Vegetation patterns are strongly influenced by sand mobility in desert ecosystems. However, little is known about the spatial patterns of Artemisia ordosica, a dominant shrub in the Mu Us desert of Northwest China, in relation to sand fixation. The aim of this study was to investigate and contrast the effects of sand dune stabilization on the population and spatial distribution of this desert s...

The objective of this paper is to assess increase and decrease of forest area and estimate shrub encroachment between 1997 and 2002 in open mire land using CIR-aerial images, DSMs derived from it and LiDAR data. The present study was carried out in the framework of the Swiss Mire Protection Program, where changes of forest area are a key issue. The study area is located in the Pre-alpine zone o...

Soil organic carbon (SOC) is an important component of the global carbon cycle yet is rarely quantified adequately in terms of its spatial variability resulting from losses of SOC due to erosion by water. Furthermore, in drylands, little is known about the effect of widespread vegetation change on changes in SOC stores and the potential for water erosion to redistribute SOC around the landscape...

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...

The Southwestern United States desert serves as the host for several threatened and endangered species, one of which is the desert tortoise (Gopherus agassizii). The goal of this study was to develop a fine-scale, remote-sensing-based approach that indicates favorable burrow locations for G. agassizii in the Boulder City (Nevada) Conservation Easement area (35,500 ha). This was done by analyzin...

Illegal small-scale gold mining brings several benefits to developing countries like Ghana, manifested mainly as employment and revenue but simultaneously impacts negatively on the immediate environment. The study tested the hypothesis that density and diversity of key native tree and shrub species differ in the mined and unmined areas of Nangodi in the Talensi-Nabdam District of the Upper East...

One of the greatest challenges for ecologists this century will be restoring forests on degraded tropical lands. This restoration will require understanding complex processes that shape successional pathways, including interactions between trees and other plants. Shrub species often quickly invade disturbed tropical lands, yet little is known about whether they facilitate or inhibit subsequent ...

1. Herbivores, edaphic features and fire are primary factors regulating the balance between woody and herbaceous vegetation in savannas. Many observational studies have evaluated the potential effects of browsing herbivores on woody plant dynamics in African savannas, but few experimental studies have compared the dynamics of African savannas with and without browsers. 2. A replicated herbivore...