Abstract
Global changes in land use are threatening the diversity of many ecosystems on both the intra- and interspecific levels. Among these ecosystems are the species-rich hay meadows, which have drastically declined in quality and quantity, due to land use intensification or abandonment in recent decades. The remaining genetic resources of their plant species must therefore be protected. To determine the driving forces impacting genetic variation in common hay meadow species (Dactylis glomerata, Heracleum sphondylium, andTrifolium pratense), we used data on the land use history, historic and present landscape structure and habitat quality. Our results showed average genetic diversity within the study sites, with low differentiation levels and a high gene flow among grasslands. Land use history, landscape structure and habitat quality were found to be related to the distribution of genetic diversity in the studied species, highlighting the complex forces acting in these ecosystems and showing the specific impact of litter accumulation on genetic diversity. Both historic and current environmental variables influence genetic diversity, demonstrating the importance of the land use history of a habitat. The most important group of variables impacting genetic variation in all three species was the landscape structure (e.g., distance to the nearest-located urban area or grassland). Also important was the influence of litter cover on genetic diversity inD. glomerata, which provides an interesting starting point for further research.
Highlights
Current global developments in land use are having detrimental effects on many ecosystems and are a threat to genetic variation
D. glomerata, H. sphondylium, and T. pratense showed moderate levels of genetic diversity within the range observed for species with similar life history traits (Reisch and BernhardtRömermann, 2014) comparable to those reported by other studies (Kölliker et al, 2003; Last et al, 2014)
We found land use history to be associated with genetic diversity in D. glomerata
Summary
Current global developments in land use are having detrimental effects on many ecosystems and are a threat to genetic variation. Through land use intensification and abandonment these habitats are facing an ongoing decline in quality and quantity on the species as well as the genetic level (Poschlod et al, 2005; Hejcman et al, 2013). Among these species-rich habitats are the oat-grass meadows, a type of lowland hay meadow of anthropogenic origin. After the invention and application of mineral fertilizers in the Twentieth century, these meadows were often transformed into intensively managed grasslands with up to seven cuttings per year (Poschlod et al, 2009; Kapfer, 2010), which has drastically reduced the species diversity of these meadows (Gaujour et al, 2012) and potentially decreased genetic diversity in the species present (Kölliker et al, 1998)
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