Effect of management on natural capital stocks underlying ecosystem service provision: a ‘provider group’ approach

Abstract

Land management practices directly impact on the occurrence and condition of natural capital stocks, which can be measured using species diversity and abundance metrics. Species identity and abundance drive ecosystem service supply, either through effects of local diversity and/or through the presence of service providing species. However, the influence of management practices on the provision of ecosystem services is not adequately understood. We grouped grassland plant species into six groups according to desirable attributes (palatability and nutritional value to livestock; medicinal or aromatic compounds; nectar production; pollen production; nitrogen fixation; and endemic and red listed species), which we recognise as ecosystem service 'provider groups', and tested the influence of three land management practices (abandonment of mowing, grazing, and mowing) on diversity and abundance within these groups in upland temperate grasslands of Transylvania (Romania). All three management practices favoured at least one provider group, but hay making in upland grasslands favoured more provider groups than abandonment of mowing or grazing. The effects of management on diversity and abundance within several provider groups diverged from the effects on overall species diversity and abundance. Management, through changes in species composition, favours certain provider groups, and hence ecosystem services, over others. The provider group approach is more useful than overall species diversity metrics for assessing the provision of ecosystem services from landscapes and can be used to inform the development of agri-environment schemes and conservation policies aimed at meeting priorities for ecosystem service provision.

Universal scaling of robustness of ecosystem services to species loss

“…By enabling identification of the key species that contribute to the robustness of ecosystem service supply, our theory provides a focus for management efforts that require consideration of the conservation value of individual species 8 , 10 , 32 , 34 , 36 , 42 – 44 . Focussing on the contribution of individual species to robustness and the vulnerability of those species to extinction through their life histories, interactions and functional traits 24 , 31 , 45 , 46 will enable empirical quantification of how vulnerability scales from species through to ecosystem services 11 , 12 , 15 , 18 , 43 .…”

“…We assume that the supply of a service requires species that have particular traits—phenotypic attributes that direct niche exploitation—whose presence drive all of the various ecological processes that are necessary to underpin provision of the service 17 , 31 . Though many traits, such as body mass, occur along a continuous spectrum 31 – 33 , for simplicity we focus here only on whether or not a given species possesses a particular trait 34 . We consider traits purely in a functional sense 29 , understood here as the capacity of a species to perform a particular functional role required for the ecosystem service to be provided 34 .…”

“…Though many traits, such as body mass, occur along a continuous spectrum 31 – 33 , for simplicity we focus here only on whether or not a given species possesses a particular trait 34 . We consider traits purely in a functional sense 29 , understood here as the capacity of a species to perform a particular functional role required for the ecosystem service to be provided 34 . As such, traits are functional features that can be shared among species, as can be visualised by drawing, for a given service, a bipartite network linking species to traits 19 (Figs.…”

Medicinal Plants in Semi-Natural Grasslands: Impact of Management

“…Valuable grasslands, however, are not determined by this network only and are found in other locations and geographical regions as well [3,4]. Recent approaches to evaluation of SNG by the complex list of potential ecosystem services (ES) provides a much more holistic overview and supports sustainable development ideas in different regions by giving a valuable input to the benefits communities can get and share through different provider groups [5,6]. Different authors point out the wide range of goods and services provided by grasslands, but beside plant species diversity in general, all of these assume that SNG are valuable refuges for pollinators [2], sources of medicinal plants [3,6] and habitats for migratory and breeding birds [7].…”

Medicinal Plants in Semi-Natural Grasslands: Impact of Management

“…Valuable grasslands, however, are not determined by this network only and are found in other locations and geographical regions as well [3,4]. Recent approaches to evaluation of SNG by the complex list of potential ecosystem services (ES) provides a much more holistic overview and supports sustainable development ideas in different regions by giving a valuable input to the bene ts communities can get and share through different provider groups [5,6]. Different authors point out the wide range of goods and services provided by grasslands, but beside plant species diversity in general all of these assume that SNG are valuable ecosystems for migratory and breeding birds, refuges for pollinators and sources of medicinal plants [2,3,6,7].…”