TY - JOUR A1 - von der Lippe, Moritz A1 - Bullock, James M. A1 - Kowarik, Ingo A1 - Knopp, Tatjana A1 - Wichmann, Matthias T1 - Human-mediated dispersal of seeds by the airflow of vehicles JF - PLoS one N2 - Human-mediated dispersal is known as an important driver of long-distance dispersal for plants but underlying mechanisms have rarely been assessed. Road corridors function as routes of secondary dispersal for many plant species but the extent to which vehicles support this process remains unclear. In this paper we quantify dispersal distances and seed deposition of plant species moved over the ground by the slipstream of passing cars. We exposed marked seeds of four species on a section of road and drove a car along the road at a speed of 48 km/h. By tracking seeds we quantified movement parallel as well as lateral to the road, resulting dispersal kernels, and the effect of repeated vehicle passes. Median distances travelled by seeds along the road were about eight meters for species with wind dispersal morphologies and one meter for species without such adaptations. Airflow created by the car lifted seeds and resulted in longitudinal dispersal. Single seeds reached our maximum measuring distance of 45 m and for some species exceeded distances under primary dispersal. Mathematical models were fit to dispersal kernels. The incremental effect of passing vehicles on longitudinal dispersal decreased with increasing number of passes as seeds accumulated at road verges. We conclude that dispersal by vehicle airflow facilitates seed movement along roads and accumulation of seeds in roadside habitats. Dispersal by vehicle airflow can aid the spread of plant species and thus has wide implications for roadside ecology, invasion biology and nature conservation. Y1 - 2013 U6 - https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0052733 SN - 1932-6203 VL - 8 IS - 1 PB - PLoS CY - San Fransisco ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Grimm, Volker A1 - Revilla, Eloy A1 - Groeneveld, Jürgen A1 - Kramer-Schadt, Stephanie A1 - Schwager, Monika A1 - Tews, Jörg A1 - Wichmann, Matthias A1 - Jeltsch, Florian T1 - Importance of buffer mechanisms for population viability analysis Y1 - 2005 ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Wichmann, Matthias A1 - Staudler, Holger A1 - Haase, Peter A1 - Burkart, Michael T1 - Naturschutzfachliche Bewertung einer Pflegemaßnahme mit Galloways am Südufer des Gülper See unter Einfluß hydrologischer Dynamik N2 - Since 1993 the southern shore of Lake Gülpe in western Brandenburg has been man-aged with Galloway cattle. This is supported by the so called "Vertragsnaturschutz" (i.e. contract nature conservation) in order to preserve the valuable, species-rich vegetation structure. This is an economically justifiable arrangement for the Galloway cattle-farmer. Permanent botanical plots were monitored in the area for four years. For most species, the observed changes in vegetation are considered as mere fluctuations on the basis of their known ecological requirements and data on hydrological dynamics during the study. Only a few species might indicate succession. A continuation of the present form of land management is recommended for the preservation of the current vegetation structure. However it is advisable to continue with monitoring of the vegetation in order to confirm the results over larger timescales. Until then the management with Galloway cattle is to acclaim as a proper treatment to preserve the southern shore of Lake Gülpe. Y1 - 2000 ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Wichmann, Matthias A1 - Burkart, Michael T1 - Die Vegetationszonierung des Grünlandes am Südufer des Gülper See N2 - Since 1992 the southern shore of the Lake Gülpe in western Brandenburg is managed with Galloway cattle to preserve species, vegetation and landscape pattern. This paper presents the vegetation zones which are influenced by the water balance being the most significant and dynamic location factor in the area. Following the plots from dry to wet sites the most important plant communities are: Diantho-Armerietum, Arrhenatheretalia-Gesellschaft (-community), Leonotodon saxatilis -Potentilla anserina-community, Caricetum gracilis as well as Glycerietum aquaticae and Cypero- Samoletum. 23 endangered species were found. Y1 - 2000 ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Wichmann, Matthias T1 - Survival in changing environments : modeling the impact of climate change and land use on raptors in arid savanna Y1 - 2002 ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Wichmann, Matthias A1 - Jeltsch, Florian A1 - Dean, Richard A1 - Moloney, Kirk A. A1 - Wissel, Christian T1 - Weather does matter : simulating population dynamics of tawny eagle (Aquila rapax) under various rainfall scenarios Y1 - 2002 ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Wichmann, Matthias A1 - Jeltsch, Florian A1 - Dean, Richard A1 - Moloney, Kirk A. A1 - Wissel, Christian T1 - Does climate change in arid savanna affect the population persistence of raptors? Y1 - 2002 ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Burkart, Michael A1 - Wichmann, Matthias T1 - River corridor plants (Stromtalpflanzen) : new ideas to approach an old distribution pattern N2 - Rivers form the most important natural corridors through the landscape. Certain plant species grow mainly or exclusively in these corridors as it has been observed for about 150 years in Central European lowlands. However, these species do not form a homogenous group in terms of biogeography, site requirements, life form, or any other feature this distribution pattern. Accordingly, first, we give a review of the various hypotheses which have been proposed to explain the river corridor distribution pattern. This includes (1) river corridors acting as routes of migration or invasion, (2) floodplain-specific disturbance providing open sites, (3) temporary anoxic conditions during floods, (4) deviating meso-climatic conditions, (5) specific substrate and nutrient supply, and (6) water supply. In particular, the above hypotheses (2-5) imply that river corridor plants may be well-adapted to specific stress and regeneration conditions in floodplains while other species may be not. This may lead to reduced competition in river corridors. We suggest this mechanism to constitute actual benefits for river corridor plants. Secondly, we present a simple model of multi-species population dynamics to show, that our competition-related framework is, in principle, able to explain river corridor plant species distribution patterns. As, however, none of the above hypotheses (1-6) have been tested experimentally we thirdly present a currently running experimental study on the river corridor plant Juncus atratus (black rush) in north- eastern Germany. We emphasize that much more experimental evidence must be gained on population ecology and meta- population dynamics to understand the distribution patterns of river corridor plants. Y1 - 2003 ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Jeltsch, Florian A1 - Wichmann, Matthias A1 - Dean, W. R. J. A1 - Moloney, Kirk A. A1 - Wissel, Christian T1 - Implications of climate change for the persistence of raptors in arid savannah Y1 - 2003 ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Jeltsch, Florian A1 - Wichmann, Matthias A1 - Johst, J. A1 - Moloney, Kirk A. A1 - Wissel, Christian T1 - Extinction risk in periodically fluctuating environments Y1 - 2003 ER -