Seasonal fluctuations in butterflies and nectar resources in a semi-natural grassland near Mt. Fuji, central Japan

We investigated seasonal fluctuation patterns in species and individuals of adult butterflies and flowering plants providing nectar in a semi-natural grassland in central Japan. We considered their interrelationships and implications for conservation. The semi-natural grassland included different vegetation structures and management regimes, including: (1) firebreaks where the grass was mowed and removed, (2) plantation areas that were mowed, (3) unpaved roads with mowed banks, (4) abandoned grassland, (5) scattered scrub forest, and (6) the surrounding forest. The sites with management (e.g., firebreaks), plantations and banks of the unpaved road sustained a larger number of butterflies and flowers than sites without management, such as the abandoned grassland, scrub forest and surrounding forest. The number of butterflies increased in the firebreak in June and at all sites in August and September. The firebreak sustained flowers in the spring, and the plantation area and banks of the unpaved road sustained flowers primarily in August and September, which was correlated with the distribution of butterflies. The different treatments such as mowing or mowing with removal of grass induced different numbers of flowers of each species affecting the habitat of adult butterflies through a season. On the other hand, the shrub tree species composing the scrub forest were host plants for the larvae of certain butterfly species. Our results suggest that heterogeneous environments with different human management or different vegetation structure or both could support habitat for various butterfly species, depending on the season and the seral stage.     

Grassland butterfly communities of the Western Siberian forest steppe in the light of post-Soviet land abandonment

Land-use change and homogenization of the landscape are severe threats to butterfly diversity. The break-up of the Soviet Union in 1991 led to land abandonment on very large scales. This study aims at assessing the impact of the ongoing abandonment of traditionally managed grasslands and subsequent vegetation succession on butterflies in Western Siberia, a species-rich area with butterfly communities similar to those of Central and Eastern European grasslands. 20 mown and 20 abandoned grasslands were surveyed using Distance Sampling methods in summer 2015. We recorded 997 individuals from 44 species, pooled over two sampling events. An indicator species analysis and detrended correspondence analysis revealed that communities likely underwent changes in species composition during succession, and that habitat specialization decreased. In contrast to previous studies we found no evidence of early stages of abandonment being more species-rich than mown meadows. On unmanaged grasslands litter cover and litter depth were significantly higher than on mown grasslands. Half of the abandoned sites were riparian meadows. The dynamics and ecological characteristics of the floodplain had a stronger influence on community composition than land use. This study shows that structural heterogeneity and lepidopteran diversity of the vast, but understudied, Western Siberian grasslands are driven by mechanic and natural disturbance. Conservation should aim at responding to trends of abandonment and actively maintaining a mosaic with grasslands of different successional stages.     

Successful restoration of abandoned terraced vineyards and grasslands in Southern Switzerland

Extensively managed semi-natural grasslands represent species-rich habitats and therefore play a key role for the maintenance of biodiversity in agricultural areas. In marginal and poorly accessible areas, the traditional management of grassland is frequently abandoned, which leads to the spread of forest. In Southern Switzerland, terraced vineyards (a special grassland type) and terraced grasslands are part of the cultural heritage and local biodiversity hotspots. Yet, many of them are overgrown by forest. In the past years, several abandoned terraced vineyards and grasslands have been restored by removing the forest, rebuilding the walls and re-introducing the traditional management. We examined restoration success by assessing plant species richness, diversity and species composition in both the aboveground vegetation and soil seed bank in (1) restored, (2) abandoned for 25–50 years, and (3) permanently used areas of six terraced vineyards and six terraced grasslands. Plant species richness and diversity were reduced and species composition altered in the aboveground vegetation of abandoned vineyards and grasslands compared to the permanently used and restored ones. However, species richness, Shannon-diversity and species composition of the aboveground vegetation did not differ between restored and permanently used areas, indicating a successful restoration of the vegetation 10–15 years after restoration. In abandoned vineyards, species richness of plants emerging from the soil seed bank was slightly higher than in permanently used and restored vineyards. No difference in seedling species richness was found between abandoned, permanently used and restored terraced grasslands. Our results showed that the soil seed bank played a minor role for the re-establishment of the above-ground vegetation. We assume that the large species pool in the surroundings and the presence of dispersal vectors are essential for the successful passive restoration of abandoned grassland in this region.     

Long‐term effects of the abandonment of grazing on steppe‐like grasslands

Question: What are the consequences of grazing abandonment on the Stipa lessingiana dominated steppe‐like grasslands? What is the relative importance of management and environmental factors in causing variation in species composition and abundance in the continuously grazed and abandoned grassland stands? Location: Transylvanian Lowland, Romania. Methods: Repeated vegetation mapping of a grassland stand, where grazing was abandoned 35 years ago; re‐sampling six grassland stands surveyed 29–57 years ago. For revealing long‐term changes in species composition and rank abundance PCoA ordination was applied. The relative importance of management and environmental factors in structuring vegetation were explored by CCA ordination. Diversity, evenness and the relative number and abundance of red‐listed species were compared between managed and abandoned stands. Results: Our results pointed out that grasslands which were formerly grazed and dominated by S. lessingiana, in the long‐term absence of grazing, have been transformed into a S. pulcherrima dominated type. Management, probably by creating bare surfaces and preventing litter accumulation, had the strongest effect on the species composition and abundance in the grasslands. Abandoned grassland stands had lower diversity and evenness compared to continuously grazed stands. While at the same time, the relative number of threatened, rare species did not differ between managed and abandoned sites. Conclusion: Maintaining extensively grazed, as well as un‐managed, Stipa dominated grasslands would be important in order to create various habitat conditions for plant species, especially threatened and rare species, and promote diversity on the landscape scale.     

Langfristige Auswirkungen ehemaliger Bewirtschaftungsvarianten auf die Diversit?t von Blütenpflanzen, Moosen und Flechten eines Kalkmagerrasens

Jeschke M., Kiehl K., Pfadenhauer J. and Gigon A. 2008. Long-term effects of former management on the diversity of vascular plants, mosses and lichens in a calcareous grassland. Bot. Helv. 118: 95 – 109. Long-term effects of grassland management on the species richness of vascular plants, mosses and lichens were studied in a calcareous grassland near Schaffhausen (Switzerland). Experimental plots were treated for 22 years (1977 – 1999) with different mowing regimes, annual burning in late winter, or abandonment. From 2000 onwards, all plots were mown annually in autumn. Five years later (2004), we studied the after-effects of the previous treatments by recording the cover of vascular plants, mosses and lichens in nested plots with sizes from 0.01 m² to 16 m². Vascular plant species richness as well as the number of species characteristic for calcareous grasslands were significantly lower in formerly abandoned or burnt plots than in regularly mown plots, with larger differences on small subplots. There was no significant effect of the previous mowing time (July vs. October) or mowing frequency (annual or every two years) on vascular plants. Mosses and lichens had been eliminated by annual burning between 1977 and 1999, and only few moss species re-colonized the formerly burnt plots until 2004. The species richness of mosses did not differ between formerly abandoned and mown plots, but there were more mesophytic and fewer xerophytic species in the formerly abandoned plots. Mesophytic mosses were also more abundant in plots that used to be mown every second year than in those mown annually. Our data indicate that even after five years of similar management, i.e. annual mowing in autumn, the previous long-term management had strong after-effects on species richness and species composition of calcareous grasslands. Electronic supplementary material  The online version of this article (doi:) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users. Eingereicht am 19. M?rz 2008, Angenommen am 30. August 2008, Redaktion: Sabine Güsewell     

西藏河谷地区人工种草的投入产出比较分析

分析了西藏河谷地区六种草地的经济投入、产出和生态系统服务价值,模拟了投入增加下村落草地利用结构的改变与经济、生态产出的响应。结果表明:草地恢复管理中,围栏草地成本最低,为67元/hm~2,是一年生人工刈割草地的0.9%。围栏等草地恢复管理的经济产出为772元/hm~2,其中补贴收入占14.6%,另85.4%来自打工收入;而多年生人工放牧和一年生人工刈割草地的经济产出为4250元/hm~2与13135元/hm~2。相比经济产出,不同草地管理方式下生态系统服务价值差距有限,最大仅为27%。草地投入增加下,天然放牧草地转变为围栏草地及一年生人工刈割草地,并最终保持约1∶1的面积比。合理配置围栏草地与一年生人工刈割草地,可以实现区域较大的经济收入增长和生态系统服务的保障。     

Effects of creation of open vegetation in abandoned terraced paddy fields on carabid beetle assemblages in temperate Japan

Many paddy fields in the mountainous rural areas of Japan have been abandoned since the 1960s, and forests have regenerated on these sites. In a mountainous area on Sado Island, a large number of abandoned paddies were converted into wetlands and open terrestrial vegetation. In this study, we used pitfall traps to examine the effects of the creation of open vegetation on carabid beetle assemblages by investigating 14 sites spanning five vegetation types: six sites in secondary forests (three coppice forests and three 40‐year‐old regenerating forests on abandoned paddies), three each in clear‐cuts and paddy levees, and two in grasslands. The 14 study sites were clearly separated into two groups different in the species composition of carabid beetles: secondary forest and grassland‐levee groups. The species composition of two clear‐cut sites was similar to that of secondary forests, whereas that of the remaining one clear‐cut site was similar to that of grasslands. Analyses of species responses showed various habitat preferences, e.g., for only coppice forests, for two types of secondary forests, for secondary forests and clear‐cuts, for clear‐cuts and grasslands, and for grasslands or levees, or no clear preference. There were no characteristic species in the regenerating forests. These results suggest that the 40‐year‐old regenerating forests may sustain only a limited subset of the carabid fauna found in coppice forests and that the creation of open vegetation in the abandoned paddies enhances carabid diversity at the landscape level by raising β diversity among the different vegetation types.     

Can grassland plant communities be preserved on road and railway verges?

Abstract. Semi‐natural grasslands are a threatened biotope type in many countries. Typical grassland plant species are adapted to continuous grazing or mowing that keeps the environment open. With the decline in grassland area, these species are ever more reliant on alternative habitats such as road verges. To find out whether plant communities comparable to those of semi‐natural grasslands can be maintained on modern road and railway sides, the vegetation of 92 grasslands and 90 road and railway verges was studied. These biotope types were compared with each other according to their community structure, total number of species, number of grassland species and restricted‐range diversity. Further study of the vegetation of road and railway verges was carried out in order to identify the treatments and environments which are most likely to support diverse plant communities. The species number and the restricted‐range diversity proved to be higher next to roads and railways than on grasslands. Grassland species were, however, most abundant on grasslands. Furthermore, the community structure of these biotope types was totally divergent. In their present state, road and railway verges are not a substitute for semi‐natural grasslands. Nevertheless, the occurrence of grassland species in verges may be enhanced by a suitable mowing regime, by giving up the use of de‐icing salt and herbicides and by allowing natural establishment of vegetation on the verges.     

Chronosequential change in a butterfly community after clear-cutting of deciduous forests in a cool temperate region of central Japan

Transect counts of butterflies were conducted in the northern part of Ibaraki, central Japan, from 1997 to 2001 at 11 census sites, composed of successive stages of deciduous forest development: grassland (one site, early abandoned stage); cutover land (one site, 1–5 years after clear‐cutting); secondary forests (very young (two sites, 6–9 years), middle (two sites, 16–22 years) and old (two sites, 47–51 years)) and old‐growth natural forests (three sites, ≥124 years old). A total of 86 species and 8858 individual butterflies were recorded by 29 sets (406 times) of transect counts. The species richness (number of species), abundance (number of individuals) and diversity indices (Shannon–Wiener H′ and Simpson's 1–λ) of butterflies were high in the early stages (grassland, cutover land and very young secondary forests) of secondary succession. Typical natural forest species increased with the progress of succession, and the old secondary forests and old‐growth natural forests had similar species composition. In contrast, most of the typical natural grassland species were recorded only in the grassland site. In the cutover land site, the number of individuals of grassland species considerably decreased from the first to the second year; furthermore, only one typical natural grassland species was recorded. Thus, the suitable stage for grassland butterfly species lasts for only 1–2 years after clear‐cutting. Old secondary forests (approximately>50 years old) would be able to give refuge to the forest butterfly species, including typical natural forest species. Based on the results, a practical, forestry‐based plan to conserve butterfly diversity was proposed.     

How can we preserve and restore species richness of pollinating insects on agricultural land?

During recent decades, concern about the loss of biodiversity on agricultural land has increased, and semi‐natural grasslands have been highlighted as critical habitats. Temperate European agricultural landscapes require distinct and appropriate management to prevent further impoverishment of the flora and fauna. This is especially urgent for pollinating insects that provide important ecosystem services. Our aim was to examine how species richness of three important groups of pollinating insects; solitary bees, butterflies and burnet moths are related to different farm characteristics, and if there are any differences between these three groups. A further aim was to test if red‐listed species are related to any farm characteristics. Species richness of solitary bees, butterflies and burnets was measured on all semi‐natural grasslands at 16 farms in a forest‐dominated area of 50 km² in southern Sweden, using systematic transect walks in April to September 2003 (only butterflies and burnets) and 2005. Species richness of solitary bees and butterflies was intercorrelated, both before and after controlling for the area of semi‐natural grassland. Species richness of solitary bees increased with the area of semi‐natural grassland. After controlling for the effect of the area of semi‐natural grassland species richness was strongly positively related with the density of the plant Knautia arvensis and negatively related with the proportion of grazed grassland. The results were similar for solitary bees and butterflies. The number of red‐listed solitary bees was positively related to the proportion of meadows with late harvest (after mid‐July) and decreased with increased farm isolation. The number of burnet species (all red‐listed) was positively related to vegetation height, flower density and the proportion of meadows with late harvest on a farm. Areas with a high density of K. arvensis and with traditional hay‐meadow with late harvest present, harbour most species. Promoting traditional hay‐meadows, late extensive grazing and the herb K. arvensis, people managing agricultural biodiversity can encompass high species richness of pollinating insects and support red‐listed species. Further, we suggest that the density of K. arvensis at a farm can be used as a biodiversity indicator, at least for pollinating insects.     

Passive restoration contributes to bird conservation in Brazilian Pampa grasslands

The global decline of biodiversity makes it important to find affordable ways to conserve and restore habitats. Restoration is useful for conserving native grasslands, with passive restoration defined as either natural colonization or unassisted recovery. Grasslands in southeastern South America have been transformed into croplands and impacted by other human activities. We describe the first assessment of passive restoration as a management tool to conserve birds in the Pampa grasslands of Brazil. We compared bird species richness using coverage‐based rarefaction and extrapolation, applying PERMANOVA for composition, and the abundance of bird communities between sites undergoing passive restoration (PR) and sites with native grasslands (NG). We employed fitted generalized linear mixed models (GLMM) to quantify relationships between bird occurrence and vegetation structure and cover. We recorded 61 species of birds during our study (45 in PR and 46 in NG) and 762 individuals (333 in PR and 429 in NG). Of these species, 15 were restricted to PR and 16 to NG. Grassland specialists and threatened species were found in both PR and NG, and only vegetation height differed between PR and NG. We detected eight species of conservation concern, including three recorded only in PR, three only in NG, and two in both PR and NG. The absence of marked differences in species richness and composition of bird communities between passive‐restoration and native grasslands in our study suggests that grasslands in the process of passive restoration can provide habitat for many species of grassland birds and that passive restoration is an appropriate management tool for biodiversity conservation in Brazilian grasslands.     

Effect of tall-grass invasion on the flowering-related functional pattern of submediterranean hay-meadows

Several studies demonstrated that abandonment changes the functional composition of grasslands; nevertheless, little is known about the effects of grassland abandonment on the flowering-related functional pattern. We hypothesized that invasion by tall grasses affects this pattern. We counted the number of flowering shoots per species at five times during the growing season, in 80 plots placed in mown and in abandoned grasslands (central Apennines), and assessed the differences in the trait composition of flowering species between the two treatments. The selected traits were linked to resource acquisition and stress tolerance strategies. Our results indicated that abiotic environmental control is prevalent in determining the phenological pattern in both conditions and in accordance with the phenological “mid-domain hypothesis”. We demonstrated that when the dominant species is a tall grass with competitive behaviour, the magnitude of this phenomenon is amplified due to the abiotic changes yielded by the tall grass invasion. Indeed, in the central and late phases of the growing season (when invasive tall grasses are growing and blooming), abandoned grasslands were marked by a set of traits devoted to stress tolerance or underlying a long reproductive cycle or linked to competition for light.     

How do management and restoration needs of mountain grasslands depend on moisture regime? Experimental study from north‐western Slovakia (Western Carpathians)

Question: How does species composition change in traditionally managed meadows after mowing has ceased, and in abandoned meadows after re‐introduction of mowing? Are there differences in the dynamics of dry and moderately wet meadows? Location: Zázrivá‐Ple?ivá (19°11′N, 49°16′E), north‐western Slovakia, western Carpathians. Methods: Pairs of experimental plots (mown and unmown) were established to replicate each combination of dry/wet and traditionally managed/abandoned meadows. Changes in species composition were studied over 5 years. The data on changes in species composition was analysed by constrained and unconstrained ordinations, and visualized using Principal Response Curves. Results: Species composition of newly abandoned wet grasslands was changing towards the corresponding long‐abandoned plots even in the first year of abandonment. Similarly, newly established restoration mowing in abandoned dry grasslands rapidly shifted the stand species composition towards that of traditionally managed ones. Nevertheless, 4 year after reintroduction of mowing, the species composition of the restored plots was still far from the target composition. The effect of mowing in abandoned wet grasslands and abandonment in dry grasslands was much less pronounced and slower. Conclusions: Moisture regime is a very important factor determining the management needs of various grassland types. Wet grasslands are much more sensitive to abandonment, with a rapid degradation rate and limited possibilities for restoration, which can be extremely slow. Even in the dry grasslands, that quickly responded to restoration mowing, restoration is a long‐term process.     

Grassland restoration after afforestation: No direction home?

The coastal grasslands in north‐eastern South Africa are a severely threatened vegetation type rich in plant species, particularly forbs. Many of the forbs have underground storage organs which allow them to resprout rapidly after fires. A significant portion of this land was placed under commercial pine afforestation in the 1950s. The pine plantations have since been removed starting 17 years ago and restored to grasslands within a conservation area. We assessed the effects of plantations on grassland plant diversity and functional trait composition by sampling 64 circular quadrats of 5 m radius distributed equally in restored versus natural grasslands. The difference in plant diversity was dramatic with the natural grassland supporting 221 species of which 163 were forbs compared with 144 and only 73 forb species in restored grasslands. Major differences in species composition were recorded, especially for forb species. Natural grasslands were dominated by resprouters (130 species) but these were rare in the restored grasslands (36 species). Differences in plant species response to fire were also evident for the two grassland states. In contrast to coastal forest restoration studies in the same area which have shown near linear increases in woody species with time, restored grasslands showed no increase in forb species richness with increasing time since clear‐felling of pines. Our results indicate that current methods for restoring these grasslands are inadequate and that restoring grasslands may be a lot harder than previously thought. Considerable effort should be made in conserving what is left of natural grasslands.     

Success of active restoration in grasslands: a case study of birds in southern Brazil

Grasslands in southeastern South America have been extensively converted to various land uses such as agriculture, threatening regional biodiversity. Active restoration has been viewed as a management alternative for recovery of degraded areas worldwide, although most studies are conducted in forests and none has evaluated the effect of active restoration of grasslands in southeastern South America. From 2015 through 2017 we monitored a federally owned tract of grassland from the beginning of the active‐restoration process. We compared the bird community in this active‐restoration area (AR) with a reference area (NG) in Pampa grasslands in southern Brazil. We sampled birds by point counts and surveyed vegetation structure in plots. Over the 3 years of active restoration, bird species richness and abundance were higher in AR (30 species, 171 individuals) than NG (22 species, 154 individuals). The species composition also differed between the two habitats. Grassland bird species were present in both AR and NG. The vegetation structure differed between AR and NG in five attributes: height, short and tall grasses, herbs, and shrubs. Since it has been found that active restoration is useful in promoting species diversity, we encourage studies of the use of long‐term restoration efforts. Our study, even on a local scale, showed a rapid recovery of the bird community in the active‐restoration compared to native grassland, and suggests the potential for recovery of the degraded grasslands of the Brazilian Pampa biome.     

Vegetation monitoring in a 100-year-old calcareous grassland reserve in Germany

Calcareous grasslands harbor specialized species and are cultural relics. Therefore, they are prime habitates for conservation and restoration, but negative effects of inappropriate management, eutrophication and fragmentation continue to exist. These effects also influence grasslands which serve as target for restoration. Unfortunately, monitoring of long-term vegetation dynamics in calcareous grassland is rare. Here, we studied such changes over 35 years in the nature reserve ‘Garchinger Heide’, which is well known for its high abundance of rare species. Furthermore, it has been managed for conservation for more than 100 years. Therefore, species composition, total species richness, numbers of habitat specialists, red-list species and the proportion of graminoids were examined in 42 plots with frequency recording (1984–2018), and in 40 plots based on vegetation relevés (2003–2018). Ellenberg indicator values, specific leaf area, seed mass, and canopy height were analysed to detect patterns in trait response to environmental change. Within 35 years there were considerable vegetation dynamics. Specialist plants of calcareous grassland and red list species decreased, and insect-pollinated species declined in contrast to wind-pollinated species. Ellenberg N as well as graminoid abundance, canopy height, seed mass, and multi-trait functional dispersion increased, while specific leaf area showed no such change. Our results suggest that environmental change like deposition of atmospheric nitrogen, management regime, pollinator decline or isolation could be correlated with vegetation dynamics, while these correlations would need experimental confirmation. The grassland management certainly helped achieving several conservation goals, although it was not able to stop a decrease of rare species. The results show that also in nature reserves with long-term conservation management monitoring is essential to detect vegetation dynamics and to adjust the management to these changes.     

Problems, Approaches, and Results in Restoration of Dutch Calcareous Grassland During the Last 30 Years

This paper is based on research of the restoration of species‐rich calcareous grasslands in The Netherlands, over the last 30 years. Chalk grassland is a semi‐natural vegetation with a high density of species at a small scale. This type of vegetation was once widespread in Western Europe as common grazing land, mainly for flocks of sheep for which the main function was dung production. In some regions of Central Europe, these grasslands were also used for hay production. The dung was used to maintain arable field production at a reasonable level. In the chalk district in the southernmost part of The Netherlands some 25 sites of this vegetation, varying in area from 0.05–4.5 ha, are still present. Chalk grassland completely lost its significance for modern agricultural production after the wide application of artificial fertilizer following World War II. This grassland has a high conservation value both for plants and animal species, of which a large number of species are exclusively restricted to this biotope. When conservation activities started at a large scale in the early 1960s, three different types of restoration activities could be distinguished: (1) restoration of fertilized sites; (2) restoration of abandoned grasslands; and (3) recreation of chalk grassland on former arable fields. The main aim of the restoration attempt is to create and/or improve sustainable conditions for both plant and animal species characteristic of the chalk grassland ecosystem. In the process of restoration, several phases of different activities can be distinguished: (1) pre‐restoration phase, during which information of the land use history is collected and, based on these data, clear restoration goals are established; (2) initial restoration phase, during which effects of former, non‐conservational land use has to be undone in order to stimulate germination and establishment of target species originating from soil seed bank and species pool; (3) consolidation phase, including the introduction and continuation of a regular management system for sustainable conservation; and (4) long‐term conservation strategy, including measures to prevent disturbance from the outside and genetic erosion and extinction of locally endangered plant populations.     

Effects of different fencing regimes on community structure of degraded desert grasslands on Mu Us desert,China

Grazing is one of the major anthropogenic driving factors influencing community structure and ecological function of grasslands. Fencing has been proved to be one of the main measures for rehabilitating degraded grasslands in northwestern China. However, data from combined empirical studies on the effects of different management regimes in desert grasslands are lacking. So we selected long‐term fencing (fenced since 1991), mid‐term fencing and seasonal fencing (fenced since 2002), and adjacent free‐grazing grasslands to investigate vegetation and soil properties on southwest Mu Us desert. Our results showed that fencing increased plant cover, height, aboveground biomass (AGB) of different plant life‐form groups, Shannon–Wiener diversity index, Evenness index, Simpson index, total soil nitrogen, total soil phosphorus, and soil organic matter, but decreased plant density, species richness, Richness index, soil bulk density, water content, and pH. However, 22–24 years of long‐term complete fencing might cause redegradation of vegetation and soil nutrients, characterized by the reduction of some vegetation properties, biodiversity, total AGB, and some soil properties. Seasonal fencing with 11–13 year was more beneficial to vegetation restoration than that with completely fencing measures. Our study suggests that appropriate artificial disturbances, such as seasonal fencing (winter grazing and summer fencing), should be used after long‐term fencing in order to maintain grassland productivity and biodiversity. These findings will help to provide theoretical support for vegetation restoration and sustainable management in grassland under grazing prohibition at Mu Us desert.     

Effects of restoration with cattle grazing on plant species composition and richness of semi-natural grasslands

Restoration of semi-natural grasslands by cattle grazing is among the most practical options for reversing the decline of northern European floristic diversity, but no studies on this subject are available. In this work the success of restoration of abandoned, privately owned mesic semi-natural grasslands by farmers receiving support from the EU agri-environmental support scheme was studied in southwestern Finland. Three kinds of grasslands were compared: old (continuously cattle grazed), new (cattle grazing restarted 3–8 years ago) and abandoned pastures (grazing terminated >10 years ago). Plant species composition of the three pasture types was floristically different in multivariate analyses (non-metric multidimensional scaling). Total species richness, richness of grassland plants, indicator plants and rare plants were highest in old and lowest in abandoned pastures in all studied spatial scales (0.25–0.8 ha, 1 and 0.01 m²). The results were congruent with different scales and species list definitions, suggesting that species density scale (1 m²) can be used as a partial surrogate for large scale species richness. Species richness of new pastures was 20% higher on 0.25–0.8 ha, 40–50% higher on 1 m² and 30% higher on the 0.01 m² scale compared to abandoned grasslands. Rare species showed insignificant response to resumed grazing. Despite problems in management quality, this study showed promising results of restoration of abandoned grasslands by cattle grazing on private farms. However, populations of several rare grassland plants may not recover with present cattle grazing regimes. Management regulations in the agri-environmental support scheme need to be defined more precisely for successful restoration.     

Relationships between vegetation and bird community composition in grasslands of the Serengeti

The Serengeti–Mara ecosystem holds one of the largest natural grasslands of the world, which is well known for its large herds of mammals. However, the bird community structure of these grasslands has hardly ever been studied. For the first time, a large‐scale study on grassland bird communities has been conducted in all typical open grasslands of the Serengeti National Park. We used ten grassland plots representing a gradient of increasing vegetation height and also including shrubs and trees to analyse the influence of vegetation structure on the composition of grassland bird communities. Three communities of breeding birds were identified in relation to (a) short grass, (b) intermediate and long grass and (c) wooded grasslands. The bird communities of intermediate, long and wooded grassland were very similar, because of identical dominant bird species. Our results suggest that breeding birds of East African grasslands exhibit two contrasting habitat relationships: (1) birds that are restricted to short grass, and (2) species that are tolerant to vegetational shifts from intermediate grass via long grass to early stages of woody vegetation. Because the vegetation is often driven beyond this range in managed tropical grasslands through high grazing pressure or through shrub encroachment, we expect that the long‐grass bird communities will not generally resist anthropogenic disturbance.