In warm-climate grasslands, litter deposition and decomposition are one of the main pathway of nutrient cycling. The application of nitrogen (N) fertilizer or the inclusion of a legume in such grasslands modifies litter ...

Leaf litter accumulation can have either positive, negative or neutral effects on seed germination and seedling recruitment. In montane woodlands of the Mediterranean zone of central Chile, large amounts of leaf litter ...

Plant litter is the layer composed of dead plant material that covers soil surfaces in terrestrial ecosystems. It is an important pool of essential nutrients for soil and plants, serving also as a protective layer on the ...

Harsh micro-environments in bare soil patches generated by disturbance may affect the emergence ofplant species in desert ecosystems. We evaluated the effects of litter addition on the emergence of peren-nial grass and ...

Selective sheep grazing in the Patagonian Monte induces the reduction of total and perennial grass cover, species replacement within life forms, and the increase in dominance of long-lived evergreen woody plants with slow ...

Although regeneration of recalcitrant-seeded tree species can be affected by prolonged drought, especially in Mediterranean regions, little is known about the response of such species to varying site conditions. A field ...

Aims: Changes in land cover resulting from the introduction of non-native pine plantations and subsequent pine invasion is increasingly affecting forest areas in the Southern Hemisphere, and having negative impacts on ...

In Patagonian Monte, as in other arid ecosystems, grazing has triggered changes in vegetation and soil such as plant cover reduction, changes in species composition and soil nutrient losses. Several mechanisms were proposed ...

Recruitment by seeds can be an important mechanism for recovery of plant communities following disturbance. Our objective was to assess the density and spatial patterning of perennial grass (highly preferred by herbivores) ...