Mitigating the greenhouse gas balance of ruminant production systems through carbon sequestration in grasslands

Soil carbon sequestration (enhanced sinks) is the mechanism responsible for most of the greenhouse gas (GHG) mitigation potential in the agriculture sector. Carbon sequestration in grasslands can be determined directly by measuring changes in soil organic carbon (SOC) stocks and indirectly by measuring the net balance of C fluxes. A literature search shows that grassland C sequestration reaches on average 5 ± 30 g C/m2 per year according to inventories of SOC stocks and -231 and 77 g C/m2 per year for drained organic and mineral soils, respectively, according to C flux balance. Off-site C sequestration occurs whenever more manure C is produced by than returned to a grassland plot. The sum of on- and off-site C sequestration reaches 129, 98 and 71 g C/m2 per year for grazed, cut and mixed European grasslands on mineral soils, respectively, however with high uncertainty. A range of management practices reduce C losses and increase C sequestration: (i) avoiding soil tillage and the conversion of grasslands to arable use, (ii) moderately intensifying nutrient-poor permanent grasslands, (iii) using light grazing instead of heavy grazing, (iv) increasing the duration of grass leys; (v) converting grass leys to grass-legume mixtures or to permanent grasslands. With nine European sites, direct emissions of N2O from soil and of CH4 from enteric fermentation at grazing, expressed in CO2 equivalents, compensated 10% and 34% of the on-site grassland C sequestration, respectively. Digestion inside the barn of the harvested herbage leads to further emissions of CH4 and N2O by the production systems, which were estimated at 130 g CO2 equivalents/m2 per year. The net balance of on- and off-site C sequestration, CH4 and N2O emissions reached 38 g CO2 equivalents/m2 per year, indicating a non-significant net sink activity. This net balance was, however, negative for intensively managed cut sites indicating a source to the atmosphere. In conclusion, this review confirms that grassland C sequestration has a strong potential to partly mitigate the GHG balance of ruminant production systems. However, as soil C sequestration is both reversible and vulnerable to disturbance, biodiversity loss and climate change, CH4 and N2O emissions from the livestock sector need to be reduced and current SOC stocks preserved.     

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

3种常见草原草本植物的再生能力随土地利用强度的变异 在人工管理的草原上，植物种群受到放牧、刈割和施肥的强烈选择。以往的许多研究表明，这可能会导致性状平均值的进化性变化，但是人们对响应土地利用的表型可塑性的进化了解甚少。在本研究中，我们旨在阐明表型可塑性(特别是在生物量去除后的再生能力)与草原管理强度本身及其时间变化水平之间的关系。我们通过野外同质园实验，检测了来自高强度刈割和放牧地点的植物是否在生物量去除后有更强的再生能力。我们选用了源自欧洲温带草原的3种常见的植物物种，其种子材料来自沿土地利用强度梯度的58–68个种群，对应的土地利用方式由粗放式管理(仅有轻度的放牧)过渡到非常集约式管理(多达每年4次收割)。研究结果表明，3个物种当中的两种在刈割后的再生能力存在显著的种群差异。虽然再生能力的变异与种群原生地的平均土地利用强度无关，但是我们发现长叶车前(Plantago lanceolata)的再生能力与土地利用强度的时间变化相关。在过去11年中，经历了较小环境条件变化的植物在刈割之后有较强的生殖生物量再生能力。因此，尽管平均的放牧和刈割强度可能不会对再生能力造成选择，但是土地利用所导致的环境异质性的时间稳定性可能会造成某些物种再生能力的进化。     

内蒙古天然与放牧草原温室气体排放研究

采用静态箱-气相色谱法测定内蒙古典型草原温室气体排放。结果表明,四类天然草原吸收CH4、排放N2O和CO2各自有其相对固定的季节变化形式,四类草原和大气交换温室气体通量的变化形式基本一致,受年度气候变化所控制,而土壤、植被类型、降雨量等天然因素和放牧强度等人为因素仅影响排放强度。与天然羊草草原相比,自由放牧降低了羊草草原对CH4的吸收和N2O排放,增加了CO2的排放。     

干扰对典型草原生态系统土壤净呼吸特征的影响

由于土地利用格局的改变和人类干扰活动的加剧,草地生态系统CO2排放与固定的平衡、碳循环特征以及碳储量越来越受到人们的重视。尤其是定量区分土壤净呼吸与土壤总呼吸量之间的比例关系,以及定量描述草地生态系统碳循环过程等方面的研究尚不够完善。以河北沽源的典型草原为研究对象,测定了火烧、灌溉、施肥、刈割干扰下的天然草地土壤净呼吸变化动态及其与主要控制因素之间的关系。结果表明:不同处理土壤净呼吸均表现出明显的季节性变化规律,变化趋势基本一致。火烧、灌溉和刈割处理分别比对照的土壤净呼吸通量降低了28.93%、16.25%和36.82%。土壤温度、土壤湿度与土壤净呼吸通量呈指数相关(P0.01)。对地上生物量、地下生物量、土壤有机碳含量和土壤全氮含量与土壤净呼吸之间进行逐步回归分析表明,土壤有机碳含量(SC)和土壤全氮含量(SN)是土壤净呼吸通量的主要影响因素。     

Responses of grassland ecosystems to precipitation and land use along the Northeast China Transect

Abstracts. The Northeast China Transect (NECT) has been used to study how water availability influences the composition of plant functional types, soil organic matter, net primary production, trace gas flux, and land‐use patterns. We discuss relations of plant species number, soil C and N and above‐ground biomass with a precipitation gradient and interactions with land‐use practices (grassland fencing, mowing and grazing), on the basis of data from the west part of NECT. The results indicate: 1. The above‐ground biomass of grassland communities has a linear relationship with precipitation under three land‐use practices, while plant species number, soil C, and total soil N have linear relationships with precipitation under fencing and mowing; under grazing the relationships are non‐linear. 2. Plant species number, soil C and total soil N have strong linear relationships with above‐ground biomass under both fencing and mowing, while they seem to have nonlinear relationships under grazing. 3. Land‐use practices along the precipitation gradient result not only in changes in grassland communities but also in qualitative changes of their structure and function. 4. Grasslands are more vulnerable to changes in climate under mowing than under fencing, and are more capable to store C in soil and plants. 5. At a given precipitation level, number of plant species, above‐ground biomass, and soil C are higher under low to medium intensity of human activities (mowing and grazing). A better understanding of how different intensities of human activities will affect the structure and function of grassland will require further research.     

玉渡山水库生长季温室气体排放特征及其影响因素

为了探讨温带水库温室气体排放规律,采用静态箱-色谱分析法,研究了温带地区库龄10年内的北京玉渡山水库生长季3种温室气体CO2、CH4及N2O排放特征,及其影响因子。结果表明:样地类型、测定月份与样地类型交互作用对3种温室气体通量影响极显著,5月消落带CO2通量(664.31mg·m-2·h-1)达到最大,显著高于入库口和浅水区;8月消落带CH4通量(0.87mg·m-2·h-1)及N2O通量(3.05mg·m-2·h-1)最大;8月,切除消落带样地地上植物后,3种温室气体通量均有所降低。CO2通量与地下5cm地温、氧化还原电位和水体总氮显著正相关,与地上生物量和水体pH显著负相关;CH4通量与地表温度、地上生物量、水体pH呈显著相关,与水体总氮和水体铵态氮显著负相关;N2O通量与水体总氮含量显著相关,与水体pH显著负相关。采取平均估值法初步推测,在生长季,水库消落带、入库口及浅水区CO2排放量依次为15960、2160、-70kg·hm-2;CH4排放量依次20.04、-7.05、14.8kg·hm-2;N2O排放量依次83.42、3.79、-1.54kg·hm-2;表明消落带3种温室气体的排放量均较高,为玉渡山水库3种温室气体排放的重点区域。     

Bi-directional soil/atmosphere N2O exchange over two mown grassland systems with contrasting management practices

Nitrous oxide (N₂O) fluxes from soil under mown grassland were monitored using static chambers over three growing seasons in intensively and extensively managed systems in Central Switzerland. Emissions were largest following the application of mineral (NH₄NO₃) fertilizer, but there were also substantial emissions following cattle slurry application, after grass cuts and during the thawing of frozen soil. Continuous flux sampling, using automatic chambers, showed marked diurnal patterns in N₂O fluxes during emission peaks, with highest values in the afternoon. Net uptake fluxes of N₂O and subambient N₂O concentrations in soil open pore space were frequently measured on both fields. Flux integration over 2.5 years yields a cumulated emission of +4.7 kgN₂O‐N ha^?1 for the intensively managed field, equivalent to an average emission factor of 1.1%, and a small net sink activity of ?0.4 kg N₂O‐N ha^?1 for the unfertilized system. The data suggest the existence of a consumption mechanism for N₂O in dry, areated soil conditions, which cannot be explained by conventional anaerobic denitrification. The effect of fertilization on greenhouse gas budgets of grassland at the ecosystem level is discussed.     

Effects of soil moisture content and temperature on methane uptake by grasslands on sandy soils

Aerobic grasslands may consume significant amounts of atmospheric methane (CH4). We aimed (i) to assess the spatial and temporal variability of net CH4 fluxes from grasslands on aerobic sandy soils, and (ii) to explain the variability in net CH4 fluxes by differences in soil moisture content and temperature. Net CH4 fluxes were measured with vented closed flux chambers at two sites with low N input on sandy soils in the Netherlands: (i) Wolfheze, a heather grassland, and (ii) Bovenbuurtse Weilanden, a grassland which is mown twice a year. Spatial variability of net CH4 fluxes was analysed using geostatistics. In incubation experiments, the effects of soil moisture content and temperature on CH4 uptake capacity were assessed. Temporal variability of net CH4 fluxes at Wolfheze was related to differences in soil temperature (r2 of 0.57) and soil moisture content (r2 of 0.73). Atmospheric CH4 uptake was highest at high soil temperatures and intermediate soil moisture contents. Spatial variability of net CH4 fluxes was high, both at Wolfheze and at Bovenbuurtse Weilanden. Incubation experiments showed that, at soil moisture contents lower than 5% (w/w), CH4 uptake was completely inhibited, probably due to physiological water stress of methanotrophs. At soil moisture contents higher than 50% (w/w), CH4 uptake was greatly reduced, probably due to the slow down of diffusive CH4 and O2 transport in the soil, which may have resulted in reduced CH4 oxidation and possibly some CH4 production. Optimum soil moisture contents for CH4 uptake were in the range of 20 – 35% (w/w), as prevailing in the field. The sensitivity of CH4 uptake to soil moisture content may result in short-term variability of net atmospheric CH4 uptake in response to precipitation and evapotranspiration, as well as in long-term variability due to changing precipitation patterns as a result of climate change.     

三江平原生长季沼泽湿地CH4、N2O排放及其影响因素

 2003年6～9月采用静态箱_气相色谱法,对三江平原生长季不同淹水条件下沼泽湿地CH₄、N₂O的排放进行了同步对比研究,并探讨了影响气体排放的主要影响因素。结果表明, 生长季沼泽湿地CH₄和N₂O排放具有明显的时空变化特征。长期淹水的毛果苔草（Carex lasiocarpa）和漂筏苔草(Carex pseudocuraica)植物带CH₄的平均排放强度分别为259.2和273.6 mg•m^-2•d^-1,高于季节性淹水的小叶章(Deyeuxia angustifolia)植物带的排放强度(38.16 mg•m^-2•d^-1)（p<0.00 0 1）;而生长季N₂O的平均排放强度分别为0.969、0.932 和0.983 mg•m^-2•d^-1, 植物带间无显著差异（p=0.967）。相关分析表明,气温和5 cm深地温对沼泽湿地CH₄生长季排放通量的影响较大,而水位则是影响长期淹水沼泽N₂O排放通量的主要因素;不同类型湿地间CH₄平均排放强度的差异主要受水位的控制,而强烈的还原环境可能是导致不同类型湿地具有近似的N₂O排放强度的原因。     

Direct and indirect effects of land‐use intensification on ant communities in temperate grasslands

Land‐use intensification is a major driver of local species extinction and homogenization. Temperate grasslands, managed at low intensities over centuries harbored a high species diversity, which is increasingly threatened by the management intensification over the last decades. This includes key taxa like ants. However, the underlying mechanisms leading to a decrease in ant abundance and species richness as well as changes in functional community composition are not well understood. We sampled ants on 110 grassland plots in three regions in Germany. The sampled grasslands are used as meadows or pastures, being mown, grazed or fertilized at different intensities. We analyzed the effect of the different aspects of land use on ant species richness, functional trait spaces, and community composition by using a multimodel inference approach and structural equation models. Overall, we found 31 ant species belonging to 8 genera, mostly open habitat specialists. Ant species richness, functional trait space of communities, and abundance of nests decreased with increasing land‐use intensity. The land‐use practice most harmful to ants was mowing, followed by heavy grazing by cattle. Fertilization did not strongly affect ant species richness. Grazing by sheep increased the ant species richness. The effect of mowing differed between species and was strongly negative for Formica species while Myrmica and common Lasius species were less affected. Rare species occurred mainly in plots managed at low intensity. Our results show that mowing less often or later in the season would retain a higher ant species richness—similarly to most other grassland taxa. The transformation from (sheep) pastures to intensively managed meadows and especially mowing directly affects ants via the destruction of nests and indirectly via loss of grassland heterogeneity (reduced plant species richness) and increased soil moisture by shading of fast‐growing plant species.     

Nitrogen retention efficiency and nitrogen losses of a managed and phytodiverse temperate grassland

Maintaining nitrogen retention efficiency (NRE) is crucial in minimizing N losses when intensifying management of temperate grasslands. Our aim was to evaluate how grassland management practices and sward compositions affect NRE (1 − N losses/soil available N), defined as the efficiency with which soil available N is retained in an ecosystem. A three-factorial grassland management experiment was established with two fertilization treatments (without and combined N, phosphorus and potassium fertilization), two mowing frequencies (cut once and thrice per year) and three sward compositions (control, monocot- and dicot-enhanced swards). We measured N losses as leaching and nitrous oxide emissions, and soil available N as gross N mineralization rates. Fertilization increased N losses due to increased nitrification and decreased microbial N immobilization, and consequently decreased NRE. Intensive mowing partly dampened high N losses following fertilization. Sward compositions influenced NRE but not N losses: control swards that developed for decades under extensive management had the highest NRE, whereas monocot-enhanced sward had the lowest NRE. NRE was highly correlated with microbial NH₄⁺ immobilization and microbial biomass and only marginally correlated with plant N uptake, underlining the importance of microbial N retention in the soil-plant system. Microbial N retention is reflected in NRE but not in indices commonly used to reflect plant response. NRE was able to capture the effects of sward composition and fertilization whereas N losses were only sensitive to fertilization; thus, NRE is a better index when evaluating environmental sustainability of sward compositions and management practices of grasslands.     

Less is more! Rapid increase in plant species richness after reduced mowing in urban grasslands

Urban lawns provide space for recreation in cities, and they are an important part of urban green infrastructures. However, most lawns are intensively managed. As only few plant species can survive frequent mowing, urban lawns typically harbor only a limited number of plant species. To improve the biodiversity of urban lawns, it is often suggested to reduce the mowing frequency. Here, we studied the plant diversity of urban grasslands that have recently undergone management changes from mowing every few weeks to mowing only once or twice per season and compared them to intensively managed lawns. Within six years after the management changes, the grasslands with reduced mowing frequency hosted 30% more plant species than intensively managed lawns, and they were more heterogeneous both within and between grasslands. Additionally, the species composition of less frequently mown grasslands shifted from common mowing-tolerant lawn species to typical meadow species. Our study thus shows that the reduction of mowing is a simple and effective tool for increasing the biodiversity in urban grasslands.     

The greenhouse gas balance of European grasslands

The greenhouse gas (GHG) balance of European grasslands (EU‐28 plus Norway and Switzerland), including CO₂, CH₄ and N₂O, is estimated using the new process‐based biogeochemical model ORCHIDEE‐GM over the period 1961–2010. The model includes the following: (1) a mechanistic representation of the spatial distribution of management practice; (2) management intensity, going from intensively to extensively managed; (3) gridded simulation of the carbon balance at ecosystem and farm scale; and (4) gridded simulation of N₂O and CH₄ emissions by fertilized grassland soils and livestock. The external drivers of the model are changing animal numbers, nitrogen fertilization and deposition, land‐use change, and variable CO₂ and climate. The carbon balance of European grassland (NBP) is estimated to be a net sink of 15 ± 7 g C m^?2 year^?1 during 1961–2010, equivalent to a 50‐year continental cumulative soil carbon sequestration of 1.0 ± 0.4 Pg C. At the farm scale, which includes both ecosystem CO₂ fluxes and CO₂ emissions from the digestion of harvested forage, the net C balance is roughly halved, down to a small sink, or nearly neutral flux of 8 g C m^?2 year^?1. Adding CH₄ and N₂O emissions to net ecosystem exchange to define the ecosystem‐scale GHG balance, we found that grasslands remain a net GHG sink of 19 ± 10 g C‐CO₂ equiv. m^?2 year^?1, because the CO₂ sink offsets N₂O and grazing animal CH₄ emissions. However, when considering the farm scale, the GHG balance (NGB) becomes a net GHG source of ?50 g C‐CO₂ equiv. m^?2 year^?1. ORCHIDEE‐GM simulated an increase in European grassland NBP during the last five decades. This enhanced NBP reflects the combination of a positive trend of net primary production due to CO₂, climate and nitrogen fertilization and the diminishing requirement for grass forage due to the Europe‐wide reduction in livestock numbers.     

Measured and simulated nitrous oxide emissions from ryegrass- and ryegrass/white clover-based grasslands in a moist temperate climate

There is uncertainty about the potential reduction of soil nitrous oxide (N(2)O) emission when fertilizer nitrogen (FN) is partially or completely replaced by biological N fixation (BNF) in temperate grassland. The objectives of this study were to 1) investigate the changes in N(2)O emissions when BNF is used to replace FN in permanent grassland, and 2) evaluate the applicability of the process-based model DNDC to simulate N(2)O emissions from Irish grasslands. Three grazing treatments were: (i) ryegrass (Lolium perenne) grasslands receiving 226 kg FN ha(-1) yr(-1) (GG+FN), (ii) ryegrass/white clover (Trifolium repens) grasslands receiving 58 kg FN ha(-1) yr(-1) (GWC+FN) applied in spring, and (iii) ryegrass/white clover grasslands receiving no FN (GWC-FN). Two background treatments, un-grazed swards with ryegrass only (G-B) or ryegrass/white clover (WC-B), did not receive slurry or FN and the herbage was harvested by mowing. There was no significant difference in annual N(2)O emissions between G-B (2.38±0.12 kg N ha(-1) yr(-1) (mean±SE)) and WC-B (2.45±0.85 kg N ha(-1) yr(-1)), indicating that N(2)O emission due to BNF itself and clover residual decomposition from permanent ryegrass/clover grassland was negligible. N(2)O emissions were 7.82±1.67, 6.35±1.14 and 6.54±1.70 kg N ha(-1) yr(-1), respectively, from GG+FN, GWC+FN and GWC-FN. N(2)O fluxes simulated by DNDC agreed well with the measured values with significant correlation between simulated and measured daily fluxes for the three grazing treatments, but the simulation did not agree very well for the background treatments. DNDC overestimated annual emission by 61% for GG+FN, and underestimated by 45% for GWC-FN, but simulated very well for GWC+FN. Both the measured and simulated results supported that there was a clear reduction of N(2)O emissions when FN was replaced by BNF.     

Land use intensity,rather than plant species richness,affects the leaching risk of multiple nutrients from permanent grasslands

The intensification of land use constitutes one of the main drivers of global change and alters nutrient fluxes on all spatial scales, causing landscape‐level eutrophication and contamination of natural resources. Changes in soil nutrient concentrations are thus indicative for crucial environmental issues associated with intensive land use. We measured concentrations of NO₃–N, NH₄–N, P, K, Mg, and Ca using 1,326 ion‐exchange resin bags buried in 20 cm depth beneath the main root zone in 150 temperate grasslands. Nutrient concentrations were related to land use intensity, that is, fertilization, mowing, grazing intensities, and plant diversity by structural equation modeling. Furthermore, we assessed the response of soil nutrients to mechanical sward disturbance and subsequent reseeding, a common practice for grassland renewal. Land use intensity, especially fertilization, significantly increased the concentrations of NO₃–N, NH₄–N, K, P, and also Mg. Besides fertilization (and tightly correlated mowing) intensity, grazing strongly increased NO₃–N and K concentrations. Plant species richness decreased P and NO₃–N concentrations in soil when grassland productivity of the actual year was statistically taken into account, but not when long‐term averages of productivity were used. Thus, we assume that, in the actual study year, a distinct drought period might have caused the observed decoupling of productivity from fertilization and soil nutrients. Breaking up the grassland sward drastically increased NO₃–N concentrations (+146%) but reduced NH₄–N, P, and K concentrations, unbalancing soil nutrient stoichiometry and boosting the risk of N leaching. Reseeding the sward after disturbance did not have a short‐term effect on nutrient concentrations. We conclude that renewal of permanent grassland should be avoided as far as possible and future grassland management has to strongly rise the effectiveness of fertilization. Additionally, grassland management might have to increasingly taking care of periods of drought, in which nutrient additions might not increase plant growth but potentially only facilitate leaching.     

Extensive Management Promotes Plant and Microbial Nitrogen Retention in Temperate Grassland

Leaching losses of nitrogen (N) from soil and atmospheric N deposition have led to widespread changes in plant community and microbial community composition, but our knowledge of the factors that determine ecosystem N retention is limited. A common feature of extensively managed, species-rich grasslands is that they have fungal-dominated microbial communities, which might reduce soil N losses and increase ecosystem N retention, which is pivotal for pollution mitigation and sustainable food production. However, the mechanisms that underpin improved N retention in extensively managed, species-rich grasslands are unclear. We combined a landscape-scale field study and glasshouse experiment to test how grassland management affects plant and soil N retention. Specifically, we hypothesised that extensively managed, species-rich grasslands of high conservation value would have lower N loss and greater N retention than intensively managed, species-poor grasslands, and that this would be due to a greater immobilisation of N by a more fungal-dominated microbial community. In the field study, we found that extensively managed, species-rich grasslands had lower N leaching losses. Soil inorganic N availability decreased with increasing abundance of fungi relative to bacteria, although the best predictor of soil N leaching was the C/N ratio of aboveground plant biomass. In the associated glasshouse experiment we found that retention of added ¹⁵N was greater in extensively than in intensively managed grasslands, which was attributed to a combination of greater root uptake and microbial immobilisation of ¹⁵N in the former, and that microbial immobilisation increased with increasing biomass and abundance of fungi. These findings show that grassland management affects mechanisms of N retention in soil through changes in root and microbial uptake of N. Moreover, they support the notion that microbial communities might be the key to improved N retention through tightening linkages between plants and microbes and reducing N availability.     

Biosphere-atmosphere interactions of ammonia with grasslands: Experimental strategy and results from a new European initiative

A new study to address the biosphere-atmosphere exchange of ammonia (NH₃) with grasslands is applying a European transect to interpret NH₃ fluxes in relation to atmospheric conditions, grassland management and soil chemistry. Micrometeorological measurements using the aerodynamic gradient method (AGM) with continuous NH₃ detectors are supported by bioassays of the NH₃ `stomatal compensation point' (<sub>s</sub>). Relaxed eddy accumulation (REA) is also applied to enable flux measurements at one height; this is relevant to help address flux divergence due to gas-particle inter-conversion or the presence of local sources in a landscape.Continuous measurements that contrast intensively managed grasslands with semi-natural grasslands allow a scaling up from 15 min values to seasonal means. The measurements demonstrate the bi-directional nature of NH<sub>3</sub> fluxes, with typically daytime emission and small nocturnal deposition. They confirm the existence of enhanced NH<sub>3</sub> emissions (e.g. 30 g N ha<sup>–1</sup> d<sup>–1</sup>) following cutting of intensively managed swards. Further increased emissions follow fertilization with NH<sub>4</sub>NO<sub>3</sub> (typically 70 g N ha<sup>–1</sup> d<sup>–1</sup>). Measurements using REA support these patterns, but require a greater analytical precision than with the AGM.The results are being used to develop models of NH<sub>3</sub> exchange. `Canopy compensation point' resistance models reproduce bi-directional diurnal patterns, but currently lack a mechanistic basis to predict changes in relation to grassland phenology. An advance proposal here is the coupling of _s to dynamic models of grassland C–N cycling, and a relationship with modelled plant substrate-N is shown. Applications of the work include incorporation of the resistance models in NH₃ dispersion modelling and assessment of global change scenarios.     

Resilience of a high‐conservation‐value,semi‐arid grassland on fertile clay soils to burning,mowing and ploughing

In grassland reserves, managed disturbance is often necessary to maintain plant species diversity. We carried out experiments to determine the impact of fire, kangaroo grazing, mowing and disc ploughing on grassland species richness and composition in a nature reserve in semi‐arid eastern Australia. Vegetation response was influenced by winter–spring drought after establishment of the experiments, but moderate rainfall followed in late summer–autumn. Species composition varied greatly between sampling times, and the variability due to rainfall differences between seasons and years was greater than the effects of fire, kangaroo grazing, mowing or disc ploughing. In the fire experiment, species richness and composition recovered more rapidly after spring than autumn burning. Species richness and composition were similar to control sites within 12 months of burning and mowing, suggesting that removal of the dominant grass canopy is unnecessary to enhance plant diversity. Two fires (separated by 3 years) and post‐fire kangaroo grazing had only minor influence on species richness and composition. Even disc ploughing caused only a small reduction in native richness. The minor impact of ploughing was explained by the small areas that were ploughed, the once‐off nature of the treatment, and the high degree of natural movement and cracking in these shrink‐swell soils. Recovery of the composition and richness of these grasslands was rapid because of the high proportion of perennial species that resprout vegetatively after fire and mowing. There appears to be little conservation benefit from fire, mowing or ploughing ungrazed areas, as we could identify no native plant species dependent on frequent disturbance for persistence in this grassland community. However, the ability of the Astrebla‐ and Dichanthium‐dominated grasslands to recover quickly after disturbance, given favourable seasonal conditions, suggests that they are well adapted to natural disturbances (e.g. droughts, fire, flooding and native grazing).     

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.