Disturbance effects on plant community diversity: spatial scales and dominance hierarchies

It is proposed that evaluations of disturbance effects upon community diversity will be influenced by two factors currently overlooked in models addressing disturbance-diversity relationships: (1) the spatial scale of inquiry, and (2) the level of the species abundance (dominance) hierarchy at which the search for diversity is done. We analyzed how two disturbance types—cattle grazing and large flooding—affected community diversity at two spatial scales (stand and patch) and three levels of species dominance in a grassland of the Flooding Pampa, Argentina. The effect of disturbance interaction was also examined. Species diversity at the stand scale was reduced by either grazing or flooding. Both disturbances decreased community spatial heterogeneity. At the patch scale, diversity declined with flooding but was enhanced by grazing. Flooding increased diversity under grazing conditions. However, stand diversity was highest in the undisturbed grassland; pattern diversity was the salient feature in this condition. The combination of disturbances yielded the highest patch-scale diversity; grazing increased richness whilst flooding enhanced evenness. Comparisons among grassland conditions appeared scale-dependent. Moreover the extent of disturbance effects varied with the level of dominance hierarchy considered. We point out the relevance of site history and initial conditions, encompassing the possibility of disturbances interaction, to the patters produced by disturbance events. Effects perceived at different spatial scales, or in species positioned at separate dominance levels, may parallel meaningful changes in the relative importance of factors controlling species coexistence and community organization.