2008 Volume 54 Issue 1 Pages 7-16
A survey of weed vegetation and some soil physical and chemical properties was carried out at 80 lawn sites in Kyoto City. The following 12 soil properties were measured:soil water content;soil hardness;soil pH; total nitrogen;available phosphate;water soluble inorganic ions (NO3−, H2PO4−, SO42−, Ca2+, K+ and Na+); and active aluminum (allophane test).
In spring (13 sites), thirty eight species were recorded, among which Poa annua and Trifolium repens were most frequent. Canonical correspondence analysis (CCA) indicated that the distribution of species was related to soil hardness, soil water content, SO42−, K+ and H2PO4−.
In summer (22 sites), fifty two species were recorded, among which Digitaria violascens and D. ciliaris were most frequent. CCA result indicated that the distribution of species was not significantly related to the soil factors examined. It was suggested that frequent human disturbance and periods of severe water stress masked the influence of soil properties on the vegetation in summer. Detrended correspondence analysis (DCA) suggested that there were two different modes in degradation of lawns.