Abstract
Summary 1.Grassland management must be based on an understanding of key species’ responses to various grazing regimes to achieve both production and conservation objectives. An experiment was designed to investigate several population processes that may potentially (i) contribute to the decline of Triticum dicoccoides (wild wheat) in intensively grazed grasslands, and (ii) promote the persistence of wild wheat in these grazing regimes. 2.The experiment was conducted in natural Mediterranean grassland on the Korazim Plateau in northern Israel in the 1991–92 growing season. Nursery‐grown seed of two morphologically distinct wild wheat genotypes were sown in plots with defined mulch applications and clipping regimes. 3.Mulch application did not affect seedling emergence or establishment, but it did reduce tiller number per plant and ear size compared with plants grown without mulch. The detrimental effects of mulch on plant performance throughout the growing season indicated that both radiation and nitrogen limitations may have contributed to growth suppression. Mulch application reduced wheat biomass to a greater extent than that of interspecific competitors. The negative response indicated that mulch removal by intensive grazing during the dry season was unlikely to contribute to the decline of wild wheat in response to intensive livestock grazing. 4.Both vegetative and reproductive performance of wild wheat increased by 50% in response to a reduction of interspecific competition following defoliation of neighbouring plants. A single severe clipping of vegetative wheat plants in defoliated neighbourhoods did not affect plant survival or tiller number, but did reduce ear and spikelet numbers and vegetative and reproductive biomass, compared with unclipped wheat plants. The positive wheat response to the reduction of interspecific competition almost exactly compensated for the negative effect of direct clipping on wheat fitness, and may thus contribute to the persistence of wheat populations. 5.A second severe clipping of wheat plants in the reproductive growth phase severely reduced plant survival to reproduction, reproductive biomass, and seed quantity and quality in those plants that did become reproductive. One‐half of the ears initiated following late‐season clipping did not emerge from the flag leaf and produced mostly thin seed with reduced germinability. 6.Geniculate genotypes exhibited greater grazing tolerance and reproductive performance than the erect genotypes in response to the second severe clipping. An increase in the relative abundance of geniculate genotypes in intensively grazed communities may provide an important persistence mechanism for wild wheat populations. 7.An integrated estimate of wild wheat fitness, calculated as the mean reproductive output per seed sown, was < 1 in plants clipped during the later phase of reproductive growth. This indicates that wheat populations would experience local extinction if this defoliation regime were continued for several successive years. 8.Management prescriptions to conserve this key annual species must focus on the reduction or deferment of late‐season grazing during the reproductive growth phase to ensure population persistence.
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Claims 17
Claim · model-written summary
Mulch application did not affect seedling emergence or establishment of wild wheat.
Not reportedDirection
Verbatim
e0“Triticum dicoccoides (wild wheat) in intensively grazed grasslands”
e1“Mulch application did not affect seedling emergence or establishment”
Claim · model-written summary
The detrimental effects of mulch on wild wheat suggest that radiation and nitrogen limitations may have contributed to growth suppression.
Verbatim
e0“Triticum dicoccoides (wild wheat) in intensively grazed grasslands”
e1“The detrimental effects of mulch on plant performance throughout the growing season indicated that both radiation and nitrogen limitations may have contributed to growth suppression”
Claim · model-written summary
Mulch application reduced wheat biomass to a greater extent than interspecific competitors did.
Verbatim
e0“Triticum dicoccoides (wild wheat) in intensively grazed grasslands”
e1“Mulch application reduced wheat biomass to a greater extent than that of interspecific competitors”
Claim · model-written summary
Mulch removal by intensive grazing during the dry season was unlikely to contribute to the decline of wild wheat.
Verbatim
e0“Triticum dicoccoides (wild wheat) in intensively grazed grasslands”
e1“The negative response indicated that mulch removal by intensive grazing during the dry season was unlikely to contribute to the decline of wild wheat”
Claim · model-written summary
Reducing interspecific competition after defoliation of neighbours increased vegetative and reproductive performance of wild wheat by 50%.
- Taxon
- wild wheate0
- Treatment
- reduction of interspecific competitione1
- Outcome
- vegetative and reproductive performancee1
- Direction
- increasede1
- Value
- 50%e1
Not reportedComparator
Verbatim
e0“Triticum dicoccoides (wild wheat) in intensively grazed grasslands”
e1“Both vegetative and reproductive performance of wild wheat increased by 50% in response to a reduction of interspecific competition following defoliation of neighbouring plants”
Claim · model-written summary
A single severe clipping of wheat did not affect plant survival or tiller number.
- Taxon
- wheat
Triticum aestivume0 - Treatment
- single severe clippinge0
- Outcome
- plant survival or tiller numbere0
- Comparator
- unclipped wheat plantse0
Not reportedDirection
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“A single severe clipping of vegetative wheat plants in defoliated neighbourhoods did not affect plant survival or tiller number, but did reduce ear and spikelet numbers and vegetative and reproductive biomass, compared with unclipped wheat plants”
Claim · model-written summary
A single severe clipping reduced ear and spikelet numbers of wheat compared with unclipped plants.
- Taxon
- wheatTriticum aestivume0
- Treatment
- single severe clippinge0
- Outcome
- ear and spikelet numberse0
- Direction
- reducee0
- Comparator
- unclipped wheat plantse0
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“A single severe clipping of vegetative wheat plants in defoliated neighbourhoods did not affect plant survival or tiller number, but did reduce ear and spikelet numbers and vegetative and reproductive biomass, compared with unclipped wheat plants”
Claim · model-written summary
A single severe clipping reduced vegetative and reproductive biomass of wheat compared with unclipped plants.
- Taxon
- wheatTriticum aestivume0
- Treatment
- single severe clippinge0
- Outcome
- vegetative and reproductive biomasse0
- Direction
- reducee0
- Comparator
- unclipped wheat plantse0
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“A single severe clipping of vegetative wheat plants in defoliated neighbourhoods did not affect plant survival or tiller number, but did reduce ear and spikelet numbers and vegetative and reproductive biomass, compared with unclipped wheat plants”
Claim · model-written summary
The reduction of interspecific competition may compensate for the negative effect of direct clipping on wild wheat fitness and so contribute to population persistence.
Verbatim
e0“Triticum dicoccoides (wild wheat) in intensively grazed grasslands”
e1“The positive wheat response to the reduction of interspecific competition almost exactly compensated for the negative effect of direct clipping on wheat fitness, and may thus contribute to the persistence of wheat populations”
Claim · model-written summary
A second severe clipping in the reproductive phase reduced survival to reproduction, reproductive biomass, and seed quantity and quality of wheat.
- Taxon
- wheatTriticum aestivume0
- Treatment
- second severe clippinge0
- Outcome
- plant survival to reproduction, reproductive biomass, and seed quantity and qualitye0
- Direction
- reducede0
- Qualifier
- in those plants that did become reproductivee0
Not reportedComparator
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“A second severe clipping of wheat plants in the reproductive growth phase severely reduced plant survival to reproduction, reproductive biomass, and seed quantity and quality in those plants that did become reproductive”
Claim · model-written summary
One-half of the ears initiated after late-season clipping of wild wheat did not emerge from the flag leaf.
Verbatim
e0“Triticum dicoccoides (wild wheat) in intensively grazed grasslands”
e1“One‐half of the ears initiated following late‐season clipping did not emerge from the flag leaf and produced mostly thin seed with reduced germinability”
Claim · model-written summary
Late-season clipping of wild wheat reduced germinability of seed, which was mostly thin.
- Taxon
- wild wheate0
- Treatment
- late‐season clippinge1
- Outcome
- germinabilitye1
- Direction
- reducede1
- Qualifier
- mostly thin seede1
Not reportedComparator
Verbatim
e0“Triticum dicoccoides (wild wheat) in intensively grazed grasslands”
e1“One‐half of the ears initiated following late‐season clipping did not emerge from the flag leaf and produced mostly thin seed with reduced germinability”
Claim · model-written summary
Geniculate genotypes of wild wheat had greater grazing tolerance and reproductive performance than erect genotypes after a second severe clipping.
Verbatim
e0“Triticum dicoccoides (wild wheat) in intensively grazed grasslands”
e1“Geniculate genotypes exhibited greater grazing tolerance and reproductive performance than the erect genotypes in response to the second severe clipping”
Claim · model-written summary
An increase in geniculate genotypes may provide an important persistence mechanism for wild wheat populations.
Verbatim
e0“Triticum dicoccoides (wild wheat) in intensively grazed grasslands”
e1“An increase in the relative abundance of geniculate genotypes in intensively grazed communities may provide an important persistence mechanism for wild wheat populations”
Claim · model-written summary
The integrated fitness estimate of wild wheat was below 1 in plants clipped in the later phase of reproductive growth.
Verbatim
e0“Triticum dicoccoides (wild wheat) in intensively grazed grasslands”
e1“An integrated estimate of wild wheat fitness, calculated as the mean reproductive output per seed sown, was < 1 in plants clipped during the later phase of reproductive growth”
Claim · model-written summary
Continued defoliation of this regime for several successive years would lead wild wheat populations to local extinction.
Verbatim
e0“Triticum dicoccoides (wild wheat) in intensively grazed grasslands”
e1“This indicates that wheat populations would experience local extinction if this defoliation regime were continued for several successive years”
Claim · model-written summary
Management should reduce or defer late-season grazing during the reproductive growth phase to conserve wild wheat.
- Taxon
- Triticum dicoccoides
Triticum dicoccoidese0 - Outcome
- reduction or deferment of late‐season grazinge1
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“Triticum dicoccoides (wild wheat) in intensively grazed grasslands”
e1“Management prescriptions to conserve this key annual species must focus on the reduction or deferment of late‐season grazing during the reproductive growth phase to ensure population persistence”
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