In: Ecography, 2006, vol. Volume 29, p. 541-548
Traditionally managed mountain grasslands in the Alps are species-rich ecosystems that developed during centuries of livestock grazing. However, changes in land use including fertilisation of well accessible pastures and gradual abandonment of remote sites are increasingly threatening this diversity. In five regions of the Swiss and French Alps we assessed the relationship between land use, soil...
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In: Journal of Ecology, 2006, vol. 94, p. 1130-1142
1 Adaptation of plant populations to local environments has been shown in many species but local adaptation is not always apparent and spatial scales of differentiation are not well known. In a reciprocal transplant experiment we tested whether: (i) three widespread grassland species are locally adapted at a European scale; (ii) detection of local adaptation depends on competition with the...
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In: Journal of Vegetation Science, 2005, vol. 16, no. 2, p. 209-214
Question: Are tree saplings in wooded pastures spatially associated with specific nurse structures or plants that facili-tate tree sapling survival? Location: Wooded pastures in the Jura Mountains, Switzer-land. Methods: In two sites, 73 km apart, we sampled 294 plots of4 m², systematically distributed on 1 ha. We recorded number and height of all established Picea abies...
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In: Journal of Applied Ecology, 2006, vol. 43, no. 1, p. 35-42
1. Restoration of ex-arable land to species-rich habitats has become common practice in Europe as a result of Agri-Environment Regulations. The results, however, are highly variable and often disappointing. Competition from weedy species as a result of high soil inorganic nitrogen levels can negatively affect the establishment and growth of desirable grassland plant species. One method...
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In: Biodiversity and Conservation, 2006, vol. 15, no. 12, p. 3971-3982
In agriculturally marginal areas, the control of unpalatable weeds on species rich pastures may become problematic due to agricultural and socio-economic developments. It is unclear how increased dominance of unpalatable species would affect the botanical diversity of these grasslands. We investigated whether there was any relationship between plant species diversity and the abundance of...
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In: Biological Control, 2006, vol. 37, no. 3, p. 301-306
The impact of a biocontrol agent spreading from a point source on crop–weed interactions was modeled. The model encompassed: (i) severity of crop–weed competition as affected by a rust pathogen, (ii) velocity of spread of the rust pathogen, and (iii) density of infected plants introduced in the weed population as starting points (inoculum sources) for an epidemic. The model was parameterized...
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In: New Phytologist, 2006, vol. 166, no. 2, p. 565-575
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In: Basic and Applied Ecology, 2006, vol. 7, no. 4, p. 347-359
The use of local seed provenances is often recommended in restoration and habitat creation because they are thought to be better adapted to local habitat conditions. However, spatial scales and the degree of population differentiation are not well known and germination is often not included in comparisons between provenances. We analysed germination as a key trait of plant development in five...
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In: Journal of Applied Ecology, 2006, vol. 43(2), p. 305
1. In endangered wooded pasture ecosystems established tree saplings are frequently found in spatial association with protective structures, suggesting nurse effects. This associational resistance is thought to be a driving force behind tree regeneration in wooded pastures. Experimental evidence for associational resistance is, however, scarce. We studied the effects of unpalatable plants on tree...
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In: Trends in Ecology and Evolution, 2004, vol. 19, p. 417-422
Evidence is increasing that invasive plants can undergo rapid adaptive evolution during the process of range expansion. Here, we argue that evolutionary change during invasions will also affect plant–antagonist inter-actions and, thus, will have important implications for biological control programmes targeted at invasive plants. We explore how altered selection in the new range might influence...
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