Grassland Changes in the Eastern Alps Over Four Decades: Unveiling Patterns Along an Elevation Gradient

IF 2 3区 环境科学与生态学 Q3 ECOLOGY
Gianmaria Bonari, Alessandro Bricca, Giulia Tomasi, Lucio Dorigatti, Alessio Bertolli, Davide Andreatta, Francesco Maria Sabatini, Michele Di Musciano, Filippo Prosser
{"title":"Grassland Changes in the Eastern Alps Over Four Decades: Unveiling Patterns Along an Elevation Gradient","authors":"Gianmaria Bonari,&nbsp;Alessandro Bricca,&nbsp;Giulia Tomasi,&nbsp;Lucio Dorigatti,&nbsp;Alessio Bertolli,&nbsp;Davide Andreatta,&nbsp;Francesco Maria Sabatini,&nbsp;Michele Di Musciano,&nbsp;Filippo Prosser","doi":"10.1111/avsc.70012","DOIUrl":null,"url":null,"abstract":"<div>\n \n \n <section>\n \n <h3> Aims</h3>\n \n <p>Alpine valleys have faced escalating global changes in recent decades such as a decline of traditional management and rural expansion. Grasslands are likely the type of vegetation most affected by these transformations. This study investigates the multifaceted changes in plant diversity over the past four decades in a major valley of the Italian Eastern Alps and examines whether changes occurred uniformly across different elevations.</p>\n </section>\n \n <section>\n \n <h3> Location</h3>\n \n <p>Valsugana Valley, Eastern Alps, Italy.</p>\n </section>\n \n <section>\n \n <h3> Methods</h3>\n \n <p>In 2022, we resurveyed 115 vegetation plots (including vascular plants, mosses, and lichens) originally sampled in 1986–1988. Plots were collected in grasslands and span along an elevation gradient of 2000 m. At each time period, we automatically classified these plots using the EUNIS expert system of habitats. We analysed the variation over time in species richness, species diversity, beta diversity (turnover and nestedness), and relative proportion of life form, woodiness, and neophyte species along an elevation gradient, subdivided in low-, middle-, and high-elevation belts. Lastly, we quantified the number of gained, winning, stable, losing, and lost species.</p>\n </section>\n \n <section>\n \n <h3> Results</h3>\n \n <p>We found differences in the classification of EUNIS habitats and elevation-dependent changes in community diversity and composition. Many grassland types were transformed into other grassland types or into forests and man-made habitats. Species richness varied along the elevation gradient over time, being constant at lower elevations but markedly increasing at high elevations. Temporal turnover dominated across elevations, especially at lower sites, while nestedness components increased towards high elevations. Neophytes increased and hemicryptophytes decreased in the low-elevation belt, while therophytes and geophytes increased at low- and high-elevation belts. In the middle-elevation belt, many dry grassland species were replaced by nitrophilous and woody species. High-elevation witnessed species replacement with the loss of mountain species and the increase of therophyte and geophyte species.</p>\n </section>\n \n <section>\n \n <h3> Conclusions</h3>\n \n <p>Grasslands of Valsugana valley have undergone substantial changes over four decades. Different processes likely acted across the elevation gradient. Nonetheless the driver, impoverishment of semi-natural grassland species was observed over time across elevations. Understanding these changes in vegetation is essential for a comprehensive evaluation of ecological variations over time. Conservation management strategies should be tailored to address biodiversity changes at varying elevations to counteract the negative trends of plant diversity loss and the ongoing habitat transformation of grasslands in the Alps.</p>\n </section>\n </div>","PeriodicalId":55494,"journal":{"name":"Applied Vegetation Science","volume":"28 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.0000,"publicationDate":"2025-02-07","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1111/avsc.70012","citationCount":"0","resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":null,"PeriodicalName":"Applied Vegetation Science","FirstCategoryId":"93","ListUrlMain":"https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/avsc.70012","RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"环境科学与生态学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":null,"EPubDate":"","PubModel":"","JCR":"Q3","JCRName":"ECOLOGY","Score":null,"Total":0}
引用次数: 0

Abstract

Aims

Alpine valleys have faced escalating global changes in recent decades such as a decline of traditional management and rural expansion. Grasslands are likely the type of vegetation most affected by these transformations. This study investigates the multifaceted changes in plant diversity over the past four decades in a major valley of the Italian Eastern Alps and examines whether changes occurred uniformly across different elevations.

Location

Valsugana Valley, Eastern Alps, Italy.

Methods

In 2022, we resurveyed 115 vegetation plots (including vascular plants, mosses, and lichens) originally sampled in 1986–1988. Plots were collected in grasslands and span along an elevation gradient of 2000 m. At each time period, we automatically classified these plots using the EUNIS expert system of habitats. We analysed the variation over time in species richness, species diversity, beta diversity (turnover and nestedness), and relative proportion of life form, woodiness, and neophyte species along an elevation gradient, subdivided in low-, middle-, and high-elevation belts. Lastly, we quantified the number of gained, winning, stable, losing, and lost species.

Results

We found differences in the classification of EUNIS habitats and elevation-dependent changes in community diversity and composition. Many grassland types were transformed into other grassland types or into forests and man-made habitats. Species richness varied along the elevation gradient over time, being constant at lower elevations but markedly increasing at high elevations. Temporal turnover dominated across elevations, especially at lower sites, while nestedness components increased towards high elevations. Neophytes increased and hemicryptophytes decreased in the low-elevation belt, while therophytes and geophytes increased at low- and high-elevation belts. In the middle-elevation belt, many dry grassland species were replaced by nitrophilous and woody species. High-elevation witnessed species replacement with the loss of mountain species and the increase of therophyte and geophyte species.

Conclusions

Grasslands of Valsugana valley have undergone substantial changes over four decades. Different processes likely acted across the elevation gradient. Nonetheless the driver, impoverishment of semi-natural grassland species was observed over time across elevations. Understanding these changes in vegetation is essential for a comprehensive evaluation of ecological variations over time. Conservation management strategies should be tailored to address biodiversity changes at varying elevations to counteract the negative trends of plant diversity loss and the ongoing habitat transformation of grasslands in the Alps.

Abstract Image

求助全文
约1分钟内获得全文 求助全文
来源期刊
Applied Vegetation Science
Applied Vegetation Science 环境科学-林学
CiteScore
6.00
自引率
10.70%
发文量
67
审稿时长
3 months
期刊介绍: Applied Vegetation Science focuses on community-level topics relevant to human interaction with vegetation, including global change, nature conservation, nature management, restoration of plant communities and of natural habitats, and the planning of semi-natural and urban landscapes. Vegetation survey, modelling and remote-sensing applications are welcome. Papers on vegetation science which do not fit to this scope (do not have an applied aspect and are not vegetation survey) should be directed to our associate journal, the Journal of Vegetation Science. Both journals publish papers on the ecology of a single species only if it plays a key role in structuring plant communities.
×
引用
GB/T 7714-2015
复制
MLA
复制
APA
复制
导出至
BibTeX EndNote RefMan NoteFirst NoteExpress
×
提示
您的信息不完整,为了账户安全,请先补充。
现在去补充
×
提示
您因"违规操作"
具体请查看互助需知
我知道了
×
提示
确定
请完成安全验证×
copy
已复制链接
快去分享给好友吧!
我知道了
右上角分享
点击右上角分享
0
联系我们:info@booksci.cn Book学术提供免费学术资源搜索服务,方便国内外学者检索中英文文献。致力于提供最便捷和优质的服务体验。 Copyright © 2023 布克学术 All rights reserved.
京ICP备2023020795号-1
ghs 京公网安备 11010802042870号
Book学术文献互助
Book学术文献互助群
群 号:481959085
Book学术官方微信