Diversity of the Western Carpathian flysch grasslands: Do extremely species-rich plant communities coincide with a high diversity of snails?

Upland fringes of the White Carpathians (Czech Republic) are known to support grasslands with the world’s highest local plant species richness. We investigated whether this unusually high plant richness has a parallel in snail communities, whether patterns of species composition of snail and plant communities in grasslands co-vary and how they are affected by local environment and landscape history. We compared plant and snail communities of dry to mesic grasslands in three neigh bouring regions: (1) hilly lowland of the Central Moravian Carpathians, (2) upland fringes and (3) upland of the White Carpathians. Both snail and plant communities exhibited a strong gradient in species composition associated with altitude, annual temperature and precipitation, soil calcium and pH. However, there was no correlation between local species richness of plants and snails in individual plots. The upland fringes of the White Carpathians were richest in snail species, probably due to intermediate environmental conditions, supporting the occurrence of species with contrasting environmental requirements. The highest local numbers of plant species were also recorded there, although differences among regions were not significant. The regional species richness of plants was also highest in the upland fringes, whereas that of snails was highest in the hilly lowland. Similarities in the diversity patterns of plants and snails among regions suggest the importance of regional factors for local richness, although local abiotic factors, which are partly correlated with the three regions, also influence local species composition and richness.     

Intensified grazing affects endemic plant and gastropod diversity in alpine grasslands of the Southern Carpathian mountains (Romania)

Alpine grasslands in the Southern Carpathian Mts, Romania, harbour an extraordinarily high diversity of plants and invertebrates, including Carpathic endemics. In the past decades, intensive sheep grazing has caused a dramatic decrease in biodiversity and even led to eroded soils at many places in the Carpathians. Because of limited food resources, sheep are increasingly forced to graze on steep slopes, which were formerly not grazed by livestock and are considered as local biodiversity hotspots. We examined species richness, abundance and number of endemic vascular plants and terrestrial gastropods on steep slopes that were either grazed by sheep or ungrazed by livestock in two areas of the Southern Carpathians. On calcareous soils in the Bucegi Mts, a total of 177 vascular plant and 19 gastropod species were recorded. Twelve plant species (6.8%) and three gastropod species (15.8%) were endemic to the Carpathians. Grazed sites had lower plant and gastropod species richness than ungrazed sites. Furthermore, grazed sites harboured fewer gastropod species endemic to the Carpathians than ungrazed sites. On acid soils in the Fagaras Mts, a total of 96 vascular plant and nine gastropod species were found. In this mountain area, however, grazed and ungrazed sites did not differ in species richness, abundance and number of endemic plant and gastropod species. Our findings confirm the high biodiversity of grasslands on steep slopes in the Southern Carpathian Mts and caution against increasing grazing pressure in these refuges for relic plants and gastropods as well as for other invertebrates.     

Merging of <Emphasis Type="Italic">Pedicularis exaltata</Emphasis> and <Emphasis Type="Italic">P. hacquetii</Emphasis> in the Carpathians: from local history to regional phylogeography based on complex evidence

The disjunct occurrence of Pedicularis exaltata in the White Carpathians (Czech Republic), isolated by more than 500 km from the nearest populations in the Eastern Carpathians, has been considered one of the mysteries of the Western Carpathian flora. We used molecular methods (AFLP, ITS and cpDNA sequencing) to reconstruct a possible scenario of the evolution of P. exaltata and its closely related congener P. hacquetii and to evaluate their differentiation. We paid particular attention to the origin of the isolated population in the White Carpathians. We also analysed the vegetation composition at the sampling sites to characterize the habitat preferences of the Pedicularis species and compare different sites. The pattern of molecular variability does not support a species boundary between P. exaltata and P. hacquetii. These assumed species should be merged into one bearing the name Pedicularis hacquetii following the priority rule, as also proposed by several early morphology-based taxonomic studies. The cpDNA variability pattern supports an evolutionary scenario involving a distribution centre (refugium) in the Eastern Carpathians from which the species expanded to the more westerly parts of its extant geographical range. Low population differentiation in AFLPs, high gene diversity and high DW index in isolated populations indicate that this expansion was contiguous rather than based on long-distance dispersal. Under such a scenario, the White Carpathian population is considered one of isolated relict populations scattered throughout the Carpathians and the East European Plain. A complete phylogeographic reconstruction of P. hacquetii s.l., however, requires ancient DNA analysis of herbarium specimens of nowadays extinct populations of the East European Plain. Extant habitats of P. hacquetii s.l. consist of species-rich dry-mesic to mesic (sub)montane grasslands and subalpine tall-herb growths, which may be relics of vegetation widespread in the late Glacial/early Holocene, when the contiguous expansion of the species possibly proceeded. The analysis of species with high fidelity to P. hacquetii s.l. throughout its range indicated that middle altitudes of south-western White Carpathians belong to the regions most suitable for the taxon within the Czech Republic and Slovakia. We found no support for the late introduction/long-distance dispersal scenarios and consider the relic survival scenario most parsimonious for the White Carpathians.     

Size and heterogeneity rather than landscape context determine plant species richness in semi‐natural grasslands

Question: Is plant diversity in fragmented semi‐natural grasslands related to present and historical landscape context? Location: Southern Sweden. Methods: Plant diversity was described at 30 semi‐natural grassland sites in terms of total and specialist plant species richness at the site and species density at different scales (0.5–10 m²). These measures are commonly used to assess conservation value of semi‐natural grasslands. Landscape context was measured as contemporary connectivity to other semi‐natural grasslands, historical connectivity 50 years ago, amount of linear elements potentially suitable for dispersal (road verges, power line clearings), and amount of forest (inverse of the openness of the landscape). Results: The diversity measures were generally correlated with each other, implying that species richness in a subset of the grassland can predict the total richness. Plant species density at three scales (0.5 m², 10 m² and total) was related to the landscape context using an information theoretic approach. Results showed that total species richness increased with increased size of grasslands, contrary to earlier diversity studies in semi‐natural grasslands. Larger grasslands were more heterogeneous than smaller grasslands, and this is a likely reason for the species‐area relationship. Heterogeneity was also of high importance at the smaller scales (0.5 m², 10 m²). With increased amount of forest, total species richness increased but species density on 10 m² decreased. There was no influence of connectivity in either the contemporary or the historical landscape, contrary to previous studies. Conclusions: Grassland size and heterogeneity are of greater importance for plant diversity in semi‐natural grassland, than grassland connectivity in the landscape.     

Long-lasting Imprint of Former Glassworks on Vegetation Pattern in an Extremely Species-rich Grassland: A Battle of Species Pools on Mesic Soils

Increasing evidence suggests that past human activities have irreversibly changed soil properties and biodiversity patterns. In the White Carpathian Mts (Central-Eastern Europe), a mosaic of hyper-species-rich and species-rich patches have developed in a regularly mown dry grassland in the area of a glassworks abandoned in the eighteenth century. We tested whether and how anthropogenically changed soils affected the distribution of extraordinary species richness. Using magnetometry we detected former furnaces, workspace, waste deposit and unaffected surrounding grasslands and compared their vegetation and environmental conditions. Archaeological features, especially furnaces and waste deposits, showed a higher pH, higher soil concentrations of exchangeable phosphorus, manganese, lead and calcium, and higher productivity. Surrounding grassland showed higher iron and sodium concentrations in the soil, higher N:P ratio in the biomass and higher species richness. Moisture was uniformly lower in soils on archaeological features, where non-trivially a more ‘mesic’ vegetation in terms of European habitat classification occurred. Plant compositional variation was best explained by water-extractable phosphorus. Because nutrient-richer patches were not moister as common elsewhere, and because species richness was only poorly accounted for by productivity, the occurrence of a species-poor ‘mesic’ vegetation on archaeological features was evidently caused by a long-lasting phosphorus oversupply which favours a comparatively small species pool of rather recently arriving species. On the contrary, surrounding phosphorus-poorer grasslands still contain the ancient species pool whose extraordinary size determines the exceptional species richness of grasslands in the study region. Its maintenance or restoration demands a persistent phosphorus deficiency.     

After the hotspots are gone: Land use history and grassland plant species diversity in a strongly transformed agricultural landscape

Question: We asked how landscape configuration and present management influence plant species richness and abundance of habitat specialists in grasslands in a ‘modern’(much exploited and transformed) agricultural Swedish landscape. Location: Selaön, south‐eastern Sweden (59°24’ N, 17°10’ E). Methods: Present and past (150 and 50 years ago) landscape pattern was analysed in a 25 km² area. Species richness was investigated in 63 different grassland patches; grazed and abandoned semi‐natural grasslands, and grazed ex‐arable fields. Influence of landscape variables; area, past and present grassland connectivity, present management on total species richness, density and abundance of 25 grassland specialists was analysed. Results: Semi‐natural grasslands (permanent unfertilised pastures or meadows formed by traditional agricultural methods) had declined from 60% 150 years ago to 5% today. There was a significant decline in species richness and density in abandoned semi‐natural grasslands. Total species richness was influenced by present management, size and connectivity to present and past grassland pattern. Landscape variables did not influence species density in grazed semi‐natural grassland suggesting that maintained grazing management makes grassland patches independent of landscape context. The abundance of 16 grassland specialists was mainly influenced by management and to some extent also by landscape variables. Conclusion: Although species richness pattern reflect management and to some extent landscape variables, the response of individual species may be idiosyncratic. The historical signal from past landscapes is weak on present‐day species richness in highly transformed, agricultural landscapes. Generalizations of historical legacies on species diversity in grasslands should consider also highly transformed landscapes and not only landscapes with a high amount of diversity hotspots left.     

Floristic diversity patterns in the White Carpathians biosphere reserve,Czech Republic

The flora of the White Carpathians, a mountain range in the south-east of the Czech Republic, is documented by about 485,000 records of vascular plant occurrences collected since the mid-19^th century. A total of 1299 species recorded in 93 grid cells of 2.8 × 3.1 km were used for an analysis of spatial patterns of floristic diversity in the White Carpathians. Multivariate statistical techniques such as ordination and classification were used to reveal the main gradients in floristic composition and species richness, and measured environmental data and Ellenberg indicator values were used to assess underlying environmental factors. There is a striking floristic contrast between the western and eastern part of the study area, which is associated with differences in climate, mean altitude, topographic heterogeneity measured as altitudinal range, and land use. The western part is characterised by thermophilous, continental and calcicolous species of open habitats. In contrast, the more forested eastern part along the state border with Slovakia and the north-eastern part of the area are characterised by acidophilous species with higher moisture requirements. This pattern is consistent with the established phytogeographical division of the Czech Republic into the phytogeographical regions of Thermophyticum and Mesophyticum. The further division of the area into four regions, based on classified grid data, is also similar to the current division into phytogeographical districts, except for the Javorníky district. There are two distinct hot spots of species richness, in the western and the extreme north-eastern part. A poorer flora was found in landscapes with intensive agriculture. Species richness is associated with different environmental factors than species composition, namely with soil types and land-use categories. Alien species are more common in areas with a higher incidence of arable land and built-up areas, and less common in areas dominated by grasslands and forests.     

Bird assemblages in fragmented agricultural landscapes: the role of small brigalow remnants and adjoining land uses

Agricultural intensification typically leads to changes in bird diversity and community composition, with fewer species and foraging guilds present in more intensively managed parts of the landscape. In this study, we compare bird communities in small (2–32 ha) brigalow (Acacia harpophylla) remnants with those in adjacent uncultivated grassland, previously cultivated grassland and current cropland, to determine the contribution of different land uses to bird diversity in the agricultural landscape. Twenty remnant brigalow patches and adjacent agricultural (‘matrix’) areas in southern inland Queensland, Australia were sampled for bird composition and habitat characteristics. The richness, abundance and diversity of birds were all significantly higher in brigalow remnants than in the adjacent matrix of cropping and grassland. Within the matrix, species richness and diversity were higher in uncultivated grasslands than in current cultivation or previously cultivated grasslands. Forty-four percent of bird species were recorded only in brigalow remnants and 78% of species were recorded in brigalow and at least one other land management category. Despite high levels of landscape fragmentation and modification, small patches of remnant brigalow vegetation provide important habitat for a unique and diverse assemblage of native birds. The less intensively managed components of the agricultural matrix also support diverse bird assemblages and thus, may be important for local and regional biodiversity conservation.     

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.     

Species Richness, Community Specialization and Soil-Vegetation Relationships of Managed Grasslands in a Geologically Heterogeneous Landscape

The increasing importance of the conservation value of managed grasslands has led to many studies exploring edaphic determinants of grassland biodiversity. Most studies, however, come either from very large areas, where biogeographical factors such as dispersal limitation may play a role, or from small, but ecologically rather uniform, regions. In addition, few studies further distinguish between plant specialists and generalists in the interpretation of the observed patterns. Here we studied species richness in semi-natural, managed grasslands in the Strá?ovské vrchy Mountains in the West Carpathians, Slovakia, where there is a matrix of different bedrocks (crystalline, sandstone, claystone, limestone) on a steep altitudinal gradient. In 89 vegetation plots we sampled the species composition of vascular plants and bryophytes and measured soil chemistry, slope angle, heat index, altitude and soil depth. We further applied Ellenberg indicator values and classified species into community specialists or generalists based on the analysis of a large phytosociological database. Using cluster analysis, we delimited five vegetation types that clearly differed in response to soil characteristics. Species richness varied between 19 and 64 species per 16?m². The main compositional gradient correlated with measured soil pH and calcium, but species richness was not significantly correlated with these factors. Soil available phosphorus was not associated with species composition as has been found elsewhere, but it did correlate negatively with species richness and the richness of specialists. Overall, species richness was largely driven by the number of specialists in the plot and particular vegetation types differed conspicuously in their number. We further found significant effects of iron, potassium and sodium on species richness, species composition and the representation of specialists and generalists. Our results provide new insights into the determinants of diversity in managed grasslands as well as to the theoretical species pool concept, explaining species richness variation along a pH gradient.     

Low-Intensity Agricultural Landscapes in Transylvania Support High Butterfly Diversity: Implications for Conservation

European farmland biodiversity is declining due to land use changes towards agricultural intensification or abandonment. Some Eastern European farming systems have sustained traditional forms of use, resulting in high levels of biodiversity. However, global markets and international policies now imply rapid and major changes to these systems. To effectively protect farmland biodiversity, understanding landscape features which underpin species diversity is crucial. Focusing on butterflies, we addressed this question for a cultural-historic landscape in Southern Transylvania, Romania. Following a natural experiment, we randomly selected 120 survey sites in farmland, 60 each in grassland and arable land. We surveyed butterfly species richness and abundance by walking transects with four repeats in summer 2012. We analysed species composition using Detrended Correspondence Analysis. We modelled species richness, richness of functional groups, and abundance of selected species in response to topography, woody vegetation cover and heterogeneity at three spatial scales, using generalised linear mixed effects models. Species composition widely overlapped in grassland and arable land. Composition changed along gradients of heterogeneity at local and context scales, and of woody vegetation cover at context and landscape scales. The effect of local heterogeneity on species richness was positive in arable land, but negative in grassland. Plant species richness, and structural and topographic conditions at multiple scales explained species richness, richness of functional groups and species abundances. Our study revealed high conservation value of both grassland and arable land in low-intensity Eastern European farmland. Besides grassland, also heterogeneous arable land provides important habitat for butterflies. While butterfly diversity in arable land benefits from heterogeneity by small-scale structures, grasslands should be protected from fragmentation to provide sufficiently large areas for butterflies. These findings have important implications for EU agricultural and conservation policy. Most importantly, conservation management needs to consider entire landscapes, and implement appropriate measures at multiple spatial scales.     

Grazing, Environmental Heterogeneity, and Alien Plant Invasions in Temperate Pampa Grasslands

Temperate humid grasslands are known to be particularly vulnerable to invasion by alien plant species when grazed by domestic livestock. The Flooding Pampa grasslands in eastern Argentina represent a well-documented case of a regional flora that has been extensively modified by anthropogenic disturbances and massive invasions over recent centuries. Here, we synthesise evidence from region-wide vegetation surveys and long-term exclosure experiments in the Flooding Pampa to examine the response of exotic and native plant richness to environmental heterogeneity, and to evaluate grazing effects on species composition and diversity at landscape and local community scales. Total plant richness showed a unimodal distribution along a composite stress/fertility gradient ranging several plant community types. On average, more exotic species occurred in intermediate fertility habitats that also contained the highest richness of resident native plants. Exotic plant richness was thus positively correlated with native species richness across a broad range of flood-prone grasslands. The notion that native plant diversity decreases invasibility was supported only for a limited range of species-rich communities in habitats where soil salinity stress and flooding were unimportant. We found that grazing promoted exotic plant invasions and generally enhanced community richness, whereas it reduced the compositional and functional heterogeneity of vegetation at the landscape scale. Hence, grazing effects on plant heterogeneity were scale-dependent. In addition, our results show that environmental fluctuations and physical disturbances such as large floods in the pampas may constrain, rather than encourage, exotic species in grazed grasslands.     

Woody elements benefit bird diversity to a larger extent than semi-natural grasslands in cereal-dominated landscapes

Increasing landscape complexity can mitigate negative effects of agricultural intensification on biodiversity by offering resources complementary to those provided in arable fields. In particular, grazed semi-natural grasslands and woody elements support farmland birds, but little is known about their relative effects on bird diversity and community composition. In addition, the relative importance of local habitat versus landscape composition remains unclear. We investigated how the presence of semi-natural grasslands, the number of woody elements and the composition of the wider agricultural landscape affect bird species richness, true diversity (exponential Shannon diversity) and species composition. Bird communities were surveyed four times on 16 paired transects of 250 m each with 8 transects placed between a crop field and a semi-natural grassland and 8 transects between two crop fields with no semi-natural grasslands in the vicinity. The number of woody elements around transects was selected as an important predictor in all models, having a positive effect on species richness and true diversity, while the local presence of semi-natural grasslands was not selected in the best models. However, species richness and true diversity increased with increasing cover of ley and semi-natural grasslands, whereas species composition was modified by the coverage of winter wheat at the landscape scale. Furthermore, bird species richness, true diversity and species composition differed between sampling dates. As bird diversity benefited from woody elements, rather than from the local presence of semi-natural grasslands as such, it is important to maintain woody structures in farmland. However, the positive effect of grassland at the landscape scale highlights the importance of habitat variability at multiple scales. Because species richness and true diversity were affected by different landscape components compared to species composition, a mosaic of land-use types is needed to achieve multiple conservation goals across agricultural landscapes.     

Complex vegetation responses to soil disturbances in mountain grassland

We studied vegetation responses to disturbances originated by ants and voles in subalpine grasslands in the Eastern Pyrenees. We compared the effects of these small-scale disturbances with those of a large-scale disturbance caused by ploughing. We wanted to know if these soil disturbances promoted species richness through the existence of a specific guild of plants colonizing these areas, and if this guild was the same for all soil disturbances, independently of their extent. In general, grassland vegetation seemed to recover relatively quickly from soil-displacement disturbances, and the effects could be scaled up in time and space in terms of species richness and composition. Vole mound composition was similar to that in the surrounding grassland, suggesting that mounds were rapidly colonized by the neighbouring vegetation. Vegetation composition differed between the grassland and the ant mounds. Grasses and erect dicots coped well with repeated disturbance, while rosette-forming species and sedges were very sensitive to it. Landscape processes could be important to understanding recolonization. Species from xeric grasslands were found in mesic grasslands when disturbed by ploughing and on the tops of active ant mounds. Furrows in mesic grasslands recovered well, but decades after disturbance showed long persistence of some xeric species and increased species richness compared to terraces, while xeric grasslands showed decreased richness. This suggests that, because of those disturbances, within-habitat diversity was increased, although landscape diversity was not. However, specific disturbances showed idiosyncratic effects, which could enhance the species richness globally. In ant-affected areas, the grassland itself showed the highest plant species richness, partially associated to the presence of some species with elaiosomes not, or only rarely, found in adjacent grasslands without ant mounds. Therefore, soil disturbances occurring at different spatial scales contributed to complexity in vegetation patterns in addition to abiotic factors and grazing. Electronic supplementary material  The online version of this article (doi:) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users. Nomenclature of the species follows Tutin et al. (1964–1980) and Bolòs et al. (1993).     

The European ground squirrel increases diversity and structural complexity of grasslands in the Western Carpathians

Disturbances are important natural factors affecting biological diversity, community composition, and ecosystem structure. The European ground squirrel is a semi-fossorial organism, and through disturbances caused by burrowing activities, it can play an important role as an ecosystem engineer of grasslands in central and south-eastern Europe. The aim of this study was to assess the response of grassland vegetation to disturbances by the European ground squirrel. We conducted a pairwise survey within a 1-ha study site with homogenous environmental conditions. We compared the vegetation characteristics of 2?×?2-m plots placed on 30 mounds, with paired control plots situated at a distance of 10 m from each mound. The results showed that plots disturbed by the European ground squirrel achieved a higher species richness and diversity and a distinct species composition compared to the undisturbed control plots. Vertical structure of vegetation was also significantly different with a higher proportion of the high and medium vegetation layers on the mounds. Shifts in the composition of plant life forms and life strategies were reflected by the reduction of graminoids and plant competitors, and support of forbs on the mounds. These findings suggest that the European ground squirrel helps to maintain heterogeneity in grassland ecosystems and creates patches of higher diversity and higher structural complexity in the relatively homogenous grassland vegetation of the Western Carpathians.     

Impact of Land-Use Intensity and Productivity on Bryophyte Diversity in Agricultural Grasslands

While bryophytes greatly contribute to plant diversity of semi-natural grasslands, little is known about the relationships between land-use intensity, productivity, and bryophyte diversity in these habitats. We recorded vascular plant and bryophyte vegetation in 85 agricultural used grasslands in two regions in northern and central Germany and gathered information on land-use intensity. To assess grassland productivity, we harvested aboveground vascular plant biomass and analyzed nutrient concentrations of N, P, K, Ca and Mg. Further we calculated mean Ellenberg indicator values of vascular plant vegetation. We tested for effects of land-use intensity and productivity on total bryophyte species richness and on the species richness of acrocarpous (small & erect) and pleurocarpous (creeping, including liverworts) growth forms separately. Bryophyte species were found in almost all studied grasslands, but species richness differed considerably between study regions in northern Germany (2.8 species per 16 m²) and central Germany (6.4 species per 16 m²) due environmental differences as well as land-use history. Increased fertilizer application, coinciding with high mowing frequency, reduced bryophyte species richness significantly. Accordingly, productivity estimates such as plant biomass and nitrogen concentration were strongly negatively related to bryophyte species richness, although productivity decreased only pleurocarpous species. Ellenberg indicator values for nutrients proved to be useful indicators of species richness and productivity. In conclusion, bryophyte composition was strongly dependent on productivity, with smaller bryophytes that were likely negatively affected by greater competition for light. Intensive land-use, however, can also indirectly decrease bryophyte species richness by promoting grassland productivity. Thus, increasing productivity is likely to cause a loss of bryophyte species and a decrease in species diversity.     

The role of linear mown firebreaks in conserving butterfly diversity: Effects of adjacent vegetation and management

Semi‐natural grasslands are vital for maintaining grassland butterflies in Japan, as well as in Europe. However, severe decline in these grassland environments has recently attracted attention to linear grasslands, such as firebreaks and power‐line corridors, as alternative habitats for grassland insects. We surveyed butterflies in an abandoned grassland and nearby linear mown firebreaks adjacent to different vegetation at the northern foot of Mt. Fuji, central Japan, over 5 successive years, particularly focusing on species on the 2012 Japanese Red List of Threatened Species (“red‐list” species). We found that the firebreaks were consistently higher in species richness and abundance of butterflies than the long‐term abandoned grassland, and that species composition differed among the firebreaks depending on conditions of the adjacent vegetation. The firebreaks surrounded by forests were mainly utilized by forest and edge species, whereas the firebreaks adjacent to the grassland were essential for conserving red‐list grassland species. Thus, only the mown firebreaks adjacent to the grassland were regarded as a high‐quality alternative habitat for many grassland butterflies, but the area was limited. Therefore, creating heterogeneity in the abandoned grassland by infrequent mowing could help conserve grassland butterflies, including red‐list species.     

Landscape composition and habitat area affects butterfly species richness in semi-natural grasslands

During the last 50 years, the distribution and abundance of many European butterfly species associated with semi-natural grasslands have declined. This may be the result of deteriorating habitat quality, but habitat loss, resulting in decreasing area and increasing isolation of remaining habitat, is also predicted to result in reduced species richness. To investigate the effects of habitat loss on species richness, we surveyed butterflies in semi-natural grasslands of similar quality and structure, but situated in landscapes of different habitat composition. Using spatially explicit habitat data, we selected one large (6–10 ha) and one small (0.5–2 ha) grassland site (pasture) in each of 24 non-overlapping 28.2 km² landscapes belonging to three categories differing in the proportion of the area that consisted of semi-natural grasslands. After controlling for local habitat quality, species richness was higher in grassland sites situated in landscapes consisting of a high proportion of grasslands. Species richness was also higher in larger grassland sites, and this effect was more pronounced for sedentary than for mobile species. However, the number of species for a given area did not differ between large and small grasslands. There was also a significant relationship between butterfly species richness and habitat quality in the form of vegetation height and abundance of flowers. In contrast, butterfly density was not related to landscape composition or grassland size. When species respond differently to habitat area or landscape composition this leads to effects on community structure, and nestedness analysis showed that depauperate communities were subsets of richer ones. Both grassland area and landscape composition may have contributed to this pattern, implying that small habitat fragments and landscapes with low proportions of habitat are both likely to mainly contain common generalist species. Based on these results, conservation efforts should aim at preserving landscapes with high proportions of the focal habitat.     

Large‐Scale Restoration of Dry Grasslands on Ex‐Arable Land Using a Regional Seed Mixture: Establishment of Target Species

Large‐scale (circa 500 ha) restoration of species‐rich dry grasslands was conducted using a high‐diversity regional seed mixture in the White Carpathians Protected Landscape Area and Biosphere Reserve, Czech Republic, Central Europe. After sowing, the restored grasslands were regularly mown. Vegetation was analyzed at sites restored 1–12 years ago and compared with that of ancient, extremely species‐rich grasslands nearby. Nearly all (98%) sown target species successfully established and nearly half of unsown target species established spontaneously, partly dependent on distance to the ancient grasslands. Early mowing in the first half of June appeared to support species diversity and broad‐leaved forbs at the expense of competitive grasses. Using a regional seed mixture appeared to be an effective way of restoring dry grasslands and is especially recommended in the proximity of still existing ancient grasslands where spontaneous establishment of unsown target species may reinforce the success of restoration more easily.     

Diversity patterns in sandy forest-steppes: a comparative study from the western and central Palaearctic

The Palearctic forest-steppe biome is a narrow vegetation zone between the temperate forest and steppe biomes, which provides important habitats for many endangered species and represents an important hotspot of biodiversity. Although the number of studies on forest–grassland mosaics is increasing, information currently available about the general compositional and structural patterns of Eurasian forest-steppes is scarce. Our study aimed to compare the habitat structure, species composition and diversity patterns of two distant sandy forest-steppes of Eurasia. We compared 72 relevés made in the main habitat components (forest, forest edge and grassland) of sandy forest-steppes in three Hungarian and three Kazakh sites. The size of the plots was 25 m². Species number, Shannon diversity and species evenness values were calculated for each plot. Fidelity calculations and linear mixed effects models were used for the analyses. We found that the vegetation and diversity patterns of the two forest-steppes are similar and their components play important roles in maintaining landscape-scale diversity. Despite the higher species richness in Hungary, Shannon diversity was higher in Kazakhstan. The deciduous forest edges of both areas had significantly higher species richness than the neighbouring habitats (forests and grasslands); therefore they can be considered local biodiversity hotspots. Due to the special characteristics of this vegetation complex, we emphasize the high conservation value of all landscape components as a coherent system throughout the entire range of the Eurasian forest-steppe biome.