Effects of management complexity on the composition, plant functional dominance relationships and physiognomy of high nature value grasslands

Róbert Kun, Dániel Babai, András István Csathó, Arnold Erdélyi, Judit Hartdégen, Attila Lengyel, Nikoletta Kálmán, András Mártonffy, Alida Anna Hábenczyus, Zsófia Szegleti, Ákos Vig, András Máté, Ákos Malatinszky, Tímea Tóth, Csaba Vadász
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Abstract

 A significant proportion of Europe’s species-rich grasslands are semi-natural habitats. They have a long history of traditional management. Several studies have been carried out to conserve them, resulting in the establishment of subsidised conservation management schemes. On the other hand, many of these conservation management schemes have failed to provide locally adaptive solutions to maintain the diversity and functional status of species-rich grasslands. In addition, few studies have compared the conservation effectiveness of different levels of management complexity. The levels of management complexity in our study are based on how different management types (e.g. grazing and mowing etc.) and how different herbage removal intensities (e.g. lower and higher grazing intensities) are combined within and between years. To investigate this, we compared the overall effects of management complexity, herbage removal intensity and management type on plant diversity, plant functional type dominance relationships and plant physiognomy. Our field sampling was carried out in the sandy meso-xeric grasslands of the Turján Region of the Great Hungarian Plain (Central Hungary). We sampled nine 2 m × 2 m plots per grassland site (n = 12), recorded all the rooted plant species and estimated their percentage cover in each plot. High level of management complexity had significant positive effects on plant diversity, grazing had positive effects on plant diversity and phanerophyte density, while the studied levels of herbage removal intensity had no effect on diversity, plant functional types or plant physiognomy. In parallel, mowing and/or low levels of management complexity had some negative effects on conservation value (e.g. lower Shannon and Simpson diversity). In this landscape, the dominance of grazing and the more complex management is more optimal than relatively homogeneous mechanical mowing. The choice of management type and intensity is an important tool in the conservation management system of this landscape, but so too is its appropriate application in space and time. Through a detailed analysis of the effects of management complexity levels compared to management types and herbage removal intensity levels, we provide a new opportunity to make grassland management practices more effective for conserving biodiversity in this region, but it would be important to investigate these in different landscapes and conditions.
管理复杂性对高自然价值草地的组成、植物功能优势关系和地貌的影响
欧洲物种丰富的草地中有很大一部分是半自然栖息地。它们有着悠久的传统管理历史。为了保护它们,已经开展了多项研究,并制定了有补贴的保护管理计划。另一方面,许多这些保护管理计划未能提供适应当地情况的解决方案,以维持物种丰富的草地的多样性和功能状态。此外,很少有研究对不同管理复杂程度的保护效果进行比较。我们研究中的管理复杂性水平是基于不同的管理类型(如放牧和刈割等)以及不同的除草强度(如较低和较高的放牧强度)在年内和年际之间的组合方式。为此,我们比较了管理复杂性、除草强度和管理类型对植物多样性、植物功能类型优势关系和植物相貌的总体影响。我们在匈牙利大平原图尔扬地区(匈牙利中部)的沙质中干草原上进行了实地取样。我们在每个草场取样九个 2 m × 2 m 的小块(n = 12),记录了所有生根植物物种,并估算了它们在每个小块中的覆盖率。高水平的管理复杂性对植物多样性有显著的积极影响,放牧对植物多样性和植物密度有积极影响,而所研究的除草强度水平对多样性、植物功能类型或植物形态没有影响。与此同时,刈割和/或低水平的管理复杂性对保护价值产生了一些负面影响(例如,香农和辛普森多样性降低)。在这一景观中,放牧占主导地位和更复杂的管理比相对均匀的机械刈割更理想。管理类型和强度的选择是该景观保护管理系统的重要工具,但其在空间和时间上的适当应用也同样重要。通过详细分析管理复杂程度与管理类型和除草强度的对比效果,我们提供了一个新的机会,使草地管理方法更有效地保护该地区的生物多样性。
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