Factors affecting moorland plant communities and component species in relation to prescribed burning

Journal of Applied Ecology

Volumn 48, Issue 6, 2011, Pages 1411-1421

  Harris, Mike P K ^a   Allen, Katherine A ^a   McAllister, Hugh A ^a   Eyre, Geoff ^b   Le Duc, Mike G ^a   Marrs, Rob H ^a  

^a UNIVERSITY OF LIVERPOOL   (United Kingdom)

^b William Eyre and Sons   (United Kingdom)

Author keywords

Conservation management; Decorana; Huisman; Multivariate analysis; Olff and Fresco modeling; Post fire succession; Species response curves; Variation partitioning

Indexed keywords

BIODIVERSITY; CARBON SEQUESTRATION; CONSERVATION MANAGEMENT; CORRESPONDENCE ANALYSIS; GLOBAL WARMING; GROWTH RESPONSE; MOORLAND; MULTIVARIATE ANALYSIS; PLANT COMMUNITY; PRESCRIBED BURNING; RISK ASSESSMENT; SEED BANK; WILDFIRE;

DERBYSHIRE; ENGLAND; PEAK DISTRICT; UNITED KINGDOM;

CALLUNA; CALLUNA VULGARIS; DECORANA; ERICA TETRALIX; RUBUS CHAMAEMORUS; VACCINIUM MYRTILLUS;

EID: 80055077291     PISSN: 00218901     EISSN: 13652664     Source Type: Journal    
DOI: 10.1111/j.1365-2664.2011.02052.x     Document Type: Article

References (54)

1. Albertson, K., Aylen, J., Cavan, G. & McMorrow, J. (2009) Forecasting the outbreak of moorland wildfires in the English Peak District. Journal of Environmental Management, 90, 2642-2651.
2. Allen, S.E., (ed.) (1989) Chemical Analysis of Ecological Materials. Blackwells, Oxford, UK.
3. Anderson, P. & Yalden, D.W. (1981) Increased sheep numbers and the loss of heather moorland in the Peak District, England. Biological Conservation, 20, 195-213.
4. ArcGIS (2009) ArcGIS: The complete Geographic Information System. ESRI, Redlands, CA, USA. URL [accessed 26/1/2010].
5. Ascoli, D., Beghin, R., Ceccato, R., Gorlier, A., Lombardi, G., Lonati, M., Marzano, R., Bovio, G. & Cavallero, A. (2009) Developing an adaptive management approach to prescribed burning: a long-term heathland conservation experiment in north-west Italy. International Journal of Wildland Fire, 18, 727-735.
6. Atherton, I., Bosanquet, S. & Lawley, M. (2010) Mosses and Liverworts of Brian and Ireland: A Field Guide. British Bryological Society, Plymouth, UK.
7. Ball, D.F. (1964) Loss-on-ignition as estimate of organic matter + organic carbon in non-calcareous soils. Journal of Soil Science, 15, 84-92.
8. Connell, J.H. & Slatyer, R.D. (1977) Mechanisms of succession in natural communities and their role in community stability and organization. American Naturalist, 111, 1119-1144.
9. Corney, P.M., Le Duc, M.G., Smart, S.M., Kirby, K.J., Bunce, R.G.H. & Marrs, R.H. (2006) Relationships between the species composition of forest field-layer vegetation and environmental drivers assessed using a national scale survey. Journal of Ecology, 94, 383-401.
10. Davies, G.M. & Legg, C.J. (2008) The effect of traditional management burning on lichen diversity. Applied Vegetation Science, 11, 529-538.
11. Dobson, F. (2000) Lichens: An Illustrated Guide to the British and Irish Species. Richmond Publishing Company, Richmond, UK.
12. Egler, F.E. (1954) Vegetation science concepts, I. Initial floristic composition, a factor in old-field development. Vegetatio, 14, 412-417.
13. Forrest, G.I. (1971) Structure and production of North Pennine blanket bog vegetation. Journal of Ecology, 59, 453-479.
14. Gimingham, C.H. (1972) Ecology of Heathlands. Chapman & Hall, London.
15. Gimingham, C.H. & de Smidt, J.T. (1983) Heaths as natural and semi-natural vegetation. Man's Impact on Vegetation (eds M.J.A. Werger & I. Ikusima), pp. 185-199. Junk, The Hague.
16. Gimingham, C.H., Hobbs, R.J. & Mallik, A.U. (1981) Community dynamics in relation to management of heathland vegetation in Scotland. Vegetatio, 46-47, 149-155.
17. Harris, M.P.K. (2011) The role of prescribed burning in moorland management in the Peak District. PhD thesis. University of Liverpool, Liverpool.
18. Hobbs, R.J. & Gimingham, C.H. (1984) Studies on fire in Scottish heathland communities. 2. Post-fire vegetation development. Journal of Ecology, 72, 585-610.
19. Huisman, J., Olff, H. & Fresco, L.F.M. (1993) A hierarchical set of model for species response analysis. Journal of Vegetation Science, 4, 37-46.
20. Lawesson, J.E. & Oksanen, J. (2002) Niche characteristics of Danish woody species as derived from coenoclines. Journal of Vegetation Science, 13, 279-290.
21. Littlewood, N., Anderson, P., Artz, R., Bragg, O., Lunt, P. & Marrs, R. (2010) Peatland Biodiversity - A Technical Review for the IUCN Peatland Program. IUCN Peatland Commission, York, UK.
22. Mallik, A.U. & Gimingham, C.H. (1985) Ecological effects of heather burning 2. Effects on seed-germination and vegetative regeneration. Journal of Ecology, 73, 633-644.
23. Måren, I.E., Janovský, Z., Spindelböck, J.P., Daws, M.I., Kaland, P.E. & Vandvik, V. (2010) Prescribed burning of northern heathlands: Calluna vulgaris germination cues and seed-bank dynamics. Plant Ecology, 207, 245-256.
24. Marrs, R.H. (1988) Vegetation change on lowland heaths and its relevance for conservation management. Journal of Environmental Management, 26, 127-149.
25. Marrs, R.H., Galtress, K., Tong, C., Blackbird, S.J., Heyes, T.J., Pakeman, R.J. & Le Duc, M.G. (2007) Conflicts between competing conservation goals, biodiversity or ecosystem services: quantification of element losses and species recruitment using a moorland-bracken model system. Journal of Environmental Management, 85, 1034-1047, doi:.
26. Marrs, R.H., Le Duc, M.G., Smart, S.M., Kirby, K.J., Bunce, R.G.H. & Corney, P.M. (2011) Aliens or natives: who are the 'thugs' in British woods? Kew Bulletin, 65, 1-11. Still Online First.
27. McVean, D.N. & Ratcliffe, D.A. (1962) Plant Communities of the Scottish Highlands. HMSO, London, UK.
28. Miller, G.R. (1980) The burning of heather moorland for red grouse. Bulletin d'Ecologie, 11, 725-733.
29. Miller, G.R. & Miles, J. (1970) Regeneration of heath (Calluna vulgaris) (L.) Hull) at different ages and seasons in north-east Scotland. Journal of Applied Ecology, 7, 51-60.
30. Oksanen, J. (2004) Gradient Analysis of Vegetation (gravy) software, v.0.0-21. URL. [accessed 26/5/2010].
31. Oksanen, J. (2010) Multivariate Analysis of Ecological Communities in R: vegan tutorial, v.1.11.0 for Windows. URL. [accessed 26/5/2010].
32. PACEC (2006) The Economic and Environmental Impact of Sporting Shooting. A report prepared by Public and Corporate Economic Consultants (PACEC) on behalf of BASC, CA, and CLA and in association with GCT, Cambridge, UK.
33. Peres-Neto, P.R., Legendre, P., Dray, S. & Borcard, D. (2006) Variation partitioning of species data matrices: estimation and comparison of fractions. Ecology, 87, 2614-2625.
34. Pullin, A.S., Knight, T.M. & Watkinson, A.R. (2009) Linking reductionist science and holistic policy using systematic reviews: unpacking environmental policy questions to construct an evidence-based framework. Journal of Applied Ecology, 46, 970-975.
35. R Development Core Team (2010) R: A Language and Environment for Statistical Computing. R Foundation for Statistical computing, Vienna, Austria. URL. [accessed 25/5/2010].
36. Ratcliffe, D.A. & Thompson, D.B.A. (1988) The British uplands: their ecological character and international significance. Ecological Change in the Uplands (eds M.B. Usher & D.B.A. Thompson), pp. 9-36. Blackwells, Oxford.
37. Rawes, M. & Hobbs, R. (1979) Management of semi-natural blanket bog in the northern Pennines. Journal of Ecology, 67, 789-807.
38. Robson, G. (1998) The breeding ecology of curlew Numenius arquata on North Pennine moorland. PhD Thesis. University of Sunderland, Sunderland, UK.
39. Rodwell, J.S. (1991) British Plant Communities Vol. 2: Mires and Heaths. CUP, Cambridge, UK.
40. Rodwell, J.S. (1992) British Plant Communities Vol. 3: Grasslands and Montane Communities. CUP, Cambridge, UK.
41. Simmons, I.G. (2003) The Moorlands of England and Wales: An Environmental History 8000 BC-AD 2000. Edinburgh University Press, Edinburgh, UK.
42. Smart, S.M., Thompson, K., Marrs, R.H., Le Duc, M.G., Maskell, L.C. & Firbank, L.G. (2006) Biodiversity loss and biotic homogenization across human-modified ecosystems. Proceedings of the Royal Society London B, 273, 2659-2665.
43. Sotherton, N., Tapper, S. & Smith, A. (2009) Hen harriers and red grouse: economic aspects of red grouse shooting and the implications for moorland conservation. Journal of Applied Ecology, 46, 955-960.
44. Stace, C.A. (1997) New Flora of the British Isles, 2nd edn. CUP, Cambridge, UK.
45. Stewart, K.E.J., Bourn, N.A.D. & Thomas, J.A. (2001) An evaluation of three quick methods commonly used to assess sward height in ecology. Journal Applied Ecology, 38, 1148-1154.
46. Stewart, G.B., Coles, C.F. & Pullin, A.S. (2005) Applying evidence-based practice in conservation management: lessons from the first systematic review and dissemination projects. Biological Conservation, 126, 270-278.
47. Tallis, J.H. (1998) Growth and degradation of British and Irish blanket mires. Environmental Review, 6, 81-122.
48. Thompson, D.B.A., MacDonald, A.J., Marsden, J.H. & Galbraith, C.A. (1995) Upland heather moorland in Great Britain: a review of international importance, vegetation change and some objectives for nature conservation. Biological Conservation, 71, 163-178.
49. Thompson, D.B.A., Gillings, S.D., Galbraith, C.A., Redpath, S.M. & Drewitt, J. (1997) The contribution of game management to biodiversity: a review of the importance of grouse moors for upland birds. Ecological Change in the Uplands (eds L.V. Fleming, A.C. Newton, J.A. Vickery & M.B. Usher), pp. 198-212. HMSO, Edinburgh, UK.
50. Tucker, G.T. (2003) Review of the Impacts of Heather and Grassland Burning in the Uplands on Soils, Hydrology and Biodiversity. (English Nature Research Report No. 550). Natural England, Peterborough, UK.
51. Watt, A.S. (1947) Pattern and process in the plant community. Journal of Ecology, 35, 1-22.
52. Worrall, F., Evans, M.G., Bonn, A., Reed, M.S., Chapman, D. & Holden, J. (2009) Can carbon offsetting pay for upland ecological restoration. Science of the Total Environment, 408, 26-36.
53. Worrall, F., Clay, G.D., Marrs, R. & Reed, M.S. (2010) IUCN Technical Review 5 - Impacts of Burning Management on Peatlands. IUCN Peatland Commission, York, UK.
54. Yallop, A.R. & Clutterbuck, B. (2009) Land management as a factor controlling dissolved organic carbon release from upland peat soils 1: spatial variation in DOC productivity. Science of the Total Environment, 407, 3803-3813.