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Factors affecting the establishment and growth of annual legumes in semi-arid mediterranean grasslands

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Herbaceous Plant Ecology

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Abstract

Legumes are an important component of mediterranean grasslands with a significant ecological and economic role. The aim of this study was to investigate the factors that affect their establishment and growth and how they survive in a highly variable and unpredictable environment. The research was carried out in a grassland characterised by a semi-arid mediterranean climate and located on a calcareous substrate at about 150 m a.s.l., in Macedonia, northern Greece. It was dominated by annual legumes such as Hippocrepis multisiliquosa, Medicago disciformis, Medicago minima, Onobrychis aequindentata, Trifolium angustifolium, Trifolium campestre and Trifolium scabrum. It was subjected to the following treatments for four consecutive years: prescribed burning, irrigation, digging, cutting, P fertilization and control. Total legume density was measured in late autumn and in the following spring each year, while total legume biomass was measured only in spring. Dominant legume species densities and biomasses were measured only in spring in the last 3 years. Also, monthly precipitation and air temperature were recorded in a nearby weather station. A great reduction of both legume density and biomass occurred at the third growing season due to adverse weather conditions. Among treatments, P fertilization affected the positively annual legume density and biomass. The other treatments such as burning, irrigation, digging and cutting influenced positively or negatively annual legume density and biomass depending on the climatic characteristics of the particular growing season involved. It is concluded that in semi-arid mediterranean grasslands with cold winters, weather conditions strongly interact with human disturbances in affecting establishment and growth of annual legumes.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Forestry Department, Technological Institute of Kavala, 661 00, Drama, Greece

    Theodora P. Merou

  2. Laboratory of Rangeland Ecology, Aristotle University of Thesaloniki, 541 24, Thesaloniki, Greece

    Vasilios P. Papanastasis

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  1. Theodora P. Merou
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  2. Vasilios P. Papanastasis
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Correspondence to Theodora P. Merou .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Ecology, Evolution and Organismal Biology, Iowa State University, 141 Bessey Hall, Ames, IA, 50011-1020, USA

    A. G. Van der Valk

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Merou, T.P., Papanastasis, V.P. (2008). Factors affecting the establishment and growth of annual legumes in semi-arid mediterranean grasslands. In: Van der Valk, A.G. (eds) Herbaceous Plant Ecology. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-90-481-2798-6_11

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