A Vegetation Analysis of the Amenity Grassland in Relation to Trampling

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to examine the present conditions of amenity grassland especially the relationship between vegetation and recreational density.
1. The vegetation surveys were carried out twice, summer and autumn, at the seven parks in Osaka Prefecture, the campus of Osaka Prefectural University, and other sites. We made five plots (1m × 1m) for each examined area and recorded all species and cover found in 394 plots.
A G-test revealed a complementary association between two groupings of species. One consisted of six species, Poa annua, Digitaria violascens, Paspalum distichum, Eragrostis ferruginea, Cynodon dactylon and Trifolium repens which occurred under the condition of heavy trampling. The other consisted of Andoropogon virginicus, Miscanthus sinensis, and other species.
2. The average number of staying visitors on the grassland in the seven parks was 50 persons per hectare on holidays in October.
3. An ordination analysis of the grassland communities was done by using the species number of the combination as an indicator of the recreational density. It revealed that the tolerances to trampling were progressively high for Oxalis corniculata, Sisyrinchium atlanticum, Taraxacum officinale and Trifolium repens. Only Trifolium repens could be tolerant to the existing recreational density on the amenity grassland of urban parks.