Martin Sykes
Professor emeritus
Functional responses of plant communities to management, landscape and historical factors in semi-natural grasslands
Author
Summary, in English
Question
To what extent do historical and present-day management regimes and landscape characteristics affect the functional structure of semi-natural grassland communities?
Location
Semi-natural grasslands, the Baltic island of Öland, Sweden.
Methods
We assessed community functional structure within 475 (50 cm × 50 cm) semi-natural grassland vegetation plots using two indices: community-weighted mean trait values (CWM) and functional divergence (FD), calculated using the Rao quadratic entropy index. Spatially explicit regressions were used to assess the extent to which the CWM and FD for different plant traits are explained by past and present levels of local grazing management, and the present and historical characteristics of the surrounding landscape.
Results
Across traits, the CWM and FD of individual grasslands were strongly associated with current grazing intensity, but also with local management history and past landscape structure.
Conclusions
Our results indicate that grassland functional structure in the fragmented present-day landscape reflects not only present conditions, but also the historical context of the grassland fragments – where the presence of extensive grassland habitat in the surroundings provided a diverse pool of grazing-tolerant species. The study also suggests that information on landscape history, and its effects on the local species pool, may improve predictions of future plant community structure.
To what extent do historical and present-day management regimes and landscape characteristics affect the functional structure of semi-natural grassland communities?
Location
Semi-natural grasslands, the Baltic island of Öland, Sweden.
Methods
We assessed community functional structure within 475 (50 cm × 50 cm) semi-natural grassland vegetation plots using two indices: community-weighted mean trait values (CWM) and functional divergence (FD), calculated using the Rao quadratic entropy index. Spatially explicit regressions were used to assess the extent to which the CWM and FD for different plant traits are explained by past and present levels of local grazing management, and the present and historical characteristics of the surrounding landscape.
Results
Across traits, the CWM and FD of individual grasslands were strongly associated with current grazing intensity, but also with local management history and past landscape structure.
Conclusions
Our results indicate that grassland functional structure in the fragmented present-day landscape reflects not only present conditions, but also the historical context of the grassland fragments – where the presence of extensive grassland habitat in the surroundings provided a diverse pool of grazing-tolerant species. The study also suggests that information on landscape history, and its effects on the local species pool, may improve predictions of future plant community structure.
Department/s
- Dept of Physical Geography and Ecosystem Science
- Biodiversity
- Faculty of Science
- BECC: Biodiversity and Ecosystem services in a Changing Climate
Publishing year
2014
Language
English
Pages
750-759
Publication/Series
Journal of Vegetation Science
Volume
25
Issue
3
Links
Document type
Journal article
Publisher
International Association of Vegetation Science
Topic
- Physical Geography
- Ecology
Keywords
- Biodiversity loss
- Community-weighted mean
- Functional trait diversity
- Grazing management
- Land use
- Landscape history
- Species pool
Status
Published
ISBN/ISSN/Other
- ISSN: 1654-1103