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ABSTRACT |
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TITLE: |
Plant diversity in highway rights-of-way of southern Québec in relation to land use and mowing intensity. |
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AUTHOR(S): |
José Gérin-Lajoie |
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In order to meet growing ecological
concerns, the Ministère des Transports du Québec initiated, in 1998, a
pilot-project to test the impact of a reduction in mowing frequency on plant
and animal diversity in highway rights-of-way. This project also aims at
promoting safety and a visually pleasing landscape. As part of this project,
the present study quantified the vascular plant diversity and abundance in
three sites within the most typical land uses along the highways in southern
Québec: intensive agriculture, agro-forestry (milk farms and forestry) and
suburban areas. Grasses tolerant to frequent disturbance by mowing are
dominant at all sites but the species vary among sites. Overall, the
agro-forestry site, where mowing is least frequent (once a year), has the
highest species richness (225 species), whereas the intensive agriculture
site (mowed four times a year) is least diverse (187 species). This last site
is dominated by the invasive plant Phragmites
communis which forms a tall and uniform
community. The two other sites have a mixture of grasses and flowering
species (e.g., daisies, clovers and hawkweeds). In addition to mowing
frequency, intersite heterogeneity is greatly
influenced by the regional land use. Within each site, humidity (distance
from lateral ditch) and litter (presence of nearby shrubs and trees) are the
most important factors affecting plant diversity. This project will help
defining new management approaches of the rights-of-way applicable to the rest
of the province. |
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