@unpublished{WellsteinSchroederEsselbachReinekingetal.2011,
  author    = {Wellstein, Camilla and Schr{\"o}der-Esselbach, Boris and Reineking, Bjoern and Zimmermann, Niklaus E.},
  title     = {Understanding species and community response to environmental change - A functional trait perspective},
  series = {Agriculture, ecosystems \& environment : an international journal for scientific research on the relationship of agriculture and food production to the biosphere},
  volume    = {145},
  journal   = {Agriculture, ecosystems \& environment : an international journal for scientific research on the relationship of agriculture and food production to the biosphere},
  number    = {1},
  publisher = {Elsevier},
  address   = {Amsterdam},
  issn      = {0167-8809},
  doi       = {10.1016/j.agee.2011.06.024},
  pages     = {1 -- 4},
  year      = {2011},
  language  = {en}
}
@article{KlausKleinebeckerHoelzeletal.2011,
  author    = {Klaus, Valentin H. and Kleinebecker, Till and Hoelzel, Norbert and Bluethgen, Nico and Boch, Steffen and M{\"u}ller, J{\"o}rg and Socher, Stephanie A. and Prati, Daniel and Fischer, Markus},
  title     = {Nutrient concentrations and fibre contents of plant community biomass reflect species richness patterns along a broad range of land-use intensities among agricultural grasslands},
  series = {Perspectives in plant ecology, evolution and systematics},
  volume    = {13},
  journal   = {Perspectives in plant ecology, evolution and systematics},
  number    = {4},
  publisher = {Elsevier},
  address   = {Jena},
  issn      = {1433-8319},
  doi       = {10.1016/j.ppees.2011.07.001},
  pages     = {287 -- 295},
  year      = {2011},
  abstract  = {Understanding changes in biodiversity in agricultural landscapes in relation to land-use type and intensity is a major issue in current ecological research. In this context nutrient enrichment has been identified as a key mechanism inducing species loss in Central European grassland ecosystems. At the same time, insights into the linkage between agricultural land use and plant nutrient status are largely missing. So far, studies on the relationship between chemical composition of plant community biomass and biodiversity have mainly been restricted to wetlands and all these studies neglected the effects of land use. Therefore, we analyzed aboveground biomass of 145 grassland plots covering a gradient of land-use intensities in three regions across Germany. In particular, we explored relationships between vascular plant species richness and nutrient concentrations as well as fibre contents (neutral and acid detergent fibre and lignin) in the aboveground community biomass. We found the concentrations of several nutrients in the biomass to be closely linked to plant species richness and land use. Whereas phosphorus concentrations increased with land-use intensity and decreased with plant species richness, nitrogen and potassium concentrations showed less clear patterns. Fibre fractions were negatively related to nutrient concentrations in biomass, but hardly to land-use measures and species richness. Only high lignin contents were positively associated with species richness of grasslands. The N:P ratio was strongly positively related to species richness and even more so to the number of endangered plant species, indicating a higher persistence of endangered species under P (co-)limited conditions. Therefore, we stress the importance of low P supply for species-rich grasslands and suggest the N:P ratio in community biomass to be a useful proxy of the conservation value of agriculturally used grasslands.},
  language  = {en}
}
@article{HasslerZimmermannvanBreugeletal.2011,
  author    = {Haßler, Sibylle Kathrin and Zimmermann, Beate and van Breugel, Michiel and Hall, Jefferson S. and Elsenbeer, Helmut},
  title     = {Recovery of saturated hydraulic conductivity under secondary succession on former pasture in the humid tropics},
  series = {Forest ecology and management},
  volume    = {261},
  journal   = {Forest ecology and management},
  number    = {10},
  publisher = {Elsevier},
  address   = {Amsterdam},
  issn      = {0378-1127},
  doi       = {10.1016/j.foreco.2010.06.031},
  pages     = {1634 -- 1642},
  year      = {2011},
  abstract  = {Landscapes in the humid tropics are undergoing a continuous change in land use. Deforestation is still taking its toll on forested areas, but at the same time more and more secondary forests emerge where formerly agricultural lands and pastures are being abandoned. Regarding soil hydrology, the extent to which secondary succession can recover soil hydrological properties disturbed by antecedent deforestation and pasture use is yet poorly understood. We investigated the effect of secondary succession on saturated hydraulic conductivity (Ks) at two soil depths (0-6 and 6-12 cm) using a space-for-time approach in a landscape mosaic in central Panama. The following four land-use classes were studied: pasture (P), secondary forest of 5-8 years of age (SF5), secondary forest of 12-15 years of age (SF12) and secondary forest of more than 100 years of age (SF100), each replicated altogether four times in different micro-catchments across the study region. The hydrological implications of differences in Ks in response to land-use change with land use, especially regarding overland flow generation, were assessed via comparisons with rainfall intensities. Recovery of Ks could be detected in the 0-6 cm depth after 12 years of secondary succession: P and SF5 held similar Ks values, but differed significantly (alpha = 0.05) from SF12 and SF100 which in turn were indistinguishable. Variability within the land cover classes was large but, due to sufficient replication in the study, Ks recovery could be detected nonetheless. Ks in the 6-12 cm depth did not show any differences between the land cover classes; only Ks of the uppermost soil layer was affected by land-use changes. Overland flow - as inferred from comparisons of Ks with rainfall intensities - is more likely on P and SF5 sites compared to SF12 and 5E100 for the upper sample depth; however, generally low values at the 6-12 cm depth are likely to impede vertical percolation during high rainfall intensities regardless of land use. We conclude that Ks can recover from pasture use under secondary succession up to pre-pasture levels, but the process may take more than 8 years. In order to gain comprehensive understanding of Ks change with land use and its hydrological implications, more studies with detailed land-use histories and combined measurements of Ks, overland flow, precipitation and throughfall are essential.},
  language  = {en}
}