Abstract. Land use change can affect biodiversity, and this has an impact on ecosystem
services (ESs), but the relationships between biodiversity and ESs are
complex and poorly understood. Biodiversity is declining due to the
abandonment of extensively grazed semi-natural grasslands. We therefore aim to explore relationships between biodiversity and ESs
provided by extensively managed semi-natural grasslands. Focusing on vascular
plant species richness, as well as the ESs fodder quantity, quality, and stability,
allergy control, climate regulation, nutrient cycling, pollination, and
aesthetic appreciation, we carried out botanical field surveys of 28 paired
extensively grazed and abandoned semi-natural grassland plots, with four
subplots of 4 m2 in each plot. The management of the semi-natural
grasslands is and has been at low intensity. We calculated the influence of
abandonment on the ES indicators, measured the correlation between the
biodiversity measure of vascular plant species richness and ES indicators,
and finally determined how the relationships between plant species richness
and the ES indicators were affected by the cessation of the extensive
management. ES indicators are often, but not always, positively correlated with species
richness. Cessation of extensive grazing has both negative and positive
effects on ES indicators but the relationships between species richness and
ES indicators are often different in extensively managed and abandoned
semi-natural grasslands. The relationships between species richness and ES
indicators are less pronounced in the extensively managed semi-natural
grassland than for the abandoned. One possible reason for this outcome is
high functional redundancy in the extensively managed semi-natural
grasslands.
Effect of environmental gradients, habitat continuity and spatial structure on vascular plant species richness in semi-natural grasslands
