My research concentrates on development of plant communities and on factors that affect development of species composition. The main emphasis has been on changes in species composition of semi-natural grasslands after abandonment - a process that is one of the main threats to plant biodiversity in temperate zone. As a reaction to this species loss we are evaluating how to restore species-rich meadows and what determines the reaction of different plant species to our conservation efforts. Can we predict what species we will loose in the process of abandonment? Is the reaction predictable based on various traits of species? Among the studied traits main emphasis is given to traits of clonal growth.
Ongoing projects
- Changes in vegetation of wooded meadows after abandonment and following restoration.
Decrease in species richness of abandoned meadows is well-known. However, how fast could the diversity be restored? What properties describe species which are most sensitive to abandonment or which return the fastest after restoration?
Collaborators: Dr. Merit Otsus, PhD students Kaire Lanno, Kaili Kattai, and Silja Kana.
- Interactive changes in plant community composition and nutrient flow of coastal saline meadows after abandonment and following restoration
Overwhelming cessation of grazing of Estonian coastal grasslands in the second part of 20th century brought about large-scale expansion of reed. Overgrowth by reed brings on accumulation of biomass and changes in soil properties. To what extent are these changes irreversible? How fast are restoration effects on meadow plant populations and bird species?
Collaborators: PhD students Kaire Lanno and Karin Kauer (changes in soil properties). Master students Marju Erit (changes in birds), Reelika Raudkivi and lots of helpers at field work.
- Effect of clonal growth traits on population dynamics and distribution of species in different environmental conditions.
Do the clonal growth traits affect the fait of a population when environmental conditions change? Does the clonal growth form of different species affect community dynamics and development of species richness?
- Causes of decline and ecological restoration of populations of rare plant species.
Our studies concern the effects of extrinsic factors (e.g. habitat loss and fragmentation, decrease in habitat quality) and intrinsic factors (e.g. reproductive success, genetic diversity) and their interactions on population dynamics of rare plants, primarily Ligularia sibirica. We also test the effectiveness of different restoration techniques and evaluate factors that could affect the success of restoration efforts.
In collaboration with Kaire Lanno.
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