Impacts of grazing on lowland heathland in north-west Europe

Newton, Adrian C.; Stewart, Gavin; Myers, G.; Díaz, Anita; Lake, Sophie; Bullock, James M.; Pullin, Andrew S.

doi:10.1016/j.biocon.2008.10.018

Cited by 80 publications

(75 citation statements)

References 46 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…To date, most studies have focused on the effect of grazing by cattle, sheep or wild ungulates on grasslands, and there are no experiments comparing the effects of grazing by animals on shrubland communities. Focusing on heathlands, Newton et al (2009) have recently pointed out the need for improved monitoring and experimental analysis of the effectiveness of management in order to strengthen the case for managing heathlands. Furthermore, as the EU Common Agrarian Policy is moving towards a more local expression of agrienvironmental priorities (Evans et al, 2003), it is important to have a better knowledge of the effect of different management practices on biodiversity.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Ground-dwelling arthropod communities present in three types of Cantabrian (NW Spain) heathland grazed by sheep or goats

García¹,

Ocharan²,

Jáuregui³

et al. 2010

Eur. J. Entomol.

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Abstract. The abundance, diversity and community composition of ground-dwelling arthropods present in three different types of Cantabrian heathland grazed by small ruminants were studied. A factorial design of three vegetation types (heather-, gorse-or grassdominated) and two grazer species (sheep or goats) with two replicates was established in twelve 0.6 ha paddocks. Ground-dwelling arthropods (Araneae, Opiliones, Isopoda, Julida, Microcoryphia, Hemiptera, Coleoptera and Hymenoptera) were recorded using pitfall traps and plant cover and canopy height assessed in each paddock in 2005, 2006 and 2007. Higher abundances and more families of ground dwelling arthropods were recorded in areas dominated by heather, although certain species were more numerous in areas dominated by grass. The direct effects of the grazer species on arthropods were subtle compared to their great effect on the vegetation. Significant interactions between grazer species and vegetation were observed for some taxa and the overall arthropod community composition. Gradient analyses indicate that arthropod assemblages that include Lycosidae, Opiliones and Carabidae differed between vegetation types and years, but are not affected by the grazer species. Our study shows that areas dominated by shrubby and diverse heather had the highest diversity and abundance of arthropods. Species composition varied along a gradient in the structure of the vegetation, which in turn was modified by the grazer species.

show abstract

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Ground-dwelling arthropod communities present in three types of Cantabrian (NW Spain) heathland grazed by sheep or goats

García¹,

Ocharan²,

Jáuregui³

et al. 2010

Eur. J. Entomol.

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…Grazing is recognized as an effective management option in heathland restoration under the assumption that its adverse impacts on the attributes of the habitat are eliminated (Newton et al 2009, Fagúndez 2013. This study has shown that non-intensive grazing by sheep and goats during early spring is sufficient to restore stands of heather on dry-heathland habitats after more than 20 years following the disappearance of the heather.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 82%

“…Considerable attention has been devoted to the study of practices that maintain heathland community structure, such as grazing, burning, cutting, sod-cutting or sod-chopping and other factors affecting vegetation development (e.g., Pywell et al 1995, Gallet & Roze 2001, Hulme et al 2002, Pakeman et al 2003, Niemeyer et al 2007, Mitchell et al 2008, Måren & Vandvik et al 2009, Newton et al 2009). Previous research has focused particularly on the parts of Western Europe where heathland occurs in extensive amounts.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Wall Vegetation in Old Royal Mining Towns in Central Slovakia

Kolbek¹,

Valachovič²,

Mišíková³

2015

Hacquetia

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

The vegetation of low-altitude dry heathlands in Central Europe (Euphorbio cyparissiae-Callunion vulgaris) has declined because the abandonment of traditional management has resulted in gradual overgrowth by woody species and because nutrient inputs have changed. Low-intensity grazing and sod-cutting, which are traditionally recommended to regenerate heather (Calluna vulgaris) vegetation from the seed bank, were introduced to restore stands of heather that had disappeared. The study was conducted in the Zlatnice Nature Reserve, located in the northwestern part of Prague (Czech Republic). A system of 1 m² permanent plots was used to collect the data. Both grazing and sod-cutting were effective for the restoration of the Calluna vulgaris vegetation. During the two years after the introduction of grazing, the greatest increase in the heather cover occurred in the grazed areas. The heather cover in the areas managed by sod-cutting started to increase significantly in the third year following the removal of sods and reached values comparable with the grazed areas. Regular grazing hindered the increase in the cover of herbs; the increase in the herb cover was higher after single sodcutting. Sod-cutting facilitated the expansion of mosses. The experiment suggests that non-intensive sheep and goat grazing is most likely the most appropriate tool to restore dry heathland on shallow poor soils when more than 20 years have elapsed since the disappearance of the heathland. The use of sod-cutting itself is more demanding and brings a higher risk of overgrowth by unwanted herbs and woody species, resulting in repeated degradation of the Calluna vulgaris vegetation. Keywords: Calluna vulgaris, heather, moss, open landscape, sheep grazing, woody encroachment. IzvlečekVegetacija nižinskih suhih vresav v srednji Evropi (Euphorbio cyparissiae-Callunion vulgaris) je v upadanju zaradi opuščanja tradicionalnega gospodarjenja in to se kaže v postopnem zaraščanju z lesnatimi rastlinami in spremenjenem vnosu hranil. Za obnovitev sestojev z vreso, ki so izginili, smo uporabili pašo z nizko intenzivnostjo in košnjo, ki sta tradicionalno priporočena načina za obnavljanje vegetacije z vreso (Calluna vulgaris) iz semenske banke. Raziskavo smo opravili v naravnem rezervatu Zlatnice, ki se nahaja v severozahodnem delu Prage (Češka republika). Vzpostavili smo sistem stalnih 1 m² ploskev. Za obnovitev vegetacije z vrsto Calluna vulgaris sta bila uspešna tako paša kot košnja. Pokrovnost vrese se je povečala dve leti po začetku poskusa s pašo, na površinah s košnjo pa se je značilno povečala tretje leto in vrednosti so bile primerljive s pašenimi površinami. Redna paša je ovirala povečanje pokrovnosti zelišč, medtem ko se je njihova pokrovnost povečala po posamezni košnji. Košnja je tudi vplivala na povečanje pokrovnosti mahov. Poizkus je pokazal, da je slabo intenzivna paša ovac in koz verjetno najbolj primeren način obnove suhih vresav na plitvih, s hranili revnih tleh, po več kot 20 let od uničenja vresave. Košnja je bolj zahtevna, poja...

show abstract

“…In many regions of Europe, the presence of grazing animals is considered as a method of natural forest succession control, e.g., in high nature value heathland (Newton et al, 2009). Grazing is often considered to be a factor which contributes to vegetation stability.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Impact of Sheep Grazing on Small Mammals Diversity in Lower Mountain Coniferous Forest Glades

Ważna¹

2016

Appl Ecol Env Res

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Abstract. Sheep grazing has once been a traditional mode of exploitation of forest as well as alpine zones in the majority of European montane regions. Nowadays, in Tatra Mts, sheep grazing is limited to a number of glades of anthropogenic origin, primarily as a method of protection against overgrowing with trees. Results of the present study demonstrate that sheep grazing causes a decrease in species diversity of small mammals Micromammalia in forest zone glades. The values of biodiversity indicators in sheepgrazed glades are lower than those in the non-managed or mown ones. On sheep-grazed glades, a lower biodiversity of Soricomorpha and a domination of common vole Microtus arvalis have been found.

show abstract

Impacts of grazing on lowland heathland in north-west Europe

Cited by 80 publications

References 46 publications

Ground-dwelling arthropod communities present in three types of Cantabrian (NW Spain) heathland grazed by sheep or goats

Ground-dwelling arthropod communities present in three types of Cantabrian (NW Spain) heathland grazed by sheep or goats

Wall Vegetation in Old Royal Mining Towns in Central Slovakia

Impact of Sheep Grazing on Small Mammals Diversity in Lower Mountain Coniferous Forest Glades

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About