Controlled Grazing Studies on Nardus Grassland: Effects of Between-Tussock Sward Height and Species of Grazer on Nardus utilization and Floristic Composition in Two Fields in Scotland

Grant, Sheila; Torvell, L.; Sim, E. M.; Small, J. L.; Armstrong, R. H.

doi:10.2307/2404685

Cited by 61 publications

(65 citation statements)

References 23 publications

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“…Erosion may also have been promoted by deforestation and trampling, causing a downward transport of topsoil. Grazing pressure in the upper parts probably declined markedly when the pasture was extended downwards and when management became less intense (as mentioned for the 19th century in the archives of the local community), promoting the expansion of Nardus stricta and dwarf shrubs (Welch and Scott 1995;Grant et al 1996).…”

Section: Vegetation Patterns In Relation To Grazingmentioning

confidence: 99%

Vegetation patterns maintained by cattle grazing on a degraded mountain pasture

et al. 2005

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Jewell P.L., Güsewell S., Berry N.R., Käuferle D., Kreuzer M. and Edwards P.J. 2005. Vegetation patterns maintained by cattle grazing on a degraded mountain pasture. Bot. In southern Switzerland the use of mountain pastures for cattle has been in decline since the 19th century, promoting the dominance of unpalatable grasses and shrubs. In an attempt to improve pasture quality, 80 Scottish Highland cattle were introduced to a 73-ha grazing area on acidic soils at 1400-1800 m a.s.l. To assess how this management might affect the vegetation, we surveyed the plant species composition, soil chemistry and spatial patterns of cattle grazing. Large parts of the pasture were low-productive Nardetum grassland or Callunetum heathland. Patches of more productive and nutrient-rich grassland occurred on less acidic soils with higher total P concentration and lower C:N, C:P and N:P ratios. Grazing by cattle focused on these patches, while N. stricta grasslands and heathlands were hardly used. Historical evidence suggests that these patterns of cattle use are similar to those in the past. We conclude that the current grazing regime is unlikely to produce a significant change in vegetation composition and pasture quality.

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Section: Vegetation Patterns In Relation To Grazingmentioning

confidence: 99%

Vegetation patterns maintained by cattle grazing on a degraded mountain pasture

et al. 2005

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“…Selective livestock as goat were found to consume the dominant shrub species at proportions below those found at ground cover (Mellado et al 2004). Sheep grazing has been shown to increase the dominance of unpalatable species such as Nardus stricta by negative selection (Grant et al 1996;Sebastià et al 2008) following complex patterns with soil fertility (Pakeman 2004). Relatively unselective livestock as cattle were found to consume a proportionally greater quantity of N. stricta than was present in N. strictadominated pastures (Common et al 1998).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Changes in management modify agro-diversity in sainfoin swards in the Eastern Pyrenees

Sebastià

Palero

Bello

2011

Agronomy Sust. Developm.

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“…Nevertheless, managed grazing can form a successful strategy for the restoration of degraded heathland communities. For instance, Grant et al (1996) and Common et al (1998) showed that cattle grazing can be used to reduce the abundance of N. stricta; Critchley et al (2008) found that combined cattle and sheep grazing can be used to reduce the abundance of M. caerulea; and Bullock & Pakeman (1997) found heavy combined cattle and pony grazing reduced M. caerulea dominance on lowland heaths.…”

Section: Changes In Community Compositionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Degraded heathlands are often dominated by competitive grass species such as Molinia caerulea (purple moor grass) and Nardus stricta (moor matgrass). Both of these can attain high levels of abundance, lead to communities with relatively low levels of diversity and can pose significant challenges for restoration practice (Grant et al 1996, Marrs et al 2004. A number of studies have examined the effects of grazing regimes on heathland communities, often concluding that restoration prescriptions need to be sitespecific.…”

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Changes in vegetation diversity and composition following livestock removal along an upland elevational gradient

Davies¹,

Bodart²

2015

iForest

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© iForest -Biogeosciences and Forestry IntroductionCalluna vulgaris-dominated heathlands are cultural landscapes, derived from previouslyforested ecosystems, which have been subject to human manipulation and management for several millennia. Heathlands are of international conservation importance (Thompson et al. 1995, García et al. 2013) and this is recognized in national and international legislation (Maddock 2011, EU Habitats Directive 92/43/EEC). They owe their open character to low-intensity traditional livestock grazing and managed burning (Webb 1998, Fernandes et al. 2013. Habitat degradation, associated with poorly-managed livestock grazing is, however, a global issue facing many tropical, semi-arid and temperate ecosystems (Moleele & Perkins 1998, D'Odorico et al. 2012, Fagúndez 2012. Significant potential exists for livestock grazing to induce dramatic changes in ecosystem state from which restoration can be difficult (Suding et al. 2004). Throughout Europe large areas of heathland habitat have become increasingly degraded over the last century (Fagúndez 2012). Calluna-dominated communities have been lost due to changes to managed fire regimes ; nutrient deposition associated with atmospheric pollution (Friedrich et al. 2011, Bobbink & Hettelingh 2011; acid deposition (Bakker & Berendse 1999); and land-use conversion (Hester et al. 1996). In the United Kingdom there are a growing number of agencies and organisations focused on landscape-scale ecosystem restoration in the uplands. Objectives are often focused on tree planting and the restoration of forest ecosystems (see Hobbs 2009 for an overview), but there is also recognition of the desirability of restoring forest ground flora and a diverse mosaic of habitat types that includes woodlands, heathlands and forest edge ecotone communities (Humphrey et al. 2003). Degraded heathlands are often dominated by competitive grass species such as Molinia caerulea (purple moor grass) and Nardus stricta (moor matgrass). Both of these can attain high levels of abundance, lead to communities with relatively low levels of diversity and can pose significant challenges for restoration practice (Grant et al. 1996, Marrs et al. 2004. A number of studies have examined the effects of grazing regimes on heathland communities, often concluding that restoration prescriptions need to be sitespecific. For example, whilst it has proved possible to facilitate heathland recovery by simply reducing grazing pressure (Anderson & Radford 1994, Hulme et al. 1999, Hulme et al. 2002, often it has taken additional interventions to allow Calluna establishment. Successful treatments have included soil disturbance by cattle trampling, rotavation, herbicide application and reseeding (Marrs et al. 2004, Mitchell et al. 2008) and, where nutrient enrichment is an issue, topsoil removal (Verhagen et al. 2001). Such intensive restoration actions may require managers to make difficult trade-offs as they may maximize Calluna cover but can also lead to the loss of other components of the community (L...

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Controlled Grazing Studies on Nardus Grassland: Effects of Between-Tussock Sward Height and Species of Grazer on Nardus utilization and Floristic Composition in Two Fields in Scotland

Cited by 61 publications

References 23 publications

Vegetation patterns maintained by cattle grazing on a degraded mountain pasture

Vegetation patterns maintained by cattle grazing on a degraded mountain pasture

Changes in management modify agro-diversity in sainfoin swards in the Eastern Pyrenees

Changes in vegetation diversity and composition following livestock removal along an upland elevational gradient

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