期刊
BIOMASS & BIOENERGY
卷 92, 期 -, 页码 98-105出版社
PERGAMON-ELSEVIER SCIENCE LTD
DOI: 10.1016/j.biombioe.2016.06.012
关键词
Agroecology; Biodiversity; Biomass production; Ecosystem functioning; Grassland; C-4 versus C-3 grasses
资金
- US Department of Energy Office of Science [DE-FCO2-07ER64494]
- Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy [DE-ACO5-76RL01830]
- Direct For Biological Sciences
- Division Of Environmental Biology [1027253] Funding Source: National Science Foundation
Native perennial grasslands have been proposed as a source of feedstocks for the production of second-generation lignocellulosic biofuels in the Midwestern USA. Although the consequences of some management decisions for biomass production and plant community composition are well understood (e.g. fertilization), less is known about the effects of harvesting frequency. We compared a once-and twice-annual harvesting regime at two restored prairies in southwestern Michigan established with identical seed mixtures as part of a large-scale bioenergy experiment. We determined biomass production and species composition in experimental plots and also measured the availability of light, inorganic nitrogen and soil moisture. The plant communities that established at the two sites differed markedly in composition and there was little evidence of convergence after five years. At the site dominated by warm-season C-4 grasses, single harvests generally produced more biomass than double harvests. By contrast, biomass production was unaffected by harvesting at the more diverse site. Contrary to our prediction that a summer harvest would increase diversity, we found small and subtle effects on plant community composition. This may be due in part to the timing of our harvest treatment. Our results suggest that a single, end-of-season harvest is the best practice for maximizing biomass production in prairies, especially at sites where warm-season grasses dominate. However, at more diverse sites, two harvests can produce the same total biomass and may support other beneficial ecosystem services. This study indicates that in the short term, double harvests are unlikely to affect plant species diversity or community composition in prairie plantings. (C) 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
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