Early changes in species composition of upland sown grassland under extensive grazing management

Marriott, Carol A.; Bolton, G. R.; Barthram, G. T.; Fisher, Julia M.; Hood, K.

doi:10.1111/j.1654-109x.2002.tb00538.x

Cited by 37 publications

(29 citation statements)

References 25 publications

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“…After a change in grazing intensity, species abundance changes more rapidly than plant species richness (Marriott et al, 2002;Louault et al, 2005;Scimone et al, 2007). However, we could not find any global effect of stocking rate on the Shannon index (F 1.30 5 0.06; P 5 0.81; Figure 3) or other indicators of plant community evenness (log normal diversity index: Bullock et al, 2001; Simpson dominance index: Scimone et al, 2007).…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 59%

“…Qualitative review indicated that grazing abandonment rapidly changed plant species composition over a wide range of plant communities, such as ryegrass/white clover sown swards (Marriott et al, 2002) or Lolium perenne-Agrostis capillaris-dominated pasture (Fothergill et al, 2002). Legumes dropped in abandoned grasslands (Dutoit et al, 1995;Gross et al, 2009).…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…In contrast to abandonment, reported changes in species composition were much slower when stocking rate was manipulated (Hulme et al, 1999;Marriott et al, 2004;Scimone et al, 2007). This was, for example, the case over the first 5 years of measurements in extensively used ryegrass/white clover sown swards (Marriott et al, 2002), although this last survey did find long-term patterns with A. capillaris, Poa trivialis, Festuca rubra and Holcus lanatus being favored by a reduction in stocking rate, whereas more competitive or ruderal species such as T. repens and Poa annua increased with increasing stocking rate (Marriott et al, 2009). In other mesotrophic grasslands typical of agriculturally improved sites, competitive and ruderal species such as L. perenne, Taraxacum officinale and Cerastium fontanum also performed better in heavily grazed plots, whereas Agrostis stolonifera, Dactylis glomerata, F. rubra and Trifolium pratense all benefited from a reduction of grazing intensity (Bullock et al, 2001).…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

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How do sheep affect plant communities and arthropod populations in temperate grasslands?

Scohier

Dumont

2012

Animal

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Grasslands being used in sheep farming systems are managed under a variety of agricultural production, recreational and conservational objectives. Although sheep grazing is rarely considered the best method for delivering conservation objectives in seminatural temperate grasslands, the literature does not provide unequivocal evidence on the impact of sheep grazing on pasture biodiversity. Our aim was therefore to review evidence of the impacts of stocking rate, grazing period and soil fertility on plant communities and arthropod populations in both mesotrophic grasslands typical of agriculturally improved areas and in native plant communities. We therefore conducted a literature search of articles published up to the end of the year 2010 using 'sheep' and 'grazing' as keywords, together with variables describing grassland management, plant community structure or arthropod taxa. The filtering process led to the selection of 48 articles, with 42 included in the stocking rate dataset, 9 in the grazing period dataset and 10 in the soil fertility dataset. The meta-analysis did not reveal any significant trends for plant species richness or plant community evenness along a wide stocking rate gradient. However, we found frequent shifts in functional groups or plant species abundance that could be explained by the functional properties of the plants in the community. The meta-analysis confirmed that increasing soil fertility decreased plant species richness. Despite the very limited dataset, plant species richness was significantly greater in autumn-grazed pastures than in ungrazed areas, which suggests that choosing an appropriate grazing period would be a promising option for preserving biodiversity in sheep farming systems. Qualitative review indicated that low grazing intensity had positive effects on Orthoptera, Hemiptera (especially phytophagous Auchenorrhyncha) and, despite a diverse range of feeding strategies, for the species richness of Coleoptera. Lepidoptera, which were favoured by more abundant flowering plants, also benefited from low grazing intensities. Spider abundance and species richness were higher in ungrazed than in grazed pastures. In contrast, there are insufficient published studies to draw any firm conclusions on the benefits of late grazing or stopping fertilization on insect diversity, and no grounds for including any of this information in decision support tools at this stage.Keywords: biodiversity, grazing period, insect, stocking rate, soil fertility ImplicationsThere is a general trend toward a gradual intensification of ruminant production to meet the increasing demand for livestock products (Bouwman et al., 2005), which logically raises major concerns over the environmental consequences involved. Grassland intensification entails higher livestock densities and fertilizer application rates to increase soil productivity, which negatively affects the diversity of resident plant communities. Grasslands are being managed under a variety of agricultural production and conservation objectives;...

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Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 59%

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

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How do sheep affect plant communities and arthropod populations in temperate grasslands?

Scohier

Dumont

2012

Animal

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“…Grant et al 1996;Hulme et al 1999;Smith et al 2000b;Bullock et al 2001;Marriott et al 1998Marriott et al , 2002 in extensive systems. Fewer studies have looked at the effects of grazing on the soil.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 96%

The CENTURY model failed to simulate soil organic matter development in an acidic grassland

Foereid

Barthram²,

Marriott³

2007

Nutr Cycl Agroecosyst

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Extensive agricultural systems have been promoted all over Europe. Most studies of such systems have focused on plant species composition, while few studies have looked at soil effects. We report on an experiment at three upland sites where soil carbon, nitrogen and pH were measured twice a year for 12 years. There were four grazing treatments: no grazing, grazed to maintain a sward height of 8 cm, grazed to maintain 4 cm (all without fertiliser) and grazed to maintain 4 cm with the addition of fertiliser. There was no significant effect of treatment, but there were differences between sites over time. A simulation model, CENTURY, was adapted to the data. It also predicted little difference between treatments, but the fit to data was not very good. It was necessary to assume that the soils contained a store of undecomposed organic matter or peat that was now slowly decomposing as a result of liming. The need to modify the model to include a pH effect on decomposition in the model is highlighted.

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“…This could best be achieved by establishing species-rich, low-input meadows, or by leaving off intensive management in existing grasslands (Szemán, 1997). In both cases considerable changes can be expected in the composition of the grassland, involving an increase in species richness (Marriott et al, 2002;2009). This is especially important on nature-protected grass areas and bio-grasslands and for the restoration of grasslands and habitats.…”

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confidence: 99%

Analysis of species-rich flowery grassland associations according to their ecological needs

Harcsa

Szemán

2012

Acta Agronomica Hungarica

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Botanical changes were examined on a ten-year-old semi-natural grassland established using mixtures with high species diversity. The mixtures contained seventeen wild flowers of natural origin together with two leguminous and seven grass species or varieties. Three different mixtures were arranged in three replications. The grassland management system was non-intensive (without nutrient supply or irrigation). A survey involving cover assessment revealed nine residual species from among the twenty-six originally sown. The main question addressed in the study was whether there was any connection between the ecological properties of the habitat and the ecological needs of the residual species and it was concluded that all the residual species had similar temperature, water balance and soil requirements. It could be seen that the present plant association gave a good reflection of the results of soil analysis. This suggests that soil analysis should be carried out before sowing new species-rich grasslands in order to compile a mixture suited to the nature of the habitat.

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Early changes in species composition of upland sown grassland under extensive grazing management

Cited by 37 publications

References 25 publications

How do sheep affect plant communities and arthropod populations in temperate grasslands?

How do sheep affect plant communities and arthropod populations in temperate grasslands?

The CENTURY model failed to simulate soil organic matter development in an acidic grassland

Analysis of species-rich flowery grassland associations according to their ecological needs

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