Impacts of Land Abandonment on Vegetation: Successional Pathways in European Habitats

Abstract

Changes in traditional agricultural systems in Europe in recent decades have led to widespread abandonment and colonization of various habitats by shrubs and trees. We combined several vegetation databases to test whether patterns of changes in plant diversity after land abandonment in different habitats followed similar pathways. The impacts of land abandonment and subsequent woody colonization on vegetation composition and plant traits were studied in five semi-natural open habitats and two arable habitats in six regions of Europe. For each habitat, vegetation surveys were Folia Geobot (2011) 46:303-325 carried out in different stages of succession using either permanent or non-permanent plots. Consecutive stages of succession were defined on a physiognomic basis from initial open stages to late woody stages. Changes in vegetation composition, species richness, numbers of species on Red Lists, plant strategy types, Ellenberg indicator values of the vegetation, Grime CSR strategy types and seven ecological traits were assessed for each stage of the successional pathway. Abandonment of agro-pastoral land-use and subsequent woody colonization were associated with changes in floristic composition. Plant richness varied according to the different habitats and stages of succession, but semi-natural habitats differed from arable fields in several ecological traits and vegetation responses. Nevertheless, succession occurred along broadly predictable pathways. Vegetation in abandoned arable fields was characterized by a decreasing importance of R-strategists, annuals, seed plants with overwintering green leaves, insect-pollinated plants with hemi-rosette morphology and plants thriving in nutrient-rich conditions, but an increase in species considered as endangered according to the Red Lists. Conversely, changes in plant traits with succession within the initiallyopen semi-natural habitats showed an increase in plants thriving in nutrient-rich conditions, stress-tolerant plants and plants with sexual and vegetative reproduction, but a sharp decrease in protected species. In conclusion, our study showed a set of similarities in responses of the vegetation in plant traits after land abandonment, but we also highlighted differences between arable fields and semi-natural habitats, emphasizing the importance of land-use legacy.

The effect of the shape of gaps on microenvironmental conditions and seedling recruitment in Molinietum caeruleae meadows

“…Hitherto, this scenario has been repeatedly observed over a wide range of habitats [13]. Nowadays, Molinietum caeruleae meadows [14] are among the world's most threatened habitats; their combined area has diminished gradually over recent decades throughout Europe [15][16][17][18].…”

Species richness and phylogenetic structure in plant communities: 20 years of succession

“…Particularly in plant ecology, numerous studies showed successional changes in species richness as well as community composition (e.g. Grime, 1979;Debussche et al, 1996;Prévosto et al, 2011;Knapp et al, 2016). At the beginning of a succession, the most important process structuring communities is the arrival of propagules from outside as well as the germination from the soil seed bank.…”

“…Smith and Smith, 2012), although patterns might be more complex (e.g. Prévosto et al, 2011). However, by restricting the measurement of biodiversity to species richness, one ignores almost 90 % of the "overall diversity" (Lyashevska and Farnsworth, 2012).…”

Effects of forest expansion and land abandonment on ecosystem services of alpine environments: case study in Ledro valley (Italy) for the period 1859-2011

“…The landscape of Alps is considered one of the most important natural territories of Europe and provides a great number of ecosystem services (ESs): protection from natural hazards, CO2 storage and accumulation in soil or biomass, provisioning of raw materials and water, genetic diversity and touristic opportunities (Grêt-Regamey et al, 2008). During the second half of 20th century, socio-economic changes caused a modification in the use of Alpine territories towards a greater exploitation or a complete abandonment (Chauchard et al, 2007;Rutherford et al, 2008;Prévosto et al, 2011;Cocca et al, 2012). 876 FEDRIGOTTI et al These alterations are considered the main causes of variations observed in species diversity, ecosystem functionality, landscape configuration, and economical growth of the local communities (Tasser et al, 2005;.…”