Species coexistence in grasslands is regulated by several environmental factors and interactions with the soil microbial community.Here, the development of the Basidiomycetes fungus Agaricus arvensis, forming fairy rings, in a species-rich Mediterranean grassland, is described. Effects of the mycelial front on plants, fungi and bacteria were assessed by vegetation survey and next generation sequencing approaches.Our results showed a fungal-dependent shift in the community structure operated by a wave-like spread of fairy rings that decreased plant, fungal and bacterial diversity, indicating a detrimental effect of fairy rings on most species. The fairy rings induced successional processes in plants that enhanced the replacement of a community dominated by perennial plants with short-living and fast-growing plant species. In parallel, fungal and bacterial communities showed evident differences in species composition with several taxa associated within distinct sampling zone across the fairy rings. Notably, bacteria belonging to the Burkholderia genus and fungi of the genus Trichoderma increased in response to the advancing mycelium of A. arvensis.The profound changes in community composition and the overall increase in taxa diversity at ecosystemic scale suggest that fairy ring-forming fungi may act as ecosystem engineer species in Mediterranean grasslands.
Background: Fagus sylvatica forms the treeline across the Apennines mountain range, with an average elevation of 1589 m a.s.l. Previous studies evidenced that the current position of the treeline in the Apennines is heavily depressed as a result of a complex interaction between climatic factors and the past human pressure. In this study we correlated treeline elevation in the fifteen major mountain groups in the Apennines with selected climatic, geomorphological, and human disturbance variables in order to investigate in detail the site-specific features affecting the current treeline distribution. Results: Treeline elevation was lowest in the North Italy (Apuan Alps), while the highest treeline was found in Central Italy (Simbruini). An absolute maximum treeline elevation of F. sylvatica exceeding 2000 m a.s.l. was found on 13 mountain peaks in Central and Southern Italy. Noteworthy, treeline elevation was largely lower on warmer south-facing slopes compared to northern slopes, with values several hundred meters lower in the Gran Sasso and Velino-Sirente. Although the causes of this pattern are still unknown, we argue that treeline elevation on southfacing slopes may be limited by the combination of climatic constraints (i.e. summer drought) and human disturbance. Evidence of a pervasive anthropogenic effect depressing treeline elevation was found in the North (Apuan Alps) Central (Gran Sasso, Velino-Sirente, Sibillini) and Southern part of Apennines (Pollino). By contrast, treeline elevation of the Laga, Simbruini, and Orsomarso mountain groups appears less affected by past anthropogenic disturbance. Finally, we recorded in the several mountain groups (i.e. Majella, Marsicani and Pollino) the coexistence of very depressed treelines just a few kilometers away from much higher treelines, among the highest ever recorded for F. sylvatica. Conclusions: Finally, we argue that F. sylvatica treeline across the Apennines is locally shaped both by the interaction of low temperatures experienced by the species in its earliest life stages in snow-free open spaces with summer soil water depletion and human disturbance.
Habitat monitoring in Europe is regulated by Article 17 of the Habitats Directive, which suggests the use of typical species to habitat conservation status. Yet, the Directive uses the term “typical” species but does not provide a definition, either for its use in reporting or for its use in impact assessments. To address the issue, an online workshop was organized by the Italian Society for Vegetation Science (SISV) to shed light on the diversity of perspectives regarding the different concepts of typical species, and to discuss the possible implications for habitat monitoring. To this aim, we inquired 73 people with a very different degree of expertise in the field of vegetation science by means of a tailored survey composed of six questions. We analysed the data using Pearson's Chi-squared test to verify that the answers diverged from a random distribution and checked the effect of the degree of experience of the surveyees on the results. We found that most of the surveyees agreed on the use of the phytosociological method for habitat monitoring and of the diagnostic and characteristic species to evaluate the structural and functional conservation status of habitats. With this contribution, we shed light on the meaning of “typical” species in the context of habitat monitoring.
Reduction of soil greenhouse gas emissions is crucial to control increases in atmospheric CO2 concentrations. Permanent grasslands are of considerable importance in climate change mitigation strategies as they cover about 13% of the global agricultural area. However, uncertainties remain for the effects of management practices on soil respiration, especially over the short term. This study investigated the influence of different mowing intensities on soil respiration over the short term for Bromus erectus-dominated grasslands in the central Apennines. From 2016 to 2018, soil respiration, temperature, and moisture were measured under three different management systems: customary management, intensive use, and abandonment. Both soil water content and temperature changed over time, however mowing did not affect soil water content while occasionally altered soil temperature. The intensive use promoted higher seasonal mean soil respiration compared to the abandonment only during the 2016 growing season. Soil temperature was the main driver of soil respiration above a soil water content threshold that varied little among treatments (18.23–22.71%). Below the thresholds, soil moisture was the main driver of soil respiration. These data suggest that different mowing regimes have little influence on soil respiration over the short term in Bromus erectus-dominated grasslands. Thus, more intensive use would not have significative impacts on soil respiration, at least over the short term. Future studies need to clarify the role of root mycorrhizal and microbial respiration in the light of climate change, considering the seasonal redistribution of the rainfall.
Grassland habitats are particularly threatened in Europe, especially in marginal areas where funds and manpower for their conservative management are limited. Knowledge of the vegetation dynamics is crucial for the timeliness and economy of any conservation actions. However, there is a lack of studies on effective and rapid containment of tall rhizomatous geophytes, such as asphodel (Asphodelus macrocarpus Parl. subsp. macrocarpus), which are particularly active in the earliest stages of the natural vegetation succession. We present an interdisciplinary study carried out on an abandoned semi‐natural grassland (European Union habitat code 6210*) colonized by Asphodel within a Natura 2000 site in the central Apennines (Italy). This experimental trial lasted 4 years (2012–2015) and applied three different treatments (mowing with removal of cut material, mowing without removal of cut material and chopping), compared to the control (abandonment). The results highlight that the disturbance produced by biomass removal has positive effects on biodiversity. In particular, mowing (both with or without removal of cut material) provided better results for restoration of the grassland biodiversity, even over the short term. Chopping is not a viable alternative to mowing, especially because of the risk of eutrophication over time, and the consequent settlement and increase in nitrophilous species.
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