Grazing intensity gradient inherited from traditional herding still explains Mediterranean grassland characteristics despite current land-use changes

Vidaller, Christel; Malik, Chloé; Dutoit, Thierry

doi:10.1016/j.agee.2022.108085

Cited by 7 publications

(8 citation statements)

References 76 publications

(94 reference statements)

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“…The wide range of variation between plant biotypes in response to grazing activity was probably due to the complex interactions between plant biotype and other factors or interplay among grazing intensity and environmental conditions (Buzhdygan et al, 2020). In addition, there exist “concomitant effects” among plant community, soil properties, and climate factors in a grassland ecosystem (Vidaller et al, 2022). In a substeppe plain in southeastern France, a change from millennia‐old traditional herding to fenced, moderate‐level grazing significantly increased plant biomass, species richness, and evenness while concomitantly changing vegetation (Vidaller et al, 2022).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…In addition, there exist "concomitant effects" among plant community, soil properties, and climate factors in a grassland ecosystem (Vidaller et al, 2022). In a substeppe plain in southeastern France, a change from millennia-old traditional herding to fenced, moderate-level grazing significantly increased plant biomass, species richness, and evenness while concomitantly changing vegetation (Vidaller et al, 2022). In a 34-year grazing exclusion grassland in China, the alternation of plant community changed nutrient cycling while concomitantly affecting nutrient resorption-induced ecosystem services (Zhang, Su, et al, 2022).…”

Section: Plant Biotype: a Key Driver To Grassland Ecosystem Servicesmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Plant biotype interacting grazing activity shapes grassland ecosystem functions

Wang,

Feng,

Sun

et al. 2023

Ecosphere

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Grasslands play an essential role in maintaining the health of planet Earth, but many grasslands have lost their ecosystem services due to unsustainable management practices, such as overgrazing. Little is known about how grazing activity interacts with plant biotypes, impacting grassland ecosystem services. Here, we (1) assessed the relative performance of five plant biotypes in response to grazing activities and (2) determined the effectiveness of grazing exclusion in enhancing soil physiochemical properties in grasslands. The synthesis of 39,214 observations on plant‐, soil‐, and anthropogeny‐related factors from 88 published studies revealed that grazing exclusion increased aboveground plant biomass accumulation by 100.4% (±4.2 SE), belowground biomass by 70.2% (±25.7), total soil C content by 21.4% (±1.7), and soil organic carbon (SOC) concentration by 14.3% (±0.8), on average, as compared to moderate‐to‐heavy (MtH) grazing. Plant biotypes responded to grazing activities differently; alpine meadows increased total soil C content by 107.2%, alpine steppes increased SOC by 52.2%, but desert steppes decreased total C content by 21.8% under the grazing exclusion. All plant biotypes reduced soil bulk density by 6.4%–19.4% under grazing exclusion. Soil microbial community diversity responded to grazing activities inconsistently, ranging from an 18% decrease to a 26% increase in soil microbial diversity compared to MtH grazing. We conclude that selecting appropriate plant biotypes alongside improved grazing management will enhance grassland ecosystem functions and services as plant biotypes affect aboveground and belowground biomass and interface with soil physiochemical properties.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Plant Biotype: a Key Driver To Grassland Ecosystem Servicesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Plant biotype interacting grazing activity shapes grassland ecosystem functions

Wang,

Feng,

Sun

et al. 2023

Ecosphere

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“…Briefly, four quadrats of 20 × 20 cm were harvested from each exclosure (a total of 120 quadrats). The above is an accepted sampling unit for community composition measurements in Mediterranean grasslands (Kigel et al, 2021; Peco et al, 2012; Vidaller et al, 2022). The harvested vegetation was sorted, identified and counted at the species level.…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Utilizing treated wastewater for pasture irrigation: Effects on productivity, plant community structure and soil properties

Lavi,

Bar‐Massada,

Dovrat

2024

Grass and Forage Science

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Surplus wastewater accumulates in winter and requires a discharging solution. In our study we examined the effects of using treated wastewater (TWW) as supplemental pasture irrigation in winter. To test the effect of TWW irrigation on the vegetation and soil, 10 grazing prevention exclosures were established at Ramat‐Hanadiv Park, Israel, with half of them irrigated with TWW. Soil and vegetation were sampled during 2 years of irrigation and 1 year after cessation of irrigation. Vegetation composition, species richness, and productivity were sampled at the peak of the growing season and various indices of herbage quality were measured. Our results show that irrigation with wastewater increased herbage production by an average of 38% and total pasture protein production by 9% relative to the control subplots. Conversely, TWW irrigation decreased plant protein content while increasing herbage fibre content and lowering its digestibility. Over a period of 2 years, species richness decreased in the irrigated subplots. Most of the soil indices examined were not affected by irrigation, but in the irrigation subplots, sodium values and the sodium adsorption‐ratio were higher than in areas without irrigation. Additional resources in winter enabled the plants to grow rapidly and increased interplant competition. Changes in vegetation composition were revealed through functional group reshuffling and species richness decline. The results of our study show that wastewater irrigation causes an increase in productivity but a decrease in forage quality. At the pastoral system level, the significant increase in productivity leads to increased availability of protein and herbage for animals.

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“…This high floristic diversity of plant communities is a fundamental element in the differentiation between the Mediterranean and Central European temperate biogeographic regions, and has been highlighted in various types of ecological, phytosociological, agricultural, and livestock studies [4][5][6][7]. The main factors conditioning the diversity of both Mediterranean and Central European grasslands are soil type, bioclimate (thermoclimate and ombroclimate), and anthropogenic and agricultural actions [8][9][10][11]. In Raunkiaer's classification, the dominant biotypes of grasslands and grass fields are therophytes, hemicryptophytes, and geophytes [12,13].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Urban Natural Spaces as Laboratories for Learning and Social Awareness

Cano-Ortiz,

Piñar Fuentes,

Rodrigues Meireles

et al. 2024

Sustainability

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Mediterranean areas contain a great diversity of flora and phytocenosis, due to the different substrates and the special Mediterranean climate, and it is in the Iberian Peninsula where the greatest diversity is concentrated. The need for didactic techniques that generate awareness and good learning results is considered of great relevance in order to obtain well-trained environmental managers. We proceed to the research on different phytosociological groups. The one with the largest number of associations or plant communities is the one located in nitrified environments near urban areas; the group of communities dominated by Poa bulbosa is of great interest for sheep farming, while, for equine and bovine farming, the communities rich in grasses and legumes that are located in rural environments rich in organic matter are of interest. The latter communities are also interesting because they act as a sink for CO2. Due to the serious alterations in Mediterranean grasslands, we propose cultural, socio-educational, and socio-economic strategies to increase family income, thus avoiding the south–north migratory flow, as well as combining exploitation and conservation, and promoting sustainable development.

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Grazing intensity gradient inherited from traditional herding still explains Mediterranean grassland characteristics despite current land-use changes

Cited by 7 publications

References 76 publications

Plant biotype interacting grazing activity shapes grassland ecosystem functions

Plant biotype interacting grazing activity shapes grassland ecosystem functions

Utilizing treated wastewater for pasture irrigation: Effects on productivity, plant community structure and soil properties

Urban Natural Spaces as Laboratories for Learning and Social Awareness

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