The effects of land‐use change on plant–soil–erosion relations, Nyereg Hill, Hungary

Abstract

AbstractVegetation of the Tihany Peninsula in Hungary has undergone serious changes caused by heavy trampling and overgrazing during the last century. In Tihany, the vegetation started to change towards anthropogenic associations. After grazing ceased, vegetation started to rearrange. There were no significant changes in species composition on trampled areas (on the ridge of the hill) between the examinations in 1994 and 2002. As a result of ceased grazing, the proportion of natural species was high in the grasslands of the S Nyereg Hill in 1994, while during the 2002 investigations, forest and scrub expanded at a rate that did not leave space for grassland on shallow soils and slope steppe (closing dry grasslands on hilly areas). The coverage of Elymus repens decreased, while Festuca species increased. The possible effects of plant‐cover change on soil loss were examined with the USLE (Universal Soil Loss Equation) model on the sloping areas. Eliminating harmful effects can decrease soil degradation, but the original state of soils can be restored only after a long period (hundreds of years). Further degradation of soils assists the expansion of drought‐resistant species and weeds in the associations. In 2007, soil‐thickness measurements and on‐site examinations were carried out to check the results of the former surveys and modeling.