Université de Fribourg

Plant interspecific differences in arbuscular mycorrhizal colonization as a result of soil carbon addition

Eschen, René ; Müller-Schärer, Heinz ; Schaffner, Urs

In: Mycorrhiza, 2012, p. -

Soil nutrient availability and colonization by arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi are important and potentially interacting factors shaping vegetation composition and succession. We investigated the effect of carbon (C) addition, aimed at reducing soil nutrient availability, on arbuscular mycorrhizal colonization. Seedlings of 27 plant species with different sets of life-history traits (functional...

Université de Fribourg

Aboveground environment type, soil nutrient content and arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi explain establishment success of Centaurea jacea on ex-arable land and in late-successional grasslands

Eschen, René ; Müller-Schärer, Heinz ; Schaffner, Urs

In: Plant and Soil, 2009, vol. 322, no. 1-2, p. 115-123

We studied the relative importance of the aboveground and belowground environment for survival and growth of emerged seedlings of Centaurea jacea to better understand the general difficulty of establishing late-successional species at restoration sites on ex-arable land. Potted seedlings growing on soil from six late-successional grasslands and from six ex-arable (restoration) sites were...

Université de Fribourg

Carbon addition alters vegetation composition on ex-arable fields

Eschen, René ; Mortimer, Simon R. ; Lawson, Clare S. ; Edwards, Andrew R. ; Brook, Alex J. ; Igual, José M. ; Hedlund, Katarina ; Schaffner, Urs

In: Journal of Applied Ecology, 2007, vol. 44, no. 1, p. 95–104

1. Recent changes in European agricultural policy have led to measures to reverse the loss of species-rich grasslands through the creation of new areas on ex-arable land. Ex-arable soils are often characterized by high inorganic nitrogen (N) levels, which lead to the rapid establishment of annual and fast-growing perennial species during the initial phase of habitat creation. The addition...

Université de Fribourg

Soil carbon addition affects plant growth in a species-specific way

Eschen, René ; Müller-Schärer, Heinz ; Schaffner, Urs

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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1 Eschen, R.