Long-term effect of sheep and goat grazing on plant diversity in a semi-natural dry grassland habitat.

ABSTRACT: Semi-natural dry grassland sites are of great importance for nature conservation because they support high species diversity and the abundance of "Red-List" species. Grazing has proved to be a successful management tool in terms of maintenance and restoration of biodiversity. For a deeper understanding of the effects of different grazers on species biodiversity in dry grasslands, it is necessary to study the long-term effects of major changes in grazing management. In a semi-natural dry grassland habitat, which was formerly grazed by cattle, we investigated the changes in plant species composition due to long term grazing by sheep and goats. Specifically we asked: a) How does long-term grazing by sheep and goats change the composition of all plant species and particularly those that are on

SUBMITTER: Benthien O 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC5857719 | biostudies-literature | 2018 Mar

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature