Landscape context and management regime structure plant diversity in grassland communities

Abstract

Summary1. Theoretical models show that environmental heterogeneity and dispersal are major determinants of species diversity at multiple scales, yet there are few studies from real landscapes that adequately integrate variation in the surrounding matrix. Understanding how landscape context and management influence species composition and diversity patterns across habitats and scales is an important goal in ecology with relevance for both management and conservation. 2. We used a system of 25 landscapes distributed across islands in the Baltic Sea to investigate the effect of current and historical landscape context and management on plant diversity and composition in grassland communities. Plant diversity was measured at three hierarchical scales (1 m 2 , habitat, landscape) in grazed fields and adjacent wood pastures to calculate a-, b-and c-diversity values across habitats and scales. 3. Structural equation modelling was used to model and quantify the effects of landscape context on species diversity and spatial turnover, and constraint analysis of principal coordinates to relate variation in species composition to landscape variables. 4. Proportion of open land, spacing and grazing intensity positively affected species diversity in both habitats, whereas the effect of historical landscape context was only significant in open fields. Plant diversity in field pastures was mainly determined by the number of species found at a small scale, while both local species density and spatial turnover were key determinants of diversity in wood pastures. 5. Habitat proximity influenced species composition as compositional similarity was higher between adjacent field and wood pastures compared to randomly paired habitats. Although increasing flow of propagules from adjacent patches can promote local coexistence, dispersal can result in spatial homogenization. 6. Synthesis. Plant diversity in grassland communities is substantially influenced by species occurring in adjacent habitats. While the effect of landscape context and management on small-scale diversity was consistent across habitats, the effect on spatial turnover was habitat specific. Our study shows that plant diversity is structured through the interplay between local and landscape processes and highlights that plant communities in specific habitat types cannot be considered in isolation from the surrounding landscape matrix.

Both local and landscape factors determine plant and Orthoptera diversity in the semi-natural grasslands of Transylvania, Romania

“…The relationships of both plant and Orthoptera to landscape factors is in contrast to the findings of Marini et al (2008), who found no effect of landscape factors on plants, but a significant effect on Orthoptera. Generally, the findings in the literature regarding landscape effects on grassland plant communities are mixed, providing both evidence for (e.g., Söderström et al 2001;Ö ckinger et al 2012;Reitalu et al 2012;Schmucki et al 2012;Janišová et al 2013) and against (e.g., Dauber et al 2003;Krauss et al 2004;Löbel et al 2006;Ö ster et al 2007;Jonason et al 2011). This may be a result of the overriding effects of local factors in some of the investigated grasslands (Dauber et al 2003;Marini et al 2008), which would not have been the case in the low-nutrient semi-natural grasslands in this study.…”

“…The majority of these studies have focused on animal responses (Prevedello and Vieira 2010), however, an increasing number of studies have also shown responses in sessile organisms such as vascular plants (e.g., Ö ckinger et al 2012;Reitalu et al 2012;Schmucki et al 2012;Janišová et al 2013). The properties of the surrounding landscape can significantly affect local species richness and composition in habitat patches through a number of mechanisms.…”

EDITOR'S CHOICE: Confronting contingency in restoration: management and site history determine outcomes of assembling prairies, but site characteristics and landscape context have little effect

“…; Schmucki et al . ), support herbivore, pathogen or predator populations (Werling et al . ) or alter abiotic conditions through herbicide drift, pollution or temperature changes (Davis & Williams ; Marrs et al .…”

The Role of Surrounding Landscape in Determining Species Richness of Mesic Grasslands in Pannonian Basin and Carpathian Mountains

“…As shown in previous studies (Steiner & Köhler, 2003;Schmucki et al, 2012;Janišová et al, 2013), grassland species richness is affected by the surrounding landscape and mesic grasslands belong to the most affected communities due to their central position on the moisture and nutrient gradients and suitable habitat conditions for most of the generalist species. The results of this study emphasize the role of landuse history and landscape structure in shaping the composition and diversity of grassland ecosystems.…”