Abstract
Burning and mowing are non-selective defoliations that remove end-of-season growth, reduce uneven grazing, and homogenise forage for the new season. We predicted that annual dormant-season mowing would impact mesic grassland less than burning because of its lower intensity. This hypothesis was tested using winter and spring burning and mowing, combined with different summer mowing regimes, in a long-term experiment in Pietermaritzburg, established in 1950. The interactive effects of summer mowing and dormant-season defoliation on grass abundance, species composition, and diversity were analysed using ANOVA and PERMANOVA. Burning and dormant-season mowing differed significantly in their effects on species composition, but not diversity, while summer mowing exerted an additional influence. Annual dormant-season mowing without summer mows caused the largest shifts in dominant and subdominant grasses, whereas annual burning plus two summer mows had the least effect. Themeda triandra and Heteropogon contortus were favoured by the high-light conditions created by burning and mowing, whereas Aristida junciformis and Tristachya leucothrix thrived under mowing, where litter reduces light. Annual burning largely maintained the original dominant and subdominant grasses, whereas mowing shifted composition, particularly promoting A. junciformis. We conclude that non-selective defoliation can have selective effects on mesic grassland, and mowing cannot substitute for burning.
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Claims 12
Claim · model-written summary
Burning and dormant-season mowing differed significantly in species-composition effects.
Verbatim
e0“Burning and dormant-season mowing differed significantly in their effects on species composition, but not diversity”
t0“mesic grassland”
Claim · model-written summary
Burning and dormant-season mowing did not differ significantly in diversity effects.
Not reportedDirection
Verbatim
e0“Burning and dormant-season mowing differed significantly in their effects on species composition, but not diversity”
t0“mesic grassland”
Claim · model-written summary
Summer mowing additionally influenced grassland responses.
Not reportedComparatorDirection
Verbatim
e0“while summer mowing exerted an additional influence”
t0“mesic grassland”
Claim · model-written summary
Annual dormant-season mowing without summer mowing caused the largest shifts in dominant and subdominant grasses.
- Taxon
- grassese0
- Treatment
- Annual dormant-season mowing without summer mowse0
- Outcome
- shifts in dominant and subdominant grassese0
- Direction
- largest shiftse0
Not reportedComparator
Verbatim
e0“Annual dormant-season mowing without summer mows caused the largest shifts in dominant and subdominant grasses”
Claim · model-written summary
Annual burning with two summer mows had the least effect on dominant and subdominant grasses.
- Taxon
- mesic grasslandt0
- Treatment
- annual burning plus two summer mowse0
- Outcome
- least effecte0
- Direction
- least effecte0
Not reportedComparator
Verbatim
e0“whereas annual burning plus two summer mows had the least effect”
t0“mesic grassland”
Claim · model-written summary
Burning and mowing favored Themeda triandra.
- Taxon
- Themeda triandra
Themeda triandrae0 - Treatment
- burning and mowinge0
- Outcome
- favourede0
- Direction
- favourede0
- Qualifier
- high-light conditionse0
Not reportedComparator
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“Themeda triandra and Heteropogon contortus were favoured by the high-light conditions created by burning and mowing”
Claim · model-written summary
Burning and mowing favored Heteropogon contortus.
- Taxon
- Heteropogon contortus
Heteropogon contortuse0 - Treatment
- burning and mowinge0
- Outcome
- favourede0
- Direction
- favourede0
- Qualifier
- high-light conditionse0
Not reportedComparator
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“Themeda triandra and Heteropogon contortus were favoured by the high-light conditions created by burning and mowing”
Claim · model-written summary
Aristida junciformis thrived under mowing.
- Taxon
- Aristida junciformisAristida junciformise0
- Treatment
- mowinge0
- Outcome
- thrivede0
- Direction
- thrivede0
- Qualifier
- litter reduces lighte0
Not reportedComparator
Verbatim
e0“whereas Aristida junciformis and Tristachya leucothrix thrived under mowing, where litter reduces light”
Claim · model-written summary
Tristachya leucothrix thrived under mowing.
- Taxon
- Tristachya leucothrix
Tristachya leucothrixe0 - Treatment
- mowinge0
- Outcome
- thrivede0
- Direction
- thrivede0
- Qualifier
- litter reduces lighte0
Not reportedComparator
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“whereas Aristida junciformis and Tristachya leucothrix thrived under mowing, where litter reduces light”
Claim · model-written summary
Annual burning largely maintained original dominant and subdominant grasses.
- Taxon
- grassese0
- Treatment
- Annual burninge0
- Outcome
- original dominant and subdominant grassese0
- Direction
- maintainede0
Not reportedComparator
Verbatim
e0“Annual burning largely maintained the original dominant and subdominant grasses”
Claim · model-written summary
Mowing shifted grass composition, especially promoting A. junciformis.
- Taxon
- A. junciformisAristida junciformise0
- Treatment
- mowinge0
- Outcome
- compositione0
- Direction
- promotinge0
Not reportedComparator
Verbatim
e0“whereas mowing shifted composition, particularly promoting A. junciformis”
Claim · model-written summary
The authors conclude mowing cannot substitute for burning.
Verbatim
e0“mowing cannot substitute for burning”
t0“mesic grassland”