Conference poster

Appeared in: New Zealand: New home; new habitat! new ideas? : 49th Annual Conference of the International Association for Vegetation Science, Book of Abstracts, Palmerston North, New Zealand: 12 - 16 February 2007

Editor list: van Essen, R.A.

Publication year: 2007

Pages: 46-46

URL: http://www.iavs.org/pdf/IAVS2006Program.pdf

Abstract: 

Scotch Broom (Cytisus scoparius (L.) Link) is an invasive species to New Zealand and other temperate and Mediterranean climates.
In its native central European range, the thermophilous species was originally rare in the primeval forests of pre-agricultural times, and restricted to rocky slopes and other xerothermic sites. It then benefited from the large-scale agri-silvi-cultural transformations of historic times, and became a common species of degraded sites in clearings, coppices, pastures, and fallows of traditional cultural landscapes.
With the advent of modern agriculture, most of these poor sites were either improved for agriculture or abandoned and reforested, both processes leading to a continuing decline of the species.
In many regions, broom now mainly occurs on old fields abandoned shortly after WW II. The thickets are accompanied by different types of grass-dominated vegetation. Various optional successional stages following the broom stages may be observed. As the leguminous shrub is capable of improving soil chemical properties by means of nitrogenfixation and deep-reaching roots, it may actively alter the successional pathways of its sites: a comparison of open and dense thickets revealed significantly higher proportions of nitrophytes in dense broom stands. Mineral-nitrogen, magnesia and calcium contents were elevated in the soil solution of dense thickets.

Harvard Citation style: Simmering, D., Waldhardt, R. and Otte, A. (2007) Vegetation dynamics of Scotch Broom in its native range [Poster], in van Essen, R. (ed.) New Zealand: New home; new habitat! new ideas? : 49th Annual Conference of the International Association for Vegetation Science, Book of Abstracts, Palmerston North, New Zealand: 12 - 16 February 2007. Palmerston North,: Massey University. p. 46. http://www.iavs.org/pdf/IAVS2006Program.pdf

APA Citation style: Simmering, D., Waldhardt, R., & Otte, A. (2007). Vegetation dynamics of Scotch Broom in its native range. In van Essen, R. (Ed.), New Zealand: New home; new habitat! new ideas? : 49th Annual Conference of the International Association for Vegetation Science, Book of Abstracts, Palmerston North, New Zealand: 12 - 16 February 2007. (pp. 46). Massey University. http://www.iavs.org/pdf/IAVS2006Program.pdf