Category: Plain language summary

Trait‐based numerical classification of mesic and wet grasslands in Poland

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Prepared by Attila Lengyel, Grzegorz Swacha, Zoltán Botta-Dukát & Zygmunt Kącki

Both management and environmental factors are important drivers of the variation between trait-based types of mesic grasslands in Poland. Location: Sudety Mountains, Poland. Photo credit: Zygmunt Kącki.

The use of numerical classification methods and vegetation plot databases opened new avenues towards the understanding of vegetation patterns on broad spatial scales.…

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Trade-offs between fire hazard reduction and conservation in a Natura 2000 shrub–grassland mosaic

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By Vasco Silva, Filipe X. Catry, Paulo M. Fernandes, Francisco C. Rego & Miguel N. Bugalho

Vasco Silva (the first author of the paper) surveying the habitats dominated by gorse shrublands of Ulex jussiaei and grasslands of Stipa gigantea in Sintra mountain, western coast of Portugal, before the prescribed fire execution.
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Spatial patterns of tree recruitment in a montane Hawaiian wet forest after cattle removal and pig population control

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Prepared by Thomas Ibanez & Patrick J. Hart

Scattered trees (Metrosideros polymorpha, Myrtaceae) in Hakalau Forest National Wildlife Refuge, Island of Hawaiʻi, U.S. Photo credit: Patrick J. Hart.

As on many remote tropical islands, the natural ecosystems of Hawai’i have greatly suffered from the introduction of ungulates such as cattle, pigs and goats.…

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Trait divergence of woody species in relation to affinity for termite mounds in Upper Katanga (DR Congo)

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Prepared by Fidèle Cuma Mushagalusa, David Bauman, Mylor Ngoy Shutcha & Pierre Meerts

Termite mound displaying its specialised tree community, contrasted with respect to the tree species of the surrounding woodland. The picture was taken in the Mikembo Sanctuary (Upper Katanga, DR Congo).
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Seed production and dispersal limit treeline advance in the Pyrenees

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Prepared by Alba Anadon-Rosell, Marc Talavera, Josep M. Ninot, Empar Carrillo & Enric Batllori

Seed trap (indicated with a black arrow) at the krummholz zone, study site Dellui, Central Pyrenees (Spain). Photo credit: Enric Batllori.

Alpine treelines represent the upper altitudinal limit of the forest in mountain regions.…

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Classification of the Hyrcanian forest vegetation, northern Iran

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Prepared by Hamid Gholizadeh, Alireza Naqinezhad & Milan Chytrý

Hyrcanian relict forests of Northern Iran, Javaherdasht area of Gilan province. Photo: Hamid Gholizadeh

The Hyrcanian forests, unlike the arid and semiarid landscape throughout most of Iran, is one of the remnants of ancient natural deciduous forests which form a vegetation belt in the southern shores of the Caspian Sea.…

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Ready for change: seed traits contribute to the high adaptability of mudflat species to their unpredictable habitat

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Prepared by Shyam S. Phartyal, Sergey Rosbakh, Christian Ritz & Peter Poschlod

Recently drained fish ponds making a typical muddy habitat for mudflat plants in southern Germany. Photos credit: Peter Poschlod

Do we fully understand what role regeneration traits play in plant community assembly?…

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Diversity of functional trade-offs enhances survival after fire in Neotropical savanna species

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Prepared by Marina Corrêa Scalon, Fabricius Maia Chaves Bicalho Domingos, Wesley Jonatar Alves da Cruz, Ben Hur Marimon Júnior, Beatriz Schwantes Marimon & Imma Oliveras

Figure 1. Photos representing the four resprouting categories of Cerrado trees after fire: (a) aerial, (b) stem, (c) basal, and (d) underground.
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