Collected Evidence: Collected Evidence: Sow grassland forb species One study examined the effects of sowing grassland forb species on grassland vegetation. The study was in Belgium. VEGETATION COMMUNITY (0 STUDIES) VEGETATION ABUNDANCE (0 STUDIES) VEGETATION STRUCTURE (0 STUDIES) OTHER (1 STUDY) Germination/Emergence (1 study): One replicated, controlled study in Belgium found that sowing seeds of grassland forb species did not increase the number of seedlings for three forb species. Collected Evidencehttps%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservationevidence.com%2Factions%2F3398https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservationevidence.com%2Factions%2F3398Fri, 25 Jun 2021 13:53:08 +0100Collected Evidence: Collected Evidence: Sow seeds of nurse plants One study examined the effects of sowing seeds of nurse plants on grassland vegetation. The study was in France. VEGETATION COMMUNITY (1 STUDY) Community composition (1 study): One replicated, controlled study in France found that sowing seeds of nurse plants reduced the similarity of the plant community to that of nearby intact steppe compared to areas where no seeds were sown. Overall richness/diversity (1 study): One replicated, controlled study in France found that sowing seeds of nurse plants did not change plant species richness and richness was lower than in nearby intact steppe. VEGETATION ABUNDANCE (1 STUDY) Overall abundance (1 study): One replicated, controlled study in France found that sowing seeds of nurse plants did not change vegetation cover compared to areas where no seeds were sown. VEGETATION STRUCTURE (0 STUDIES)Collected Evidencehttps%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservationevidence.com%2Factions%2F3401https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservationevidence.com%2Factions%2F3401Fri, 25 Jun 2021 14:13:14 +0100Collected Evidence: Collected Evidence: Sow seeds of tree species in savanna One study examined the effects of sowing seeds of tree species in savanna on grassland vegetation. The study was in Brazil. VEGETATION COMMUNITY (0 STUDIES) VEGETATION ABUNDANCE (0 STUDIES) VEGETATION STRUCTURE (0 STUDIES) OTHER (1 STUDY) Germination/Emergence (1 study): One replicated study in Brazil found that sowing tree seeds in savanna resulted in germination of 52% of the tree seeds. Survival (1 study): One replicated study in Brazil found that after sowing tree seeds in savanna, 35% of the seeds produced seedlings that survived for more than two years. Collected Evidencehttps%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservationevidence.com%2Factions%2F3403https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservationevidence.com%2Factions%2F3403Fri, 25 Jun 2021 14:32:10 +0100Collected Evidence: Collected Evidence: Sow seeds in prepared gaps within vegetation One study examined the effects of sowing seeds in prepared gaps within vegetation on grasslands. The study was in Hungary. VEGETATION COMMUNITY (0 STUDIES) VEGETATION ABUNDANCE (1 STUDY) Sown/planted species abundance (1 study): One replicated study in Hungary found that sowing seeds in large gaps within vegetation led to a greater cover of sown target plant species than sowing in smaller gaps.  VEGETATION STRUCTURE (0 STUDIES)Collected Evidencehttps%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservationevidence.com%2Factions%2F3409https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservationevidence.com%2Factions%2F3409Fri, 25 Jun 2021 15:17:23 +0100Collected Evidence: Collected Evidence: Burn vegetation before seeding/planting We found no studies that evaluated the effects of burning vegetation before seeding/planting on grassland vegetation. ‘We found no studies’ means that we have not yet found any studies that have directly evaluated this action during our systematic journal and report searches. Therefore we have been unable to assess whether or not the action is effective or has any harmful impacts. Please get in touch if you know of such a study for this action.Collected Evidencehttps%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservationevidence.com%2Factions%2F3417https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservationevidence.com%2Factions%2F3417Fri, 25 Jun 2021 16:16:14 +0100Collected Evidence: Collected Evidence: Add topsoil before seeding/planting One study examined the effects of adding topsoil before seeding/planting on grassland vegetation. The study was in the USA. VEGETATION COMMUNITY (1 STUDY) Overall richness/diversity (1 study): One replicated, controlled study in the USA found that adding topsoil before sowing seeds increased plant species richness. VEGETATION ABUNDANCE (1 STUDY) Sown/planted species abundance (1 study): One replicated, controlled study in the USA found that adding topsoil before sowing seeds increased the biomass of sown species in most cases. VEGETATION STRUCTURE (0 STUDIES)Collected Evidencehttps%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservationevidence.com%2Factions%2F3420https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservationevidence.com%2Factions%2F3420Fri, 25 Jun 2021 16:37:29 +0100Collected Evidence: Collected Evidence: Add woody debris to protect seeds/plants One study examined the effects of adding woody debris to protect seeds/plants on grassland vegetation. The study was in Kenya. VEGETATION COMMUNITY (0 STUDIES) VEGETATION ABUNDANCE (0 STUDIES) VEGETATION STRUCTURE (0 STUDIES) OTHER (1 STUDY) Survival (1 study): One replicated, randomized, controlled study in Kenya found that sowing buffel grass seeds beside woody debris did not affect seedling survival. Collected Evidencehttps%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservationevidence.com%2Factions%2F3421https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservationevidence.com%2Factions%2F3421Fri, 25 Jun 2021 16:40:28 +0100Collected Evidence: Collected Evidence: Add charcoal to soil before seeding/planting One study examined the effects of adding charcoal to soil before seeding/planting on grassland vegetation. The study was in the Netherlands. VEGETATION COMMUNITY (0 STUDIES) VEGETATION ABUNDANCE (1 STUDY) Overall abundance (1 study): One replicated, randomized, paired, controlled study in the Netherlands found that adding charcoal to soil before sowing seeds did not alter overall plant biomass. Grass abundance (1 study): One replicated, randomized, paired, controlled study in the Netherlands found that adding charcoal to soil before sowing seeds did not alter grass cover. Forb abundance (1 study): One replicated, randomized, paired, controlled study in the Netherlands found that adding charcoal to soil before sowing seeds increased the cover of legumes but did not alter the cover of other forbs. VEGETATION STRUCTURE (0 STUDIES)Collected Evidencehttps%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservationevidence.com%2Factions%2F3422https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservationevidence.com%2Factions%2F3422Fri, 25 Jun 2021 16:43:15 +0100Collected Evidence: Collected Evidence: Add sulphur to soil before seeding/planting Two studies examined the effects of adding sulphur to soil before seeding/planting on grassland vegetation. One study was in the UK and one was in the USA. VEGETATION COMMUNITY (2 STUDIES) Overall richness/diversity (1 study): One of two replicated, controlled studies (one of which was randomized and paired) in the UK and USA found that adding sulphur to soil before sowing seeds reduced plant species richness. The other study found no change in overall plant species richness. Native/non-target species richness/diversity (1 study): One replicated, controlled study in the USA found that adding sulphur to soil before sowing seeds did not alter the number of native plant species. VEGETATION ABUNDANCE (2 STUDIES) Overall abundance (1 study): One replicated, randomized, paired, controlled study in the UK found that adding sulphur to soil before sowing seeds reduced overall vegetation cover. Sown/planted species abundance (1 study): One replicated, randomized, paired, controlled study in the UK found that adding low amounts of sulphur to soil before sowing seeds increased the cover of three of six sown species. Native/non-target species abundance (1 study): One replicated, controlled study in the USA found that adding sulphur to soil before sowing seeds did not alter the cover of native plant species. VEGETATION STRUCTURE (0 STUDIES)Collected Evidencehttps%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservationevidence.com%2Factions%2F3428https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservationevidence.com%2Factions%2F3428Mon, 28 Jun 2021 10:48:32 +0100Collected Evidence: Collected Evidence: Irrigate before or after seeding/planting Two studies examined the effects of irrigating before or after seeding/planting on grasslands. One study was in Spain and one in the USA. VEGETATION COMMUNITY (2 STUDIES) Overall richness/diversity (2 studies): One of two replicated, controlled studies (one of which was randomized and paired) in Spain and the USA found that irrigating after sowing non-native seeds increased plant diversity in four of 10 cases. The other study found that irrigating after sowing native seeds did not alter plant species richness. Native/non-target species richness/diversity (1 study): One replicated, controlled study in the USA found that irrigating after sowing seeds did not alter the species richness of native plants. VEGETATION ABUNDANCE (2 STUDIES) Overall abundance (1 study): One replicated, randomized, paired, controlled study in Spain found that irrigating after sowing non-native seeds increased vegetation cover in six of 10 cases. Native/non-target species abundance (1 study): One replicated, controlled study in the USA found that irrigating after sowing seeds did not alter the cover of native plant species. VEGETATION STRUCTURE (0 STUDIES)Collected Evidencehttps%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservationevidence.com%2Factions%2F3430https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservationevidence.com%2Factions%2F3430Mon, 28 Jun 2021 13:31:34 +0100Collected Evidence: Collected Evidence: Add carbon to soil before or after seeding/planting Two studies examined the effects of adding carbon to soil before or after seeding/planting on grassland vegetation. Both studies were in the USA. VEGETATION COMMUNITY (0 STUDIES) VEGETATION ABUNDANCE (2 STUDIES) Sown/planted species abundance (2 studies): Two replicated, randomized, controlled studies in the USA found that adding carbon to soil after sowing seeds either reduced or did not alter the density of sown forb species. VEGETATION STRUCTURE (0 STUDIES)Collected Evidencehttps%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservationevidence.com%2Factions%2F3433https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservationevidence.com%2Factions%2F3433Thu, 08 Jul 2021 17:12:59 +0100
What Works 2021 cover

What Works in Conservation

What Works in Conservation provides expert assessments of the effectiveness of actions, based on summarised evidence, in synopses. Subjects covered so far include amphibians, birds, mammals, forests, peatland and control of freshwater invasive species. More are in progress.

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