Grazing maintains native plant diversity and promotes community stability in an annual grassland

Ecological Applications

Volumn 25, Issue 5, 2015, Pages 1259-1270

  Beck, Jared J ^a   Hernández, Daniel L ^a   Pasari, Jae R ^b   Zavaleta, Erika S ^b  

^a CARLETON COLLEGE   (United States)

^b UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA   (United States)

Author keywords

California, USA; Euphydryas editha bayensis; Grazing; Interannual community variation; Invasion; Native plant richness; Nitrogen; Precipitation; Principal response curve (PRC); Serpentine grassland; Stability

Indexed keywords

ANTHROPOGENIC EFFECT; BUTTERFLY; CLIMATE EFFECT; COMMUNITY STRUCTURE; ENDANGERED SPECIES; GRASSLAND; GRAZING MANAGEMENT; HABITAT CONSERVATION; INVASIVE SPECIES; NATIVE SPECIES; POPULATION DECLINE;

CALIFORNIA; UNITED STATES;

BOS; EUPHYDRYAS EDITHA BAYENSIS; HEXAPODA; POACEAE;

ANIMAL; BIODIVERSITY; BOVINE; ENVIRONMENTAL MONITORING; FEEDING BEHAVIOR; GRASSLAND; PHYSIOLOGY; SEASON; TIME;

ANIMALS; BIODIVERSITY; CATTLE; ENVIRONMENTAL MONITORING; FEEDING BEHAVIOR; GRASSLAND; SEASONS; TIME FACTORS;

EID: 85047695327     PISSN: None     EISSN: 19395582     Source Type: Journal    
DOI: 10.1890/14-1093.1     Document Type: Article

References (63)

1. Bakker, E. S., M. E. Ritchie, H. Olff, D. G. Milchunas, and J. M. H. Knopps. 2006. Herbivore impact on grassland plant diversity depends on habitat productivity and herbivore size. Ecology Letters 9:780-788
2. Bates, D., M. Maechler, B. Bolker, and S. Walker. 2014. lme4: linear mixed-effects models using Eigen and S4. R package version 1.0-6. http://www.cran.r-project.org/packagelme4
3. Bobbink, R., et al. 2010. Global assessment of nitrogen deposition effects on terrestrial plant diversity: a synthesis. Ecological Applications 20:30-59
4. Brady, K. U., A. R. Kruckenberg, and H. D. Bradshaw, Jr. 2005. Evolutionary ecology of plant adaptation to serpentine soils. Annual Review of Ecology, Evolution, and Systematics 36:243-266
5. Britton, A. J., and J. M. Fisher. 2007. Interactive effects of nitrogen deposition, fire and grazing on diversity and composition of low-alpine prostrate Calluna vulgaris heathland. Journal of Applied Ecology 44:125-135
6. Chapin, F. S., III, et al. 2000. Consequences of changing biodiversity. Nature 405:234-242
7. Chesson, P., and N. Huntly. 1989. Short-term instabilities and long-term community dynamics. Trends in Ecology and Evolution 4:293-298
8. Cingolani, A. M., I. Noy-Meir, and S. Dáz. 2005. Grazing effects on rangeland diversity: a synthesis of contemporary models. Ecological Applications 15:757-773
9. Clark, C. M., E. E. Cleland, S. L. Collins, J. E. Fargione, L. Gough, K. L. Gross, S. C. Pennings, K. N. Suding, and J. B. Grace. 2007. Environmental and plant community determinants of species loss following nitrogen enrichment. Ecology Letters 10:596-607
10. Clark, C. M., and D. Tilman. 2008. Loss of plant species after chronic low-level nitrogen deposition to prairie grasslands. Nature 451:712-715
11. Collins, S. L., A. K. Knapp, J. M. Briggs, J. M. Blair, and E. M. Steinauer. 1998. Modulation of diversity by grazing and mowing in native tallgrass prairie. Science 280:745-747
12. Connor, E. F., J. Hafernik, J. Levy, V. L. Moore, and J. K. Rickman. 2002. Insect conservation in an urban biodiversity hotspot: the San Francisco Bay area. Journal of Insect Conservation 6:247-259
13. Davies, K. F., P. Chesson, S. Harrison, B. D. Inouye, B. A. Melbourne, and K. J. Rice. 2005. Spatial heterogeneity explains the scale dependence of the native-exotic diversity relationship. Ecology 86:1602-1610
14. Ebeling, A., A. Klein, J. Schumacher, W. W. Weisser, and T. Tscharntke. 2008. How does plant richness affect pollinator richness and temporal stability of flower visits? Oikos 117:1808-1815
15. Esch, E. H., D. L. Hernández, J. R. Pasari, R. S. G. Kantor, and P. C. Selmants. 2013. Response of soil microbial activity to grazing, nitrogen deposition, and exotic cover in a serpentine grassland. Plant and Soil 366:671-682
16. Fenn, M. E., et al. 2010. Nitrogen critical loads and management alternatives for N-impacted ecosystems in California. Journal of Environmental Management 91:2404-2423
17. Fenn, M. E., et al. 2003. Ecological effects of nitrogen deposition in the western United States. BioScience 53:404-420
18. Fensham, R. J., J. L. Silcock, and J. Firn. 2014. Managed livestock grazing is compatible with the maintenance of plant diversity in semidesert grasslands. Ecological Applications 24:503-517
19. Gelbard, J. L., and S. Harrison. 2003. Roadless habitats as refuges for native grasslands: interactions with soil, aspect, and grazing. Ecological Applications 13:404-415
20. Gibson, D. J. 2009. Grasses and grassland ecology. Oxford University Press, New York, New York, USA
21. Gruner, D. S., et al. 2008. A cross-system synthesis of consumer and nutrient resource control on producer biomass. Ecology Letters 11:740-755
22. Harrison, S. 1989. Long-distance dispersal and colonization in the Bay checkerspot butterfly, Euphydrays editha bayensis. Ecology 70:1236-1243
23. Harrison, S., J. B. Grace, K. F. Davies, H. D. Safford, and J. H. Viers. 2006. Invasion in a diversity hotspot: exotic cover and native richness in the Californian serpentine flora. Ecology 87:695-703
24. Harrison, S., B. D. Inouye, and H. D. Safford. 2003. Ecological heterogeneity in the effects of grazing and fire on grassland diversity. Conservation Biology 17:837-845
25. Harrison, S., D. D. Murphy, and P. R. Ehrlich. 1988. Distribution of the Bay checkerspot butterfly, Euphydrays editha bayensis: Evidence for a metapopulation model. American Naturalist 132:360-382
26. Hautier, Y., et al. 2014. Eutrophication weakens the stabilizing effects of diversity in natural grasslands. Nature 508:521-525
27. Hobbs, R. J., and H. A. Mooney. 1991. Effects of rainfall variability and gopher disturbance on serpentine annual grassland dynamics. Ecology 72:59-68
28. Hobbs, R. J., S. T. Yates, and H. A. Mooney. 2007. Long-term data reveal complex dynamics in grassland in relation to climate and disturbance. Ecological Monographs 77:545-568
29. Huenneke, L. F., S. P. Hamburg, R. Koide, H. A. Mooney, and P. M. Vitousek. 1990. Effects of soil resources on plant invasion and community structure in Californian serpentine grassland. Ecology 71:478-491
30. Isbell, F. I., H. W. Polley, and B. J. Wilsey. 2009. Biodiversity, productivity and the temporal stability of productivity. Ecology Letters 12:443-451
31. Ives, A. R., and S. R. Carpenter. 2007. Stability and diversity of ecosystems. Science 317:58-62
32. Kardol, P., T. M. Bezemer, and W. H. Van Der Putten. 2009. Soil organism and plant introductions in restoration of species-rich grassland communities. Restoration Ecology 17:258-269
33. Kimball, S., and P. M. Schiffman. 2003. Differing effects of cattle grazing on native and alien plants. Conservation Biology 17:1681-1693
34. Koerner, S. E., and S. L. Collins. 2014. Interactive effects of grazing, drought, and fire on grassland plant communities in North America and South Africa. Ecology 95:98-109
35. Levine, J. M., and M. Rees. 2004. Effects of temporal variability on rare plant persistence in annual systems. American Naturalist 164:350-363
36. Melbourne, B. A., et al. 2007. Invasion in a heterogeneous world: resistance, coexistence or hostile takeover? Ecology Letters 10:77-94
37. Milchunas, D. G., O. E. Sala, and W. K. Lauenroth. 1988. A generalized model of the effects of grazing by large herbivores on grassland communities. American Naturalist 132:87-106
38. Murphy, D. D., and S. B. Weiss. 1988. Ecological studies and the conservation of the Bay checkerspot butterfly, Euphydryas editha bayensis. Biological Conservation 46:183-200
39. Oksanen, J., F. G. Blanchet, R. Kindt, P. Legendre, R. B. O'Hara, G. L. Simpson, P. Solymos, H. H. Stevens, and H. Wagner. 2013. vegan: community ecology package. R package version 2.0-7. http://cran.r-project.org/web/packages/vegan/index.html
40. Pake, C. E., and D. L. Venable. 1995. Is coexistence of Sonoran desert annuals mediated by temporal variability in reproductive success? Ecology 76:246-261
41. Pasari, J. R., D. L. Hernández, and E. S. Zavaleta. 2014. Interactive effects of nitrogen deposition and grazing on plant species composition in a serpentine grassland. Rangeland Ecology and Management 67:693-700
42. Potts, S. G., B. Vulliamy, A. Dafni, G. Ne'eman, and P. Willmer. 2003. Linking bees and flowers: How do floral communities structure pollinator communities? Ecology 84:2628-2642
43. PRISM Climate Group. 2013. Northwest Alliance for Computational Science and Engineering, Oregon State University, Corvallis, Oregon, USA. http://prism.oregonstate.edu/
44. Proulx, M., and A. Mazumder. 1998. Reversal of grazing impact on plant species richness in nutrient-poor vs. nutrientrich ecosystems. Ecology 79:2581-2592
45. R Development Core Team. 2013. R 2.15.0. R: a language and environment for statistical computing. R Foundation for Statistical Computing. Vienna, Austria. http://www. R-project.org/
46. Safford, H. D., and S. P. Harrison. 2001. Grazing and substrate interact to affect native vs. exotic diversity in roadside grasslands. Ecological Applications 11:1112-1122
47. Safford, H. D., J. H. Viers, and S. P. Harrison. 2005. Serpentine endemism in the California flora: a database of serpentine affinity. Madroño 52:222-257
48. Sasaki, T., and W. K. Lauenroth. 2011. Dominant species, rather than diversity, regulates temporal stability of plant communities. Oecologia 166:761-768
49. Shea, K., and P. Chesson. 2002. Community ecology theory as a framework for biological invasions. Trends in Ecology and Evolution 17:170-176
50. Steffan-Dewenter, I., and T. Tscharntke. 1999. Effects of habitat isolation on pollinator communities and seed set. Oecologia 121:432-440
51. Suding, K. N., S. L. Collins, L. Gough, C. Clark, E. E. Cleland, K. L. Gross, D. G. Milchunas, and S. Pennings. 2005. Functional-and abundance-based mechanisms explain diversity loss due to N fertilization. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences USA 102:4387-4392
52. Tilman, D. 1996. Biodiversity: Population versus ecosystem stability. Ecology 77:350-363
53. Tilman, D., P. B. Reich, and J. M. H. Knops. 2006. Biodiversity and ecosystem stability in a decade-long grassland experiment. Nature 441:629-632
54. Tscharntke, T., and R. Brandl. 2004. Plant-insect interactions in fragmented landscapes. Annual Review of Entomology 49:405-430
55. Vallano, D. M., P. C. Selmants, and E. S. Zavaleta. 2012. Simulated nitrogen deposition enhances the performance of an exotic grass relative to native serpentine grassland competitors. Plant Ecology 213:1015-1026
56. van den Brink, P. J., and C. J. F. ter Braak. 1999. Principal response curves: Analysis of time-dependent multivariate responses of biological community to stress. Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry 18:138-148
57. Vitousek, P. M., J. D. Aber, R. W. Howarth, G. E. Likens, P. A. Matson, D. W. Schindler, W. H. Schlesinger, and D. Tilman. 1997. Human alteration of the global nitrogen cycle: sources and consequences. Ecological Applications 7:737-750
58. Weiss, S. B. 1999. Cars, cows, and checkerspot butterflies: nitrogen deposition and management of nutrient poor grasslands for a threatened species. Conservation Biology 13:1476-1486
59. Wilsey, B. J., P. P. Daneshgar, K. Hofmockel, and H. W. Polley. 2014. Invaded grassland communities have altered stability-maintenance mechanisms but equal stability compared to native communities. Ecology Letters 17:92-100
60. Wolf, A. T., and R. Thorp. 2011. Plant-pollinator interactions in naturally fragmented habitats. Pages 275-296 in S. Harrison and N. Rajakaruna, editors. Serpentine: the ecology and evolution of a model system. University of California Press, Berkeley, California, USA
61. Yang, H., L. Jiang, L. Li, A. Li, M. Wu, and S. Wan. 2012. Diversity-dependent stability under mowing and nutrient addition: evidence from a 7-year grassland experiment. Ecology Letters 15:619-626
62. Yang, Z., J. van Ruijven, and G. Du. 2011. The effects of longterm fertilization on the temporal stability of alpine meadow communities. Plant and Soil 345:315-324
63. Zavaleta, E. S., J. Pasari, J. Moore, D. L. Hernández, K. B. Suttle, and C. C. Wilmers. 2009. Ecosystem responses to community disassembly. The Year in Ecology and Conservation Biology. Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences 1162:311-333