Grazing and soil pH are biodiversity drivers of vascular plants and bryophytes in boreal wood-pastures

Oldén, Anna; Raatikainen, Kaisa J.; Tervonen, Kaisa; Halme, Panu

doi:10.1016/j.agee.2016.02.018

Cited by 43 publications

(56 citation statements)

References 49 publications

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“…As a result, the plant communities of grazed sites are mixtures of grazing‐dependent species and species that typically dominate in boreal forests (Oldén et al. ).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…In contrast, nestedness (β N3 ) was higher between the abandoned sites because common species are present everywhere, and in many places they outcompete the other species that in turn may be present only in the most fertile or moist sites (see Oldén et al. ). The grazed sites, on the other hand, are more similar to each other in terms of the number of species because the presence of grazers maintains equally high species richness at sites with different soil properties (Oldén et al.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…In our previous study we found that boreal wood‐pasture sites host more vascular plant and bryophyte species if they are currently grazed, whereas abandonment (ceased grazing) leads to lower site‐level species richness and changed community compositions (Oldén et al. ), probably due to the losses of fine‐scale patchiness and subordinate species (Mariotte et al. ; Van Uytvanck & Verheyen ).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 96%

“…Here we studied vascular plants and bryophytes on 24 currently grazed and 24 abandoned wood‐pasture sites, using the same data as in Oldén et al. (). Now we explored the species richness of the two plant groups at four spatial scales: within 4‐m 2 subplots (fine scale, α 1 ), within 100‐m 2 plots (medium scale, α 2 ), within sites (large scale, α 3 ) and within the landscape (γ).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Grazers increase β‐diversity of vascular plants and bryophytes in wood‐pastures

Oldén

Halme

2016

J Vegetation Science

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Questions How does the presence of grazers impact plant diversity at various spatial scales? What are the effects on plant β‐diversity and its two components, species turnover and nestedness? Are the effects caused by defoliation, trampling or defecating? Location Twenty‐four currently grazed and 24 abandoned wood‐pasture sites in Central Finland. Methods The species richness of vascular plants and bryophytes was studied at four spatial scales: within 4‐m2 subplots (α1), within 100‐m2 plots (α2), within sites (α3) and within the landscape (γ). β‐Diversity was studied between subplots within plots (β1), between plots within sites (β2) and between sites within the landscape (β3). Results Currently grazed sites had higher species richness at all of the spatial scales (α1, α2, α3, γ) and higher within‐plot and within‐site β ‐diversities (β1 and β2). At the within‐plot scale (β1) plant β‐diversity was increased primarily by variation in defoliation. At this scale both turnover and nestedness were increased by grazers. At the larger within‐site scale (β2) only turnover was increased, and it was mostly caused by variation in trampling intensities. Within the landscape (β3) currently grazed sites had higher between‐site turnover and lower nestedness than abandoned sites. Conclusions Grazing creates and maintains high species richness and β‐diversity of vascular plants and bryophytes, mostly due to high species turnover between patches. Defoliation, dunging and trampling are all important turnover agents, although their relative importance varies with spatial scale. At the landscape scale the currently grazed sites had high species turnover between them, and thus the conservation of all grazing‐dependent species requires continued management at various sites, while high nestedness between abandoned sites implies that their biodiversity can be efficiently conserved through protecting the most species‐rich sites.

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“…As a result, the plant communities of grazed sites are mixtures of grazing‐dependent species and species that typically dominate in boreal forests (Oldén et al. ).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 96%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 2 more Smart Citations

Grazers increase β‐diversity of vascular plants and bryophytes in wood‐pastures

Oldén

Halme

2016

J Vegetation Science

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“…On the other hand, the importance of herbivory for the maintenance of habitat values (such as structural and compositional diversity) in forest ecosystems has also been recognised [7][8][9][10]. For example, livestock-modified ecosystems can help compensate for the loss of open natural habitats in the profoundly transformed European landscapes [11,12].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

What are the impacts of manipulating grazing and browsing by ungulates on plants and invertebrates in temperate and boreal forests? A systematic review protocol

et al. 2016

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Background: Livestock grazing and 'overabundance' of large wild herbivores in forested areas have long been perceived as conflicting with the aims of both silviculture and forest conservation; however, certain kinds of herbivory can help to maintain habitat values in forest ecosystems. Management of grazing/browsing in protected forests can, therefore, be a critical tool for biodiversity conservation. However, it is not clear what impacts of wild ungulates or livestock are tolerable or desirable in forests set aside for conservation or restoration. The primary aim of the proposed systematic review is to clarify how the diversity of plants and invertebrates is affected by manipulation of the grazing/ browsing pressure by livestock or wild ungulates. The ultimate purpose of the review is to investigate whether such manipulation is useful as a means of conserving or restoring biodiversity in forest set-asides. Methods:The review will examine primary field studies of how fencing or other kinds of manipulation of the grazing/browsing pressure by livestock or wild ungulates affects plants or invertebrates. We will consider studies made in boreal or temperate forests anywhere in the world, incorporating investigations made not only in protected areas but also in stands under commercial management. Non-intervention or alternative levels of grazing pressure will be used as comparators. Relevant outcomes include abundance, diversity and composition of plants and invertebrates, tree regeneration, and performance of focal/target species. Relevant studies will mainly be selected from a recent systematic map of the evidence on biodiversity impacts of active management in forest set-asides. A search update will be made with a subset of the search terms used for the systematic map. Searches for additional literature will be made in bibliographies of existing reviews. Relevant studies will be subject to critical appraisal and categorised as having high, medium or low susceptibility to bias. Studies with high susceptibility to bias will be excluded from the review. Useful outcomes and data on interventions and other potential effect modifiers will be extracted from included articles. A narrative synthesis will describe the quality and findings of all studies in the review. Where studies report similar outcomes, meta-analysis will be performed.

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The role of novel forest ecosystems in the conservation of wood‐inhabiting fungi in boreal broadleaved forests

Juutilainen

Mönkkönen

Kotiranta

et al. 2016

Ecology and Evolution

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The increasing human impact on the earth's biosphere is inflicting changes at all spatial scales. As well as deterioration and fragmentation of natural biological systems, these changes also led to other, unprecedented effects and emergence of novel habitats. In boreal zone, intensive forest management has negatively impacted a multitude of deadwood‐associated species. This is especially alarming given the important role wood‐inhabiting fungi have in the natural decay processes. In the boreal zone, natural broad‐leaved‐dominated, herb‐rich forests are threatened habitats which have high wood‐inhabiting fungal species richness. Fungal diversity in other broadleaved forest habitat types is poorly known. Traditional wood pastures and man‐made afforested fields are novel habitats that could potentially be important for wood‐inhabiting fungi. This study compares species richness and fungal community composition across the aforementioned habitat types, based on data collected for wood‐inhabiting fungi occupying all deadwood diameter fractions. Corticioid and polyporoid fungi were surveyed from 67 130 deadwood particles in four natural herb‐rich forests, four birch‐dominated wood pastures, and four birch‐dominated afforested field sites in central Finland. As predicted, natural herb‐rich forests were the most species‐rich habitat. However, afforested fields also had considerably higher overall species richness than wood pastures. Many rare or rarely collected species were detected in each forest type. Finally, fungal community composition showed some divergence not only among the different habitat types, but also among deadwood diameter fractions. Synthesis and applications: In order to maintain biodiversity at both local and regional scales, conserving threatened natural habitat types and managing traditional landscapes is essential. Man‐made secondary woody habitats could provide the necessary resources and serve as surrogate habitats for many broadleaved deadwood‐associated species, and thus complement the existing conservation network of natural forests.

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Grazing and soil pH are biodiversity drivers of vascular plants and bryophytes in boreal wood-pastures

Cited by 43 publications

References 49 publications

Grazers increase β‐diversity of vascular plants and bryophytes in wood‐pastures

Grazers increase β‐diversity of vascular plants and bryophytes in wood‐pastures

What are the impacts of manipulating grazing and browsing by ungulates on plants and invertebrates in temperate and boreal forests? A systematic review protocol

The role of novel forest ecosystems in the conservation of wood‐inhabiting fungi in boreal broadleaved forests

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