Restoration of flood meadows [Elektronische Ressource] : the importance of seedbanks, dispersal, recruitment and agricultural management / eingereicht von Tobias W. Donath

Informations

• Publié par: justus-liebig-universitat_giessen
• Publié le: 01 janvier 2005
• Nombre de lectures: 12
• Langue: English
• Poids de l'ouvrage: 2 Mo

Extrait

Professur für Landschaftsökologie und Landschaftsplanung
der Justus Liebig-Universität Gießen




Restoration of flood meadows - the importance of seedbanks, dispersal,
recruitment and agricultural management






Dissertation zur Erlangung des Doktorgrades (Dr. agr.)
am Fachbereich Agrarwissenschaften,
Ökotrophologie und Umweltmanagement der
Justus-Liebig-Universität Gießen


eingereicht von
Dipl.-Ing. agr. Tobias W. Donath

Gießen 2005







Dekan: Prof. Dr. Wolfgang Köhler
1. Gutachterin: Prof. Dr. Dr. Annette Otte
2. Gutachterin: Prof. Dr. Angelika Schwabe-Kratochwil
_________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
This doctoral thesis is based on the following four papers:


I. Donath, T.W., Hölzel, N. & Otte, A. 2003: The impact of site conditions and seed
dispersal on restoration success in alluvial meadows. Applied Vegetation Science 6.1:
13-22.

II. Bissels, S., Donath, T.W., Hölzel, N. & Otte, A.: Ephemeral wetland vegetation in
irregularly flooded arable fields along the northern Upper Rhine: the importance of
persistent seedbanks. Phytocoenologia: in press.

III. Donath, T.W., Hölzel, N. & Otte, A.: The influence of competition by sown grass,
disturbance and litter on seedling emergence, early survivorship and final establishment
in flood-meadow restoration. Manuscript.

IV. Donath, T.W., Hölzel, N., Bissels, S. & Otte, A. 2005: Perspectives for incorporating
biomass from non-intensively managed temperate flood meadows into farming systems.
Agriculture, Ecosystems & Environment 104: 439-451.

In paper I, I did most of the fieldwork, laboratory work, and had the main responsibility for
the data analysis and writing. The co-authors contributed invaluable ideas and suggestions for
this study. In case of paper II, both first authors contributed equally to the genesis of the
paper, i.e. they designed the study, did the fieldwork and had the main responsibility for data
analysis as well as writing, while the other co-authors contributed valuable ideas and
comments. In the papers III and IV, I performed most of the realisation, data analysis and
writing of the papers. The co-authors were involved in design, fieldwork and result evaluation
of these studies.

IITABLE OF CONTENT
_________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Table of content

1 General introduction................................................................................................................ 1
2 Main objectives ....................................................................................................................... 4
2. 1 The impact of site conditions and seed dispersal on restoration success ...................... 4
2. 2 Vegetation and seedbanks in irregularly flooded arable fields ..................................... 4
2. 3 Seedling recruitment in flood meadows........................................................................ 4
2. 4 Incorporation of alluvial meadows into local farming systems .................................... 5
3 Study area................................................................................................................................ 6
4 Methods................................................................................................................................... 8
4. 1 Sampling of above-ground vegetation .......................................................................... 8
4. 2 Biomass analysis ........................................................................................................... 8
4. 3 Mapping of target species ............................................................................................. 8
4. 4 Sampling of the seedbank 9
4. 5 Experimental design...................................................................................................... 9
4. 6 Soil-nutrient analysis..................................................................................................... 9
4. 7 Data analysis ............................................................................................................... 10
5 The impact of site conditions and seed dispersal
on restoration success in alluvial meadows........................................................................... 12
5. 1 Abstract ....................................................................................................................... 12
5. 2 Introduction ................................................................................................................. 13
5. 3 Material and Methods.................................................................................................. 14
5. 4 Results ......................................................................................................................... 18
5. 5 Discussion ................................................................................................................... 23
6 Ephemeral wetland vegetation in irregularly flooded arable fields
along the northern Upper Rhine: the importance of persistent seedbanks......................... 29
6. 1 Abstract ....................................................................................................................... 29
6. 2 Introduction ................................................................................................................. 31
6. 3 Material and methods .................................................................................................. 32
6. 4 Results ......................................................................................................................... 37
6. 5 Discussion ................................................................................................................... 41
IIITABLE OF CONTENT
_________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
7 The influence of competition by sown grass, disturbance and litter on seedling emergence,
early survivorship and final establishment in flood-meadow restoration .......................... 47
7. 1 Abstract ....................................................................................................................... 47
7. 2 Introduction ................................................................................................................. 48
7. 3 Material and Methods.................................................................................................. 49
7. 4 Results ......................................................................................................................... 53
7. 5 Discussion ................................................................................................................... 59
8 Perspectives for incorporating biomass from non-intensively managed temperate flood
meadows into farming systems .......................................................................................... 64
8. 1 Abstract ....................................................................................................................... 64
8. 2 Introduction ................................................................................................................. 65
8. 3 Material and Methods.................................................................................................. 67
8. 4 Results....... 71
8. 5 Discussion ................................................................................................................... 75
9 General discussion................................................................................................................. 80
10 Deutsche Zusammenfassung............................................................................................... 85
11 References ........................................................................................................................... 91

Acknowledgements. 107


IVGENERAL INTRODUCTION
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1 General introduction
Intensified management lead to a steep decrease of species-rich grassland communities in
Central Europe (Joyce & Wade 1998; Rennwald 2000). But abandonment took its toll, too,
especially when only small and isolated remnant stands were left. In addition, wet grasslands
were prone to losses through drainage which in many cases eventually resulted in the
conversion of these meadows into arable fields. These processes took place in flood-meadows
along all large rivers in Central Europe (e.g., Rhine, Elbe, Danube) and left flood meadows of
the alliance Cnidion behind as one of the most threatened plant community in Germany and
Central Europe (Ssymank et al. 1998; Rennwald 2000). Due to these considerable losses the
preservation and restoration of alluvial grasslands is presently one of the major topics in
several large