Soil phosphorus availability determines the contribution of small, individual grassland remnants to the conservation of landscape-scale biodiversity
- Author
- Jan Plue and Lander Baeten (UGent)
- Organization
- Abstract
- Questions: Small, remnant habitats embedded in degraded, human-dominated landscapes are generally not a priority in conservation, despite their potential role in supporting landscape-scale biodiversity. To warrant their inclusion in conservation management and policy, we question under which conditions they may exhibit the largest conservation value. Location: Nine landscapes spread across the counties of Stockholm and Södermanland, Sweden. Methods: Per landscape, plant communities were surveyed in 6 and 12 1 × 1 m2 plots across large, intact semi-natural grasslands and small remnant grasslands, respectively. These two contrasting grassland types served as a model system. A topsoil sample was taken in each plot to determine habitat quality in terms of soil pH, plant-available P, and C:N ratio. We used a joint species distribution model to analyse the extent to which grassland type and habitat quality define and predict resident community diversity and composition, including whether they support grassland specialists. Results: At the landscape scale, the combined remnant grasslands sustained diverse plant communities which did include a significant subset of habitat specialists. Yet, the contribution of individual remnants clearly varied with local-scale habitat quality; soil phosphorus availability lowered plot-level species richness, mostly by constraining the occurrence of grassland specialists. Semi-natural grassland communities were comparatively insensitive to variation in soil phosphorus availability. Conclusions: The combined habitat amount and the significant number of habitat specialists sustained by remnant grasslands with high habitat quality, shows they can represent a valuable resource to support landscape-scale biodiversity conservation. This offers no wildcard to neglect the continued biotic and abiotic threats on semi-natural grassland plant diversity such as chronic and accumulating P eutrophication, discontinuation of management or poor matrix permeability, as semi-natural grasslands harbour the majority of habitat specialists, while sourcing surrounding remnant grassland communities.
- Keywords
- Ecology, Management, Monitoring, Policy and Law, Nature and Landscape Conservation, grassland specialists, joint species distribution models, landscape ecology, plant-available phosphorus, remnant habitats, semi-natural grasslands, species richness, PLANT-SPECIES RICHNESS, SEMINATURAL GRASSLANDS, AGRICULTURAL LANDSCAPES, DIVERSITY, NITROGEN, CONNECTIVITY, EXTINCTION, MECHANISMS, ENRICHMENT, FEATURES
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Citation
Please use this url to cite or link to this publication: http://hdl.handle.net/1854/LU-8712977
- MLA
- Plue, Jan, and Lander Baeten. “Soil Phosphorus Availability Determines the Contribution of Small, Individual Grassland Remnants to the Conservation of Landscape-Scale Biodiversity.” APPLIED VEGETATION SCIENCE, vol. 24, no. 2, 2021, doi:10.1111/avsc.12590.
- APA
- Plue, J., & Baeten, L. (2021). Soil phosphorus availability determines the contribution of small, individual grassland remnants to the conservation of landscape-scale biodiversity. APPLIED VEGETATION SCIENCE, 24(2). https://doi.org/10.1111/avsc.12590
- Chicago author-date
- Plue, Jan, and Lander Baeten. 2021. “Soil Phosphorus Availability Determines the Contribution of Small, Individual Grassland Remnants to the Conservation of Landscape-Scale Biodiversity.” APPLIED VEGETATION SCIENCE 24 (2). https://doi.org/10.1111/avsc.12590.
- Chicago author-date (all authors)
- Plue, Jan, and Lander Baeten. 2021. “Soil Phosphorus Availability Determines the Contribution of Small, Individual Grassland Remnants to the Conservation of Landscape-Scale Biodiversity.” APPLIED VEGETATION SCIENCE 24 (2). doi:10.1111/avsc.12590.
- Vancouver
- 1.Plue J, Baeten L. Soil phosphorus availability determines the contribution of small, individual grassland remnants to the conservation of landscape-scale biodiversity. APPLIED VEGETATION SCIENCE. 2021;24(2).
- IEEE
- [1]J. Plue and L. Baeten, “Soil phosphorus availability determines the contribution of small, individual grassland remnants to the conservation of landscape-scale biodiversity,” APPLIED VEGETATION SCIENCE, vol. 24, no. 2, 2021.
@article{8712977, abstract = {{Questions: Small, remnant habitats embedded in degraded, human-dominated landscapes are generally not a priority in conservation, despite their potential role in supporting landscape-scale biodiversity. To warrant their inclusion in conservation management and policy, we question under which conditions they may exhibit the largest conservation value. Location: Nine landscapes spread across the counties of Stockholm and Södermanland, Sweden. Methods: Per landscape, plant communities were surveyed in 6 and 12 1 × 1 m2 plots across large, intact semi-natural grasslands and small remnant grasslands, respectively. These two contrasting grassland types served as a model system. A topsoil sample was taken in each plot to determine habitat quality in terms of soil pH, plant-available P, and C:N ratio. We used a joint species distribution model to analyse the extent to which grassland type and habitat quality define and predict resident community diversity and composition, including whether they support grassland specialists. Results: At the landscape scale, the combined remnant grasslands sustained diverse plant communities which did include a significant subset of habitat specialists. Yet, the contribution of individual remnants clearly varied with local-scale habitat quality; soil phosphorus availability lowered plot-level species richness, mostly by constraining the occurrence of grassland specialists. Semi-natural grassland communities were comparatively insensitive to variation in soil phosphorus availability. Conclusions: The combined habitat amount and the significant number of habitat specialists sustained by remnant grasslands with high habitat quality, shows they can represent a valuable resource to support landscape-scale biodiversity conservation. This offers no wildcard to neglect the continued biotic and abiotic threats on semi-natural grassland plant diversity such as chronic and accumulating P eutrophication, discontinuation of management or poor matrix permeability, as semi-natural grasslands harbour the majority of habitat specialists, while sourcing surrounding remnant grassland communities.}}, articleno = {{e12590}}, author = {{Plue, Jan and Baeten, Lander}}, issn = {{1402-2001}}, journal = {{APPLIED VEGETATION SCIENCE}}, keywords = {{Ecology,Management,Monitoring,Policy and Law,Nature and Landscape Conservation,grassland specialists,joint species distribution models,landscape ecology,plant-available phosphorus,remnant habitats,semi-natural grasslands,species richness,PLANT-SPECIES RICHNESS,SEMINATURAL GRASSLANDS,AGRICULTURAL LANDSCAPES,DIVERSITY,NITROGEN,CONNECTIVITY,EXTINCTION,MECHANISMS,ENRICHMENT,FEATURES}}, language = {{eng}}, number = {{2}}, pages = {{12}}, title = {{Soil phosphorus availability determines the contribution of small, individual grassland remnants to the conservation of landscape-scale biodiversity}}, url = {{http://doi.org/10.1111/avsc.12590}}, volume = {{24}}, year = {{2021}}, }
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