Grazing as a management tool in dune grasslands: Evidence of soil and scale dependence of the effect of large herbivores on plant diversity

Biological Conservation

Volumn 141, Issue 6, 2008, Pages 1687-1694

  Tahmasebi Kohyani, Pejman ^a,b   Bossuyt, Beatrijs ^a   Bonte, Dries ^a   Hoffmann, Maurice ^a,c  

^a GHENT UNIVERSITY   (Belgium)

^b AEROSPACE RESEARCH INSTITUTE   (Iran)

^c RESEARCH INSTITUTE FOR NATURE AND FOREST INBO   (Belgium)

Author keywords

Beta diversity; Community structure; Linear mixed model; Local scale; Nutrient availability

Indexed keywords

ACID SOIL; BIOMASS; COMMUNITY STRUCTURE; DUNE; GRASSLAND; GRAZING MANAGEMENT; HERBIVORE; HETEROGENEITY; NUTRIENT AVAILABILITY; RARITY; SPECIES DIVERSITY; SPECIES RICHNESS;

BELGIUM; BENELUX; EURASIA; EUROPE; FRANCE; WESTERN EUROPE;

EID: 44649147678     PISSN: 00063207     EISSN: None     Source Type: Journal    
DOI: 10.1016/j.biocon.2008.04.010     Document Type: Article

References (40)

1. Adler P.B., Raff D.A., and Lauenroth W.K. The effect of grazing on the spatial heterogeneity of vegetation. Oecologia 128 (2001) 465-479
2. Bakker E.S., Ritchie M.E., Olff H., Milchunas D.G., and Johannes M.H. Herbivore impact on grassland plant diversity depends on habitat productivity and herbivore size. Ecology Letters 9 (2006) 780-788
3. Bakker J.P. The impact of grazing on plant communities. In: Wallis Devries M.F., Bakker J.P., and van Wieren S.E. (Eds). Grazing and Conservation Management (1998), Kluwer Academic Publisher, Dordrecht 137-184
4. Bakker J.P., and Londo G. Grazing for conservation management in historical perspectives. In: Wallis Devries M.F., Bakker J.P., and van Wieren S.E. (Eds). Grazing and Conservation Management (1998), Kluwer Academic Publisher, Dordrecht 21-54
5. Chaneton E.J., and Facelli J.M. Disturbance effects on plant community diversity: spatial scales and dominance hierarchies. Vegetatio 93 (1991) 143-155
6. Cosyns E., Degezelle T., Demeulenaere E., and Hoffmann M. Feeding ecology of Konik horses and donkeys in Belgian coastal dunes and its implications for nature management. Belgian Journal of Zoology 131 Suppl. 2 (2001) 109-116
7. Dorrough J., Ash J.E., Bruce S., and McIntyre S. From plant neighbourhood to landscape scales: how grazing modifies native and exotic plant species richness in grassland. Plant Ecology 191 (2007) 186-198
8. Dorrough J., Moxham C., Turner V., and Sutter G. Soil phosphorus and tree cover modify the effects of livestock grazing on plant species richness in Australian grassy woodland. Biological Conservation 130 (2006) 394-405
9. Ebrahimi, A., 2007. Towards an integrated framework of determining grazing capacity in low-productive, spatially heterogeneous landscapes. Ph.D. Thesis, Ghent University, Ghent, Belgium.
10. Fuhlendorf S.D., and Smeins F.E. Scaling effects of grazing in a semi-arid grassland. Journal of Vegetation Science 10 (1999) 731-738
11. Grubb P.J. The maintenance of species-richness in plant communities: the importance of the regeneration niche. Biological Review 52 (1977) 104-145
12. Grime J.P., Hodgson J.G., and Hunt R. Comparative Plant Ecology (1988), Unwin Hyman, London, UK
13. Hayes G.E., and Holl K.D. Cattle grazing impact on annual forbs and vegetation composition of mesic grassland in California. Conservation Biology 17 (2003) 1694-1702
14. Hobbs N.T., and Swift D.M. Grazing in herds: when are nutritional benefits realized?. American Naturalist 131 (1988) 760-764
15. Hodgson J.G., Montserrat-Marti G., Tallowin J., Thompson K., Diaz S., Cabido M., Grime J.P., Wilson P.J., Band S.R., Bogard A., Cabido R., Caceres D., Castro-Diez P., Ferrer C., Maestro-Martinez M., Perez-Rontome M.C., Charles M., Cornelissen J.H.C., Dabbert S., Perez-Harguindeguy N., Krimly T., Sijtsma F.J., Strijker D., Vendramini F., Guerrero-Campo J., Hynd A., Jones G., Romo-Diez A., de Torres Espuny L., Villar-Salvador P., and Zak M.R. How much will it cost to save grassland diversity?. Biological Conservation 122 (2005) 263-273
16. Hoffmann M., Cosyns E., Deconinck M., and Zwaenepoel A. Donkey diet in a Flemish coastal dune area in the first year after introduction. In: Houston J.A., Edmondson S.E., and Rooney P.J. (Eds). Coastal Dune Management, Shared Experience of European Conservation Practice (2001), Liverpool University Press, Liverpool 95-107
17. Hoffmann, M., Cosyns, E., Lamoot, I., 2005. Large herbivores in coastal dune management: do grazers do what they are supposed to do? In: Herrier, J.-L., Mees, J., Salman, A., Seys, J., Van Nieuwenhuyse, H., Dobbelaere, I. (Eds.), Proceedings 'Dunes and Estuaries 2005' - International Conference on Nature Restoration Practices in European Coastal Habitats, Koksijde, Belgium, 19-23 September 2005, pp. 249-268. Oostende, VLIZ Special Publication 19, xiv + 685 pp.
18. Huisman J., and Olff H. Competition and facilitation in multispecies plant-herbivore systems of productive environments. Ecology Letters 1 (1998) 25-29
19. Jutila H.M., and Grace J.B. Effects of disturbance on germination and seedling establishment in a coastal prairie grassland: a test of the competitive release hypothesis. Journal of Ecology 90 (2002) 291-302
20. Kahmen S., Poschlod P., and Schreiber K.F. Conservation management of calcareous grasslands. Changes in plant species composition and response of functional traits during 25 years. Biological Conservation 104 (2002) 319-328
21. Klimek S., Kemmermann A.R., Hofmann M., and Isselstein J. Plant species richness and composition in managed grasslands: the relative importance of field management and environmental factors. Biological Conservation 134 (2007) 559-570
22. Kooijman A.M., Dopheide J.C.R., Sevink J., Takken I., and Verstraten J.M. Nutrient limitations and their implications on the effects of atmospheric deposition in coastal dunes; lime-poor and lime-rich sites in the Netherlands. Journal of Ecology 86 (1998) 511-526
23. Kooijman A.M., and Smit A. Grazing as a measure to reduce nutrient availability and plant productivity in acid dune grasslands and pine forests in the Netherlands. Ecological Engineering 17 (2001) 63-77
24. Lamoot I., Meert C., and Hoffmann M. Habitat use of ponies and cattle foraging together in a coastal dune area. Biological Conservation 122 (2005) 523-536
25. Lamoot I., Vandenberghe C., Bauwens D., and Hoffmann M. Grazing behaviour of free-ranging donkeys and Shetland ponies in different reproductive states. Journal of Ethology 23 (2005) 19-27
26. Landsberg J., James C.D., Maconochie J., Nicholls A.O., Stol J., and Tynan R. Scale-related effect of grazing on native plant communities in an arid rangeland region of South Australia. Journal of Applied Ecology 39 (2002) 427-444
27. Loreau M. Are communities saturated? On the relationship between alpha, beta and gamma diversity. Ecology Letter 3 (2000) 73-76
28. Loucougaray G., Bonis A., and Bouzille' J.-B. Effects of grazing by horses and/or cattle on the diversity of coastal grasslands in western France. Biological Conservation 116 (2004) 59-71
29. Mc Intyre S., Heard K.M., and Martin T.G. The relative importance of cattle grazing in subtropical grasslands: does it reduce or enhance plant diversity?. Journal of Applied Ecology 40 (2003) 445-457
30. Mc Naughton S.J., Banyikwa F.F., and Mc Naughton M.M. Promotion of the cycling of diet-enhancing nutrients by African grazers. Science 278 (1997) 1798-2000
31. Milchunas D.G., and Lauenroth W.K. Quantitative effects of grazing on vegetation and soils over a global range of environments. Ecological Monographs 63 (1993) 327-366
32. Olff H., and Ritchie M. Effects of herbivores on grassland plant diversity. Trends in Ecology and Evolution 13 (1998) 261-265
33. Pacala S.W., and Crawley M.J. Herbivores and plant diversity. American Naturalist 140 (1992) 243-260
34. Proulx M., and Mazumder A. Reversal of grazing impact on plant species richness in nutrient-poor vs. nutrient-rich ecosystems. Ecology 79 (1998) 2581-2592
35. Provoost S., Ampe C., Bonte D., Cosyns E., and Hoffmann M. Ecology, management and monitoring of dune grassland in Flanders, Belgium. Journal of Coastal Conservation 22 (2004) 33-42
36. Provoost S., and Van Landuyt W. The flora of Flemish coastal dunes (Belgium) in a changing landscape. In: Houston J.A., Edmondson S.E., and Rooney P.J. (Eds). Coastal Dune Management, Shared Experience of European Conservation Practice (2001), Liverpool University Press, Liverpool, UK 393-401
37. Spiegelberger T., Matthies D., Muller-Scharer H., and Schaffner U. Scale-dependent effects of land use on plant species richness of mountain grassland in the European Alps. Ecography 29 (2006) 541-548
38. Tahmasebi Kohyani P., Bossuyt B., Bonte D., and Hoffmann M. The importance of grazing and soil acidity for plant community composition and community-wide trait characterization in coastal dune grasslands. Applied Vegetation Science 11 (2008) 179-185
39. Van Diggelen R., and Marrs R. Restoring plant communities. Applied Vegetation Science 6 (2003) 105-110
40. Van Landuyt, W., Hoste, I., Vanhecke, L., Van den Bremt, P., Vercruysse, W., De Beer, D., 2006. Atlas van de flora van Vlaanderen en het Brussels Gewest. Instituut voor Natuur- en Bosonderzoek, Nationale Plantentuin van België and Flo.Wer.