Abstract
Background: Land-use effects on grassland flora are difficult to predict due to poor understanding of species losses caused by transformation.Objectives: To determine changes in species diversity and composition by comparing transformed with untransformed grassland.Methods: Floristics of paired plots were sampled within 18 transformed sites (representing agricultural and urban land-uses) and neighbouring untransformed grassland.Results: Endemic and threatened species were negatively affected by transformation, particularly species with belowground bud-banks and storage organs. Species composition, with clear shifts in dominant families, was changed by over 90% on average by transformation.Conclusion: Land-use transformation leads to the loss of native species and increased alien invasive species.
Highlights
This book represents the pinnacle of research outputs by author William Bond and strongly reflects his long standing passion for non-forested, open ecosystems ecology
The author’s extensive knowledge of and interest in fire as key driver of vegetation dynamics features across all sections related to fundamental questions of where, why and for how long open ecosystems occur side-by-side with closed forest ecosystems
Open ecosystems (OEs), in the context of this book, refer to all grasslands, savannas and shrublands globally, which occur in climates that are warm and wet enough to support closed forest ecosystems, and yet they are not forests, and certainly do not represent anthropogenically induced degraded forests
Summary
This book represents the pinnacle of research outputs by author William Bond and strongly reflects his long standing passion for non-forested, open ecosystems ecology. The content of the book challenges long-held concepts in ecology, biogeography and paleoecology, but with remarkable scientific evidence and support across the global extent of open ecosystems.
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