Temporal changes in the island flora at different scales in the archipelago of SW Finland

Abstract

AbstractQuestion: How have species richness and vegetation patterns changed in a group of islands in the northern Baltic Sea over a 58‐yr period of changing land use and increasing eutrophication?Location: A group of 116 islands, the Brunskär sub‐archipelago, in SW Finland.Methods: A complete survey of vascular plant species performed in 1947–1949 by Skult was repeated by our group using the same methodology in 2005–2007 (historical versus contemporary, respectively). DCAs were performed and total number of species, extinction–colonization rates, species frequency changes and mean Ellenberg indicator values for light, moisture and nitrogen and Eklund indicator values for dependence of human cultural influence were obtained for each island and relevé.Results: Species richness has declined on large islands and increased on small islands. The increase in number of species on small islands is driven by a strong increase in frequency of shore species, which in turn is induced by more productive shores. The decrease in species richness on large islands is related to overgrowth of open semi‐natural habitats after cessation of grazing and other agricultural practices.Conclusions: After the late 1940s, open habitats, which were created and maintained by cattle grazing and other traditional agricultural activities, have declined in favour of woody shrub and forest land. Shores have been stabilized and influenced by the eutrophication of the Baltic Sea, and the vegetation has become more homogeneous. This development, resulting in lower species diversity, poses a challenge for the preservation of biodiversity both on a local and on a landscape level.