The effect of abandonment on vegetation composition and soil properties in Molinion meadows (SW Poland).

ABSTRACT: Intermittently wet meadows of the Molinion alliance, as with many other grasslands of high-nature value, have become increasingly exposed to abandonment due to their low economic value. The potential consequences of land abandonment are the decrease in species diversity and environmental alterations. The issue of land-use induced changes in plant species composition and soil physico-chemical parameters have been rarely studied in species-rich intermittently wet grasslands. In this study we attempt to i) to identify determinants of plant species composition patterns and ii) to investigate the effect of cessation of mowing on vegetation composition and soil properties. The study was conducted in an area of 36 ha covered with Molinion meadows, comprising of mown sites and sites that were left

SUBMITTER: Swacha G 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC5957338 | biostudies-literature | 2018

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature