The importance of local processes to landscape patterns of grassland vegetation diversity

Abstract

This study aimed to determine the importance of local processes to variation in plant species diversity by comparing soil fertility/diversity relationships across and within different environments. Vegetation diversity and soil fertility were measured in four different grassland communities in southern North Island, New Zealand. Vegetation species richness, Shannon diversity (H‘) and evenness (J‘) were significantly negatively related to the concentration of most plant nutrients in the soil, only phosphorus being not significantly related. Across‐environment diversity/fertility relationships generally agreed with within‐environment relationships. We suggest that local‐scale processes, influenced by the availability of nutrients, are the key determinants of landscape patterns of vegetation diversity in grassland communities.

Keywords:

• soil fertility
• managed grasslands
• scale
• New Zealand