Interaction of Climate Management as Controls on Species Composition

A new technique for the manipulation of temperature near the soil surface without the aid of cloches or screens has been developed at UCPE. This system is being used to manipulate the length of the growing season in an experiment in which the critical interaction between growth and the timing of two important meadow management activities - cutting and grazing - is being investigated. The technique has also been used to expose synthesised meadow communities to an artificially induced mild winter. Temperature manipulations of this kind offer a new approach to understanding the role which climate plays as a mechanism controlling species composition in plant communities and may help to explain the floristic differences between northern and southern meadows.