The plant species enrichment of established grass swards

Hindmarch, Colin (1994) The plant species enrichment of established grass swards. University of Southampton, Doctoral Thesis.

Abstract

The aim of the research was to examine the ecological basis of the species enrichment of established swards as an aid to conservation practice.

The research evaluated a range of establishment techniques in one four-year trial, and also related species richness and site factors in a survey of twenty-five amenity swards. These studies were followed (with some overlap) by investigations into how introduced plants interact with the sward environment, as seeds and as plants. In the case of plants, this interaction was studied at two nutrient levels. The field work was concluded by an evaluation of a limited range of chemical techniques that might be used to augment traditional methods of management.

The sward survey showed that species richness declined as soil fertility and the abundance of competitive grasses increased. The establishment study showed: that a competition-free gap was important to initial establishment; that plants survived in higher numbers than seed, and; that species with a slow rate of germination had a higher rate of field survival than those which germinated rapidly. The study also indicated that the introduced species varied in their response to a competition-free gap.

Follow-up studies showed: (a) differences in the pattern of germination spread in a range of wildflower species; (b) those which germinated over a protracted period suffered least when subjected periodically to lethal droughts; (c) species that shared the same rooting distribution as the grass sward benefited most from a competition-free gap, and; (d) the application of nitrogen caused grass to competitively exclude Leucanthemum by responding more quickly with leaf growth.

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