Abstract
Management of semi-natural grasslands is essential to retain the characteristic diversity of flora and fauna found in these habitats. To maintain, restore or recreate favourable conditions for grassland species, knowledge regarding how they occur in relation to grazing intensity and soil nutrient availability is crucial. We focused on grassland plant species, i.e., species selected to indicate high natural values in semi-natural grasslands. Environmental monitoring data collected at 366 grassland sites in southern Sweden between 2006 and 2010 were used to relate the occurrence of indicator species to factors describing geographic location, local site conditions related to nutrients and moisture, and management. Site productivity, soil moisture and cover of trees and shrubs were the main structuring factors, while other factors related to management had a lesser effect (grass sward height, amount of litter, type of grazer). Not surprisingly, these patterns were also reflected in species-wise analyses of the 25 most commonly occurring indicator species, with almost all species negatively related to site productivity and most also to soil moisture. Furthermore, many species were negatively affected by increasing sward height and litter. In contrast, species-wise responses varied among species in relation to increasing cover of trees and shrubs. In comparison to cattle grazing, sheep grazing was detrimental to six species and beneficial to none, while horse grazing was detrimental to no species and beneficial to four species. When evaluating species traits, taller plant species were favoured when site productivity, grass sward height and the amount of grass litter were high. There were no strong patterns related to the flowering time, leaf arrangement, or nutrient and light requirements of species. These results highlight the importance of nutrient-poor and dry sites, e.g., when selecting sites for conservation, and the importance of the type of management executed.
Highlights
A history of traditional agricultural management in the form of grazing and mowing formed species-rich semi-natural grasslands in many parts of Europe from the Neolithic Age onwards (e.g., Eriksson et al 2002; Lindborg et al 2006; Poschlod et al 2009)
We considered how plant species— selected as indicators of species-rich grassland—occur in relation to inherent grassland site conditions: (1a) productivity using the Ellenberg N index (ENI) as a proxy and (1b) soil moisture using the Ellenberg M index (EMI) as a proxy
This corroborates previous reports based on observational data (Gilhaus et al 2017) and studies focusing on the effects of site productivity and soil moisture on grassland species in general and the occurrence of individual grassland species (e.g., Moeslund et al 2013; Talle et al 2015; Humbert et al 2016)
Summary
A history of traditional agricultural management in the form of grazing and mowing formed species-rich semi-natural grasslands in many parts of Europe from the Neolithic Age onwards (e.g., Eriksson et al 2002; Lindborg et al 2006; Poschlod et al 2009). Continued management is essential to preserve species-rich grasslands by preventing overgrowth of woody plants, and maintaining low-grown vegetation as well as edaphic conditions (Lennartsson 2000; Wahlman and Milberg 2002; Pykala 2003; Svensson and Carlsson 2005; Klimek et al 2007; Wallin and Svensson 2012; Komac et al 2014; Talle et al 2018). It is important to select the best management strategy to achieve biodiversity goals, e.g. the type of management (grazing, mowing, spring-burning; type of grazer), intensity of management (stocking density; mowing frequency), and timing of management (e.g., Milberg et al 2017, 2018; Talle et al 2014, 2015, 2016, 2018)
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Free) 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a call
