Intensified grazing affects endemic plant and gastropod diversity in alpine grasslands of the Southern Carpathian mountains (Romania)

Baur, Bruno; Cremene, Cristina; Groza, Gheorghe; Schileyko, Anatoli A.; Baur, Anette; Erhardt, Andreas

doi:10.2478/s11756-007-0086-4

Cited by 30 publications

(26 citation statements)

References 25 publications

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“…This finding aligns with patterns of reduced diversity under uncontrolled, intensive grazing regimes, particularly by sheep, observed elsewhere in upland Carpathian grasslands (Başnou et al 2009;Baur et al 2007). In comparison, abandonment of hay meadows creates conditions more favourable to competitive nutrient-conservative species due to decreased light levels and slowed rates of mineralization and recycling (Jacquemyn et al 2011;Kahmen and Poschlod 2004;Robson et al 2007), which disadvantaged some species within the quality fodder group, while a higher diversity of species of conservation concern may be due to a temporary (3-5 years) relaxation of mowing pressure (Huhta and Rautio 1998).…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 88%

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

Maseyk

Demeter²,

Csergő

et al. 2017

Biodivers Conserv

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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.

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Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 88%

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

Maseyk

Demeter²,

Csergő

et al. 2017

Biodivers Conserv

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“…The hoofs of grazing livestock press snails into the soil with fatal consequences, while the consumption of plant biomass reduces habitat structure and thus alters microhabitat conditions of the grasslands. Indeed, the number of gastropod individuals decreased with decreasing vegetation height in alpine pastures of the Bucegi mountains, Romania (Baur et al 2007). …”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…At a regional scale, terrestrial gastropod diversity of various habitats decreased with increasing elevation in Val Müstair in the Eastern Alps (Baur et al 2014). Grazing intensity has been found to negatively affect land snail diversity and abundance in nutrient-poor calcareous grassland in the Swiss Jura mountains (Boschi and Baur 2007a,b), in Mediterranean uplands in France (Labaune and Magnin 2002) and in alpine grasslands in the Southern Carpathians in Romania (Baur et al 2007). The aim of our study was to investigate how environmental variables (elevation, slope, soil pH, etc.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Gastropod communities in alpine grasslands are characterized by high beta diversity

Schmera¹,

Baur²

2014

Community Ecology

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Alpine grasslands harbour species-rich communities of plants and invertebrates. We examined how environmental variables and anthropogenic impact shape species richness and community structure of terrestrial gastropods in alpine grasslands in the Val Müstair (Eastern Alps, Switzerland). Gastropods were sampled using a standardised method at 76 sites spanning an elevation range from 1430 m to 2770 m. A total of 4763 specimens representing 52 species were recorded. Correspondence analysis based on presence/absence data revealed that the grassland gastropod community was structured in a complex way with elevation, wetness, grazing intensity and inclination of the sites as key factors, while abundance-based analysis identified the importance of the elevation and wetness of sites. Generalized linear model showed that species richness decreased with increasing elevation and increased with increasing soil pH. The grassland gastropod communities were characterized by a high beta diversity, as indicated by the SDR-simplex analysis. Species-specific traits of gastropods showed sensitivity to the environmental characters of the sites, as shown by a fourth-corner analysis. Nomenclature: Turner et al. (1998)Abbreviations: AIC-Akaike's Information Criterion; CA-Correspondence analysis; GLM-Generalized linear model.

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Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 59%

“…For example, under the 2007-2013 format, the CAP agri-environment scheme did not differentiate between mown and grazed grassland systems, instead offering the same level of payment to both practices. As grazing is a less labour intensive and less costly practice, the scheme indirectly favoured grazing over mowing, causing loss in species diversity (Baur et al 2007;Demeter & Kelemen 2012 forests typical of the area ( Figure. 3.1).…”

Section: The Southeastern Carpathian Grasslandsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Applying ecosystem services thinking to natural resource management and conservation decision making

Maseyk¹

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As global consumption increases, there is a growing emphasis on the production of food and the use of other resources necessary for life. Consequently, many ecosystems are stressed because their ability to produce market goods is favoured over other critical functions and services that ecosystems provide such as energy transfer, water regulation, nutrient filtering, and carbon sequestration. Capturing these benefits using ecosystem services thinking offers decision makers a methodology for considering the multiple benefits that ecosystems provide. However, gaps in our understanding of how we can make the ecosystem services concept operational remain.Recognising the relationship between natural capital stocks and the provision of ecosystem processes and services is a crucial step in operationalising ecosystem services thinking. I advance this concept by identifying that attributes of natural capital are not uniform in their amenability to change. Hence, the central tenet of this thesis is that management actions targeted at manageable attributes of natural capital stocks is effective for influencing provision of ecosystem services and benefits.I test how management practices influence natural capital stocks that contribute to the provision of required ecosystem services, using a 'provider group' approach. Provider groups are sets of species which exhibit attributes which contribute to ecosystem services and benefits. The traditionally farmed grassland system in the Southeastern Carpathians, Romania, is a good example of a multifunctional landscape providing provisioning, regulating, and cultural ecosystem services and thus a useful case study to test this approach. I assigned grassland plant species to provider groups (quality fodder, medical and aromatic compounds, honey, pollen, nitrogen fixation, and conservation concern) based on their characteristics and tested the impact of management practices (abandonment of hay meadows, grazing, and mowing) on species diversity and abundance within each group. Over three quarters (77%) of the 210 unique species sampled during this study contributed to at least one provider group and over a third (36%) contributed to more than one group. I found that different management practices favour certain provider groups over others, and thus supply of certain ecosystem services over others. A more nuanced understanding of the influence of management practices on natural capital stocks can better inform agricultural and conservation policies targeted at sustaining multifunctional landscapes.Incorporation of social data, particularly that describing human behaviour and decision making, is critical to embed the ecosystem services concept into natural resource management policy and Preface ii practice. Riparian management is a common policy option for mitigating the externalities of land use. A riparian management programme has been running in Taranaki Region, New Zealand for over 20 years providing a useful case study to elicit farmers perceptions and experiences of the pros ...

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Intensified grazing affects endemic plant and gastropod diversity in alpine grasslands of the Southern Carpathian mountains (Romania)

Cited by 30 publications

References 25 publications

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

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

Gastropod communities in alpine grasslands are characterized by high beta diversity

Applying ecosystem services thinking to natural resource management and conservation decision making

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