Functional diversity and grazing intensity in sub‐alpine and alpine grasslands in A ndorra

作者：Benjamín Komac, Clara Pladevall, Marta Domènech, Rosario Fanlo · 发表于：Applied Vegetation Science · 年份：2014 · DOI：10.1111/avsc.12119 · 被引用次数：33 · 研究领域：Ecology and Vegetation Dynamics Studies、Rangeland Management and Livestock Ecology、Plant Parasitism and Resistance

Abstract Questions Humans are altering land use and impacting grazing intensities worldwide in alpine and sub‐alpine grasslands, and functional diversity (FD) is a useful tool for predicting changes in these grassland communities and for improving biodiversity conservation. We asked: (1) how does functional richness (FRic) differ between the five predominant grassland types in Andorra (2) of these five grassland types, which plant communities are subject to high habitat filtering and which are driven primarily by competitive interactions; (3) are certain grassland communities more prone to degradation than others; and (4) how do grazing intensity and elevation influence variations inFDindices? Locations Five types of sub‐alpine and alpine grassland communities dominated byFestuca airoides,F. eskia,F. gautieri,F. paniculataandNardus strictain Andorra, at various elevations and with differing grazing intensities within a grassland type. Methods We used multiple functional diversity indices and structural equation modelling (SEM) to determine how grazing intensity, elevation, species richness and productivity affect functional diversity in 222 vegetation transects. Results Both plant diversity and functional richness were higher at higher grazing intensities, with the highest values found in theF. gautieriandF. paniculatagrasslands and lowest in theNardus stricta,F. airoidesandF. eskiagrasslands. Habitat filtering was observed inF. airoidesgrasslands. There was a general tendenc...