1 The effect of physical ecosystem engineering – structurally mediated modification of the abiotic environment by organisms – on species richness and composition probably depends on the area of observation and environmental context. 2 We develop specific hypotheses to evaluate how such effects will vary with spatial scale and environmental variability, and test these hypotheses by examining the...

The relative importance of facilitation and competition between pairwise plants across abiotic stress gradients as predicted by the stress-gradient hypothesis has been confirmed in arid and temperate ecosystems, but the hypothesis has rarely been tested in tropical systems, particularly across nutrient gradients. The current research examines the interactions between a pioneer shrub Rhodomyrtus...

BACKGROUND Carrizo Plain National Monument (San Joaquin Desert, California, USA) is home to many threatened and endangered species including the blunt-nosed leopard lizard (Gambelia sila). Vegetation is dominated by annual grasses, and shrubs such as Mormon tea (Ephedra californica), which is of relevance to our target species, the federally listed blunt-nosed leopard lizard, and likely also pr...

Carbon, hydrogen and sulphur were determined in biomass (shoots and roots) of five species of shrub willow: Salix viminalis, Salix dasyclados, Salix triandra, Salix purpurea and Salix alba. Samples of the biomass collected from a strict experiment were dried to constant weight at 105oC. The content of carbon, hydrogen and sulphur was determined in an automatic determinator ELTRA CHS 500. In add...

Ecological restoration is crucial to mitigate climate change and conserve biodiversity, accurately monitoring responses imperative guide current future efforts. This study examines the impact of ecological a tropical dry forest in Central India. Here, state department nongovernmental organization work with local communities remove an invasive shrub, Lantana camara, forest, assist natural regene...

BACKGROUND Global climate change is rapidly altering species range distributions and interactions within communities. As ranges expand, invading species change interactions in communities which may reduce stability, a mechanism known to affect biodiversity. In aridland ecosystems worldwide, the range of native shrubs is expanding as they invade and replace native grassland vegetation with signi...

A multi-stemmed growth form may be an important trait enabling the persistence of individual shrubs in the forest understory. With the aim of evaluating the role of multiple stems, neighbor competition and soil nutrients in shrub performance, we study the dynamics of two temperate multi-stemmed shrub species. We modeled stem growth and survival of Corylus mandshurica and Acer barbinerve in two ...

The plant community in the Patagonian steppe is arranged in two structural patch types: scattered grasses and shrubs, which are often surrounded by a ring of grasses. Previous studies suggested that this pattern results from a cyclical succession driven by plant interactions. Although there is a good understanding of the factors affecting the formation of the grass rings encircling the shrubs, ...

Questions have been raised about the application of conventional post-windthrow forest practices such as salvage logging, site preparation, and afforestation in response to increase wind disturbance caused by climate change. In particular, it is necessary identify effective management that consider pressure from deer browsing forests cold, snowy regions because population ungulates expected inc...