Are population sizes of Campanula glomerata on the decline following the abandonment of traditional land‐use practices?

Abstract

AbstractIn Central Germany, many species are known to decline due to the abandonment of traditional land use practices, among them Campanula glomerata . Within the scope of a population viability analysis for this species we monitored the development of several population size parameters such as total number of stems, number of flowering stems, population density and the area occupied by a population, all in landscapes defined by traditional land use practices as well as in landscapes where land use has been halted. However, over a time span of three years we did not detect any constant tendency for decreasing sizes of populations of C. glomerata on disused land compared to those on traditionally used land. Populations in used and abandoned landscapes were characterized by a high variability and fluctuation of size, and did not differ in any of the size parameters we determined. Further studies should include the monitoring of the age state structure of populations as important to facilitate a meaningful comparison of C. glomerata populations in abandoned and traditionally used landscapes. (© 2006 WILEY‐VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)