Dynamics of species‐rich upland hay meadows over 15 years and their relation with agricultural management practices

Abstract

Questions: Has the species-rich vegetation of upland hay meadows been maintained under low intensity management imposed by an agri-environment scheme? Is the target plant community re-establishing where it has been modified previously by intensive agricultural practices? What combinations of management practices and soil properties are associated with changes towards or away from the target community? Location: The Pennines, northern England, UK. Methods: A survey of 116 hay meadows in 1987 was repeated in 2002 by recording plant species in permanent quadrats. Changes in community variables (species richness, Ellenberg values, upland hay meadow community coefficients) were analysed in species-rich, modified species-rich and degraded grassland types. Redundancy Analysis and Generalised Linear Models were used to show the relationship between management practices and soil properties and change in species composition and community variables. Results: Few sites contained the species-rich grassland type, and here forb richness declined. In the modified species-rich type, total and grass species richness increased but Ellenberg N-values also increased. Total and grass species richness increased in the degraded type and the community coefficient increased. Management was weakly related to change in species composition but showed clear relationships with the community variables. Re-establishment of the target species-rich community was more likely with late cutting, in the absence of cattle or prolonged spring grazing, and at lower soil nutrient status. Conclusion: The species-rich community was not maintained but some reversion occurred in degraded grassland. Inorganic fertiliser application and intensive spring grazing should be avoided and cutting delayed until late July.Nomenclature: Stace (1997).Abbreviations: ESA = Environmentally Sensitive Area; GLM = Generalised Linear Model; MG3 = Upland hay meadow plant community code; RDA = Redundancy Analysis.

Changes in vegetation types and Ellenberg indicator values after 65 years of fertilizer application in the Rengen Grassland Experiment, Germany

“…However, in the face of current large-scale eutrophication, conservation priorities should be focused on maintaining unfertilized oligotrophic or mesotrophic grasslands. Such grasslands are rapidly declining in Central and Western Europe (Bobbink et al 1998) and their maintenance is difficult, even under agri-environmental schemes (Critchley et al 2007). Phosphorus application in particular in such grasslands can result in a decline of oligotrophic species.…”

Contribution of different grass species to plant-atmosphere ammonia exchange in intensively managed grassland

“…In the short term, the initial composition of the seed mixture sown determines the proportion of different species in grasslands , while in the longer term other management factors such as cutting frequency (Pontes et al, 2007;Critchley et al, 2007), fertilization (Hill and Carey, 1997;Oelmann et al, 2007) and liming (Silvertown et al, 2006) become important. Species diversity is usually reduced with increasing amounts of N fertilization (Clark et al, 2007;Harpole et al, 2007).…”

The importance of altitude and aspect for breeding WhinchatsSaxicola rubetrain the uplands: limitations of the uplands as a refuge for a declining, formerly widespread species?

“…However, immigration of birds to those meadows delayed an observed population decline, as individuals would establish territories in apparently suitable habitats (lower meadows in the early season) unable to predict losses owing to early cutting later in the season; those meadows effectively hosting a sink population (Müller et al 2005). In habitats occupied by breeding Whinchats in the marginal uplands of Britain, major mechanical operations such as grass cutting within the breeding season are rare and localized (Smith & Jones 1991, Jefferson 2005, Critchley et al 2007. In general, habitats at lower altitudes will have become largely unsuitable for them (through agricultural intensification) at any time of the breeding season and, therefore, occupation of apparently suitable habitats that become unsuitable later within the same season is not likely to be a significant factor in Britain.…”