TĚŠITEL, Jakub, Jan MLADEK, Jan HORNIK, Tamara TESITELOVA, Vojtěch ADAMEC and Lubomír TICHÝ. Suppressing competitive dominants and community restoration with native parasitic plants using the hemiparasitic Rhinanthus alectorolophus and the dominant grass Calamagrostis epigejos. Journal of Applied Ecology. HOBOKEN: WILEY, 2017, vol. 54, No 5, p. 1487-1495. ISSN 0021-8901. Available from: https://dx.doi.org/10.1111/1365-2664.12889.
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Basic information
Original name Suppressing competitive dominants and community restoration with native parasitic plants using the hemiparasitic Rhinanthus alectorolophus and the dominant grass Calamagrostis epigejos
Authors TĚŠITEL, Jakub (203 Czech Republic), Jan MLADEK (203 Czech Republic), Jan HORNIK (203 Czech Republic), Tamara TESITELOVA (203 Czech Republic), Vojtěch ADAMEC (203 Czech Republic) and Lubomír TICHÝ (203 Czech Republic, guarantor, belonging to the institution).
Edition Journal of Applied Ecology, HOBOKEN, WILEY, 2017, 0021-8901.
Other information
Original language English
Type of outcome Article in a journal
Field of Study 10611 Plant sciences, botany
Country of publisher United States of America
Confidentiality degree is not subject to a state or trade secret
Impact factor Impact factor: 5.742
RIV identification code RIV/00216224:14310/17:00100129
Organization unit Faculty of Science
Doi http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/1365-2664.12889
UT WoS 000410678700021
Keywords in English clonal plant; competition; diversity decline; dominance; ecological restoration; ecosystem engineering; land use change; parasitic plant; rhizome; semi-natural grassland
Tags NZ, rivok
Tags International impact, Reviewed
Changed by Changed by: doc. Mgr. Lubomír Tichý, Ph.D., učo 6669. Changed: 28/2/2018 21:35.
Abstract
1. Dominance of native or alien competitive plants causes competitive exclusion of subordinate species and represents a major mechanism reducing biodiversity following land-use changes. The successful competitive strategies may, however, be interfered with by parasitic plants, which withdraw resources from other plants' vasculature. Parasitism may strongly reduce the growth of the dominants, which may facilitate regeneration of other species and consequently trigger restoration of natural communities of high diversity. 2. Here, we aim to provide robust empirical evidence demonstrating this restoration potential of parasitic plants. We present a case study testing suppressive effects of hemiparasitic Rhinanthus alectorolophus on competitive grass Calamagrostis epigejos. In recent decades, C. epigejos has invaded many high-nature-value semi-natural grasslands of Central Europe, which is one of the prominent factors causing their biodiversity decline. 3. We conducted three manipulative field experiments testing the effect of sowing of R. alectorolophus in different vegetation types infested by C. epigejos. Rhinanthus sowing was compared to different mowing treatments recommended as the 'best practice' management at respective sites. 4. Rhinanthus alectorolophus established itself in most C. epigejos-dominated plots where sown. Calamagrostis epigejos was virtually exterminated in 2 years in two of the experiments (dry meadow and industrial area). In the wet-meadow experiment, the suppressive effect was variable as a result of uneven establishment success of Rhinanthus. In this experiment increased mowing intensity had an additional suppressive effect on C. epigejos. Rhinanthus also increased regeneration potential of other species by a temporary reduction of vegetation density. Restoration of target vegetation composition was, however, dependent on community context. 5. Synthesis and applications. We demonstrated that hemiparasitic Rhinanthus alectorolophus is an accessible and efficient tool for targeted biological control of Calamagrostis epigejos, with a great potential to restore infested grassland vegetation. The strong effect of Rhinanthus is caused by interference with the underground storage and clonal growth strategy of Calamagrostis epigejos, which are both traits that underlie its competitive ability. The potential of native parasitic plants should be considered in restoration management of sites infested by competitive dominants, either alien or native.
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