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High species richness in an Estonian wooded meadow
Author(s) -
Kull Kalevi,
Zobel Martin
Publication year - 1991
Publication title -
journal of vegetation science
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.1
H-Index - 115
eISSN - 1654-1103
pISSN - 1100-9233
DOI - 10.2307/3236182
Subject(s) - species richness , estonian , biomass (ecology) , ecology , species diversity , biology , agronomy , botany , geography , philosophy , linguistics
Abstract. A wooded meadow at Laelatu in western Estonia was found to be very rich in vascular plants. The maximum number of species found was 25 in a 10 cm x 10 cm plot, 42 in a 20 cm x 20 cm plot and 63 in a 1 m 2 plot. Species richness is related to the management history of the site. The highest richness was found in sites with the most regular long‐term mowing. Species density was lower in the case of fertilization or temporary cessation of mowing. The richest community had an LAI of 2.8 and an above‐ground dry biomass of 175 g/m 2 . With increasing height of the herb layer the number of species decreases. Small disturbances cause a remarkable decrease in species density.