klijavost semena. Utvrđena je dobra klijavost semena pelenaste<br />ambrozije, koja je bila značajno veća kod stratifikovanog semena.<br />Na osnovu rezultata dobijenih tokom ispitivanja rasprostranjenosti i suzbijanja<br />korovsko-ruderalne alergene biljke Ambrosia artemisifolia L. u regiji gradova Novi<br />Sad, Zrenjanin i Ruma, izvedeni su sledeći zaključci: Obavljena proučavanja<br />rasprostranjenosti i suzbijanja korovsko-ruderalne alergene biljke Ambrosia<br />artemisifolia L. u 15 zona grada Novog Sada, 10 zona u Zrenjaninu i 7 u Rumi,<br />ukazuju na izuzetnu zastupljenost ove biljke. Na osnovu proučavanja rasprostranjenosti i praćenja feno-faza razvoja pelenaste ambrozije obavljeno je<br />mehaničko ko&scaron;enje ručnim ili motornim kosilicama. Imajući u vidu stalne napore u<br />pogledu za&scaron;tite životne sredine koja podrazumeva na prvom mestu pozitivan uticaj na<br />zdravlje ljudi, na gradskim lokacijama tretman herbicidom glifosat nije primenjen, već<br />samo u nenastanjenim zonama i na zapu&scaron;tenim poljoprivrednim povr&scaron;inama i<br />utrinama. Prilikom suzbijanja pelenaste ambrozije mehaničkim putem, istaknuto je da<br />je ko&scaron;enje potrebno obaviti 3-4 puta tokom jedne vegetacione sezone, usled relativno<br />brze regeneracije poko&scaron;enih biljaka. Hemijsko suzbijanje ambrozije primenom<br />herbicida glifosat, pokazalo se kao znatno efikasnije jer je za njeno suzbijanje bio<br />dovoljan uglavnom jedan tretman.</p> / <p>Ambrosia artemisiifolia L., an invasive weed-ruderal plant in recent years in<br />our country is a very big problem, not only for agriculture but also for the human<br />population, causing her severe pollen allergy and other health complications.<br />Recognizing the problems that it causes, all countries where ragweed is a large,<br />primarily health problem, invest huge efforts, allocate significant financial resources,<br />organized residents, schools, the military, the media, legislate, to limit its spread and<br />ensure its suppression, while our country does not yet have a serious approach to this<br />problem.<br />Since this is a plant that reproduces a generative (seed), &#39;&#39;seed bank&#39;&#39; research in some<br />soil profiles allow to forecast its occurrence at some sites, which greatly facilitates<br />the later contol of both mechanically and by herbicides. Soil samples for analysis of<br />seed reserves were taken with typical ruderal habitats, in Novi Sad, Zrenjanin and<br />Ruma. Since these are ruderal habitats, at all study sites, a relatively high number of<br />ragweed seeds apears. Our study is the first of this type that was conducted in the<br />Republic of Serbia.<br />These studies are of great scientific importance as it includes knowing of basic<br />biological properties of ragweed seeds, such as morphological characteristics, the<br />characteristics of germination, emergence and control methods.<br />For the purposes of testing seed germination A. artemisifolia in year 2007. samples<br />of ambrosia seeds were collected from 15 different localities in the territory of the<br />city and suburbs of Novi Sad. Collected seeds were splited on two halfs: one part was<br />delayed in the cold chamber with a temperature of +4 &deg; C and the second part of the<br />material is disposed in the chamber with a temperature of - 8 &deg; C to simulate winter<br />conditions, in purpose to achieve seed vernalization. Seed germination was<br />performed in air chamber under optimal conditions for seed germination. After 9, 14,<br />21 and 28 days seed germination was evaluated. Germination of stratified seeds was<br />significantly higher than germination of not stratified seeds.<br />Based on the obtained results of distribution and controll of weed-ruderal allergenic<br />plant Ambrosia artemisiifolia L. in the cities Novi Sad, Zrenjanin and Ruma, the<br />following conclusions were made: Results mapping and control of Ambrosia<br />artemisiifolia L. in 15 zones in the city of Novi Sad, 10 zones in Zrenjanin, and 7 in<br />Ruma, indicating significant presence of this plant. Based on the study of the<br />distribution and monitoring of ragweed growth stages, mechanical controll mesures<br />were performed manually, by trimmers or by tractor. Because of ongoing efforts to<br />protect the environment, in the urban locations herbicide treatment was not applied.<br />Glyphosate treatment was applied only in uninhabited areas, agricultural land and<br />wasteland. If ragweed is controlled mechanically, the cutting should be done 3-4<br />times per year due to the relatively rapid regeneration of plants. Chemical control of<br />ragweed (herbicide glyphosate), has proven much more effective. One treatment per<br />year was sufficient.</p>

<p>Human disturbance has led to excessive deforestation and to a very limited forest cover in the Afromontane zone of Ethiopia, which forms a large part of the country. Thus urgent conservation measures are required to ameliorate the situation. Understanding the natural regeneration processes and the dynamics of plant populations of tree and shrub species has a practical application in the restoration of these habitats. </p><p>The present study focuses on the population dynamics and regeneration of an early successional shrub <i>Dodonaea angustifolia</i> and a late successional tree <i>Olea europaea</i> ssp. <i>cuspidata </i>in southern Wello, Ethiopia. Population structure and dynamics, regeneration and seed banks in dry Afromontane habitats were considered. </p><p>For both species, three population structure patterns were identified: 1) high density, reversed J-shape structure with many seedlings and few large individuals, 2) lower density, unimodal structure with higher proportions of plants of intermidiate size, 3) high density with higher proportions of large plants , in some cases bimodal with small and large individuals. Vegetation type and protection time were found to have a significant effect on the population structure of both species. <i>Dodonaea</i> can establish itself on degraded land, once the disturbance has ceased</p><p>Projection matrix analysis on observations from permanent plots in <i>Dodonaea</i> populations in protected and unprotected sites resulted in one declining population, and one increasing in the protected site and declining populations at the unprotected site. The overall projected growth rate in <i>Dodonaea</i> calculated from a pooled matrix indicated positive population growth. The factors influencing the population growth, recruitment and survival are discussed.</p><p>The persistence of <i>Olea </i>populations seems to depend on the more stable environmental conditions in later successional stages of forest vegetation. There are possibilities of natural regeneration of <i>Olea</i> if regenerating individuals still occur in the area. Rainfall seasonality is a dominant factor in regulating establishment, recruitment, survival and growth, particularly during the seedling stage. Moreover, shade and herbivory are factors that need consideration. Since <i>Olea</i> grows better under shade than in the open sun, successful regeneration for this species relies on shade from other plants and on protection from grazing, at least during the seedling stage.</p><p>Most of the species that germinated from the seed banks were herbs and grasses with very few shrub and tree species. There was low correspondence between species composition of the seed banks and that of the standing vegetation. </p><p>Spatial and temporal variation in demographic parameters among populations of <i>Dodonaea</i> and <i>Olea </i>can be attributed to human and environmental influence. Under protection, both <i>Dodonaea</i> and <i>Olea</i> seem to have a possibility to regenerate naturally. Further research should consider factors mentioned in detailed investigations of other dominant Afromontane forest species.</p>

Human disturbance has led to excessive deforestation and to a very limited forest cover in the Afromontane zone of Ethiopia, which forms a large part of the country. Thus urgent conservation measures are required to ameliorate the situation. Understanding the natural regeneration processes and the dynamics of plant populations of tree and shrub species has a practical application in the restoration of these habitats. The present study focuses on the population dynamics and regeneration of an early successional shrub Dodonaea angustifolia and a late successional tree Olea europaea ssp. cuspidata in southern Wello, Ethiopia. Population structure and dynamics, regeneration and seed banks in dry Afromontane habitats were considered. For both species, three population structure patterns were identified: 1) high density, reversed J-shape structure with many seedlings and few large individuals, 2) lower density, unimodal structure with higher proportions of plants of intermidiate size, 3) high density with higher proportions of large plants , in some cases bimodal with small and large individuals. Vegetation type and protection time were found to have a significant effect on the population structure of both species. Dodonaea can establish itself on degraded land, once the disturbance has ceased Projection matrix analysis on observations from permanent plots in Dodonaea populations in protected and unprotected sites resulted in one declining population, and one increasing in the protected site and declining populations at the unprotected site. The overall projected growth rate in Dodonaea calculated from a pooled matrix indicated positive population growth. The factors influencing the population growth, recruitment and survival are discussed. The persistence of Olea populations seems to depend on the more stable environmental conditions in later successional stages of forest vegetation. There are possibilities of natural regeneration of Olea if regenerating individuals still occur in the area. Rainfall seasonality is a dominant factor in regulating establishment, recruitment, survival and growth, particularly during the seedling stage. Moreover, shade and herbivory are factors that need consideration. Since Olea grows better under shade than in the open sun, successful regeneration for this species relies on shade from other plants and on protection from grazing, at least during the seedling stage. Most of the species that germinated from the seed banks were herbs and grasses with very few shrub and tree species. There was low correspondence between species composition of the seed banks and that of the standing vegetation. Spatial and temporal variation in demographic parameters among populations of Dodonaea and Olea can be attributed to human and environmental influence. Under protection, both Dodonaea and Olea seem to have a possibility to regenerate naturally. Further research should consider factors mentioned in detailed investigations of other dominant Afromontane forest species.

The success or failure of many organisms to respond to the challenges of habitat destruction and a warming climate lies in the ability of plant species to disperse between isolated habitats or to migrate to new ranges. European semi-natural grasslands represent one of the world's most species-rich habitats at small scales, but agricultural intensification during the 20th century has meant that many plant species are left only on small fragments of former habitat. It is important that these plants can disperse, both for the maintenance of existing populations, and for the colonisation of target species to restored grasslands. This thesis investigates the ecological, geographical and historical influences on seed dispersal and connectivity in semi-natural grasslands, and the mobility of plants through time and space. Seed dispersal by human activity has played a large role in the build-up of plant communities in rural landscapes, but patterns have shifted. Livestock are the most traditional, and probably the most capable seed dispersal vector in the landscape, but other dispersal methods may also be effective. Motor vehicles disperse seeds with similar traits to those dispersed by livestock, while 39% of valuable grasslands in southern Sweden are connected by the road network. Humans are found to disperse around one-third of available grassland species, including several protected and red-listed species, indicating that humans may have been valuable seed dispersers in the past when rural populations were larger. Past activities can also affect seed mobility in time through the seed bank, as seeds of grassland plant species are shown to remain in the soil even after the grassland had been abandoned. Today however, low seed rain in intensively grazed semi-natural grasslands indicates that seed production may be a limiting factor in allowing seeds to be dispersed in space through the landscape. / <p>At the time of the doctoral defense, the following papers were unpublished and had a status as follows: Paper 3: Accepted. Paper 4: In press. Paper 5: Manuscript.</p>