In disturbed plots, species richness decreased with intensity of disturbance in early summer and increased in midsummer. No difference in richness or species composition was detected between control and clipped plots. In the bi-layered old field, disturbances greatly disrupted the closed canopy of Solidago canadensis, thus providing resource patches for suppressed and invading species. In the young field, the impact of disturbance was only detectable in early and midsummer, and changes in richness were mainly related to the seasonal cycle of the dominant annual, Ambrosia artemisiifolia. These results indicate that the impact of disturbance on species richness depends largely on the nature of the dominant species and the rates of successional or seasonal change of the community.
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