scholarly journals High land-use intensity exacerbates shifts in grassland vegetation composition after severe experimental drought

2018 ◽  
Vol 24 (5) ◽  
pp. 2021-2034 ◽  
Author(s):  
Andreas Stampfli ◽  
Juliette M. G. Bloor ◽  
Markus Fischer ◽  
Michaela Zeiter
Keyword(s):  
Land Use ◽  
Land Use Intensity ◽  
Vegetation Composition ◽  
Grassland Vegetation

scholarly journals Dynamics of Grassland Vegetation Composition across different Land-use Types on the Qinghai Tibet Plateau: Implications to Combat Grassland Degradation

2021 ◽  
Vol 04 (04) ◽  
pp. 95-114
Author(s):  
Moses Fayiah ◽  
◽  
ShiKui Dong ◽  
Roberto Xavier Supe Tulcan ◽  
Sanjay Singh ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Land Use ◽  
Mitigation Measures ◽  
Tibet Plateau ◽  
Grassland Degradation ◽  
Land Uses ◽  
Vegetation Composition ◽  
Grassland Vegetation ◽  
Land Use Types ◽  
Evenness Indices ◽  
Qinghai Tibet Plateau

The constant biotic and abiotic interventions on the Qinghai Tibet Plateau (QTP) are seriously degrading the grasslands and, at the same time, restricting the active ecosystem function and grassland vegetation distribution on the plateau. This research analyses the dynamics of grassland vegetation composition across three land uses and counties. The degree of grassland degradation was divided into four land-use types based, i.e., healthy grassland (HG), restored grassland (RG), moderately degraded (MD) grassland, and severely degraded (SD) grassland. About 32 plant species were recorded in Tiebujia county, 28 in Maqin county, and 18 in Maduo county. Results showed Poa crymophila, Polygonum sibiricum, Leontopodium nanum and Oxytropis falcatabunge as the most abundant grassland species in all land-uses and counties. The richness of species ranged from 8 to 12 species per land-use, suggesting low richness and diversity in restored and degraded grassland. A positive non-significantly mean change (p<0.05) was detected for richness and evenness indices while a negative mean change (p<0.05) was detected for Simpson and Shannon indices in the alpine meadow and steppe in both Maqin and Maduo county. The results imply that degradation affects grassland vegetation, health, and distribution across the QTP. Plant total cover for the healthy grassland covered far more areas than other land-uses. Urgent mitigation measures to halt grassland degradation and decline in plant vegetation composition on the plateau should be adopted.

scholarly journals Enriching plant diversity in grasslands by large-scale experimental sward disturbance and seed addition along gradients of land-use intensity

2016 ◽  
pp. rtw062 ◽  
Author(s):  
Valentin H. Klaus ◽  
Deborah Schäfer ◽  
Till Kleinebecker ◽  
Markus Fischer ◽  
Daniel Prati ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Land Use ◽  
Plant Diversity ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Land Use Intensity ◽  
Seed Addition

Variation in regrowth ability in relation to land-use intensity in three common grassland herbs

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Anna Kirschbaum ◽  
Oliver Bossdorf ◽  
J F Scheepens
Keyword(s):  
Land Use ◽  
Phenotypic Plasticity ◽  
Temporal Variation ◽  
Temporal Stability ◽  
Common Garden ◽  
Grassland Management ◽  
Land Use Intensity ◽  
Evolutionary Changes ◽  
Biomass Removal ◽  
Reproductive Biomass

Abstract Aims Plant populations in managed grasslands are subject to strong selection exerted by grazing, mowing and fertilization. Many previous studies showed that this can cause evolutionary changes in mean trait values, but little is known about the evolution of phenotypic plasticity in response to land use. In this study, we aimed to elucidate the relationships between phenotypic plasticity – specifically, regrowth ability after biomass removal – and the intensity of grassland management and levels of temporal variation therein. Methods We conducted an outdoor common garden experiment to test if plants from more intensively mown and grazed sites showed an increased ability to regrow after biomass removal. We used three common plant species from temperate European grasslands, with seed material from 58 – 68 populations along gradients of land-use intensity, ranging from extensive (only light grazing) to very intensive management (up to four cuts per year). Important findings In two out of three species, we found significant population differentiation in regrowth ability after clipping. While variation in regrowth ability was unrelated to the mean land-use intensity of populations of origin, we found a relationship with its temporal variation in P. lanceolata, where plants experiencing less variable environmental conditions over the last 11 years showed stronger regrowth in reproductive biomass after clipping. Therefore, while mean grazing and mowing intensity may not select for regrowth ability, the temporal stability of the environmental heterogeneity created by land use may have caused its evolution in some species.

Analytical Solutions to Trade-Offs between Size of Protected Areas and Land-Use Intensity

2012 ◽  
Vol 26 (5) ◽  
pp. 883-893 ◽  
Author(s):  
VAN BUTSIC ◽  
VOLKER C. RADELOFF ◽  
TOBIAS KUEMMERLE ◽  
ANNA M. PIDGEON
Keyword(s):  
Land Use ◽  
Protected Areas ◽  
Analytical Solutions ◽  
Land Use Intensity ◽  
Trade Offs

scholarly journals Effects of habitat structure and land-use intensity on the genetic structure of the grasshopper species Chorthippus parallelus

2014 ◽  
Vol 1 (2) ◽  
pp. 140133 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kerstin R. Wiesner ◽  
Jan Christian Habel ◽  
Martin M. Gossner ◽  
Hugh D. Loxdale ◽  
Günter Köhler ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Genetic Diversity ◽  
Land Use ◽  
Genetic Structure ◽  
Sampling Site ◽  
Land Use Intensity ◽  
Habitat Size ◽  
Grasshopper Species ◽  
Chorthippus Parallelus ◽  
Landscape Characteristics ◽  
Local Populations

Land-use intensity (LUI) is assumed to impact the genetic structure of organisms. While effects of landscape structure on the genetics of local populations have frequently been analysed, potential effects of variation in LUI on the genetic diversity of local populations have mostly been neglected. In this study, we used six polymorphic microsatellites to analyse the genetic effects of variation in land use in the highly abundant grasshopper Chorthippus parallelus . We sampled a total of 610 individuals at 22 heterogeneous grassland sites in the Hainich-Dün region of Central Germany. For each of these grassland sites we assessed habitat size, LUI (combined index of mowing, grazing and fertilization), and the proportion of grassland adjoining the sampling site and the landscape heterogeneity (the latter two factors within a 500 m buffer zone surrounding each focal site). We found only marginal genetic differentiation among all local populations and no correlation between geographical and genetic distance. Habitat size, LUI and landscape characteristics had only weak effects on most of the parameters of genetic diversity of C. parallelus ; only expected heterozygosity and the grasshopper abundances were affected by interacting effects of LUI, habitat size and landscape characteristics. The lack of any strong relationships between LUI, abundance and the genetic structure might be due to large local populations of the species in the landscape, counteracting local differentiation and potential genetic drift effects.

Effects of land use intensity on soil nutrient distribution after reclamation in an estuary landscape

2012 ◽  
Vol 28 (4) ◽  
pp. 699-707 ◽  
Author(s):  
Xiuzhen Li ◽  
Yongguang Sun ◽  
Ülo Mander ◽  
Yanlong He
Keyword(s):  
Land Use ◽  
Soil Nutrient ◽  
Land Use Intensity ◽  
Nutrient Distribution ◽  
Effects Of Land Use

Diversity and abundance of earthworms across an agricultural land-use intensity gradient

2008 ◽  
Vol 100 (1-2) ◽  
pp. 83-88 ◽  
Author(s):  
R SMITH ◽  
C MCSWINEY ◽  
A GRANDY ◽  
P SUWANWAREE ◽  
R SNIDER ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Land Use ◽  
Agricultural Land ◽  
Agricultural Land Use ◽  
Land Use Intensity ◽  
Intensity Gradient ◽  
Land Use Intensity Gradient

scholarly journals Contrasting responses of above- and belowground diversity to multiple components of land-use intensity

2021 ◽  
Vol 12 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Gaëtane Le Provost ◽  
Jan Thiele ◽  
Catrin Westphal ◽  
Caterina Penone ◽  
Eric Allan ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Land Use ◽  
Forest Cover ◽  
Spatial Scales ◽  
Biodiversity Loss ◽  
Trophic Levels ◽  
Land Use Intensity ◽  
Trophic Groups ◽  
Multiple Components ◽  
Belowground Diversity ◽  
Landscape Level

AbstractLand-use intensification is a major driver of biodiversity loss. However, understanding how different components of land use drive biodiversity loss requires the investigation of multiple trophic levels across spatial scales. Using data from 150 agricultural grasslands in central Europe, we assess the influence of multiple components of local- and landscape-level land use on more than 4,000 above- and belowground taxa, spanning 20 trophic groups. Plot-level land-use intensity is strongly and negatively associated with aboveground trophic groups, but positively or not associated with belowground trophic groups. Meanwhile, both above- and belowground trophic groups respond to landscape-level land use, but to different drivers: aboveground diversity of grasslands is promoted by diverse surrounding land-cover, while belowground diversity is positively related to a high permanent forest cover in the surrounding landscape. These results highlight a role of landscape-level land use in shaping belowground communities, and suggest that revised agroecosystem management strategies are needed to conserve whole-ecosystem biodiversity.

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