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Dynamics of plant ecology and soil conservation: Implications for cut-slope protection

Slope cuts caused by road construction, influence vegetation and soil properties which lead to ecological degradation and soil erosion. Cut-slope soils are infertile, creating unfavourable conditions for plant growth and a reduction of plant species. We investigated plant communities and species reg...

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Main Authors:	Osman, Normaniza, Dorairaj, Deivaseeno, Halim, Aimee, Abu Zelan, Nurul Izzaty, Rashid, Muhammad Afiq Abdul, Zakaria, Rozainah Mohd
Format:	Article
Published:	ELSEVIER 2021
Subjects:	QK Botany S Agriculture (General) SD Forestry
Online Access:	http://eprints.um.edu.my/28299/
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id	my.um.eprints.28299
record_format	eprints
spelling	my.um.eprints.282992022-03-29T07:32:45Z http://eprints.um.edu.my/28299/ Dynamics of plant ecology and soil conservation: Implications for cut-slope protection Osman, Normaniza Dorairaj, Deivaseeno Halim, Aimee Abu Zelan, Nurul Izzaty Rashid, Muhammad Afiq Abdul Zakaria, Rozainah Mohd QK Botany S Agriculture (General) SD Forestry Slope cuts caused by road construction, influence vegetation and soil properties which lead to ecological degradation and soil erosion. Cut-slope soils are infertile, creating unfavourable conditions for plant growth and a reduction of plant species. We investigated plant communities and species regeneration at a cut-slope area in Malaysia whilst examining the relationship between species diversity and soil erosion. Experimental plots were set at three different vegetation coverage intensities; 0% (A), 10% (B), and 50% (C). Treatment C recorded the highest plant coverage, plant density, species richness, plant diversity, and evenness index over time. In contrast, as there was no vegetation at the start of the experiment, succession rate was the highest in treatment A (bare plot) followed by B and C. The succession rate was lower in C due to high competition between the existing plant communities for space, nutrients, sunlight and water. The plot with the highest vegetation coverage (C) showed improved slope stability for it recorded a significant reduction in soil saturation level and erosion rate whilst increasing the shear strength. Dicranopteris linearis, a fern species was the most dominant species in all treatments for it is a pioneer species that thrives in harsh environment. High plant diversity was effective in enhancing soil properties thus, improving soil shear strength as plant coverage increased. Hence, treatment A consistently displayed the highest soil shear strength followed by treatments B and C. ELSEVIER 2021 Article PeerReviewed Osman, Normaniza and Dorairaj, Deivaseeno and Halim, Aimee and Abu Zelan, Nurul Izzaty and Rashid, Muhammad Afiq Abdul and Zakaria, Rozainah Mohd (2021) Dynamics of plant ecology and soil conservation: Implications for cut-slope protection. Acta Oecologica-International Journal of Ecology, 111. ISSN 1146-609X,
institution	Universiti Malaya
building	UM Library
collection	Institutional Repository
continent	Asia
country	Malaysia
content_provider	Universiti Malaya
content_source	UM Research Repository
url_provider	http://eprints.um.edu.my/
topic	QK Botany S Agriculture (General) SD Forestry
spellingShingle	QK Botany S Agriculture (General) SD Forestry Osman, Normaniza Dorairaj, Deivaseeno Halim, Aimee Abu Zelan, Nurul Izzaty Rashid, Muhammad Afiq Abdul Zakaria, Rozainah Mohd Dynamics of plant ecology and soil conservation: Implications for cut-slope protection
description	Slope cuts caused by road construction, influence vegetation and soil properties which lead to ecological degradation and soil erosion. Cut-slope soils are infertile, creating unfavourable conditions for plant growth and a reduction of plant species. We investigated plant communities and species regeneration at a cut-slope area in Malaysia whilst examining the relationship between species diversity and soil erosion. Experimental plots were set at three different vegetation coverage intensities; 0% (A), 10% (B), and 50% (C). Treatment C recorded the highest plant coverage, plant density, species richness, plant diversity, and evenness index over time. In contrast, as there was no vegetation at the start of the experiment, succession rate was the highest in treatment A (bare plot) followed by B and C. The succession rate was lower in C due to high competition between the existing plant communities for space, nutrients, sunlight and water. The plot with the highest vegetation coverage (C) showed improved slope stability for it recorded a significant reduction in soil saturation level and erosion rate whilst increasing the shear strength. Dicranopteris linearis, a fern species was the most dominant species in all treatments for it is a pioneer species that thrives in harsh environment. High plant diversity was effective in enhancing soil properties thus, improving soil shear strength as plant coverage increased. Hence, treatment A consistently displayed the highest soil shear strength followed by treatments B and C.
format	Article
author	Osman, Normaniza Dorairaj, Deivaseeno Halim, Aimee Abu Zelan, Nurul Izzaty Rashid, Muhammad Afiq Abdul Zakaria, Rozainah Mohd
author_facet	Osman, Normaniza Dorairaj, Deivaseeno Halim, Aimee Abu Zelan, Nurul Izzaty Rashid, Muhammad Afiq Abdul Zakaria, Rozainah Mohd
author_sort	Osman, Normaniza
title	Dynamics of plant ecology and soil conservation: Implications for cut-slope protection
title_short	Dynamics of plant ecology and soil conservation: Implications for cut-slope protection
title_full	Dynamics of plant ecology and soil conservation: Implications for cut-slope protection
title_fullStr	Dynamics of plant ecology and soil conservation: Implications for cut-slope protection
title_full_unstemmed	Dynamics of plant ecology and soil conservation: Implications for cut-slope protection
title_sort	dynamics of plant ecology and soil conservation: implications for cut-slope protection
publisher	ELSEVIER
publishDate	2021
url	http://eprints.um.edu.my/28299/
_version_	1735409551886254080
score	13.211869

Dynamics of plant ecology and soil conservation: Implications for cut-slope protection

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