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Villa-Galaviz E, Smart SM, Ward SE, Fraser MD, Memmott J. Fertilization using manure minimizes the trade-offs between biodiversity and forage production in agri-environment scheme grasslands. PLoS One 2023; 18:e0290843. [PMID: 37792796 PMCID: PMC10550152 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0290843] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/31/2023] [Accepted: 08/16/2023] [Indexed: 10/06/2023] Open
Abstract
A common practice used to restore and maintain biodiversity in grasslands is to stop or decrease the use of fertilizers as they are a major cause of biodiversity loss. This practice is problematic for farmers who need fertilizers to increase forage and meet the nutritional needs of livestock. Evidence is needed that helps identify optimal fertilizer regimes that could benefit biodiversity and livestock production simultaneously over the long-term. Here, we evaluated the impact of different fertilizer regimes on indicators related to both biodiversity (plant, pollinator, leaf miners and parasitoid Shannon-Weiner diversity, bumblebee abundance, nectar productivity and forb species richness), and forage production (ash, crude protein, ruminant metabolizable energy and dry matter). To this end, we used data from a grassland restoration experiment managed under four nutrient inputs schemes for 27 years: farmyard manure (FYM; 72 kg N ha-1 yr-1), artificial nitrogen-phosphorus and potassium (NPK; 25 kg N ha-1 yr-1), FYM + NPK (97 kg N ha-1 yr-1) and no-fertilizer. Results showed strong trade-offs between biodiversity and forage production under all treatments even in applications lower than the critical load in the EU. Overall, farmyard manure was the fertilizer that optimized production and biodiversity while 97 kg N ha-1 yr-1 of fertilizer addition (FYM+NPK) had the most negative impact on biodiversity. Finally, forage from places where no fertilizer has been added for 27 years did not meet the nutritional requirements of cattle, but it did for sheep. Rethinking typical approaches of nutrient addition could lead to land management solutions suitable for biological conservation and agriculture.
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Affiliation(s)
- Edith Villa-Galaviz
- School of Biological Sciences, University of Bristol, Life Sciences Building, Bristol, United Kingdom
| | - Simon M. Smart
- NERC Centre for Ecology & Hydrology, Library Avenue, Bailrigg, Lancaster, United Kingdom
| | - Susan E. Ward
- Lancaster Environment Centre, Lancaster University, Lancaster, United Kingdom
| | - Mariecia D. Fraser
- Institute of Biological, Environmental and Rural Sciences, Aberystwyth University, Pwllpeiran, Cwmystwyth, Aberystwyth, United Kingdom
| | - Jane Memmott
- School of Biological Sciences, University of Bristol, Life Sciences Building, Bristol, United Kingdom
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2
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Changes in Diversity Due to Long-Term Management in a High Natural Value Grassland. PLANTS 2021; 10:plants10040739. [PMID: 33918957 PMCID: PMC8069202 DOI: 10.3390/plants10040739] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/14/2021] [Revised: 04/05/2021] [Accepted: 04/08/2021] [Indexed: 11/17/2022]
Abstract
High nature value (HNV) grassland systems are increasingly important for the ecosystem services they provide and for their socio-economic impact in the current constant-changing context. The aim of our paper is to evaluate the long-term effect of organic fertilizers on HNV systems in the Apuseni Mountains, Romania. As an objective we want to identify the optimal intensity of conservation management and its recognition based on indicator value plant species. The experiments were established in 2001 on the boreal floor and analyze the effect of a gradient of four organic treatments with manure. Fertilization with 10 t ha-1 manure ensures an increase in yield and has a small influence on diversity, and could be a real possibility for the maintenance and sustainable use of HNV. Each fertilization treatment determined species with indicator value that are very useful in the identification and management of HNV. The indicator species are useful in forecasting the fluctuations and successions in grasslands, determined by the modification of the dominance-codominance ratio and the real coverage of each species.
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Pavlů L, Pavlů VV, Fraser MD. What is the effect of 19 years of restoration managements on soil and vegetation on formerly improved upland grassland? THE SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 2021; 755:142469. [PMID: 33065510 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2020.142469] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/29/2020] [Revised: 09/15/2020] [Accepted: 09/16/2020] [Indexed: 06/11/2023]
Abstract
Finding the best management strategies to restore grassland diversity and achieve a compromise between agricultural use and biodiversity protection is a global challenge. This paper reports novel data relating to the impacts of 19 years of restoration managements predicted to increase botanical diversity within reseeded upland temperate grassland common in less favoured areas in Europe. The treatments imposed were: continuous sheep grazing, with and without lime application; hay cutting only, with and without lime application; hay cutting followed by aftermath grazing, with and without lime application; and a control treatment continuing the previous site management (liming, NPK application and continuous sheep grazing). Defoliation type, irrespective of liming, was the key driver influencing plant species diversity (hay cutting followed by aftermath grazing > hay cutting > grazing). Grazing only managements supported grasses at the expense of forbs, and thus related plant species diversity significantly declined. Limed treatments had higher concentrations of Ca and Mg in the soil compared to those receiving no lime. However, no effects on species richness or plant species composition were found. Potassium was the only element whose plant-available concentration in the soil tended to decrease in response to cutting treatments with herbage removal. Postponing the first defoliation to the middle of the growing season enables forbs to reach seed production, and this was the most effective restoration management option for upland grassland (as hay cutting only, and as hay cut followed by aftermath grazing). Although continuous low-density sheep grazing is often adopted as a means of improving floristic biodiversity, deleterious effects of this on plant diversity mean that it cannot be recommended as a means of long-term maintenance or restoration management of European temperate grasslands.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lenka Pavlů
- Crop Research Institute, Department of Weeds and Vegetation of Agroecosystems, Grassland Research Station Liberec, CZ 460 01, Czechia
| | - Vilém V Pavlů
- Crop Research Institute, Department of Weeds and Vegetation of Agroecosystems, Grassland Research Station Liberec, CZ 460 01, Czechia; Czech University of Life Sciences Prague, Faculty of Environmental Sciences, Department of Ecology, CZ 165 21, Czechia.
| | - Mariecia D Fraser
- Pwllpeiran Upland Research Centre, Aberystwyth University, Cwmystwyth, Aberystwyth SY23 4AD, United Kingdom
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Qin X, Wu H, Huang X, Lock TR, Kallenbach RL, Ma J, Ali MP, Tu X, Cao G, Wang G, Nong X, McNeill MR, Zhang Z. Plant composition changes in a small-scale community have a large effect on the performance of an economically important grassland pest. BMC Ecol 2019; 19:32. [PMID: 31484520 PMCID: PMC6727414 DOI: 10.1186/s12898-019-0248-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/22/2018] [Accepted: 08/19/2019] [Indexed: 11/10/2022] Open
Abstract
Background The grasshopper Oedaleus asiaticus Bey-Bienko (Acrididae: Oedipodinae) is a dominant and economically important pest that is widely distributed across the Mongolian plateau. This herbivore pest causes major damage to the grassland of the Inner Mongolian steppe in China. The population dynamics of herbivore pests is affected by grassland management practices (e.g., mowing and heavy livestock grazing) that alter plant community structures and stoichiometric characteristics. For example, O. asiaticus outbreak is closely associated with plant preference changes caused by nitrogen loss from heavy livestock grazing. However, the manner by which small-scale variation in vegetation affects grasshopper performance and promotes outbreak is poorly characterized. To address this question, we investigated the relationship between small-scale (1 m2) vegetation variability and measures of O. asiaticus performance associated with plant stoichiometric characteristics. Results We found that food preferences of O. asiaticus varied significantly, but maintained a specific dietary structure for different plant compositions. Notably, small-scale changes in plant community composition significantly affected grasshopper food preference and body size. Partial least-square modeling indicated that plant proportion and biomass affected grasshopper body size and density. We found that this effect differed between sexes. Specifically, female body mass positively correlated with the proportion of Stipa krylovii grass, whereas male mass positively correlated with the proportion of Artemisia frigida grass. Further analyses indicated that grasshopper performance is closely associated with plant stoichiometric traits that might be responsible for the pest’s plague. Conclusions This study provides valuable information for managing grasshoppers using rational grassland management practices.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xinghu Qin
- State Key Laboratory for Biology of Plant Diseases and Pests, Institute of Plant Protection, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Beijing, 100193, People's Republic of China.,Scottish Oceans Institute, Institiud Chuantan na h-Alba, School of Biology, University of St Andrews, East Sands, St Andrews, Scotland, KY16 8LB, UK.,Scientific Observation and Experimental Station of Pests in Xilingol Rangeland, Ministry of Agriculture, Xilinhot, 026000, People's Republic of China
| | - Huihui Wu
- Analysis Centre for Agricultural of Experiments of Tianjin Agriculture, Tianjin, 300384, People's Republic of China
| | - Xunbing Huang
- State Key Laboratory for Biology of Plant Diseases and Pests, Institute of Plant Protection, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Beijing, 100193, People's Republic of China.,Scientific Observation and Experimental Station of Pests in Xilingol Rangeland, Ministry of Agriculture, Xilinhot, 026000, People's Republic of China
| | - T Ryan Lock
- Division of Plant Sciences, University of Missouri, 108 Waters Hall, Columbia, MO, 65211, USA
| | - Robert L Kallenbach
- Division of Plant Sciences, University of Missouri, 108 Waters Hall, Columbia, MO, 65211, USA
| | - Jingchuan Ma
- State Key Laboratory for Biology of Plant Diseases and Pests, Institute of Plant Protection, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Beijing, 100193, People's Republic of China.,Scientific Observation and Experimental Station of Pests in Xilingol Rangeland, Ministry of Agriculture, Xilinhot, 026000, People's Republic of China
| | - Md Panna Ali
- Entomology Division, Bangladesh Rice Research Institute (BRRI), Gazipur, 1701, Bangladesh
| | - Xiongbing Tu
- State Key Laboratory for Biology of Plant Diseases and Pests, Institute of Plant Protection, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Beijing, 100193, People's Republic of China.,Scientific Observation and Experimental Station of Pests in Xilingol Rangeland, Ministry of Agriculture, Xilinhot, 026000, People's Republic of China
| | - Guangchun Cao
- State Key Laboratory for Biology of Plant Diseases and Pests, Institute of Plant Protection, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Beijing, 100193, People's Republic of China.,Scientific Observation and Experimental Station of Pests in Xilingol Rangeland, Ministry of Agriculture, Xilinhot, 026000, People's Republic of China
| | - Guangjun Wang
- State Key Laboratory for Biology of Plant Diseases and Pests, Institute of Plant Protection, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Beijing, 100193, People's Republic of China.,Scientific Observation and Experimental Station of Pests in Xilingol Rangeland, Ministry of Agriculture, Xilinhot, 026000, People's Republic of China
| | - Xiangqun Nong
- State Key Laboratory for Biology of Plant Diseases and Pests, Institute of Plant Protection, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Beijing, 100193, People's Republic of China.,Scientific Observation and Experimental Station of Pests in Xilingol Rangeland, Ministry of Agriculture, Xilinhot, 026000, People's Republic of China
| | - Mark R McNeill
- Biocontrol & Biosecurity, AgResearch, Private Bag 4749, Christchurch, 8140, New Zealand
| | - Zehua Zhang
- State Key Laboratory for Biology of Plant Diseases and Pests, Institute of Plant Protection, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Beijing, 100193, People's Republic of China. .,Scientific Observation and Experimental Station of Pests in Xilingol Rangeland, Ministry of Agriculture, Xilinhot, 026000, People's Republic of China.
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Tonn B, Densing EM, Gabler J, Isselstein J. Grazing‐induced patchiness, not grazing intensity, drives plant diversity in European low‐input pastures. J Appl Ecol 2019. [DOI: 10.1111/1365-2664.13416] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/27/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Bettina Tonn
- Grassland Science, Department of Crop Sciences University of Goettingen Göttingen Germany
- Centre of Biodiversity and Sustainable Land Use University of Goettingen Göttingen Germany
| | - Eva M. Densing
- Grassland Science, Department of Crop Sciences University of Goettingen Göttingen Germany
| | - Jessica Gabler
- Grassland Science, Department of Crop Sciences University of Goettingen Göttingen Germany
| | - Johannes Isselstein
- Grassland Science, Department of Crop Sciences University of Goettingen Göttingen Germany
- Centre of Biodiversity and Sustainable Land Use University of Goettingen Göttingen Germany
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The effect of abandonment on vegetation composition and soil properties in Molinion meadows (SW Poland). PLoS One 2018; 13:e0197363. [PMID: 29772019 PMCID: PMC5957338 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0197363] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/10/2017] [Accepted: 05/01/2018] [Indexed: 11/19/2022] Open
Abstract
Intermittently wet meadows of the Molinion alliance, as with many other grasslands of high-nature value, have become increasingly exposed to abandonment due to their low economic value. The potential consequences of land abandonment are the decrease in species diversity and environmental alterations. The issue of land-use induced changes in plant species composition and soil physico-chemical parameters have been rarely studied in species-rich intermittently wet grasslands. In this study we attempt to i) to identify determinants of plant species composition patterns and ii) to investigate the effect of cessation of mowing on vegetation composition and soil properties. The study was conducted in an area of 36 ha covered with Molinion meadows, comprising of mown sites and sites that were left unmown for 10 years. In total, 120 and 80 vegetation plots were sampled from mown and unmown sites, respectively. In these plots we measured plant community composition and soil physico-chemical parameters. The results have shown that the two groups of variables (soil properties and management) differ considerably in their ability to explain variation in plant species data. Soil variables explained four-fold more variation in plant species composition than management did. The content of soil organic matter, moisture, total nitrogen and exchangeable forms of potassium, calcium and magnesium were significantly higher in mown than in unmown grassland systems. The results revealed that soil organic matter was the component of the soil most strongly affected by management, followed by moisture, magnesium, calcium and potassium in that order. Each of these soil parameters was negatively correlated with the abundances of woody plants and invasive species. We concluded that low-intensity, late time of mowing is suitable grassland management practice to ensure high plant species diversity and sustainability of the grassland ecological system while cessation of mowing not only lead to reduced plant species richness and diversity, but also to reduced nutrient levels in grassland soils.
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Mládková P, Mládek J, Hejduk S, Hejcman M, Pakeman RJ. Calcium plus magnesium indicates digestibility: the significance of the second major axis of plant chemical variation for ecological processes. Ecol Lett 2018; 21:885-895. [PMID: 29601668 DOI: 10.1111/ele.12956] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/30/2017] [Revised: 12/15/2017] [Accepted: 02/28/2018] [Indexed: 02/03/2023]
Abstract
Plant variation in nutrient concentrations encompasses two major axes. The first is connected to nitrogen (N) and phosphorus (P), reflects growth rate and has been designated as the leaf economics spectrum (LES) while the second follows the gradient in calcium (Ca) and magnesium (Mg) and mirrors cell structural differences. Here, we tested in grasslands whether the sum Ca + Mg concentrations is a better indicator of digestibility than LES constituents. Structural equation modelling revealed that the total effect size of N (0.30) on digestibility was much lower than that of Ca + Mg (0.58). The N effect originated predominantly from sampling date (biomass ageing), while the Ca + Mg effect largely from phylogenetic composition (proportion of monocots). Thus, plant variation in partially substitutable divalent cations seems to play a significant role in biomass digestion by ruminants. This finding contests, together with litter decomposition studies, the prominent role of the LES for understanding both fundamental ecological processes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Pavla Mládková
- Department of Ecology, Faculty of Environmental Sciences, Czech University of Life Sciences, Kamýcká 1176, Prague 6-Suchdol, 165 21, Czech Republic
| | - Jan Mládek
- Department of Ecology & Environmental Sciences, Faculty of Science, Palacký University, Šlechtitelů 241/27, Olomouc, 783 71, Czech Republic
| | - Stanislav Hejduk
- Department of Animal Nutrition and Forage Production, Faculty of Agronomy, Mendel University, Zemědělská 1, Brno, 613 00, Czech Republic
| | - Michal Hejcman
- Department of Ecology, Faculty of Environmental Sciences, Czech University of Life Sciences, Kamýcká 1176, Prague 6-Suchdol, 165 21, Czech Republic
| | - Robin J Pakeman
- The James Hutton Institute, Craigiebuckler, Aberdeen, AB15 8QH, UK
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Zhang Y, Loreau M, He N, Zhang G, Han X. Mowing exacerbates the loss of ecosystem stability under nitrogen enrichment in a temperate grassland. Funct Ecol 2017; 31:1637-1646. [PMID: 28867865 PMCID: PMC5575818 DOI: 10.1111/1365-2435.12850] [Citation(s) in RCA: 52] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Abstract
1. Global reactive nitrogen (N) is projected to further increase in the coming years. Previous studies have demonstrated that N enrichment weakens the temporal stability of the ecosystem and the primary productivity through decreased biodiversity and species asynchrony. Mowing is a globally common practise in grasslands; and infrequent mowing can maintain or increase plant diversity under N enrichment conditions. However, it is unclear how infrequent mowing affects ecosystem stability in the face of N enrichment. 2. By independently manipulating the frequency (twice vs. monthly additions per year) and rate (i.e. 0, 1, 2, 3, 5, 10, 15, 20, and 50 g N m-2 year-1) of NH4NO3 inputs and mowing (unmown vs. mown) over 3 years (2011-2013) in a temperate grassland of northern China, we aimed to examine the interactive effects of N enrichment and mowing on ecosystem stability. 3. The results show that mowing maintained a positive relationship between species richness and ecosystem stability despite N addition, but that it exacerbated the negative effects of N addition on ecosystem stability. Mowing increased mean primary productivity and plant species richness, but it also increased the synchrony of population fluctuations and the variability of primary productivity under N enrichment, thereby contributing to a decline in the ecosystem stability. 4. Thus, our study reveals that infrequent mowing can buffer the negative effects of N enrichment on biodiversity to some extent and further increase the primary productivity, but it exacerbates the loss of ecosystem stability with N enrichment, thereby threatening local and/or semiarid regional food security.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yunhai Zhang
- State Key Laboratory of Vegetation and Environmental Change, Institute of Botany, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100093, China
- Department of Agroecology, Aarhus University, Blichers Allé 20, 8830, Tjele, Denmark
| | - Michel Loreau
- Centre for Biodiversity Theory and Modelling, Theoretical and Experimental Ecology Station, CNRS and Paul Sabatier University, Moulis 09200, France
| | - Nianpeng He
- Synthesis Research Center of Chinese Ecosystem Research Network, Institute of Geographic Sciences and Natural Resources Research, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100101, China
| | - Guangming Zhang
- State Key Laboratory of Vegetation and Environmental Change, Institute of Botany, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100093, China
| | - Xingguo Han
- State Key Laboratory of Vegetation and Environmental Change, Institute of Botany, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100093, China
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Hájek M, Dresler P, Hájková P, Hettenbergerová E, Milo P, Plesková Z, Pavonič M. Long-lasting Imprint of Former Glassworks on Vegetation Pattern in an Extremely Species-rich Grassland: A Battle of Species Pools on Mesic Soils. Ecosystems 2017. [DOI: 10.1007/s10021-017-0107-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
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