Abstract
Abandonment of agricultural land is currently one of the main land use changes in developed countries. This change has an impact at the economic level and from the point of view of conservation. Therefore, recovering these areas after abandonment is, in many cases, necessary for ecological restoration, especially as they can be invaded by exotic or dominant species, preventing recovery of the original plant species community. The objective of this study is to examine changes in plant species richness and composition after the application of different treatments to eliminate Amelichloa clandestina, a species that dominates pastures abandoned 12 years ago in an area located in northern Mexico. The area is a semi-desert grassland dominated by buffalo grass Bouteloua dactyloides. We used different eradication techniques such as burning, herbicides, and clipping. Although the treatments had significant effects on species richness and composition and resulted in a relative reduction of the target species, the abundance of Amelichloa clandestina was still substantial. Burning is effective, favoring the increase of species richness and provoking a lower presence of A. clandestine but with a dominance of annuals. The most important impact on the total cover of A. clandestina is shown by the herbicide treatment. However, monitoring of these areas will still be required to consider the long-term impact and success of treatments.
Highlights
Urbanization and the abandonment of agricultural land are currently among the main changes in land use in developed countries [1] and can lead to loss of diversity and cultural values [2,3]
We evaluated an area that after 12 years of agriculture abandonment has been completely dominated by Mexican needlegrass (Amelichloa clandestina), unpalatable for vertebrate grazers and native to northern Mexico
The lowest values of grass cover were in herbicide plots (20%), while the highest were in the control plots (76%)
Summary
Urbanization and the abandonment of agricultural land are currently among the main changes in land use in developed countries [1] and can lead to loss of diversity and cultural values [2,3]. A further increase in land abandonment is anticipated in the near future [4]. The cessation of extensive farming in the developing world has led to a substantial increase in dry grasslands and dwarf shrublands in marginal lands [5]. Such changes in vegetation patterns may be an indication of the onset of desertification in arid areas. The abandonment of traditional agricultural lands in some areas often leads to fields that require restoration. The restoration of these abandoned fields should be considered a requirement [8,9]
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