Abstract
We present the results of a study on the behaviour of alpine ecosystems after the abandon of farming practices. The work has been carried out in Gastein Valley (Austria), the High Tauern National Park (Austria) and the Mt. Bondone (Italy). In the three places different phases of plant succession have been studied, and several ecologic parameters, such as the energy budget, the carbon budget, the canopy structure and many interactions between organisms were measured. Over 20 specialists have worked on the data gathering and analysis. Among the main observed results we can count the relative instability of abandoned plots; the diversity and the specific richness decrease; light becomes there a limiting factor because of the canopy growth; the degradation of litterfall becomes slower than in grazed plots; surface erosion and runoff decrease strongly, and so on. Commonly, the abandoned alpine pastures show a transition situation between the artificial equilibrium status kept by livestock and the natural equilibrium corresponding to climatic communities.
Highlights
ABSTRACT.- We present the results of a study on the behaviour of alpine ecosystems after the abandon of farming practices
The present paper aims at gaining further insights into the ecological impacts of changes in the agricultural management of alpine pastures and meadows by two different basic approaches: a landscape-ecological approach, including investigations of vegetation dynamics, soil properties and agricultural ecology on transects along different successional stages from intensively managed to abandoned areas; secondly, a comprehensive ecosystem analysis of selected successional stages
Important ecological parameters, such as canopy structure, carbon budget and energy budget, competition for limiting factors, as well as interactions between plants, animals and microorganism were studied in detail
Summary
ABSTRACT.- We present the results of a study on the behaviour of alpine ecosystems after the abandon of farming practices. The work has been carried out in Gastein Valley (Austria), the High Tauern National Park (Austria) and the Mt. Bondone (Italy). In the three places different phases of plant succession have been studied, and several écologie parameters, such as the energy budget, the carbon budget, the canopy structure and many interactions between organisms were measured. Over 20 specialists have worked on the data gathering and analysis. Among the main observed results we can count the relative instability of abandoned plots; the diversity and the specific richness decrease; light becomes there a limiting factor because of the canopy growth; the degradation of litterfail becomes slower than in grazed plots; surface erosion and runoff decrease strongly, andsoon. The abandoned alpine pastures show a trasition situation between the artificial equilibrium status kept by livestock and the natural equilibrium corresponding to climatic communities
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