The effect of land-use intensity on the species-area relationship of plants within temperate grasslands
It is well-known that land-use intensity directly affects plant-species richness in temperate grasslands. However, the effect of land-use intensity on plant distribution at small spatial scales, as indicated by the slope of the species-area relationship, is rarely investigated. We tested whether the...
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Elsevier
2025-09-01
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| Series: | Basic and Applied Ecology |
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| Online Access: | http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1439179125000507 |
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| author | Ralph Bolliger Lena Neuenkamp Daniel Prati Markus Fischer |
| author_facet | Ralph Bolliger Lena Neuenkamp Daniel Prati Markus Fischer |
| author_sort | Ralph Bolliger |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | It is well-known that land-use intensity directly affects plant-species richness in temperate grasslands. However, the effect of land-use intensity on plant distribution at small spatial scales, as indicated by the slope of the species-area relationship, is rarely investigated. We tested whether the species-area relationship is directly affected by land-use intensity or indirectly via plant species richness. We studied the species-area relationship by measuring the rate of species richness increase between different plot sizes. We used nested quadrats of 0.2 by 0.2 m and 1 m by 1 m within each of 147 4 × 4 m plots of managed grasslands in three German regions in 2017 or 2018. With linear models, we found that the different components of land use (mowing, grazing and fertilization) had various direct effects on the species-area relationship. Mowing reduced the slope of the species-area relationship, indicating a more even distribution of plant species within plots at higher land-use intensity. Fertilisation did not significantly affect the slope of the species-area relationship, while grazing increased it. As a result of these different component effects, overall land-use intensity did not affect the species-area relationship directly. In addition, we used structural equation modelling to assess the direct and indirect effect of land-use intensity on the species-area relationship. We found that land-use intensity had only a negative indirect effect on the species-area relationship through a negative effect on species richness. An additional analysis with land-use components, mowing and grazing, confirmed the indirect negative effect of land-use on species-area relationship. Our results underline the importance of testing direct and indirect effects of land-use intensity. Furthermore, we show the importance of considering regional environmental differences before being able to generalize land-use effects on plant species heterogeneity. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-63145f7ed3a042ee8b06db3570da3282 |
| institution | DOAJ |
| issn | 1439-1791 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-09-01 |
| publisher | Elsevier |
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| series | Basic and Applied Ecology |
| spelling | doaj-art-63145f7ed3a042ee8b06db3570da32822025-08-20T02:39:44ZengElsevierBasic and Applied Ecology1439-17912025-09-0187929910.1016/j.baae.2025.06.002The effect of land-use intensity on the species-area relationship of plants within temperate grasslandsRalph Bolliger0Lena Neuenkamp1Daniel Prati2Markus Fischer3Institute of Plant Sciences, University of Bern, Switzerland; Corresponding author at: Institute of Plant Sciences, University of Bern, Altenbergrain 21, 3013 Bern, Switzerland.Institute of Landscape Ecology, Münster University, Heisenbergstraße 2, 48149 Münster, Germany; Faculty of Biology, Bielefeld University, Bielefeld, GermanyInstitute of Plant Sciences, University of Bern, SwitzerlandInstitute of Plant Sciences, University of Bern, SwitzerlandIt is well-known that land-use intensity directly affects plant-species richness in temperate grasslands. However, the effect of land-use intensity on plant distribution at small spatial scales, as indicated by the slope of the species-area relationship, is rarely investigated. We tested whether the species-area relationship is directly affected by land-use intensity or indirectly via plant species richness. We studied the species-area relationship by measuring the rate of species richness increase between different plot sizes. We used nested quadrats of 0.2 by 0.2 m and 1 m by 1 m within each of 147 4 × 4 m plots of managed grasslands in three German regions in 2017 or 2018. With linear models, we found that the different components of land use (mowing, grazing and fertilization) had various direct effects on the species-area relationship. Mowing reduced the slope of the species-area relationship, indicating a more even distribution of plant species within plots at higher land-use intensity. Fertilisation did not significantly affect the slope of the species-area relationship, while grazing increased it. As a result of these different component effects, overall land-use intensity did not affect the species-area relationship directly. In addition, we used structural equation modelling to assess the direct and indirect effect of land-use intensity on the species-area relationship. We found that land-use intensity had only a negative indirect effect on the species-area relationship through a negative effect on species richness. An additional analysis with land-use components, mowing and grazing, confirmed the indirect negative effect of land-use on species-area relationship. Our results underline the importance of testing direct and indirect effects of land-use intensity. Furthermore, we show the importance of considering regional environmental differences before being able to generalize land-use effects on plant species heterogeneity.http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1439179125000507Plant ecologyComparative studyLand-use intensity gradientSpecies-area relationshipStructural Equation modellingHeterogeneity |
| spellingShingle | Ralph Bolliger Lena Neuenkamp Daniel Prati Markus Fischer The effect of land-use intensity on the species-area relationship of plants within temperate grasslands Basic and Applied Ecology Plant ecology Comparative study Land-use intensity gradient Species-area relationship Structural Equation modelling Heterogeneity |
| title | The effect of land-use intensity on the species-area relationship of plants within temperate grasslands |
| title_full | The effect of land-use intensity on the species-area relationship of plants within temperate grasslands |
| title_fullStr | The effect of land-use intensity on the species-area relationship of plants within temperate grasslands |
| title_full_unstemmed | The effect of land-use intensity on the species-area relationship of plants within temperate grasslands |
| title_short | The effect of land-use intensity on the species-area relationship of plants within temperate grasslands |
| title_sort | effect of land use intensity on the species area relationship of plants within temperate grasslands |
| topic | Plant ecology Comparative study Land-use intensity gradient Species-area relationship Structural Equation modelling Heterogeneity |
| url | http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1439179125000507 |
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