Ecological traits of grassland plants with decreasing habitats in rural landscapes of Kochi Prefecture, Japan

DOI Web Site

Bibliographic Information

Other Title
  • 高知県の里地で生育地が減少している草地生植物の生態的特性
  • コウチケンノサトチ デ セイイクチ ガ ゲンショウ シテ イル クサチセイ ショクブツ ノ セイタイテキ トクセイ

Search this article

Abstract

<p>Decreases in grassland plant species richness due to modernized agriculture and land abandonment represent an important biodiversity conservation issue in rural Japan. Several studies have reported rapidly shrinking populations of grassland plants;however, few studies have explored the ecological traits shared by these species. In this study, we applied generalized linear mixed models to assess the relationships between occurrence and ecological traits and characteristics in common grassland plants found in rural landscapes of Kochi Prefecture, Japan. We established 15 line transects along paddy, upland field, and forest edges （length, 100 m） in 16 rural landscapes for a total of 240 transects, and surveyed the occurrence of 50 common grassland plants. For 45 of these 50 species, we identified seven ecological traits and characters:ruderality, stress tolerance, rooting system, growth habit （lianas or other）, maximum plant height, seed dispersal types （anemochory, barochory, or other）, and life type （dicotyledonous herbs or other）. Ruderality and stress tolerance were quantified in terms of leaf area, specific leaf area, and leaf dry matter content. Occurrence varied among the 50 grassland plants in the 240 transects. Miscanthus sinensis, Fallopia japonica var. japonica, and Geranium thunbergii were observed frequently, whereas Lysimachia clethroides, Potentilla fragarioides var. major, Phtheirospermum japonicum, and Leibnitzia anandria were rare. Of the seven ecological traits, barochory and squared stress tolerance had the highest variable importance, followed by maximum plant height;these variables were selected for the model with the smallest Akaike information criterion value. Occurrence probabilities for the 45 grassland plants decreased as stress tolerance increased and maximum plant height decreased, although those for barochory species were low. These results suggest that among the plant species assessed in this study, barochory species and shorter grassland plants with higher stress tolerance are likely to experience population and habitat decreases. Future studies should expand on the ranges of ecological traits and grassland plant species analyzed to better understand these decreases in grassland plant richness in rural Japan.</p>

Journal

  • Vegetation Science

    Vegetation Science 38 (2), 147-159, 2021

    The Society of Vegetation Science

Keywords

Details 詳細情報について

Report a problem

Back to top