Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

We are pleased to introduce the Special Issue entitled “Plant Communities: Identification, Monitoring and Evaluation of Temporal Dynamics”, which addresses the context of global challenges associated with climate change, community adaptation and resilience, and biodiversity conservation. We are glad to invite your original contributions dealing with a broad spectrum of community ecology topics from any part of the world, including, but not limited to, the following research areas:

Identification and characterization of dominant species: Sampling designs; inventories of plant species; analyses of importance value indexes; identification of dominant plant species in matrix or corridor patches and ecotones.
Classification of plant ecological communities: Classification of vegetation of any geographical region of interest into discrete units of plant (ecological) communities based on physiognomic, ecological, physiognomic–ecological, dominant species, dominant species–physiognomic, or dominant species–physiognomy–ecological (DSPE) systems.
Spatial distribution modeling and prediction: Modeling and prediction of spatial distribution of plant communities including rare and endangered species in various geographical areas based on bio-climatic, topographic, geologic, or socio-economic attributes.
Remote sensing differentiation and mapping: Detection, differentiation, and mapping of plant species and ecological communities including invasive species on natural, agricultural, or urban ecosystems using different types of remote sensing images at different spatial levels.
Monitoring and evaluation of temporal dynamics: Long-term ecological process analysis using field or remote sensing data and evaluation of environmental or anthropogenic factors responsible for temporal dynamics of plant communities including tree-line species.

We thank you in advance for your contributions to this Special Issue.

Dr. Ram C. Sharma
Guest Editor

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Keywords

plant communities
temporal dynamics
remote sensing
dominant species
classification
monitoring
evaluation
DSPE
importance value index
tree-line species
patches
community ecology
physiognomy
modelling
prediction

Published Papers (2 papers)

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Research

Open AccessArticle

Seed Source for Restoration: Little Bluestem (Schizachyrium scoparium (Michx.) Nash) and the Carolina Sandhills

Elizabeth Johnson

Althea Hotaling Hagan

and

Patrick Hiesl

Ecologies 2023, 4(2), 344-354; https://doi.org/10.3390/ecologies4020022 - 26 May 2023

Viewed by 621

Abstract

Prairie and savanna ecosystems have declined dramatically worldwide. In the Southeastern United States, longleaf pine savannas have been reduced to less than 3% of their pre-European range. Restoring longleaf pine across the area has become a regional goal. Little bluestem (Schizachyrium scoparium (Michx.) Nash) is critical to carrying the ecologically important fire through this ecosystem in some longleaf pine savannas. Little bluestem has a range that spans most of north America and is thought to display ecotypic variation. As a part of a longleaf pine restoration project in Camden, SC, we investigated whether the seed source of little bluestem and the site preparation techniques impacted the survival and growth of broadcasted seeds. In the field and greenhouse, we compared locally and commercially sourced seeds and field site preparation techniques including discing, raking, or no treatment. At the end of the growing season, there were significantly more plants grown from seeds collected locally compared to plants from seeds available commercially. Plants grown from locally collected seeds also invested more heavily in roots than plants grown from commercial seeds. Site preparation techniques did not appear to significantly impact plant survival. Collecting seed locally will help to ensure long-term restoration success by establishing populations of plants that are adapted to the local environmental conditions. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Plant Communities: Identification, Monitoring and Evaluation of Temporal Dynamics)

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Open AccessArticle

The Effects of Roundup™ on Benthic Microbial Assemblages

Shannon P. Weatherley

Hannah K. Laird

Caitlyn M. Gatley-Montross

and

Sarah B. Whorley

Ecologies 2022, 3(4), 557-569; https://doi.org/10.3390/ecologies3040041 - 24 Nov 2022

Viewed by 7843

Abstract

Given the wide usage of Roundup, a common herbicide, the impacts of its presence in ecological communities are of great interest. Many studies have investigated the effects of glyphosate, the active ingredient in Roundup, on different factions of an ecosystem including on animals, plants, microorganisms, and nutrients. The current study expanded upon these works using Roundup instead of glyphosate to provide a realistic application in which to observe the development of microbial assemblages and nutrient composition in two different habitats. Winogradsky columns were prepared using benthic material from a ditch and a pond. Varying concentrations of Roundup were introduced to the columns at the beginning of the study and microbial growth and nutrient compositions from each column were measured weekly. The results indicate that the presence of Roundup has varying effects on microorganisms and nutrients. While photosynthetic microbes were negatively impacted, a shift in the microbial composition to heterotrophic microbes indicates that these microorganisms were able to utilize some ingredients in Roundup as a nutrient source. Additionally, the temporal analysis of nutrient compositions indicated that microbes metabolize glyphosate starting with the phosphate moiety even when the other compounds in Roundup are present. While these trends were observed in both benthic habitats, the composition of the ecological community can affect its ability to utilize the ingredients in Roundup as a nutrient source. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Plant Communities: Identification, Monitoring and Evaluation of Temporal Dynamics)

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